Yogesh Baravalia

Determination of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Potential of Some Medicinal Plants from Saurashtra Region, India

Many plants used in Saurashtra folk medicine have been reported to exhibit high antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In the present study, some parts of five plants, Guazuma ulmifolia L., Manilkara zapota L., Melia azedarach L., Syzygium cumini L. and Wrightia tomentosa R.& S., were evaluated for their antibacterial activity, total phenol content, flavonoid content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity and phytochemical analysis, using successive extraction by cold percolation method with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water. In vitro antibacterial activity was evaluated against five bacterial strains viz. Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter aerogenes by agar well diffusion method. Among the plants screened, W. tomentosa leaf and fruit showed the best antibacterial activity. The Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria. Methanol extract of M. zapota showed the best 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity. Highest total phenol content was shown by M. zapota and S. cumini in methanol extract, while highest flavonoid content was shown by W. tomentosa stem in petroleum ether extract and ethyl acetate extract. In all the plants, cardiac glycosides and triterpenes were more as compared to other phytoconstituents.

Hepatoprotective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on diclofenac sodium induced liver toxicity in rats

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the protective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers against experimentally induced liver toxicity in rats. METHODS Two different doses of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa (WFM) were evaluated for the hepatoprotective activity against diclofenac sodium induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Various biochemical parameters like alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) from serum; total protein (TP), glutathione (GSH) levels, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities from liver were studied; histopathologic changes of liver were also evaluated. RESULTS WFM effectively reduced the elevated levels of serum ALT, AST, ALP and BUN, enhanced the reduced TP, ALB and hepatic GSH, CAT, GPx activity. The histopathological analysis suggested that WFM decreased the degree of liver fibrosis induced by diclofenac. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the hepatoprotective activity of WFM and thus scientifically support the use of this plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disorders.

Protective effect of Polyalthia longifolia var.pendula leaves on ethanol and ethanol/HCl induced ulcer in rats and its antimicrobial potency

OBJECTIVE To explore antiulcer and antimicrobial properties of methanolic extract of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula. METHODS Gastroprotective potential of Polyalthia longifolia was studied on ethanol and ethanol/HCl induced ulcers at 2 different doses (270 and 540 mg/kg/body weight). Antimicrobial efficacy of Polyalthia longifolia (25 mg/mL) was also studied against six gram positive, seven gram negative bacteria and five fungi by agar well diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by agar well diffusion method in two fold serial dilution, in the range of 97-25,000 μg/mL. RESULTS The reduction of ulcer index in Polyalthia longifolia treated animals was found to be statistically significant with respect to control animals. The Polyalthia longifolia exhibited ulcer protection activity in dose dependent manner and was also better than the standard. In antimicrobial activity, gram positive bacteria were more susceptible to Polyalthia longifolia than gram negative bacteria and fungal strains. CONCLUSIONS Results obtained confirm the antiulcer and antimicrobial potential of the Polyalthia longifolia.

Brine shrimp cytotoxicity of Caesalpinia pulcherrima aerial parts, antimicrobial activity and characterisation of isolated active fractions.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Swartz. is an ornamental plant, shrub or a small tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae. The plant has been used for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, skin diseases and so on. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of C. pulcherrima was tested using an Artemia salina (brine shrimp) bioassay. Further, the methanol extract was fractionated by silica gel column chromatography using a solvent gradient of hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol in different ratios and 56 fractions were collected. On the basis of thin layer chromatography profiles, 13 major fractions were obtained, which were tested for antimicrobial activity against 14 microorganisms using the agar disc diffusion method and also tested for their minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration values. In terms of cytotoxicity, the extract caused 26% mortality of brine shrimp larvae after 24 h at a concentration of 1000 µg mL−1. Fractions 3, 9 and 10 showed significant antimicrobial activities. Phytochemical analysis of these three fractions led to the identification of 11 compounds, and their structures were established by means of gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy techniques. These findings suggest that these bioactive compounds may be useful as potential antimicrobials. Further investigation is needed to establish the mode of action of these bioactive compounds.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of various polar solvent extracts of stem and leaves of four Cassia species

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of leaves and stem of four Cassia species are reported in solvents like methanol, acetone and water after defatting with petroleum ether. In vitro antioxidant activities like 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl and superoxide anion radical scavenging activities and reducing capacity assessment was done. Total phenol and flavonoid content were measured. The antimicrobial activity was tested against eight bacterial and four fungal strains. There was a direct correlation between phenol content and antioxidant activity. The acetone extract of stem of Cassia auriculata showed significantly higher antioxidant activity while acetone and methanol extracts of stem and leaves showed a broad range of antimicrobial property. Therefore, it is concluded that C. auriculata possess phenolic properties that has considerable antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Evaluation of pharmacognostic and physicochemical parameters of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. Flowers

Abstract The flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. (Lythraceae) are reported to have good medicinal values in traditional system of medicines. Present work deals with the pharmacognostical examination of macroscopic and microscopical characters of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. flowers including detailed anatomy of the pedicel, calyx, pollen grain, anther lobe and ovary. Powder studies showed presence of rosette and cluster crystals of calcium oxalate, annual xylem and unicellular trichome. The physiochemical properties such as loss on drying, total ash value, acid insoluble ash value, water soluble ash value solubility, melting point, pH and extractive values and of flower were carried out. The results of the study could be useful for the identification and preparation of a monograph of the plant.

Protective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers against acetaminophen-induced hepatic toxicity in rats

Context: The flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. (Lythraceae) are commonly used for the treatment of several ailments which includes rheumatism, leucorrhea, menorrhagia, asthma, liver disorder, and inflammatory conditions. Objective: To evaluate the hepatoprotective property of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers against acetaminophen-induced hepatic injury in rats. Material and methods: Acetaminophen (3 g/kg bw)-induced hepatotoxicity study was carried out by observing the effect of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers (400 and 600 mg/kg, bw) on some serum marker enzymes, albumin, blood urea nitrogen levels as well as liver total protein, nonenzymetic glutathione reduced content, and enzymatic antioxidant glutathione peroxidase, with histopathological evidence. Results and discussion: Pretreatment of rats with methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers effectively prevented the acetaminophen-induced hepatic damage as indicated by the serum marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase and other biochemical parameters (albumin and blood urea nitrogen). Parallel to these changes, the methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers also prevented acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress in the rat liver by inhibiting depletion of liver total protein and restoring the levels of nonenzymatic antioxidant glutathione reduced. The biochemical changes were consistent with histopathological observations suggesting marked hepatoprotective effect of the methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers. Conclusion: The results suggested that methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers possesses protective effect against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity.