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.

The effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Withania somnifera root, Withania coagulans fruit and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol on immune response and small intestinal morphology of broiler chickens

Abstract: This study was performed to evaluate the effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Withania somnifera (WS) root, Withania coagulans (WC) fruit, and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25(OH)2D3] on immune response and small intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 550 male one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly allotted to 55 pens, with 10 birds per pen (replicate), and reared for 42 days. Broiler chickens were fed 11 dietary treatments including a positive control diet with adequate Ca; a negative control diet (Ca concentration reduced by 30%); and the negative control diet supplemented with either WS or WC extracts at three levels (0, 75, and 150 mg/kg diet) or 1,25(OH)2D3 at two different levels (0 and 0.5 μg/kg diet). Antibody response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was measured on days 32 and 39. Administration of 150 mg/kg WS and WC significantly increased the production of IgG specific to SRBC on primary and secondary antibody response, respectively. Birds given a n...

Metabolomic Profiling and Immunomodulatory Activity of a Polyherbal Combination in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressed Mice

Abstract: The study was aimed to develop a characterized polyherbal combination as an immunomodulator containing Phyllanthus emblica L., Piper nigrum L., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, and Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. Through response surface methodology (RSM), the ratio of aqueous extracts of four plant materials was optimized and comprised 49.76% of P. emblica, 1.35% of P. nigrum, 5.41% of W. somnifera, and 43.43% of T. cordifolia for optimum immunomodulatory activity. The optimized combination showed antioxidant potential and contains more than 180 metabolites, out of which gallic acid, quercetin, ellagic acid, caffeic acid, kaempferitrin, and p-coumaric acid are some common and significant metabolites found in plant extracts and in polyherbal combination. Treatment with the polyherbal combination of different doses in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced the subsets of immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells (60%), B cells (18%), CD4 cells (14%), and CD8 cells (7%). The characterized polyherbal combination exhibited potent immunomodulatory activity, which can be further explored clinically for its therapeutic applicability.

(Short Communication NS-3) STUDIES ON EFFECT OF ROOT EXTRACTS OF Withania somnifera ON SOME CLINICALLY ISOLATED BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

Abstract: Withania somnifera commonly called as Ashwagandha is the major Indian medicinal plant used in Ayurveda. The present study evaluates the antibacterial activity of ethanolic, chloroform and aqueous extracts of Withania somnifera roots against three clinically isolated bacterial pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Shigella dysenteriae causing infections in human beings. The study revealed that the crude ethanol root extract was more effective in inhibiting pathogens as compared to chloroform and aqueous root extracts as determined by agar diffusion method using respective solvents as negative controls. The results obtained in the study indicates that the ethanol extract of Withania somnifera roots might be exploited as natural drug for the treatment of several infectious diseases caused by these pathogens.