Phytochemical profiling and anti-fibrotic activities of Plumbago indica L. and Plumbago auriculata Lam. in thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

This study aimed at investigating the chemical composition and the hepatoprotective activities of Plumbago indica L. and P. auriculata Lam. LC-MS/MS analyses for the hydroalcoholic extracts of the aerial parts of the two Plumbago species allowed the tentative identification of thirty and twenty-five compounds from P. indica and P. auriculata, respectively. The biochemical and histopathological alterations associated with thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis in rats were evaluated in vivo where rats received the two extracts at three different dose levels (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o, daily) for 15 consecutive days with induction of hepatotoxicity by TAA (200 mg/kg/day, i.p.) at 14th and 15th days. Results of the present study showed a significant restoration in liver function biomarkers viz. alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase and total bilirubin. The liver homogenates exhibited increased levels of antioxidant biomarkers: reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT), accompanied with decline in malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, treated groups exhibited a significant suppression in liver inflammatory cytokines: tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interlukin-6 (IL-6), and fibrotic biomarker: alpha smooth muscle relaxant. Histopathological examination of the liver showed normality of hepatocytes. Noteworthy, P. indica extract showed better hepatoprotective activity than P. auriculata, particularly at 200 mg/kg. To sum up, all these results indicated the hepatoprotective properties of both extracts, as well as their antifibrotic effect was evidenced by reduction in hepatic collagen deposition. However, additional experiments are required to isolate their individual secondary metabolites, assess the toxicity of the extracts and explore the involved mechanism of action.

Antiviral Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Mediated by Plumbago indica L. Extract Against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1).

INTRODUCTION: Plumbago indica L. is considered a valuable source in the Plumbaginaceae family for various types of active compound such as alkaloids, phenolics and saponins. To promote the usage of P. indica in the bionanotechnology field, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were biosynthesized by using its alcoholic extract. The inhibitory effects of ZnONPs and the plant extract were also evaluated against HSV-1. METHODS: ZnONPs were described by the following techniques, UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The phenolic and flavonoid contents of P. indica extract, which are accountable for bioreduction, formation and stabilization of the nanoparticles, were analyzed by HPLC technique. The antiviral assessment was implemented on both agents by using Vero cell lines. RESULTS: DLS revealed that the average size of ZnONPs was 32.58 ± 7.98 nm and the zeta potential was -20.8 mV. The observation of TEM analysis revealed that the particle size of ZnONPs varied from 2.56 to 8.83 nm. The XRD analysis verified the existence of pure crystals of hexagonal shapes of nanoparticles of ZnO with a main average size of 35.28 nm that is approximating to the values of particle size acquired by SEM analysis (19.64 and 23.21 nm). The HPLC analysis of P. indica ethanolic extract showed that gallic acid, chlorogenic acid and rutin were the major compounds, with concentrations equal to 8203.99, 2965.95 and 1144.99 µg/g, respectively. Regarding the antiviral assessment, the synthesized uncalcinated ZnONPs were found to exhibit a promising activity against HSV-1, with CC50 and IC50 values equal to 43.96 ± 1.39 and 23.17 ± 2.29 µg/mL, respectively. CONCLUSION: The green synthesized ZnONPs are considered promising adjuvants to enhance the efficacy of HSV-1 drugs.

Nano Zinc Oxide Green-Synthesized from Plumbago auriculata Lam. Alcoholic Extract.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized by using an alcoholic extract of the flowering aerial parts of Plumbago auriculata Lam. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) revealed that the average size of synthesized ZnO NPs was 10.58 ± 3.350 nm and the zeta potential was -19.6 mV. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the particle size was in the range from 5.08 to 6.56 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis verified the existence of pure hexagonal shaped crystals of ZnO nanoparticles with an average size of 35.34 nm in the sample, which is similar to the particle size analysis acquired by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (38.29 ± 6.88 nm). HPLC analysis of the phenolic ingredients present in the plant extract showed that gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, and catechin were found as major compounds at concentrations of 1720.26, 1600.42, and 840.20 µg/g, respectively. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of ZnO NPs and the plant extract against avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) subtype B were also investigated. This assessment revealed that the uncalcinated form of Nano-ZnO mediated by P. auriculata Lam. extract possessed a significant antiviral activity with 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) and 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of 52.48 ± 1.57 and 42.67 ± 4.08 µg/mL, respectively, while the inhibition percentage (IP) was 99% and the selectivity index (SI) was 1.23.