Phytochemical screening and in vitro bioactivities of the extracts of aerial part of Boerhavia diffusa Linn.

Objective:To investigate the bioactivities of crude n-hexane,ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of aerial part of Boerhavia diffusa Linn.(B.diffusa) and its phytochemical analysis.Methods: the identification of phyloconstituents and assay of antioxidant,thrombolytic,cytotoxic, antimicrobial activities were conducted using specific standard in vitro procedures.Results:The results showed that the plant extracts were a rich source of phytoconstituents.Methanol extract showed higher antioxidant,thrombolytic activity and less cytotoxic activity than those of n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of A diffusa.Among the bioactivities,antioxidant activity was the most notable compared to the positive control and thus could be a potential rich source of natural antioxidant.In case of antimicrobial screening,crude extracts of the plant showed remarkable antibacterial activity against tested microorganisms.All the extracts showed significant inhibitory activity against Candida albicuns,at a concentration of 1000 μg/disc.Conclusions:The present findings suggest that,the plant widely available in Bangladesh,could be a prominent source of medicinally important natural compounds.

Leaves Aqueous Extract of <i>Boerhavia coccinea</i>Induces Antinociceptive Effect but Increases Nitric Oxide Production in Macrophages

Pain treatment is one of the most challenging situations of the modern medicine. To overcome the actual limitations, new strategies should be developed and phytotherapy represents a promising alternative. Boerhavia coccinea is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of pain. The present work was undertaken to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of crude aqueous extract of the leaves of Boerhavia coccinea (AE) on acute pain and examine its mechanism of action. The analgesic effect of AE was evaluated at doses 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg using the formalin-induced nociception in mice. The specific analgesic effect of AE was verified by testing its effect of AE on the sleep induced by diazepam. The anti-inflammatory effects of AE were also tested in vivo (100 and 200 mg/kg) on CFA-induced inflammation and in vitro (1 to 300 μg/ml) on the production of NO by non-activated or activated (LPS, 1 μg/l) macrophages. The effect of AE in non-stimulated macrophages was evaluated in absence and in presence of L-NAME (100 μg/ml) or dexathetasone (30 μg/ml). AE administered orally significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited both neurogenic and inflammatory phases of the formalin pain with a maximum inhibition percentage of 81% at the 1st phase and 90% at the 2nd phase, but did not show any anti-inflammatory effect. AE at 50 mg/kg increased the latency to sleep and reduced sleep duration. AE drastically (p < 0.001) increased the NO production by non-activated or activated macrophages by up to 5654%. L-NAME and dexamethasone potentiated the activation effect of AE on NO production. In conclusion, AE possess potent antinociceptive effect that is not related to any anti-inflammatory activity. Instead, this extract increases the nitric oxide production by an unknown mechanism.

DNA Barcode ITS Effectively Distinguishes the Medicinal Plant Boerhavia diffusa from Its Adulterants

Boerhavia diffusa （B. diffusa）, also known as Punarnava, is an indigenous plant in India and an important component in traditional Indian medicine. The accurate identification and collection of this medicinal herb is vital to enhance the drug＇s efficacy and biosafety. In this study, a DNA barcoding technique has been applied to identify and distinguish B. diffusa from its closely-related species. The phylogenetic analysis was carried out for the four species of Boerhavia using barcode candidates including nuclear ribosomal DNA regions ITS, ITS1, ITS2 and the chloroplast plastid gene psbA-trnH. Sequence alignment revealed 26% polymorphic sites in ITS, 30% in ITS1, 16% in ITS2 and 6% in psbA-trnH, respectively. Additionally, a phylogenetic tree was constructed for 15 species using ITS sequences which clearly distinguished B. diffusa from the other species. The ITS1 demonstrates a higher transition/transversion ratio, percentage of variation and pairwise distance which differentiate B. diffusa from other species of Boerhavia. Our study revealed that 1TS and ITS1 could be used as potential candidate regions for identifying B. diffusa and for authenticating its herbal products.

海南植物增补

刺花莲子草(Alternanthera pungens H.B.K)原产南美.西沙黄细心(Boerhaviaerecta linn.)分布于太平洋岛屿,我国仅报导西沙有分布.陌上菜(Lindernia procumbens(Krock.)Philcox)分布于我国大陆各省区,最近在海南省农田及橡胶园中发现.刺花莲子草和陌上菜都是农田杂草,它们在海南的出现,是一种值得重视的现象.

A novel polyherbal formulation containing thymoquinone attenuates carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatorenal injury in a rat model

Objective:To evaluate a novel polyherbal formulation(BSVT)containing the standardized extracts from the leaves of Boerhavia diffusa,Solidago virgaurea,Vitex negundo,and thymoquinone in CCl4 induced hepatorenal toxicity in rats.Methods:A total of 36 rats were divided into six groups including normal control,CCl4(2 mL/kg,i.p.),CCl4(2 mL/kg,i.p.)+Cystone?(750 mg/kg p.o.),CCl4(2 mL/kg,i.p.)+BSVT(25 mg/kg,p.o.),CCl4(2 mL/kg,i.p.)+BSVT(50 mg/kg,p.o.),and CCl4(2 mL/kg,i.p.)+BSVT(100 mg/kg,p.o.).All treatments were given for four weeks.Serum levels of aspartate transaminase,alanine transaminase,alkaline phosphatase,cholesterol,total protein,serum urea,blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were assessed.Superoxide dismutase,malondialdehyde,and glutathione peroxidase were evaluated in tissue homogenate.The histopathological study of liver and kidney tissues was also done.Results:Aspartate transaminase,alanine transaminase,alkaline phosphatase,cholesterol,serum urea,blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were significantly elevated(P<0.001)while total protein was considerably reduced in the CCl4 group as compared to the normal control(P<0.001),which indicated hepatorenal toxicity.In addition,superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were significantly decreased(P<0.001)while malondialdehyde levels were increased markedly(P<0.001).Treatment with BSVT formulation recovered these parameters towards a normal level in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusions:BSVT formulation ameliorates the hepatorenal toxicity in a dose-dependent manner.Furthermore,clinical studies are required to confirm its efficacy.