Heliotropium Research Articles

Phenetic assessment among Heliotropium L. s.l. species

Phenetic assessment among Heliotropium L. s.l. species

Effects of crude aqueous extracts of Heliotropium indicum Linn (Boraginaceae) on blood pressure in Wistar rats

The present work was carried out to investigate the effects of crude aqueous extracts of the stem with leaves and roots of Heliotropium indicum Linn on blood pressure in Wistar rats. Crude aqueous extracts were obtained by decoction of Heliotropium indicum stem with leaves and roots. A phytochemical screening of extracts has been made by thin layer chromatography. The pharmacological effect of the extracts was assessed by administration to L-NAME-induced hypertensive Wistar rats. Blood pressures were measured by carotid catheterization. The chemical screening revealed the presence of many secondary metabolites such as coumarins, flavonoids, anthocyanics, lignans, saponins, tannins, terpenes and triterpenes in both extract. Alkaloid were detected only in the root extract. 7-days administration of L-NAME induced an increasis of rat mean arterial pressure (MAP) from 1063 mmHg to 1342 mmHg. Administration of both extracts significantly decreased the MAP from 1342 mmHg to respectively to 108 1 mmHg for the stem with leaf extract and to 1212 mmHg for the root extract . These results provide a support for the use of this plant in traditional medicine.

A new combination and new synonym in the Neotropical Heliotropiaceae

A new combination in Euploca and a new synonym in Tournefortia (Heliotropiaceae) from the Neotropics are proposed here. Heliotropium purdiei is combined under the genus Euploca and Tournefortia spicata is proposed as a synonym of T. romeroi.

Ethnobotanical survey and phytochemical analysis of medicinal plants used for the treatment of hyperprolactinemia in Lagos State, Nigeria

Ethnobotanical survey and phytochemical screening of medicinal plants used for the treatment of hyperprolactinemia among women in Lagos State, Nigeria was carried out using oral interviews (without questionnaire) and standard screening procedures. Ethnomedicinal data was gathered from herb sellers, herbal medicine practitioners and elderly people in the rural parts of the state. The collected data included the names of the plants, the parts used, mode of preparation, dosage, and administration of the medicinal plants. 13 plant species belonging to 10 families were identified and selected. They are: Senna alata L., Jatropha gossypifolia L., Uvaria chemae P. Beauv., Morinda lucida Benth., Anthocleista djalonesis Chev., Heliotropium indicum L., Hoslundia opposita Vahl., Nymphea lotus L., Pistia stratiotes L., Vitex agnus L., Ocimum sanctum L., Ocimum gratissimum L. and Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich. Asteraceace has the highest number of plant species used followed by Annonaceace. N. lotus and P. stratiotes were the most frequently mentioned and highly recommended of all the species. The plant parts used for the treatment are the leaves, bark and roots which are prepared by decoction, infusion or taken in powdered form. Majority of the plant materials are taken orally and/or used for bathing. The aqueous and acetone extracts of the medicinal plants implicated were screened using standard laboratory procedures for the presence of secondary metabolites. The screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, phenols, and proanthocyanidins. Key words: Ethnobotanical survey, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, hyperprolactinemia.

Bioactive phytoconstituents and plant extracts from genus Heliotropium

Heliotropium is a genus of herbs and rarely shrubs of family Boraginaceae. Heliotropium species have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of gout, rheumatism and as antiseptic, febrifuge, cholagogue, anti‑inflammatory and healing agents. The alkaloids mainly pyrrolizidine alkaloids are the main constituents of Heliotropium species, which are responsible for several biological activities viz. anti‑tumoural, anti‑microbial, and anti‑viral effects. Phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and quinones have also been reported in this genus. The present review summarizes the various biological studies done on the extracts and bioactive phytoconstituents from the plants of the genus Heliotropium over the past few decades. Key words: Biological activities, boraginaceae, heliotropium, phytoconstituents, review

Antimicrobial effect of local medicinal plant extracts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and search for their metabolites by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis

The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-microbial properties of leaf extract from some local plants in Saudi Arabia belonging to seven different families which areRumex vesicarius from the family Polygonaceae, Datura stramonium from the familySolanaceae, Zygophyllum coccineum from the family Zygophyllaceae, Citrullus colocyuthus from the family Cueurbitaceae, Lasiurus scindicus from the family Poaceaeand Heliotropium digynum from the family Boraginaceae against seven human pathogenic bacteria and yeast strains including Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilisATCC 6633, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853,Salmonella suis ATCC 13076, Shigella sonnei ATCC 11060, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. The compounds were extracted using two different extraction agent water and acetone. The evaluation of the anti-microbial activities of the extracts was examined against all the aforementioned microorganisms by standard agar well diffusion method. The water extracts showed no antibacterial activities in all the different plant families, but as for the acetone's extracts, the antimicrobial activities were moderate to strong (about 18 to 30 mm). The compounds present in the extracts were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The leaf extracts of the following medicinal plants were mainly found to contain compounds like 4-ethyl-2-hydroxycyclopent-2-en-1-one, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, and cyclobutanol for R. vesicarius; hexanoic, nonanoic, octanoic, and heptanoic acid for D. stramonium; 1-hexyl-2-nitrocyclexane, 2-octadecyl-propane-1,3-diol, octadecanal, and cyclohexane for Z. coccineum; l-(+)-ascorbic acid 2,6-dihexadecanoate, eicosanoic acid, and 2-heptadecenal for C. colocyuthus; butanoic acid, 6-octen-1-ol,3,7-dimethyl-propanoate, 2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylcyclopent-2-en-1-one, and alpha-cadinol for L. scindicus; and 5H-1-pyrindine indolizine, 7-acetyl-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-5-isopropylbicyclo, 1-hexyl-2-nitrocyclohexane for H. digynum. Key words: Antimicrobial activities, medicinal plant extract, agar well diffusion method, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Saudi Arabia.

Studies on the Antimicrobial Activity of Heliotropium indicum Linn.

Objective: To investigate the antimicrobial activity of alcoholic extract of Heliotropium indicum . Materials and method: Antimicrobial activity was studied at concentrations of 1 μg/ml, 100μg/ml, 1 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml of the extract dissolved in propylene glycol against four strains each of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, three strains of fungi and two yeast by agar cup plate diffusion method. Results: The alcoholic extract of Heliotropium indicum was found to possess dose dependent antimicrobial activity in all the test organisms. Conclusion: The study lends support for the use of the plant as folklore medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases.