Inflammation, although first characterized by Cornelius Celsus, a physician in first Century Rome, it was Rudolf Virchow, a German physician in nineteenth century who suggested a link between inflammation and cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, neurological diseases and other chronic diseases. Extensive research within last three decades has confirmed these observations and identified the molecular basis for most chronic diseases and for the associated inflammation. The transcription factor, Nuclear Factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) that controls over 500 different gene products, has emerged as major mediator of inflammation. Thus agents that can inhibit NF-kappaB and diminish chronic inflammation have potential to prevent or delay the onset of the chronic diseases and further even treat them. In an attempt to identify novel anti-inflammatory agents which are safe and effective, in contrast to high throughput screen, we have turned to "reverse pharmacology" or "bed to benchside" approach. We found that Ayurveda, a science of long life, almost 6,000 years old, can serve as a "goldmine" for novel anti-inflammatory agents used for centuries to treat chronic diseases. The current review is an attempt to provide description of various Ayurvedic plants currently used for treatment, their active chemical components, and the inflammatory pathways that they inhibit.

Identification of Novel Anti-inflammatory Agents from Ayurvedic Medicine for Prevention of Chronic Diseases: “Reverse Pharmacology” and “Bedside to Bench” Approach

This booklet aims at giving what is necessary for understanding and undertaking chemical analysis for clinical purposes of materials for the body. Many of the included items (such as, under urine, Rothera's test and Gerhardt's test for ' acetoneand tests for albumen and bile pigment) are not really analyses but qualitative tests. Faults characteristic of hasty proof reading are noticeable. There is an ineonsistency in regarding quantities as singular or plural : ' Five mil. of Benedict's

Micro-analysis in medical biochemistry

Medicinal plants in Brazil: Pharmacological studies, drug discovery, challenges and perspectives.

Natural products with medicinal value are gradually gaining importance in clinical research due to their well-known property of no side effects as compared to drugs. Tinospora cordifolia commonly named as "Guduchi" is known for its immense application in the treatment of various diseases in the traditional ayurvedic literature. Recently the discovery of active components from the plant and their biological function in disease control has led to active interest in the plant across the globe. Our present study in this review encompasses (i) the genetic diversity of the plant and (ii) active components isolated from the plant and their biological role in disease targeting. The future scope of the review remains in exploiting the biochemical and signaling pathways affected by the compounds isolated from Tinospora so as to enable new and effective formulation in disease eradication.

Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles

Cancers of the colon are most common in the Western world. In majority of these cases, there is no familial history and sporadic gene damage seems to play an important role in the development of tumors in the colon. Studies have shown that environmental factors, especially diet, play an important role in susceptibility to gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers. Consequently, environmental chemicals that contaminate food or diet during preparation become important in the development of GI cancers. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one such family of ubiquitous environmental toxicants. These pollutants enter the human body through consumption of contaminated food, drinking water, inhalation of cigarette smoke, automobile exhausts, and contaminated air from occupational settings. Among these pathways, dietary intake of PAHs constitutes a major source of exposure in humans. Although many reviews and books on PAHs and their ability to cause toxicity and breast or lung cancer have been published, aspects on contribution of diet, smoking and other factors toward development of digestive tract cancers, and strategies to assess risk from exposure to PAHs have received much less attention. This review, therefore, focuses on dietary intake of PAHs in humans, animal models, and cell cultures used for GI cancer studies along with epidemiological findings. Bioavailability and biotransformation processes, which influence the disposition of PAHs in body and the underlying causative mechanisms of GI cancers, are also discussed. The existing data gaps and scope for future studies is also emphasized. This information is expected to stimulate research on mechanisms of sporadic GI cancers caused by exposure to environmental carcinogens.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Digestive Tract Cancers: A Perspective

The primary objective of this investigation is to determine the deleterious effects of sub lethal gamma radiation on testes and their possible inhibition by Tinospora cordifolia extract (TCE). For this purpose, one group of male Swiss albino mice was exposed to 7.5 Gy gamma radiation to serve as the irradiated control, while the other group received TCE (75 mg/kg b. wt./day) orally for 5 consecutive days half an hr before irradiation to serve as experimental. Exposure of animals to 7.5 Gy gamma radiation resulted into significant decrease in body weight, tissue weight, testes- body weight ratio and tubular diameter up to 15 days of irradiation. Cent percent mortality was recorded by day 17th in irradiated control, whereas all animals survived in experimental group. TCE pretreatment rendered significant increase in body weight, tissue weight, testes- body weight ratio and tubular diameter at various intervals as compared to irradiated group. Radiation induced histological lesions in testicular architecture were observed more severe in irradiated control then the experimental. TCE administration before irradiation significantly ameliorated radiation induced elevation in lipid peroxidation and decline in glutathione concentration in testes. These observations indicate the radio- protective potential of Tinospora cordifolia root extract in testicular constituents against gamma irradiation in mice.

/pdf/radiation-induced-testicular-injury-and-its-amelioration-by-26osyaj4fw.pdf

Radiation-Induced Testicular Injury and Its Amelioration by Tinospora cordifolia (An Indian Medicinal Plant) Extract

Syzygium cummini extract (SCE) was used in the present study to explore anti-tumor promoting activity in a stomach carcinogenesis model in mice. For this purpose, Swiss albino mice were administered with 1 mg of benzo-a-pyrene (BaP) in 100μl sesame oil by oral gavage twice a week for 4 consecutive weeks. The animals were sacrificed 14 weeks after the last administration of BaP. Oral administration of the extract to pre-treated (i.e. SCE as 25mg/kg b. wt./ day before BaP application for 2 weeks), post-treated (i.e. SCE after BaP application for 8 weeks) and pre-post treated (i.e. SCE for 2 weeks before treatment of BaP followed by the concomitant treatment with SCE and BaP for 4 weeks during & 2 weeks after the last dose of BaP) groups provided a significant reduction in tumor incidence, tumor burden and cumulative number of gastric carcinomas along with a significant elevation of phase II detoxifying enzymes, and inhibition of lipid per oxidation in the stomach. Thus, the present data suggest that the Syzygium cummini extract has anti-tumor and anti-oxidative potential against chemical induced stomach carcinogenesis.

Evaluation of anti-cancer and anti-oxidative potential of Syzygium Cumini against benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) induced gastric carcinogenesis in mice.

Chemoprevention is an important strategy to control the process of carcinogenesis. The potential of using medicinal herbs as cancer chemopreventive nutraceuticals and functional food is promising. Thus, there is a need for exploring drugs/agents which act as chemopreventive agents. Phyllanthus niruri is a well known medicinal plant which has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as hepatoprotective, antiviral, antibacterial, analgesic, antispasmodic and antidiabetic. The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-tumor activity of a hydro-alcoholic extract of the whole plant, in 7-9 week old male Swiss albino mice, on the two stage process of skin carcinogenesis induced by a single topical application of 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a)anthracene (100 microg/100 microl acetone) and two weeks later promoted by repeated application of croton oil (1% in acetone/three times a week) till the end of experiment (16 weeks). The oral administration of P. niruri at a dose of 1000 mg/kg/b.wt. at peri- (i.e. 7 days before and 7 days after DMBA application) and post- (i.e. starting from the croton oil application) initiational phase of papillomagenesis caused significant reduction in tumor incidence, tumor yield, tumor burden and cumulative number of papillomas as compared to carcinogen-treated controls. Furthermore, the average latent period was significantly increased in the PNE treated group. The results thus suggest that P. niruri extract exhibits significant anti-tumor activity, which supports the traditional medicinal utilization of this plant.

Anti-tumor activity of Phyllanthus niruri (a medicinal plant) on chemical-induced skin carcinogenesis in mice.

Syzygium cumini L. is widely used for the treatment of diabetes in various parts of India. The protective efficacy of S. cumini seed extract (SCE) against peroxidative damage contributing to skin carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice was tested in the present study. A single topical application of 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (100 microg/100 microl acetone), followed 2 weeks later by repeated application of croton oil (1% in acetone three times a week) and continued till the end of the experiment (i.e., 16 weeks) caused a 100% tumor incidence. In contrast, mice treated with the SCE (125 mg/ kg/ b.wt./ animal /day) in either the peri (i.e. 7 days before and 7 days after the application of DMBA) or post-initiation (i.e. from the day of start of croton oil treatment and continued till the end of the experiment) phases demonstrated significant reduction in cumulative numbers of papillomas and tumor incidence (75%). The average latency period in the SCE treated group was also significantly increased (Pre Group - 11.1 weeks; Post Group - 10.9 weeks) as compared with the carcinogen control group (7.9). Results from the present study indicate that the anticarcinogenic activity of SCE during DMBA-induced skin papillomagenesis is mediated through alteration of antioxidant status. Thus, SCE can be considered as a readily accessible, promising novel cancer chemopreventive agent.

Chemopreventive Action of Syzygium cumini on DMBA - induced Skin Papillomagenesis in Mice

Background This study was carried out to observe the radioprotective effect of Panax ginseng root extract (PGE) against radiation-induced hematological and biochemical alterations in blood and liver of mice Materials and methods Adult Swiss albino mice were exposed to 6 Gy gamma radiation in the presence (experimental) or absence (control) of PGE to study the quantitative and qualitative alterations in the blood and liver Results Radiation exposure resulted in a significant decline (P < 001) in erythrocyte count, hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct) in peripheral blood Maximum changes in all the parameters were observed on day 3 after irradiation In contrast, PGE-pretreated irradiated animals showed a significant increase in erythrocyte, Hct, and Hb values compared with irradiated controls Furthermore, a significant elevation in lipid peroxidation level over normal was recorded in irradiated control mice, whereas this increase was considerably lesser in PGE pretreated animals Likewise, pretreatment with PGE caused a significant increase in glutathione levels in serum as well as in liver in comparison to irradiated controls Conclusion From this study, it is clearly evident that PGE provides protection against radiation-induced hematological and biochemical alterations in Swiss albino mice

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1534735410375098

Preeti Verma

Papers

Radiation-Induced Testicular Injury and Its Amelioration by Tinospora cordifolia (An Indian Medicinal Plant) Extract

Evaluation of anti-cancer and anti-oxidative potential of Syzygium Cumini against benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) induced gastric carcinogenesis in mice.

Anti-tumor activity of Phyllanthus niruri (a medicinal plant) on chemical-induced skin carcinogenesis in mice.

Chemopreventive Action of Syzygium cumini on DMBA - induced Skin Papillomagenesis in Mice

Amelioration of radiation-induced hematological and biochemical alterations in Swiss albino mice by Panax ginseng extract.