Crude Bark Extract Research Articles

ANTI-ATHEROSCLEROTIC AND LIPID LOWERING EFFECTS OF CINNAMOMUM VERUM IN CHOLESTEROL-FED RABBITS

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the antihyperlipidemic and anti-atherosclerotic activity of 70% methanolic crude extract of Cinnamomum verum bark in high cholesterol-fed diet rabbits.Methods: C. verum extract was administered at a dose level of 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg (p. o) daily for 120 d to cholesterol-fed rabbits. Lipid profile in serum and histological changes in heart and aorta were investigated. The statistical analysis was carried out by student’s ‘t’test.Results: Plant extract showed a significant decrease in the levels of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, LDL, VLDL (P ≤ 0.001) in a dose-dependent manner in treated animals. HDL ratio improved overwhelmingly as well as the marked decline was also noticed in the atherogenic index after administration with C. verum extract. Histopathological examinations demonstrated less cholesterol deposits in the aorta and significant increase in lumen size of coronary arteries of high cholesterol diet animals given C. verum compared to the high cholesterol diet animals not given C. verum supplement.Conclusion: The phytochemical analysis of methanol extracts indicated a strong presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, saponins and fatty acids may be responsible for the significant hypolipidaemic as well as antiatherosclerotic activity. Our study exhibited that the methanol extract of C. verum bark is a potent hypolipidaemic agent and decreased cholesterol deposition in the aorta and plaque formation process in the coronary artery of high cholesterol diet animals.

ESI-MS2 and Anti-inflammatory Studies of Cyclopropanic Triterpenes. UPLC-ESI-MS and MS2 Search of Related Metabolites from Donella ubanguiensis.

Triterpenes are one of the largest secondary metabolites groups spread in the plant kingdom with various skeletons. These metabolites have showed various bioactivities including anti-inflammatory activity. The study aims to explore the mass spectrometry fragmentation of donellanic acids A-C (DA A-C), three compounds identified from Donella ubanguiensis; in addition, the fragmentation behaviour of these metabolites will serve as a fingerprint to search and characterise triterpenes congeners in fruits, bark and wood crude extracts of D. ubanguiensis. This work was prompted by the anti-inflammatory activity on leukocyte migration, exudate concentrations and myeloperoxidase activity obtained for DA A-B. The bioactivity was performed on mouse model of pleurisy induced by carrageenan and the parameters were analysed by veterinarian automated cell counter and colorimetric assays. While the tandem mass analyses of DA A-C were carried out by a direct infusion ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, the extracts were studied by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. DA A displayed interesting anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting leukocyte migration, exudate concentrations and myeloperoxidase activity (p<0.05) while DA B was weakly active (p>0.05). Moreover, the diagnostic of the MS2 behaviour of DA A-C in conjunction with the chromatograms and the obtained MS2 data of the crude extract led to the characterisation of three cyclopropane triterpenes (T1-T3) and six saponins (T4-T9) from the fruits, the bark, and the wood extracts. Donella species deserve more investigation since metabolites related to the anti-inflammatory compound (DA A) could be identified. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fungitoxic Potential of Extracts of Four Pinus spp. Bark to Inhibit Fungus Trametes versicolor (L. ex. Fr.) Pilát

Antifungal potential of bark crude extracts of Pinus strobus L., Pinus douglasiana Martinez, Pinus caribaea Morelet [var. Hondurensis (scheclauze) W. H. G. Barrett & Golfari] and Pinus leiophylla Schltdl. & Cham, for inhibiting mycelial growth to fungus Trametes versicolor (L. ex Fr.) Pilat was investigated. Pinus bark was extracted through a mixture of acetone-hexane-water 54:44:2 V. Bioassays were performed according to the agar dilution method (petri dish) using concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg mL-1 for each of the obtained extracts. All extracts showed some inhibition degree. Crude extracts of P. strobus bark showed the greatest inhibition degree. Antifungal potential of all tested extracts at a concentration of 1.0 mg mL-1 was classified as toxic. Through simple regression models, concentrations were calculated in order to achieve a 50% inhibition (IC50) and the minimal inhibition concentration (MIC). MIC values were 1.58, 1.72, 1.24, and 1.94 mg mL-1 for bark extracts of P. strobus, P. douglasiana, P. caribaea, and P. leiophylla, respectively.

Wild Cinchona (Neolamarckia cadamba) – Bioactivities of a Medicinal Plant of Bangladesh

The methanol extract of bark of Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) and its organic and aqueous soluble partitionates were subjected to assays for antioxidant, cytotoxic, thrombolytic, membrane stabilizing, antimicrobial and analgesic activities. In the DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the pet ether and carbon tetra chloride soluble partitionate of the methanolic extract demonstrated the highest free radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 60.46 ?g/ml and 78.58 ?g/ml, respectively. On the other hand, the carbon tetrachloride and pet ether soluble fractions displayed the potential lethality to brine shrimps, having LC50 of 7.24 and 7.89 ?g/ml, as compared to standard vincristine sulphate (LC50 value of 0.45 ?g/ml). During assay for thrombolytic property, the carbon tetrachloride and aqueous soluble materials revealed 66.36 % and 64.25 % clot lysis of human blood, respectively. In the membrane stabilizing assay, the carbon tetrachloride soluble fraction inhibited 86.79 % haemolysis of human RBCs in hypotonic solution-induced condition, while the aqueous soluble partitionate inhibited 92.39 % haemolysis of RBCs in the heat-induced condition. The crude methanolic extract of bark of N. cadamba showed significant central and peripheral analgesic activity at both 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, whereas its chloroform soluble fraction mildly inhibited the growth of test microorganisms. Therefore, our studies suggest that wild cinchona should be subjected to extensive phytopharmacological investigation.Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 19(1): 32-36, 2016

PHYTOCHEMISTRY, TOXICITY AND IN VITRO ANTITRYPANOSOMAL EFFICACY OF CRUDE AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF GUIERA SENEGALENSIS STEM BARK

The crude aqueous extract of Guiera senegalensis stem bark was evaluated for its phytochemistry, acute toxicity and in vitro antitrypanosomal efficacy in this study. Tests for alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phlabotannins, saponins, steroids, cardenolides, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and anthraquinones were conducted. A total of 15 albino rats of both sexes were used and grouped into 5 (A to E) of 3 rats each. Groups A-D were intraperitoneally treated with graded doses of 100, 200, 400, 800mg/kg body weight of the crude aqueous extract of G. senegalensis stem bark. Group E was treated with Physiological Saline Solution serving as the control. All groups were observed for 24 hours for clinical signs and death to determine the median lethal dose (LD50). An in vitro experiment was carried out with 2 drops of blood from a donor rat added to 5 ml of phosphate buffer glucose solution out of which 0.2ml was finally used at 40, 20, 10, 5, 2.5, 0.625, 0.313, 0.156 and 0.078 concentrations of the extract. The phytochemical screening for bioactive substances had tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinones and cardiac glycosides. Phlabotannins and cardenolides were not detected. The clinical signs observed were sluggishness, awkward posture, loss of appetite, starry hair coat and terminal death within 24 hours with LD50 value of 600mg/kg. The in vitro antitrypanosomal efficacy of the extract showed 100% inhibition of motility against Trypanosoma brucei at 20mg/ml. In conclusion, the crude aqueous extract of G. senegalensis stem bark contains phytochemical components that exhibit inhibitory trypanosomal activity.

In-vivo antimalarial activity of aqueous leaf and bark extracts of Trema orientalis against Plasmodium berghei in mice.

The control of malaria relies on the use of chemical antimalarial, but the development of resistance necessitates research into alternatives. Trema orientalis (L.) Blume is used in Nigerian folklore medicine for the treatment of malaria. This study investigates the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of aqueous leaf and bark extracts of T. orientalis in rodent model. Swiss Albino mice weighing 23-27g were intraperitoneally infected with Plasmodium berghei. The lethal dose in mice was estimated to be greater than 5000mg/kg based on toxicity signs and death. Aqueous crude leaf and bark extracts were administered at 400, 800 and 1600mg/kg. Chloroquine was used as positive control while the negative control was treated with distilled water. Parasitemia, parasite inhibition, body weight and packed cell volume (PCV) were determined. The parasite inhibition of the leaf extracts at 400, 800 and 1600mg/kg was 51.55, 62.78 and 76.08% while that of the bark extract was 44.3, 65.82 and 74.23% respectively. The percentage parasitemia of the leaf extract at 400, 800 and 1600mg/kg decreased by 45.0, 70.3 and 74.7% while that of the bark decreased by 37.4, 53.0 and 52.0% respectively. The PCV of mice treated with 400, 800 and 1600mg/kg leaf extract were 48.85, 49.88 and 50.99% while that of the bark extract was 49.38, 48.88 and 51.94% respectively. The results indicate that the plant has a promising antiplasmodial activity against P. berghei, which validates its folkloric use.

Phytochemical screening and evaluation of cytotoxicity of stem bark extracts of &lt;i&gt;Anaxagorea dolichocarpa&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Duguetia chrysocarpa&lt;/i&gt; (Annonaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the phytochemistry and cytotoxic activity of stem bark extracts from Anaxagorea dolichocarpa and Duguetia chrysocarpa - two species of the Annonaceae family.Methods: The crude ethanol bark extracts (EtOH) of the plants were obtained by maceration. The crude extracts were suspended in a mixture of methanol (MeOH) and water (H2O) (proportion 3:7 v/v) and partitioned with hexane, chloroform (CHCl3) and ethyl acetate (AcOEt) in ascending order of polarity to obtain the respective fractions. The extracts were evaluated on thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates of silica gel to highlight the main groups of secondary metabolites. Cytotoxicity was tested against human tumor cell lines - OVCAR-8 (ovarian), SF-295 (brain) and HCT-116 (colon) - using 3- (4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Results: The screening results demonstrated that all the extracts were positive for the presence of flavonoids and tannins. The presence of alkaloids also was detected in some extracts. The hexane extract of A. dolichocarpa showed the strongest cytotoxicity against HCT-116 with cell growth inhibition of 89.02 %.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate for the first time the cytotoxic activity of the extracts of A. dolichocarpa and D. chrysocarpa, thus providing some evidence that plants of the Annonaceae family are a source of active secondary metabolites with cytotoxic activity.Keywords: Annonaceae, Anaxagorea dolichocarpa, Duguetia chrysocarpa, Anti-cancer agents, Ovarian, brain and colon cell lines

Investigação das atividades antioxidante e antimicrobiana de duas espécies arbóreas ocorrentes no bioma caatinga

&lt;p&gt;O bioma caatinga é um bioma brasileiro predominante e único no Nordeste do Brasil. Esse bioma abriga uma impressionante biodiversidade florística com espécies ricas em moléculas bioativas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana de duas espécies vegetais arbóreas ocorrentes na caatinga. Nos ensaios de atividade antioxidante dos extratos etanólicos da casca do caule das espécies &lt;em&gt;Leucaena leucocephala&lt;/em&gt; e &lt;em&gt;Cnidoscolus quercifolius&lt;/em&gt; foram avaliados o teor de fenólicos totais e atividade antioxidante pelos métodos de captura dos radicais livres DPPH (radical 1,1-diphenil-2-picrilhydrazil) e ABTS (radical 2,2’azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)). A atividade antimicrobiana desses extratos foi avaliada frente às espécies bacterianas &lt;em&gt;Enterococcus faecales&lt;/em&gt; (ATCC 29212), &lt;em&gt;Streptococcus pneumoniae &lt;/em&gt;(ATCC 49619) e &lt;em&gt;Staphylococcus aureus&lt;/em&gt; (ATCC 25923), através do ensaio de difusão em poço e determinação de Concentração Inibitória Mínima (CIM). Os teores de fenólicos totais encontrados na espécie &lt;em&gt;L. leucocephala&lt;/em&gt; exibiram quantidades relevantes de polifenóis, resultado não observado na espécie &lt;em&gt;C. quercifolius.&lt;/em&gt; Foi observado existir uma correlação direta entre a quantidade de fenólicos totais e a atividade antioxidante das espécies testadas. Nenhuma das espécies apresentou atividade antimicrobiana significativa. &lt;/p&gt;

Antifungal Activity of Ziziphus mucronata and Erythrina abyssinica Bark Crude Extracts on Cryptococcus neofomans and Candida albicans Species

