Diversity of flora used for the cure of equine diseases in selected peri-urban areas of Punjab, Pakistan

Baccharoides anthelmintica (L.) Moench: A Review on Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Toxicological Profile

Baccharoides anthelmintica (L.) Moench is a popular medicinal plant with a long history of use in several traditional remedies to cure a variety of diseases including; its effect on the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, metabolism, kidneys, gynecology, skin diseases, and general health. The present review aims to provide the latest, organized information on toxicological, pharmacological, phytochemical, and ethnomedicinal applications of Baccharoides anthelmintica. For this; several well-known searchable websites (search engines) like; Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus-Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Springer, and DOAJ, were used to empirically investigate the knowledge of this useful medicinal plant. Based on previous studies, the pharmacological action of B. anthelmintica is due to various secondary metabolites including alkaloids, terpenoids, lignans, steroids, and other phytoconstituents. Hence, the present study recorded 225 phytochemicals obtained from different parts of the plant, where the steroids and derivatives (48), terpenes and sesquiterpenes (46), flavonoids and derivatives (41), fatty acids and derivatives (40), phenolic acids (12), triterpenes (11), chalcones (06), diterpenes (01) and miscellaneous (20) were reported. The present review also covered the pharmacological importance, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic action, liver disease, anticancer potential, anti-HIV, antiosteoporotic action, antitoxic action, skin disorder, wound healing and immunomodulatory activity, systemic infection, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases etc. The review concluded that B. anthelmintica has several pharmacological activities, which were due to the presence of secondary metabolites present in it, and thus indicates the importance of medicinal value of this plant. Hence, B. anthelmintica may be a good source for developing a lead molecule in the process of new drug discovery and development. More study is required to determine the pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, long-term toxicology testing, safe dosage, and possible interactions with other herbs/drugs.

In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic response of the seeds of Amomum subulatum roxb and Vitex negundo

Abstract The current study was designed to check the anthelmintic activities of some local plants. Seeds of Amomum (A.) subulatum and Vitex (V.) negundo in different solvents were subjected to in vitro (adult motility assay; AMA and egg hatch assay; EHA) and in vivo (faecal egg count reduction test; FECRT) anthelmintic activity testing protocols using Haemonchus (H.) contortus as an experimental model. The results of AMA, EHA, and FECRT were statistically analysed through linear regression and Duncan multiple range test. In AMA test, at 50 mg mL-1 concentration, the percent mortality of H. contortus was higher in A. subulatum than V. negundo, whereas, in EHA test, A. subulatum was proven better ovicidal (LC50=14.2 µg mL-1) than V. negundo (LC50= 65.7405 µg mL-1). The FECRT also indicated the better efficacy of A. subulatum than V. negundo against natural infection of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. The crude powder of plants used in this study showed 29.6% to 57.7% anthelmintic. The reduction rate was found higher for A. subulatum (3 g kg-1) as compared to V. negundo (7 g kg-1). Reagrding efficacy analysis of solvents used for plants extract, ethyl acetate and chloroform were found better in increasing ovicidal activity in adult worms (in vitro testing), whereas, the crude aqueous methanol was found better than the crude powders in in vivo testing. It will be beneficial to document the indigenous knowledge to standard scientific procedures for their validation. This study will help to motivate the farmers to make a better choice of cultivation of the indigenous plants because of their varying efficacies as an alternative preventive approach against the GI parasitic infections.

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad.: A Promising Pharmaceutical Resource for Multiple Diseases

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. (Cucurbitaceae) is widely distributed in the desert areas of the world. The fruit bodies of C. colocynthis are recognized for their wide range of nutraceutical potential, as well as medicinal and pharmaceutical uses. The plant has been reported for various uses, such as asthma, bronchitis, cancer, colic, common cold, cough, diabetes, dysentery, and jaundice. The fruit has been extensively studied for its biological activities, which include insecticide, antitumor, and antidiabetic effects. Numerous bioactive compounds have been reported in its fruit bodies, such as essential oils, fatty acids, glycosides, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Of these, flavonoids or caffeic acid derivatives are the constituents associated with the inhibition of fungal or bacterial growth, whereas eudesmane sesquiterpenes or sesquiterpene lactones are most active against insects, mites, and nematodes. In this review, the scientific evidence for the biological activity of C. colocynthis against insecticide, cytotoxic, and antidiabetic effects is summarized.

