Contamination of aflatoxins as threat to the safety of herbal Unani drugs: an overview

Unani medicine is an oldest system of traditional medicine,where drugs of animal,mineral and herbal origin are used for centuries to cure diseases.Unani remedies are now available not only in drug stores,but also in food stores and super markets.Therefore the efficacy and safety of these drugs is very crucial.One of the most serious risks associated with these remedies is,consumer assumes that they are natural,so they are safe.But biological contamination(bacterial,fungal and insect)of herbal medicines is a serious concern.The Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus are the fungal species that occur naturally,release aflatoxins and is a threat to the natural drugs.The World Health Organization has recommended determination of aflatoxins in natural drugs(Unani)as one of the parameter of their safety studies as Aflatoxin contamination is concerned significantly with health and economic loss affecting humans,animals,and agriculture.Aflatoxin B1 is categorized as a group 1 carcinogen by The International Agency for Research on Cancer that causes a variety of health issues.Thus keeping in mind the deleterious health effects of aflatoxins,here,in this review we have made an attempt to summarize the aflatoxins with respect to their origin,occurrence,structure and properties to generate the awareness among the people dealing mainly with Unani herbal drugs.Besides these their toxicity and effects on health have also been discussed.The analytical methods for their determination and some measures to prevent their contamination are also suggested to improve the efficacy and safety of Unani herbal drugs.

HPTLC-MS: an advance approach in herbal drugs using fingerprint spectra and mass spectroscopy

High-performance thin-layer chromatography-mass spectrometry(HPTLC-MS)is one of the most modern hyphenated analytical methods available today.HPTLC-MS has recently been used to perform extensive analytical work using advanced features and still more analyses are in progress using these advanced features.Herbal medicines contain a wide range of bioactives that require proper identification for the activity and quality control.Recently,herbal medicine identification and quality control have become increasingly popular using high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry.The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of recent method developments in analysis,15 most significant herbal drug applications with their chromatographic conditions,pharmacological actions,and solvents used in the present paper.An extensive literature search was performed incorporating several databases,notably,Web of Knowledge,PubMed and Google Scholar,and other relevant published materials.In previous research,HPTLC and its hyphenation with MS allowed for quantification of analytes in complex matrixes at nanogram and picogram concentrations.Quantifying a wide variety of analytes using these techniques has been extremely accurate,selective,and sensitive.Throughout this review,the HPTLC-MS technique is discussed in relation to the quality control of herbal drugs.Hence,15 herbal drugs were identified based on their RF values and m/z ratio by mass spectrometry by HPTLC-MS for the first time.In this compilation,researchers can gain insights into HPTLC-MS techniques for resolving quality control issues with herbal drugs using their fingerprint spectra.Besides,the application of HPTLC-MS methods could to be sufficiently precise and reproducible for established conditions and after validation may be used for routine quality control of herbal drugs/formulations in herbal industries.

Drug induced autoimmune hepatitis:An unfortunate case of herbal toxicity from Skullcap supplement:A case report

BACKGROUND The surge in traditional herbal dietary supplement(HDS)popularity has led to increased drug-induced liver injuries(DILI).Despite lacking evidence of efficacy and being prohibited from making medical claims,their acceptance has risen over sevenfold in the last two decades,with roughly 25%of United States(US)adults using these supplements monthly.An estimated 23000 emergency room visits annually in the US are linked to HDS side effects.NIH-funded research suggests HDS contribute to 7-20%of DILI cases,with similar trends in Europe—Spain reporting 2%and Iceland up to 16%.Patients with acute liver failure from HDS undergo liver transplantation more frequently than those from prescription medicines.Here we describe a case of drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis due to Skullcap supplements,this association appears to be the first documented instance in literature.CASE SUMMARY A middle-aged Caucasian woman,previously healthy,presented with sudden jaundice.Four months earlier,her liver enzymes were normal.She mentioned recent use of Skullcap mushroom supplements.Tests for chronic liver disease were negative.The first liver biopsy indicated severe resolving drug-induced liver injury.Despite treatment,she was readmitted due to worsening jaundice.Followup tests raised concerns about autoimmune hepatitis.A subsequent biopsy confirmed this diagnosis.The patient responded as expected to stopping the medication with improvement in liver enzymes.CONCLUSION This scenario highlights an uncommon instance of DILI caused by Skullcap supplements.It's crucial for hepatologists to recognize this connection due to the increasing prevalence of herbal supplements.

Treatment of Functional Retrograde Ejaculation with Acupuncture and TCM Herbal Drugs

Acupuncture at the Taichong (LR 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Ciliao (BL 32) points combined with TCM drugs for soothing the liver, replenishing the kidney, freeing the seminal passage, and eliminating the stasis showed effective for functional retrograde ejaculation in 25 cases. The total effective rate of 68.0% was significantly better than imipramine used in the control group (P<0.05).

The potential of Chinese herbal medicines in treating anxiety disorders

In recent years,there has not been much progress in developing anxiolytic drugs.Amongst the barriers are the lack of clarity on the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders,low product conversion rates for developing drugs targeting the receptors,and species variability.Some scientists have focused on natural medicines,especially herbal medicines in traditional Chinese medicine.New drugs with excellent anxiolytic activity are hoped to be found in herbal medicines with anxiolytic effects.This mini-review summarised three Chinese herbal medicines with anxiolytic effects and anxiolytic herbal formulas used in the traditional Chinese medicine clinic.Several key issues that block the development of new anxiolytic drugs are also discussed.We hope to provide some ideas for researching and developing new anxiolytic drugs and studying anxiolytic components in traditional Chinese medicine.

A Critical Review on Traditional Herbal Drugs: An Emerging Alternative Drug for Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease reaching an epidemic proportion in many parts of the world. By the year 2025 it is expected that 333 million people of the world will have diabetes as their main ailment. As today, India assumes the position of the diabetic capital of the world with the highest percentage of its population suffering from diabetes. It is pathetic to mention that in proportion to its people suffering from diabetes, this country has very weak spending power for treatment because of wide spread poverty. Therefore, this review is aimed at opening up new vistas in realizing the therapeutic potential of Ayurveda in treatment of diabetes and other chronic diseases. All drugs which we have discussed in this review have a significant role in therapy of diabetes mellitus.

PROGRESS IN THE TREATMENT OF NERVE-ROOT-TYPE CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS WITH CHINESE HERBAL DRUGS

With the highest morbidity rate, cervicalspondylosis of the nerve root type is mostcommon among various other types. It is fromthis type of cervical spondylosis that peoplebegan to know the disease. In recent years,conservative treatment for this type of cervicalspondylosis has been adopted by modernmedicine for most patients, while surgicaltreatment has also been used for a smallnumber of patients who were

Treatment of Neurofibromatosis with Chinese Herbal Drugs

Neurofibromatosis is a dominantly inheriteddefect of the ectoderm,characterized by cafe au laitspots since the childhood and multiple tumorsderived from elements of peripheral and cranialnerves.Hernia-like tumors of various sizes can oftenbe felt under the skin and serve as a valuablecharacteristic in making diagnosis.However,theycan also affect brain,vegetative nerve system or othertissues and lead to bony abnormalities,mentaldisturbances and sometimes,endocrine abnormalities,

Efficacy and safety of oral Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs against recurrent genital herpes:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:To compare the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs and nucleoside antiviral drugs alone in treating recurrent genital herpes.Methods:PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,China National Knowledge Internet,VIP Database,and Wanfang Data were searched from inception to April 2021.Randomized controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of oral Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs for recurrent genital herpes were collected.All included trials were independently assessed by two reviewers with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool,and a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4.Results:Compared with the use of nucleoside antiviral drugs alone,combination therapy with oral Chinese herbal medicine plus nucleoside antiviral drugs effectively reduced the herpes recurrence rate after the end of treatment(3 months:P=0.0002;6 months:P<0.00001;1 year:P<0.00001)and the number of recurrences each year(P<0.00001),improved the recurrent Genital Herpes Quality of Life Questionnaire score(P<0.00001),and regulated the levels of interferon-γ,interleukin-2,tumor necrosis factor-α,and T lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood,and the difference was statistically significant.Different subgroups reported mixed results with respect to the efficacy in the short term.The incidence of adverse reactions and the time of symptom disappearance between the two groups were not significantly different.Conclusion:Chinese herbal medicine combined with nucleoside antiviral drugs can effectively reduce the recurrence rate of recurrent genital herpes,improve the patient’s quality of life and enhance the body’s immunity.Considering the possible risk of publication bias,more high-quality randomized controlled trials are still needed to verify the conclusions of this article.

