Antigenotoxic and Antimutagenic Effects of Andrographis paniculata, a Traditional Medicinal Herb against Genotoxicity of Cyclophosphamide: An In Vitro Study on Human Peripheral Lymphocytes.

Andrographis paniculata (family: Acanthaceae) is a medicinal herb-used in Indian system of medicine (Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani), traditional and folk systems to treat various illnesses. This study examined the phytochemical constituents of ethanol extract from A. paniculata and its protective effect against genotoxicity caused by cyclophosphamide (CPA). Phytochemical screening and estimation of total phenolic content were analyzed using standard methods. The bioactive components from the ethanol extract of A. paniculata (EAP) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. To investigate the protective effect of EAP against CPA-induced genotoxicity, human peripheral lymphocyte cultures were used. To test the antigenotoxic and antimutagenic effects of EAP, lymphocytes were treated with different concentrations of extract (50∼250 mg/mL) alone and co-treated along with CPA+EAP for 48 h. The cells were analyzed for structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in control, CPA treated, and CPA+ EAP co-treated lymphocytes. Results of the study revealed that the lymphocyte cultures which had 48 h continuous exposure to EAP (50∼250 mg/mL) did not show any significant changes in CAs and SCE frequencies. These results substanti-ate the antimutagenic nature of the extract. Furthermore, the lymphocytes co-treated with CPA along with extract showed a significant reduction in CAs (reduced from 26.50±2.50% to 11.00±1.00%) and SCEs (reduced from 9.92±0.63 per cell to 4.56±0.18 per cell). These results suggest that A. paniculata is protective against CPA induced genotoxicity and put forward its possible use as a supplement with chemotherapeutic drugs.

Isolation and Characterization of an Acyclic Isoprenoid from Semecarpus anacardium Linn. and its Antibacterial Potential in vitro: - Antimicrobial Activity of Semecarpus anacardium Linn. Seeds.

OBJECTIVES: Semecarpus anacardium Linn. is a plant well-known for its antimicrobial, antidiabetic and anti-arthritic properties in the Ayurvedic and Siddha system of medicine. This has prompted the screening of this plant for antibacterial activity. The main aims of this study were to isolate compounds from the plant's seeds and to evaluate their antibacterial effects on clinical bacterial test strains. METHODS: The n-butanolic concentrate of the seed extract was subjected to thin layer chromatography (TLC) and repeated silica gel column chromatography followed by elution with various solvents. The compound was identified based on observed spectral (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry) data. The well diffusion method was employed to evaluate the antibacterial activities of the isolated acyclic isoprenoid compound (final concentration: 5 - 15 µg/mL) on four test bacterial strains, namely, Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 96), Bacillus cereus (MTCC 430), Escherichia coli (MTCC 1689) and Acinetobacter baumannii (MTCC 9829). RESULTS: Extensive spectroscopic studies showed the structure of the isolated compound to be an acyclic isoprenoid (C21H32O). Moreover, the isoprenoid showed a remarkable inhibition of bacterial growth at a concentration of 15 µg/mL compared to the two other doses tested (5 and 10 µg/mL) and to tetracycline, a commercially available antibiotic that was used as a reference drug. CONCLUSION: The isolation of an antimicrobial compound from Semecarpus anacardium seeds validates the use of this plant in the treatment of infections. The isolated compound found to be active in this study could be useful for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.