Abstract
We aimed to develop a chromatographic method for scientific validation of water extract of some important Indian traditional plants used in AYUSH-based formulation as immunomodulator and to evaluate their bioactive potential. Fruits of Phyllanthus emblica L. and Piper nigrum L., stem of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers, rhizome of Curcuma longa L., leaves of Ocimum sanctum L. and Achillea millefolium L., roots of Withania somnifera L., and stem bark of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. were coarsely powdered and extracted in three different solvents (water, ethanol, and hydroethanol). The antioxidant potential was determined through 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing capacity methods. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was carried out for the comparative metabolite profiling of the extracts using toluene, ethyl acetate, and formic acid (5 : 4 : 1, v/v/v) as a solvent system. In vitro immunomodulatory activity of the extracts has been tested on splenocyte proliferation and pinocytic assay. Hydroethanolic extract (HEE) of most of the plant materials has the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents, followed by water extract (WE) and ethanolic extract (EE), whereas the water extracts of most of the plant material showed better antioxidant activity. Almost all extract exhibited splenocyte proliferation and pinocytic activity in a dose-dependent manner. But water extract showed significantly higher splenocyte proliferation and pinocytic activity as compared to the other two extracts. TLC analysis resulted in detection of totally 63 and 56 metabolites at 254 nm and 366 nm, respectively. Through principal component analysis (PCA), it was observed that metabolite pattern of different extracts from same plant materials may be different or similar. This preliminary result can be used for quality evaluation and to develop a synergy-based polyherbal combination of water extracts of selected plant materials.
Highlights
Herbs and plants provide nutritional benefit and help prevent and manage different diseases
In AYUSH, more than twenty plant materials have been recommended as Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine immunomodulators and most of them have been separately proved for their immune-enhancing impact on humans [2, 3]
water extract (WE) of T. cordifolia stimulates the splenocyte proliferation, and a maximum of 71% growth was observed at 40 μg/mL; after the increment of dose 200 μg/mL, the results showed no significant increase in the splenocyte proliferation
Summary
Herbs and plants provide nutritional benefit and help prevent and manage different diseases. India is found to have diverse and a vast collection of medicinal plants. In India, treatment with herbs becomes an alternative way to cure the patients, and since historical times, this approach is in practice [2]. Ese systems are collectively called as AYUSH. In India, there are six traditional systems (namely Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) being followed for preventing and managing disease. It includes various plants with different ethnopharmacological relevance such as immunostimulant, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, and adaptogenic. Some important plants are Phyllanthus emblica, Piper nigrum, Tinospora cordifolia, Curcuma longa, Withania somnifera, Ocimum sanctum, Achillea millefolium, Azadirachta indica, etc
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