Brine Shrimp Cytotoxicity, Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Properties of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz Flowers.

The present study was designed to assess the cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers. Cytotoxic activity of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers was tested using Artemia salina (Brine shrimp) bioassay. Two doses (400 and 600 mg/Kg) were evaluated for the anti-inflammatory activity against the carrageenan, histamine, dextran, serotonin and formaldehyde-induced rat paw edema, cotton pellet-induced granuloma and formaldehyde-induced analgesia in rats. In cytotoxicity study, extract caused 73% mortality of Brine shrimp larvae after 24 h at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL. The results of the anti-inflammatory study showed that the extract produced significant (p < 0.05) decrease in paw volume in different models of paw edema. The extract also inhibited the formation of granuloma in cotton pellet-induced granuloma and reduced the frequency of formaldehyde-induced paw licking. These results showed that the methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers have weak cytotoxic and potent anti-inflammatory compounds and justifies the traditional uses for the treatment of inflammatory conditions.

Protective effect of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula leaves on ethanol and ethanol/HCl induced ulcer in rats and its antimicrobial potency.

OBJECTIVE: To explore antiulcer and antimicrobial properties of methanolic extract of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula. METHODS: Gastroprotective potential of Polyalthia longifolia was studied on ethanol and ethanol/HCl induced ulcers at 2 different doses (270 and 540 mg/kg/body weight). Antimicrobial efficacy of Polyalthia longifolia (25 mg/mL) was also studied against six gram positive, seven gram negative bacteria and five fungi by agar well diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by agar well diffusion method in two fold serial dilution, in the range of 97-25,000 µg/mL. RESULTS: The reduction of ulcer index in Polyalthia longifolia treated animals was found to be statistically significant with respect to control animals. The Polyalthia longifolia exhibited ulcer protection activity in dose dependent manner and was also better than the standard. In antimicrobial activity, gram positive bacteria were more susceptible to Polyalthia longifolia than gram negative bacteria and fungal strains. CONCLUSIONS: Results obtained confirm the antiulcer and antimicrobial potential of the Polyalthia longifolia.

Hepatoprotective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on diclofenac sodium induced liver toxicity in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers against experimentally induced liver toxicity in rats. METHODS: Two different doses of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa (WFM) were evaluated for the hepatoprotective activity against diclofenac sodium induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Various biochemical parameters like alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) from serum; total protein (TP), glutathione (GSH) levels, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities from liver were studied; histopathologic changes of liver were also evaluated. RESULTS: WFM effectively reduced the elevated levels of serum ALT, AST, ALP and BUN, enhanced the reduced TP, ALB and hepatic GSH, CAT, GPx activity. The histopathological analysis suggested that WFM decreased the degree of liver fibrosis induced by diclofenac. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the hepatoprotective activity of WFM and thus scientifically support the use of this plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disorders.

Brine shrimp cytotoxicity of Caesalpinia pulcherrima aerial parts, antimicrobial activity and characterisation of isolated active fractions.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Swartz. is an ornamental plant, shrub or a small tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae. The plant has been used for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, skin diseases and so on. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of C. pulcherrima was tested using an Artemia salina (brine shrimp) bioassay. Further, the methanol extract was fractionated by silica gel column chromatography using a solvent gradient of hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol in different ratios and 56 fractions were collected. On the basis of thin layer chromatography profiles, 13 major fractions were obtained, which were tested for antimicrobial activity against 14 microorganisms using the agar disc diffusion method and also tested for their minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration values. In terms of cytotoxicity, the extract caused 26% mortality of brine shrimp larvae after 24 h at a concentration of 1000 µg mL(-1). Fractions 3, 9 and 10 showed significant antimicrobial activities. Phytochemical analysis of these three fractions led to the identification of 11 compounds, and their structures were established by means of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy techniques. These findings suggest that these bioactive compounds may be useful as potential antimicrobials. Further investigation is needed to establish the mode of action of these bioactive compounds.

Protective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers against acetaminophen-induced hepatic toxicity in rats.

CONTEXT: The flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. (Lythraceae) are commonly used for the treatment of several ailments which includes rheumatism, leucorrhea, menorrhagia, asthma, liver disorder, and inflammatory conditions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hepatoprotective property of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers against acetaminophen-induced hepatic injury in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Acetaminophen (3 g/kg bw)-induced hepatotoxicity study was carried out by observing the effect of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers (400 and 600 mg/kg, bw) on some serum marker enzymes, albumin, blood urea nitrogen levels as well as liver total protein, nonenzymetic glutathione reduced content, and enzymatic antioxidant glutathione peroxidase, with histopathological evidence. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Pretreatment of rats with methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers effectively prevented the acetaminophen-induced hepatic damage as indicated by the serum marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase and other biochemical parameters (albumin and blood urea nitrogen). Parallel to these changes, the methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers also prevented acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress in the rat liver by inhibiting depletion of liver total protein and restoring the levels of nonenzymatic antioxidant glutathione reduced. The biochemical changes were consistent with histopathological observations suggesting marked hepatoprotective effect of the methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers possesses protective effect against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity.