Protective effect of Polyalthia longifolia var.pendula leaves on ethanol and ethanol/HCl induced ulcer in rats and its antimicrobial potency

Objective:To explore antiulcer and antimicrobial properties of methanolic extract of Polyalthia longifolia var.pendula.Methods:Gastroprotective potential of Polyalthia longifolia was studied on ethanol and ethanol/HCl induced ulcers at 2 different doses(270 and 540 mg/kg/body weight). Antimicrobial efficacy of Polyalthia longifolia(25 mg/mL) was also studied against six gram positive,seven gram negative bacteria and five fungi by agar well diffusion method.Minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by agar well diffusion method in two fold serial dilution, in the range of 97-25 000μg/mL.Results:The reduction of ulcer index in Polyalthia longifolia treated animals was found to be statistically significant with respect to control animals.The Polyalthia longifolia exhibited ulcer protection activity in dose dependent manner and was also better than the standard.In antimicrobial activity,gram positive bacteria were more susceptible to Polyalthia longifolia than gram negative bacteria and fungal strains.Conclusions:Results obtained confirm the antiulcer and antimicrobial potential of the Polyalthia longifolia.

Hepatoprotective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on diclofenac sodium induced liver toxicity in rats

Objective:To evaluate the protective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers against experimentally induced liver toxicity in rats.Methods:Two different doses of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa(WFM) were evaluated for the hepatoprotective activity against diclofenac sodium induced hepatotoxicity in rats.Various biochemical parameters like alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),total protein(TP),albumin(ALB),blood urea nitrogen(BUN) from serum;total protein(TP),glutathione (GSH) levels,catalase(CAT) and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) activities from liver were studied; histopathologic changes of liver were also evaluated.Results:WFM effectively reduced the elevated levels of serum ALT,AST,ALP and BUN,enhanced the reduced TP,ALB and hepatic GSH,CAT,GPx activity.The histopathological analysis suggested that WFM decreased the degree of liver fibrosis induced by diclofenac.Conclusions:This study demonstrates the hepatoprotective activity of WFM and thus scientifically support the use of this plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disorders.

Assessment of effect of hydroalcoholic and decoction methods on extraction of antioxidants from selected Indian medicinal plants

Objective:To assess the effects of extraction methods on antioxidant activities of selected Indian medicinal flora.Methods:Different parts of plants were extracted by hydroalcoholic and decoction methods using water and various concentrations of methanol(ME) viz.75%, 50%and 25%ME.The antioxidant activity of all the different extracts was evaluated using two different antioxidant assays viz.2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl(DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and superoxide anion radical scavenging assay.Total phenol and flavonoid content was also estimated.Results:The results showed that the extracting solvent significantly altered the antioxidant property estimations of screened plants.High correlations between phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of extracts were observed.High levels of antioxidant activities were detected in Manilkara zapota(M.zapota) as compared with other screened plants. Conclusions:The results obtained appear to confirm the effect of different methods on extraction of antioxidants and antioxidant property of M.zapota.

Antimicrobial Activity of Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thw. var. Pendula Leaf Extracts Against 91 Clinically Important Pathogenic Microbial Strains

The methanol, acetone and 1,4-dioxan fractions of leaves of Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thw. were evaluated for antibacterial and antifungal activity. 91 clinically important strains were used for the study which were both clinical isolates as well as identified strains. Piperacillin and gentamicin were used as standards for antibacterial assay, while nystatin and flucanazole were used as standards for antifungal assay. The antibacterial activity was more pronounced against gram positive bacterial and fungal strains. Poor activity was shown against gram negative bacterial strains studied.

Antimicrobial Activity of <i>Terminalia catappa</i>L. Leaf Extracts against Some Clinically Important Pathogenic Microbial Strains

Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate in-vitro antimicrobial activity of methanol, acetone and N, N-dimethylformamide extracts from leaf of Terminalia catappa L. (Combretaceae). Methods: In vitro antimicrobial activity of all the extracts was done by agar disc diffusion assay. 91 clinically important strains were used for the study, which were both clinical isolates as well as identified strains. Piperacillin and gentamicin were used as standards for antibacterial assay, while nystatin and flucanazole were used as standards for antifungal assay. Antimicrobial activity was determined by measurement of inhibition zone around each paper disc. For each extract three replicate trials were conducted against each organism. Results: The antibacterial activity was more pronounced against bacteria than fungal strains. The Gram positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram negative bacteria. The methanol extract showed best antibacterial activity. T. catappa leaf extracts showed better antibacterial activity than commercially used antibiotics. Conclusion: Demonstration of antimicrobial activity of T. catappa provides the scientific basis for the use of this plant in the traditional treatment of diseases and may help to discover new chemical classes of antibiotic substances that could serve as selective agents for infectious disease chemotherapy and control. This investigation has opened up the possibility of the use of this plant in drug development for human consumption possibly for the treatment of various infections caused by microbes.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of a mangrove plant Avicennia marina(Forsk.)

Objective:To evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of different parts(leaf,stem and pneumatophore)of a mangrove plant Avicennia marina(Forsk.)Vierh(Avicenniaceae).Methods:The extraction was done by cold percolation method using solvents of hexane,ethyl acetate,acetone,methanol and water.Total phenol and flavonoid content were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent and aluminium chloride colorimetric method respectively.The antioxidant activity was evaluated using antioxidant assays of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity,superoxide radical scavenging assay,2,2’-azino-bis-(3-ethyl)benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid,ferric reducing antioxidant power and reducing capacity assessment.The antibacterial activity was done by agar well diffusion method against four Gram-positive,four Gram-negative bacteria and four fungi.Results:Different antioxidant assays showed different levels of activity in different parts and different solvent extracts.Overall,acetone extract of stem showed the best antioxidant activity.The Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria and fungi.Conclusions:The results indicated extract of Avicennia marina can be used as a promising source of natural antioxidant.