In Vitro Dengue Virus Inhibition by Aqueous Extracts of Aegle marmelos, Munronia pinnata and Psidium guajava.

Dengue is an arboviral (insect-transmitted) infection of global concern. Currently, there are still no specific dengue antiviral agents to treat the disease. Plant extracts have been used in traditional medicine for treating various viral infections - thus, in the present study, aqueous extracts of dried flowers of Aegle marmelos (AM), whole plant of Munronia pinnata (MP) and leaves of Psidium guajava (PG) were investigated for their potential capacity to inhibit dengue virus infection of Vero cells. The maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) and the 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) were determined by using the MTT assay. A plaque reduction antiviral assay was carried out with dengue virus types 1 (DV1), 2 (DV2), 3 (DV3) and 4 (DV4), in order to calculate the half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50). AM extract inhibited all four virus serotypes tested; MP extract inhibited DV1, DV2 and DV4, but not DV3; PG extract inhibited DV1, DV2 and DV4, but not DV3. Thus, the results suggest that AM is a promising candidate for the pan-serotype inhibition of dengue viral activity.

Acute and Subchronic Oral Safety Profiles of the Sudarshana Suspension.

Sudarshana powder (SP) is an Ayurvedic preparation, which contains 53 herbal ingredients along with 50% of Andrographis paniculata and is clinically used with bees honey. This study was aimed to determine the safety profile of the SP, and its novel preparation Sudarshana suspension (SS) on male Wistar rats and tolerance studies were conducted for healthy adult volunteers. Acute and subacute toxicity studies of the SS and hot water extract of SP were assessed in Wistar rats by observing the general behavior, analyzing biochemical and haematological parameters, and pathological observation. Healthy consented adult volunteers (n = 35) of either sex were selected, and tolerance studies of SS were tested by measuring the biochemical and haematological parameters. There were no significant (p > 0.05) changes observed in the treated animals with SS and hot water extract of SP compared with control in body weights, food intake, and water consumption as well as the biochemical and haematological parameters. Histopathological studies revealed no significant (p > 0.05) changes in the liver, heart, and kidney tissues. The experimental results suggest that novel formulation SS was potentially safe for chronic administration in rats, and no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in tested parameters on day 3 and day 8 when compared to the day 0 (baseline) values in healthy volunteers. Healthy volunteers did not report any adverse effects or any other complications during the treatment period and the follow-up period. Therefore, it can be concluded that the novel preparation Sudarshana suspension does not cause any significant toxic effects on the blood parameters in animal and human models.

Evaluation of the In Vitro and In Vivo Antioxidant Potentials of Sudarshana Powder.

Sudarshana powder (SP) is one of the most effective Ayurveda powder preparations for paediatric febrile conditions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potentials of SP. The in vitro antioxidant effects were evaluated using ABTS radical cation decolourization assay where the TROLOX equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was determined. The in vivo antioxidant activity of SP was determined in Wistar rats using the Lipid Peroxidation (LPO) assay in serum. The in vitro assay was referred to as the TROLOX equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay. For the in vivo assay, animals were dosed for 21 consecutive days and blood was drawn to evaluate the MDA level. The in vitro antioxidant activity of 0.5 µg of SP was equivalent to 14.45 µg of standard TROLOX. The percentage inhibition against the radical formation was 50.93 ± 0.53%. The SP showed a statistically significant (p < 0.01) decrease in the serum level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance in the test rats when compared with the control group. These findings suggest that the SP possesses potent antioxidant activity which may be responsible for some of its reported bioactivities.