Ancient Medicinal Plant Research Articles

Eco-friendly fabrication of Ag nanostructures using the seed extract of Pedalium murex, an ancient Indian medicinal plant: Histopathological effects on the Zika virus vector Aedes aegypti and inhibition of biofilm-forming pathogenic bacteria

The control of Zika virus mosquito vectors and well as the development of drugs in the fight against biofilm-forming microbial pathogens, are timely and important challenges in current bionanoscience. Here we focused on the eco-friendly fabrication of Ag nanostructures using the seed extract of Pedalium murex, an ancient Indian medicinal plant. Initial confirmation of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) production was showed by a color change from transparent to dark brown. The UV–Visible spectrum (476nm), X-ray diffraction peaks (101, 200, 220 and 311) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shed light on the production of green-capped AgNPs. Morphological structure analysis using HR-TEM showed that the AgNPs were mostly hexagonal in shape with rough edges, and a size of 20–30nm. The larvicidal potential of P. murex seed extract and AgNPs fabricated using the P. murex seed extract (Pm-AgNPs) was tested on fourth instar mosquito larvae of the Zika virus vector Aedes aegypti. Maximum efficacy was achieved by Pm–AgNPs against Ae. aegypti after 24h (LC50 34.88; LC90 64.56mg/ml), if compared to the P. murex seed extract. Histopathological analyses showed severe damages to the hindgut and larval muscles in NPs-treated Ae. aegypti larvae. The sub-MIC concentrations of Pm-AgNPs exhibited significant anti-biofilm activity against Gram positive (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial pathogens, as showed by EPS and MTP assays. Light and CLSM microscopic studies highlighted a significant impact of P. murex seed extract and Pm–synthesized AgNPs on the surface topography and architecture of bacterial biofilm, both in Gram positive and Gram negative species. Overall, results reported here contribute to the development of reliable large-scale protocols for the green fabrication of effective mosquito larvicides and biofilm inhibitors.

Extraction, quantification and antioxidant activities of flavonoids, polyphenols and pinitol from wild and cultivated Saraca asoca bark using RP-HPLC-PDA-RI method

Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde Syn. Saraca indica Linn belonging to the family Leguminosae, is one of the ancient medicinal plant of India and its bark is used in Ayurvedic preparations. In the present work, the barks were collected from mature trees of different geographical locations. Besides, one of the best chemotype is cultivated under different fertilizer treatments and the barks from 4year old plants were taken up for analytical studies. The barks were extracted with methanol as well as aqueous-methanol solvent systems, and chemical compositions were compared using RP-HPLC-PDA-RI analysis. Different classes of compounds viz. pinitol, flavonols and polyphenols were detected through the analytical protocol developed by our laboratory. It was found that the barks collected from Uttar Pradesh (BLA, BLK), Sirsi, Karnataka (BSS) and Empress Garden, Pune (BEG) gave higher yield of the extracts and were more enriched with the above classes of compounds. For getting barks in a short period of time, the BSS plant saplings were experimentally cultivated under different fertilizer treatments. It was found that the plants treated with a combination of fertilizers such as poultry waste+biofertlizer, vermicompost+biofertlizer and farm yard manure+biofertlizer+diammonium phosphate yielded reasonably higher amounts of extracts, which were chemically close with the parent bark extracts. Among these treatments, the vermicompost+biofertlizer gave pinitol (729mg), flavonoids (2872mg) and polyphenols (1150mg) in 100g bark extracts. The antioxidant activities were evaluated by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay and interestingly it was noticed that the extracts contained improved percentage of flavonoids and pinitol showing better activity.

Bioactive compounds of fourth generation gamma-irradiated Typhoniumflagelliforme Lodd. mutants based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Rodent tuber (Typhonium flagelliforme Lodd.) is an Indonesian anticancer medicinal plant. The natural genetic diversity of rodent tuber is low due to vegetative propagation. Plant's genetic diversity has to be increased for obtaining clones which contain a high amount of anticancer compounds. In vitro calli were irradiated with 6 Gy of gamma ray to produce in vitro mutant plantlets. Mutant plantlets were acclimated and propagated in a greenhouse. This research was aimed to identify the chemical compounds in the leaves and tubers ofthe fourth generation of rodent tuber's vegetative mutant clones (MV4) and control plantsby using GC- MS method. Leaves and tubers of MV4 each contained 2 and 5 anticancer compounds which quantities were higher compared to control plants. MV4 leaves contained 5 new anticancer compounds while its tubers contained 3 new anticancer compounds which were not found in control. The new anticancer compounds in leaves were hexadecanoic acid, stigmast-5-en-3-ol, ergost-5-en-3-ol, farnesol isomer a, and oleic acid while the new anticancer compounds in tubers were alpha tocopherol, ergost-5-en-3-ol, and beta-elemene. Rodent tuber mutant clones are very potential to be developed into anticancer drugs.

