Photoactive Herbal Compounds: A Green Approach to Photodynamic Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive, alternative, and promising treatment for various diseases, including cancer, actinic keratosis, Bowen's disease, macular degeneration, and atherosclerotic plaques. PDT involves three different components, photosensitizers (PS), molecular oxygen, and light. The photoactivation of administered PSs using a specific wavelength of light in the presence of molecular oxygen leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species that leads to tumour cell death. Photosensitizing potentials of many commercially available compounds have been reported earlier. However, the possibilities of PDT using herbal medicines, which contain many photosensitizing phytochemicals, are not much explored. Medicinal plants with complex phytochemical compound mixtures have the benefit over single compounds or molecules in the treatment of many diseases with the benefit of low or reduced toxic side effects. This review emphasizes the role of various herbal medicines either alone or in combination to enhance the therapeutic outcome of photodynamic therapy.

Discrimination of Curcuma species from Asia using intron length polymorphism markers in genes encoding diketide-CoA synthase and curcumin synthase.

Recently, Curcuma rhizome-related foods with claimed health benefits have been used worldwide; however, correct identification and quality assessment have not been conducted. Due to the wide distribution and morphological similarities of Curcuma species, the classification of some species is debated and nomenclature is inconsistent among countries. In this study, to elucidate specific molecular markers of medicinally used Curcuma species in Asia, and to solve the confusion on the reported botanical origin of crude drugs, molecular analysis based on the intron length polymorphism (ILP) in genes encoding diketide-CoA synthase and curcumin synthase and the trnK intron sequences was performed using 59 plant specimens and 42 crude drug samples from 13 Curcuma species, obtained from Asian countries. The ILP patterns of the respective species from both plant specimens and crude drug samples revealed high consistency in C. aromatica, C. zedoaria, C. phaeocaulis, C. aeruginosa, C. wenyujin, and C. zanthorrhiza, but showed intraspecies polymorphism in C. longa, C. kwangsiensis, C. amada, C. mangga and C. comosa. The C. longa specimens and samples were separated into three subgroups which were highly consistent with their geographical origins. Based on the ILP markers and the trnK intron sequences, the botanical origins of "Khamin oi" from Thailand were correctly determined to be C. longa or a hybrid between C. longa and other species, and "Wan narn kum" from Thailand and "Kasturi manjal" from India were correctly determined to be C. zanthorrhiza.

Purification of Bhallathaka (Semecarpus anacardium L.f.) enhanced anti-cancer activity.

Semecarpus anacardium L. F. commonly known as Bhallathaka, is an important Ayurvedic medicinal plant of the family Anacardiaceae. Mature fruit of this plant is used as an Ayurvedic drug for treating various ailments including cancer. The drug has been reported to cause irritation, blisters, toxicity and contact dermatitis if used in raw form. In Ayurvedic texts, various methods have been described for purification process of Bhallathaka in order to minimize the toxic effects as well as to potentiate the drug. This study was carried out to evaluate chemical profiles and anti-cancer activity of raw and purified samples of Bhallathaka. Chemical characterization was done by Liquid chromatography mass spectroscopic (LC/MS) analysis and anticancer activity was evaluated using Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) model in mice with 5-fluorouracil as standard. The result indicated that purification of Bhallathaka imparted chemical changes to certain active compounds and enhanced its anti-cancer activity when compared to raw sample. The present study concluded that traditional purification process can impact the chemical and pharmacological profile of herbal drugs and thus beneficial in increasing its safety and efficacy.

Chemical profiling of selected Ayurveda formulations recommended for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the global health concern since December 2019. It has become a big challenge for the researchers to find a solution for this newly evolved pandemic. In Ayurveda point of view, COVID-19 is a Janapadodhwamsa vikara (epidemic disease), a situation where the environment-air, water, land, and seasons-is vitiated, causing a simultaneous manifestation of a disease among large populations. The aim of this study is to identify the active compounds of selected Ayurveda medicines recommended for COVID-19. RESULTS: The selected preparations are traditionally recommended for the management of various kinds of fever including the infectious ones and to enhance the immunity. HPTLC analysis of the same showed presence of many active molecules like umbelliferone, scopoletin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, piperine, curcumin, berberine, and palmatine. CONCLUSION: The study provided valuable scientific data regarding the active ingredients of the selected medicines with proven therapeutic potentials like anti-viral, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities.

LC/MS characterization of phenolic antioxidants of Brindle berry (Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) Robson).

Characterisation of antioxidant fraction of the fruit of Garcinia gummi-gutta was done using liquid chromatography mass spectroscopic (LC/MS) analyses. Total poly phenolics and radical scavenging activity of various extracts such as acetone, methanol and hydroalcohol were estimated spectrophotometrically. The active extract was analysed by LC/MS in order to identify the molecular mass and tentative structures of major compounds. Phenolic compounds such as luteolin 7-O-glucuronide, kaempferol 3-O-(6-O-acetyl) glycoside, dicaffeoylquinic acid, apigenein-6-C-pentosyl-8-C-hexoside and p-coumarylquinic acid were identified from hydro alcoholic extract of G. gummi-gutta.

Phenolic characterisation of selected Salacia species using LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis.

Phenolic characterisation was carried out on the leaf of three Salacia species such as Salacia chinensis, Salacia fruticosa and Salacia oblonga using liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry equipped with electrospray ionisation interface. The estimation of total phenolics was carried out spectrophotometrically using Folin-Ciocalteu method. HPLC diode-array detection has been used for the preliminary identification of phenolic compounds, and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses were employed for their characterisation. The fragmentation patterns of the compounds during collision-induced dissociation led to the structural elucidation of the separated compounds.

Molecular authentication of Cissampelos pareira L. var. hirsuta (Buch.-Ham. ex DC.) Forman, the genuine source plant of ayurvedic raw drug 'Patha', and its other source plants by ISSR markers.

Cissampelos pareira L. var. hirsuta (Buch.-Ham. ex DC.) Forman belongs to family Menispermaceae. The roots of this taxon are used in the treatment of various diseases like stomach pain, fever, skin disease, etc., in Ayurveda and is commonly known as Patha. Two other species, viz., Cyclea peltata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson and Stephania japonica (Thunb.) Miers of the same family are being used as the source of this drug in various parts of India. This type of substitution or adulteration will ultimately affect the therapeutic efficacy of the medicines adversely. ISSR profiles of all the three taxa are generated and analyzed to assess the genetic relationships among these three species. The profiles of all the three species displayed a high level of polymorphism among them. ISSR markers developed can be used in authenticating and validating the exact species discrimination of the genuine raw drug of 'Patha' from its substitutes/adulterants to guarantee the quality and legitimacy of this drug in the market.

Significance of gingers (Zingiberaceae) in Indian System of Medicine - Ayurveda: An overview.

BACKGROUND: Family Zingiberaceae consists of the large number of medicinal plants and is well-known for its use in ethnomedicine and play a major role in Indian System of Medicine, Ayurveda. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is the documentation of Zingiberaceous plants used in Ayurveda, adding information to the systematics, vernacular names and chemistry with experimental data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The live plants were collected from wild and successfully conserved at Herbal Garden of Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal. The experimental data of each species has been collected from the various sources. The photographs were taken and all relevant data documented. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 13 species belonging to 7 genera of Zingiberaceae were documented. The work will be useful to students and researchers as it provides an easy access to Zingiberaceous plants used in Ayurveda.

Quality parameters, fatty acid profiling and estimation of umbelliferone in grahanimihira tailam: An ayurvedic oil preparation.

