Paeonia Emodi Research Articles

The Genus Paeonia: A Review of the Targeted Signaling Pathways and Underlying Mechanisms of Pharmacological and Clinical Properties.

The Paeoniaceae family contains only the Paeonia genus and is considered the major group of flowering plants. Several traditional and pharmacological applications of Paeoniaceae herbs have been described. The current paper aimed to determine the pharmacological activities of the most prevalent herbs from the genus Paeonia by focusing on the underlying mechanism of action and signaling pathways to provide insight for further in-depth research on the medicinal resources of Paeonia. The "Paeoniaceae" keyword was searched from 1st January 1995 to 15th May 2024 through the PubMed and Scopus databases. Only papers related to pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and toxicology were extracted. The possible pharmacological activity of the Paeonia plants underlying their mechanism of action and signaling pathways was subsequently discussed. Following our venture, only 15 Paeonia herbs were adequately evaluated for their pharmacological applications. Paeonia lactiflora Pall., Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews, and Paeonia emodi Royle are among the most prevalent Paeonia plants that have attracted increased amounts of attention in modern pharmacological studies. Paeonia herbs possess various pharmacological applications, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anticancer, antimicrobial, cardiovascular protective, cosmetic and skincare, radical scavenging, hepatoprotective and anti-ulcerative, anti-diabetic, musculoskeletal, and neuroprotective effects, and can be used as alternative therapies under critical medical conditions. Among the applications of Paeonia herbs, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities are critical, as most of the other pharmacological effects are attributed to them. In other words, nuclear factor (NF)-κB and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) can be considered the most important signaling pathways involved in the pharmacological activity of Paeonia herbs.

Agrotechniques development for Paeonia emodi Royle: Evaluation of soil composition, biomass, and secondary metabolites

Agrotechniques development for Paeonia emodi Royle: Evaluation of soil composition, biomass, and secondary metabolites

Age-dependent variations in bioactive compounds in the roots of Himalayan peony (Paeonia emodi Royle)

Himalayan peony (Paeonia emodi Royle) is a popular herbaceous plant known for its medicinal and therapeutic potential in indigenous and traditional systems of medicine. The fleshy roots of P. emodi are most frequently uses in uterine diseases, rheumatic pain, sciatica, muscle cramps, epilepsy, and nervous affection. Phytochemical compounds like phenolics, monoterpenes, triterpenes, steroids, and various organic acids are also present in the roots of P. emodi. In the present study, for the first time, the root age of P. emodi determined using growth rings and corresponding paeoniflorin, albiflorin, polyphenolics, and antioxidant content were evaluated. Based on the paraffin sectioning method, 1–7-year-old roots were identified, followed by quantification of bioactive compounds. The maximum content of gallic acid (79.15 ± 3.93 mg/100 g D.W.), naringin (158.82 ± 9.49 mg/100 g D.W.), chlorogenic acid (29.45 ± 2.60 mg/100 g D.W.), and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (37.69 ± 1.92 mg/100 g D.W.) were recorded from 5, 4, 6, and 7-year-old roots. The maximum content of catechin (176.82 ± 6.66 mg/100 g D.W.) and salicylic acid (24.15 ± 3.18 mg/100 g D.W.) were recorded from 3-year-old roots. The maximum content of paeoniflorin (20.51 ± 0.16 mg/g D.W.) and albiflorin (2.96 ± 0.65 mg/g D.W.) were recorded from 5 and 7-year-old roots, respectively. Maximum FRAP (12.75 ± 0.003 mg/g D.W.) and DPPH activity (18.67 ± 0.004 mg/g D.W.) were recorded in 6-year-old roots; while ABTS activity (13.54 ± 0.81 mg/g D.W.) was found maximum in 7-year-old roots. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that plant age demonstrated significant positive relationships (p < 0.01) with paeoniflorin, albiflorin, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, FRAP, and ABTS. The study showed that the amounts of bioactive compounds increased with the age of P. emodi. However, to harness and maintain the quality of raw materials in herbal or pharmaceutical industries, it is necessary to identify the material with the same age root of the target species for subsequent use.