Moringa oleifera Whole Methanolic Leaf Extract Attenuates Levels of Angiogenic Factors in the Cervix of Preterm Labor Mice Models

On average, 1 in 10 births in the United States are born premature, and the leading cause is microbial infection and inflammation. Current treatments have serious side effects and are undermined by the growing multi resistance to anti‐microbial agents. We recently demonstrated a positive feed forward relationship between expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key angiogenic factor, in mice cervix and inflammation. We also revealed that Moringa oleifera, an ancient medicinal plant, exhibit potent anti‐bacterial (E. coli) and ‐inflammatory activities in vitro and in cervix of the same mice models, respectively. Here, we test whether Moringa oleifera can also modulate expression of VEGF and other angiogenic factors in the cervix of preterm labor mice models. Cervical tissues of pregnant mice were harvested and analyzed using real‐time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot after specific treatments [2 hour pretreatment with Moringa oleifera (4.8 μg/50 μL methanol, oral) followed by 2 hour treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (100 μg/50 μL 1X PBS, i.p.)]. Other angiogenic factors examined include VEGF receptor 1 (Flt‐1), VEGF receptor 2 (KDR), and endothelin‐1 (End‐1). The results show that Moringa oleifera whole leaf methanolic extract overall down regulates expression of VEGF, KDR, and End‐1 mRNAs, while it had no significant effect on the expression of Flt‐1. Based on these data, we conclude that Moringa oleifera may be used to intercept the positive feed forward loop between angiogenic and inflammatory factors, and thus potentially tone down inflammation and subsequently preterm labor.Support or Funding InformationAppalachian State University, Office of Student Research.

Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Activity and Medicinal Properties of Grewia asiatica L.

Since ancient time, India is a well known subcontinent for medicinal plants where diversity of plants is known for the treatment of many human disorders. Grewia asiatica is a dicot shrub belonging to the Grewioideae family and well known for its medicinally important fruit commonly called Falsa. G. asiatica, a seasonal summer plant is distributed in the forest of central India, south India, also available in northern plains and western Himalaya up to the height of 3000 ft. Fruits of G. asiatica are traditionally used as a cooling agent, refreshing drink, anti-inflammatory agent and for the treatment of some urological disorders. Recent advancement of Falsa researches concluded its antimicrobial and anti-diabetic activity. Since ancient time medicinal plants are traditionally used for the treatment of different diseases G. asiatica fruit is the edible and tasty part of the plant, now considered as a valuable source of unique natural product for the development of medicines which are used in different disease conditions like anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and antimicrobial. Now a days, G. asiatica is being used in different Ayurvedic formulation for the cure of different types of diseases. Different pharmacological investigations reveal the presence of phenols, saponnins, flavonoids and tannins compound in the fruits. Present review highlights the phytopharmacological and different traditional use of G. asiatica which is mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts. This review stimulates the researchers and scientists for further research on G. asiatica.

Appraisals of Bangladeshi Medicinal Plants Used by Folk Medicine Practitioners in the Prevention and Management of Malignant Neoplastic Diseases.

Cancer is a group of diseases which is categorized to differentiate into diverse cell types and move around in the body to sites of organogenesis that is key to the process of tumor genesis. All types of cancer fall into the group of malignant neoplastic diseases. In Bangladesh, cancer is now one of the foremost killer diseases and its personal, social, and economic bearing are huge. Plant-derived natural compounds (vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide, paclitaxel, camptothecin, topotecan, and irinotecan) are useful for the treatment of cancer. Since there is no extensive ethnobotanical research study in Bangladesh regarding the traditional uses of medicinal plants against neoplasms, therefore, a randomized ethnopharmacological surveys were carried out in 3 districts of Bangladesh to learn more about the usage of anticancer medicinal plants and their chemical constituents having antineoplastic activity. Comprehensive interviews were conducted to the folk medicine practitioners and medicinal plants as pointed out by them were photographed, collected, deposited, and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. The various plant parts have been used by the healers which included whole plant, leaves, fruits, barks, roots, and seeds. This study evaluated considerable potential for discovery of novel compounds with less side effects in the management and prevention of malignancy in cancer.

Natural Products based P-glycoprotein Activators for Improved β-amyloid Clearance in Alzheimer's Disease: An in silico Approach.

Alzheimer's disease is an age related disorder and is defined to be progressive, irreversible neurodegenerative disease. The potential targets which are associated with the Alzheimer's disease are cholinesterases, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, Beta secretase 1, Pregnane X receptor (PXR) and P-glycoprotein (Pgp). P-glycoprotein is a member of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, which is an important integral of the blood-brain, blood-cerebrospinal fluid and the blood-testis barrier. Reports from the literature provide evidences that the up-regulation of the efflux pump is liable for a decrease in β -amyloid intracellular accumulation and is an important hallmark in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, targeting β-amyloid clearance by stimulating Pgp could be a useful strategy to prevent Alzheimer's advancement. Currently available drugs provide limited effectiveness and do not assure to cure Alzheimer's disease completely. On the other hand, the current research is now directed towards the development of synthetic or natural based therapeutics which can delay the onset or progression of Alzheimer's disease. Since ancient time medicinal plants such as Withania somnifera, Bacopa monieri, Nerium indicum have been used to prevent neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease. Till today around 125 Indian medicinal plants have been screened on the basis of ethnopharmacology for their activity against neurological disorders. In this paper, we report bioactives from natural sources which show binding affinity towards the Pgp receptor using ligand based pharmacophore development, virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies for the bioactives possessing acceptable ADME properties. These bioactives can thus be useful to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Curculigo orchioides Gaertn Effectively Ameliorates the Uro- and Nephrotoxicities Induced by Cyclophosphamide Administration in Experimental Animals.

Background Curculigo orchioides Gaertn is an ancient medicinal plant (Family: Amaryllidaceae), well known for its immunomodulatory and rejuvenating effects. Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is an alkylating agent widely used for treating a variety of human malignancies, but associated with different toxicities too. Our previous reports regarding the hemoprotective and hepatoprotective effects of the plant against CPA toxicities provide the background for the present study, which is designed to analyze the ameliorative effect of the methanolic extract of C orchioides on the urotoxicity and nephrotoxicity induced by CPA. Methods CPA was administered to male Swiss albino mice at a single dose of 1.5 mmol/kg body weight to induce urotoxicity after 5 days of prophylactic treatment with C orchioides extract (20 mg/kg body weight). Mesna (2-mercaptoethanesulfonate) was used as a control drug. Serum, tissue, and urine levels of kidney function markers and antioxidant levels were checked along with the serum cytokine levels. Results The plant extract was found to be effective in ameliorating the urotoxic and nephrotoxic side effects of CPA. Upregulation of serum interferon-γ and interleukin-2 levels were observed with C orchioides treatment, which was decreased by CPA administration. Besides these, serum tumor necrosis factor-α level was also downregulated by C orchioides treatment. Conclusion Curculigo orchioides was found to be effective against the CPA-induced bladder and renal toxicities by its antioxidant capability and also by regulating the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.

In vitro Assessments of Cytotoxic and Cytostatic Effects of Asparagus aphyllus, Crataegus aronia, and Ephedra alata in Monocultures and Co-Cultures of Hepg2 and THP-1-Derived Macrophages

Introduction: Herbal-based medicines are widely used for the prevention and treatments of diverse diseases especially in growing countries as well as many developed countries. Although some of herbal-based medicines have promising therapeutic properties, many of them remain untested and their safety and efficacy were not scientifically assessed. Based on knowledge from traditional Greco-Arab herbal medicine, this in vitro study aims to evaluate cytotoxic and cytostatic effects of three traditionally used anti-diabetic and anti-cancer medicinal plants. Out of the traditional medicinal plants, Asparagus aphyllus, Crataegus aronia, and Ephedra alata are widely used in many Mediterranean countries as natural remedies. Methods: Human THP-1- derived macrophages, HepG2 cells and their co-cultures were used in this in vitro study. Cells were treated for 24h (cytotoxic effects) and 72h (cytostatic effects) with increasing concentrations (0-1000 μg/ml) of water/ethanol extracts from Asparagus aphyllous (AA-extract), Crataegus aronia (CA-extract) and Ephedra alata (EA-extract). Cytotoxic and cytostatic effects were assessed using MTT assay and LDH assay. Results: No significant cytotoxic effects were seen with the three extracts up to concentration of 500 μg/ml. A slight cytotoxic effect was observed with CA-extractin HepG2 monocultures at concentrations higher than 500 μg/ml. Significant cytostatic effects were measured with CA-extract and EA-extract in monocultures and cocultures. The cytostatic activity of the extracts was more potent in co-cultures reaching IC50 of 178 μg/mL and 380 μg/mL for CA-extract and EA-extract, respectively. Conclusion: These results indicate that the traditionally known anti-cancer effects of CA-extract and EA-extract might be mediated in part through cytostatic effects.

Nephroprotective effect of ethanolic extract of Azima tetracantha root in glycerol induced acute renal failure in Wistar albino rats

The gravity of the impact of renal failure on human health is well known and as there is no specific pharmacotherapy for renal failure, the current study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of root extract of Azima tetracantha, an ancient medicinal plant used in Siddha and Ayurvedhic systems of medicine.The experiment was done in glycerol-induced acute renal failure in Wistar albino rats. Thirty rats were divided into five groups. Group 1 was given normal saline (10 ml/kg) per oral, group 2 with single dose of hypertonic glycerol (8 ml/kg) by intramuscular injection into the hind limbs, group 3 with glycerol and ethanolic extract of A. tetracantha root (ATR) 250 mg/kg, group 4, glycerol and ATR 500 mg/kg and group 5, 500 mg/kg ATR. Extract was given orally 60 min prior to glycerol injection. 24 h urine output, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, total proteins and albumin were measured for all the groups. Kidneys were examined for histopathological changes.The antioxidant activity of the extract was tested in vitro and in vivo. Rats treated with ATR showed significant improvement in biochemical parameters and histopathological changes compared to glycerol treated group. The protective effect was highly significant at 500 mg/kg. Both in vitro and in vivo assays showed significant antioxidant activity. The in vitro activity was comparable to vitamin-C.The ethanolic extract of ATR has nephroprotective effect in glycerol-induced acute renal failure and the mechanism of action could be the antioxidant effect.

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To investigate the phytochemical, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of Bryonia epigaea (Rottler). The study was performed by using various in-vitro methods such as 1, 1 Diphenyl 2 picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), and Agar well diffusion method for different concentrations of methanolic extracts. Phytochemical constituents of the three extracts (Hexane, Acetone and Methanol) were determined. Total Phenol content was determined by Folin Ciocalteu Method. Yield of extract was determined by caliculating the mass of plant material before minusing the mass of the plant material after the extraction process. Extracts of Bryonia epigaea (Rottler) contained saponins, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, alkaloids, coumarins, phenols and reducing sugars. The antimicrobial activity was moderate. Methanol extract showed good antibacterial activity at 100 mg/ml concentration while antifungal activity against four significant pathogens was moderate. Bryonia epigaea (Rottler) methanol extract exerted significant antioxidant activity and dose dependent effect. The Results showed that the methanol extract showed high amount of antioxidant compounds and exhibit signii¬cant antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity was found to be increased with the concentration of the compound. In the present research work we tried to find out the bioactive properties of ancient medicinal plant Bryonia epigaea (Rottler). The phytochemical, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties have been discussed. Key words: Bryonia epigaea (Rottler), phytochemical analysis, antimicrobial properties, antioxidant properties.

NMR-Based Metabolomic Study on Isatis tinctoria: Comparison of Different Accessions, Harvesting Dates, and the Effect of Repeated Harvesting.

Isatis tinctoria is an ancient dye and medicinal plant with potent anti-inflammatory and antiallergic properties. Metabolic differences were investigated by NMR spectroscopy of accessions from different origins that were grown under identical conditions on experimental plots. For these accessions, metabolite profiles at different harvesting dates were analyzed, and single and repeatedly harvested plants were compared. Leaf samples were shock-frozen in liquid N2 immediately after being harvested, freeze-dried, and cryomilled prior to extraction. Extracts were prepared by pressurized liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and 70% aqueous methanol. NMR spectra were analyzed using a combination of different methods of multivariate data analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA), canonical analysis (CA), and k-nearest neighbor concept (k-NN). Accessions and harvesting dates were well separated in the PCA/CA/k-NN analysis in both extracts. Pairwise statistical total correlation spectroscopy (STOCSY) revealed unsaturated fatty acids, porphyrins, carbohydrates, indole derivatives, isoprenoids, phenylpropanoids, and minor aromatic compounds as the cause of these differences. In addition, the metabolite profile was affected by the repeated harvest regime, causing a decrease of 1,5-anhydroglucitol, sucrose, unsaturated fatty acids, porphyrins, isoprenoids, and a flavonoid.

Analysis of the transcriptome of Marsdenia tenacissima discovers putative polyoxypregnane glycoside biosynthetic genes and genetic markers

Marsdenia tenacissima is a well-known anti-cancer medicinal plant used in traditional Chinese medicine due to bioactive constituents of polyoxypregnane glycosides, such as tenacissosides, marsdenosides and tenacigenosides. Genomic information regarding this plant is very limited, and rare information is available about the biosynthesis of polyoxypregnane glycosides. To facilitate the basic understanding about the polyoxypregnane glycoside biosynthetic pathways, de novo assembling was performed to generate a total of 73,336 contigs and 65,796 unigenes, which represent the first transcriptome of this species. These included 27 unigenes that were involved in steroid biosynthesis and could be related to pregnane backbone biosynthesis. The expression patterns of six unigenes involved in polyoxypregnane biosynthesis were analyzed in leaf and stem tissues by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) to explore their putative function. Furthermore, a total of 15,295 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified from 11,911 unigenes, of which di-nucleotide motifs were the most abundant.

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Medicinal plants and plant derived molecules are widely used in traditional cultures all over the world and they are becoming large popular among biomedical researchers and pharmaceutical companies as a natural alternative to synthetic medicine. Information related to medicinal plants and herbal drugs accumulated over the ages are scattered and unstructured which make it prudent to develop a curated database for medicinal plants. The Antidiabetic and Anticancer Medicinal Plants Database (DIACAN) aims to collect and provide an integrated platform for plants and phytochemiclas having antidiabetic or anticancer activity.Availabilityhttp://www.kaubic.in/diacan

Metabolomic studies on Isatis tinctoria - Comparison of different origins, harvesting dates, and the effect of repeated harvesting

Isatis tinctoria (Brassicaceae) is an ancient dye and medicinal plant with potent anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties [1]. We investigated metabolic differences by NMR spectroscopy of plants grown under identical conditions on experimental plots at the Agricultural Field Station of Thuringia in Dornburg, Germany. Comparisons were carried out for plants of different geographic origins, different harvesting dates, and between single and repeatedly harvested plants. For the study, plants of six origins were compared, and they were harvested at six time points. In addition, the effect of repeated harvesting was investigated. Leaf samples were shock-frozen with liquid N2 immediately after harvest, freeze-dried, and cryomilled prior to extraction. Extracts were prepared by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with 70% aqueous methanol. The spectra were analyzed by multivariate data analysis. The score plots produced by principal component analysis (PCA) revealed differences in the metabolic profile between the harvesting dates. The loading plots showed that the spectral region of carbohydrate resonances was responsible for these differences. In contrast, no major differences were seen in the metabolites of different origins. Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) revealed no effect of repeated harvesting on the metabolic profiles. Reference: [1] Hamburger M., Phytochemistry Reviews, 1, 333 – 344 (2002)

Influence of Glomus intraradices on growth, biochemical changes and withanolides content of Withania somnifera L Dunal (Ashwagandha)

Withania somnifera L. Dunal (Ashwagandha) also known as Indian ginseng, of the family Solanaceae is an important ancient medicinal plant, used in the Indian traditional system of medicine. The medicinal importance of W. somnifera is attributed to the presence of steroidal lactones called withanolides which are present in the leaves and roots of the herb. The present set of pot experiment was designed to investigate the effect of Glomus intraradices inoculation on growth, biochemical parameters and withanolides content of W. somnifera. The results showed significant enhancement on plant growth, biochemical parameters and withanolide content in plant. Mycorrhizal treatment showed better vegetative growth in comparison to untreated plants. Significant increase in height, root length, and total dry weight (biomass) of AM inoculated plants as compared to non inoculated plants was observed. AM fungi considerably enhanced the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as compared to that of non-mycorrhizal plants. A considerable increase in withaferin A and withanolide a content by mycorrhization was observed. Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly affected withanolide content of W. somnifera. The results suggested that G. intraradices is a beneficial biofertilizer for increasing yield of biologically important secondary metabolites in W. somnifera.

Computer-aided identification of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors using ginsenosides from Panax ginseng

Natural products have served as structural resources in the history of drug discovery for cancer therapy. Among these natural products, Korean Panax ginseng serves as a potential anti-cancer medicinal plant. To determine the anti-cancer activities of Korean P. ginseng active compounds, we performed pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking studies on EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) tyrosine kinase domain. The EGFR family tyrosine kinase receptor is a cell surface receptor that regulates diverse biological processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. Over expression of EGFR tyrosine kinase domain associated with the development and progression of numerous human cancers. In our study, we developed the best pharmacophore model (Hypo1) using a diverse training set and validated by Fischer's randomization, a test set, and a decoy set. The best validated model was employed in the virtual screening of P. ginseng compound database. Further, chosen molecules were evaluated by applying ADMET screening and molecular docking studies. Finally, 14 compounds were obtained based on binding affinity scores and interactions with protein active site residues. These final lead compounds from P. ginseng can be used in the designing of new EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

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The aniseed plant Pimpinella anisum (Saunf-Hindi) is one of the most ancient medicinal plants used by man. Currently, this plant has several uses in the food industry as spice, whereas in the pharmacopoeia, it is used as an expectorant in digestive disturbances, as mild diuretic, and as insect repellent in external use. In this paper, we evaluated the biological activity of methanolic extract of P. anisum on in vitro growth of Entamoeba histolytica HM1-IMSS under axenic conditions. We observed that the growth inhibition of E. histolytica was at CI 50 = 0.034 μg/mL. Results confirm the antiamoebic activity of the methanolic extract of P. anisum . Keywords : Pimpinella anisum, Entamoeba histolytica , antiamoebic activity, medicinal plants African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(16), pp. 2065-2068

Composition and tissue specificity of endophytic fungi associated withNothapodytes nimmoniana(J. Graham) Mabberly from the Western Ghats of India

Western Ghats in India is one of the global biodiversity hot spots of the world. The objective of this study was to isolate, recognize the composition and tissue specificity of endophytic mycobiota in healthy disease free parts of an important anticancer medicinal plant, Nothapodytes nimmoniana (J. Graham) Mabberly from the forest in Amboli. Different plant parts (fresh disease free stem, leaves, leaf petiole, flowers and pedicel) were subjected to ‘3-step surface sterilization’ technique which resulted in the recovery of 192 isolates of fungi from 280 segments comprising 80 stem tissues, 120 leafy tissues, 40 leaf petiole tissues, 20 flower tissues and 20 pedicel issues segments, with infection rates of 56.25, 62.5, 50, 180 and 80 percent, respectively. The most frequent fungi were Cladosporium oxysporum, Corynespora sp., Fusarium monoliforme, one unidentified pycnidial fungus and two non sporulating mycelia (NSM 1 and 2). The composition and abundance of the endophytes varied according to the host tissues tested and was found to be dependent on the tissue type. Some fungi were specific to the various parts/tissues of the plant. They were segregated on the basis of their occurrence viz; leaf (midrib, margin, laminar), stem (outer bark, middle cortical and innermost core region), petiole, flower and pedicel.

STUDIES ON ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTHELMINTIC POTENTIAL OF ALOE

Aloe is one of the ancient herbal medicinal plants used widely in the Indian subcontinent. The plant also finds therapeutic role in modern medicine. The present work was aimed to determine the antimicrobial activity of aloe. Successive soxhlet extraction was done and all the extracts were subjected to phytoanalytical studies viz. determination of phenolics, flavonoids, carbohydrates, proteins and ascorbic acid. The ethyl acetate ex tract was subjected to antimicrobial studies. The results demonstrated excellent antimicrobial potential of aloe extract as compare d to tetracycline and amphotericin B . Thus it could be concluded that aloe is an integral source of antimicrobial compounds. However, further exhaustive studies are underway to determine compounds responsible for it.