Effect of Casearia esculenta root extract on blood glucose and plasma antioxidant status in streptozotocin diabetic rats. (1/15)

Our preliminary study shows that an oral administration of an aqueous extract of Casearia esculenta, an indigenous antidiabetic plant popularly used in South India for diabetes mellitus, lowers blood glucose level under normal and glucose load conditions, and in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats. The study was further undertaken to evaluate the antioxidant potential of C. esculenta in STZ diabetic rats. Oral administration of C. esculenta root extract at doses of 200 and 300 mg/kg for 45 days resulted in significant reduction in plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hydroperoxide and ceruloplasmin and a significant elevation in plasma reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). The study indicates that C. esculenta root extract at doses of 200 and 300 mg/kg restored all the antioxidant parameters to near normal value.  (+info)

Two new cytotoxic clerodane diterpenoids from Casearia membranacea. (2/15)

In addition to casearlucin A (3), two new clerodane diterpenes, caseamembrols A (1) and B (2) have been isolated from the leaves and twigs of Casearia membranacea by bioassay-guided fractionation. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1-3 exhibited significant cytotoxicity against human prostate (PC-3) cancer cells.  (+info)

Influence of Casearia esculenta root extract on protein metabolism and marker enzymes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. (3/15)

The present study investigated the possible protective effects of Casearia esculenta root extract on certain biochemical markers in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats. STZ treatment (50 mg/kg, ip) caused a hyperglycemic state, that led to various physiological and biochemical alterations. Blood levels of glucose, urea, uric acid and creatinine, plasma levels of albumin and albumin/globulin ratio and the activities of diagnostic marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT) in plasma, liver and kidney were markedly altered in STZ diabetic rats. Oral administration of C. esculenta (200 and 300 mg/kg) for 45 days restored all these biochemical parameters to near normal levels. Thus, the present results have shown that C. esculenta root extract has the antihyperglycemic effect and consequently may alleviate liver and renal damage associated with STZ-induced diabetes in rats.  (+info)

Antiperoxidative and antioxidant effects of Casearia esculenta root extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. (4/15)

Oxidative stress is currently suggested to play as a pathogenesis in the development of diabetes mellitus. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Casearia esculenta root extract on oxidative stress-related parameters in streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic rats. Antidiabetic treatment with C. esculenta root extract (45 days) significantly (p < .05) decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and remarkably improved tissue antioxidants status such as glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in liver and kidney of STZ-diabetic rats. In diabetics rats, the activities of enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.11.1.1) catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) were decreased significantly while the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx, EC 1.11.1.9) decreased in the liver and increased in the kidney. The treatment of diabetic rats with C. esculenta root extract over a 45-day period returned these levels close to normal. These results suggest that C. esculenta root extracts exhibit antiperoxidative as well as antioxidant effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats.  (+info)

Cytotoxic clerodane diterpenoids and their hydrolysis products from Casearia nigrescens from the rainforest of Madagascar. (5/15)

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the cytotoxic leaf and flower extract of Casearia nigrescens led to the isolation of four new clerodane diterpenoids, designated caseanigrescens A-D (1-4). These compounds were subject to hydrolysis to dialdehydes when stored in CDCl3. The structures of compounds 1-4 were determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. All four compounds showed moderate cytotoxicity to the A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line, with an IC50 range of 0.83-1.4 microM.  (+info)

Two new C(13) nor-isoprenoids from the leaves of Casearia sylvestris. (6/15)

Two new C(13) nor-isoprene glycosides, (6S,9S)-6,9-dihydroxymegastiman-4-en-9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and (6S,9S)-6,9-dihydroxymegastiman-4-en-9-O-beta-D-apiofuranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-gluc opyranoside (2) were isolated from the leaves of Casearia sylvestris, along with icariside B(5) (3), byzantionoside B (4), blumenol B (5), blumenol C (6) and loliolide (7). The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, MS and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic analyses, chemical methods and comparison with the literature data.  (+info)

Ethanolic extract of Casearia sylvestris and its clerodane diterpen (caseargrewiin F) protect against DNA damage at low concentrations and cause DNA damage at high concentrations in mice's blood cells. (7/15)

 (+info)

Cytotoxicity screening of endemic plants from Guayana highlands. (8/15)

A chemical-ecology approach has been used to screen plants growing in Guyana Highlands as an indicator of production of biologically active secondary metabolites. Extracts of leaves from 19 species, most of them endemic in this area, and collected at the top of Roraima Tepui (2,723 m) were screened in vitro at different concentrations for their potential cytotoxic activity against three tumour cell lines: HT29 (colon), A549 (lung) and MDA-MB-231 (breast). MTT (tetrazolium blue) colorimetric assay was employed as cytotoxicity test. Extracts of nine species caused less than 30% growth in at least one cell line. From these species, high cytotoxic activity was detected in Casearia sylvestris var. lingua and Ledotamnus sessiliflorus extracts; medium activity was found in Cyathea sp. Two other species, Cyrilla racemiflora and Heliamphora minor showed lower but significant cytotoxicity. Further cytotoxicity-directed fractionation of these extracts would be advisable to isolate and identify the active principles of these plants.  (+info)

• 1
• 2