Role of Mangifera indica bark polyphenols on rat gastric mucosa against ethanol and cold-restraint stress.

This study was carried out in order to investigate the potential and antioxidant effects of polyphenols from Mangifera indica stem bark against gastric damage induced by ethanol and cold-restraint stress. The polyphenols possess good capacity for scavenging nitric oxide (NO) radical and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay in vitro. Rats were sacrificed after the experiment, and their stomachs were removed for biochemical and histopathological analysis. The severity of lesions was found to markedly decrease by the administration of polyphenols in both models. The increased gastric nitrite level of ethanol administered rats were significantly (p < 0.001) reduced by polyphenol treatment. Administration of polyphenols reduced thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) level and increased the GSH level significantly in a dose-dependent manner in both models. Our study revealed the ulcer-protective effects of the polyphenols and could possibly reside for the most part on its anti-radical effects.

Free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties of Lagerstroemia speciosa (L).

The in vitro antioxidant activity of the successive extracts (ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and water) of the leaves of Lagerstroemia speciosa L. (Lythraceae) were studied by examining their superoxide, hydroxyl ion scavenging and by measuring lipid peroxidation. The ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts were found to possess greater antioxidant property than the methanol and water extracts. Anti-inflammatory activity of the ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts were examined using the carrageenan-induced acute inflammation and formalin-induced (chronic) paw edema models. In acute and chronic inflammation models, the ethyl acetate extract reduced the paw edema significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Whereas, ethanol extract did not show dose-dependent activity. This results suggests that the anti-inflammatory activity is possibly attributed to its free radical scavenging activity. It was found that ethyl acetate extract reduced the inflammation more significantly than the ethanol extract.

Amelioration of cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in mice by an ethyl acetate extract of Lagerstroemia speciosa (L).

We studied an ethyl acetate (EtoAC) extract of leaves obtained from the medicinal and ornamental tree, Lagerstroemia speciosa L, for nephroprotective activity in cisplatin-induced acute renal injury in Balb/C mice. The EtoAC extract at dose levels of 50 and 250 mg/kg showed a dose-dependent reduction in cisplatin-induced elevations in urea and creatinine concentrations. Additionally, treatment with the EtoAC extract prevented the cisplatin-induced decline of the renal antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and reduced glutathione. The findings suggest that the EtoAC extract from L. speciosa possesses marked nephroprotective activity and could offer a promising role in the treatment of acute renal injury caused by a nephrotoxin like cisplatin.

Evaluation of antimitotic activity of Rotula aquatica (Lour): a traditional herb used in treatment of cancer.

Rotula aquatica was extensively used by vaidyas (Ayurvedic practioners) in holistic treatment of cancer. In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the antimitotic activity of R. aquatica. Preliminary antimitotic screening was done using Allium cepa root tip assay. The mitotic index of the root tips markedly decreased with increasing concentration of the aqueous extract. The different fractions obtained by successive extraction of R. aquatica using solvents of increasing polarity were also evaluated for their antimitotic activity. Tannins were isolated which showed a better activity than the non-tannin fraction. Experiments were also carried out with incorporation of folic acid in the aqueous extract. Folic acid inhibited the antimitotic activity of aqueous extract of R. aquatica in a dose dependent manner. The results obtained were compared with methotrexate--a known drug available in market as anti-cancer agent. The studies were extended to human cells using 3 pancreatic cancer cell lines, viz: HPAF-II, BxPC-3, and CAPAN-2. Extract of R. aquatica was found to be extremely effective in the prevention of cell proliferation of the pancreatic cancer cell lines. The phytochemical evaluation revealed presence of polyphenols (tannins) and steroids. A HPTLC fingerprinting was developed and studied. Two compounds were isolated and subjected to spectral studies like UV, IR and mass spectrums. The empirical formula was derived by considering this data with elemental analysis of the compounds.

