Development of Preventive Measures and Treatment Strategies Against Nipah Virus is a Timely Need: Bangladeshi Perspective.

Viral epidemics of variable frequency and severity have wreaked havoc and panic across the world. The Nipah virus (NiV), which has been linked to multiple outbreaks, mostly in South and Southeast Asia, is regarded as one of the deadliest in the world. In Bangladesh, seasonal outbreaks of encephalitis caused by the NiV have occurred annually since 2003. In particular, NiV has numerous characteristics that highlight its potential as a pandemic danger, such as its human-to-human transmission capability and its propensity to infect humans directly from natural reservoirs and/or from other animals. Numerous types of research investigate the pathophysiology and viral mechanisms of disease progression. The NiV and its disease have been studied thoroughly but attempts to implement preventive techniques have met cultural and social obstacles. This review highlights the NiV outbreaks, and its present status, the preventative and control measures implemented, the potential causes of the outbreaks in Bangladesh, and the precautions that must be taken by both government and nongovernment entities to contain the outbreaks and assure a future with fewer or no occurrences.

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of genus Vitex (Lamiaceae).

Vitex, the genus of the family Lamiaceae, comprises of about 230 species mostly distributed in the warm regions of Europe and temperate regions of Asia. Several Vitex species have been used as folk medicine in different countries for the treatment of various kinds of diseases and ailments. The main aim of this review is to collect and analyze the scientific information available about the Vitex species regarding their chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. The phytochemical investigation of various Vitex species has resulted in the isolation of about 556 chemical constituents belong to various chemical category viz. iridoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, lignans, sesquiterpenoids, monoterpenoids, ecdysteroids, and others. The crude extracts of different Vitex species as well as pure phytochemicals exhibited a wide spectrum of in-vitro and in-vivo pharmacological activities. In the present review, the scientific literature data on the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, and pharmacological investigations on the genus Vitex are summarized. More attention should be given in future research to evaluate the pharmacological potential with detailed mechanism of actions for the pure compounds, extracts of plants from this genus. Moreover, their clinical study is needed to justify their use in modern medicine and to further exploring this genus for new drug discovery.

Antidiabetic and hepatoprotective potential of whole plant extract and isolated compounds of Aeginetia indica.

BACKGROUND: Aeginetia indica, a perennial herb from the Orobanchaceae family, generally grows as a root parasite and is widely distributed in the forests of South and South-Asian countries. The plant has valuable uses in herbal medicine against various diseases, such as diabetes, liver diseases, and arthritis. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study was designed to investigate the antidiabetic and hepatoprotective effects of the methanol extract of the whole plant of A. indica in a mouse model followed by the isolation of bioactive compounds and their in-silico studies. METHODS: The hepatoprotective effects were evaluated in a paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity mouse model. The antidiabetic effects were examined by an oral glucose tolerance test and in an alloxan-induced diabetes mouse model. RESULTS: The plant extract, at a dose of 400 mg/kg, caused a significant reduction (p < 0.001) in liver enzyme concentrations, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase, similar to the effects of standard drug silymarin. The plant extract, at 400 mg/kg, also significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the fasting blood glucose concentration by 27.33 % after 3 h, compared with a reduction of 45.31 % in response to glibenclamide. In the alloxan-induced diabetes model mice, significant reductions (p < 0.05) in elevated glucose concentrations were observed on days 10 and 20 in mice treated with plant extract and glibenclamide. Chromatographic analyses and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies identified the presence of ß-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and oleic acid in the extract. The possible mechanism underlying the antidiabetic effects was revealed by molecular docking analyses examining the binding of ß-sitosterol and stigmasterol with sirtuin 4, an NAD-dependent deacylase enzyme that downregulates leucine-induced and glutamate dehydrogenase-induced insulin secretion. The binding affinities between sirtuin 4 and ß-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and NAD were found to be -8.6 kcal/mol, -7.2 kcal/mol and -9.5 kcal/mol, respectively, indicating the probable competition between NAD and the isolated components for sirtuin 4. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that A. indica exerted protective effects against alloxan-induced diabetes and paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in mice, which supports the findings regarding the use of A. indica during traditional medical practice.

Improvement of Pharmaceutical Properties of Zerumbone, a Multifunctional Compound, Using Cyclodextrin Derivatives.

Zerumbone is a multifunctional compound which shows various biological activities, such as antitumor activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antiulcer activity, etc. However, to use Zerumbone as functional foods or medicines, its pharmaceutical properties such as solubility should be improved. In the present study, we prepared its inclusion complexes with various cyclodextrin (CyD) derivatives, and evaluated their solubility, release profile of the drug and cytotoxic activity. Among 11 CyDs, sulfobutylether (SBE)-ß-CyD showed the highest solubilizing effect for Zerumbone. Phase solubility diagrams of SBE-ß-CyD/Zerumbone in 10% methanol solution showed AL type, and the stability constant was 756 M-1. SBE-ß-CyD also formed the solid complex with Zerumbone by kneading for 90 min. Importantly, the dissolution rate of Zerumbone was improved by complexation with SBE-ß- and hydroxypropyl (HP)-ß-CyDs, and its supersaturation was maintained for several hours. The solubilizing effects by SBE-ß-CyD was greater than that of HP-ß-CyD. Moreover, SBE-ß-CyD/Zerumbone complex also retained the cytotoxic activity of Zerumbone. These results suggest that CyDs, especially SBE-ß-CyD, were useful to improve the solubility of Zerumbone.

Fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz.: A review on traditional uses, bioactive chemical constituents and pharmacological activities.

Fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae) are widely used as crude drugs in various traditional medicine systems. The aim of this article is to review the available scientific information regarding the traditional uses, bioactive chemical constituents and the pharmacological activities of T. chebula. Numerous researches conducted on T. chebula have confirmed the presence of wide range of the phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids and other bioactive compounds. T. chebula is also widely studied regarding its pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory activities among others. However, more in vivo and clinical studies for mechanism-based pharmacological evaluation should be conducted in future to provide stronger scientific evidences for their traditional uses.

Assessment of pharmacological activities of two medicinal plant of Bangladesh: Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia roxb in the management of pain, pyrexia and inflammation.

BACKGROUND: The current study aims at evaluating the analgesic, anti-pyretic and anti-inflammatory properties of methanolic extract of the stem, bark and leaves of Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia roxb. RESULTS: The AELS and AEAR extract presented a significant (***p < 0.001) dose dependent increase in reaction time in writhing method and showed inhibition of 63.1% and 57.1% respectively at the doses of 400 mg/kg body weight while standard drug showed (P < 0.001) inhibition of 69.23%. In tail immersion method, AELS and AEAR showed maximum time of tail retention at 30 min in hot water i.e. 6.93 sec and 6.54 sec respectively at highest doses of 400 mg/kg body weight than lower dose while standard pentazocine showed reaction time of 7.62 sec. The AELS and AEAR extract also exhibited promising anti-inflammatory effect as demonstrated by statistically significant inhibition of paw volume by 32.48% and 26.75% respectively at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight while the value at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight were linear to higher dose at the 3rd hour of study. On the other hand, Standard indomethacin inhibited 40.13% of inflammation (***P < 0.001). In Cotton-pellet granuloma method, AELS and AEAR extract at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight exhibited inhibition of inflammation of 34.7% and 29.1% respectively while standard drug showed (P < 0.001) inhibition of 63.22%. Intraperitoneal administration of AELS and AEAR showed dose dependent decrease in body temperature in brewer's yeast induced hyperthermia in rats at both doses. However, AELS significantly decreased body temperature (***p < 0.001) at 400 mg/kg compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: Present work propose that the methanolic extract of Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia roxb possesses dose dependent pharmacological action which supports its therapeutic use in folk medicine possibly mediated through the inhibition or blocking of release of prostaglandin and/or actions of vasoactive substances such as histamine, serotonin and kinins.

In vivo antipyretic, antiemetic, in vitro membrane stabilization, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of different extracts from Spilanthes paniculata leaves.

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity, cytotoxic, and membrane stabilization activities, and in vivo antiemetic and antipyretic potentials of ethanolic extract, n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions of Spilanthes paniculata leaves for the first time widely used in the traditional treatments in Bangladesh. RESULTS: In antipyretic activity assay, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) was observed in the temperature in the mice tested. At dose 400 mg/kg-body weight, the n-hexane soluble fraction showed the effect (36.7 ± 0.63°C ) as like as the standard (dose 150 mg/kg-body weight) after 5 h of administration. Extracts showed significant (P < 0.001) potential when tested for the antiemetic activity compared to the standard, metoclopramide. At dose 50 mg/kg-body weight, the standard showed 67.23% inhibition, whereas n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions showed 37.53% and 24.93% inhibition of emesis respectively at dose 400 mg/kg-body weight. In antimicrobial activity assay, the n-hexane soluble fraction (400 µg/disc) showed salient activity against the tested organisms. It exerts highest activity against Salmonella typhi (16.9 mm zone of inhibition); besides, crude, and ethyl acetate extracts showed resistance to Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis, and Vibrio cholera respectively. All the extracts were tested for lysis of the erythrocytes. At the concentration of 1mg/ml, ethanol extract, and n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions significantly inhibited hypotonic solution induced lysis of the human red blood cell (HRBC) (27.406 ± 3.57, 46.034 ± 3.251, and 30.72 ± 5.679% respectively); where standard drug acetylsalicylic acid (concentration 0.1 mg/ml) showed 77.276 ± 0.321% inhibition. In case of heat induced HRBC hemolysis, the plant extracts also showed significant activity (34.21 ± 4.72, 21.81 ± 3.08, and 27.62 ± 8.79% inhibition respectively). In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the n-hexane fraction showed potent (LC50 value 48.978 µg/ml) activity, whereas ethyl acetate fraction showed mild (LC50 value 216.77 µg/ml) cytotoxic activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the n-hexane extract has better effects than the other in all trials. In the context, it can be said that the leaves of S. paniculata possess remarkable pharmacological effects, and justify its folkloric use as antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and antiemetic agent. Therefore, further research may be suggested to find possible mode of action of the plant part.