<i>In-Vitro</i>Inhibitory Effect of Methanol Extracts of Chinese Herbal Drugs on Supercoiling Activity of Bacterial DNA Gyrase

A large number of Chinese herbal drugs (CHDs) exhibit antibacterial activities both in vivo and in vitro, but until now little is known regarding their inhibitory mechanisms. Bacterial DNA gyrase is a proven target for antibacterial agents. Aim of this study was to investigate the in-vitro inhibitory effect of methanol extracts of CHDs against supercoiling activity of bacterial DNA gyrase. Fifteen CHDs were selected and extracted with methanol, respectively. Inhibitory effect of the extracts on DNA gyrase was tested using gel-based DNA supercoiling assay. Among fifteen CHDs tested, methanol extracts of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (S2), Taraxaci Herba (S7), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle (S8) demonstrated an obvious inhibitory effect against supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase, and the others were either less active or could not be determined with the present method. Moreover, it was likely that S7 and S8 inhibit gyrase in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, DNA supercoiling assay is a promising method to study the inhibitory activity of CHDs on bacterial DNA gyrase. Some CHDs do have gyrase-inhibitory activity as proposed. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the inhibition mechanism of these CHDs on supercoiling activity of gyrase.

TREATMENT OF 50 CASES OF SENILE DEMENTIA BY ACUPUNCTURE COMBINED WITH INHALATION OF HERBAL DRUGS AND OXYGEN

Clinical DataCase selection: 100 cases who met thediagnostic criteria of senile dementiaformulated by American Association ofPsychiatry in Handbook of Diagnosis andStatistics (DSM-Ⅲ-R, 3rd revised edition)

PROGRESS OF RESEARCH IN THE PREPARATION OF CHINESE TRADITIONAL AND HERBAL DRUGS WITH ANTICANCER ACTIVITY

Research into anticancer substances madefrom Chinese herbal drugs and their clinicalapplication is gaining international attention bythe medical profession of the more than 20analogues of camptothecine isolated from Camp-totheca tree in China, most exhibited anticanceractivity. Among them, 10-hydroxycamptothe-cine has a wide anticancer spectrum and is lesstoxic. In suspension, it exhibits some therapeu-tic effects on primary hepatic cancer, gastriccarcinoma, cancer of the urinary bladder andleukemia.

QUALITY CONTROL FOR CHINESE HERBAL DRUGS USING DNA PROBE TECHNOLOGY

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Phytoconstituents Profiling of Indigenous Herbal Drugs and Its in vitro Microbial,in Silico Biological Examination against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2

Background:Habb-E-Shifa,Hamdard Sualin,and Hamdard Joshanda traditional herbal medicines may promote host resistance against infection by bacteria,viruses,and fungi which are easily accessible at inexpensive with no complexity.These herbal medicines are used to cure sore throat,cough,fever,lung cancer,and asthma patients in developing South Asian countries.These traditional herbal medicines acted a crucial role in the prevention and control of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Aims and Objectives:This research article aimed at conducting phytochemistry,antimicrobial activity,COVID-19 docking and some spectroscopic(Infrared,Ultraviolet,13C-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(13C-NMR),1H-NMR,and Mass Spectra)characterizations of the polyherbal drugs were carried out.Additionally,In-vitro and In-silico analyses were performed to measure activity against COVID-19.High Performance-Liquid Chromatography(HPLC),Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry(GC-MS),antimicrobial,and docking studies were carried out.The preliminary phytochemical assay and bioactive compounds were screened using HPLC and GC-MS.The study is an attempt to assess the promising effects of selected polyherbal indigenous drugs such as Habb-E-Shifa,Hamdard Sualin,and Hamdard Joshanda phytoconstituents against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-Co V-2).Materials and Methods:The extract of the selected polyherbal formulations showed high-to-moderate preventive effects on the growth inhibition in the pathogenic bacterium,namely Streptococcus oralis,Staphylococcus aureus,Propionibacterium acnes,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Escherichia coli,and Proteus vulgaris,and three fungal Candida albicans,Aspergillus fumigatus,and Aspergillus niger.Further docking study evaluates the pharmacological activity of bioactive chemical compounds with SARS-Co V-2 NSP5(PDB ID:7nxh)and SARS-Co V-2 Omicron spike protein with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE-2)(PDB ID:7wk6).Results:In this study,for the first time,we attempted to examine some spectroscopic characterization of selected herbals.The total phenol content(1.66,1.55,and 1.13 mg/m L)and total flavonoid content(4.92,0.49,and 0.50 mg/m L)were present in the extracted samples of Habb-E-Shifa(H),Hamdard Joshanda(J),and Hamdard Sualin(S).Studies on COVID-19 docking infer the affinity of the herb's chemical components toward COVID-19 protease and ACE-2 receptor by establishing excellent binding capacity in complex formation.The results confirmed that polyherbal drugs harbor biological activities and thereby highlight that these extracts can serve as a remedy for antimicrobial and COVID-19.Conclusions:The research article confirms the remarkable potential in exhibiting antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive,Gram-negative bacteria and fungi.These herbal medicines such as Habb-E-Shifa(H),Hamdard Joshanda(J),and Hamdard Sualin(S)showed a vital role against SARS-Co V-2 Omicron spike protein with human ACE2(7wk6)and amino acids of SARS-Co V-2 NSP5(7nxh).Our study provides obvious evidence supporting dietary therapy and herbal medicine as potentially effective against SARS-CoV-2.Based on present studies,these herbal products can be introduced as preventive and therapeutic agents fight against coronavirus.

