Unveiling the anti-inflammatory potential of Acalypha indica L. and analyzing its research trend: digging deep to learn deep.

The plant Acalypha indica L. is a well-known traditional plant belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Traditional practices of the plant claim to treat asthma, pneumonia, wound healing, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchitis, and skin disorders. The major phytochemicals reported are cyanogenic glucosides, tannins, coumarins, flavonoid glycosides, fatty acids, and volatile oils. To summarize the anti-inflammatory potential of Acalypha indica extract and its phytochemicals through preclinical studies. The search terms include anti-inflammatory, Acalypha indica, and Acalypha indica extract independently or in combination with pro-inflammatory markers using various databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The results of preclinical studies confirm that Acalypha indica exhibits strong anti-inflammatory activity. Most of the experimental studies that have been conducted on plant extract are protein denaturation, human red blood cell membrane stabilization assay, and carrageenan-induced inflammation models. However, the molecular mechanism in these studies is still unclear to demonstrate its anti-inflammatory effects. Acalypha indica possesses anti-inflammatory effects that may be due to the presence of phenolic compounds especially flavonoids present in the Acalypha indica. Thus, further research is needed, to understand mechanistic insights of the plant phytochemicals to represent anti-inflammatory properties.

Phytochemical Profile, Free Radical Scavenging and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Acalypha Indica Root Extract: Evidence from In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

In our in vitro and in vivo studies, we used Acalypha indica root methanolic extract (AIRME), and investigated their free radical scavenging/antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Primarily, phytochemical analysis showed rich content of phenols (70.92 mg of gallic acid/g) and flavonoids (16.01 mg of rutin/g) in AIRME. We then performed HR-LC-MS and GC-MS analyses, and identified 101 and 14 phytochemical compounds, respectively. Among them, ramipril glucuronide (1.563%), antimycin A (1.324%), swietenine (1.134%), quinone (1.152%), oxprenolol (1.118%), choline (0.847%), bumetanide (0.847%) and fenofibrate (0.711%) are the predominant phytomolecules. Evidence from in vitro studies revealed that AIRME scavenges DPPH and hydroxyl radicals in a concentration dependent manner (10-50 µg/mL). Similarly, hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation were also remarkably inhibited by AIRME as concentration increases (20-100 µg/mL). In vitro antioxidant activity of AIRME was comparable to ascorbic acid treatment. For in vivo studies, carrageenan (1%, sub-plantar) was injected to rats to induce localized inflammation. Acute inflammation was represented by paw-edema, and significantly elevated (p < 0.05) WBC, platelets and C-reactive protein (CRP). However, AIRME pretreatment (150/300 mg/kg bodyweight) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased edema volume. This was accompanied by a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of WBC, platelets and CRP with both doses of AIRME. The decreased activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase in paw tissue were restored (p < 0.05 / p < 0.01) with AIRME in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, AIRME attenuated carrageenan-induced neutrophil infiltrations and vascular dilation in paw tissue. For the first time, our findings demonstrated the potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of AIRME, which could be considered to develop novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

Phyto-Engineered Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) with Potential Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Wound Healing Activities Under in vitro and in vivo Conditions.

BACKGROUND: A diabetic ulcer is one of the major causes of illness among diabetic patients that involves severe and intractable complications associated with diabetic wounds. Hence, a suitable wound-healing agent is urgently needed at this juncture. Greener nanotechnology is a very promising and emerging technology currently employed for the development of alternative medicines. Plant-mediated synthesis of metal nanoparticles has been intensively investigated and regarded as an alternative strategy for overcoming various diseases and their secondary complications like microbial infections. Hence, we are interested in developing phyto-engineered gold nanoparticles as useful therapeutic agents for the treatment of infectious diseases and wounds effectively. METHODS AND RESULTS: We have synthesized phyto-engineered gold nanoparticles from the aqueous extract of Acalypha indica and characterized using advanced bio-analytical techniques. The surface plasmon resonance feature and crystalline behavior of gold nanoparticles were revealed by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the extract demonstrated the presence of different constituents, while major functional groups were interpreted by the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy as the various stretching vibrations appeared for important O-H (3443 cm-1), C=O (1644 cm-1) and C-O (1395 cm-1) groups. Scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results revealed a distribution of spherical and rod-like nanostructures with 20 nm of size. The gold nanoparticle-coated cotton fabric was evaluated for the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli bacterial strains which revealed remarkable inhibition at the zone of inhibition of 31 mm diameter against S. epidermidis. Further, antioxidant activity was tested for their free radical scavenging property, and the maximum antioxidant activity of the extract containing gold nanoparticles was found to be 80% at 100 µg/mL. The potent free radical scavenging property of the nanoparticles is observed at IC50 value 16.25 µg/mL. Moreover, in vivo wound-healing activity was carried out using BALB/c mice model with infected diabetic wounds and observed the stained microscopic images at different time intervals (day 2, day 7 and day 15). It was noted that in 15 days, the wound area is completely re-epithelialized due to the presence of different morphologies such as spherical, needle and triangle nanoparticles. The re-epithelialization layer is fully covered by nanoparticles on the wound area and also collagen filled in the scar tissue when compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: The pharmacological evaluation results of the study indicated an encouraging antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the greener synthesized gold nanoparticles tethered with aqueous extract of Acalypha indica. Moreover, we demonstrated enhanced in vivo wound-healing efficiency of the synthesized gold nanoparticles through the animal model. Thus, the outcome of this work revealed that the phyto-engineered gold nanoparticles could be useful for biomedical applications, especially in the development of promising antibacterial and wound-healing agents.

Antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities of Acalypha fruticosa: Possible elucidated mechanism.

This study aimed to investigate the potential anti-oxidant activity of methanol (Aca-M) extract and n-hexane (Aca-H), chloroform (Aca-Ch), ethyl acetate (Aca-E), n-butanol (Aca-B) and aqueous (Aca-A) fractions obtained from the aerial parts of Acalypha fruticosa (Aca) using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Data obtained revealed that A. fruticosa methanol extract and different fractions inhibited the DPPH radicals in the following descending order: Aca-E >Aca-B >Aca-M >Aca-A >Aca-Ch >Aca-H compared to ascorbic acid. Additionally, in vitro 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) assay against MCF-7, HCT-116, HepG-2 and non-cancerous MRC-5 cell lines was performed to determine their selective anti-cancer activity. The Aca-Ch fraction exhibited remarkable cytotoxic activity against all tested cancerous cell lines with IC50 4.81- 12.2µg/mL, while both Aca-Ch and Aca-H fractions possessed potent cytotoxic activities on HCT-116 (IC50 4.81 and 10.1, respectively) with negligible harm but selective effect on non-cancerous MRC-5 cells (IC50 20.4 and 85.2, respectively).

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of a Polyphenol-Enriched Fraction from Acalypha wilkesiana on Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Macrophages and Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury in Mice.

A polyphenol-enriched fraction (PEF) from Acalypha wilkesiana, whose leaves have been traditionally utilized for the treatment of diverse medical ailments, was investigated for the anti-inflammatory effect and molecular mechanisms by using lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and acetaminophen- (APAP-) induced liver injury mouse model. Results showed that PEF significantly attenuated LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. PEF also reduced the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin- (IL-) 1ß, and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, PEF potently inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as well as the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by preventing the degradation of inhibitor κB-α (IκB-α). In vivo, PEF pretreatment ameliorated APAP-induced liver injury and hepatic inflammation, as presented by decreased hepatic damage indicators and proinflammatory factors at both plasma and gene levels. Additionally, PEF pretreatment remarkably diminished Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and TLR4 expression and the subsequent MAPKs and NF-κB activation. HPLC analysis revealed that two predominantly polyphenolic compounds present in PEF were geraniin and corilagin. These results indicated that PEF has an anti-inflammatory effect, and its molecular mechanisms may be involved in the inactivation of the TLR/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway, suggesting the therapeutic potential of PEF for inflammatory diseases.

Transdifferentiation of human gingival mesenchymal stem cells into functional keratinocytes by Acalypha indica in three-dimensional microenvironment.

Gingival tissue is reportedly a promising, easily accessible, abundant resource of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for use in various tissue engineering strategies. Human gingival MSC (HGMSCs) were successfully isolated from gingival tissue and characterized. To analyze in a two-dimensional form, HGMSCs were cultured with basal medium and induced with 25 µg/ml of Acalypha indica. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis showed the presence of keratinocyte-specific markers, including cytokeratin-5 and involucrin. To further assess its capability for stratification akin to human keratinocytes, HGMSCs were encapsulated in a HyStem® -HP Cell Culture Scaffold Kit and cultured in the presence of A. indica. Calcein AM staining indicated that the HyStem® -HP Scaffold Kit has excellent biocompatibility. Immunofluorescence and qPCR analysis revealed the presence of keratinocyte-specific markers. The study concluded that the three-dimensional microenvironment is a novel method for inducing epidermal differentiation of HGMSCs to engineer epidermal substitutes with the help of A. indica, which provides an alternative strategy for skin tissue engineering.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using leaf extract of Acalypha hispida and its application in blood compatibility.