Comparative anthelmintic efficacy of Arundo donax, Areca catechu, and Ferula assa-foetida against Haemonchus contortus

In the present study, anthelmintic activities of Arundo (A.) donax L., Areca (Ar.) catechu L., and Ferula (F.) assa-foetida L. were determined. Leaves of A. donax L., latex of F. assa-foetida L. and seeds of Ar. catechu L. in different solvent fractions were subjected to in vitro (egg hatch assay; EHA, and adult motility assay; AMA) and in vivo (faecal egg count reduction test; FECRT) tests of anthelmintic activity using Haemonchus contortus model. In the AMA, crude aqueous methanol extracts (CAME) and ethyl acetate fractions of F. assa-foetida at 10 hr post-treatment showed maximum mortality of H. contortus at 12.5-50 mg mL-1. In the EHA, CAME of F. assa-foetida was identified as a potent ovicide based on its low LC50 (16.9 µg mL-1), followed in order by Ar. catechu and A. donax. Results from the FECRT also showed the extract of F. assa-foetida L. to be more effective than those of Ar. catechu L. and A. donax L., against the gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes. Chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions showed better anthelmintic activities against the adult worms in vitro, while CAME of these plants were better than their crude powders in vivo. It is recommended to document and investigate indigenous knowledge of possible medicinal plants to plan scientific trials that may justify their endorsement.

Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd.: An ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd. (Asteraceae; Purple Fleabane) has a long history of traditional use for the management of several disorders related to skin, central nervous system, kidney, gynecology, gastrointestinal, metabolism, and general health. The review aims to provide updated systematic information on ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological uses, toxicity studies, and patented formulations of V. anthelmintica. This review will not only help to identify the research gaps but also provide information to the scientific community for future research requisites.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Empirical searches were conducted on the medicinal plant via significant search engines like Google Scholar, Scopus-Elsevier, Medline, SciFinder, Web of Science, Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ) from inception until June 2018. Besides, references from local literature, books, and non-English journals were also included.

RESULTS

Scientific reports revealed that V. anthelmintica is a popular medicinal plant used in local and traditional medicine to manage various disorders. Phytochemical studies have identified 193 chemical constituents amongst which steroids form the most abundant class, followed by terpenes. Crude extracts and isolated compounds exhibited various pharmacological activities such as anti-vitiligo, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antipsoriatic, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, analgesic, antipyretic, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, immunomodulatory and also helped in managing pulmonary fibrosis and promoting the synthesis of estrogen. Approximately 45 chemical constituents were found to be biologically active. There are only three toxicity reports and 37 patents available on V. anthelmintica.

CONCLUSION

The review suggests that V. anthelmintica act as a promising source for drug development. The potential uses of V. anthelmintica are owing to the presence of phenolic acids, steroids, fatty acids, and terpenes in its composition. However, further studies are needed to explore the exact mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, chronic toxicological studies, safe dose consumption, and possible interactions with other herbs.

Traditional medicinal plants used for respiratory disorders in Pakistan: a review of the ethno-medicinal and pharmacological evidence

Respiratory disorders are a common cause of malady and demise in Pakistan due to its remoteness, cold and harsh climatic conditions as well as scarce health care facilities. The people rely upon the indigenous plant resources to cure various respiratory disorders. The primary objective of this review was to assemble all available ethno-medicinal data of plants used for respiratory disorders in Pakistan. Pharmacological activity of these plants (based upon published scientific research), distribution, diversity, use, preparation methods, economical value, conservation status and various available herbal products of some plants have also been explored. This study scrutinized various electronic databases for the literature on medicinal plants used in Pakistan to treat respiratory disorders. A total of 384 species belonging to 85 families used to treat respiratory disorders in Pakistan has been documented. Cough was the disorder treated by the highest number of species (214) followed by asthma (150), cold (57) and bronchitis (56). Most of the plants belongs to Asteraceae (32) and Solanaceae family (32) followed by moraceae (17), Poaceae (13), and Amaranthaceae (13) with their habit mostly of herb (219) followed by Shrub (112) and tree (69). Traditional healers in the region mostly prepare ethno medicinal recipes from leaves (24%) and roots (11%) in the form of decoction. Among the reported conservation status of 51 plant species, 5 were endangered, 1 critically endangered, 11 vulnerable, 14 rare, 16 least concern, 3 infrequent and 1 near threatened. We found only 53 plants on which pharmacological studies were conducted and 17 plants being used in herbal products available commercially for respiratory disorders. We showed the diversity and importance of medicinal plants used to treat respiratory disorders in the traditional health care system of Pakistan. As such disorders are still causing several deaths each year, it is of the utmost importance to conduct phytochemical and pharmacological studies on the most promising species. It is also crucial to increase access to traditional medicine, especially in rural areas. Threatened species need special attention for traditional herbal medicine to be exploited sustainably.

Traditional knowledge about plant, animal, and mineral-based remedies to treat cattle, pigs, horses, and other domestic animals in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia

BACKGROUND

Mediterranean farmers traditionally utilized plants, animals, and minerals sourced locally to treat their animals. Research is needed to understand at what extent such knowledge of domestic animal care still survives and to document such traditions for further developments.

METHODS

We carried out our field study to recover ancient ethno-veterinary practices by means of questionnaires and interviews to farmers in rural areas of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy). Quantitative indices were used to evaluate the distribution and diversity of the acquired information.

RESULTS

We report here 98 sources (42 plant taxa, 14 animal-based substances, 15 minerals, and 27 other materials of various origin) emerged from the survey for the care of 41 ailments of cattle, pigs, and horses. Ethno-veterinary treatments, detailed in their formulations and applications, were used against ecto- and endo-parasites, gastrointestinal diseases, heart diseases, viral and bacterial diseases, wounds, sprains, and bruises.

