Antidiabetic principles of Loranthus micranthus Linn.parasitic on Persea americana

Objective:To explore antidiabetic principles of the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe,Loranlhus micranthus Linn,parasitic on Persea Americana.Methods:The weakly acidic fraction of the aqueous methanol extract of the leaves of Loranlhus micranthus(Linn.) was isolated and tested for its antidiabetic activities.The isolation of the weakly acidic fraction was carried out following established physico-chemical based procedures.Furthermore,alloxan-induced diabetic rats were treated intraperitoneally(ip) with 250 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of the weakly acidic fraction, glibenclamide 10 mg/kg(positive control) and 2 mg/kg of 3%v/v tween 20(negative control).The sugar levels of the treated and untreated animals were determined by withdrawing the blood at regular intervals and testing them with an automated glucometer.The phytochemical analysis of the acidic fraction was carried out using standard procedures.Chromatographic techniques were employed in the subsequent isolation and purification of the constituents of the weakly acidic fraction.Results:It was shown that the maximum effect of the weakly acidic fraction was obtained at 24 hours after administration and was found to be statistically comparable with that of the positive control.The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of steroids,terpenoids, alkaloids,flavonoids,glycosides,carbohydrates,saponins,and acidic compounds in the crude extract and carbohydrates,flavonoids.terpenoids and oil in the weakly acidic fraction.Further purification of the weakly acidic fraction of the methanol extract using thin layer chromatography shows that toluene:methanol:diethyl amine(3:1:1) and chloroform:methanol:diethyl amine (9:1:1) are the best solvent system for the isolation of the various components of the weakly acidic fraction of the crude methanol extract of Loranlhus micranthus.Conclusions:The present study has led to the conclusion that the weakly acidic fraction of the plant under study has the potent antidiabetic activity and that the various components can be isolated using basic chromatographic techniques.

Seasonal variation for the antidiabetic activity of Loranthus micranthus methanol extract

Objective:To determine the season in which the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe,Loranthus micranthus,parasitic on Persea americana possesses optimum antidiabetic activity and to determine the seasonal variation in the constituents.Methods:The antidiabetic activities of the aqueous methanol extracts of the leaves of Eastern Nigeria mistletoe,Loranthus micranthus, harvested in two seasons of the year,the onset of rainy season(April) and the peak of rainy season(July) were compared.The tests were carried out on six(6) groups(A-F) of alloxaninduced diabetic rats.Groups A and B received 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of the April sample extracts respectively while groups C and D received same doses of the July sample extracts. Group E and F which were the positive and negative controls received 10 mg/kg of glibenclamide and 2 ml/kg of 3%tween 20 respectively.The blood glucose levels of the animals were monitored hourly with a glucometer for six hours.The phytochemical analysis of the plant extracts were also carried out by standard procedures.Results:The results showed that group A and B exhibited significant(P【0.05) percentage reduction in the fasting blood sugar(FBS) level of the animals(38.9%and 39.2%respectively) with maximum reduction observed at the 5th and 6th hour respectively compared to glibenclamide(71.3%).Group C showed no significant (P】0.05) FBS reduction(15.9%) while group D exhibited highly significant(P【0.01) reduction (47.5%) with the maximum reduction occurring after 6 hours.The phytochemical analysis of the crude methanol extracts revealed the presence of carbohydrates,glycosides,saponins, tannins,flavonoids,steroids,terpenoids,acidic compounds,resins and oils.These were present in different proportions in both seasons.Conclusions:This study shows that there is a seasonal, dose-dependent variation in the chemical composition viz-a-viz the antidiabetic activity of the plant under study.This activity is highest at the peak of the rainy season.

Immunomodulatory activity of a lupane triterpenoid ester isolated from the eastern Nigeria mistletoe,Loranthus micranthus(Linn)

Objective:To provide further evidence for the ethnomedicinal use of the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe,Loranthus micranthus(L.micranthus),as an immunostimulant.Methods:Solvent fractions from the crude extract of the mistletoe plant was obtained and screened by the cell mediated delayed type hypersensitivity reaction(DTHR) model in mice.Then the immunomodulatory potentials of a major lupane triterpenoid ester isolated from an active hexane fraction of the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe was investigated.Three lupeol-based triterpenoid esters: 7β15α-dihydroxyl-lup-20(29)-ene-3β-palmitate(Ⅰ),7β,15α-dihydroxyl-lup-20(29)- ene-3β-stearate(Ⅱ) and 7β,15α-dihydroxyl-lup-20(29)-ene-3β-decadecanoate(Ⅲ) were isolated from the plant leaves epiphyting on a local kola nut tree and were characterized. Compound 1 was subjected to cell proliferation studies using C57H1/6 splenocvtes at three dose levels(5.25 and 100μg/mL) in presence of controls.Furthermore,the effect of this compound on IL-8 receptor expression was evaluated at three doses(1,5 and 10μg/mL) using the real time polymerase chain reaction assay.Results:This triterpenoid ester produced some enhancement of the splenocytes at the tested doses but at doses higher than 5μg/mL caused inhibition of the IL-8 receptor expression.Conclusions:The present findings support the ethnomedicinal use of the Eastern Nigeria Mistletoe in the management of diseases affecting the immune system.The trilerpenoid(s) have some immunomodulatory abilities on splenocytes and IL-8 receptors and may partly account lor the overall immunomodulatory activity of this plant.

