Antioxidant and antipyretic properties of methanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus leaves

Objective:Methanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus（A.spinosus） leaves was screened for antioxidant and antipyretic activities.Methods:Antioxidant activity was measured by l,l-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazile（DPPH） free radical scavenging,superoxide anion radical scavenging,hydroxyl free radical scavenging,nitric oxide radical scavenging,2,2 -azinobis-3- ethylbenzothiazole-6-sulfonic acid（ABTS） radical scavenging assays and total phenolic content was also determined.Antipyretic activity of methanolic extract of A.spinosus was measured by yeast induced pyrexia method at concentration of 200 and 400 mg/kg using paracetamol as standard drug.Results:Methanolic extract of A.spinosus showed potent antioxidant activity.The IC50 value was（87.50±3.52）μg/mL,（98.80±1.40）μg/mL,（106.25±0.20）μg/mL,（88.70±0.62）μg/mL and（147.50±2.61）μg/mL for DPPH,superoxide,hydroxyl,nitric oxide and ABTS radical scavenging activities.Methanolic extract of A spinosus showed significant（P【0.01） antipyretic activity.

The Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using <i>Amaranthus spinosus</i>Leaf Extract and Study of Their Optical Properties

We report here the application of a medicinally important plant Amaranthus spinosus for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Different concentrations of ethanolic leaf extract of the plant were reacted with aqueous solution of HAuCl4·4H2O under mild reaction conditions. Synthesis of AuNPs was confirmed from the UV-Vis study of surface plasmon resonance property of the colloidal solution. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed particles as spherical and triangular in shape. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the crystalline nature of AuNPs with average size of 10.74 nm as determined by Debye-Scherrer’s Equation. Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) analysis of leaf extract and lyophilized AuNPs showed the presence of various functional groups present in diverse phytochemicals. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) of purified AuNPs confirmed the formation of AuNPs and surface adsorption of biomolecules. We further investigated the toxicity of the synthesized AuNPs and found non toxic to the cancer cell lines and could be used for biomedical applications.

Anti-diabetic and anti-cholesterolemic activity of methanol extracts of three species of Amaranthus

Objective:To investigate the anti-diabetic and anti-cholesterolemic activity of methanol extracts of leaves of Amaranthus caudatus,Amaranthus spinosus and Amaranthus viridis in normal and streptozotocin(STZ) induced diabetic rats.Methods:In this study,the anti-diabetic and anti-cholesterolemic activity of methanol extracts of leaves of all three plants was evaluated by using normal and STZ induced diabetic rots at a dose of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg p.o.daily for 21 days.Blood glucose levels and body weight were monitored at specific intervals,and different biochemical parameters,serum cholesterol,serum triglyceride,high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein were also assessed in the experimental animals.Histology of pancreas was performed.Results:It was found that all the three plants at 400 mg/kg dose showed significant anti-diabetic and anti-cholesterolemic activity(P<0.01),while at 200 mg/kg dose less significant anti-diabetic activity(P<0.05) was observed.Concluslons: Methanol extracts of Amaranthus caudatus,Amaranlhus spinosus and Amaranthus viridis showed significant anti-diabetic and anti-cholesterolemic activity,which provides the scientific proof for their traditional claims.

Pain management in mice using methanol extracts of three plants belongs to family Amaranthaceae

Objective:To investigate the analgesic activity of methanolic extract of Amaranthus viridis(A. viridis),Amaranthus caudatus(A.caudatus) and Amaranthus spinosus(A.spinosus).Methods:In this study,the analgesic activity of methanol extracts of all three plants at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg were investigated by acetic acid-induced writhings test,hot plate test and tail immersion test for mice.Results:It was found that all the three plants showed significant pain management effect(P【0.01) at a dose of 400 mg/kg,but showed a less significant effect at a dose of 20 mg/kg in the entire tests used for evaluation of analgesic activities(P【0.05).Conclusions:Methanol extracts of A.viridis,A.caudatus and A.spinosus show potent analgesic activities,and this study provides the scientific proof for their traditional claims.