Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Activity of Rhizome of Podophyllum hexandrum against Carbon Tetra Chloride Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats

Objective To test possible antioxidant activity of n-hexane extract of Podophyllum hexandrum under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Methods The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by the ability of the extract to interact with the stable free radical DPPH, Superoxide （02）, Hydroxyl （OH）, Hydrogen peroxide （H202） radicals, and reducing power ability of the extract was also evaluated. Under in vivo conditions the extract was evaluated for its hepatoprotective activity by measuring different biochemical parameters, such as serum alanine aminotransaminase, serum aspartate aminotransaminase and serum lactate dehydrogenase and antioxidant enzymes. Antioxidant status was estimated by determining the activities of antioxidative enzymes, glutathione reductase （GR）, glutathione peroxidase （GPx）, glutathione-S-transferase （GST） and superoxide dismutase （SOD）, and by determining the levels of reduced glutathione （GSH） and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances （TBARS）. Results Hexane extract of P. hexondrum exhibited good radical scavenging capacity in neutralization of DPPH, O2-, OH, and H202 radicals in a dose dependent manner, n-hexane extract of Podophyllum hexandrum at the doses of 20, 30, and 50 mg/kg-day produced hepatoprotective effect by decreasing the activity of serum marker enzymes, while it significantly increased the levels of glutathione （GSH）, glutathione peroxidase （GPx）, glutathione reductase （GR）, super oxide dismutase （SOD）, and glutathione-S-transferase （GST） in a dose dependant manner. The effect of n-hexane extract was comparable to that of standard antioxidant vitamin E. Conclusion The extract of Podophyllum hexandrum possess free radical scavenging activity under in vitro conditions and could protect the liver tissue against CCI4 induced oxidative stress probably by increasing antioxidant defense activities.

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of a lectin isolated and purified from <i>Indigofera heterantha</i>

Indigofera heterantha commonly called indigo bush is a member of leguminoseae family found in the Himalayan region of Kashmir. A lectin has been isolated from the seeds of Indigofera heterantha by the purification procedure involving anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose followed by gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G 100. Molecular characterization of the lectin was done by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE. Activity of the lectin was checked by hemagglutination assay and the sugar specificity by sugar inhibition tests. The antimicrobial activity of the purified lectin was carried out by Agar disc diffusion using appropriate standards. On the ion exchange column, the bound protein when eluted with 0-0.5 M NaCl gradient emerged as three peaks—peak I, peak II and peak III out of which only peak II showed the hemagglutinating activity. The lectin further resolved into two peaks G1 and G2 on gel filtration, with the lectin activity residing in G1, corresponding to a molecular weight of 70 KDa. The purified lectin named as Indigofera heterantha Lectin (IHL) produced a single band on SDS PAGE (18 KDa), revealing the tetrameric nature of the lectin. It agglutinated human erythrocytes (A, B, AB, and O). Hemagglutination was inhibited by D-galactose, Dmannose and D-arabinose. The lectin is reasonably thermostable showing full activity within a temperature range of 30&degC to 90&degC. pH stability of the lectin falls in the range of 2-9. IHL demonstrated a remarkable antibacterial activity against the pathogenic bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis. IHL also inhibited the growth of phytopathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae and Fusarium oxysporum.