Muhammad Ibrar

Ethnobotanical studies of plants of Charkotli Hills, Batkhela District, Malakand, Pakistan

A survey was conducted with the aim to document the indigenous information of Charkotli Hills, Batkhela District, Malakand, Pakistan. The area has rich vegetation and a high potential for ethnobotanical utilization. Information was collected on various traditional uses of 100 plants distributed over 49 families, of which 43 families were of dicot, 2 of monocot, 2 of pteridophyta, and 1 of gymnosperms. Most plants have more than one local use. Sixty-six plants were found to be medicinal species, 21 fruit and edible seed species, 11 furniture species, 18 fodder or forage species, 12 vegetable species, 12 fuel species, 11 thatching and building species, 5 hedge or fencing species, 5 timber wood species, 5 poisonous plants, 3 species used in ketchup, 2 fixed oil yielding species, 2 miswak species, 2 species for making sticks for cattle and defense purposes, 2 species cultivated for ornamental purposes, 2 species used as mehindi by girls, 1 irritant species, 1 species for the making of Salai (a little stick for applying ‘surma’ to the eyes), 1 species for tanning, 1 species used as refresher in milk pots, 1 species giving gum used as chewing gum, and 1 species used as insect repellent. The area is under heavy pressure of deforestation and overgrazing, which have reduced the regeneration of woody plants. Proper ecological management is required to protect the wildlife and ethnobotanical resources for the coming generations.

Quantitative ethnobotanical survey of medicinal flora thriving in Malakand Pass Hills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

STUDY OBJECTIVE Ethnobotanical knowledge is proving to be invaluable for drug discovery in the wake of effective prospecting from biodiversity. On the other hand, the escalating human pressure is threatening the endogenous flora. Situated at the foothill of the Himalayas, Pakistan boasts of rich floristic distribution. However, many lush yet imperiled regions of this country has never been explored. It inspired us to evaluate and document the taxonomic composition, significance of medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge in the District of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. MATERIALS AND METHODS Vegetation growing in Malakand pass hills, Pakistan was studied and data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire, in addition to interviewing the local elderly, knowledgeable persons, and herbal practitioners. Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) and Use Value (UV) of the medicinal plants were calculated and their correlation was determined by Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS This study encompasses 92 plant species belonging to 56 families thriving in the study area. The information gathered includes ethnobotanical inventory and their pharmacological uses. Quantitative analysis throws light on the consistence of RFC and UV. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the most abundant families represented by 6 species each. Shoots were the most used parts (23.6%) and wound healing (7.91%) was the most common therapeutic use. CONCLUSION The result obtained from the study implies that local inhabitants rely on these plants for their medicinal requirements. Also, the statistics reveal that, the vegetation can be assessed for potential drug leads. However, urban expansion is threatening the existence of indigenous flora and old generation with ancient herbal wisdom is perishing. So, it appears imperative to preserve the traditional knowledge. This survey is expected to contribute to the discovery of novel bioactive constituents, stimulate conservation efforts of the perturbed flora and promote sustainable exploitation of the medicinal bounty.

In vivo screening of essential oils of Skimmia laureola leaves for antinociceptive and antipyretic activity

OBJECTIVE To study the screening of essential oils of Skimmia laureola leaves (SLO) for acute toxicity, antinociceptive, antipyretic and anticonvulsant activities in various animal models. METHODS SLO were extracted using modified Clevenger type apparatus. Acute toxicity test was used in mice to observe its safety level. Antinociceptive activity of SLO was evaluated in acetic acid induced writhing and hot plate tests. Yeast induced hyperthermic mice and pentylenetetrazole induced convulsive mice were used for the assessment of its antipyretic and anticonvulsant profile respectively. RESULTS Substantial safety was observed for SLO in acute toxicity test. SLO showed a high significant activity in acetic acid induced writhing test in a dose dependent manner with maximum pain attenuation of 68.48% at 200 mg/kg i.p. However, it did not produce any relief in thermal induced pain at test doses. When challenged against pyrexia evoked by yeast, SLO manifested marked amelioration in hyperthermic mice, dose dependently. Maximum anti-hyperthermic activity (75%) was observed at 200 mg/kg i.p. after 4 h of drug administration. Nevertheless, SLO had no effect on seizures control and mortality caused by pentylenetetrazole. CONCLUSIONS In vivo studies of SLO showed prominent antinociceptive and antipyretic activities with ample safety profile and thus provided pharmacological base for the traditional uses of the plant in various painful conditions and pyrexia. Additional detail studies are required to ascertain its clinical application.