The blood compatibility of AgNPs is of great relevance as it has good antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and the toxicological information of their effects on cells need to be analyzed before using it as drug carriers in the biomedical field. The present study deals with the synthesis of AgNPs from an aqueous solution of silver nitrate using Acalypha hispida leaf extract as the reducing and capping agent. The presence of AgNPs in the reaction mixture was confirmed by visual observation of color change and subsequently identified using UV-Visible Spectroscopy. XRD results revealed the crystalline nature of synthesized AgNPs. The shape and size of particles were characterized by TEM. These results revealed the elemental status of nanopowder. The components present in leaf extract were identified by GC-MS and functional groups present in the sample when treated with silver nitrate were obtained from FT-IR results. The surface of synthesized AgNPs was modified using four different compounds such as CTAB, PEG, PEI, and APTMS to evaluate the blood compatibility. The results showed that 50 µg/mL CTAB coated AgNPs and 50 and 100 µg/mL PEG coated AgNPs had non-hemolytic property and considered as more blood compatible surface modified AgNPs. This investigation gives an idea of using surface modified AgNPs in the field of biomedicine and therapeutic applications.

Exploration of antiplasmodial activity in Acalypha wilkesiana Müller Argoviensis, 1866 (family: Euphorbiaceae) and its GC-MS fingerprint.

The plant kingdom continues to hold great promise for the eradication of Malaria infection following the challenges of insecticide resistance by the vector mosquito, drug resistance by the parasite, and the development of a vaccine still being a mirage. Acalypha wilkesiana Muller Argoviensis, 1866 (family: Euphorbiaceae) leaves have the ethnopharmacological reputation for use as a remedy against dermal microbial infections in Nigeria. Here, we have studied the antiplasmodial potential of the extract of the leaves of this ornamental plant. Aqueous methanol crude extract (70%) and Prep reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RPHPLC) fractions were tested in vitro against blood stage Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain parasites for antiplasmodial activity using the SYBR Green assay. Results obtained were validated through Giemsa stained microscopic blood smeared slides. An IC50 of < 0.39 µg/ml for fractions of the RPHPLC together with TC50 of > 100 µg/ml against mammalian HUH-7 cell lines and a HC50 of > 100 µg/ml against red blood cells indicate a high selectivity of this plant against Plasmodium. This is the first report of the antiplasmodial activity of this plant and a GC-MS fingerprinting of the same, opening the possibilities of identifying novel pharmacophores against the malaria parasite.

Acalypha Wilkesiana 'Java White': Identification of Some Bioactive Compounds by Gc-Ms and Their Effects on Key Enzymes Linked to Type 2 Diabete.

In this study, we identified bioactive compounds from the ethanolic extracts of the leaves, stem bark and root bark of Acalypha wilkesiana through GC-MS analysis and investigated the effects of these extracts on some of the enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes. Plant parts were extracted sequentially with ethyl acetate, ethanol and water. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of long-chain alkyl acids, esters, ketones and alcohols including phytol and phytol acetate along with some secondary metabolites such as xanthone, vitamin E and various types of sterols including stigmasterol, campesterol and sitosterol. Ethanolic extracts of all the parts showed a dose- -dependent inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase activity. The extracts also demonstrated anti-lipase activity. The ethanolic extract of root bark showed the highest inhibition of enzymes compared to other extracts. The EC50 values (concentrations for 50 % inhibition) of α-glucosidase, α-amylase and lipase inhibition were 35.75 ± 1.95, 6.25 ± 1.05 and 101.33 ± 5.21 µg mL-1, resp. The study suggests that A. wilkesiana ethanolic extracts have the ability to inhibit the activity of enzymes linked to type 2 diabetes. Further studies are needed to confirm the responsible bioactive compounds in this regard.

[Plant Traditional Treatment with Acalypha indica Inducing Haemolysis in Patients with G6PD Deficiency: A Frequent Circumstance in Mayotte?] / Phytothérapie traditionnelle par Acalypha indica induisant un accident hémolytique chez les patients porteurs d'un déficit en G6PD : une circonstance fréquente à Mayotte ?

