Aqueous Extracts Of Herbs Research Articles

The effects of pre-sowing treatments with aqueous allelopathic plant extracts on the germination parameters of aged soybean seeds

The aim of the paper was to examine the allelopathic influence of aqueous extracts of herbs and medicinal plants on the quality parameters of aged soybean seeds. The research was carried out at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad on aged seeds of two soybean varieties, NS simba and NS viseris. The seeds were aged for 20 months. In order to determine the allelopathic effect, the seeds were primed in aqueous plant extracts: geranium (Geranium sinense), dill (Anethum graveolens), andy everlasting (Helichrysum arenarium), creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum), celery (Apium graveolens), oregano (Origanum vulgare), basil (Ocimum basilicum), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), peppermint (Mentha x piperita), sage (Salvia officinalis), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). The results show that it is not possible to talk about the universal application of a particular aqueous extract, because the effect of the allochemicals was significantly influenced by the variety. In the variety NS viseris, all aqueous extracts except Melissa officinalis, significantly reduced GE, GP, and VI. The most negative effect was achieved with the use of Apium graveolens, Thymus serpyllum, and Ocimum basilicum. Apium graveolens and Thymus serpyllum also had the greatest impact on quality reduction in the NS simba variety. However, in the NS simba variety, a significant increase in seed quality was achieved in addition to the reduction. The use of the aqueous extract of Salvia officinalis increased GE and GP by 13.7%, and VI by 10.21%. A positive effect was achieved with the use of Melissa officinalis. All aqueous extracts had a significant effect on T50 in both varieties, even the aqueous extracts that had a negative effect on GE and GP.

Immunostimulatory activity of a novel ayurvedic propriety formulation based on extracts of herbs used in chyavanprash

Ethnopharmacological relevanceChyavanprash is an ayurvedic formulation, a Rasayana known to promote overall well-being, immunity, and vitality. It contains powerful antioxidants, good hepatoprotective and immunomodulating agents. Chyavanprash is also known to protect and strengthen respiratory health, thereby providing immunity against respiratory infections. A novel ayurvedic proprietary formulation (based on the aqueous extracts of herbs used in Chyavanprash) was developed to offer a differential taste experience and deliver a standardized quality for health benefits. The immune-stimulatory role of these extracts and the underlying mechanistic evidence had to be studied. Aim of the studyThe goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and prophylactic efficacy of the test product based on extracts of herbs used in Chyavanprash in a preclinical study. Material and methodsThe test product was studied to evaluate acute toxicity and prophylactic efficacy in influenza-like virus (HCoV-229E)-infected mice model for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) load estimation in lung tissues. Immunophenotyping of B cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and T cell subpopulations were assessed. Cytokines immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were also evaluated in serum samples. Two doses of the test product, 1,000 mg/kg body weight and 500 mg/kg body weight against the disease and normal control were studied. Quality control of the test product was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with gallic acid and ascorbic acid as marker compounds. ResultsAt a dose of 1,000 mg/kg body weight, the test product showed a 99.79% reduction in viral RNA load in lung tissues and a significant 2-fold increase in B cells, i.e., 19.89 ± 0.25% cells vs. 9.46 ± 1.67% in disease control (p <0.01). A significant change with increase in IgG, IgM and a decrease in IL-6, TNF-α was observed in both the test groups as compared with disease control. Mast cell degranulation in rat mesenteric bits, preincubated with test product 250 µg/mL concentration showed a 76.7% protection against compound 48/80 treatment. The product was safe even at the highest tested dose (5 g/kg body weight) in the acute toxicity study. ConclusionThis study proves that the formulation with extract of herbs used in Chyavanprash contains phytocompounds, which could be potential immunomodulatory agents that provide immunity and protection against allergies.

Aqueous Extracts of Three Herbs Allelopathically Inhibit Lettuce Germination but Promote Seedling Growth at Low Concentrations.

Allelopathy is an important process in plant communities. The effects of allelopathy on seed germination and seedling development have been extensively investigated. However, the influences of extract soaking time and concentration on the foregoing parameters are poorly understood. Here, we conducted a seed germination assay to determine the allelopathic effects of the donor herbs Achnatherum splendens (Trin.) Nevski, Artemisia frigida Willd., and Stellera chamaejasme L., from a degraded grassland ecosystem in northern China, on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seed germination and early seedling growth. Extract soaking times (12 h or 24 h) did not exhibit significantly different effects on lettuce seed germination or seedling development. However, all aqueous herb extracts inhibited lettuce seed germination and root length (RI < 0) and promoted lettuce shoot length, stem length, leaf length, and leaf width (RI > 0) at both low (0.005 g mL−1) and high (0.05 g mL−1) concentrations. Moreover, A. splendens extracts increased seedling biomass (RI > 0) and synthetical allelopathic effect (SE > 0) at both concentrations. In contrast, both A. frigida and S. chamaejasme extracts had hormesis effects, which stimulate at low concentrations (RI > 0) but inhibit at high concentrations (RI < 0) on seedling biomass and synthetical allelopathic effect (SE). The results suggest that allelopathic potential may be an important mechanism driving the dominance of A. frigida and S. chamaejasme in degraded grasslands. Reseeding allelopathy-promoting species such as A. splendens may be beneficial to grassland restoration. The present study also demonstrated that seedling biomass, root and shoot length, and seed germination rate are the optimal bioindicators in allelopathy assays and could be more representative when they are combined with the results of multivariate analyses.

Effects of commonly used medicinal herbs in Jordan on erythrocyte oxidative stress markers

Context: Much attention has been given recently to the antioxidant capacity of natural products, with particular interest on those that are frequently consumed by people. Aims: To evaluate the commonly used and frequently consumed edible herbs in Jordan to compare their in vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties. Methods: The in vitro antioxidant properties were tested by pre-incubating washed human erythrocytes with a given herb extract and then exposing these erythrocytes to H2O2 to induce oxidative stress, and then measuring erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker for lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl (PC) as a marker for protein oxidation, reduced glutathione (GSH) as a marker for cellular antioxidant status and the percentage of hemolysis as an indicator for the anti-hemolytic activity of the herb. The in vivo antioxidant properties were tested by giving orally aqueous extracts of the herbs tested in vitro to healthy individuals on daily bases for five days, with two blood samples being collected from each individual to measure the above-mentioned markers. Results: Pre-incubation of human erythrocytes in vitro with methanolic extracts of Zingiber officinale, Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia triloba, Verbena triphylla, Nigella sativa and Origanum syriacum significantly improved erythrocyte MDA, PC and oxidant hemolysis. Oral consumption by healthy individuals of aqueous extracts of the same herbs for 5 days significantly improved erythrocyte MDA, GSH, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) at the sixth day of administration. Conclusions: These results indicate that aqueous extracts of medicinal herbs can be absorbed well and appear in body tissues inflecting in vivo antioxidant properties similar to their in vitro properties.

An Evidence for a Novel Antiviral Mechanism: Modulating Effects of Arg-Glc Maillard Reaction Products on the Phase Transition of Multilamellar Vesicles.

Maillard reaction products (MRPs) of protein, amino acids, and reducing sugars from many foods and aqueous extracts of herbs are found to have various bioactivities, including antiviral effects. A hypothesis was proposed that their antiviral activity is due to the interaction with the cellular membrane. Aiming to estimate the possible actions of MRPs on phospholipid bilayers, the Arg-Glc MRPs were prepared by boiling the pre-mixed solution of arginine and glucose for 60 min at 100°C and then examined at a series of concentrations for their effects on the phase transition of MeDOPE multilamellar vesicles (MLVs), for the first time, by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and temperature-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Arg-Glc MRPs inhibited the lamellar gel–liquid crystal (Lβ-Lα), lamellar liquid crystal–cubic (Lα-QII), and lamellar liquid crystal–inverted hexagonal (Lα-HII) phase transitions at low concentration (molar ratio of lipid vs. MRPs was 100:1 or 100:2), but promoted all three transitions at medium concentration (100:5). At high concentration (10:1), the MRPs exhibited inhibitory effect again. The fusion peptide from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) induces membrane fusion by promoting the formation of a non-lamellar phase, e.g., cubic (QII) phase, and inhibiting the transition to HII. Arg-Glc MRPs, at low concentration, stabilized the lamellar structure of SIV peptide containing lipid bilayers, but facilitated the formation of non-lamellar phases at medium concentration (100:5). The concentration-dependent activity of MRPs upon lipid phase transition indiciates a potential role in modulating some membrane-related biological events, e.g., viral membrane fusion.

Biogenic Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles with High Antimicrobial and Catalytic Activities using Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia glutinosa).

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely sought after for a variety of biomedical and environmental applications due to their antimicrobial and catalytic properties. We present here a green and simple synthesis of AgNPs utilizing traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. The screening of 20 aqueous herb extracts shows that Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia glutinosa) had the most promising potential in producing AgNPs of 30±6 nm, with narrow size distribution and high crystallinity. The antimicrobial activities of these AgNPs conducted on E. coli cells were found to be superior in comparison to poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-capped AgNPs synthesized using common chemical method. Additionally, the AgNPs obtained possess excellent catalytic performance in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. We compared the phytochemical and FTIR spectral analyses of the herb extract before and after synthesis, in order to elucidate the phytochemicals responsible for the reduction of Ag+ ions and the capping of the AgNPs produced.

A comparative study of the antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities of selected herbal extracts

Some herbal bioactives possess high antioxidant and angiotensin converting enzymes (ACE) inhibition activity, which affects blood pressure levels. Herbal bioactives promote health benefits via different molecular mechanisms and most of these mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, health promoting potential of aqueous extracts of six herbs viz. Allium sativum L., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, Ocimum sanctum L., Hibiscus sabdriffa L., Ginkgo biloba L. and Emblica officinalis at different concentrations (50 to 10,000 μg/mL) were assessed through their antioxidant and ACE inhibitory potential. Results showed that the DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity of the six different herbs ranged from 1.58 ± 0.63 to 11.39 ± 0.15 mM/mL trolox equivalent and was in the order of Emblica officinalis >Withania somnifera >Hibiscus sabdriffa >Ginkgo biloba >Ocimum sanctum =Allium sativum at 1000 μg/mL concentration. Emblica officinalis had IC50 value 180.35 ± 1.17 μg/mL. The corresponding observation for the herb with 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) was 167.19 ± 1.04 μg/mL. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values were significantly higher for Emblica officinalis than the other herbs, and varied from 1.78 ± 0.08 to 251.62 ± 6.31 mM/mL ascorbic acid equivalent at different concentrations (50 to 10000 μg/mL). Emblica officinalis had the strongest ACE inhibition potential (82.08 ± 5.18 %), followed by Withania somnifera, Hibiscus sabdriffa, Ginkgo biloba, Ocimum sanctum and Allium sativum. ACE inhibitory activity of herbs studied was lower (31.64 ± 5.05 %) than that of Captopril (0.002173 μg/mL), a standard medicine used for hypertension. The study compared and elucidated the antioxidant and ACE inhibitory potential of aqueous extracts of herbs at different concentrations. The study results may be useful in the selection of herbal bioactives for functional foods and aqueous nutraceutical formulations.

Neuroprotective effect of Reseda luteola L. extract in a mouse neuronal cell model

Aqueous extracts of Reseda luteola L. used as a dyeing agent for centuries have antioxidant activities. The neuroprotective effect of aqueous herb extracts were investigated against glutamate-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) insult using mouse hippocampal HT22 and cortical neural cells. Aqueous extracts and the hexane fraction of R. luteola L. effectively attenuated the cytotoxicity of glutamate (5 mM) in both HT22 and primary neural cells derived from the mouse cortex. The neuroprotective effect was attributable to unidentified components and luteolin, which is known as a biologically active constituent. Aqueous extracts of R. luteola L. deserve further study for identification of active components and development of food colorants with health benefits.

Effects of organic extracts of six Bangladeshi plants on in vitro thrombolysis and cytotoxicity

BackgroundThrombus formed in blood vessels lead to atherothrombotic diseases such as myocardial or cerebral infarction. Thrombolytic agents are used to dissolve the already formed clots in the blood vessels; however, these drugs sometimes cause serious and fatal consequences. Herbal preparations have been used since ancient times for the treatment of several diseases although they show little toxicity in some cases. Aqueous extracts of herbs used in thrombolysis have been reported before with cytotoxic data, however, the organic extracts of herbs have not been documented. This study aims to investigate whether organic extracts possess thrombolytic properties with minimal or no toxicity.MethodsAn in vitro thrombolytic model was used to check the clot lysis effect of six Bangladeshi herbal extracts viz., Ageratum conyzoides L., Clausena suffruticosa, Leea indica (Burm.f.) Merr., Leucas aspera Willd., Senna sophera L. Roxb., and Solanum torvum Swartz. using streptokinase as a positive control and water as a negative control. Briefly, venous blood drawn from twenty healthy volunteers was allowed to form clots which were weighed and treated with the test plant materials to disrupt the clots. Weight of clot after and before treatment provided a percentage of clot lysis. Cytotoxicity was screened by brine shrimp lethality bioassay using vincristine sulfate as positive control.ResultsUsing an in vitro thrombolytic model, Ageratum conyzoides, Clausena suffruticosa, Leea indica, Leucas aspera, Senna sophera and Solanum torvum showed 18.12 ± 2.34%, 48.9 ± 2.44%, 39.30 ± 0.96%, 37.32 ± 2.00%, 31.61 ± 2.97% and 31.51 ± 0.57% and clot lysis respectively. Among the herbs studied Clausena suffruticosa, Leea indica and Leucas aspera showed very significant (p < 0.0001) percentage (%) of clot lysis compared to reference drug streptokinase (75.00 ± 3.04%). In brine shrimp cytotoxic assay, the extracts Ageratum conyzoides, Clausena suffruticosa, Leea indica, Leucas aspera, Senna sophera and Solanum torvum showed LC50 values 508.86 ± 6.62,41.16 ± 1.26, 2.65 ± 0.16, 181.67 ± 1.65, 233.37 ± 7.74 and 478.40 ± 3.23 μg/ml, respectively, with reference to vincristine sulfate (LC50 0.76 ± 0.04).ConclusionThrough our study it was found that Clausena suffruticosa, Leea indica and Leucas aspera possessed effective thrombolytic properties whereas Senna sophera and Solanum torvum showed moderate to mild thrombolytic effects while Ageratum conyzoides showed no significant effect. No extract was found cytoxic compared to positive control. Clausena suffruticosa, Leea indica and Leucas aspera could be incorporated as a thrombolytic agent with in vivo effects to improve the atherothrombotic patients. However, Clausena suffruticosa could be the best one to use in this purpose.

A study of the antioxidative behavior of phenolic acids, in aqueous herb extracts, using a dsDNA biosensor

Abstract Electrochemical DNA biosensors are promising tools for the fast, inexpensive and simple in vitro analysis for the determination of free radicals and antioxidants. High concentrations of antioxidants in such compounds as phenolic acids and plant extracts, act as free radical terminators which reduce the effect of the oxidative dam-age on DNA. The electrochemical behavior of three representative phenolic acids, caffeic acid, gallic acid and trolox were studied by cyclic voltammetry. Moreover, the determination of the above antioxidants under the optimized conditions (scan rate, deposition potential and time) using differential pulse voltammetry was also investigated. In vitro studies focused on their antioxidative effect were performed by adsorptive transfer stripping voltammetry and dsDNA biosensor. Using Fenton’s system, with FeSO4 and H2O2 was chosen as a strong oxidative system. This biosensor was applied as a screening antioxidant test in order to estimate the antioxidant capacity of aqueous herb extracts.

ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF LATIN AMERICAN HERBS ON SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE AND LIKELY MODE OF ACTION THROUGH THE PROLINE-LINKED PENTOSE PHOSPHATE PATHWAY: FOCUS ON THE YERBA MATE TEA (ILEX PARAGUARIENSIS)

ABSTRACT The ultraviolet (UV) protective effects of aqueous herb extracts from Latin America such as Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis), Chancapiedra (Phyllanthus niruri L.) and Huacatay (Tagetes minuta) were assessed by using the UV light-induced cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast model. UV radiation–mediated oxidative stress promoted cell death of S. cerevisiae by inducing breakdown of its energy metabolism. The addition of high-phenolic herb extracts (61–103 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dw) prior to UV treatment protected yeast from UV-induced oxidative stress and delayed death. This effect appeared to be related with the high free radical scavenging activities shown by all extracts (91%). Insights into the UV protective mechanisms of Yerba Mate extract in yeast model indicated that protection was achieved by maintaining the growth-supporting tricarboxylic acid cycle/NADH–linked system and the proline-linked mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation coupled to pentose phosphate pathway. Therefore, studied herb extracts show potential protective properties against UV radiation–induced yeast death. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis), Chancapiedra (Phyllanthus niruri L.) and Huacatay (Tagetes minuta) have been traditionally consumed in Latin American countries because of their potential health benefits. Results from this study using the UV-induced cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast model indicate that such high-phenolic herbs (61–103 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dw) would have potential applications as beneficial dietary supplements for protecting eukaryotic cells against UV-induced free radical–mediated damage with potential implications in the dietary management of oxidation-linked diseases in humans. Furthermore, the model for the UV-protective effect of external phenolic phytochemicals in eukaryotic cellular systems proposed by our laboratory was investigated, and according to results from this study, this model could provide a sound rationale for understanding the mechanism of action of phenolic phytochemicals from dietary or medicinal plants in cellular systems and help screen diverse relevant extracts influencing endogenous enzyme response more rapidly.

In vitro screening of phenolic compounds, potential inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase of culinary herbs in Thailand

Herbs that are commonly used in Thai dishes were selected for evaluation in order to determine their phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and in vitro potential inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The total phenolic content ranged from 2.89 to 75.26 mg GAE/g dw. The three aqueous herb extracts with the highest total phenolic content were yellow-berried nightshade ( Solanum xanthocarpum), holy basil ( Ocimum sanctum) and acacia ( Acacia pennata). The antioxidant activity was expressed as percent inhibition of DPPH, ranging from a high of 85% in bitter gourd ( Monordica charantia) to a low of 0% in garlic ( Allium sativum) and shallot ( Allium cepa). A high correlation ( r = 0.70, p < 0.05) was observed between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity for the herb extracts in the Solanaceae family while, an insignificant high and negatively correlation ( r = −1.00, p > 0.05) for the herb extracts in the Cucurbitaceae and Umbelliferae families was observed. All of the herbs had caffeic content, varying from 0.00 to 23.93 mg/g dw. Peppermint ( Mentha canalenisa), galangal ( Languas galangal) and holy basil ( O. sanctum) had a significant p-coumaric acid content. The first and second obtained principal component represented 60% of the total variation. The potential inhibition against α-amylase for the herbs extracts ranged from 0% to 58%, while the highest percentage was observed in the acacia ( A. pennata) extract. The potential inhibition against α-glucosidase varied from 7% to 100%. A high correlation ( r = 0.68, p < 0.05) was observed between α-amylase inhibition and caffeic acid content for aqueous extracts in the Alliaceae, Cucurbitaceae, and Leguminosae families, while a high correlation ( r = 0.49, p < 0.05) was observed between α-glucosidase inhibition and total phenolic content for the aqueous extracts of all herbs. Therefore, specific culinary herbs showed to have a potential use for dietary management during the early stages of hyperglycaemia.

Acute diuretic activity of aqueous Erica multiflora flowers and Cynodon dactylon rhizomes extracts in rats

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the diuretic potential and effect on urinary electrolytes of aqueous Erica multiflora L. (Ericaceae) flowers and Cynodon dactylon L. (Poaceae) rhizomes extracts in rats. Different concentrations of these plants extract (0.125, 0.250, and 0.500 g/kg of body weight) or the reference drug furosemide (0.015 g/kg) were administrated orally to hydrated male Wistar rats and their urine output was measured at several interval of time after a single dose administration. Furthermore, a toxicological effect of both plants was undertaken as well. The results showed that furosemide induced significant diuresis and electrolytes excretion during the first hours. Plant extracts increased significantly urinary output and electrolytes excretion at the dose of 0.250 g/kg for Erica multiflora and 0.500 g/kg for Cynodon dactylon. This diuretic effect seems to be not related to K(+) plant content. Urinary pH remained mostly unchanged during the course of the study for both plant extracts. No lethality was observed among animals when using Erica multiflora even at the dose of 10 g/kg while Cynodon dactylon, instead, caused 50% of rat death (LD50) at 4.5 g/kg. We concluded that both aqueous herb extracts administered, particularly, at the dose of 0.500 g/kg induce significant effect on urinary output of water and electrolytes and justify their use as diuretic remedy in traditional medicine.