A comprehensive review on the diverse pharmacological perspectives of Terminalia chebula Retz.

Terminalia chebula Retz, commonly known as 'Haritaki/Myrobalan,' has been utilised as a traditional medicine for a long time. It has been extensively exercised in various indigenous medicine practices like Unani, Tibb, Ayurveda, and Siddha to remedy human ailments such as bleeding, carminative, dysentery, liver tonic, digestive, antidiarrheal, analgesic, anthelmintic, antibacterial and helpful in skin disorders. Studies on the pharmacological effects of T. chebula and its phytoconstituents documented between January, 1996 and December, 2021 were explored using various electronic databases. During the time mentioned above, several laboratory approaches revealed the biological properties of T. chebula, including antioxidative, antiproliferative, anti-microbial, proapoptotic, anti-diabetic, anti-ageing, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antiepileptic. It is also beneficial in glucose and lipid metabolism and prevents atherogenesis and endothelial dysfunction. Different parts of T. chebula such as fruits, seeds, galls, barks extracted with various solvent systems (aqueous, ethanol, methanol, chloroform, ethyl-acetate) revealed major bioactive compounds like chebulic acid, chebulinic acid, and chebulaginic acid, which in turn proved to have valuable pharmacological properties through broad scientific investigations. There is a common link between chebulagic acid and chebulanin with its antioxidant property, antiaging activity, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic activity, and cardioprotective activity. The actions may be through neutralizing the free radicals responsible for producing tissue damage alongside interconnecting many other diseases. The current review summarises the scientifically documented literature on pharmacological potentials and chemical compositions of T. chebula, which is expected to investigate further studies on this subject.

Tendencies and attitudes towards dietary supplements use among undergraduate female students in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Dietary supplements (DS) are products that improve the overall health and well-being of individuals and reduce the risk of disease. Evidence indicates a rising prevalence of the use of these products worldwide especially among the age group 18-23 years. AIM: The study investigates the tendencies and attitudes of Bangladeshi undergraduate female students towards dietary supplements (DS). METHODS: A three-month (March 2018-May 2018) cross-sectional face-to-face survey was conducted in undergraduate female students in Chittagong, Bangladesh using a pre-validated dietary supplement questionnaire. The study was carried among the four private and three public university students of different disciplines in Chittagong to record their prevalent opinions and attitudes toward using DS. The results were documented and analyzed by SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS: Ninety two percent (N = 925, 92.0%) of the respondents answered the survey questions. The prevalence of DS use was high in undergraduate female students. The respondents cited general health and well-being (n = 102, 11.0%) and physician recommendation (n = 101, 10.9%) as a reason for DS use. Majority of the students (n = 817, 88.3%) used DS cost monthly between USD 0.12 and USD 5.90. Most of the students (n = 749, 81.0%) agreed on the beneficial effect of DS and a significant portion (n = 493, 53.3%) recommended for a regular use of DS. Highly prevalent use of dietary supplements appeared in Chittagonian undergraduate female students. They were tremendously positive in using DS. The results demonstrate an increasing trend of using DS by the undergraduate females for both nutritional improvement and amelioration from diseases. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplements prevalence was so much higher in students of private universities as compared to students of public universities. Likewise, maximal prevalence is indicated in pharmacy department compared to other departments. Students preferred brand products, had positive opinions and attitudes towards dietary supplements.

Biological efficacy of zinc oxide nanoparticles against diabetes: a preliminary study conducted in mice.

The antidiabetic, hypoglycemic and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) activities of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were assessed in mice. ZnONPs were prepared by reacting Zn(NO3)2.6H2O and NaOH solution at 70°C with continuous stirring and then characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Diabetes was induced by the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in mice, and then the blood glucose levels were determined by the glucose oxidase method. The experimental results revealed that ZnONPs suggestively (p<0.001) declined the blood glucose levels (39.79%), while these reductions were 38.78% for the cotreatment of ZnONPs and insulin, and 48.60% for insulin, respectively. In the hypoglycemic study, ZnONPs (8 and 14 mg/kg b.w) reduced approximately 25.13 and 29.15% of blood glucose levels, respectively. A similar reduction was found in the OGTT test, which is also a dose- and time-dependent manner. Overall, ZnONPs possess a potential antidiabetic activity, which could be validated by further mechanistic studies.

Evaluation of anxiolytic and hypoglycemic potential of Cissus adnata Roxb. in animal model.

Background This study was designed to evaluate the anxiolytic and hypoglycemic potential of methanolic extract of Cissus adnata Roxb. is a crucial medicinal plant used in many disorders belongs to Vitaceae family. Methods Elevated plus maze (EPM) test and hole board test was applied for the anxiolytic activity with the Swiss albino mice. The hypoglycemic activity was measured by the glucose tolerance test in mice model. The capacity to produce the desired effect of the plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) was compared with the anxiolytic drug of standard diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) and anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide (10 mg/kg i.p.), respectively. Results The phytochemical screening of Cissus adnata extract exposed the presence of carbohydrate, phenol, flavonoid, saponins, cardiac glycoside, tannin, and gum. The anxiolytic effect was detected in both experiments which significantly raised the number of head dips and the time spent in the open arm of the EPM (p<0.05) as the dose enlarged. Hypoglycemic study of the extracts shows better effect by reducing blood glucose level. Conclusions The better anxiolytic and hypoglycemic activities in the present study are due to the existence of various phytochemical constituents like saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, and tannins in this methanolic extract.

An in vivo study of the pharmacological activities of a methanolic acetate fraction of Pistia stratiotes L.: An ethno-medicinal plant used in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: The present study covered an assessment of methanolic acetate fractions of Pistia stratiotes, commonly known as water lettuce, for analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and CNS depressant activities. METHODS: The methanol acetate fractions were extracted from Pistia stratiotes and administered to the experimental animals as 200 and 400 mg/kg doses to determine the effect on acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced licking and biting, for the assessment of analgesic activity. The anti-inflammatory assay was done using the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema method, while assessment of CNS depressant activity was done using the open field and hole cross tests. The effects were compared to standard reference drugs. RESULTS: At both doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight), the methanolic acetate extract of P. stratiotes showed significant analgesic action (P < 0.05) against acetic acid-induced writhing. The extract was also found to give significant protection against licking and biting at both doses. The methanolic acetate extract of P. stratiotes showed a significant (P < 0.05) anti-inflammatory effect from 0 minutes up to 3 hours in the carrageenan-induced paw edema test. In the CNS depressant assay, the methanolic acetate extract showed significant (P < 0.05) depressant activity at both doses from 30 to 120 minutes in both the hole cross and open field tests. CONCLUSION: Thus we can conclude that P. stratiotes extracts have significant analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and CNS depressant activity, compared to standard compounds, in an animal model.