Evaluation of quantitative variation of secondary metabolites in Bergenia ciliata(Haw.)using high performance thin layer chromatography

Dear Editor： Therapeutically active metabolite contents in a med- icinal plant vary in nature, which may impact on its therapeutic efficacy. Bergenia （Saxifragaceae） is an evergreen perennial herb widely distributed in Central and East Asia with about 30 species reported worldwide. It grows at a range of altitudes from the Khasia hills at 400 feet to the temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan at 7,000-10,000 feet. Its distribution over a wide range of altitudinal zones makes it a good candidate for studying variations in its metabolic profiles under different climatic conditions. Bergenin （C-glycoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid） has been identified as a potent active secondary metabolite in Bergenia and other therapeutically active constituents including, among others, gallic acid （3,4,5 trihydroxybenzoic acid）, （＋） catechin, and gallicin （Fig. 1）.

Pharmacognostic Evaluation and Antioxidant Activity of <i>Urtica dioica</i>L.

Background: Urtica dioica L. is a common Himalayan species which produces allergenic substances causing oedema and inflammation in humans. It has become a source of folk medicine for the treatment of many diseases. The leaves and roots both are used internally as a blood purifier and diuretic and an infusion of the plant is used for nasal and menstrual haemorrhage, diabetes, rheumatism, eczema, anaemia, hair loss, as an expectorant and antidiarrhoeal. Present study includes pharmacognostic evaluation, antioxidant activity and HPTLC analysis of Urtica dioica L. Methods: Pharmacognostic evaluation of aerial part of U. dioica has been performed as per Indian pharmacopoeia. In-vitro antioxidant evaluation of U. dioica has been performed using DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Ferulic acid, a potential phenolic antioxidant present in this species, has been studied through HPTLC. Results: U. dioica hydro-alcoholic extract shows positive results for antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 88.33 ± 2.88 μg/ml. Standard ascorbic acid showed IC50 value of 2.8 ± 0.62 μg/ml. Ferulic acid was identified at Rf 0.61 ± 0.01 and quantified to 0.73% in this species through CAMAG HPTLC analysis. Conclusion: The pharmacognostical parameters reported can be considered as quality standards of U. dioica in herbal industry. Hydro-alcoholic extract of U. dioica showed positive in vitro antioxidant activity. Presence of phenolic compound suggests that antioxidant activity may be due to ferulic acid content.

Hematological, antioxidant and protective performance of Usnea longissima on chemical induced hepatotoxicity in experimental animals

Objective: To investigated the hematological, antioxidant and protective performance of Usnea longissima (U. longissima) on CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in experimental animals. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by CCl4 (1 mL/kg body weigt 1:1 CCl4 i.p.), ethanolic U. longissima extracts at a doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weigt) were administered to and compared with Silymarin (25 mg/kg body weigt) and hematological, antioxidant and enzymatic, non-enzymatic parameters were assessed through the liver functions test. All the observation was also supplemented with histopathological examination of liver sections. Results: Phytochemical investigation showed that ethanolic extract contains poly phenolic compounds tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins and acute toxicity study shows that ethanolic extract was safe up to 2000 mg/kg body weight. The toxicant induced a rise in the plasma enzyme levels of ALT, AST, ALP and total bilirubin level. This increased level was significantly decreased by the extract at 400 mg/kg body weight than 200 mg/kg body weight. The animals were prevented (partly or fully) which was showed in the histopathological changes using ethonolic U. longissima extract. Conclusions: The outcome of this study reveals that, there is a powerful antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of U. longissima. It is believed that the present constituents are responsible for courting the hepatic disease and alternative components have the power to act as free radical scavenging properties.