Evaluation of Wound Healing Potential of Root Bark Extract of Berberis aristata and Molecular Docking Analysis of Berberis Phytoconstituents.

INTRODUCTION: The root bark of Berberis aristata has been utilized by indigenous peoples for wound treatment for centuries. The mature root barks are crushed into a paste and applied to the wound's surface. OBJECTIVE: The focus of this research is to analyse the wound healing activities of an ethanolic extract of Berberis aristata, as well as to use molecular docking to establish the likely mechanism of the potent phytochemical. There is no scientific evidence to support the usage of root bark extract of Berberis aristata. METHODS: The Herbal ointment, which comprises (1%, 2%, and 4% w/w) ethanolic extract of root bark, was developed to test the wound healing ability of incision and excision wounds, and the molecular mechanism was established using Auto-Dock software. RESULTS: Epithelization stage, wound index, % wound contraction area, hydroxyproline content, DNA estimate, and histopathological assessments were performed on the incision wound model. Tensile strength was assessed in an excision wound model. TLC was used to identify the samples after successive extractions with different solvents based on polarity. CONCLUSION: Berberine and tetrahydropalmatine were major active phytoconstituent found in root barks of Berberis aristata as secondary metabolites. Animals treated with 4% w/w formulation demonstrated considerable wound contraction, epithelization time, and wound index in the excision model. In contrast, to control and standardize the concentrations of hydroxyproline, total amino acids, and DNA in recovering tissue were higher. At 4% w/w extract formulation, the parameters studied indicated a substantial result. Berberine and tetrahydropalmatine, active metabolites which are present in the ethanolic extract of Berberis aristata, were found to be responsible for wound healing. Based on ligand interactions, the findings verified Berberis aristata ethnomedicinal claim in a wound healing capacity.

Evaluation of Ficus retusa L. Leaves with Special Reference to Antidiarrheal and Anti-spasmodic Activity.

AIMS: The aim of present investigation was to evaluate the traditional claim of Ficus retusa as an anti-diarrheal and anti-spasmodic agent using different pharmacological models. BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is considered as major cause of mortality, especially in children and aged persons. Because of diarrhoea, 17% of admitted children get die. In order to treat the diarrhea, natural drugs may be useful. OBJECTIVE: In order to prove the traditional claim of Ficus retusa, present work was undertaken with objective to prove antidiarrheal and antispasmodic activity. METHODS: The anti-diarrhoeal activity was evaluated by magnesium sulphate induced diarrhea and 5-hydroxy tryptamine(5HT) induced diarrhea. Further, the exact were subjected to gastrointestinal motility test using standard procedure. RESULT: Finding of the present study suggested that significant response was exhibited by ethanolic extract (400mg/kg bw.) of Ficus retusa. CONCLUSION: The response towards bioactivity was dose dependent. It was concluded that 400mg/kg bw of ethanolic extract is most potent in antidiarrhoeal and antispasmodic activity.

Cosmeceutical potential of geranium and calendula essential oil: Determination of antioxidant activity and in vitro sun protection factor.

The present investigation was aimed to find out the sun protection factor (SPF) and antioxidant potential of geranium essential oil (GEO) and calendula essential oil (CEO) because having a combination of these two properties moves up the oils as an active ingredient of various cosmeceutical formulations for their preventive and protective properties. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of Pelargonium graveolens leaves (GEO) and Calendula officinalis flowers (CEO). The composition and identification of chemical constituents of oils were determined by GCMS analysis. Free radical scavenging activity was measured by nitric oxide scavenging activity and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. It was observed that both GEO and CEO have the potential to reduce or prevent oxidative stress and can be used in skin care regimen to slow down skin aging via its antioxidant properties. In vitro SPF was determined by a very simple and rapid spectroscopic method. SPF value of GEO and CEO was found to 6.45 and 8.36, respectively. The SPF of CEO was higher than GEO, and the results of SPF show that these essential oils can be employed in sunscreen formulations to protect the skin from sunburn. From the results, it can be concluded that the combined antioxidant and SPF property of GEO and CEO can provide synergistic photoprotective effect or lift up the additional value of the cosmeceutical formulation.

