Pharmacognostic and antifungal investigations of Elaeocarpus ganitrus (Rudrakasha)

Analyses of Elaeocarpus sphaericus Extract for Antioxidant, Antiproliferative and Gene Repression Activities against HIF-1α and VEGF

The study presents antioxidant, phytochemical, anti-proliferative, and gene repression activities against Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1) alpha and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of Elaeocarpus sphaericus extract. Elaeocarpus sphaericus dried and crushed plant leaves were extracted using water and methanol by ASE (Accelerated Solvent Extraction) method. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were used to measure the extracts' phytochemical activity (TFC). Antioxidant potential of the extracts was measured through DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and TRP. Methanolic extract of the leaves of E. sphaericus has shown a higher amount of TPC (94.666±4.040 mg/gm GAE) and TFC value (172.33±3.21 mg/gm RE). The antioxidant properties of extracts in the yeast model (Drug Rescue assay) showed promising results. Ascorbic acid, gallic acid, hesperidin, and quercetin were found in the aqueous and methanolic extracts of E. sphaericus at varying amounts, according to a densiometric chromatogram generated by HPTLC analysis. Methanolic extract of E. sphaericus (10 mg/ml) has shown good antimicrobial potential against all bacterial strains used in the study except E. coli. The anticancer activity of the extract in HeLa cell lines ranged from 77.94±1.03 % to 66.85±1.95 %, while it ranged from 52.83±2.57 % to 5.44 % in Vero cell lines at varying concentration (1000 μg/ml-31.2 μg/ml). A promising effect of extract was observed on the expression activity of HIF-1 and VEGF gene through RT-PCR assay.

Antiulcer secondary metabolites from Elaeocarpus grandis, family Elaeocarpaceae, supported by in silico studies

Elaeocarpus grandis has a very potent analgesic effect, especially to a δ-opioid receptor, but its antiulcer activity has not yet been validated. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate the antiulcer potential of the total methanolic extract and its derived fractions of the aerial parts of the plant using an indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer method. One new compound, grandisine H (1), and five known compounds, P-methoxy benzaldehyde, methyl gallate, kaempferol, quercetin and heterophyllin A (2–6), were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction, which was the most potent one with an ulcer index value of 5 ± 1.95 (mm) ** (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01) and a preventive index of 92.9%, following a bioassay-guided fractionation. The isolated compounds were subjected to a molecular docking study in an attempt to explain their significant antiulcer potential, and the results revealed that kaempferol and quercetin bind to the active site of the M3 receptor with a strong binding affinity via strong hydrogen bonds of −6.081 kcal mol⁻¹ and −6.013 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively. Also, quercetin and heterophyllin A showed a binding affinity with the gastric proton pump receptor and a strong hydrogen bond interaction with the amino acid active sites in the case of an H₂-modeled receptor. These results clarify the effectiveness and importance of the ethyl acetate fraction as a natural anti-ulcer remedy.

Elaeocarpus grandis has a very potent analgesic effect, especially to a δ-opioid receptor, but its antiulcer activity has not yet been validated.

Awareness and current knowledge of epilepsy

Epilepsy is a severe neural disorder that affects approximately fifty million individuals globally. Despite the fact that for most of the people with epilepsy, convulsions are better controlled by current accessible antiepileptic medicines, yet there are more than 30% of individuals affected with medically intractable epilepsy and around 30-40% of all patients with epilepsy affected by many adverse reactions and convulsion resistance to the present antiepileptic drugs. Consequently, various scientists attempt to develop new strategies to treat epilepsy, for instance, to find out novel antiepileptic ingredients from traditional medicines. This work aims to present a complete summary of natural medicines prescribed as antiepileptic agents all over the world by ethnic groups and different tribes. We undertook an extensive bibliographic analysis by searching peer reviewed papers and classical textbooks and further consulting well accepted worldwide scientific databases. We carried out PubMed, EMbase and CENTRAL searches by means of terms such as "antiepileptic" and "anti-convulsant" activity of plants. Medicinal plants have been prescribed to treat epilepsy and have been recognized as antiepileptic medicines. In this review, a variety of herbs have been reviewed for thorough studies such as Cuminum cyminum, Butea monosperma, Solanum americanum, Anacyclus pyrethrum, Leonotis leonurus, Elaeocarpus ganitrus and Angelica archangelica. This paper shows that it was high time experimental studies are increased to obtain novel potential active principles from medicinal plants. Plant extracts and their chemical constituents should be further evaluated to clarify their mechanisms of action. This paper provides a solid base upon which to further investigate the clinical efficacy of medicinal plants that are both currently prescribed by physicians as traditional antiepileptic agents, but also could be effective as an antiepileptic drug with further research and study.

Analysis of Fungi on Coix (Coix lacryma-jobi) Seed and the Effect of Its Aqueous Extract on the Growth of Aspergillus flavus

Coix (Coix lacryma-jobi) seeds are susceptible to fungal infections, making their surface fungi complex and diverse. Some fungi can produce mycotoxins under suitable conditions, and fungal growth is closely related to the production of mycotoxins. In this study, the surface fungi of coix seed were identified by Illumina HiSeq high-throughput sequencing. Simultaneously, the fungi cultured by the plate method were identified by microscopy and DNA barcoding; finally, the species of fungi were identified accurately and reliably by combining three methods. The aqueous extract of coix seed was cocultured with Aspergillus flavus spores, and the relationship between the aqueous extract and the growth of A. flavus was studied with the dry weight of mycelium as an indicator. The results showed that there were 89 genera and 96 species of fungi on coix seed, which were mainly distributed in Ascomycota (81.48%) and Basidiomycota (4.08%), and Xeromyces (8.50%), Gibberella (7.25%), and Aspergillus (4.74%) were the predominant genera. Four fungi were isolated from coix seed by plate culture and identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, Aspergillus oryzae, and Rhizopus oryzae by microscopy and DNA barcoding. The aqueous extract of coix seed at low concentrations has a promoting effect on the growth of A. flavus. When the concentration is 3.125%, the promotion effect is the most pronounced, and the promotion rate is 29.17%. These results reveal the diversity of fungi on the coix seed, which can provide a reference for the prevention and control of harmful fungi on coix seed.

Ameliorative effect of Elaeocarpus ganitrus on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Objectives:

The present study was designed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of Elaeocarpus ganitrus on gentamicin (GM)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

Materials and Methods:

E. ganitrus (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally to male Wistar rats. GM (100 mg/kg) was used to induce nephrotoxicity. Study parameters include serum albumin, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid, creatinine, and albuminuria. Total protein in serum, antioxidant enzymes activities, phagocytic index, and neutrophil adhesion assays were performed to determine oxidative stress and immunomodulatory action of E. ganitrus.

Results:

The results revealed that coadministration of E. ganitrus significantly reduced the elevated level of serum creatinine, BUN, uric acid, and albuminuria with considerable increase in the serum albumin and urine creatinine. Furthermore, E. ganitrus noticeably increased serum total protein and antioxidant enzyme levels with significant alteration in phagocytic index and neutrophil adhesion assay when compared with GM-treated group in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion:

The present study revealed that ethanolic extract of E. ganitrus seeds has immunomodulatory and nephroprotective activity.