Determination of trace and heavy metals in some commonly used medicinal herbs in Ayurveda.

Traditionally, the herbal drugs are well established for their therapeutic benefits. Depending upon their geographical sources sometimes the trace and heavy metals' content may differ, which may lead to severe toxicity. So, the toxicological and safety assessment of these herbal drugs are one of the major issues in recent days. Eight different plant species including Aloe vera, Centella asiatica, Calendula officinalis, Cucumis sativus, Camellia sinensis, Clitoria ternatea, Piper betel and Tagetes erecta were selected to determine their heavy and trace metals content and thereby to assure their safer therapeutic application. The trace and heavy metals were detected through atomic absorption spectrometry analysis. The selected medicinal plant materials were collected from the local cultivated regions of West Bengal, India, and were digested with nitric acid and hydrochloric acid as specified. Absorbance was measured through atomic absorption spectrometer (AA 303) and the concentration of different trace and heavy metals in the plant samples were calculated. The quantitative determinations were carried out using standard calibration curve obtained by the standard solutions of different metals. The contents of heavy metals were found to be within the prescribed limit. Other trace metals were found to be present in significant amount. Thus, on the basis of experimental outcome, it can be concluded that the plant materials collected from the specific region are safe and may not produce any harmful effect of metal toxicity during their therapeutic application. The investigated medicinal plants contain trace metals such as copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) as well as heavy metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), which were present within the permissible limit.

Phytochemical and therapeutic potential of cucumber.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family like melon, squash and pumpkins. It is a popular vegetable crop used in Indian traditional medicine since ancient times. This vegetable is very high in water content and very low in calories. It has potential antidiabetic, lipid lowering and antioxidant activity. Cucumber has a cleansing action within the body by removing accumulated pockets of old waste materials and chemical toxins. Fresh fruit juice is used for nourishing the skin. It gives a soothing effect against skin irritations and reduces swelling. Cucumber also has the power to relax and alleviate the sunburn's pain. The fruit is refrigerant, haemostatic, tonic and useful in hyperdipsia, thermoplegia etc. The seeds also have a cooling effect on the body and they are used to prevent constipation. Several bioactive compounds have been isolated from cucumber including cucurbitacins, cucumegastigmanes I and II, cucumerin A and B, vitexin, orientin, isoscoparin 2″-O-(6‴-(E)-p-coumaroyl) glucoside, apigenin 7-O-(6″-O-p-coumaroylglucoside) etc. Despite huge exploration of cucumber in agricultural field, comparatively very few studies have been published about its chemical profile and its therapeutic potential. This article reviews the therapeutic application, pharmacological and phytochemical profile of different parts of C. sativus. In this review we have explored the current phytochemical and pharmacological knowledge available with this well known plant and several promising aspects for research on cucumber.

Standardized Clitoria ternatea leaf extract as hyaluronidase, elastase and matrix-metalloproteinase-1 inhibitor.

AIM: Plant Clitoria ternatea L. is claimed to possess a wide range of activities including antiinflammatory, local anesthetic and antidiabetic effect, etc. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the wound healing potential of standardized C. ternatea leaf extract in terms of different enzymatic models, which are mostly associated with skin wound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methanol extract and fractions were screened for its hyaluronidase, elastase, and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) inhibitory activity compared with standard oleanolic acid. The activity was rationalized through reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) standardization of the extract and fractions with respect to its isolated biomarker taraxerol (yield 5.27% w/w). RESULTS: The extract showed significant (P < 0.001) hyaluronidase (IC(50) 18.08 ± 0.46 µg/ ml) and MMP-1 (P < 0.05) inhibition, but the elastase inhibition was insignificant (IC(50) 42.68 ± 0.46 µg/ml). Among the fractions, ethyl acetate fraction showed significant (P < 0.001) inhibition of hyaluronidase (IC(50) 28.01 ± 0.48 µg/ml) and MMP-1 (P < 0.01). The HPLC analysis revealed that the extract and the ethyl acetate fraction are enriched with taraxerol (5.32% w/w and 4.55% w/w, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The experiment validated the traditional uses of C. ternatea and may be recommended for use in the treatment of different types of skin wounds, where taraxerol may be a responsible biomarker.

