Acaricidal potential of active components derived from Alpinia galanga rhizome oils and their derivatives against Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae)

A systematic literature review of the efficacy of acaricidal plants, plant extracts, and tick assays used against dog-associated ticks

Dogs are an integral part of many households and important companion animals to humans. Their inquisitive and exploratory behaviour leads them to roam natural environments, making them susceptible to tick infestations that can also be transmitted to humans. To control these ticks, various plant extracts have been evaluated for their efficacy as acaricides and/or repellents against various species. This study was aimed at consolidating the data that has been published in terms of the plant species that have shown efficacy against ticks that parasitize dogs, it further evaluated the methods used in preparing these formulations. A keyword-Boolean strategy was created to extract a total of n = 103 articles that were included in the study. The leading countries in terms of the global distribution of acaricidal plant investigation outputs were Brazil at 23 %, India at 17 % and Turkey at 7 %. A total of n = 13 tick species were used in the evaluated studies. The dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the most widely used for efficacy testing at 43 % frequency. The Lamiaceae plant family had the highest frequency for reported use across the evaluated studies at 18 %, this was followed by the family Asteraceae at 11 %. Adult immersion test, larval packet test and larval immersion test were the most preferred assays for acaricidal efficacy studies. Leaves were the most preferred plant parts utilized for crude plant metabolites extraction (n = 43), while essential oils were the most highly reported extracts (n = 60). Lastly, extracts were primarily subjected to Gas chromatography for analysis of the plant compounds (n = 38). This paper gives the current global status of potential acaricidal plants utilized against ticks parasitizing dogs.

Insights into the anticancer effects of galangal and galangin: A comprehensive review

BACKGROUNDS

Cancer continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide, significantly impacting both health and the economy. Natural products have emerged as promising sources for the development of new anticancer drugs, with galangal and their active ingredient, galangin, garnering substantial interest.

PURPOSE

This study summarizes recent findings on the anticancer properties of galangal and galangin, highlighting their potential to target various cancer types.

METHODS

We systematically searched the literature across PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, using keywords such as "Alpinia officinarum," "Alpinia galanga", "galangal," and "galangin." This thorough approach allowed us to gather and compile a comprehensive collection of existing research on the topic.

RESULTS

This article provided a thorough analysis of the distribution of galangal, the methods used to extract the active compounds of galangal, and the anticancer properties of both galangin and galangal. It is important to note that galangal and galangin primarily function by regulating the signaling pathways of PI3K/Akt, MAPK, AMPK, p53, NF-κB, and Ras/RAF/MEK/ERK, which in turn triggers apoptosis, autophagy, and ROS while preventing the migration and invasion of cancer cells. We also discussed their toxicity, bioavailability, and clinical uses.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, galangal extract and galangin have a lot of promise for treating cancer. It is anticipated that this review will further advance the use of galangal extract and galangin as potential cancer treatment medications. Moreover, the discovery and development of drugs based on galangal has enormous potential for the therapy of cancer.

Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the genus Alpinia from 2016 to 2023

Covering 2016 up to the end of 2023Alpinia is the largest genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and comprises about 500 species. Many Alpinia are commonly cultivated ornamental plants, and some are used as spices or traditional medicine to treat inflammation, hyperlipidemia, and cancers. However, only a few comprehensive reviews have been published on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of this genus, and the latest review was published in 2017. In this review, we provide an extensive coverage of the studies on Alpinia species reported from 2016 through 2023, including newly isolated compounds and potential biological effects. The present review article shows that Alpinia species have a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, most due to the activities of diarylheptanoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolics.

Comparative Chemical Composition and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) Inhibitory Potential of Cinnamomum camphora and Cinnamomum tamala

Cinnamomum species have applications in the pharmaceutical and fragrance industry for wide biological and pharmaceutical activities. The present study investigates the chemical composition of the essential oils extracted from two species of Cinnamomum namely C. tamala and C. camphora. Chemical analysis showed E-cinnamyl acetate (56.14 %), E-cinnamaldehyde (20.15 %), and linalool (11.77 %) contributed as the major compounds of the 95.22 % of C. tamala leaves essential oil found rich in phenylpropanoids (76.96 %). C. camphora essential oil accounting for 93.57 % of the total oil composition was rich in 1,8-cineole (55.84 %), sabinene (14.37 %), and α-terpineol (10.49 %) making the oil abundant in oxygenated monoterpenes (70.63 %). Furthermore, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity for both the essential oils was carried out using Ellman's colorimetric method. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential at highest studied concentration of 1 mg/mL was observed to be 46.12±1.52 % for C. tamala and 53.61±2.66 % for C. camphora compared to the standard drug physostigmine (97.53±0.63 %) at 100 ng/ml. These multiple natural aromatic and fragrant characteristics with distinct chemical compositions offered by Cinnamon species provide varied benefits in the development of formulations that could be advantageous for the flavor and fragrance industry.