In-vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial and phytochemical properties of extracts from the pulp and seeds of the African baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata L.).

Adansonia digitata, commonly known as the African Baobab plant is used widely in traditional medicine for treating of many diseases. The current study investigates the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and nutritional composition of the pulp and seeds from the fruit of African Baobab plant. Matured fruits were harvested and processed by separating the fruit pulp and seeds. Water, 70 % Ethanol/water mixture, and Hexane were used as solvents for extraction. Antioxidant properties of extracts in this study were investigated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, hydrogen peroxidescavenging assays., Total Flavonoid Content, Total Phenolic Content, Total Tannin Content, and Total Antioxidant Capacity were also investigated. Agar Well Diffusion and Broth Dilution methods were used to estimate the antimicrobial properties of the extracts. The proximate composition of the seeds and fruit pulps was also determined. GC-MS was employed to determine the fatty acid composition. Results obtained showed the presence of Total phenolics (range 4.1-5.5 mg GAE/g), Total flavonoids (range 10.1-16.5 mg QE/g), Total Tannins (range 1.7-15.6 mg CE/g), and Antioxidants (range 2.0-14.5 mg AAE/g). The H2O2 and DPPH assays gave IC50s in the ranges of 300-1800 mg/L and 700-1600 mg/L respectively. Extract from the fruit pulp was found to inhibit the growth of a panel of 2 g-positive bacteria, 2 g-negative bacteria, and two fungi microorganisms. Fatty acids such as myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid were found to be present in oil from the seeds. Proximate components such as crude protein, crude fat, and crude fibre were found to be high. From the results, seeds and the fruit pulp of the African Baobab plant have significant antioxidant properties and can inhibit microbial growth.

Method development and validation for quantification of six bioactive compounds (andrographolide, columbin, piperine, gallic, paracoumaric and oleanolic acids) by HPTLC.

OBJECTIVES: During the spread of pandemic diseases, immunity boosting herbal drugs are taken as a preventive medicine. Kapacurak Kutinir Curanam is a Siddha drug used for flu like viral infections, cold and fever. Developing an analytical method to estimate the content of active phytoconstituents in such antiviral immune boosting drug will be useful in the phyto pharmaceutical industry. METHODS: A precise, reliable and sensitive ordinary phase high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method has been developed and validated for identification and simultaneous estimation of six bioactive components namely like andrographolide, columbin, gallic acid, ρ-coumaric acid, piperine and oleanolic acid from any Indian traditional medicine, medicinal plant, drugs and food materials etc. The separation was achieved on silica gel 60F254 TLC plates using toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (7:3:0.5, v/v) as mobile phase. The gallic acid, ρ-coumaric acid, piperine markers were estimated using the densitometric scanning in absorption mode at 254 nm. The densitometric scanning was done after derivatization (vanillin-sulphuric acid reagent) at λ=520 nm for andrographolide, columbin and oleanolic acid. RESULTS: The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed a correlation coefficient in the concentration range 1-5 µg per band for the bioactive markers with respect to area. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and quantitation of limit (LOQ). CONCLUSIONS: Developed method was accurate, precise and fast to ensure the quality of Kapacurak Kutinir Curanam.

An Overview on Immunity Booster Foods in Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

The present COVID-19 pandemic is terrible for the respiratory system and is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has affected millions of people globally and over 511.9 million cases and 6.2 million deaths have been reported across the world. Various drugs have been repurposed, however, no specific medicine has been approved by the FDA to combat this disease till date. In this condition, researchers have been attracted to natural and safe products to improve immunity to viral infections through inhibiting viral cell entry, replication, and modulation. Various natural products, probiotics, and nutrients have antimicrobial, antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities, and some of the compounds are also utilized in traditional medicine in Ayurveda, Siddha, and other cultures. This review provides a clinical perspective on the application of herbs for the prevention of viral infections.

Ayurveda-based phytochemical composition attenuates lung inflammation and precipitates pharmacokinetic interaction with favipiravir: an in vivo investigation using disease-state of acute lung injury.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical form of acute lung injury (ALI). Here, we investigated the effect of a defined combination of ten pure phytochemicals in equal proportions of weight (NPM) from plants, recommended by Ayurveda for any protective action against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Results indicate that NPM markedly improved protein and neutrophil contents, myeloperoxidase and hydroxyproline levels, oxidative stress markers (glutathione and malonaldehyde), inflammatory cytokines, and genes (IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-ß, and NF-κB/IκBα) in BALF/lung tissue. The histopathological examination of the lung revealed the shielding effect of NPM against ALI. NPM exhibited a protective effect on the lung by reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammation. A substantial drop in favipiravir's oral exposure was observed in ALI-state compared to normal-state, but oral exposure upon NPM treatment in ALI-state followed similar behaviour of favipiravir alike normal-state without NPM treatment. Overall, results offer potential insight into Ayurvedic recommendations for immunity boosting during ALI situations.

Giloy: a potential anti-COVID-19 herb with propitious pharmacological attributes: a short review.

