Natural Products Journal, The - Volume 13, Issue 2, 2023

Background: Senna alata (L.) Roxb, which belongs to the family of Fabaceae, is a herbal plant that has been used for the treatment of skin diseases, ringworm infection, and constipation since ancient times. In recent decades, various conventional and non-conventional methodologies such as maceration, decoction, and supercritical fluid extraction have been examined by researchers in order to determine the phytochemical constituents potentially found in S. alata. Objective: This review paper aims to provide a detailed discussion of traditional uses, extraction methodologies, phytochemical constituents, and biological activities of S. alata. Methods: The review is based on previous studies obtained from various accessible library databases and electronic search engines, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Research Gate, Scopus and Hindawi. Results: Several non-conventional extraction methods, such as microwave-assisted and ultrasonicassisted, have been found to be better techniques for extracting bioactive compounds from S. alata when compared to conventional extraction methods such as Soxhlet, steam distillation, and maceration in terms of the quality of the yield. Tannins, saponins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, and cardiac glycosides are the common compounds found in S. alata. Among these anthraquinone, the most frequently reported as a major phytochemical constituent, is used as a laxative and possesses antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. Conclusion: Despite various claims for S. alata, very limited non-conventional extraction technology has been reported for its bioactivity study on skin diseases, ringworm infection, and constipation. Thus, this review may stimulate new applications and a clearer future perspective. In addition, the pros and cons of each extraction technology are also reviewed in this paper.

Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are on the rise throughout the world at an alarming rate. As a result, a variety of techniques to help in the prevention and control of hypertension have been tried, one of which is the use of natural medicines derived from medicinal plants. The relevance of plant-based medicine is now recognised by western countries, as seen by Canada's Natural Health Product Regulations, which were promulgated in January 2004. The Southeast Asian rainforests, notably in East Malaysia, are home to a diverse range of medicinal plant species with endless potential as pharmacological candidates, particularly as antihypertensive agents. The indigenous ethnic groups of East Malaysia have long utilised a wide variety of medicinal plant species to treat hypertension, thanks to their extensive usage of traditional remedies and in-depth understanding of ethnomedicine, which are fundamental elements of their culture. However, scientific understanding of ethnomedicines used to treat hypertension, particularly the processes underlying their antihypertensive action, is inadequate. Based on previous scientific studies, this review aims to address the antihypertensive effects of medicinal plants used by indigenous ethnic groups in East Malaysia, Sabah, in order to provide insights into the mechanisms of the plants' antihypertensive activity for the development of antihypertensive agents from these native plants.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common cause of dementia; the hallmark includes neuronal death and synaptic loss leading to cognitive decline. Up to date, there have been a vast number of preclinical and clinical trials based on natural compounds that play a crucial role in the prevention of AD. Tinospora cordifolia (Tc) is a medicinal plant with numerous bioactive properties used in Indian medicine. The literature study will scrutinized based on the disease-modifying effects of Tinospora cordifolia. It benefits the neurobiological researcher in understanding and researching the naturally occurring compound in combating AD. Furthermore, recent nanotechnology trends, such as green synthesis nanoparticles, have more potential in biomedical fields. Following that, the review draws attention to the green synthesized nanoparticle of Tc, which has a wide range of applications.

Background: The abnormal enlargement or thickening of the heart muscle leads to the diminishment of ventricular wall tension, which helps the heart to keep up the outstanding task at hand in terms of capacity and effectiveness. There are two kinds of hypertrophy: physiological and pathological. Initially, what evolves as an adaptive reaction, advances to heart failure. Different cellular signaling pathways control each type of hypertrophy. Peppermint, Mentha x piperita, a hybrid of Mentha spicata and Mentha aquatica, belongs to the family of Lamiaceae. Peppermint oil has high menthol content and many useful targets in cardiovascular disorders, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc. Objective: The objective of this review article is to investigate the antihypertrophic activity of Mentha x Piperita, which is not yet established. Methods: For manuscript preparation, we used all accessible international databases, traditional books (regular books in English), electronic resources (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley, etc.), and unpublished data (thesis, R reports, and dissertations). Results: Menthol may activate transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M (melastatin) member 8 (TRMP8) channels, resulting in increased cytosolic calcium concentration and vasorelaxation activity. Menthol is known to stimulate the elevation of TRPM8 protein in the endothelium, vascular smooth muscle (VSM), and vascular afferent nerve strands while obstructing VSM L-type calcium channels (LCC), contributing to both the cardiovascular and vasoactive properties of peppermint. In vivo experiments proved that glucagon plays a significant role in the preventive effect of menthol (as TRPM8 modulator) against a high-fat diet (HFD) induced weight gain and related complications. Conclusion: Due to the efficacy of menthol (Mentha x piperita) in its cardioprotective properties, understanding the actual mechanisms related to the efficacy of menthol on CVD can be the subject of future studies.

Synthetic drug usage has risen substantially, although plant-based medicines are more appropriate in terms of adverse effects. Through the classical era, humans relied on Phyto moieties to cure several illnesses, the most common of which is curcumin, the main phenol derived from the various varieties of turmeric. Its therapeutic and medicinal qualities are described in the Vedic Scriptures and Chinese medicine. Curcumin has been widely researched for its pleiotropic action, which includes anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties. The manuscript aims to describe the sources, properties, and pharmacological activities of curcumin. Turmeric is grown in India, and curcumin is a major phytoconstituent of turmeric. It has pharmacological activities like anti-oxidant, analgesic, anticarcinogenic, chemo-preventive, anti-inflammatory, chemo-therapeutic, antifungal, antibacterial, antitumor, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-apoptotic, and immunomodulatory activities. Curcumin has been recommended in various research to have anti-cancer effects on several biochemical pathways associated with metastatic disease, cell cycle regulation, and so on. It can be concluded from the findings of the pieces of literature that curcumin is an important phytoconstituent and has the potential to treat various biological disorders. Curcumin’s anti-tumor efficacy is the most prominent research activity being carried out by researchers worldwide. In the present review, the authors have summarized the important pharmacological activities of curcumin, and the mechanism of action involved to forecast the pharmacotherapeutic effect like for anti-cancer effects (suppression of NF-KB, intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, PKC inhibition and many more), for anti-viral effect (Interfering Genomic Replication, Inhibiting Virus attachment, Activation of cellular signaling Pathways, etc.), for Anti-diabetic (AMPK activation, Decreased liver fat deposition, etc.), for neuroprotective effect (Increased p-Akt and p-mToR levels, Reducing p-p338, LC-II/LC-I, p-38 levels, etc.) and for other activities also like antibacterial, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant.

Cancer, known to be a death havoc is increasing at an alarming pace globally. There is a need to explore novel chemicals having anticancerous potential for its treatment with minimal side effects. Natural compounds obtained from plants have less toxic properties and can be proved as a better medication against this lethal disease. Thus, the secondary metabolites having anticancer properties found in plants, fruits, and vegetables are being persistently evaluated for research in cancer treatment like anticancer drugs- vinblastine, vincristine and taxol which are derived from plants. This review summarizes the anticancer properties of chemical repertoires of plants inhabiting the hot arid regions present in India against various cancer cell lines like HepG2, MCF7, PC3, HT116, etc. The mechanism of action of flavonoids in the induction of apoptosis through suppression/promotion of various factors including Ras-ERK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways and genes mainly such as Bax, Bcl-2, p53 involved in the proliferation of cancer cells play emphatically in combating the extent of the disease by promoting apoptosis in cancer cells. The insight about the reported mechanisms will open further avenues of the anticancer potential of novel secondary metabolites.

Background: A well-known traditional herb Aerva lanata is widely used in India for the management of different ailments, including urolithiasis. Objective: In the current research, flowers of Aerva lanata were chosen for isolation of active constituents and screened for antiangiogenic and anticancer potentials, as literature supports that those flowers have highest quantity of natural constituents compared with the other parts of the plant. Materials and Methods: Hydroalcoholic (80%-water, 20%-alcohol) extract of Aerva lanata flowers was prepared. Antiangiogenic activity was screened by chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM) (in vivo) and sponge implantation method (SIM) (in vivo). Anti-cancer potency was screened by cell migration (in vitro), tube formation assay (in vitro) and cell proliferation assay (in vitro). Results: The results of the test groups were matched up to control group by applying one-way ANOVA, followed by a post hoc and Dunnett’s test. In CAM assay method, significant branching points and angiogenic score was obtained at 10^-5 M and 10^-4 M. Considerable decline was observed in sponge weight and formation of blood vessels and hemoglobin content (Hb) at various concentrations of hydroalcoholic extract of Aerva lanata flower (HAL) in SIM. The study on human umbilical vein endothelial cells displayed major inhibition of proliferation along with the reduction in network length of cord-alike tubes in a dosage-dependent pattern. Conclusion: Aerva lanata has shown potent antiangiogenic and anticancer effect in a dosedependent manner.

Background: The pharmacological characterization of Bancha green tea requires a preliminary establishment of its phytochemical composition. Objective: The aim of the present study was to develop a simple, sensitive, and environmentally friendly HPLC-UV procedure for the simultaneous quantification of caffeine, (+)-catechin, epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid in different Bancha green tea isolates. Methods: The chromatographic separation of the four phytochemicals was performed on a Hypersil GOLD aQ column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/acetic acid/bi-distilled water (8:1:91 v/v/v) in an isocratic mode of elution. The suitability of the proposed procedure was verified by achieving satisfying linearity and specificity. Results: The method was also assessed as accurate and precise, with the obtained limits of quantification of caffeine, (+)-catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and gallic acid of 0.01, 0.30, 0.50 and 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. As it was expected, the analytical procedure approbation showed the highest epigallocatechin gallate content (16.78 % ± 0.54) in the catechin fraction. On the other hand, the amount of caffeine and epigallocatechin gallate in the total plant extract was almost the same (4.19 % ± 0.14 and 4.12 % ± 0.44, respectively). Conclusion: A reliable HPLC-UV method for phytochemical characterization of Bancha green tea extracts has been developed. The conducted quantitate assay could be used as a basis for subsequent pharmacological in vivo and in vitro studies of Bancha green tea.