Tools in the Design of Therapeutic Drugs for CNS Disorders: An up-to-date Review.

BACKGROUND: The brain is a vital part of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by the presence of soft tissue in its internal structure which protects itself. Research on design of drugs for CNS disorders is in progress and up to date information is required for further investigation. OBJECTIVE: The present paper is written with the objective to compile all the available data and information on CNS disorders and CNS acting drugs. CNS acting drugs are important to consider because some drugs get ineffective owing to incapability to efficiently deliver and sustain them within the brain for effective treatment. CNS Disorders: The current trend to design therapeutic drugs for CNS disorders focuses on neurotransmitters release and their reuptake, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other CNS disorders. The disorders associated with CNS are characterized by the progressive loss of gray matter and/or white matter structures. Drugs: CNS stimulants are the class of drugs, producing response to alleviate a particular medical condition. CNS stimulants improve the brain function in patients with schizophrenia and related diseases. CNS stimulants are a class of therapeutic drugs used to treat CNS disorder including the conditions like lack of adrenergic stimulation, symptoms of narcolepsy and neonatal apnea, etc. Apart from drugs, a number of smart tools including Multi-Target Designed Ligands (MTDL) and "predictor" models are contemporarily used to design therapeutic agents for CNS disorders. Mechanism: The majority of CNS stimulants causes stimulation of the traditional "fight or flight" syndrome which is concerned with activation of sympathetic nervous system. These neurotransmitters associated receptors are concerned in drug abuse and addiction withdrawal related phenomenon. CONCLUSION: The present review embarks on detail up-to-date information on CNS stimulant drugs, their mechanism of action, in vivo models for biological evaluations with major emphasis on tools in design of therapeutic drugs for CNS disorders.

The chemistry and pharmacology of Cleome genus: A review.

BACKGROUND: Since ancient times, species of Cleome genus are used to cure various ailments in human beings and same is stated in traditional treatises. Each part of the plant has its own significance, therefore, in background of its significance, upto date information in systematic manner is required. PURPOSE: The present review embarks on variety of naturally occurring compounds that have been isolated from various species of Cleome genus. The present study furnishes an overview of all naturally isolated compounds diterpenes, triterpenoids, trinorterpenoids, flavonol glycoside, coumarinolignoids, dipyridodiazepinone, essential oils, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, carboxylic acid derivatives, lactone derivatives, sterols and pharmacological activities of various species of Cleome genus. These plants of Cleome genus are often used as conventional drugs to treat several ailments therefore information on analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-diarrheal, anticancer, anti-arthritic, hepatoprotective, antinociceptive, wound healing and psychopharmacological activity etc were compiled. METHOD: Literature regarding the compounds isolated and pharmacological studies performed by various researchers in the last 40 years who worked on different species belonging to genus Cleome was summarized in the present review. RESULTS: On the basis of references, this review covers the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Cleome species, describing compounds previously reported current trends and future prospects. CONCLUSION: From a wellbeing point of view, species belonging toCleome genus presents an excellent option for curing variety of ailments in human beings due to its isolated phytocompounds that reveal significant biological activities or for developing a variety of new pharmaceutical products. FUTURE PERSPECTIVE: The observed pharmacological activities and no toxicity profile of extracts obtained from species of Cleome genus support the statement that these extracts might be used in the formation of new formulations that can be beneficial to treat various ailments.

Unraveling of cross talk between Ca(2+) and ROS regulating enzymes in Anabaena 7120 and ntcA mutant.

In order to understand a cross talk between Ca(2+) and ROS regulating enzymes and the possible involvement of ntcA gene, Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 and its derivative ntcA mutant grown in varied levels of calcium chloride (0, 1, 10, and 100 mM) have been investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy showed abnormal structure formation at high calcium concentration (100 mM) both in wild type and mutant. Fv /Fm values suggested that 100 mM calcium concentration was detrimental for photosynthetic apparatus. SOD, catalase, APX, GR, and peroxidase activity were found to be maximum for 100 mM and minimum for 1 mM of exogenously supplied calcium salt. NADPH contents were higher for wild type than mutant. RAPD-PCR and SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a difference in DNA as well as proteome pattern with changes in calcium chloride regime. Prominent bands of approximately 70, 33, 21, and 14 kDa expressed in the wild type served as the marker polypeptide bands under calcium supplementation. Results suggest that higher levels of calcium ion disturb the cellular homeostasis generating ROS, thereby inducing enhanced levels of antioxidative enzymes. Further, data also suggests possible involvement of ntcA gene in cross talk between calcium ion and ROS regulating enzymes.