Assessment of pharmacological activities of two medicinal plant of Bangladesh: Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia roxb in the management of pain, pyrexia and inflammation

BACKGROUND: The current study aims at evaluating the analgesic, anti-pyretic and anti-inflammatory properties of methanolic extract of the stem, bark and leaves of Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia roxb. RESULTS: The AELS and AEAR extract presented a significant (***p < 0.001) dose dependent increase in reaction time in writhing method and showed inhibition of 63.1% and 57.1% respectively at the doses of 400 mg/kg body weight while standard drug showed (P < 0.001) inhibition of 69.23%. In tail immersion method, AELS and AEAR showed maximum time of tail retention at 30 min in hot water i.e. 6.93 sec and 6.54 sec respectively at highest doses of 400 mg/kg body weight than lower dose while standard pentazocine showed reaction time of 7.62 sec. The AELS and AEAR extract also exhibited promising anti-inflammatory effect as demonstrated by statistically significant inhibition of paw volume by 32.48% and 26.75% respectively at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight while the value at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight were linear to higher dose at the 3rd hour of study. On the other hand, Standard indomethacin inhibited 40.13% of inflammation (***P < 0.001). In Cotton-pellet granuloma method, AELS and AEAR extract at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight exhibited inhibition of inflammation of 34.7% and 29.1% respectively while standard drug showed (P < 0.001) inhibition of 63.22%. Intraperitoneal administration of AELS and AEAR showed dose dependent decrease in body temperature in brewer's yeast induced hyperthermia in rats at both doses. However, AELS significantly decreased body temperature (***p < 0.001) at 400 mg/kg compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: Present work propose that the methanolic extract of Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia roxb possesses dose dependent pharmacological action which supports its therapeutic use in folk medicine possibly mediated through the inhibition or blocking of release of prostaglandin and/or actions of vasoactive substances such as histamine, serotonin and kinins.

In vivo antipyretic, antiemetic, in vitro membrane stabilization, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of different extracts from Spilanthes paniculata leaves

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity, cytotoxic, and membrane stabilization activities, and in vivo antiemetic and antipyretic potentials of ethanolic extract, n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions of Spilanthes paniculata leaves for the first time widely used in the traditional treatments in Bangladesh. RESULTS: In antipyretic activity assay, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) was observed in the temperature in the mice tested. At dose 400 mg/kg-body weight, the n-hexane soluble fraction showed the effect (36.7 ± 0.63°C ) as like as the standard (dose 150 mg/kg-body weight) after 5 h of administration. Extracts showed significant (P < 0.001) potential when tested for the antiemetic activity compared to the standard, metoclopramide. At dose 50 mg/kg-body weight, the standard showed 67.23% inhibition, whereas n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions showed 37.53% and 24.93% inhibition of emesis respectively at dose 400 mg/kg-body weight. In antimicrobial activity assay, the n-hexane soluble fraction (400 µg/disc) showed salient activity against the tested organisms. It exerts highest activity against Salmonella typhi (16.9 mm zone of inhibition); besides, crude, and ethyl acetate extracts showed resistance to Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis, and Vibrio cholera respectively. All the extracts were tested for lysis of the erythrocytes. At the concentration of 1mg/ml, ethanol extract, and n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble fractions significantly inhibited hypotonic solution induced lysis of the human red blood cell (HRBC) (27.406 ± 3.57, 46.034 ± 3.251, and 30.72 ± 5.679% respectively); where standard drug acetylsalicylic acid (concentration 0.1 mg/ml) showed 77.276 ± 0.321% inhibition. In case of heat induced HRBC hemolysis, the plant extracts also showed significant activity (34.21 ± 4.72, 21.81 ± 3.08, and 27.62 ± 8.79% inhibition respectively). In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the n-hexane fraction showed potent (LC50 value 48.978 µg/ml) activity, whereas ethyl acetate fraction showed mild (LC50 value 216.77 µg/ml) cytotoxic activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the n-hexane extract has better effects than the other in all trials. In the context, it can be said that the leaves of S. paniculata possess remarkable pharmacological effects, and justify its folkloric use as antimicrobial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and antiemetic agent. Therefore, further research may be suggested to find possible mode of action of the plant part.