Assessing anthropogenic pressure and threats on Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle habitats in Garhwal Himalaya

Assessing anthropogenic pressure and threats on Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle habitats in Garhwal Himalaya

Ethno-medicinal plants of indigenous people: A case study in Khatling valley of Western Himalaya, India

Background: Khatling valley is an unexplored and remote region located in the Uttarakhand state of Indian Himalaya, the area possesses rich medicinal flora, and local inhabitants using these plants since generations. The majority of primary health care depends upon traditional medicine due to the unavailability of a modern medicinal facility, however, the identity of medicinal plants is limited to traditional healers or elder people in the region thus the documentation of such important medicinal knowledge is a dire need for sustainable use. Methods: An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in this region from 2018 to 2020. Ethnomedicinal data were collected from 82 informants through semi-structured questionnaires and group conversations. To check the popular and frequently used species URs and Informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated for the collected data. Results: The present study recorded 68 plants from 63 genera and 35 families utilized for treating various disorders. The dominant families were Asteraceae (7) and Rosaceae (6) followed by Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Ranunculaceae, Polygonaceae, Zingiberiaceae (4 species each). The majority of the useful plants were herbaceous (78%) followed by trees (12%), shrubs (9%), and climbers were the least in number (1%). Most of the plant parts used were leaves and roots 25% each, followed by rhizome, aerial part and tuber (9% each), seeds, fruits, and whole plant (5% each), bark (4%) while, stem, flower, resin, and the bulb has less proportion (1% each). Five drug formulations were used by the local inhabitants of which paste was the most common (32%) followed by powder (31%), decoction (19%), raw (12%), and juice (6%). Some important medicinal plants based on use reports (URs) were Valeriana jatamansi Jones (300 URs and 5 uses), Aconitum lethale Griff. (275 URs and 5 uses), Nardostachys jatamansi (D. Don) DC (250 URs and 4 uses), Solanum nigrum (L.) (234 URs and 5 uses), Paeonia emodi Royle (230 URs and 4 uses). ICF values ranged between 0.96 and 1. The highest ICF value (1) was recorded for mental disorders (ICD code F) and epilepsy (ICD code G) while a minimum of 0.96 was recorded for blood problems (ICD code I). Conclusion: Ethnomedicinal plants having high URs and ICF can be a good source for novel phytoconstituents and novel drug discoveries, apart from this documentation of traditional knowledge will be helpful for the new generation, researchers, and policymakers for sustainable use of the species. Keywords: Ethnomedicine; Indigenous knowledge; Medicinal plants; Remote region

A comprehensive review on the phytochemistry, pharmacological, ethnobotany, and traditional uses of Paeonia species

Since ancient times, people have used medicinal plants as a source of medications to treat and prevent diseases. Paeonia species are important therapeutic plants in Ayurvedic, Unani, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study aims to provide updated information on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of Paeonia species discovered until now. Using the keywords "Paeonia", "geographical distribution", "ethnopharmacology and traditional values", "phytochemistry", "antioxidant", "anti-inflammatory", "antimicrobial", "cardiovascular diseases", and "anticancerous properties", the published reports from 2001 to 2022 were retrieved using Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus databases. A total of 156 published articles were studied after meeting the qualifying criteria. Out of these, 52 articles were studied for phytochemistry, ethnopharmacological and traditional uses. Paeonia emodi is used to treat hypertension, asthma, convulsions, epilepsy, bronchitis, ascites, uterine abnormalities, and a variety of skin ailments. Bioactive compounds like triterpenes, monoterpene glucosides, phenols, tannins, emodinol, benzoic acid, paeonin A and B, steroids, several secondary metabolites like paeoniflorin and paeonol, and several minerals are abundant in the Paeonia species. In recent studies, Paeonia emodi has been shown to possess pharmacological properties like antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, insecticidal, and anti-tumor activities. Convincing data supports the traditional ethnomedicinal claims of the plant; the abundant phytocompounds of the plant are attributed to its broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the action of the bioactive ingredients in drug development processes and to investigate their potential at the clinical level, more research is required.

