Ethnobotany, Pharmacological Activities and Bioavailability Studies on "King of Bitters" (Kalmegh): A Review (2010-2020).

BACKGROUND: Andrographis paniculata, commonly known as "Kalmegh", is an annual herbaceous plant from the family Acanthaceae. The whole plant of A. paniculata has been explored for multiple pharmacological activities and is scientifically recognized by in-vivo and in-vitro studies. Various biotechnologically engineered techniques have been explored to enhance the bioavailability of this plant. OBJECTIVE: In this review, we aim to present comprehensive recent advances in ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, specific pharmacology, safety and toxicology, and bioavailability of A. paniculata and its pure compounds. Possible directions for future research are also outlined in brief, which will encourage advance investigations on this plant. METHODS: Information on the recent updates of the present review is collected from different electronic scientific databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. All the composed information is classified into different sections according to the objective of the paper. RESULTS: More than a hundred research and review papers have been studied and incorporated in the present manuscript. After a vast literature search on A. paniculata, we present a noteworthy report of various phytoconstituents present in the plant, which are accountable for the potential therapeutic properties of the plant. Forty-five of the studied articles gave general information about the introduction, ethnobotany, and traditional uses of the plant. Twenty-two papers enclosed information about the phytoconstituents present in different parts of A. paniculata and seventy-two papers briefly outlined the pharmacological activities like antioxidant, anti-dengue, anti-ulcerogenic, antifungal, some miscellaneous activities like activity against SARS-CoV-2, antidiarrhoeal. Nineteen studies highlighted the research work conducted by various researchers to increased the bioavailability of A. Paniculata and two studies reported the safety and toxicology of the plant. CONCLUSION: This review incorporated the scientifically validated research work encompassing the ethnobotanical description of the subjected plant, phytochemical profile, various pharmacological activities, and recent approaches to enhance the bioavailability of active metabolites.

Therapeutic Journey of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees from Natural to Synthetic and Nanoformulations.

Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees (Acanthaceae) is a herbaceous plant and is commonly called 'King of Bitters'. It has gained attraction as a potential hepatoprotective agent and a natural molecule with various biological activities viz. anticancer, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, neuroprotective, and so on. The andrographolide is one of the main diterpenoids responsible for the drug's bitter taste and various therapeutic activities. The poor cellular permeability, solubility and short biological half-life of its pure components limit its distribution to the target tissue. To conquer this obstacle, various researchers worldwide have been working on designing the synthetic derivatives of its active components and nanoformulations to improve the drug's efficiency and selectivity to develop more active leads for biomedical applications. This article discussed the recent research on synthetic derivatives, including their possible therapeutic applications and structure-activity relationship (SAR). Additionally, this article also presents essential information concerning the various nanoformulations developed to increase the delivery of pure compound/plant extract to the target site, thereby improving the drug's efficacy for multiple ailments.

Herbal therapeutics that block the oncogenic kinase PAK1: a practical approach towards PAK1-dependent diseases and longevity.

Over 35 years research on PAKs, RAC/CDC42(p21)-activated kinases, comes of age, and in particular PAK1 has been well known to be responsible for a variety of diseases such as cancer (mainly solid tumors), Alzheimer's disease, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and other viral/bacterial infections, inflammatory diseases (asthma and arthritis), diabetes (type 2), neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, learning disability, autism, etc. Although several distinct synthetic PAK1-blockers have been recently developed, no FDA-approved PAK1 blockers are available on the market as yet. Thus, patients suffering from these PAK1-dependent diseases have to rely on solely a variety of herbal therapeutics such as propolis and curcumin that block PAK1 without affecting normal cell growth. Furthermore, several recent studies revealed that some of these herbal therapeutics significantly extend the lifespan of nematodes (C. elegans) and fruit flies (Drosophila), and PAK1-deficient worm lives longer than the wild type. Here, I outline mainly pathological phenotypes of hyper-activated PAK1 and a list of herbal therapeutics that block PAK1, but cause no side (harmful) effect on healthy people or animals.

Evaluation of anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant potential of andrographolide and echiodinin isolated from callus culture of Andrographis paniculata Nees.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activity of andrographolide (AND) and echiodinin (ECH) of Andrographis paniculata. METHODS: In this study, an attempt has been made to demonstrate the anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activity of isolated AND and ECH by broth micro-dilution method and 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, respectively. Structure elucidation was determined by electro-spray ionization-MSD, NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and IR spectra. RESULTS: AND was effective against most of the strains tested including Mycobacterium smegmatis, showing broad spectrum of growth inhibition activity with Minimum inhibitory concentration values against Staphylococcus aureus (100 µg/mL), Streptococcus thermophilus (350 µg/mL) Bacillus subtilis (100 µg/mL), Escherichia coli (50 µg/mL), Mycobacterium smegmatis (200 µg/mL), Klebsiella pneumonia (100 µg/mL), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (200 µg/mL). ECH showed specific anti-bacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a concentration higher than 225 µg/mL. Both AND and ECH were not effective against the two yeast strains, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae tested in this study. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study showed promising anti-bacterial activity and moderate free radical scavenging activity of AND and ECH, and it may provide the scientific rationale for its popular folklore medicines.

Evaluation of anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant potential of andrographolide and echiodinin isolated from callus culture of Andrographis paniculata Nees

Objective: To evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activity of andrographolide (AND) and echiodinin (ECH) of Andrographis paniculata. Methods:In this study, an attempt has been made to demonstrate the anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activity of isolated AND and ECH by broth micro-dilution method and 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, respectively. Structure elucidation was determined by electro-spray ionization-MSD, NMR (1H and 13C) and IR spectra. Results: AND was effective against most of the strains tested including Mycobacteriumsmegmatis, showing broad spectrum of growth inhibition activity with Minimum inhibitory concentration values against Staphylococcus aureus (100 μg/mL), Streptococcus thermophilus (350 μg/mL) Bacillus subtilis (100 μg/mL), Escherichia coli (50 μg/mL), Mycobacterium smegmatis (200 μg/mL), Klebsiella pneumonia (100 μg/mL), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (200 μg/mL). ECH showed specific anti-bacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a concentration higher than 225 μg/mL. Both AND and ECH were not effective against the two yeast strains, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae tested in this study. Conclusion:This preliminary study showed promising anti-bacterial activity and moderate free radical scavenging activity of AND and ECH, and it may provide the scientific rationale for its popular folklore medicines.