AIM: To study the effects of elenoside, an arylnaph-thalene lignan from Justicia hyssopifolia, on gastro-intestinal motility in vivo and in vitro in rats. METHODS: Routine in vivo experimental assessments were catharsis index, water percentage of boluses, intestinal transit, and codeine antagonism. The groups included were vehicle control (propylene glycol-ethanol-plant oil-tween 80), elenoside (i.p. 25 and 50 mg/kg), cisapride (i.p. 10 mg/kg), and codeine phosphate (intragastric route, 50 mg/kg). In vitro approaches used isolated rat intestinal tissues (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum). The effects of elenoside at concentrations of 3.2 x 10(-4), 6.4 x 10(-4) and 1.2 x 10(-3) mol/L, and cisapride at 10(-6) mol/L were investigated. RESULTS: Elenoside in vivo produced an increase in the catharsis index and water percentage of boluses and in the percentage of distance traveled by a suspension of activated charcoal. Codeine phosphate antagonized the effect of 25 mg/kg of elenoside. In vitro, elenoside in duodenum, jejunum and ileum produced an initial decrease in the contraction force followed by an increase. Elenoside resulted in decreased intestinal frequency in duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The in vitro and in vivo effects of elenoside were similar to those produced by cisapride. CONCLUSION: Elenoside is a lignan with an action similar to that of purgative and prokinetics drugs. Elenoside, could be an alternative to cisapride in treatment of gastrointestinal diseases as well as a preventive therapy for the undesirable gastrointestinal effects produced by opioids used for mild to moderate pain. (+info)
Abietane lactones and iridoids from Goldfussia yunnanensis.
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Two new abietane diterpene lactones (1--2), three new abietane diterpene lactone glycosides (3--5) and a new iridoid glycoside (6), together with five known compounds, were isolated from the aerial parts of Goldfussia yunnanensis. The new compounds were determined to be 18-hydroxyhelioscopinolide A (1), 18-oxohelioscopinolide A (2), 18-hydroxy-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylhelioscopinolide A (3), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylhelioscopinolide A (4), 3-O-beta-D-galactopyranosylhelioscopinolide A (5), and 6-O-trans-cinnamoyl E-harpagoside (6) on the basis of spectral data and chemical evidence. (+info)
Acanthus ilicifolius plant extract prevents DNA alterations in a transplantable Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing murine model.
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AIM: To investigate the chemopreventive efficacy of the Indian medicinal plant Acanthus ilicifolius L Acanthaceae in a transplantable Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing murine model. METHODS: Male Swiss albino mice were divided into four groups: Group A was the untreated normal control; Group B was the EAC control mice group that received serial, intraperitoneal (ip) inoculations of rapidly proliferating 2 x 10(5) viable EAC cells in 0.2 mL of sterile phosphate buffered saline; Group C was the plant extract-treated group that received the aqueous leaf extract (ALE) of the plant at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight by single ip injections, once daily for 10, 20 and 30 consecutive days following tumour inoculation (ALE control); and Group D was the EAC + ALE-treatment group. The chemopreventive potential of the ALE was evaluated in a murine model by studying various biological parameters and genotoxic markers, such as tumour cell count, mean survival of the animals, haematological indices, hepatocellular histology, immunohistochemical expression of liver metallothionein (MT) protein, sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs), and DNA alterations. RESULTS: Treatment of the EAC-bearing mice with the ALE significantly (P < 0.001) reduced viable tumour cell count by 68.34% (228.7 x 10(6) +/- 0.53) when compared to EAC control mice (72.4 x 10(6) +/- 0.49), and restored body and organ weights almost to the normal values. ALE administration also increased (P < 0.001) mean survival of the hosts from 35 +/- 3.46 d in EAC control mice to 83 +/- 2.69 d in EAC + ALE-treated mice. Haematological indices also showed marked improvement with administration of ALE in EAC-bearing animals. There was a significant increase in RBC count (P < 0.001), hemoglobin percent (P < 0.001), and haematocrit value (P < 0.001) from 4.3 +/- 0.12, 6.4 +/- 0.93, and 17.63 +/- 0.72 respectively in EAC control mice to 7.1 +/- 0.13, 12.1 +/- 0.77, and 30.23 +/- 0.57 respectively in EAC + ALE-treated group, along with concurrent decrement (P < 0.001) in WBC count from 18.8 +/- 0.54 in EAC control to 8.4 +/- 0.71 in EAC + ALE. Furthermore, treatment with ALE substantially improved hepatocellular architecture and no noticeable neoplastic lesions or foci of cellular alteration were observed. Daily administration of the ALE was found to limit liver MT expression, an important marker of cell proliferation with concomitant reduction in MT immunoreactivity (62.25 +/- 2.58 vs 86.24 +/- 5.69, P < 0.01). ALE was also potentially effective in reducing (P < 0.001) the frequency of SCEs from 14.94 +/- 2.14 in EAC control to 5.12 +/- 1.16 in EAC + ALE-treated group. Finally, in comparison to the EAC control, ALE was able to suppress in vivo DNA damage by abating the generations of 'tailed' DNA by 53.59% (98.65 +/- 2.31 vs 45.06 +/- 1.14, P < 0.001), and DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) by 38.53% (3.14 +/- 0.31 vs 1.93 +/- 0.23, P < 0.01) in EAC-bearing murine liver. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that, ALE is beneficial in restoring haematological and hepatic histological profiles and in lengthening the survival of the animals against the proliferation of ascites tumour in vivo. Finally, the chemopreventive efficacy of the ALE is manifested in limiting MT expression and in preventing DNA alterations in murine liver. The promising results of this study suggest further investigation into the chemopreventive mechanisms of the medicinal plant A. ilicifolius in vivo and in vitro. (+info)
Occurrence and forms of Kranz anatomy in photosynthetic organs and characterization of NAD-ME subtype C4 photosynthesis in Blepharis ciliaris (L.) B. L. Burtt (Acanthaceae).
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Acanthus montanus: an experimental evaluation of the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunological properties of a traditional remedy for furuncles.
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Effects of Rhinacanthus nasutus kurz on colon carcinogenesis in mice.
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Rhinacanthus nasutus Kurz, a Thai medicinal plant which possess antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on human cancer cells, was examined for chemopreventive potential against colonic neoplasms induced by azoxymethane (AOM) combined with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in mice. Male ICR mice were given a single intraperitoneal administration of AOM (10 mg/kg body weight) followed by 2% DSS in their drinking water for a week. Water extract of the roots of R. nasutus (RNR) was given to the animals intragastrically daily in the initiation and promotion phases. The one hundred mice were divided into 8 groups, one group treated with AOM plus DSS serving as a control. Four other groups received AOM/DSS and RNR at 100 or 500 mg/kg body weight for 5 weeks (initiation phase study) and for 14 weeks (promotion phase study). Another two groups were given RNR alone at 100 and 500 mg/kg body weight and the last group was maintained untreated. At the end of the study, we found that the incidence and multiplicity of colonic tumors in mice fed with RNR both at 100 and 500 mg/kg body weight in initiation phase were higher than those in the control group. Moreover, RNR feeding during the promotion phase also gave similar results. Our results suggest that water extract of the roots of R. nasutus Kurz. has no preventive potential against colon carcinogenesis induced by AOM/DSS in mice, rather increasing the incidence of colonic tumors when given during initiation and promotion phases. Further study on RNR should provide more information on mechanisms of its tumor promotion activity. (+info)
Anti-arthritic potential of the plant Justicia gendarussa Burm F.
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