Evaluation of morning glory (Jacquemontia tamnifolia (L.) Griseb) leaves for antioxidant, antinociceptive, anticoagulant and cytotoxic activities.

BACKGROUND: The present study was planned to investigate the phytochemical, antioxidant, antinociceptive, anticoagulant and cytotoxic activities of the Jacquemontia tamnifolia (L.) Griseb leaf methanol extract (MExJT) in the laboratory using both in vitro and in vivo methods. METHODS: Phytochemical values, namely, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging effect and FeCl3 reducing power effects, were studied by established methods. In vivo antinociceptive activity was performed by acidic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-induced pain test on Swiss albino mice at doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. The clot lysis and brine shrimp lethality bioassay in vitro were used to evaluate the thrombolytic and cytotoxic activities of the plant extract, respectively. RESULTS: Phytochemical screening illustrates the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, gums and carbohydrates, steroids, alkaloids and reducing sugars in the extract. The results showed the total phenolic content (146.33 g gallic acid equivalents/100 g extract) and total flavonoid content (133.33 g quercetin/100 g). Significant (p<0.05) IC50 values compared to respective standards were recorded in DPPH radical scavenging (289.5 µg/mL) and FeCl3 reduction (245.2 µg/mL). The antinociceptive effect was evaluated in the acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-induced pain models in Swiss albino mice with doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. Significant (p<0.05) inhibition (72.87±2.73%) of writhing response compared to diclofenac sodium was achieved by 500 mg/kg body weight. The extract also significantly inhibited the licking response in both the early phase (51.59±1.57%, p<0.05) and the late phase (64.82±1.87%, p<0.05) in the formalin-induced writhing test. MExJT also showed (38.10±1.79%) clot lytic activity in the thrombolytic test and cytotoxicity with an LC50 value of 31.70 µg/mL in the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. CONCLUSIONS: The plant is a potential source of antioxidants and might have one or more secondary metabolite(s) with central and peripheral analgesic activity. The results also demonstrate that MExJT has moderate thrombolytic and lower cytotoxic properties that may warrant further exploration.

Evaluation of cytotoxic, analgesic, antidiarrheal and phytochemical properties of Hygrophila spinosa (T. Anders) whole plant.

BACKGROUND: Synthetic drugs are going to be replaced by plant-derived traditional drugs due to their cost effectiveness, relatively less harmfulness, and efficacy against multidrug resistance organisms. Hygrophila spinosa (Acanthaceae) has been used in a wide range of ailments including flatulence, diarrhea, dysentery, gonorrhea, and menorrhagia. Therefore, we investigated the cytotoxic, antinociceptive, and antidiarrheal effects of H. spinosa ethanol extract (EExHs). METHODS: Preliminary phytochemical screening was accomplished by established methods modified in experimental protocol. EExHs was undertaken for cytotoxic assay by Brine shrimp lethality bioassay, antinociceptive action by acetic acid induced writhing test, and antidiarrheal activity by castor oil induced antidiarrheal test. Data were analyzed by GraphPad Prism 6.0 software using Dunnett's test for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Reducing sugar, steroid, glycoside, tannin, alkaloid, saponins, and flavonoids were found to be present in EExHs. Lethal concentration (LC50) of EExHs for brine shrimps was 50.59 µg/mL which was relatively lower than that of the standard drug vincristine sulfate. In acetic acid induced writhing test, oral administration of EExHs at three different doses (125, 250, and 500 mg/kg) decreased writhing in dose-dependent manner while the highest dose (500 mg/kg) achieved the maximum percentages of pain inhibition (58.8%). Diclofenac sodium (25 mg/kg) was used as a reference antinociceptive drug. The antidiarrheal action of EExHs was not found to be very promising for further use; however, the pure compounds from EExHs could be analyzed to justify the effects. CONCLUSIONS: This research demonstrates that the secondary metabolites guided cytotoxic and analgesic effects could be extensively studied in multiple models to confirm the effects.