International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 8 (4), pp. 001-006, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

In vitro rat lymphocyte proliferation induced by Ocinum basilicum, Persea americana, Plantago virginica, and Rosa spp. extracts

R.  Gomez-Flores¹*, L.Verástegui-Rodríguez¹, R. Quintanilla-Licea ², P. Tamez-Guerra¹, R. Tamez-Guerra¹ and C. Rodríguez-Padilla¹

¹Departamento de Microbiología e Inmunología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL. México.

²Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL. México.

Accepted 16 January, 2019

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been used for centuries and have become part of complementary medicine worldwide because of their potential health benefits. Some of their metabolites have been successfully used directly in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer, or indirectly by stimulating the immune system. In the present study, we investigated the effects of methanol and aqueous extracts of the Mexican plants Ocinum basilicum, Persea americana, Plantago virginica, and Rosa spp. on in vitro rat lymphocyte proliferation. Methanol extracts of O. basilicum, P. americana, P. virginica, and Rosa spp. stimulated up to 80, 16, 69 and 66% lymphoproliferation, respectively, whereas their respective aqueous extracts induced up to 83, 48, 31 and 83% lymphoproliferation, as compared with untreated controls. The effect of O. basilicum aqueous extract at concentrations of 31.25, 62.5, 125 and 250 mg/ml on lymphoproliferation was significantly different (p < 0.05) than the effects of P. americana and P. virginica at the same concentrations. We also observed that the lymphoproliferative effect of Rosa spp. aqueous extract was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the methanol extract. Methanol and aqueous vehicles did not affect lymphocyte viability nor proliferation activity. The observed immunostimulatory effect may be of benefit in increasing the pool of lymphocytes in immunodeficiency patients.

Key words: Ocimum basilicum, Persea americana, Plantago virginica, Rosa spp., immunoregulation, lymphocyte proliferation, phytomitogens, mexican plants.

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 8 (4), pp. 001-007, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Ethnobotanical potentials of common herbs in Nigeria: A case study of Enugu state

Aiyeloja A.A¹ and O.A Bello²

¹Department of Forestry and Wildlife,University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

²Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Accepted 14 February, 2019

Abstract

Research was carried out on the ethnobotanical potentials of common herbs in Nigeria using Enugu State as a case study. A total of 200 questionnaires were administered on herb sellers in major herb markets in the state. In all, 96 different plant species were encountered in the markets. Attempts were made to write the names of the species both in botanical and English languages as well as in the three major languages in Nigeria (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa). The families of the species were also documented. Finally, the various uses of the species and the part(s) of the plant species used were highlighted. This will surely be of great assistance to researchers, herb sellers and the entire consumers in overcoming the long standing problems of communication and identification.

Key words: Ethnobotanical potentials, Common herbs, Enugu State, Nigeria.

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Plant regeneration from leaf explants of Barringtonia racemosa

Mandana Behbahani¹, Abdul Manaf Ali² and Radzali Muse³

¹_’²Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, UPM, Malaysia

³Department of Biochemistry, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, UPM, Malaysia

Accepted 22 November, 2018

Abstract

A protocol for in vitro propagation from leaf explants of Barringtonia racemosa is reported. Calli were aseptically raised by placing surface sterilized leaf explants on Woody Plant Medium (WPM) supplemented with different concentrations of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). On the shoot induction medium, the callus induced on the WPM medium containing 2 mg/L (w/v) KIN+0.2 mg/l (w/v) IBA and 2 mg/L (w/v) of KIN +0.4 mg/L(w/v) of NAA was the most effective, providing high shoot regeneration frequency of 85.6 and 76.5% respectively. In addition, the highest number of shoots produced was 8.2 and 6.3 shoots per explant respectively in the medium containing the mentioned phytohormones. The good rooting percentage 62 and 5.6% roots per shoot were achieved on WPM medium supplemented with 3g/L (w/v) of active charcoal and 0.8 mg/L (w/v) of IBA. Approximately 96% of the in vitro raised plantlets with well developed shoots and roots were survived after transferring to mixed soil and grown well in the glass house.

Keywords: Barringtonia racemosa, rooting, shoot regeneration.

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-004, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Toxicological and hypoglycemic studies on the leaves of Cissampelos mucronata (Menispermaceae) on blood glucose levels of streptozocin-induced diabetic wistar rats

Tanko, Y. ¹*, Yaro, A. H.², Isa, A. I³, Yerima, M.⁴, Saleh, M. I. A.¹ and Mohammed, A.¹

¹Department of Human Physiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

²Department of Pharmacology, Bayero University, Kano Nigeria.

³Department of Biology, College of Education P.M.B. 1021 Jalingo. Nigeria.