Chemometrics:A new scenario in herbal drug standardization

Chromatography and spectroscopy techniques are the most commonly used methods in standardization of herbal medicines but the herbal system is not easy to analyze because of their complexity of chemical composition. Many cutting-edge analytical technologies have been introduced to evaluate the quality of medicinal plants and significant amount of measurement data has been produced. Chemometric techniques provide a good opportunity for mining more useful chemical information from the original data. Then, the application of chemometrics in the field of medicinal plants is spontaneous and necessary. Comprehensive methods and hyphenated techniques associated with chemometrics used for extracting useful information and supplying various methods of data processing are now more and more widely used in medicinal plants, among which chemometrics resolution methods and principal component analysis （PCA） are most commonly used techniques. This review focuses on the recent various important analytical techniques, important chemometrics tools and interpretation of results by PCA, and applications of chemometrics in quality evaluation of medicinal plants in the authenticity, efficacy and consistency,

Present Situation in Preventing and Treating Liver Fibrosis with TCM Drugs

Considerable evidences have shown that the mechanism of TCM drugs for preventing and treating liver fibrosis is very complicated. TCM treatment can not only inhibit viral replication, ameliorate inflammation and promote blood circulation in the liver, and enhance regeneration of the hepatic cells, but also inhibit HSC proliferation, intra- and extracellular secretion, decrease the secretion of collagen and promote its degradation and re-absorption. However, most of the animal models are only suitable for studies of acute hepatitis. Establishment of cell lines suitable for studies of fibrosis is still at its initial stage. What we expect is that comprehensive clinical studies in TCM treatment of liver fibrosis will be carried out and evaluation of each datum given, both of which are of importance.

An Experimental Study on Drugs for Improving Blood Circulation and Removing Blood Stasis in Treating Mild Chronic Hepatic Damage

Large and small doses of drugs for improving blood circulation and removing blood stasis were used in model rats to treat mild chronic hepatic damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The results show that large dose of Dang Gui ([symbol: see text] Radix Angelicae Sinensis) and Dan Shen ([symbol: see text] Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) (drugs for regulating blood flow) and small dose of Yu Jin ([symbol: see text] Radix Curcumae) and Niu Xi ([symbol: see text] Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae) (drugs for activating blood flow) can significantly elevate the activity of SOD (P

Regulative Actions of the Chinese Drugs for Tonifying the Kidney on Gene Expression of the Hypothalamic GnRH,Pituitary FSH,LH and Osteoblastic BGP

It is found that the drugs for nourishing yin to reduce pathogenic fire can significantly down-regulate,and the drugs for tonifying the kidney to replenish essence can up-regulate mRNA expression of the hypothalamic GnRH,pituitary FSH,LH and osteoblastic BGP,indicating that the Chinese drugs for tonifying the kidney can regulate gene expression of the hypothalamic GnRH,pituitary FSH,LH,and osteoblastic BGP,which is possibly one of the main mechanisms of the Chinese drug for tonifying the kidney,regulating ephebic development process and improving skeletal development in sexual precocity children.