Plants have served either as a natural templates for the development of new chemicals or a phytomedicine since antiquity. Therefore, the present study was aimed to appraise the polarity directed antioxidant, cytotoxic, protein kinase inhibitory, antileishmanial and glucose modulatory attributes of a Himalayan medicinal plant- Quercus dilatata. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined colorimetrically and various polyphenols were identified by RP-HPLC analysis. Brine shrimp lethality, SRB and MTT assays were employed to test cytotoxicity against Artemia salina and human cancer cell lines respectively. Antileishmanial activity was determined using standard MTT protocol. Glucose modulation was assessed by α-amylase inhibition assay while disc diffusion assay was used to establish protein kinase inhibitory and antifungal spectrum. Among 14 extracts of aerial parts, distilled water-acetone extract demonstrated maximum extract recovery (10.52% w/w), phenolic content (21.37 ± 0.21 μg GAE/mg dry weight (DW)), total antioxidant capacity (4.81 ± 0.98 μg AAE/mg DW) and reducing power potential (20.03 ± 2.4 μg/mg DW). On the other hand, Distilled water extract proficiently extracted flavonoid content (4.78 ± 0.51 μg QE/mg DW). RP-HPLC analysis revealed the presence of significant amounts of phenolic metabolites (0.049 to 15.336 μg/mg extract) including, pyrocatechol, gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and quercetin. Highest free radical scavenging capacity was found in Methanol-Ethyl acetate extract (IC50 8.1 ± 0.5 μg/ml). In the brine shrimp toxicity assay, most of the tested extracts (57%) showed high cytotoxicity. Among these, Chloroform-Methanol extract had highest cytotoxicity against THP-1 cell line (IC50 3.88 ± 0.53 μg/ml). About 50% of the extracts were found to be moderately antiproliferative against Hep G2 cell line. Methanol extract exhibited considerable protein kinase inhibitory activity against Streptomyces 85E strain (28 ± 0.35 mm bald phenotype at 100 μg/disc; MIC = 12.5 μg/ disc) while, Chloroform extract displayed maximum antidiabetic activity (α-amylase inhibition of 21.61 ± 1.53% at 200 μg/ml concentration). The highest antileishmanial potential was found in Ethyl acetate-Acetone extract (12.91 ± 0.02% at 100 μg/ml concentration), while, Q. dilatata extracts also showed a moderate antifungal activity. This study proposes that multiple-solvent system is a crucial variable to elucidate pharmacological potential of Q. dilatata and the results of the present findings prospects its potential as a resource for the discovery of novel anticancer, antidiabetic, antileishmanial and antioxidant agents.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12906-017-1894-x.pdf

Polarity directed optimization of phytochemical and in vitro biological potential of an indigenous folklore: Quercus dilatata Lindl. ex Royle

The aim of this study was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey of North Western Punjab to identify medicinal plants traditionally used to treat skin infections and to determine their antimicrobial potential against skin-infecting pathogens. Methanolic extracts of selected plants were screened against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans using the well diffusion method. Some plants are traditionally used in combination with other plants and chemicals like vinegar and olive oil. Therefore, antimicrobial screening was also done for these combinations in different proportions. Results showed that out of 12 studied plants, six showed inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Azadirachta indica and Mentha arvensis showed high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with similar minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 2.5 and 5mg/ml, respectively. Azadirachta indica, Cassia angustifolia, Phoenix dactylifera and Lawsonia inermis were found to be effective against the fungus Candida albicans, with MIC values of 0.625, 1.25, 0.625, 0.625 mg/ml and MBC values of 1.25, 2.5, 1.25 and 1.25 mg/ml, respectively. None of the plants showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results of the combination experiment demonstrated that antimicrobial activity exhibited by combinations of plant extracts and chemicals was imparted by chemicals like vinegar.

Screening of indigenous knowledge of herbal remedies for skin diseases among local communities of north west punjab, pakistan

Study of the antimicrobial potentials of Allium cepa revealed that all the extracts from both fresh and old samples showed different ranges of antimicrobial activities. Ethyl acetate fraction showed inhibitory activities against all the 8 microbes tested including bacteria and a fungus. Chloroform followed by butanol fraction also inhibited the activity of all the microbes except Pseudomonas aeruginosa which was highly resistant. Petroleum ether fraction was effective at both lower and higher concentration. Ethanol and water sub-fractions were found least effective or ineffective. Among gram positive microbes, Bacillus subtilus was the most susceptible bacteria inhibited by all extracts while the most resistant gram positive bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus. Erwinia caratovora and Klebsella pneumonia were the most susceptible gram negative bacteria while Pseudomonas aeurginosa and Salmonella typhi were the most resistant bacteria.

Antimicrobial potentials of fresh allium cepa against gram positive and gram negative bacteria and fungi

Traditional plant based medicines used to treat musculoskeletal disorders in Northern Pakistan

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Survey of medicinal plants currently used by herbalists in Lebanon

Ethnobotany provides a scientific rationale to identify medicinally important plant species, especially for finding new drugs that play vital role in the treatment of different diseases. This ethnobotanical survey of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was carried out to identify medicinally important plant species that are traditionally used to treat gynecological disorders and infectious diseases, and to study their antimicrobial potential against pathogens that cause infections in females. The antimicrobial activities were investigated using the well diffusion method against four different bacterial strains and one fungal strain. Results showed that out of 12 plants studied, seven plants exhibited inhibitory effects against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Woodfordia fruticosa, Quercus dilatata, Erythrina variegata, Ficus religiosa and Berberis lycium showed high antifungal activity against C. albicans with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2.5, 1.25, 0.625, 1.25, 0.3125 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 5, 2.5, 1.25, 2.5, 0.625 mg/ml, respectively. Both Woodfordia fruticosa and Quercus dilatata showed antimicrobial potential against E. coli and K. pneumoniae with similar MIC values of 2.5 mg/ml and MBC values of 5 mg/ml. Plants exhibiting inhibitory potential against S. aureus were Woodfordia fruticosa, Quercus dilatata, Azadirachta indica and Curcuma longa and all of them possessed similar MIC values of 5 mg/ml and MBC values of 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. None of the plants showed antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Proximate analysis showed that in comparative assessment of the various species, Zanthoxylum alatum had the highest fat and energy values.

A. Sarwat

Papers

Screening of potential medicinal plants from district sawat specific for controlling women diseases