⁴Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Ahmad Bello, University Zaria, Nigeria.

Accepted 09 November, 2018

Abstract

Preliminary phytochemical screening of the ethanol leaves of Cissampelos mucronata revealed the presence of reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, resin, tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, glycerin and steroids. The median lethal dose (LD₅₀) in rats is greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight intaperitoneally. The hypoglycemic effect of ethanol extract of C. mucronata was also investigated in Streptozocin - induced diabetic rats. Single intraperitoneally administration of the extract at the doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg. There was a significant decreased (p<0.05) in the blood glucose levels in all the doses administered. The dose of 200 mg/kg was more effective with the highest glycemic change of 67% after 24 h of extract administration than the other two doses of 400 and 800 mg/kg with glycemic change of 60%. The ethanol leaves extract of C. mucronata possess hypoglycemic activity in Streptozocin induced in diabetic rats.

Key words: Cissampelos mucronata, hypoglycemic activity, streptozocin, diabetes.

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Open label trial of adjuvant immunotherapy with Dzherelo, Svitanok and Lizorm, in MDR-TB, XDR-TB and TB/HIV co-infected patients receiving anti-tuberculosis therapy under DOT

Nathalia D. Prihoda¹, Olga V. Arjanova¹, Lyudmila V. Yurchenko¹, Nina I. Sokolenko¹, Lyudmila A. Vihrova², Volodymyr S. Pylypchuk³, Galyna A. Kutsyna⁴*

¹Lisichansk Tuberculosis Dispensary, Lisichansk, Ukraine.

²Lisichansk Regional Hospital, Lisichansk, Ukraine.

³Ekomed LLC, Kiev, Ukraine.

⁴Luhansk Regional AIDS Center and Luhansk State Medical University, Luhansk, Ukraine.

Accepted 04 January, 2019

Abstract

Open label trial of anti-tuberculosis therapy (ATT) combined with oral immunomodulators derived from medicinal plants, Dzherelo, Svitanok, and Lizorm, was conducted in a representative group of 14 Ukrainian patients, half of whom (7) were dually infected with HIV. Among them 9 individuals had multidrug-resistant form of TB (MDR-TB) including 2 (22%) patients who presented with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR -TB). Patients hospitalized in our TB dispensary were treated under directly observed therapy (DOT) until they became culture negative and their radiological and clinical symptoms improved. All patients, except one, gained weight, ranging between 3-17 kg with median gain of 9 kg (P=0.0002) . The liver function tests revealed that the level of total bilirubin had decreased from 15.5 to 12 mol/L – an improvement that was statistically significant (P=0.03). Alanine transaminase (ALT), another marker of hepatic damage, declined from abnormally high 55.4 IU/L to a normal 38.2 IU/L level (P=0.03) . The median time to bacterial clearance was 32 days. The mean duration of therapy was 3.9 months - shorter than average 12 months time needed to treat drug- resistant TB. These findings indicate that the combination of Ekomed’s phytopreparations with ATT enhances the efficacy of TB therapy and is safe and beneficial even to patients with poor prognosis due to drug resistance and/or co-infection with HIV.

Keywords: MDR-TB, XDR-TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, HIV, herbal, phytotherapy.

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 8 (2), pp. 001-004, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Embriofetotoxic effect and offspring postnatal development exposed to hydroalcoholic fraction extract of Cissus sicyoides L. during wistar rats pregnancy

E. R. Almeida¹*, J. R. G. Oliveira¹, F. R S Lucena¹, C. V. N. S. Silva¹, R. P. F. Soares², J. B. Cavalcanti² and G. B. L. Couto²

¹Laboratory of Evaluation of Psychobioactive Drugs and its Toxicology of Department of Antibiotics.

²Department of Odontology, Federal University of Pernambuco, University Campus CEP 5067901. Recife Pernambuco, Brazil.

Accepted 09 November, 2018

Abstract

Cissus sicyoides L (Verbaceae) is popularly known by its antidiabetic action. The hydroalcoholic extract effect in pregnant rats and its offspring was evaluated through the following parameters: gestation duration, number of younglings for hatch, maternal weight gain, postural reflex, and day of eye’s opening and day of adult gait. The results suggest that the CS does not exert any effect on the fertility index. However, all doses (300, 600 and 1000 mg/ kg, i.p.) had promoted alteration in the postural reflex, but did not have alteration over the eye opening parameter, as well as, in the adult gait, which is an important phase of neurological development for offspring. CS did not modify the maternal body©s temperature and animals’ ambulation had no alteration in all periods. The CS promoted malformations in foetuses such as abdominal organs outside cavity, sindactly and absence of tail.

Key words: Cissus sicyoides L, embryotoxicity, offspring, wistar rats.