Haematobiochemical parameters of goats fed tannin rich Psidium guajava and Carissa spinarum against Haemonchus contortus infection in India

Traditional Importance, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicological Attributes of the Promising Medicinal Herb Carissa spinarum L

Carissa spinarum L. (Apocynaceae), commonly known as Garna or Jungli Karonda, has a rich history of use in indigenous traditional medicinal systems owing to its tremendous medicinal and nutritional benefits. The present review aims to discuss the traditional uses, ethnopharmacology, bioactive composition, toxicity analysis, and biotechnological applications of Carissa spinarum L. (CS) to identify the gap between current applications and research conducted on this plant. We collected the literature published before December 2022 on the phytochemical composition, pharmacological properties, and biotechnological applications of CS. Literature in English from scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Wiley, along with books on CS, was analyzed and summarized to prepare this review. The plant taxonomy was verified using the “World Flora Online” database (http://www.worldfloraonline.org/). The in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies on CS revealed its anthelmintic, anticonvulsant, anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, vasorelaxant, antihypertensive, antitumor, wound-healing, anti-venom, and antipyretic effects. Toxicological studies on CS also indicated the absence of any adverse effects even at high doses after oral administration. Although CS showed remarkable therapeutic activities against several diseases—such as diabetes, cancer, inflammation, and hepatitis B virus—there are several drawbacks in previous reports, including the lack of information on the drug dose, standards, controls, and mechanism of action of the extract or the phytocompounds responsible for its activity. Extensive research with proper in vivo or in vitro model systems is required to validate its reported activities.

Changes in the Serum Protein Fractions in Goats after Treatment of Natural Gastrointestinal Parasite Infections

Gastrointestinal parasitic infections in small ruminants belong to major health problems. The regulation of gastrointestinal infections in goats and the responses developed against them appear to be different from those observed in sheep. In the literature, there is a lack of data on the effect of gastrointestinal parasitic infections on the serum protein profile in goats. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the electrophoretic pattern of serum proteins in goats naturally infected with gastrointestinal parasites and to compare the changes in the total serum proteins and serum protein fractions (albumin and α₁-, α₂-, β-, and γ-globulins) obtained after antihelminthic treatment. Eight adult female goats of the white shorthaired breed from a small dairy goat farm at the age ranging between 3 and 5 years with average body weight 35.4 ± 3.2 kg and body condition score (BCS) from 1.5 to 2.5 were used in the study. The serum proteins in goats were separated into five fractions: albumin, α₁- and α₂-globulins, and β- and γ-globulins. Significant changes after treatment were found in the relative concentrations of albumin (P < 0.01) and α₂- (P < 0.05), β- (P < 0.001), and γ-globulins (P < 0.01), as well as albumin/globulin ratio (P < 0.01). The mean concentration of total serum proteins was, after the antiparasitic treatment, significantly higher. Among the globulin fractions, the γ-globulin fraction contributed most significantly to these changes (P < 0.001). The results presented in the study suggest a significant effect of antiparasitic treatment in goats on the synthesis of blood serum proteins and on the changes of the proportion of serum protein fractions.

Effects of herbal nutraceuticals and/or zinc against Haemonchus contortus in lambs experimentally infected

Background

The gastrointestinal parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus is a pathogenic organism resistant to several anthelmintics. This study assessed the efficacy of a medicinal herbal mixture (Herbmix) and organic zinc, as an essential trace element for the proper functioning of both unspecific and specific immune defensive mechanisms, against experimental infections with H. contortus in lambs. All lambs were infected orally with approximately 5000 third-stage larvae of a strain of H. contortus susceptible to anthelmintics (MHco1). Twenty-four female lambs 3–4 months of age were divided into four groups: unsupplemented animals (control), animals supplemented with Herbmix (Hmix), animals supplemented with organic zinc (Zn) and animals supplemented with Herbmix and organic zinc (Hmix+Zn). Eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces were quantified 20, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 62 and 70 d post-infection and mean abomasal worm counts were assessed 70 d post-infection. Samples of blood were collected from each animal 7, 35, 49 and 70 d post-infection.

Results

Quantitative analyses of the bioactive compounds in Herbmix identified three main groups: flavonoids (9964.7 μg/g), diterpenes (4886.1 μg/g) and phenolic acids (3549.2 μg/g). Egg counts in the lambs treated with Hmix, Zn and Hmix+Zn decreased after 49 d. The EPGs in the Zn and Hmix+Zn groups were significantly lower on day 56 (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), and the EPGs and mean worm counts were significantly lower on day 70 in all supplemented groups (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). Hemograms of complete red blood cells of each animal identified clinical signs of haemonchosis after day 35. Serum calprotectin concentrations and IgA levels were significantly affected by treatment. The treatment influenced serum malondialdehyde concentrations (P < 0.05) and sulfhydryl groups (P < 0.01) of antioxidant status. The mineral status was unaltered in all lambs.

Conclusion

A direct anthelmintic impact on the viability of nematodes was not fully demonstrated, but the treatments with herbal nutraceuticals and zinc likely indirectly contributed to the increase in the resistance of the lambs to nematode infection.

Health Effects of Psidium guajava L. Leaves: An Overview of the Last Decade

Today, there is increasing interest in discovering new bioactive compounds derived from ethnomedicine. Preparations of guava (Psidium guajava L.) leaves have traditionally been used to manage several diseases. The pharmacological research in vitro as well as in vivo has been widely used to demonstrate the potential of the extracts from the leaves for the co-treatment of different ailments with high prevalence worldwide, upholding the traditional medicine in cases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and parasitic infections. Moreover, the biological activity has been attributed to the bioactive composition of the leaves, to some specific phytochemical subclasses, or even to individual compounds. Phenolic compounds in guava leaves have been credited with regulating blood-glucose levels. Thus, the aim of the present review was to compile results from in vitro and in vivo studies carried out with guava leaves over the last decade, relating the effects to their clinical applications in order to focus further research for finding individual bioactive compounds. Some food applications (guava tea and supplementary feed for aquaculture) and some clinical, in vitro, and in vivo outcomes are also included.

The Genus Carissa: An Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review

Carissa L. is a genus of the family Apocynaceae, with about 36 species as evergreen shrubs or small trees native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Most of Carissa plants have been employed and utilized in traditional medicine for various ailments, such as headache, chest complains, rheumatism, oedema, gonorrhoea, syphilis, rabies. So far, only nine Carissa species have been phytochemically studied, which led to the identification of 123 compounds including terpenes, flavonoids, lignans, sterols, simple phenolic compounds, fatty acids and esters, and so on. Pharmacological studies on Carissa species have also indicated various bioactive potentials. This review covers the peer-reviewed articles between 1954 and 2016, retrieved from Pubmed, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Wikipedia and Baidu, using "Carissa" as search term ("all fields") and with no specific time frame set for search. Fifteen important medicinal or ornamental Carissa species were selected and summarized on their botanical characteristics, geographical distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities.