Withania somnifera

About: Withania somnifera is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2116 publications have been published within this topic receiving 43404 citations. The topic is also known as: Ashwaganda & Indian ginseng.

Preliminary Phytochemical Screening, in vitro Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Evaluation of Withania somnifera Dunal

Abstract: Withania somnifera is commonly used as a folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The present investigation intended with various phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and antioxidant studies were carried out on the fruits of the Withania somnifera. Preliminary phytochemical evaluation of the crude extract and various fractions revealed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, saponins, tannins, reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides and coumarins. The in vivo antimicrobial activity of crude extract and fractions of W. somnifera were investigated. The crude extract and fractions exhibited antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial strain, with zone of inhabitation (14, 12 and 10 mm) respectively at the tested concentration of (22 mg/ml). All fractions were also evaluated for antioxidant activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Among them, ethyl acetate fraction and methanolic extract showed significance scavenging activity. The present studies so far indicated that W. somnifera could prove to be a good natural source of a potent antimicrobial and antioxidant agent.

Cytological, genetical and phytochemically stable meta-Topolin (mT) - induced mass propagation of underutilized Physalis minima L. for production of withaferin A

Abstract: Physalis minima L. is commonly known as wild Gooseberry. Traditionally this plant has been used in different ethnopharmacological and modern medicinal practices. No systematic evaluation is done from an underutilized alternative resource of withaferin A content from P. minima. Withaferin A is a steroidal lactone withanolide mainly found in the plant Withania somnifera and other few members of family Solanaceae. The present investigation evaluated withaferin A content from 30 chemotypes collected from different geographical regions in India. Among 30 different chemotypes, an elite clone (17.13 ± 0.31 mg/g dry weight (DW) withaferin A) was selected for in vitro shoot multiplication. Well-organized micropropagation has been studied using five different cytokinins in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Among them, aromatic cytokinin “meta-Topolin” (mT) at 1.0 mg/l triggered the highest number (83.26 ± 1.02) of multiple shoots and shoot length (4.87 ± 0.69) after 28 days of explant implantation. Maximum root induction was showed in ½ MS medium with 0.5 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) to trigger 75.65 ± 1.03 roots and root length 4.56 ± 0.25 cm after 14 days of culture. In vitro well-rooted plantlets were excised for hardening and show; 99.02% survival rate. Genetic stability of micropropagated plants were performed with cytological and molecular marker-based selection. Simultaneously, phytochemical stability was performed with HPLC (High performance liquid chromatography) analysis. In our experiment no significant difference showed between the mother plant and micropropagated plants. Thus, our protocol can be used for large-scale commercial cultivation of elite chemotype of this medicinal plant.

Molecular identification of three isolates of Jatropha mosaic India virus associated with mosaic disease of Withania somnifera in India.

Abstract: The association of begomovirus with mosaic disease of Withania somnifera was detected at three locations in India by PCR using begomovirus-specific degenerate primers. The resulting amplicons of ∼1.2 kb from three locations (Aligarh, Lucknow and Hindaun City) were sequenced. The begomovirus isolates of three locations shared 96–97% identities among them and 91% identities with Jatropha mosaic India virus (JMIV). Based on highest sequence identities and close phylogenetic relationships with JMIV, these begomovirus isolates associated with mosaic disease of W. somnifera were identified as isolates of JMIV.

Ameliorative effects of four herbs (Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Azadirachta indica and E care Se herbal) on the pathogenesis of chicken infectious anaemia virus

Abstract: The present study was conducted to assess the ameliorative effect of four herbal preparations namely Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Azadirachta indica and E Care Se Herbal on the pathogenesis of chicken infectious anaemia virus (CIAV) in chicks. Ninety day old specific pathogenic free (SPF) chicks were randomly divided into six groups (A to F) in which the first four groups were fed with W. somnifera (1% pure extract), T. cordifolia (1% pure extract), A. indica (0.2% pure extract) and E Care Se Herbal (0.1% in drinking water), respectively, from the first day. Groups E and F were treated as positive and negative controls respectively. Groups A to E were intra-muscularly on 14th day of age with 40 times of 50% chicken infectious dose (CID50) of CIAV A strain. Chicks of each group were sacrificed on 14 day post infection (DPI), the lymphoid organs collected and ameliorative effects of the four herbal preparations were evaluated by assessing the degree of gross and histopathological changes. The chicks of all the herbal treatment groups showed ameliorative effects as revealed by reduced pathological lesions and changes when compared with the positive virus control group. The herbal preparations evaluated in this study can be recommended for immunomodulatory, prophylactic and therapeutic purposes against CIAV induced immunosuppression so as to reduce mortality and secondary infections associated with this virus.