Vitamin E-TPGS stabilized self-assembled tripeptide nanostructures for drug delivery.

Self-assembled peptides and specifically small peptide based nanostructures have been the focus of research in past decade due to their potential biological applications. In this study, we prepared a protected peptide, Boc-Pro-Phe-Gly-OMe, which self-assembled in aqueous solutions leading to the formation of nanostructures and ability to act as a drug carrier. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements showed nanostructures with average size of 119.6 nm containing hydrophobic core, wherein hydrophobic drugs, viz, eosin, aspirin and curcumin, were successfully encapsulated. These encapsulated nanostructures, were further stabilized with Vitamin E-TPGS. In-vitro drug release studies revealed the release of drugs in controlled fashion from the nanostructures. The results advocate the potential of the proposed peptide nanostructures as controlled drug delivery systems and could be used in other biomedical applications.

Effect of chromium on antioxidant potential of Catharanthus roseus varieties and production of their anticancer alkaloids: vincristine and vinblastine.

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don, a medicinal plant, has a very important place in the traditional as well as modern pharmaceutical industry. Two common varieties of this plant rosea and alba are named so because of pink and white coloured flowers, respectively. This plant comprises of about 130 terpenoid indole alkaloids and two of them, vincristine and vinblastine, are common anticancer drugs. The effect of chromium (Cr) on enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant components and on secondary metabolites vincristine and vinblastine was studied under pot culture conditions of both varieties of C. roseus. Antioxidant responses of these varieties were analyzed under 0, 10, 50, and 100 µM chromium (Cr) level in order to investigate the plant's protective mechanisms against Cr induced oxidative stress. The results indicated that Cr affects all the studied parameters and decreases growth performance. However, vincristine and vinblastine contents were increased under Cr stress. Results are quite encouraging, as this plant shows good antioxidant potential and increased the level of active constituents under Cr stress.

Effect of cadmium on growth, bacoside A, and bacopaside I of Bacopa monnieri (L.), a memory enhancing herb.

Bacopa monnieri (L.) is an important medicinal plant mainly known as a memory enhancing herb. It is important to see the effect of metal pollution on its active constituents. In this context, efforts have been made to observe the effect of Cd on the triterpenoid saponins bacoside A and bacopaside I in this plant. The influence of the metal on growth parameters like protein, chlorophyll content, and biomass has also been observed. It is interesting to note that the bacoside A and bacopaside I gradually increased by the Cd treatment up to 10 µM and then decreased at higher concentrations, that is, 50 and 100 µM, but the concentration of these components was more in all the treated plants as compared to control. On the contrary, protein, chlorophyll content, and biomass decreased with the increase in metal concentration and exposure duration due to metal toxicity.

Chromatographic estimation of p-coumaric acid and triacontanol in an Ayurvedic root drug patala (Stereospermum suaveolens Roxb.).

A high-performance thin layer chromatographic method has been established for the identification and standardization of Stereospermum suaveolens extracts using two active biomarkers viz. triacontanol and p-coumaric acid in root samples collected from different geographical locations of India. These marker components have different therapeutic activities: p-coumaric acid is a good antioxidant and also has anti-diabetic properties; triacontanol has anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties. Studies on root as well as stem samples showed characteristic bands of triacontanol and p-coumaric acid at R(f) 0.51 and 0.42, respectively. The amount of triacontanol varied from 0.035-8.472 mg/g in the root samples while the amount of p-coumaric acid was in the range 0.081-0.203 mg/g. The limit of detection for triacontanol was 100 ng/spot whereas that for p-coumaric acid was 10 ng/spot.

Chromium-induced changes in ultramorphology and secondary metabolites of Phyllanthus amarus Schum & Thonn. - an hepatoprotective plant.

Chromium (Cr) concentration in the environment is increasing day by day due to its excessive use in leather processing, refractory steel, and chemical manufacturing industries. Excess Cr in the environment causes hazardous effects on all living beings including plants. In this context attempts have been made to see the effect of Cr on a very important medicinal plant Phyllanthus amarus Schum and Thonn. It has focused as a hepatoprotective plant curing hepatitis 'B' in modern research. The P. amarus seedlings of approximately same height and weight were grown in similar conditions in experimental garden. After 30 days plants were harvested and chlorophyll, protein, sugar, starch and secondary metabolites concentration were estimated in these plants as per standard methods. Besides ultramorphological variations in leaves and Cr accumulation in roots and aerial parts were also checked with the help of scanning electron microscope and atomic absorption spectrophotometer respectively. The study revealed that Cr causes significant decrease in fresh and dry weight, length of root and shoot, protein, sugar, chlorophyll and carotenoids in P. amarus. On the other hand it is interesting to note that the concentration of therapeutically active secondary metabolites - phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin increased up to certain level of Cr. It may be due to stress caused by the accumulation of Cr. Besides, ultramorphological changes viz. wide stomatal opening and less wax deposition on both the surfaces of leaves were also observed.

Toxic metals and organochlorine pesticides residue in single herbal drugs used in important ayurvedic formulation - 'Dashmoola'.