Aims: The study aims at extraction, characterization and identification of bioactive compounds with antifungal properties from the plant species E. abyssinica and Z. mucronata against Cyptococcal neoformans and Candida albicans. Study Design: Phytochemical screening of crude plant extracts and determination of their minimum inhibitory concentration using Agar disc diffusion method. Place and Duration of Study: Pharmaceutical Technology Lab, Harare Institute of Technology, February 2014 and May 2015. Methodology: In this study crude bark extracts of Ziziphus mucronata and Erythrina abyssinica from Zimbabwe were test for antifungal activity using the disc diffusion method against Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida albicans with fluconazole as the positive control. Phytochemical screening tests on the crude extracts were carried out to identify phytoconstituents. Results: Effective minimum inhibitory concentrations against C. albicans were found to be 20% w/v and 10%w/v for Ziziphus mucronata and showed moderate growth at a 5% w/v concentration. Erythrina abyssinica had effective minimum inhibitory concentrations at 25% w/v and 12.5% w/v with moderate fungal growth observed at 6.25% w/v. The same concentration ranges for both crude extracts showed similar antifungal activity for C. neoformans. Both crude bark extracts tested positive for tannins, saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids which contribute to the antifungal activity of the plant species. Conclusion: Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans are the most common fungal species that cause opportunistic infections to occur in HIV and AIDS. The effects produced by these plants have proven that they can be used to develop pharmaceutical agents alleviate the symptoms associated with these infections. The crude plant extracts were found to be active against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Both crude bark extracts tested positive for tannins, saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids which contribute to the antifungal activity of the plant species.

Evaluation of the Coagulating Potential of the Crude Extract from the Barbatim&amp;#227;o Bark for the Treatment of Dairy Effluents

The coagulating potential of the crude extract from the barbatimao bark for the treatment of dairy effluent was assessed and compared with industrial coagulants such as aluminum sulfate (inorganic coagulant), the crude extract of black wattle bark (used in the manufacture of natural organic coagulants), and gallic acid (the main constituent of condensed tannins). The aqueous extract of barbatimao was obtained by refluxing for 12 h, and the black wattle was provided by a producer of natural coagulants. The determinations of total phenolic compounds and tannins in the extracts were performed by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and precipitation with casein, respectively. The treatment of the effluent with coagulant was performed by the Jar-Test. After testing, the effluent was evaluated for turbidity, total solids, and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). A higher content of phenolic compounds (19.81% mg of gallic acid/g extract) was observed in the barbatimao extract than in the black wattle extract (14.24% mg of gallic acid/g extract). However, the extracts contained the same amount of tannins, 13.95% for the barbatimao extract and 12.89% for the black wattle extract. A 63%, reduction in BOD was observed for the effluent treated with barbatimao extract, 35% for the black wattle extract, 58% for gallic acid and 60.59% for the treatment with aluminum sulfate. Treatment with gallic acid caused a 98% reduction in the turbidity of the effluent; with aluminum sulfate, a 97% reduction was obtained; with barbatimao extract, 96%, and with black wattle extract, 93%. The barbatimao extract was shown to be a potential coagulant for dairy effluents.

Extracts of Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss is Cytotoxic on Human Leukemic, Breast and Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

The high cost of treatment of cancer coupled with the emergence of drug resistance makes it imperative for new drug interventions to curb its occurrence. Hence, the objective of this research was to determine the phytochemical, total phenolic content, antioxidant and antiproliferative effect of Codiaeum variegatum crude extracts and fractions. The MTT cell viability and DPPH assays among others were used to determine the selected properties of the plants. The presence of general glycosides, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids and sterols was observed in its stem bark and leaf. Triterpenoids were present in the leaf only while saponins were observed in the stem bark only. Strong antioxidant activities were observed in both stem bark and leaf with EC50 values of 0.053±0.004 mg/mL and 1.396±0.073 mg/mL respectively. Both crude extracts showed antiproliferative activity towards all cancer cell lines with the stem bark exhibiting the strongest cytotoxicity. However, both showed strong cytotoxicity towards normal cells as well. The mechanism of cell death was determined to be apoptosis. Further testing of fractions from its stem bark crude extract revealed an increase in cytotoxicity of its chloroform fraction against Jurkat cells with an IC50 of 44.71±0.44 µg/mL. These results confirm the cytotoxicity of this plant.