A traditional treatment by plants with Acalypha indica L. can induce an intravascular haemolysis in patients with a glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. This information is poorly diffused in areas where the plant grows, where it is consumed for ethnomedicinal purpose and where G6PD deficiency prevalence is high; as a consequence, the probability of haemolytic accidents is presumably underestimated. It seems frequent in Mayotte according to local recent data reporting. Such accidents were previously only, and on a rare basis, reported in Sri Lanka. It seems necessary, at least in Mayotte, to inform patients, or the patients' relatives, about the potential risk in case of using traditional medicine by plants, in addition to all other circumstances able to induce haemolysis in G6PD deficiency.

Une phytothérapie traditionnelle par des remèdes contenant Acalypha indica L. est susceptible d'induire un accident hémolytique intravasculaire, potentiellement grave, chez les patients déficitaires en glucose-6-phosphate-déshydrogénase (G6PD). La toxicité potentielle de cette plante est connue, mais peu diffusée. Dans les régions où elle pousse et où coexistent un recours fréquent à la médecine traditionnelle et une prévalence élevée du déficit en G6PD, elle devrait être systématiquement recherchée. La situation semble fréquente à Mayotte, et n'avait jusqu'alors été signalée que rarement au Sri Lanka. Il semble indispensable que dans ces régions, les patients ou leurs parents soient systématiquement informés du risque potentiel en cas de recours à une médecine traditionnelle par les plantes, en plus des facteurs déclenchants habituellement recherchés.

In Vitro Screening of Three Indian Medicinal Plants for Their Phytochemicals, Anticholinesterase, Antiglucosidase, Antioxidant, and Neuroprotective Effects.

Cooccurrence of Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer's disease in elder people prompts scientists to develop multitarget agents that combat causes and symptoms of both diseases simultaneously. In line with this modern paradigm and as a follow-up to our previous studies, the present study is designed to investigate the crude methanolic extracts and subsequent CHCl3, n-BuOH, and H2O fractions of Acalypha alnifolia, Pavetta indica, and Ochna obtusata for their inhibitory activities towards specific targets involved in AD and DM, namely, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and α-glucosidase (α-Glc). The methanolic extract and its derived chloroform fractions exhibited remarkable inhibitory capacities with IC50 values being found at the µg/mL level. Further studies on most active chloroform fractions presented a prominent ability to scavenge DPPH and ABTS reactive species and highest neuroprotective effect against H2O2 induced cell injury. Phytochemical analysis showed a large amount of phenolics, flavonoids, and terpenoids in active fractions. In conclusion, A. alnifolia, P. indica, and O. obtusata could be promising sources for the treatment of AD and DM since these fractions induced significant anticholinesterase, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and neuroprotection effects attributable to phenolic, flavonoid, and terpenoid contents and encourage further studies for development of multifunctional therapeutic agent for AD and DM dual therapy.

A review of Acalypha indica L. (Euphorbiaceae) as traditional medicinal plant and its therapeutic potential.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Acalypha indica is an herbal plant that grows in wet, temperate and tropical region, primarily along the earth's equator line. This plant is considered by most people as a weed and can easily be found in these regions. Although this plant is a weed, Acalypha indica has been acknowledged by local people as a useful source of medicine for several therapeutic treatments. They consume parts of the plant for many therapeutics purposes such as anthelmintic, anti-ulcer, bronchitis, asthma, wound healing, anti-bacterial and other applications. As this review was being conducted, most of the reports related to ethnomedicinal practices were from Asian and African regions. THE AIM OF THE REVIEW: The aim of this review is to summarize the current studies on ethnomedicinal practices, phytochemistry, pharmacological studies and a potential study of Acalypha indica in different locations around the world. This review updates related information regarding the potential therapeutic treatments and also discusses the toxicity issue of Acalypha indica. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review was performed through a systematic search related to Acalypha indica including the ethnomedicinal practices, phytochemistry and pharmacological studies around the world. The data was collected from online journals, magazines, and books, all of which were published in English, Malay and Indonesian. Search engine websites such as Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Researchgate and other online collections were utilized in this review to obtain information. RESULTS: The links between ethnomedicinal practices and scientific studies have been discussed with a fair justification. Several pharmacological properties exhibited certain potentials based on the obtained results that came from different related studies. Based on literature studies, Acalypha indica has the capability to serve as anthelmintic, anti-inflammation, anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-obesity, anti-venom, hepatoprotective, hypoxia, and wound healing medicine. For the traditional practices, the authors also mentioned several benefits of consuming the raw plant and decoction. CONCLUSION: This review summarizes the current studies of Acalypha indica collected from many regions. This review hopefully will provide a useful and basic knowledge platform for anyone interested in gaining information regarding Acalypha indica.