Herbal formulations are getting popularity throughout the world and commercialized extensively for various medicinal properties. WHO has emphasized the need for quality assurance of herbal products, including testing of heavy metals and pesticides residues. 'Dashmoola', a popular herbal formulation, with immunomodulator and febrifugal properties, consists of ten single root drugs. In view of WHO guidelines, single herbal drugs used in 'Dashmoola', were collected from different places of India for testing heavy metals and persistent pesticides residue. Although use of roots in 'Dashmoola' is prescribed in original ayurvedic literature but now many pharmacies use stem in place of roots. Therefore, in the present study both roots and stems were selected for estimation of six heavy metals namely arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni). Apart from these, the organochlorine pesticides residue viz. different metabolites of DDT, DDE, isomers of HCH and alpha-endosulfan were checked in total 40 samples of single crude drugs. Heavy metals except Hg, were present in most of the samples. In few samples Pb and Cd concentration were beyond the WHO permissible limits. Although alpha-HCH and gamma-HCH were present in almost all the samples, but other pesticides were not detected in these samples. DDT and DDE were found only in two samples.

Disruption of elements uptake due to excess chromium in Indian medicinal plants.

Chromium and its compounds may cause disturbance in the nutrient level of the plants. Iron, manganese, copper, and zinc are essential nutrient elements and required for balanced growth and development of plants, but chromium uptake sometimes disturbed their concentration in plants. Therefore, in the present paper, an effort has been made to observe the effect of different levels of Cr on nutrient uptake of Phyllanthus amarus and Solanum nigrum, the medicinally important plants of indigenous systems of medicine having hepatoprotective and diuretic properties. The study revealed that Cr causes significant changes in nutrient uptake as compared to control plants. Besides, Cr-treated plants showed growth depression and decrease in fresh and dry weight too. With the increase in Cr supply, accumulation of Cr in roots was increased significantly. Concentration of manganese and zinc was also increased. However, copper concentration in both the plants seemed less affected by Cr.

Estimation of heavy metals in different berberis species and its market samples.

Popularity of herbal drugs is increasing all over the world because of lesser side effects as compared to synthetic drugs. Besides, it costs less and easily available to poor people particularly in developing countries. But quality assurance of herbal drugs is very necessary prior to its use. Because in today's polluted environment, even herbal drugs are not safe. Berberis spp. is very important medicinal plant, having various medicinal properties. It is also included in Indian and British pharmacopoeias. Its demand is quite high in herbal drug market. So, to check the quality of market samples of this drug, ten different samples were procured from different drug markets of India for heavy metal estimation. Besides, genuine samples of four species of Berberis viz. B. aristata, B. chitria, B. lycium, B. asiatica were also collected from natural habitats to compare heavy metal concentration in both market and genuine samples. It was found that market samples were much more contaminated than genuine samples. Lead (Pb) concentration is far beyond from WHO permissible limit (10 ppm) for herbal drugs, reaching to maximum 49.75 ppm in Amritsar market sample. Likewise, concentration of all other metals like Cd, Cr and Ni were also very high in market samples as compared to genuine samples.

Comparative pharmacognostic studies of three Phyllanthus species.

Different species of Phyllanthus are considered to be very effective hepatoprotective agents in the Indian indigenous systems of medicine and are considered bitter, astringent, stomachic, diuretic, febrifuge, deobstruant and antiseptic. Still ayurvedic practitioners prescribed fresh juice of 'Bhuiamlki' for jaundice. Various species of Phyllanthus are being sold in India under the trade name 'Bhuiamlki'. During market surveillance of herbal drug, it was observed that almost all the commercial samples, either comprise of Phyllanthus amarus Schum & Thonn. or Phyllanthus maderaspatensis Linn. or mixture of Phyllanthus amarus, Phyllanthus fraternus Webster. and Phyllanthus maderaspatensis. Therefore, in this context the detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of all the three species has been carried out with the aim to establish the identification markers of this important hepatoprotective agent (effective in hepatitis B too). The study conclude that all the three species can be differentiated on the basis of macro and microscopic characters, physico-chemical values, HPTLC fingerprint profile, and detection of phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin as marker components. Besides, an interesting conclusion can also be drawn that phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin said to protect hepatocytes against carbon tetrachloride and galactosamine induced toxicity, may not be exclusively responsible for hepatoprotective activity as these are present only in Phyllanthus amarus while Phyllanthus fraternus and Phyllanthus maderaspatensis also possess significant hepatoprotective activity.

Effect of cadmium on growth, ultramorphology of leaf and secondary metabolites of Phyllanthus amarus Schum. and Thonn.

The pollution is increasing in the environment by different kinds of human activities, which results in the accumulation of heavy metals including cadmium in the soil and water and it causes different types of problems to living beings. As the plants are utilized by human being as food and medicine, therefore, it is mandatory to see the effect of metals on plants. In this context, efforts have been made to observe the effect of different concentration of Cadmium (Cd) on Phyllanthus amarus Schum. and Thonn., because Cd is the widespread metal and the plants response to low and high level of exposure is a complex phenomenon. P. amarus is mostly grown as weed in agricultural and waste lands. It is a reputed plant used in Indian indigenous systems of medicine with hepatoprotective, diuretic, stomachic properties and is recently being used for the treatment of hepatitis B. The study revealed that Cd causes significant decrease in fresh and dry weight, length of root and shoot, protein, chlorophyll, carotenoids and sugar and increase in starch content. It is interesting to note that the therapeutically active compounds-phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin, enhanced at certain levels of Cd due to abiotic stress. Besides, the ultramorpholical changes were also observed in stomatal opening and wax deposition on both the surfaces of leaves.