Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antidiabetic Potential, and In silico Analysis of Rhus chinensis from Western Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Rhus chinensis Mill, indigenous wild fruit primarily found in the hilly region of Nepal. The ripe fruit is very sour and considered medicinal as a remedy for colic pain. In addition, their astringent and styptic qualities are used internally to treat illnesses such as diarrhea and hemorrhage. Also, they are used as a common component of polyherbal medications for diabetic mellitus. OBJECTIVES: This work aimed to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant, antibacterial, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase inhibition activity of the crude extract and fractions of Rhus chinensis Mill. Additionally, molecular docking of compounds from Rhus chinensis was performed. METHODS: Folin Ciocalteu's (FC) reagent was used to estimate total phenolic content. Likewise, the aluminium trichloride method was applied to determine total flavonoid content. A 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay was performed for the antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the substrate-based enzyme inhibition assay was carried out for α-glucosidase and α- amylase inhibition activity of R. chinensis. P-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (PNPG) and 2- Chloro-4-Nitrophenyl-α-D-Maltotrioside (CNPG3) were used as substrates for α-glucosidase and α- amylase inhibition assay, respectively. Similarly, the well-diffusion method was used for the antibacterial activity. Autodock vina was used to perform molecular docking. RESULTS: The total phenolic and flavonoid content of R. chinensis fruit were 117.092±1.1 mg GAE/g and 62.41±1.23 mg QE/g, respectively. The IC50 value for antioxidant activity of the crude extract and its fractions ranged from 3.12±1.15µg/mL to 50.85±2.10µg/mL. Similarly, the IC50 for α- glucosidase inhibition ranged from2.33±1.01µg/mL to 28.34±2.79µg/mL. Likewise, The IC50 of R. chinensis crude methanolic extract against α-amylase was 120.3±1.382µg/mL. The antibacterial activity of R. chinensis was effective against gram-positive bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus (ZOI=11.0) and Bacillus subtilis (ZOI=9.0). Quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside and Myricetin-3-Orhamnoside showed excellent binding to the active site of protein with binding energy -9.4kcal/mol and -9.6kcal/mol, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rhus chinensis Mill is a potent antioxidant and inhibits enzymes; α-glucosidase and α- amylase. In addition, the methanolic extract of this plant shows antibacterial activity. However, further research is required to determine the inhibiting compounds.

Preparation and physicochemical characterization of ghee and murcchita ghr̥ta.

BACKGROUND: Ghr̥ta murcchana is a process of pre-treatment recommended in Ayurveda to purify ghee before it can be used for siddha ghr̥ta which is claimed to improve the properties of the ghee in general and that of the prepared siddha ghr̥ta. OBJECTIVE: This work is aimed at studying the physiochemical properties of ghee and murcchita ghr̥ta in order to understand the impact of ghr̥ta murcchana process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ghee and murcchita ghr̥ta were prepared from the milk of local Pahadi, Jersey and Holstein cows. The samples were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and free fatty acid measurements. RESULTS: Among the samples studied, the Holstein cow ghee was found to contain the least amount of free acid (1.34%) whereas ghr̥ta murcchana process led to further decrease in the free acid content polymorphism was observed in the samples as evidenced by multiple melting points. In most cases, murcchita ghr̥ta was found to contain less solid fat than the corresponding ghee implying that the high melting compound was converted to low melting one during the process. CONCLUSION: The observed lowering of free fatty acid and solid fat contents in the ghee samples may provide a possible validation to the performance enhancement of the ghr̥ta murcchana process.

Characterization and Antimicrobial Property of Some Heavy Metals Containing Ayurvedic Drugs.

Ayurvedic medicines are often used in different formulations, the heavy metals, which are generally referred to as being toxic. In this work, we report on the physicochemical characterization and biological activity of some typical Ayurvedic drugs available in the market that contain arsenic, mercury and lead with the emphasis on their antibacterial performance. Among the formulations studied, some of the drugs with 'amorphous' texture (and higher solubility) were found quite active against some bacterial strains whereas the formulations possessing crystalline texture (and low solubility) were found practically ineffective. The moderate activity of some drugs against Gram-negative bacteria fairly suggested the presence of the small-sized polar molecules which was also supported by the FTIR spectroscopic data.