Plant-based medicine actually restores the balance in the body instead of treating the source of the disease. The strain of coronavirus (SAR-CoV-2) going to be more serious due to the lack of a reliable treatment option. Holistic treatment for this disease is in the form of Ayurveda as traditional medicine. As the infection of coronavirus is spreading like a wildfire, so the one way to fight is 'immunity'. Building immunity is the only way to stay safe and healthy and prepared themselves for the ongoing pandemic. In the current scenario, good immunity safeguard us from disease progression and prevention from this deadly virus. Giloy herb came into the limelight after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to its immunomodulatory and antiviral activity. The genome sequencing of Giloy is proved to be a breakthrough for controlling the COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Natural Immunity Boosters as Therapeutic Interventions in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19, a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been spread all over the world and is responsible for serious fatalities. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the family of ß-coronavirus that affects pulmonary gas exchange and triggers cytokines storm. Vigorous inflammation, hyper-coagulation, a decrease in the lymphocytic count, and an increase in the neutrophilic count are observed in the second week after the onset of the disease. Fever, dry cough, sneezing, shortness of breath, and respiratory distress are the symptoms of COVID-19. The use of sanitizers, social distancing, vaccination, wearing gloves and face masks, and other preventative measures are all important in preventing coronavirus outbreaks. People with weak immunity are more susceptible to coronavirus. Various natural immunity boosters are known for their immune boosting properties; among them are vitamin C, D, and B complex, medicinal mushrooms, plant-based stuff, and minerals play important roles by increasing the beneficial flora of the human body. All these natural immunity boosters improve the innate and adaptive immune response against coronavirus. Hence, we conclude that the use of natural immunity boosters prevents the attack of coronavirus and makes a person stronger against the suspected attack of COVID-19 and/or other viral diseases.

Pomegranate peel polyphenols prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 main protease by in-silico docking and molecular dynamics study.

Pomegranate peel, the waste product generated from pomegranate fruit, has prophylactic properties, such as antimicrobial, anti-malarial, and controls respiratory infections and influenza. Based on the previous literature and need of the hour, molecular docking was performed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of major pomegranate peel polyphenols against COVID-19. Among the 44 studied compounds, 37 polyphenols show interaction with the catalytic dyad of the Mpro protease and 18 polyphenols have a higher binding affinity than that of the Mpro protease inhibitor (N3), indicating their high probability of binding at ACE2: SARS-CoV-2 interface. Furthermore, several polyphenols studied in this work are found to have higher binding affinity as compared to those of hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, nelfinavir, and curcumin, some of which have been earlier tested against COVID-19. Further, molecular dynamics simulations (200 ns) for Mpro-polyphenols including pelargonidin3-glucoside, quercetin3-O-rhamnoside, cyanidin3-glucoside and punicalin revealed highly stable complexes with less conformational fluctuations and similar degree of compactness. Estimation of total number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and binding free energy confirmed the stability of these Mpro-polyphenol complexes over Mpro-curcumin complex. Based on the greater binding affinity of polyphenols of pomegranate peel towards Mpro as compared to that of curcumin, pomegranate peel may be considered in any herbal medicinal formulation or may be incorporated into daily diets for prevention of COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Immunomodulatory role and potential utility of various nutrients and dietary components in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Recently, the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome cornoavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has become a great perturbation all around the globe and has many devastating effects on every aspect of life. Apart from the oxygen therapy and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, Remdesivir and Dexamethasone have been proven to be efficacious against COVID-19, along with various vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibody cocktail therapy for Regeneron. All of these are currently at different stages of clinical trials. People with weak immunity are more prone to a severe infection of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, early and judicious nutritional supplementation along with pharmacological treatment and clinician collaborations are critical in restituting the current situation. Nutritional supplements help in acquiring strong immunity to prevent the progression of disease any further. Vitamin C, vitamin D, selenium, zinc and many other nutritional and dietary supplements inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines during a viral infection and prevents several unwanted symptoms of infection. Many dietary components like citrus fruits, black elderberry, ginger, and probiotics have the ability to attack viral replication. These supplements can also tame the overriding immune system during coronavirus infection. Keeping in view these facts, nutritional and dietary supplements can be used along with other management modalities. These nutritional and dietary supplements are potential candidates to curb the convulsive unfolding of novel COVID-19, in combination with other standard treatment protocols. In this review, various search engines were used to exploit available literature in order to provide a comprehensive review on nutritional and dietary supplements with respect to the viral infections. It will also provide a brief overview on some of the clinical trials that are in progress to assess the role of nutritional supplements, either alone or in combination with other pharmacological drugs, in fight against COVID-19.

Unravelling the Immune Modulatory Effect of Indian Spices to Impede the Transmission of COVID-19: A Promising Approach.

Months after WHO declared COVID-19 as a Global Public Health Emergency of International Concern, it does not seem to be flattening the curve as we are still devoid of an effective treatment modality and vaccination is in the first phase in many countries. Amid such uncertainty, being immune is the best strategy to defend against corona attacks. As the whole world is referring back to immune-boosting traditional remedies, interest is rekindled in the Indian system of Medicine, which is gifted with an abundance of herbal medicines as well as remedies. Among them, spices (root, rhizome, seed, fruit, leaf, bud, and flower of various plants used to add taste and flavors to food) are bestowed with immense medicinal potential. A plethora of clinical as well as preclinical studies reported the effectiveness of various spices for various ailments. The potential immune-boosting properties together with their excellent safety profiles are making spices the current choice of phytoresearch as well as the immune-boosting home remedies during these sceptical times. The present review critically evaluates the immune impact of various Indian spices and their potential to tackle the novel coronavirus, with comments on the safety and toxicity aspects of spices.