Histopathological and hematological investigations of mice model inoculated with nickel oxide nanoparticles and bacterial pathogens: In-vitro and in-vivo antibacterial studies

The Paeonia emodi (P. emodi) leaf extract was manipulated for the phytogenic fabrication of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) for in-vivo and in-vitro antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli: (ATCC #: 15224)) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus (ATCC #: 6538)). The surface area was found to be 78 m2/g andwas determined by the BET method using N2 adsorption–desorption data. The cubic geometrical shape of NiO NPs was confirmed through X-ray diffractogram (XRD) analysis, and the enumerated crystallite size is 22.37 nm. The microstructure analysis was carried out via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas the elemental composition was investigated by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The band gap energy of 1.93 eV was determined on the basis of the transmittance edge seen in the diffuse reflectance (DRS) spectrum. The surface functional moieties were identified by manipulating Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) value for E. coli (7.02 μg/mL) was found to be higher than that for S. aureus (3.51 μg/mL), whereas the dose-dependent in-vitro analysis was also carried out. In both bacteria, 3 × 107 CFUs was the tolerable concentration that causes maximum infection (no death) in mice. To explore the in-vivo therapeutic effectiveness of NiO NPs, 11 pm suspension was injected as the tolerated dose. The haematological and histopathological analysis discloses that the significant reduction in the bacterial infection was seen after the synchronous inoculation of NiO NPs and the bacterial suspensions.

Morphology and Physiology Response to Stratification during Seeds Epicotyl Dormancy Breaking of Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle

Paeonia emodi is a type of wild herbaceous peony with high ornamental and breeding value. Cold stratification is the only method to break its seed epicotyl dormancy to date, however, the key physiological factors during this process are not clear. In this study, rooted seeds of P. emodi were treated with 4 °C stratification, and the changes of the embryo, four nutrients, and two endogenous hormones in the seeds were investigated. The results showed that the plumule elongated at S6 (i.e., ten weeks of cold stratification), and grew to nearly the same length as the cotyledon at S9. Cold stratification increased starch consumption, significantly decreased soluble sugar content in the later stages, and decreased soluble protein content at S9, but it did not influence crude fat content. The activities of α-amylase and β-amylase increased significantly at S4 and S4 to S6, respectively. At S8 and S9, acid protease activity increased, and the increase in lipase activity continued throughout the whole process. At the same time, the ABA content decreased significantly after S6; from this stage, the ABA/GA3 ratio gradually decreased compared with that of the control, and the difference was significant at S9. Correlation analysis showed that the ABA/GA3 ratio was significantly correlated with starch content and α-amylase activity. It can be concluded that both carbohydrates and proteins were the energy supply for the epicotyl dormancy breaking of P. emodi seeds, rather than crude fat. Cold stratification promoted substance transformation by increasing the corresponding enzyme activities. The balance of ABA and GA3 suggested the key stage for the release of dormancy.

Morphological and Elemental Parameters of Himalayan Peony (&lt;i&gt;Paeonia emodi&lt;/i&gt;) a Medicinal Plant in Relation to Different Forests of Garhwal Himalaya, India

Paeonia emodi (Paeoniaceae family) is an important wild herbaceous plant widely used in traditional and modern system of medicines to cure various ailments like diabetes, uterine diseases, blood purifier, colic, dropsy and epilepsy. The present study deals with morphological, elemental and soil chemical characteristics of P. emodi samples collected from different sites of Garhwal Himalaya. The plant height was highest (29.56 cm) in Gwaldam (GD) while the numbers of leaves were maximum (4.80) in Triyuginarayan (TN) population. Above ground fresh and dry weight was maximum in Pothivasa (PV) and Gwaldam populations (18.79 and 5.46 g, respectively). Highest below ground fresh weight (12.80 g) and dry weight (3.84 g) was recorded in Gwaldam and Randhar Bangar (RB) population respectively. The elemental analysis revealed the higher concentration of copper (0.612 mg/L) and iron (6.059 mg/L) in Gwaldam population, while magnesium (1.010 mg/L) and manganese (2.083 mg/L) detected higher in Pothivasa and Randhar Bangar populations respectively. The findings suggested that the population with higher fresh and dry weight can be targeted to obtain higher biomass of an elite population, while population with high elemental value can be used to obtain quality products with maximum health benefits. Further, the antidiabetic property of magnesium has proved the regular usefulness of P. emodi. In addition, the presence of toxic element like lead in low concentration also supported the safe and regular use of P. emodi .

Pharmacological Approach to Glycemic Treatment Using Black, Green and Herbal Tea Extracts

Tea is the second most widely used drink all over the world after water. It has several health benefits. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of black, green and herbal teas for the treatment of hyperglycemia and its associated complications were investigated. Nine tea samples including black, green and herbal teas namely Lipton black tea (LBT), Supreme black tea (SBT), Tapal black tea (TBT), Jasmine green tea (JGT), Lemon grass green tea (LGrT), Lemon green tea (LGT), Berginia ciliata, Bistorta affinis and Paeonia emodi were selected for the study. Total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), antioxidant properties including inhibitory activity against 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical (ABTS•+), iron chelation and enzymes inhibitory potential for alpha glucosidase and alpha amylase were analyzed based on in vitro assays. The percentage yield of extracts was in the range of 7.2 to 47 %. Methanolic extracts showed greater TPC values (μg GAE/g) while aqueous extracts showed greater TFC values (μg Rutin E/g). The aqueous extracts of most of the studied tea samples showed strong biological activities with very low IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) values (0.2-69.0 μg/ml) for ABTS•+ radical scavenging, Fe2+ chelation and alpha glucosidase inhibition assays. For amylase inhibition activity, some aqueous extracts including LBT, SBT, JGT and P. emodi exhibited greater IC50 values. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(3): 491-498, 2021 (September)

PAEONIA EMODI: A THREATENED IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANT OF HIGHER HIMALAYAN REGION

Himalaya is well known for its rich biodiversity with respect to medicinal and aromatic plants and Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle is one of them locally known as Chandra (family Paeoniaceae). In India, it is distributed in North–West Himalaya from Kashmir to Garhwal-Kumaun regions of Uttarakhand with an altitudinal range of 1800 to 2800 m asl. The whole plant of P. emodi is highly effective for uterine diseases, blood purifier, colic, bilious, backbone ache, headache, dizziness, vomiting, dropsy, epilepsy and hysteria while the seeds are purgative. A present phytosociological study particularly in Garhwal Himalaya, reveals that only few pockets of P. emodi are higher dense in Triyuginarayan and Shyalmi areas (3.80 and 2.72 individual/m2 respectively) while remaining are lower dense under diverse climatic conditions due to invasion by several biotic and abiotic factors. Using available information based on field survey, it assumed that the causes of its degradation are largely overexploitation of immature twigs before flower formation and seed shedding. To conserve the targeted species for future prosperity, Government needs to take immediate and concrete initiatives or imposed the ban on illegal collection or removal of the plant from its natural populations and emphasize the promotion of conservation.

Seed germination and growth performance of Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle: Conservation and cultivation strategies

The present investigation emphasizes seed germination and growth performance of an important medicinal herb Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle (family Paeoniaceae) under different microclimatic conditions for sustainable utilization in the Garhwal Himalayan region. The species is used largely in edible, medicinal and economical aspects, but due to its vulnerable status required conservation/cultivation interventions. The study was carried out for storage period, presoaking time, viability and germination/growth performance. Maximum viability (87 %) was found in fresh seeds and minimum at room temperature (16 %). The imbibitions duration of 48 h was observed appropriate for water soaking or chemicals pretreatments in seeds. Germination percentage was significantly higher under shade net (48.16 ± 1.65 %) as compared to polyhouse and open (46.00 ± 3.26 % and 32.16 ± 2.35 %). Mean Germination Time was obtained minimum (144.15 ± 0.93 days) whereas, it was shown maximum (165.15 ± 0.80 days) for open condition. Plant height and stem diameter was recorded highest (19.96 ± 0.52 and 0.64 ± 0.01 cm, respectively) under polyhouse and lowest (13.31 ± 0.37 and 0.48 ± 0.01 cm, respectively) in open condition. Above ground and below ground fresh weight, (10.77 ± 0.44 and 9.69 ± 0.19 g, respectively) were found maximum under shade net, while minimum in open and polyhouse (9.48 ± 0.32 and 9.09 ± 0.26 g, respectively).Seedlings of P. emodi showed average growth and good survival rate (65 %). Microclimatic condition provides the higher concentrations of the photosynthetic pigments. Therefore, study suggests that polyhouses and shade net are the best option for the large scale cultivation and conservation of P. emodi at high altitude.

In-Vitro and In-Vivo Tolerance and Therapeutic Investigations of Phyto-Fabricated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles against Selected Pathogens.

The Paeonia emodi (P. emodi)-mediated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs) were screened for in-vitro and in-vivo antibacterial activity against the Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (ATCC #: 6538) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) (ATCC #:15224). The synthesized Fe2O3 NPs were characterized via nitrogen adsorption-desorption process, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission and scanning electron microscopies (TEM and SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. The SBET was found to be 94.65 m2/g with pore size of 2.99 nm, whereas the average crystallite and particles size are 23 and 27.64 nm, respectively. The 4 μg/mL is the MIC that inhibits the growth of E. coli, whereas those for S. aureus are below the detection limit (<1.76 μg/mL). The tolerance limit of the mice model was inspected by injecting different concentration of Fe2O3 NPs and bacteria suspensions. The 14 ppm suspension was the tolerated dose and the concentration above were proved lethal. The most severe infection was induced in mice with injection of 3 × 107 CFUs of both bacteria, while the inoculation of higher concentrations of bacterial suspensions resulted in the mice’s death. The histopathological and hematological studies reveals that the no/negligible infection was found in the mice exposed to the simultaneous inoculation of Fe2O3 NPs (14 ppm) and bacterial suspensions (3 × 107 CFUs).

Facile Synthesis and Nano-Silver Encapsulation of Paeonia emodi for Cardioprotective and Antihyperlipidemic Nursing Care Potentials

Paeonia emodi is a medicinal plant that is a vital family group of Paeoniaceae and traditionally utilized for treating cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, heart failure, atherosclerosis, epilepsy, and palpitations. In this work, we have constructed P. emodi (Pemodi. EA) ethyl acetate subsegment of which was exposed to gain fractions via column chromatography. These subsegments were confirmed by various electroscopic methods. Further, the subsegments were examined for their cardioprotective property on induced isoproterenol hydrochloride (ISO) myocardial infractions (MIs) in nude mice. Pemodi-EA-40 was utilized with maximum segment for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Pemodi.EA-40@AgNPs). The extreme active segments Pe-EA-40 were examined for antihyperlipidemic, cardioprotective, and histopathological examinations. The body weights of Pemodi.EA-40 (100 mg/kg) remarkably reduced the blood levels of Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Lactic Acid Dehydrogenase (LDH), and Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK) associated with induced ISO treated groups. Pemodi.EA-40@AgNPs also reduced the ALT, AST, LDH, and CPK connected to the Pemodi.EA-40, respectively. The biochemical parameters and histological results reduced the changes as compared to induced ISO treated groups. The outcomes of our examinations proposed that the Pemodi.EA-40@AgNPs medicinal plant improves beneficial profiles of medicinal plant extract fragments for treatments and nursing care of myocardial infractions and atherosclerosis.

An Insight into Endangered Himalayan Paeony (Paeonia emodi royle): Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

Paeonia emodi Royle is an endangered herb native to Himalayan region with diverse traditional therapeutic uses. It is categorized as critically endangered plant species. Traditionally plant parts are used for nervous diseases, uterine diseases, dysentery, colic, backache, hypertension, and piles. The medicinal activity is the result of presence of various important phytochemicals triterpenes, monoterpenes, phenolics, lipooxygenases, Nortriprenoids, steroids and aldehydes. P. emodi has many biological activities including antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-toxicity, and spasmolytic activity. Due to remarkable medicinal potential, this species is facing extremely high risk of extinction. This article briefly reviews botanical, medicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological and molecular attributes of this plant species along with its conservation strategies.

