Ficus cunia Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb. (leaves): An experimental evaluation of the cytotoxicity, thrombolytic, analgesic and neuropharmacological activities of its methanol extract.

Background The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the cytotoxic, thrombolytic, analgesic, sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic activities of the methanolic extract of Ficus cunia leaves. Methods Primary phytochemical screening was accomplished by using established methods. Cytotoxicity was studied by brine shrimp lethality test, and the thrombolytic assay was conducted through clot lysis method with human blood. The in vivo action was done using mice of both sexes. The analgesic activity was evaluated by acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-induced paw licking test. Open field, hole cross and thiopental Na-induced sleeping time test were used to examine the sedative-hypnotic activity, and elevated plus maze (EPM) and hole board test were used to identify the anxiolytic activity. Results The results elicited that the extract contained several phytochemicals such as alkaloid, flavonoid, and tannin. The extract was found to have a median lethal concentration (LC50) value of 55.48 µg/mL in the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. It was also assessed for antithrombotic activity when compared with streptokinase; it has significant (p < 0.001) thrombolytic effect (34.72 ± 1.74%) contrasted with standard streptokinase (67 ± 1.56%). The extract at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg produced inhibition of 32.58% and 46.63% in acetic acid-induced pain and 45.88 and 61.18% in formalin-induced pain. The sedative and hypnotic activities on the central nervous system of the methanol extract of F. cunia (MEFC) leaves were evaluated. The extract delivered critical sedative impact at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg (by oral route) treated with reference to the substance diazepam, and the hypnotic impact was also observed in the case of mice. MEFC at its maximum dose (400 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.01) increased the time spent in the open arms of the EPM. In the hole board test, there was a dose-dependent (at 200 and 400 mg/kg) and a significant (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01) increase in the number of head pokes in comparison to control. Conclusions The results of the present study gave a helpful baseline in progression for the possible use of MEFC as a cytotoxic, thrombolytic, analgesic, sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic drug.

Antidiarrheal and antinociceptive activities of ethanol extract and its chloroform and pet ether fraction of Phrynium imbricatum (Roxb.) leaves in mice.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to evaluate the antidiarrheal and antinociceptive activities of ethanol extract and its chloroform and pet ether fraction of Phrynium imbricatum (Roxb.) leaves in mice. METHODS: In the present study, the dried leaves of P. imbricatum were subjected to extraction with ethanol, and then it was fractioned by chloroform and pet ether solvent. Antidiarrheal effects were tested by using castor oil-induced diarrhea, castor oil-induced enteropooling, and gastrointestinal transit test. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated by using the acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-induced paw licking test. RESULTS: The standard drug loperamide (5 mg/kg) showed significant (p<0.001) inhibitory activity against castor oil-induced diarrhea, in which all the examined treatments decreased the frequency of defecation and were found to possess an anti-castor oil-induced enteropooling effect in mice by reducing both weight and volume of intestinal content significantly, and reducing the propulsive movement in castor oil-induced gastrointestinal transit using charcoal meal in mice. The results showed that the ethanol extract of P. imbricatum leaves has significant dose-dependent antinociceptive activity, and among its two different fractions, the pet ether fraction significantly inhibited the abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid and the licking times in formalin test at both phases. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the plant may be a potential source for the development of a new antinociceptive drug and slightly suitable for diarrhea, as it exhibited lower activity. Our observations resemble previously published data on P. imbricatum leaves.

Antioxidant, antidiarrheal, hypoglycemic and thrombolytic activities of organic and aqueous extracts of Hopea odorata leaves and in silico PASS prediction of its isolated compounds.

BACKGROUND: Hopea Odorata, locally known as Telsur (Bangladesh), has some traditional uses as folk medicine. This study aims to investigate the antioxidant, antidiarrheal, hypoglycemic and thrombolytic activities of H. odorata leaf extracts as new therapeutic prospects predicting the activity of some of the isolated compounds of this plant. METHODS: Leaves of Hopea odorata was extracted with pure methanol (MEHO), ethanol (EEHO) and water (AEHO). The extract was tested for antioxidant activity by using reducing power and H2O2 scavenging assay. Antidiarrheal effects were assayed by three standard methods of bioassay: Castor oil-induced diarrhea, Castor oil induced enteropooling and gastrointestinal transit test. Hypoglycemic effect was determined by normoglycemic model of mice. Thrombolytic activity was evaluated by clot lyses test for human and mice blood. In silico PASS prediction was applied for phytoconstituents namely Balanocarpol, Hopeaphenol and Ampelopsin H isolated from this plant. RESULT: Among the all extracts, MEHO exhibited strong antioxidant activity in both reducing power and H2O2 scavenging assay. Phenol content of MEHO was 297.22 ± 0.78 mg/g and flavonol content was 91.53 ± 1.82 mg/g. All the experiment of extracts at dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg and the standard drug loperamide (5 mg/kg) showed significant (p < 0.001) inhibition against castor oil induced diarrhea and castor oil induced enteropooling in mice. There were also significant (p < 0.01) reduction in gastrointestinal motility in the charcoal meal test. Leaf extract showed no significant (P < 0.01) decrease of blood glucose compared to Glibenclamide in normoglycemic mice. Using an in vitro thrombolytic model, MEHO showed the highest and significant clot lysis of human and mice blood compared to Streptokinase. PASS predicted the wide range of antioxidant, free radical scavenger, Nitric oxide scavenger, cardioprotectant, hepatoprotectant, thrombolytic, fibrinolytic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, anthelmintic and anti-inflammatory activity of examined phytoconstituents. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the plant may be a potential source of new antidiarrheal, thrombolytic and antioxidative agents but it is found to have no antidiabetic capability. PASS prediction matched with present study for the extracts. Further study needs to identify the PASS predicted biological actions of the phytoconstituents.

Antithrombotic and cytotoxic activities of four Bangladeshi plants and PASS prediction of their isolated compounds.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate whether tested organic extracts possess antithrombotic properties with minimal or no toxicity and to predict the activity of some of their isolated compounds. METHODS: An in vitro thrombolytic model was used to check the clot lysis effect of four Bangladeshi herbal extracts viz., roots of Curculigo recurvata W.T. Aiton (Satipata), leaf of Amorphophallus bulbifer Roxb. (Olkachu), leaf of Phyllanthus sikkimensis Muell. Arg., and whole plant of Thunbergia grandiflora Roxb. (Nillata) using streptokinase as a positive control and water as a negative control. Cytotoxicity was screened by brine shrimp lethality bioassay using vincristine sulfate as positive control. In silico prediction of activity spectra for substances (PASS) prediction was applied for phytoconstituents, namely, nyasicoside, glucomannan, grandifloric acid, serine, and alanine. RESULTS: Using an in vitro thrombolytic model, C. recurvata, A. bulbifer, P. sikkimensis, and T. grandiflora showed 28.10±1.64%, 42.47±1.96%, 32.86±1.92%, and 25.51±1.67% of clot lysis, respectively. Reference drug streptokinase exhibited 75.00±3.04% clot lysis. Examined herbs showed significant (p<0.001) percentage (%) of clot lysis compared to negative control. In brine shrimp cytotoxic assay, C. recurvata, A. bulbifer, P. sikkimensis, and T. grandiflora showed LC50 values 210.64±3.44, 98.51±1.47, 187.29±2.01, and 386.43±3.02 µg/mL, respectively, with reference to vincristine sulfate (LC50 0.76±0.04). PASS predicted that examined phytoconstituents have a wide range of biological activity. CONCLUSIONS: Through our study it was found that A. bulbifer and P. sikkimensis could be considered as very promising and beneficial thrombolytic agents.