Regulation of nitrogen metabolism in salt tolerant and salt sensitive Frankia strains.

Effect of salinity (0, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 750 mM NaCI) was observed on some important physiological parameters of nitrogen metabolism such as nitrate uptake, intracellular and extracellular ammonium status and activities of nitrogenase, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase and glutamine synthetase among Frankia strains differing in their salt tolerance capacity. Nitrogenase activity closely followed the growth pattern with regular decline on NaCI supplementation. All the other enzymes showed optimum activity at 100 mM and declined further. Co-regulation of the nitrate uptake system and sequential enzyme activities plays a crucial role in governing the nitrogen status of strains during salt stress. HsIil0 experiencing minimum decline in enzyme activities and best possible nitrogen regulation under NaC1 replete condition showed adequate nutritional management. Among all the strains, HsIil0 proved to be salt tolerant on account of above features while the salt sensitive strain HsIi8 lacked the ability to regulate various steps of nitrogen metabolism during salinity, and thus Frankia strain HsIil0 can potentially serve as a potential biofertilizer in the saline soil.

Chemotaxonomy of heterocystous cyanobacteria using FAME profiling as species markers.

The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis of the 12 heterocystous cyanobacterial strains showed different fatty acid profiling based on the presence/absence and the percentage of 13 different types of fatty acids. The major fatty acids viz. palmitic acid (16:0), hexadecadienoic acid (16:2), stearic acid (18:0), oleic acid (18:1), linoleic (18:2), and linolenic acid (18:3) were present among all the strains except Cylindrospermum musicola where oleic acid (18:1) was absent. All the strains showed high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs; 41-68.35%) followed by saturated fatty acid (SAFAs; 1.82-40.66%) and monounsaturated fatty acid (0.85-24.98%). Highest percentage of PUFAs and essential fatty acid (linolenic acid; 18:3) was reported in Scytonema bohnerii which can be used as fatty acid supplement in medical and biotechnological purpose. The cluster analysis based on FAME profiling suggests the presence of two distinct clusters with Euclidean distance ranging from 0 to 25. S. bohnerii of cluster I was distantly related to the other strains of cluster II. The genotypes of cluster II were further divided into two subclusters, i.e., IIa with C. musicola showing great divergence with the other genotypes of IIb which was further subdivided into two groups. Subsubcluster IIb(1) was represented by a genotype, Anabaena sp. whereas subsubcluster IIb(2) was distinguished by two groups, i.e., one group having significant similarity among their three genotypes showed distant relation with the other group having closely related six genotypes. To test the validity of the fatty acid profiles as a marker, cluster analysis has also been generated on the basis of morphological attributes. Our results suggest that FAME profiling might be used as species markers in the study of polyphasic approach based taxonomy and phylogenetic relationship.

Influence of iron and chelator on siderophore production in Frankia strains nodulating Hippophae salicifolia D. Don.

Effect of iron and chelator on the growth and siderophore production in the ten newly Frankia strains isolated from the root nodules of Hippophae salicifolia D. Don and the two reference strains were studied. Growth of the strains was greatly affected when grown in the iron and EDTA deprived conditions. All the strains were capable of producing both the hydroxamate and catecholate type siderophore that was detected using the Csaky and Arnow assays. Production of siderophore was enhanced in the EDTA replenish condition in contrast to the iron supplemented medium suggesting that EDTA reduces the availability of other free metals and hence creates the stress condition for which the secretion of siderophore is enhanced. A decrease in siderophore production was observed with an increase in iron concentration. Strains HsIi2 and HsIi10 were found to be producing more siderophore than the other strains.