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.

Immunomodulatory Effect of Withania Somnifera in Broilers Treated with High Doses of Enrofloxacin

Abstract: The effect of supplementation of Withania somnifera extract on immunomodulatory response in broilers treated with high doses of enrofloxacin in poultry was investigated. Ninety day old broiler chicks of either sex were randomly divided into nine groups of 10 each. Enrofloxacin was administered at 30 and 40 mg/kg orally for seven days during the third week and W. somnifera crude extract was added in the feed at 1 and 2 % from second week onwards and the effect of their combinations was evaluated. The results of the study revealed that enrofloxacin treatment produced highly significant reduction in serum total protein, albumin and globulin and numerical decrease in HI titre against Newcastle vaccine. The groups treated with W. somnifera alone did not differ significantly from the control in all above parameters. Dose dependent increase in all the parameters were noticed in the combination groups which clearly supports the immunoprotective effect of W. somnifera .

Establishment of adventitious root culture from cell suspensions of withania somnifera (l.) dunal: an in vitro approach for production of withanolides

Abstract: Withanolides are a group of naturally occurring steroidal lactones present in roots and leaves of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal. Withanolides possesses a wide range of pharmacological activities including anticancer to treat various neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. In recent years, several pharmacological studies have been conducted to utilize W. somnifera and several patents have been filed on the therapeutic values of withanolides. Under natural conditions, W. somnifera possesses low levels of withanolides and in vitro culture techniques along with metabolic engineering could be an attractive tool for solving this problem. In the present study, we have induced adventitious roots from cell suspension culture of W. somnifera for the production of withanolides. Half strength MS liquid medium containing 0.5 mg l -1 IBA in combination with 0.25 mg l -1 IAA showed higher production of adventitious roots from cell suspension culture after 4 weeks. Dark condition and 3 % sucrose favored biomass productivity. The outcome of the present study shows great potential of adventitious root culture for large scale production of withanolides.