S. Govindarajan

Bio: S. Govindarajan is an academic researcher from VIT University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Aloe vera & Zonulin. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 5 publications receiving 11 citations.

Carbohydrate fraction of Aloe vera ameliorates inflammation through suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress in vitro and rats with Freund’s adjuvant induced paw edema

Abstract: Aloe vera (L.) Burm. F (Asphodelaceae) is a traditional medicinal plant having multiple biological activities such as wound healing, anticancer and antidiabetic activity, etc. These properties have been attributed to the constituents present in Aloe vera . One of the major constituents is carbohydrate, which has not been explored much for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Here, we evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of carbohydrate fraction (CF) of Aloe vera extract using in vitro and in vivo model for its therapeutic application in the treatment of inflammation. CF extract was prepared using hot water extraction followed by ethanolic precipitation. The CF extract was tested for free radical scavenging assays, lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells in vitro and in vivo by Freund’s adjuvant induced rat paw edema model. The free radical scavenging activity of CF extract significantly increased in a concentration-dependent manner with maximum inhibition observed at the concentration of 2 mg/mL. CF extract (20 and 60 µg/mL) showed their maximum cell viability in RAW264.7 cells by MTT assay. CF extract shows a considerable decrease of inflammatory mediators in both in vitro and as well as in vivo studies. The increase of superoxide dismutase and catalase levels in CF treated adjuvant induced rats decreases ROS/RNS levels and inflammatory mediators. It may be primarily activated by NF-κB and AP-1 indicating its potent antioxidant activity that promotes modulation in cellular redox state. The results suggest that carbohydrate fraction of Aloe vera could be useful for the management of oxidative stress and inflammatory diseases.

In Vivo Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Diabetic Screening of Bacopa monnieri-Synthesized Copper Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract: In this work, an ecofriendly approach for biogenic production of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) was proposed by utilizing the Bacopa monnieri leaf extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesis of CuO-NPs was instantly confirmed by a shift in the color of the copper solution from blue to dark gray. The use of UV–visible spectroscopy revealed a strong narrow peak at 535 nm, confirming the existence of monoclinic-shaped nanoparticles. The average size of CuO-NPs was 34.4 nm, according to scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies. The pristine crystalline nature of CuO-NPs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The monoclinic form of CuO-NPs with a crystallite size of 22 nm was determined by the sharp narrow peaks corresponding to 273, 541, 698, 684, and 366 Bragg’s planes at different 2θ values. The presence of different reducing metabolites on the surface of CuO was shown by Fourier transform infrared analysis. The biological efficacy of CuO-NPs was tested against Helicobacter felis, Helicobacter suis, Helicobacter salomonis. and Helicobacter bizzozeronii. H. suis was the most susceptible strain with an inhibition zone of 15.84 ± 0.89 mm at 5 mg/mL of NPs, while the most tolerant strain was H. bizzozeronii with a 13.11 ± 0.83 mm of inhibition zone. In in vivo analgesic activity, CuO-NPs showed superior efficiency compared to controls. The maximum latency time observed was 7.14 ± 0.12 s at a dose level of 400 mg/kg after 90 min, followed by 5.21 ± 0.29 s at 400 mg/kg after 60 min, demonstrating 65 and 61% of analgesia, respectively. Diclofenac sodium was used as a standard with a latency time of 8.6 ± 0.23 s. The results observed in the rat paw edema assays showed a significant inhibitory activity of the plant-mediated CuO-NPs. The percentage inhibition of edema was 74% after 48 h for the group treated with CuO-NPs compared to the control group treated with diclofenac (100 mg/kg) with 24% edema inhibition. The solution of CuO-NPs produced 82% inhibition of edema after 21 days when compared with that of the standard drug diclofenac (73%). CuO-NPs vividly lowered glucose levels in STZ-induced diabetic mice, according to our findings. Blood glucose levels were reduced by about 33.66 and 32.19% in CuO-NP and (CuO-NP + insulin) groups of mice, respectively. From the abovementioned calculations, we can easily conclude that B. monnieri-synthesized CuO-NPs will be a potential antibacterial, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory agent on in vivo and in vitro basis.