Quantitative analysis of catechins in Saraca asoca and correlation with antimicrobial activity

Herbal medicines are highly complex and have unknown mechanisms in diseases treatment. Saraca asoca （Roxb.）, De. Wild has been recommended to treat gynecological disorders and used in several commercial polyherbal formulations. In present study, efforts have been made to explore antimicrobial activity and its co-relation with the distributions of catechins in the organs of S. asoca using targeted MS/MS. Eight extracts （cold and hot water） from four different organs of S. asoca and two drugs were prepared and antimicrobial activity was assessed by microbroth dilution assay. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of catechins in crude extracts was done by using targeted and auto-MS/MS and correlated with antimicrobial activity. （＋）-Catechin and （＋）- epicatechin and their biosynthesis related compound were found to be up-regulated in regenerated bark and leaves extracts. （-）-Epigallocatechin was found to be significantly higher in bark water extract as compared to others but showed low antimicrobial activity. Result showed down- regulation of （-）-epigallocatechin and up-regulation of （＋）-catechin and （＋）-epicatechin in the regenerated bark and leaves of S. asoca. It might be the contributing factor in the antimicrobial activity of regenerated bark and leaves of the plant. The concentration of （＋）-epicatechin in processed drugs （Ashokarishta） from Baidyanath was found to be seven times higher than that of Dabur Pvt. Ltd., but no antimicrobial activity was observed, indicating the variations among the plant based drugs. This will be helpful in rational use of S. asoca parts. Furthermore, the analyticalmethod developed is sensitive, repeatable and reliable; therefore, it is suitable for quality control of herbal drugs.

Alteration in the expression of microRNA-21 regulated target genes:Role in breast cancer

Breast cancer,also recognized as the principal cause of cancer-related deaths among women,is the second most familiar and prevalent form of cancer.New diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that are highly specific are urgently needed for its early prognosis.MicroRNAs(miRNAs),a class of non-coding RNAs,are known to control the biological processes involving transcription,post-transcriptional and covalent modifications,splicing,translation,cell differentiation,proliferation,apoptosis,cancer progression,and invasion.Any dysregulation in miRNA expression,demonstrating their oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions,contributes to cancer progression.MicroRNA-21(miR-21),an‘onco-miR’in breast cancer,is involved in tumor progression and metastasis by suppressing the activity of the target gene via its interaction with the 3’UTR of the target gene.The upregulation of miR-21 is observed in many instances of breast cancer.Our review aims to summarize the current understanding of miR-21 in the regulation of important cellular functions via regulation of its target genes.We discuss its biosynthesis,oncogenic function in breast cancer,and different methods used for its detection.This will increase the current understanding of the role of miR-21 in breast cancer tumorigenesis,which will offer a perception of using miR-21 as an early detection molecular prognostic and diagnostic biomarker and as a therapeutic target in breast cancer care.