Evaluation of antifertility potential of Piper betle (Petiole) on female wistar rats "rising approaches of herbal contraception''

In Vivo Investigation of Root Extract of Paederia foetida Linn. on the Reproductive Functions of Female Albino Mice and In Silico Validation With Human Estrogen Receptors

Ethnic Mising women of northeast India uses the dried root of Paederia foetida Linn. for fertility regulation. However, there is no scientific literature regarding female reproductive concerns so far. Therefore, this study was undertaken to know the phytocompounds present in the root of P. foetida and investigate the effect of P. foetida on the estrous cycle, ovarian, and uterine histoarchitecture. Methanolic root extract (MRE) was prepared at the doses 250 and 500 mg/kg bw (compared to 17β-estradiol as a reference drug) and was tested in ovary-intact mice for 21 days. MRE at 500 mg/kg bw-treated mice resulted in degenerative ovarian histoarchitecture with a significant increase (p < 0.05) in atretic follicles and a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in a number of endometrial gland and disruptive reproductive hormones. Compounds like stigmasterol, having profound antifertility agents, were found in the GC-MS analysis. As per molecular docking, the phytocompounds that showed the highest binding affinity were γ-sitosterol (-11.25 kcal/mol) and ergosterol (-12.92 kcal/mol) against human estrogen receptor alpha and beta (hERα and hERβ), respectively. This study is the first-ever report of P. foetida roots extract on reproductive parameters and compounds of P. foetida showing binding affinity with hER. This study provides scientific evidence that supports the traditional usage of P. foetida Linn. for fertility regulation, which will further help in the standardization and development of drugs for fertility control.

Betelvine (Piper betle L.): A comprehensive insight into its ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological, biomedical and therapeutic attributes

Piper betle L. (synonym: Piper betel Blanco), or betel vine, an economically and medicinally important cash crop, belongs to the family Piperaceae, often known as the green gold. The plant can be found all over the world and is cultivatedprimarily in South East Asian countries for its beautiful glossy heart-shaped leaves, which are chewed or consumed as betelquidand widely used in Chinese and Indian folk medicine, as carminative, stimulant,astringent, against parasitic worms, conjunctivitis, rheumatism, wound, etc., andis also used for religious purposes. Hydroxychavicol is the most important bioactive compound among the wide range of phytoconstituents found in essential oil and extracts. The pharmacological attributes of P. betle are antiproliferation, anticancer, neuropharmacological, analgesic, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, hepatoprotective, antifertility, antibacterial, antifungal and many more. Immense attention has been paid to nanoformulations and their applications. The application of P. betle did not show cytotoxicity in preclinical experiments, suggesting that it could serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for different diseases. The present review comprehensively summarizes the botanical description, geographical distribution, economic value and cultivation, ethnobotanical uses, preclinical pharmacological properties with insights of toxicological, clinical efficacy, and safety of P. betle. The findings suggest that P. betle represents an orally active and safe natural agent that exhibits great therapeutic potential for managing various human medical conditions. However, further research is needed to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms of action, clinical aspects, structure-activity relationships, bioavailability and synergistic interactions with other drugs.

Optimization of process parameters for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Piper betle leaf aqueous extract, and evaluation of their antiphytofungal activity

Biological methods offer eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The present study highlights a green process where AgNPs were synthesized and optimized by using silver nitrate (AgNO₃) and the aqueous extract of Piper betle (Pbet) leaf as the reducing and capping agent. The stable and optimized process for the synthesis of Pbet-AgNPs was exposure of reaction mixture into the sunlight for 40 min, pH 9.0, and 2 mM AgNO₃ using 1:4 diluted Pbet leaf aqueous extract. The optimized Pbet-AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The prepared Pbet-AgNPs were spherical in shape with size in the range of 6-14 nm. These nanoparticles were stable for 6 months in aqueous solution at room temperature under dark conditions. The biogenic synthesized Pbet-AgNPs are found to have significant antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi, Alternaria brassicae and Fusarium solani. Synthesized Pbet-AgNPs potentially reduced the fungal growth in a dose-dependent manner. Microscopic observation of treated mycelium showed that Pbet-AgNPs could disrupt the mycelium cell wall and induce cellular permeability. Protein leakage assay supports these findings. Overall, this study revealed the efficacy of green synthesized AgNPs to control the plant fungal pathogens. Pbet leaves are a rich source of phenolic biomolecule(s). It was hypothesized that these biomolecule(s) mediated metal reduction reactions. In this context, the present work investigates the phytobiomolecule(s) of the aqueous extract of Pbet leaves using high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (HR-LCMS) method. The analysis revealed that eugenol, chavicol, and hydroxychavicol were present in the Pbet aqueous extract.