Chemical Composition and Biological Screening of Essential Oils of Zanthoxylum armatum DC Leaves

Essential oil (ZVO) from Zanthoxylum armatum was extracted through hydro-distillation and tested for various biological activities. A total of 34 chemical constitutes were identified through GC-MS, the major constituents of ZVO were beta- Linalool (53.05%), Bergamot mint oil (12.73%), alpha-Limonene diepoxide (11.39%), alpha- pinene (4.08%), beta- Myrcene (3.69%) and D-Limonene (3.10%). ZVO showed significant antispasmodic effect and relaxed the isolated rabbit jejunum in spontaneous as well as in potassium chloride induced contraction. The maximum effect was observed against M. leutus followed by B. subtilis with percent zone of inhibition 28.45 and 20.45, respectively. A concentration dependent effect was also observed against available species of fungi. The maximum effect was observed against M. canis, C. albicans and C. glabrata with percent activity 84.87, 83 and 79, respectively. The oils were also found to have Cytotoxic and Phytotoxic potential.

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oil of Skimmia laureola Leaves

The composition of the essential oil from leaves of Skimmia laureola was determined by GC and GC-MS. Twenty-eight components were identified, accounting for 93.9% of the total oil. The oil is mainly composed of monoterpenes (93.5%), of which monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes represent 11.0% and 82.5%, respectively. Sesquiterpenes constitute only 0.3% of the total oil. Linalyl acetate is the main component (50.5%), with linalool (13.1%), geranyl acetate (8.5%) and cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol (6.2%) as other principal constituents. The essential oil showed a significant antispasmodic activity, in a dose range of 0.03–10 mg/mL. The essential oil also possesses antibacterial and antifungal activities against some pathogenic strains. The phytotoxic and cytotoxic activities were also assessed.

Traditional knowledge on plant resources of Ashezai and Salarzai Valleys, District Buner, Pakistan

An ethnobotanical study was done in the Ashezai and Salarzai Valleys, District Buner, Pakistan. A total of 163 plant species belonging to 73 families were reported with the help of standardized questionnaires for their traditional, medicinal and economic uses. Out of these, 62 families were dicots; 8 monocots and two pteridophytes. Gymnosperms were represented by one family. Asteraceae had 16 spp. which was followed by Papilionaceae and Poaceae (each with 9 spp.); Lamiaceae, Moraceae and Rosaceae (each with 6 spp.); Apiaceae, Polygonaceae and Solanaceae (each with 5 spp.); Amaranthaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Euphorbiaceae (each with 4 species); Oleaceae and Salicaceae had 3 species each. The remaining families had less number of species. They included 110 medicinal plants, 51 fodder and forage species, 37 fuel wood species, 33 vegetable/pot-herb species, 22 fruit yielding species, 20 thatching/roofing species, 13 timber species, 18 ornamental species, 8 poisonous plants, 10 fencing/ hedges plants, 4 agricultural tools making species, 5 honeybee species. Deforestation, biotic interference and overgrazing are the responsible culprits for dwindling phytodiversity in the investigated area. This study might be helpful to ethnobotanists, conservationists, ecologist, pharmacologists, taxonomists, wild life and water shed managers as baseline data. Key words: Ethnobotanical study, plant species, medicinal plants, traditional knowledge.

Evaluation of antinociceptive potential of methanolic extract of different parts of Ehretia serrata Roxb and Ehretia obtusifolia in vivo

Background: The antinociceptive potential study of different parts of Ehretia serrata Roxb and Ehretia obtusifolia are least explored till now. These plant parts are usually used as fodder and wood in Asia. The aim of this work was to find the antinociceptive effects of the methanolic extracts of leaves, fruits and stem barks of these plants in mice. Methods: The antinoceceptive activity of methanolic extract of leaf, fruit, and stem bark of E. serrata and E. obtusifolia in mice was carried out by means of the hot plate method and by using diclofenac sodium as a standard. Twenty groups of 12 h starved mice were prepared where each group comprised of five mice only. While all these starved mice were allowed free access to clean water. In this study, both male and female Albino mice were used. Analgesiometer was used for this bio-essay. Results: The results showed that the dose significantly (P<0.05) reduced the time spent in pain behaviour in all assessment times (0 min, 30 min and 60 min) hence indicating that the plant possesses antinociceptive potential. Conclusion: It is confirmed through the findings that E. serrata and E. obtusifloia exhibit strong antinociceptive action in animal model of hot plate which needs verification in other paradigms too.

Synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles from leaf of Litchi chinensis and its biological activities

Objective: To synthesize and isolate silver and gold nanoparticles from Litchi chinensis leaf methanolic extract, and to evaluate its comparative biological activities including muscles relaxant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal. Methods: The gold and silver nanoparticles were synthesized by dissolving methanolic extract in gold chloride and silver nitrate solution separately which were confirmed by colour change and UV-Vis spectroscopy, and pellets were collected through centrifugation. Biological activities of the extract were conducted on BALB/c mice through various standard methods and the data were subjected to One-way ANOVA. Results: The colorless gold chloride solution changed to purple soon after the addition of plant extract, demonstrating that the reaction took place and gold ions were reduced to gold nanoparticles, while colorless silver nitrate solution changed to light and dark brown that was indicative of silver nanoparticles. The muscles relaxant activity showed that silver nanoparticles were more effective than gold nanoparticles and methanolic extract in traction test. The analgesic activity showed that silver and gold nanoparticles showed highest percentage decrease in acetic acid induced writhing at the doses of 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg b.w. The highest anti-inflammatory activity was produced by gold nanoparticles followed by silver nanoparticles, while low activity was observed in methanolic leaf extract. Only the crude methanolic extract showed significant antidiarrheal activity as compared to the standard drug atropine sulphate, while antidiarrheal activities of gold and silver nanoparticles were non-significant. Conclusions: The present work concludes that isolated silver and gold nanoparticles from leaf methanolic extract shows strong muscles relaxant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities while crude methanolic extract possesses good antidiarrheal activity.

Need for social work education and practice in the prevention of HIV/AIDS: A case study of Pakistan

ABSTRACT HIV/AIDS in Pakistan was first diagnosed in 1986. The National AIDS Control Program was formulated in 1987. Unfortunately, after spending 26 years on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, we are still missing a major professional field in this effort: there is no evidence of the social worker in the National Health Policy of 2001 and in the National HIV/AIDS Policy of 2007. The aim of this study is to present the history and analysis of AIDS policies, laws, and strategic framework of Pakistan and make suggestions in social work education and practice’s role in combating HIV/AIDS in the country.

PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF THE LEAF OF Rhus succedanea VAR. HIMALAICA. J. D HOOKER

Background: Rhus succedanea is generally traded, distributed and sold in the markets in its crude and raw form. This may have been mixed with adulterants, mismanaged by malpractices and substituted with other closely related drugs having different effect. This study is therefore carried out to authenticate the plant through pharmacogonostic evaluations. Material & Methods: The organoleptic studies were carried through sensory organs i.e size, shape, texrure, odour, etc. Histological studies were conducted by preparing hand slides, mounting the specimen in potato tuber; fluorescence characters were determined through UV and phytochemical screening was investigated using various standard and common methods from relevant literature. Results: Morphologically, the Rhus is a perennial small sized deciduous tree, 5–9 m tall with opposite imparipinnately compound leaves and small grayish yellow flowers born on paniculate inflorescence; locally, called as Rakhkal in Pashto and Kakarsingi in Urdu. The organoleptic evaluation showed leaf had pleasant, aromatic odour and astringent taste. Transverse section of leaf through midrib region was worked out. The anatomy of the midrib has shown to be surrounded by both upper and lower epidermis with multicellular non-glandular trichomes. The leaf was hypostomatic showing anomocytic stomata with average stomatal number 27.1 ± 7.2 and stomatal index 14 ± 3.63. The average vein islet, vein termination and palisade ratios were 13.6 ± 3.04, 10.21 ± 1.92 and 6 ± 2.01 respectively. Leaf powder showed the existance of anomocytic stomata, spirally thickened xylem vessels, non-glandular multicellular and stellate trichomes. Fluorescence study and percent extractive values was also carried out. The phytochemical screening showed the presence of carbohydrates, protein, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids and anthraquenones, while tannins and fixed oil was not detected. Quantitatively highest amount of alkaloids 16% and flavonoids 19% in leaf was detected. Conclusion: The results of the of the anatomical, organoleptic and physiochemical studies of the powder of leaf will be helpful in standardization of R. succedanea the crude drug.