Simultaneous estimation of hydroxychavicol and chlorogenic acid from Piper betel L. through RP-HPLC.

A RP-HPLC method was developed (λ (max) =280) to quantify hydroxychavicol and chlorogenic acid in Piper betel Linn. The method was validated for linearity, limit of detection (LOD=3:1σ/S), limit of quantification (LOQ=10:1σ/S), precision, accuracy and ruggedness. The response was linear with good correlation between concentration and mean peak area through a coefficient of determinants (r (2)) of 0.9940, y=1.98e +004x +5.19e +004 and 0.9945, y=2.76e+004x+1.40e+005 with LOD 1.6 µg mL(-1), 1.0 µg mL(-1) and LOQ 5.0 µg mL(-1) and 3.0 µg mL(-1), respectively, for hydroxychavicol (28.56% w/w) and chlorogenic acid (0.40% w/w). The %RSD of precision and recovery of hydroxychavicol and chlorogenic acid were <2.0%. The proposed method was simple, accurate, specific, precise and reproducible.

Bioactive compounds from natural resources against skin aging.

Skin aging involves degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in both the epidermal and dermal layers, it leaves visible signs on the surface of skin and the physical properties of the skin are modified. Chronological aging is due to passage of time, whereas premature aging occurred due to some environmental factors on skin produces visible signs such as irregular dryness, dark/light pigmentation, sallowness, severe atrophy, telangiectases, premalignant lesions, laxity, leathery appearance and deep wrinkling. There are several synthetic skincare cosmetics existing in the market to treat premature aging and the most common adverse reactions of those include allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, phototoxic and photo-allergic reactions. Recent trends in anti-aging research projected the use of natural products derived from ancient era after scientific validation. Ample varieties of phytomolecules such as aloin, ginsenoside, curcumin, epicatechin, asiaticoside, ziyuglycoside I, magnolol, gallic acid, hydroxychavicol, hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, etc. scavenges free radicals from skin cells, prevent trans-epidermal water loss, include a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher contribute to protect skin from wrinkles, leading to glowing and healthy younger skin. Present era of treating aging skin has become technologically more invasive; but herbal products including botanicals are still relevant and combining them with molecular techniques outlined throughout this review will help to maximize the results and maintain the desired anti-skin aging benefits.

Exploring Tagetes erecta Linn flower for the elastase, hyaluronidase and MMP-1 inhibitory activity.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditionally Tagetes erecta Linn flower is claimed to treat skin diseases like sores, burns, wounds, ulcers, eczema and several other skin ailments. The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the anti-wrinkle potential of standardized flower extract of Tagetes erecta. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Tagetes erecta extract and fractions were screened for hyaluronidase, elastase and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1) inhibitory activity compared with the activity of standard oleanolic acid. Syringic acid and ß-amyrin were obtained from the extract and quantified through RP-HPLC. Also the compounds were evaluated for anti-wrinkle activity. RESULTS: The methanol extract showed significant ((a)P < 0.05) hyaluronidase and elastase inhibition with IC50 of 11.70 ± 1.79 µg mL(-1) and 4.13 ± 0.93 µg mL(-1) respectively and better MMP-1 inhibition compared to standard oleanolic acid. The isolated compounds syringic acid and ß-amyrin found to inhibit enzymes comparable to oleanolic acid. The RP-HPLC analysis revealed that good amounts of syringic acid and ß-amyrin (2.30%, w/w and 0.06%) are present in Tagetes erecta. CONCLUSION: Tagetes erecta flower showed effective inhibition of hyaluronidase, elastase and MMP-1. Therefore, this experiment further rationalizes the traditional uses of this plant, which may be useful as an anti-wrinkle agent.