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.