Susceptibilidade Antimicrobiana de Bactérias Ocorrentes em Úlceras Crônicas aos Extratos Brutoss de Prosopis Juliflora

Úlceras crônicas são suscetíveis à infecção devido à perda estéril da função de barreira inata da pele e dos anexos cutâneos, facilitando o desenvolvimento de comunidades microbianas. O objetivo do estudo foi investigar a suscetibilidade de bactérias associadas a úlceras crônicas aos extratos brutos de Prosopis juliflora. Os testes in vitro foram realizados com extratos brutos das folhas e casca do caule contra as estirpes de Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) e Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 7002), por meio de ensaio de difusão em agar com poço e determinação da Concentrações Inibitórias Mínimas (MIC). Os resultados mostraram que as estirpes de E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus e P. mirabilis foram mais susceptíveis aos extratos brutos da folha, com diâmetro de zona de inibição de 21,0; 33,0; 20,0; 21,0 mm, respectivamente, enquanto, E. coli e S. aureus foram mais susceptíveis aos extratos brutos da casca do caule, com diâmetro da zona de inibição de 21,5 e 20,0 mm, respectivamente. Os melhores valores de CIM foram registrados para EBF de P. juliflora. Estudo químico para a extração e o isolamento de compostos ativos é recomendado para realização de ensaios in vitro para investigar a atividade antimicrobiana destes compostos.

Cytotoxic Norhopene Triterpenoids from the Bark of Exothea paniculata from Abaco Island, Bahamas

Bioactivity-directed preparative chromatography of the cytotoxic crude dichloromethane bark extract of Exothea paniculata has yielded two new cytotoxic norhopene triterpenoids, exotheol A and exotheol B. The structures were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry and were found to be potently cytotoxic to MCF-7 and 5637 cells in vitro .

Antibacterial activities of the methanol extracts and compounds from Erythrina sigmoidea against Gram-negative multi-drug resistant phenotypes.

BackgroundIn the present study, the methanol extracts from the leaves, as well as compounds namely sigmoidin I (1), atalantoflavone (2), bidwillon A (3), neocyclomorusin (4), 6α-hydroxyphaseollidin (5) and neobavaisoflavone (6) (from the bark extract) were tested for their activities against a panel of Gram-negative bacteria including multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes.MethodsBroth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of the extracts as well as compounds 1–6.ResultsThe MIC results indicated that the crude extracts from the leaves and bark of this plant were able to inhibit the growth of 96.3 % of the 27 tested bacteria. Compounds 2–6 displayed selective activities, their inhibitory effects being obtained on 8.3 %, 41.7 %, 58.3 %, 58.3 % and 66.7 % of tested bacteria respectively for 2, 3, 5, 6 and 4. The lowest MIC value of 8 μg/mL was obtained with 6 against Escherichia coli ATCC8739, Enterobacter cloacae ECCI69, Klebsiella pneumoniae KP55, Providencia stuartii NAE16 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01.ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that Erythrina sigmoidea is a potential source of antibacterial drugs to fight against MDR bacteria. Neobavaisoflavone (6) is the main antibacterial consituents of the bark crude extract.

In vitro antiprotozoal activity and cytotoxicity of extracts and fractions from the leaves, root bark and stem bark of Isolona hexaloba

Ethnopharmacological relevanceIsolona hexaloba (Pierre) Engl. and Diels (Annonaceae) is traditionally used in D.R. Congo against parasitic diseases including malaria. Materials and methodsTwo crude aqueous extracts, 3 crude methanol extracts and 3 crude 80% ethanol extracts from the leaves, root bark and stem bark together with 12 subfractions from the crude 80% ethanol extracts were evaluated in vitro for their antiprotozoal activity against Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T. cruzi, Leishmania infantum and the chloroquine and pyrimethamine resistant K1 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Their cytotoxic effects against MRC-5 cell lines were also assessed. ResultsResults indicated that the most pronounced activities against T. b. brucei were recorded for the crude methanol extracts of root bark (IC50=1.97µg/ml; SI>32.49) and leaves (IC50=2.65µg/ml; SI>24.15). Three samples displayed good activity against T. cruzi: the 80% methanol extract of leaves (IC50=8.33µg/ml; SI>3.92), its petroleum ether fraction (IC50=8.50µg/ml; SI=2.52) and the crude aqueous extract of the stem bark (IC50=9.31µg/ml; SI=3.46). The crude aqueous extract of the leaves exhibited a pronounced and selective activity against L. infantum (IC50=2.00µg/ml; SI>32). The crude methanol extract of leaves (IC50=6.35µg/ml; SI>10.10) and the 2 dichloromethane soluble fractions of the 80% ethanol extracts from root bark (IC50=6.96µg/ml; SI=6.1) and stem bark (IC50=8µg/ml; SI>8.00) showed good activity and selectivity against L. infantum. The most active samples against Plasmodium falciparum K1 were the leaves crude 80% ethanol extract (0.92µg/ml) and its fractions: alkaline aqueous (IC50=0.27µg/ml), 90% methanol (0.90µg/ml) and dichloromethane (1.04µg/ml), respectively, with promising selectivity indexes of 35<SI<237. None of all the tested crude extracts and fractions was found to be cytotoxic against MRC-5 cell lines except the petroleum ether soluble fraction from the leaves which displayed a cytotoxic effect (CC50=21.40µg/ml). ConclusionOverall, extracts of I. hexaloba tested here, showed good results concerning parasitic infections such as Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis, malaria and/or sleeping sickness without considerable toxicity. The 80% ethanol extracts from leaves and their fractions turned out to be of special interest as they were the most useful in the treatment of malaria.

&lt;i&gt;In vivo&lt;/i&gt; Antitrypanosomal Effect of Boswelia dalzielli Stem bark Extract in &lt;i&gt;Trypanosoma brucei brucei&lt;/i&gt; – infected mice

Few effective drugs have been developed for the treatment of trypanosomiasis. Available ones can produce unpleasant, and, in some cases, fatal side-effects. Furthermore, all the drugs now available have been widely used for many years, which has led to the development of parasite resistance to the active compounds. Because the disease is a neglected one, there is no prospect of producing new drugs against it in the nearest future, except from natural products. Against this backdrop, Ethanolic stem bark extract of Boswelia dalzielli was tested for trypanocidal effect against Trypanosoma bruce brucei infection in mice.. Sixty percent (60%) v/v crude stem bark extract of Boswelia dalzielli was used to treat infected mice at doses of 100, 200, 300 and 400mg/Kg bodyweight/day for three weeks intraperitonially. Doses of 300 and 400mg/kg bodyweight/day completely cured the experimental Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection in challenged mice within the 2nd and the 8th days of treatment respectively and the mice survived for more than two months. Administration of healthy mice with the crude extract for five days before infection did not prevent the establishment of the infection. Sub-innoculation of the blood and cerebrospinal fluid drawn from the cured mice to healthy ones failed to produce any infection within 50 days post inoculation. There was no significant difference (p&lt;0.05) in the Packed Cell Volume (PCV) determined at Pre and Post treatment period in the cured mice, but a marked difference existed between the cured mice and the control. The extract was found to be toxic (LD50) when administered at a dose of 1,050mg/Kg bodyweight of crude extract because 50% of the experimental animals died. The result of this study has demonstrated the anti-trypanosomal potential of ethanolic stem bark extract of Boswelia dalzielli at doses below the acute toxic dose.Key words: Trypanosomiasis, Chemotherapy, Trypanosome, Boswelia dalzielli

Antileishmanial Activity of Compounds Isolated from Sassafras albidum

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasitic protozoa, which currently lacks efficient treatment. Natural products have shown promise as a potential source for antiprotozoal drugs. This work focuses on the antileishmanial potential of Sassafras albidum (Lauraceae) bark extract. The crude bark extract of S. albidum showed excellent antileishmanial activity with an IC50 value less than 12.5 μg/mL against promastigotes of L. amazonensis. The chloroform stem bark extract of S. albidum was subjected to preparative column chromatography. Five compounds were isolated, purified by recrystallization, and identified as sesamin, spinescin, β-sitosterol, hexatriacontanal, and 1-triacontanol. Antileishmanial and cytotoxic screening were performed on these compounds. Sesamin exhibited the best activity against L. amazonensis with an IC50 of 15.8 μg/mL and was not cytotoxic to mouse macrophage cells (CC50 > 100 μg/mL).

Antiphotooxidative activities of elm (Ulmus davidiana Planch) root bark extracts on methylene blue-sensitized photooxidation of lipids and isolation and identification of active compounds

Methanol extracts of elm (Ulmus davidiana Planch) root bark were fractionated and purified to obtain active antiphotooxidative compounds against methylene blue sensitized photooxidation of oil. Crude extracts of elm root bark exhibited a strong protective activity, comparable to α-tocopherol, against methylene blue sensitized photooxidation of oil. Butanol and ethylacetate fractions of crude extracts showed strong antiphotooxidative activities. Four isolated pure compounds were obtained and positively identified as catechin-7-O-d-xylopyranoside (CXP), catechin-7-O-d-apiofuranosid (CAF), catechin (C), and mansonone E. CXP, CAF, and C were identified as active compounds showing strong protective activities against methylene blue sensitized photooxidation. However, mansonone E at a 300 ppm concentration induced a 20% increase in hydroperoxide formation. These 3 compounds are major active compounds for the antiphotooxidative activities of elm root bark extracts against methylene blue sensitized photooxidation of oils.

Antidiarrheal activity of fractions from aqueous extract of Detarium senegalense

Summary The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different fractions of the aqueous crude extract of Detarium senegalense stem bark on castor oil-induced diarrhea. Castor oilinduced diarrhea, gastrointestinal motility and castor oil-induced enteropooling methods were used to evaluate the antidiarrheal effects of the fractions. Castor oil was used to induce diarrhea and the effect of all the fractions (chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, methanol and residual aqueous) were evaluated at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. The results show that all fractions significantly (p&lt;0.05) decreased the frequency of defecation in rats following the induction of diarrhea with castor oil. Ethyl acetate which produced the highest antidiarrheal activity was further subjected to gastrointestinal motility and castor oil-induced enteropooling tests. In the gastrointestinal motility, two test doses of the extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) were administered orally to two groups of rats (n=5), while the third group of rats (control), were treated with normal saline, and the fourth group were treated with diphenoxylate, a conventional anti-diarrheal drug. In the castor oil-induced enteropooling experiment, normal saline was used for the control animals, while 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract was administered to groups two and three, respectively and atropine, a standard drug, was administered to rats in group four. The ethyl acetate fraction significantly (p&lt;0.05) decreased the gastro-intestinal motility, as shown by the extent of movement of the charcoal meal in the treated rats. It also significantly inhibited the fluid accumulation within the intestine. These findings suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction possess antidiarrheal effect, which may be due to the presence of some phytochemical constituents (alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins) in the plant, which may either be working alone or in combination with each other. This study has demonstrated that D. senegalense fractions, especially the ethyl acetate fraction, possess antidiarrheal activity thus supporting the use of the plant in the treatment of diarrheal diseases.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANTIOXIDANT PROFILES OF BARK, LEAVES AND SEEDS OF SYZYGIUM CUMINI (INDIAN BLACKBERRY)

Syzygiumcumini plant is well known for its medicinal values. This study focuses on the comparative antioxidative capacity of bark, leaves and seeds of Syzygiumcumini plant.Several fractions were made from the crude methanolic extract of bark, leaves and seeds in n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol and aqueous.Leaves aqueous fraction showed highest phenolic content of 253.6 ± 0.025mg/mL while seed aqueous showed maximum flavonoid content of 0.732 ± 0.0005 mg/mL among all extracts. Bark Ethyl acetate fraction via reducing power assay showed absorbance 3.27 ± 0.19 abs and methanolic and Ethyl acetate fraction of leaves via phosphomolybdate assay showed maximum reducing strength of 15.97 ± 0.008 and 15.97 ± 0.037 mg/mL respectively among all. Seed Chloroform fraction showed maximum TEAC value of 6.28 whereas, Ethyl acetate leaves fraction has shown maximum DPPH inhibition. Where, Hexane fraction of bark showed maximum antioxidant consumption against peroxyl radical at 1.24 at 500 nm among all.The results of the assays showed that, in general, all the extracts of Syzygiumcuminiposses considerable antioxidant and radical scavenging properties, however, polar fractions of all three samples i.e., aqueous and ethyl acetate have exhibited a remarkable antioxidant behavior in all the antioxidant assays.