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.

Unveiling the effect of Withania somnifera on neuronal cytoarchitecture and synaptogenesis: A combined in vitro and network pharmacology approach

Abstract: Withania somnifera (WS), is known for its remarkable contribution in herbal medicine and Ayurveda, which is therapeutically applied to improve memory and anxiety in patients. However, the pharmacological details of this plant on memory boosting yet remained undefined. This study provides mechanistic insights on the effect of ethanol solution extract of the whole plant of WS (WSEE) on neuritogenesis by combining in vitro and in silico network pharmacology approaches. WSEE promoted significant neuronal growth through early differentiation, axodendritic arborization, and synaptogenesis on primary hippocampal neurons. The network pharmacological study confirmed that the neuritogenic activity is potentially mediated by modulating the neurotrophin signaling pathway, where NRTK1 (TrkA) was revealed as the primary target of WS secondary metabolites. This neurotrophic activity of WSEE was significantly stifled by the presence of TrkA inhibitor, which further confirms the TrkA‐dependent activity of WSEE. In addition, a molecular docking study suggested steroidal lactones present in the WS might act as nerve growth factor (NGF)‐mimetics, activating TrkA by binding to the NGF‐binding domain. As a whole, the findings of the study suggest a significant role of WSEE on neuritogenesis and its potential to function as a therapeutic agent and in drug designing for the prevention and treatment of memory‐related neurological disorders.

An Attempt to Develop Antibacterial Fabric for Foodborne Bacteria

Abstract: A dishcloth made up of cotton was taken in this research. The dishcloth was treated with a safe natural antibacterial agent, “Withania somnifera” (Ashwagandha). This applied finish is to overcome the growth of bacteria on cloth in vegetarian and nonvegetarian Indian kitchen environments, which would in turn prevent the diseases caused by them. The dishcloth exposed to the kitchen place supports extensively in the multiplication growth of foodborne bacteria genuses, namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus species, Enterococcus species, and Streptococcus species. Ashwagandha plant extract obtained through Solvent extraction technique was used as a finish agent on the cotton cloth, using two finish concentrations, 3 % and 5 % on the weight of the material, both the concentrations with and without citric acid, with pad-dry-cure technique. Antibacterial tests carried out following AATCC 147 (2004), Assessment of Textile Materials: Parallel Streak Method, (disc diffusion method) on the developed (unwashed) cotton fabric samples, which signifies the Ashwagandha plant extract as a good antibacterial agent for dishcloth. The zone of inhibition has been obtained in this research varying from 1.5 to 8.5 mm against all the 13 bacteria for the lower and higher concentrations of the herbal extract. The finish retention, namely the durability test, was carried out using ISO 6330-1984E, Textiles—Domestic Washing and Drying Procedures for Textile Testing, on the treated samples and reveals that the antibacterial treatment carried out in the presence of citric acid could show up activity even after four washing cycles varying from 0.5 to 4 mm, whereas the samples treated in the absence of the acid could not withstand even a single wash.

Effect of commercial Adaptogen preparations of Withania somnifera, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Echinacea species on fertility of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract: Physiological stress is one major environmental factor that influences fertility and longevity. Stress management has been shown to improve both fertility and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). C. elegans is commonly used as an in vivo model of human diseases such as stress and used in pharmaceutical research. Adaptogens are plant species that contain phytochemicals that assist the body via the HPA axis and heat shock proteins to manage stress, with species including; Withania (W. somnifera), Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), and Echinacea (E. purpurea, E. angustifolia). Stress reduction, fertility and longevity and thought to be inter-connected. In this study commercial extracts of four adaptogens were exposed to wild-type C. elegans worms (N2) at dosages suggested for human use and adjusted for the live weight of the worms. The worms were grown at 20 oC using ‘C. elegans Habitation and Reproduction media (CeHR) until the worms reproduced (21 days - L4 stage). Treatment with all adaptogens mentioned significantly improved fecundity compared to control by 186%, 164%, 169% and 205% with W. somnifera, E. senticosus, with Echinacea Regular, and Echinacea Premium, respectively. A positive association exists between fertility and longevity, and thus these practitioner adaptogenic formulas display potential for fertility and anti-aging therapies with further research required to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these changes in fertility and longevity occur.