The Role of Aquatic Plants in Natural Products and Drug Discovery

Background: Phytochemicals and their derivatives/analogues represent over 50% of the current medicines worldwide in clinical use. Despite a significant contribution to the total bioactive natural plant products, aquatic plants are underestimated, and several species are extinct and in the endangered list. Objective(s): The aim of this review article is to draw the attention of common people and scientists toward a few important contributions of the aquatic plants to natural product chemistry and drug discovery by highlighting the chemical and pharmaceutical aspects of the same. Method(s): The presented data were collected and selected from the literature obtained by an online search for the ethnomedicinal properties, biological activities and bioactive chemical constituents of aquatic plants using Google Scholar, PubMed and Scifinder chemical abstract service. Result(s): The selected literature data revealed that the extract and compounds isolated from several aquatic plants possess significant biological/pharmaceutical properties. For example, the alpha-asarone (24) and asiatic acid (33) isolated from Acorus calamus and Centella asiatica, respectively, exhibited significant neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo. The cripowellin A (59), cripowellin C (60), cripowellin B (61) and cripowellin D (62), isolated from Crinum erubescens, exhibited potent antiplasmodial and antiproliferative activities with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) in nanomolar range (11-260 nM). Several other alkaloids from different Crinum species have also shown anticancer properties against different cancer cell lines with IC50 value <5 microM. Alkaloids and resin glycosides, isolated from different Ipomoea species, have displayed significant psychotropic, psychotomimetic, anticancer, and antibacterial activities with IC50 value <5 microM. Conclusion(s): The aquatic plants play a significant role in the discovery of bioactive natural products. Although several biological activities and bioactive compounds have been reported from these plants, further assessment and scientific validation of most of their traditional usages still need to be done. There are several other similar species that are underestimated and not much explored. Many aquatic plants, such as Ipomoea carnea Jacq., Juncus lomatophyllus Spreng., Commelina benghalensis Linn, Gunnera perpensa L., Scirpus maritimus L. and Mentha longifolia (L.) L., may be considered for further evaluation. In addition to these, one should not undermine the potential of Crinum macowanii for COVID-19 pathogenesis, as its chemical constituent lycorine has shown significant SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory potential (EC50, 0.3 muM;SI >129). Furthermore, most rural communities are still using the wetland resources for their cultural, medicinal, economic, domestic, and agricultural needs. Hence, the conservation of aquatic plants and wetlands is an issue of great concern.Copyright © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.

Contract Owner’s Best Commanding for Sweet Potato Farming Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

The purpose of this study is to examine and compare different psychological and sociodemographic factors for contracting sweet potato production for farmers with different statuses based upon the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Sustainable production provides contract owners with a sufficient amount of both food crops and a source of bioethanol clean energy. The impact of such factors on potential farmers based on the TPB for a particular contract type is estimated with the data collected in three major sweet potato production cities/counties in Taiwan through the probit model and multinomial logit model. The average size of the surveyed farms is 1.64 ha. The results consistently show that the factors of attitude toward the advantages of contract farming, subjective norms regarding contract farming, perceived contract farming control, and behavior intention have very significant impacts on the selection of contract farming types for professional farmers and brokers. These results indicate that the contract owners will gain the greatest advantage through commanding any factor in TBP for these two groups of farmers, as they have an incentive to manage the sources of sweet potatoes at the best conditions before they have the agreement with the contract owners, either as the supply of bioethanol energy raw materials, supply of food crops, or supply of food processing materials.

Employing bioactive compounds derived from Ipomoea obscura (L.) to evaluate potential inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 main protease and ACE2 protein.

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and main protease (MPro) are significant target proteins, mainly involved in the attachment of viral genome to host cells and aid in replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronaviruses or SARS-CoV genome. In the present study, we identified 11 potent bioactive compounds from ethanolic leaf extract of Ipomoea obscura (L.) by using GC-MS analysis. These potential bioactive compounds were considered for molecular docking studies against ACE2 and MPro target proteins to determine the antiviral effects against SARS-COV. Results exhibits that among 11 compounds from I. obscura (L.), urso-deoxycholic acid, demeclocycline, tetracycline, chlorotetracycline, and ethyl iso-allocholate had potential viral inhibitory activity. Hence, the present findings suggested that chemical constitution present in I. obscura (L.) will address inhibition of corona viral replication in host cells.

Anti-Obesity Siddha Medicinal Plants-A Preclinical Review

Obesity is a complex multi factorial preventable disease affecting all age groups of both the sexes. Now one third of world’s population is overweight or obese. From 1980 the world-wide prevalence of obesity has become doubled. Overweight and obesity were the 5th foremost causes of death globally. Obesity is associated with many co morbid diseases. Prevalence of obesity with co morbidities is on big alarm throughout the world. Recently in COVID-19 pandemic most of the obese people get affected due to the co morbidities and reduced immunity. The anti-obesity properties of medicinal plants were known from ancient times in traditional Siddha medicine some thousand years ago. Many Siddha medicinal plants showed anti-obesity activities that can be utilized in the management of obesity, through which the complications of obesity can be prevented. Most researches explored the anti-obesity potentials of medicinal plants. Terminalia chebula, Phyllanthus niruri, zingiber officinale, Piper longum, Curcuma longa, Elettaria cardamomum, Cuminum cyminum, Picrorhiza kurroa, Ipomea turpethum, Tinospora cordifolia, Michelia champaka are some medicinal plants possess anti-obesity properties that had been indicated in Siddha classical text. The objective of this review is to validate the anti-obesity potentials of Siddha medicinal plants scientifically through various research reports. Due to the presence of Phyto compounds like phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, anti-oxidants these medicinal plants revealed anti-obesity activities and its anti-obesity mechanism had been proven scientifically through various animal experimental studies collected from many research articles. Modern anti-obesity drugs produce numerous side effects. Regular consumption of Siddha anti-obesity medicinal plants, in the prescribed dose and duration, can induce gradual and sustainable weight loss effectively. Furthermore, in future, there is a need for the development of standardized, safe and effective anti-obesity drugs from medicinal plants and highly economical too. Hence eventually exploration of anti-obesity Siddha medicinal plants will lead to safe and effective treatment for obesity.

Tiwul consumption preferences during the Covid-19 pandemic in Nganjuk, East Java, Indonesia

Households in Indonesia consume rice as the main source of carbohydrates, but in some areas where cassava production centers, the source of carbohydrates is not only rice but also cassava and processed cassava, including tiwul. The purpose of this study was to analyze the preference for tiwul consumption for all carbohydrate foods and to analyze the share of tiwul expenditure on carbohydrate foods. The research was conducted in the village with the highest consumption of tiwul, namely Sudimoroharjo Village, Wilangan, Nganjuk, East Java, Indonesia. The research data using primary data were collected by direct interviews with 46 households. The research data includes tiwul attribute data consisting of color, taste, availability, and price. Also, data on consumption and expenditure of all carbohydrates consumed by the sample households, namely tiwul, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potato, and potatoes. Data analysis used expenditure share analysis and Conjoint analysis. The results showed that the share of tiwul expenditure was the second largest after rice (79.98%), tiwul (16.39%), potatoes (2.78%), sweet potato (0.54%), cassava (0.2%), and the smallest was corn (0.11%). The preference for tiwul consumption was dominated by taste, price, color, and availability with relative importance values of 49.89%, 30.48%, 10.02%, and 9.61%, respectively. Promotion of the Tiwul Consumption Movement is needed, especially for the young generation and children, to increase tiwul consumption and reduce household dependence on rice.