Antimotility effects of extracts and fractions of Eastern Nigeria mistletoe(Loranthus micranthus Linn)

Objective:To evaluate the antimotility activity of Eastern Nigerian mistletoe[Loranthus micranthus（L.micranthus） Linn]parasitic on six different host trees viz.Baphia nitida,Persia americana,Kola accuminata,Irvingia gabonensis,Citrus simensis and Pentacletra macrophylla （P.mycrophylla）.Methods:The antimotility of the methanol extracts and solvent fractions were evaluated in castor oil induced diarrheoa in rats.Results:The methanol extracts（200 mg/kg, i.p.） inhibited defeacation significantly（P 【 0.05） 4 h after administration（75.73%to 93.33%） more than that of atropine sulphate（2 mg/kg,i.p.） which inhibited defeacation by 80.0%.The methanol extract（200 mg/kg,i.p.） of L micranthus parasitic on P.mycrophylla exhibited significant（P【0.05） inhibition in gastrointestinal transit（67.6%） more than that of atropine sulphate（2 mg/kg,Lp.） which inhibited gastrointestinal transit by 26.4%.The solvent fractions of L micranthus parasitic on P.mycrophylla at dose levels of 150 mg/kg inhibited significantly the gastrointestinal transit of mice.Fraction F5 exhibited inhibitory activity which was comparable to loperamide（73.3%）. Conclusions:The methanol extract of L micranthus parasitic on P.macrophylla exhibits higher antimotility activity that other extracts.The solvent fractions could serve as source of novel antimotility agents.

Topical 40% <i>Loranthus europaeus</i>Ointment as an Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Acute Cutaneous Leishmaniasis versus Topical 25% Podophyllin Solution

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic disease in Iraq, now is running in an outbreaks. Many therapies have been tried in treatment of the disease. Objective: Loranthus europaeus (LE) is a well-known medical plant and has many pharmacological effects in many in vitro studies. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of 40% LE ointment and compared it with topical 25% podophyllin solution in treatment of acute CL. Patients and Methods: Thirty five patients with acute CL were enrolled in this single blinded, therapeutic, comparative study, which was done in the Department of Dermatology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq during January 2015-Jully 2015. The total number of lesions were 86 (76 lesions treated and ten lesions in a covered area left without treatment as control). Duration of lesions ranged from 4 to 12 (7.37 ± 2.77) weeks. The size of lesions ranged from 0.5 - 7 (2.81 ± 1.76) cm. Diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy and/or smears. Lesions were divided in to two groups and scored as (mild, moderate, marked, complete cure) according to a modified Sharquie’s leishmania score to assess the objective response to the topical or systemic therapy. Group A:Thirty three (43.42%) lesions treated with topical 25% podophyllin solution once weekly for maximum 6 weeks. Group B: Forty three (56.58%) lesions treated with 40% LE ointment once daily at bedtime for 6 hours under occlusion for maximum 6 weeks. The followed-up was carried out every 2 weeks for 8 weeks during treatment, then monthly for next three months after end of therapy. Results: the total number of lesions was 86 lesions, 46 (53.49%) were ulcerated and 40 (46.51%) were dry;18 (51.43%) patients had single lesion while 17 (48.57%) patients had multiple lesions. At the end of therapy (6 weeks after starting treatment), the cure rate was 84.84% in Group A, and 79.07% in Group B. When the two groups compared with each other there was no statistical significance difference were P value = 0.648. While untreated ten lesions that lefts as control did not showed any signs of healing. Conclusion: Topical 40% Loranthus europaeus ointment is a new effective modality for treatment of acute CL and as effective as 25% podophyllin solution with no any noticeable local or systemic side effects.

Loranthus europaeus as an Alternative Medicine in Treatment of Acute Cutaneous Lesihmaniasis: Review Article

Loranthus europaeus (LE) is a well-known medical plant that has been used as a folk medicine for long time ago. Recently many different researches have shown that it contains many bioactive compounds like: flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoides, phenolic acids and others. Cutaneous Leishmaniasisis (CL) is an endemic disease in Iraq since ancient time and now it is running major outbreaks. There are many modalities of treatments but researchers are always seeking for new treatments. Most recently Loranthus europaeus has been tried in treatment of CL in a form of 40% ointment and gives a very encouraging result when compared with other standard treatments.