Prevention of cell-surface attachment and reduction of penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) level in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilms by Acalypha wilkesiana.

BACKGROUND: Formation of biofilm is known to enhance the virulence of methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is associated with persistent infections in hospital settings. The biofilm layer essentially forms a protective barrier encapsulating the bacterial colony and thus reduces the effectiveness of chemotherapeutics. We have isolated 9EA-FC-B bioactive fraction from Acalypha wilkesiana Müll. Arg. that reverses ampicillin resistant in MRSA through inhibition of the antibiotic resistant protein, penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a). In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of 9EA-FC-B on MRSA biofilm forming capacity. METHODS: Inhibition of biofilm production and microtiter attachment assays were employed to study the anti-biofilm activity of 9EA-FC-B, while latex agglutination test was performed to investigate the effect on PBP2a in the biofilm matrix. We also attempted to characterise the chemical components of the fraction using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and phytochemical analysis. RESULTS: Fraction 9EA-FC-B and ampicillin exhibited similar inhibitory effect on MRSA's biofilm production at their respective minimum inhibitory concentrations (81.56% vs 84.49%, respectively). However, the test fraction was more effective in suppressing cell surface attachment (90.85%) compared to ampicillin (37.8%). Interestingly, ampicillin enhanced the level PBP2a and in the contrary 9EA-FC-B attenuated the production of the resistant protein in the bioflim matrix. HPLC and phytochemical analysis revealed that 9EA-FC-B fraction is a complex mixture containing tannins, saponins, sterol/steroids, and glycosides. CONCLUSIONS: Bioactive fraction 9EA-FC-B inhibited the production of MRSA biofilm by preventing the initial cell-surface attachment and reducing the amount PBP2a in the matrix. PBP2a found in the biofilm matrix is believed to have a role in the development of virulence in MRSA.

Medicinal plants from the genus Acalypha (Euphorbiaceae)--a review of their ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Acalypha is the fourth largest genus of the Euphorbiaceae family with approximately 450-570 species. Several Acalypha species are used as medicinal plants in Africa and in the Mascarene Islands. Almost every part of the plant including the leaves, stem and roots are used as traditional remedies to treat and manage a panoply of ailments. However, there is no updated compilation of traditionally important medicinal plants from the Acalypha genus. The present review therefore, endeavors to provide for the first time an updated compilation of documented ethnopharmacological information in relation to the ethnomedicinal, ethnoveterinary, zoopharmacognosy, phytochemistry and biological activities of medicinal plants from the Acalypha genus which can subsequently open new perspectives for further pharmacological research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was performed on Acalypha species using ethnobotanical text books and scientific databases such as Pubmed, Scopus, EBSCO, Google Scholar and other web sources such as records from PROTA, PROSEA, and Botanical Dermatology Database. The Plant List, International Plant Name index and Kew Botanical Garden Plant name databases were used to validate scientific names. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Plants from Acalypha genus are traditionally used in the treatment and/or management of diverse ailments such as diabetes, jaundice, hypertension, fever, liver inflammation, schistosomiasis, dysentery, respiratory problems including bronchitis, asthma and pheumonia as well as skin conditions such as scabies, eczema and mycoses. Approximately 124 species were listed in ethnobotanical studies with some botanical description and others mentioned from different web sources. However, only 40 species have been included in the present review due to the unavailability of ethnopharmacological data on the remaining species. Among the 40 cited species, 30 were traditionally used for the treatment and/or management of approximately 70 human diseases or health conditions. Two species, Acalypha alnifolia and Acalypha fruticosa are used as insecticides and sand fly repellent respectively. Only 2 species (Acalypha fruticosa and Acalypha indica) are used in ethnoveterinary practice and have similar human and veterinary applications. In zoopharmacognosy, only Acalypha ornata has been mentioned. Natives from Africa, Central America, North America, Southern China, India, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Mascarenes islands utilize Acalypha species as ethnomedicine. Traditionally used Acalypha species have been reported to possess at least one of the following biological activities: antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, larvidal, pupicidal, hepatoprotective, anticancer, leishmanicidal, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, anti-venom, analgesic, anthelmintic, antiemetic, laxative, expectorant, diuretic, post-coital antifertility effects and wound healing. A total of 167 compounds have been identified from 19 species, with 16 from eight species were reported to be bioactive. CONCLUSION: The present review represents 32.3% of species from the Acalypha genus and can be considered as the first compilation of ethnopharmacologically useful plants from this genus. There is a great potential to discover new biologically active phytochemicals from the Acalypha genus because only few species have been studied comprehensively. Therefore, the clinical evaluation of species from this genus is warranted in future studies to confirm the ethnomedicinal claims and for the safety approval of therapeutic applications.

Antibacterial and antioxidant constituents of Acalypha wilkesiana.

This study was aimed at characterising the secondary metabolites responsible for antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Acalypha wilkesiana. Purification of the defatted methanol leaves extract was guided by the DPPH free radical scavenging assay as well as by evaluation of the antibacterial activity against four bacterial strains. As a result, geraniin, corilagin, quadrangularic acid M and shikimic acid were purified and isolated. Shikimic acid, reported for the first time from this plant, proved to be the major metabolite of the extract. All the four isolated compounds showed bactericidal activity against extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (700603), while corilagin was the single compound to exhibit antioxidant activity (IC50 53 µg/mL).

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of methanol extract and fractions of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves.

BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and the analgesic potentials of Acalypha wilkesiana leaf extract in experimental animals. METHODS: The anti-inflammatory potential was investigated using an acute rat model. Aspirin at 150 mg/kg, indomethacin at 10 mg/kg as positive control, and methanolic extracts and solvent fractions of A. wilkesiana at doses of 400 and 200 mg/kg, respectively, were administered orally to rats and compared with a negative control group given 10 mL/kg Tween 80. At an A. wilkesiana dose of 400 mg/kg body weight, the analgesic effect was also studied using the hot plate method and the acetic acid-induced writhing model in mice. RESULTS: Percentage inhibition of the paw volume was highest in rats administered indomethacin (85.7%) followed by the group administered methanolic extract of A. wilkesiana (74.1%), whereas the group given aspirin had 65.5% inhibition of edema and the group given a 200 mg/kg dose of chloroform fraction of A. wilkesiana had 93% inhibition of increase in paw volume, a value higher than the performance of the standard drugs indomethacin (85%) and aspirin (68%). Also, the extract caused an increase in the reaction time in the hot plate test and in the acetic acid test. The mean number of writhings was significantly reduced in the group of mice administered 400 mg/kg extract of A. wilkesiana leaves (25.8±1.3) when compared with the control (46.7±1.4) but higher than the group of mice administered the standard analgesic agent paracetamol (23.5±1.3). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that A. wilkesiana leaves have anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential comparable with those of standard drugs.

Reversal of ampicillin resistance in MRSA via inhibition of penicillin-binding protein 2a by Acalypha wilkesiana.

The inhibitory activity of a semipure fraction from the plant, Acalypha wilkesiana assigned as 9EA-FC-B, alone and in combination with ampicillin, was studied against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In addition, effects of the combination treatment on PBP2a expression were investigated. Microdilution assay was used to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Synergistic effects of 9EA-FC-B with ampicillin were determined using the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index and kinetic growth curve assay. Western blot experiments were carried out to study the PBP2a expression in treated MRSA cultures. The results showed a synergistic effect between ampicillin and 9EA-FC-B treatment with the lowest FIC index of 0.19 (synergism ≤ 0.5). The presence of 9EA-FC-B reduced the MIC of ampicillin from 50 to 1.56 µg mL(-1). When ampicillin and 9EA-FC-B were combined at subinhibitory level, the kinetic growth curves were suppressed. The antibacterial effect of 9EA-FC-B and ampicillin was shown to be synergistic. The synergism is due the ability of 9EA-FC-B to suppress the activity of PBP2a, thus restoring the susceptibility of MRSA to ampicillin. Corilagin was postulated to be the constituent responsible for the synergistic activity showed by 9EA-FC-B.

Biosynthesis and characterization of Acalypha indica mediated copper oxide nanoparticles and evaluation of its antimicrobial and anticancer activity.

Copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by biological method using aqueous extract of Acalypha indica leaf and characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, FT-IR, SEM TEM and EDX analysis. The synthesised particles were highly stable, spherical and particle size was in the range of 26-30 nm. The antimicrobial activity of A.indica mediated copper oxide nanoparticles was tested against selected pathogens. Copper oxide nanoparticles showed efficient antibacterial and antifungal effect against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Candida albicans. The cytotoxicity activity of A.indica mediated copper nanoparticles was evaluated by MTT assay against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and confirmed that copper oxide nanoparticles have cytotoxicity activity.