BACKGROUND: Grahanimihira tailam is an unexplored ayurvedic oil preparation which consists of 34 ingredients. The efficacy of this traditional ayurvedic medicine is undisputable. Proper clinical standardization of this formulation will go a long way in securing greater recognition for it. The main objective of this study was to develop standardization parameters for the formulation in a multidisciplinary way. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A simple and efficient method for the quantification of umbelliferone by high performance thin layer chromatography was developed and validated. Presence of the major fatty acids and their percentage were assessed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Various physio-chemical parameters, microbiological load, aflatoxins and mineral oil were also evaluated. Spread plate method was used for checking microbial contamination. RESULTS: The results were validated as per standard protocols. Quantitative estimation revealed the percentage of umbelliferone to be in the range of 0.88-0.98 (w/w). GC-MS analysis of sample led to the identification of 14 fatty acids, in which linoleic acid was obtained as the major fatty acid. Microbes, aflatoxins and mineral oils were found to be absent in the tailam. CONCLUSION: The results which give the quantitative estimates of various physico-chemical parameters can be adopted to establish new standards for analysis of batch-to-batch variation and this data will facilitate shelf life studies in the future.

Total phenolics and total flavonoids in selected Indian medicinal plants.

Plant phenolics and flavonoids have a powerful biological activity, which outlines the necessity of their determination. The phenolics and flavonoids content of 20 medicinal plants were determined in the present investigation. The phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The total flavonoids were measured spectrophotometrically by using the aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. The results showed that the family Mimosaceae is the richest source of phenolics, (Acacia nilotica: 80.63 mg gallic acid equivalents, Acacia catechu 78.12 mg gallic acid equivalents, Albizia lebbeck 66.23 mg gallic acid equivalents). The highest total flavonoid content was revealed in Senna tora which belongs to the family Caesalpiniaceae. The present study also shows the ratio of flavonoids to the phenolics in each sample for their specificity.

In vitro propagation of two tuberous medicinal plants: Holostemma ada-kodien and Ipomoea mauritiana.

Medicinal plants are sources of important therapeutic aid for healing human diseases. The depletion of the wild resources has prompted conservation, propagation, and enhancement of resources for medicinal plants. Micropropagation offers an alternate method to propagate and improve medicinal plants through selection of high-yield lines and their efficient cloning. This chapter describes cost effective and efficient protocols that have been successfully applied for the micropropagation and large-scale production of quality planting material in two important tuberous medicinal plants viz., Holostemma ada-kodien Schult. and Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq.

Two new flavonoids from Centella asiatica (Linn.).

Two new flavonoids named castilliferol 1 and castillicetin 2, as well as a known compound, isochlorogenic acid 3, were isolated from the whole plant of Centella asiatica. Isolates 1 and 2 exhibited good antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical solution with IC(50) values of 23.10 and 13.30, respectively. The structures of these isolates were determined by analytical and spectral data, including 1-D and 2-D NMR spectra.

A Reverse Phase HPLC-UV and HPTLC Methods for Determination of Plumbagin in Plumbago indica and Plumbago zeylanica.

A reverse phase HPLC method with UV detection has been developed and validated in order to quantify plumbagin, the bioactive marker of the roots of P. indica and P. zeylanica. A quantitative HPTLC method was also developed using hexane: ethyl acetate (8:2) as the mobile phase. The plumbagin content in the roots were determined using both the methods. P. indica was found to contain significantly higher amount of plumbagin than P. zeylanica. The HPLC and HPTLC methods described here are simple, rapid, accurate and sensitive.

HPLC Estimation of berberine in Tinospora cordifolia and Tinospora sinensis.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the estimation of berberine in the stem of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. ex Hook.f. and Thoms. and Tinospora sinensis (Lour.) Merrill is described. The dried stems of T. cordifolia and T. sinensis were defatted with petroleum ether (60-80 degrees ). The marc was dried and further extracted with methanol. The concentration of berberine in methanol extract was determined using a C-18 reverse phase column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile:water (10:90 v/v) at a flow rate of 0.6 ml/min and with UV detection at 266 nm. TLC and HPLC comparison of both the species revealed significant variation in the chemical constitution of the two species. This observation becomes important in the context of the use of T. sinensis in place of the genuine drug T. cordifolia.