ABSTRACT
Antiseizure activity of Cephalaria gigantea root extract was studied using PTZ- and/or audiogenic seizure models in outbred Wistar and inbred Krouchinsky- Molodkina rats respectively. In PTZ - model onset of tonic- clonic seizures, latencies to the beginning of the seizure activity, and mortality, and similarly in audiogenic seizures behavioral convulsive reactions , facial automatisms and latency to wild running were evaluated. The extract is used traditionally in Georgian folk medicine as anticonvulsant drug. In this study it was evidenced experimentally that extract demonstrates anticonvulsant properties as in both model, as in both routs of administration - peroral and intraperitoneal. Extract appeared most effective in case of preliminary repetitive administration: in PTZ model seizures were eliminated in 9 of 10 animals, and in audiogenic model convulsive response was no more observable during 7 days of treatment termination. It was found also that sedative properties are characteristic of this antiseizure extract according to the sleeping prolongation in barbiturate treated mice. Safety of the extract was evaluated in toxicological acute and chronic experiments, and consequently it is considered a substance of moderate general toxicity.
Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Dipsacaceae/chemistry , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Seizures/drug therapy , Acoustic Stimulation , Animals , Anticonvulsants/chemistry , Anticonvulsants/toxicity , Female , Hypnotics and Sedatives/chemistry , Hypnotics and Sedatives/therapeutic use , Hypnotics and Sedatives/toxicity , Male , Mice , Pentylenetetrazole , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Plant Roots/chemistry , Rats, Wistar , Seizures/etiologyABSTRACT
In folk medicine the ivies (Hedera L. Fam.Araliaceae) are known as plants possessing diverse curative properties. A comparative phytochemical study of the biologically active water extracts of H. colchica and H. helix and evaluation of their ulcer preventive efficacy in ethanol-induced ulcer model in rats was carried out. Water extracts of H. colchica and H. helix (300 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly (p<0.01) decrease the ulcer index (0.50 and 1.38 vs 3.17 in control) and rise macroscopic curative ratio (84.2% and 56.6%, respectively). The results clearly indicate that pretreatment with water extract of H. colchica is preferable and further experiments are required to isolate the active principals responsible for itsantiulcerogenic activity.
Subject(s)
Hedera/chemistry , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Stomach Ulcer/drug therapy , Animals , Ethanol/toxicity , Humans , Male , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Rats , Stomach Ulcer/chemically induced , Stomach Ulcer/pathology , Water/chemistryABSTRACT
Fifteen triterpenoid saponins were isolated from the berries of Hedera colchica and their structures established on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. Among them, two are new compounds: coichiside A (3) and colchiside B (15) and four are described for the first time in the berries of Hedera colchica (compounds 1, 8, 9 and 11).
Subject(s)
Plants/chemistry , Saponins/isolation & purification , Triterpenes/isolation & purification , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Saponins/chemistry , Spectrometry, Mass, Fast Atom Bombardment , Triterpenes/chemistryABSTRACT
The in vitro antileishmanial activity of three saponins isolated from ivy, alpha-hederin, beta-hederin and hederacolchiside A(1), was investigated on parasites of the species Leishmania mexicana, in their promastigote and amastigote forms compared with their toxicity versus human monocytes. The results showed that saponins exhibited a strong antiproliferative activity on all stages of development of the parasite but demonstrated a strong toxicity versus human cells. Association of subtoxic concentrations of saponins with antileishmanial drugs such as pentamidine and amphotericin B demonstrated that saponins could enhance the efficiency of conventional drugs on both the promastigote and the amastigote stages of development of the parasite. The results demonstrated moreover that the action of saponins on promastigote membrane was cumulative with those of amphotericin B.
Subject(s)
Antiprotozoal Agents/pharmacology , Leishmania mexicana/drug effects , Magnoliopsida , Oleanolic Acid/analogs & derivatives , Plants, Medicinal , Saponins/pharmacology , Animals , Parasitic Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
The in vitro antileishmanial activity of three saponins isolated from ivy, alpha-hederin, beta-hederin and hederacolchiside A1, was investigated on Leishmania infantum. The assessment of possible targets (membrane integrity, membrane potential, DNA synthesis and protein content) was performed in both Leishmania promastigotes and human monocytes (THP1 cells). Results observed in Leishmania showed that the saponins exhibited a strong antiproliferative activity on all stages of development of the parasite by altering membrane integrity and potential: hederacolchiside A1 appeared to be the most active compound against both promastigotes and amastigotes. Results observed in THP1 cells demonstrated that the saponins exerted also a potent antiproliferative activity against human monocytes, by producing a significant DNA synthesis inhibition. The ratio between antileishmanial activity on amastigotes and toxicity to human cells suggested that the saponins could be considered as possible antileishmanial drugs.
