@article {319, title = {Antiarthritic Potential of Aqueous and Ethanolic Fruit Extracts of {\textquotedblleft}Momordica charantia{\textquotedblright} Using Different Screening Models}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {10}, year = {2018}, month = {July 2018}, pages = {258-264}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {258}, abstract = {

Background: Momordica charantia (Cucurbitaceae) is a plant, reported for its variety of ethnic medicinal uses and widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Objective: The present work has been planned to screen antiarthritic activity of fruit of the plant with the ethanolic and aqueous extracts. Materials and Methods: Fruit powder was successively extracted with ethanol (95\%) and water using soxhlet extraction and subjected to phytochemical screening to identify different phytoconstituents. Ld50 studies for both (ethanolic and aqueous) extracts were conducted up to the dose level of 2 g/kg by following OECD up and down method of guidelines No. 425. Antiarthritic activity was performed using formaldehyde, Freund{\textquoteright}s adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats, and Collagen-induced arthritis model in mice. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Dunnett{\textquoteright}s t-test. P \< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Preliminary phytochemical studies revealed the presence of saponins, sterols, mucilage, glycosides, alkaloids, steroidal saponins in both the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of M. charantia. No mortality was observed with aqueous and ethanolic extracts up to the maximum dose level of 2 g/kg. In Formaldehyde induced arthritis model the percentage reduction in paw volume was 30.69\% and 42.81\% for aqueous extract whereas for ethanolic extract it was 25.23\% and 39.5\%. In Freund{\textquoteright}s adjuvant model, the percentage of reduction in paw volume was 56.1\% and 66.51\% for ethanolic extract and 52.6\% and 63.83\% for aqueous extract, respectively. In collagen-induced arthritis models, the arthritis index was found 6.02 and 3.68 for ethanolic extract at medium and high dosage. The arthritis index of aqueous extract was found 5.66 and 4.03 at medium and high dosage. Conclusion: From the present experimental findings of both pharmacological and biochemical parameters observed from the current investigation, it is concluded that at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg aqueous extract of M. charantia possesses potentially useful anti-arthritic activity since it gives a positive result in controlling inflammation in adjuvant-induced arthritic and collagen-induced arthritis model in rats and mice

}, keywords = {Anti-arthritic, Collagen, Formaldehyde, Freund{\textquoteright}s adjuvant, Momordica. charantia}, doi = {10.4103/pr.pr_5_18}, author = {Venu Kola and Prasenjit Mondal and Manish Kumar Thimmaraju and Sumanta Mondal and Nimma Venkat Rao} } @article {425, title = {Evaluation of Toxicological, Diuretic, and Laxative Properties of Ethanol Extract from Macrothelypteris Torresiana (Gaudich) Aerial Parts with In silico Docking Studies of Polyphenolic Compounds on Carbonic Anhydrase II: An Enzyme Target for Diuretic Acti}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {10}, year = {2018}, month = {October 2018}, pages = {408-416}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {408}, abstract = {

Background: Macrothelypteris torresiana (Gaudich) is a species of fern having a wide range of reputed medicinal properties for the treatment of inflammation, fever, renal failure, stomach problems, etc. Objective: The present investigation focused on the evaluation of toxicity profile and diuretic and laxative activities of ethanol extract from M. torresiana aerial parts (EEMTAP), with in silico docking studies of polyphenolic compounds on carbonic anhydrase (CA)-II, an enzyme target for diuretic activity. Materials and Methods: Acute and subacute toxicity was performed according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines. EEMTAP at doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg, p.o., employed for the assessment of diuretic and laxative activities with loperamide-induced constipation in Wistar albino rats. Furosemide (10 mg/kg, p.o.), agar-agar (300 mg/kg, p.o.), and sodium picosulfate (5 mg/kg, p.o) were used as reference standards, respectively, for activity comparison. During saluretic activity study, total urine volume, body weight before and after the experiment, and urinary levels of Na+, K+ (by flame photometry), and Cl- (by titrimetry) were estimated. Polyphenolic compounds such as caffeic acid and quercetin were successfully detected through chromatographic method of EEMTAP, and to rationalize the results obtained in diuretic activities, we carried out docking studies of the natural phenolic compounds against CA-II enzyme co-complexed with furosemide (Protein Data Bank ID: 1Z9Y CA-II in complex with furosemide as sulfonamide inhibitor). Results: In acute toxicity study, no mortality was observed at 2000 mg/kg, p.o., and in subacute toxicity study, the extract-treated group did not show any significant changes in body weight and organ weights. The hematological and biochemical parameters did not show any significant changes in the sample-treated groups when compared with the control group animals. The laxative activity of the extract was found to be in a dose-dependent increase in fecal output of rats at selected dose levels; similarly, EEMTAP significantly increased the urinary output as well as urinary electrolyte concentration in a dose-dependent manner. The molecular docking studies of phenolic compounds (caffeic acid and quercetin) into the binding site of CA II enzyme reveals that these analogues are having more favourable interaction when compared to the furosemide with better docking scores and hydrogen bonding interactions. Conclusion: The result demonstrated that the EEMTAP possesses a reasonable safety profile and shows promising diuretic and laxative activities in a dose-dependent manner.

}, keywords = {Diuretic, in silico docking studies, Laxative, Macrothelypteris torresiana, Toxicity}, doi = {10.4103/pr.pr_16_18}, author = {Sumanta Mondal and Naresh Panigrahi and Purab Sancheti and Ruchi Tirkey and Prasenjit Mondal and Sara Almas and Venu Kola} }