CONCLUSION

Our survey can be useful to implement the use of phyto-therapeutics and other remedies of non-herbal origin for diseased animals, and, as elderly farmers held most of the knowledge, it can contribute to the conservation of Mediterranean ethno-veterinary knowledge.

First molecular evidence of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis in Pakistan

Anaplasma phagocytophilum (A. phagocytophilum) is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) disease in equines. This pathogen has zoonotic potential, which makes it very important to be detected and controlled as early as possible. This study was aimed to assess the molecular prevalence, associated risk factors of EGA along with its effects on various hematological parameters. This study revealed an overall 10.67% prevalence in equine. Horses showed highest prevalence followed by mules and donkeys presenting 11.86, 10.53 and 9.43% prevalence, respectively. The samples were confirmed for anaplasmosis through sequencing. The BLAST queries confirmed very high homology of our isolates with Chinese and Japanese isolates of A. phagocytophilum (Accession no's; KX505303, KY242456 and LC002836). The phylogenetic analysis found the study isolates clustered with each other and this cluster closely resembled Chinese isolate of A. bovis (FJ169957), A. phagocytophilum (HQ872464) and A. phagocytophilum (NR_044762) human isolate from northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. The key risk factors identified for occurrence of EGA in equine species on the basis of univariable analysis were sex of animal, housing type, tick infestation, previous tick history and tick control status, type of acaricides used, rearing system and farm hygiene, respectively. The hematological parameters like Hemoglobin (Hb), Total Leukocyte Count (TLC), Total Erythrocytes Count (TEC), and granulocytes were decreased in diseased animals. The mules showed no typical hematological variations which make sense for its nature as carrier of infection to the susceptible species. This is the first molecular evidence of EGA in Pakistan. The disease needs to be handled seriously as it has zoonotic potential. The animals should be properly attended in disease conditions as leukopenia, neutropenia and lymphopenia can aggravate the condition by making the animal prone to secondary infections.

Ethno-medicinal survey of important plants practiced by indigenous community at Ladha subdivision, South Waziristan agency, Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Medicinal flora plays a vital role in treating various types of ailments in living beings. The present study was planned to investigate and document systematically the indigenous knowledge in a scientifically little explored area of Ladha sub-division, South Waziristan agency, Pakistan. Hence, this study would contribute positively to the field of ethnopharmacology.

METHODS

Prior to ethnomedicinal data collection, regular field visits were conducted during the month of May and June 2015 to locate the sites and respondents from where the traditional knowledge was to be recorded. Ethno-medicinal data was collected during the month July and August 2015 through rapid appraisal approach (RAA) based on direct interaction with the indigenous communities by making group discussions, corner meetings and semi-structured interviews. Data was evaluated statistically by using the index of Use value (UV) and Frequency of citations (FC).

RESULTS

A total of 82 medicinal plants belonging to 42 families were reported in the study. Leaves were the most frequently used plant parts. Highest use values were recorded for Peganum harmala (0.93), Punica granatum (0.91), Thymus mongolicus (0.90), Chenopodium album (0.89), Coriandrum sativum (0.87), Mentha longifolia (0.87), Lactuca serriola (0.87) and Portulaca oleracea (0.87). Medicinal plants used for the gastro intestinal complexities and respiratory diseases were more than 9% followed by skin and diarrhea (7% each), liver disorders (5%) cough and cold fever (5%).

CONCLUSION

People of the area mostly still rely on traditional herbal therapies. Keeping in mind the dependence of the indigenous community for their primary health care on such herbal remedies, pharmacological and critical toxicological investigation of certain flora is necessary. Moreover, projects should be designed to analyze the existing issues and problems related with medicinal plants conservation.

Trifolium species - the latest findings on chemical profile, ethnomedicinal use and pharmacological properties

OBJECTIVES

Clovers (Trifolium, Fabaceae) have a long history of use in folk medicine. Furthermore, during last 3 years, a considerable growth in scientific interest in these plants has been observed. This article summarizes and critically reviews an over 3-year progress of knowledge of ethnomedicinal use, phytochemical profile, physiological effects and possible therapeutic action of various clover species. It contains the latest literature (over 80 papers), originated from international databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Science Direct/Elsevier, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library) and reports from other international and local scientific periodicals.

KEY FINDINGS

Traditional uses of T. pratense and T. repens have been confirmed, while the folk medicine recommendations for administration of other clovers such as T. burchellianum, T. fragiferum, T. hybridum, T. minus and T. purpureum were reported for the first time. Furthermore, several other clover species were also investigated in terms of their antioxidant, antimicrobial and phytoestrogenic effects for the first time. Only T. alexandrinum, T. pratense and T. medium were examined in animal studies.

SUMMARY

Besides T. pratense, other clovers may be a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals. However, in contradiction to red clover, the therapeutic use of other clovers is still limited by the lack of in-vivo evidence.