In vitro studies on antilithiatic activity of seeds of Dolichos biflorus Linn. and rhizomes of Bergenia ligulata Wall.

Soxhlet extracts of seeds of Dolichos biflorus and rhizomes of Bergenia ligulata were tested for their in vitro antilithiatic/anticalcification activity by the homogeneous precipitation method. The extracts were compared with an aqueous extract of cystone (a marketed preparation) for their activities. Also a combination of the extracts of the two plants was tested. Extracts of Dolichus biflorus showed activity almost equivalent to cystone while Bergenia ligulata showed less activity and the combination was not as active as the individual extracts.

A study on the conditioning effects of natural shampoos using the scanning electron microscope.

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was successfully used to study the effects of toiletry treatment with shampoo on the microstructure of hair. This paper describes the use of SEM for comparing the conditioning effects of herbal shampoos. Commercially available herbal shampoos are not completely natural, but contain herbal extracts in a synthetic detergent base, along with other chemical additives. Completely natural shampoos were formulated in the laboratory and their conditioning effects were evaluated by comparing with a commercially available herbal shampoo. The micrographs were studied quantitatively using 'Image Analyser Software' and the extent to which the hair scales were uplifted was measured. The results obtained from the quantitative comparison were in agreement with those obtained from other tests, such as protein loss determination. The damage caused to the hair due to sodium lauryl sulphate was visible in the micrographs. The laboratory formulations were found to be better than the commercially available product. Thus, quantitative measurements from SEM micrographs are a valuable tool to compare the conditioning effects of hair care products.

Formulation of natural shampoos.

Formulating cosmetics using completely natural raw materials is a difficult task. The challenge lies in selecting materials that can be rationally justified as 'natural' and formulating them into cosmetics whose functionality is comparable with their synthetic counterparts. The present paper focuses on the formulation of completely natural shampoos, their evaluation and comparison with commercial herbal shampoos. Attention is drawn to the fact that, due to the ambiguous definition of the word 'natural', several so-called natural cosmetics are available in the Indian market. It is up to the cosmetic chemists themselves to promote and encourage the development and use of truly natural cosmetics.

Comparative studies of the immunomodulatory activity of Tinospora cordifolia and Tinospora sinensis.

The water and ethanol extracts of stems of Tinospora cordifolia and T. sinensis inhibit immunosuppression produced by cyclophosphamide. Ethanol extracts of stems of both the plants inhibit cyclophosphamide-induced anemia. The water extract of T. sinensis is found to be more potent than the other extracts.

Pharmacognosy of Aerial Parts of Cynodon dactylon Pers. (Graminae).

Cynodon dactylon commonly known as Durva is considered as a sacred herb by the Hindus and is used in religious rites. It is widely used by the people of India as a traditional medicine for diarrhea, dysentery, catarrhal opthalmia, dropsy, etc. This paper discusses the pharmacognostical and preliminary phytochemical studies of the herb.

Evaluation of commercial herbal shampoos.

Selecting the evaluation parameters of a shampoo is a challenging task, simply because of the multitude of both subjective and instrumental test methodologies available for this purpose. The present paper focuses on the evaluation of herbal shampoos using some of these parameters. Commonly used test protocols for foam test, detergency, etc. are discussed. The commercial herbal shampoos are evaluated on the basis of these tests. The results of these tests also give an idea about what standards should be met by a shampoo formulated in the laboratory to be comparable with the commercial shampoos.

Pharmacognostical, phytochemical and antimicrobial studies on stem bark of tecomella undulata seem.

Tecomella undulate Seem is used in Ayurveda for diseases of liver and spleen. Pharmacognosy, Chemistry and antimicrobial activities of the plant are described in this article.

Estimation of sterols from dashmula.

Dashmulakwatha, a preparation of Dashmula official in the Ayurvedic Formulary, was estimated for its phytosterol content by HPTLC method. The preparation was found to contain 7.165% W/W of phytosterols with respect to ß-sitosterol as standard.