Evaluation of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants from Tall Dardyal Hills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Ethnopharmacological relevanceHigh population density, economic burden, scarcity of modern health facilities and increasing cost of modern drugs required the inhabitants of the remote areas to rely on indigenous medicinal flora. This report documents the quantitative estimation of indigenous medicinal plants of Tall Dardyal Hills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Materials and methodsRapid Appraisal Approach (RAA) together with the semi-structured questionnaire technique was used to collect data from June 2014 to July 2015 and relative importance of reported medicinal plants was shown by calculating the use value and frequency of citation. Results and discussionsA total of 71 medicinal plants belonging to 48 families were reported to be effective against 40 human ailments. Rosaceae was the predominant plant family contributing maximum number of medicinal plants to the medicinal flora of that area. Indigofera heterantha, Artemisia vulgaris, Berberis lycium, Aesculus indica, Juglans regia, Ajuga integrifolia, Thymus linearis and Paeonia emodi exhibited the highest usage value among other reported medicinal plants. ConclusionQuantitative analysis indicated that medicinal plants are an integral part of the life of the inhabitants. Local flora is recognised as highly valuable and is reported to be used against various ailments. Most commonly reported diseases were arthritis, kidney stone, typhoid fever, stomach problems, hepatitis, jaundice and diabetes. Among these aliments, the most common in the study area were stomach disorders, diabetes and kidney stones. The possible cause of kidney stones may be the food habits of the inhabitants, as the locals prefer vegetables like spinach that contain high amounts of oxalate.

Ethnoveterinary Therapeutic Practices and Conservation Status of the Medicinal Flora of Chamla Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Domestic animals play a very important role in the human civilization. Besides human being, plants are used as medicines for many domestic animals. The therapeutic practices are very common among the tribes of Chamla, rich in ethnoveterinary medicinal plants. Due to poor availability of modern healthcare facilities and poverty of indigenous people, they depend on local medicinal plants for the healthcare of their domestic animals. This study is the first attempt to document the indigenous knowledge and evaluate the conservation status of medicinal plants and practices of herbal remedies by the local people of Chamla Valley in the treatment of their livestock. Semi-structured questionnaire was used and 120 local inhabitants were interviewed to note the traditional practices regarding plant species uses. Well-known statistical indices, Use Value formula and Relative Frequency Citations were used for quantification of the recorded data. It was observed that 50 medicinal plants belonging to 38 families were reported, where Poaceae was the most cited. The common livestock are goats, sheep, buffalos, cows, bulls, and donkeys. Most of the herbs, which are used in livestock treatment, are wild and few plants are cultivated. The common livestock diseases are red water, 3 days sickness, diarrhea, tympany, and indigestion among others. Most of the plants are used in fresh condition. According to the results, Brassica nigra was used for placenta retention, Butea monosperma for constipation, Calotropis procera for indigestion and 3 days sickness. Canabis sativa, Cedrella serrata, Allium sativum, and Origanum vulgare were used for fever. The traditional plant collection techniques have resulted in huge losses of these valuable plant resources. The ethnobotanical conservation assessment revealed that due to increased exploitation and un-sustainable harvesting, 49% of these economically valued medicinal plant species are decreasing in last 30 years. Some of the plants are only present on high altitudes while they had been finished in the foothills like Paeonia emodi and Berberis lycium. Lack of scientific knowledge, ignorance, poverty, and joblessness, as well as land development, construction and fires, add more pressure on flora and fauna of the area and various species are under the threat of extinction.

Photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of paeonia emodi mediated silver oxide nanoparticles

Green synthesis of nanomaterials and its verity of applications have linked chemistry, biotechnology and environmental chemistry. Green process get more attention due to its easy handling and inertness to ecosystem. The selection of green synthesis and silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag2O NPs) are purely based on its nontoxic behavior and promising activates. Eco-friendly process was applied for the synthesis of silver oxide nanoparticles (Ag2O NPs) using Paeonia emodi (P. emodi) fresh leaves extract as reducing agent. The average crystallite size was found to be 38.29 nm, calculated from the FWHM of the diffraction bands of x-rays diffractometer (XRD). The morphological study was made by performing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the particles size estimated from the micrographs of both techniques are 38.29 and 86.4 nm respectively. The energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) was used to study the purity and percent composition of the Ag2O NPs. The band gap energy (4.02 eV) and surface functional groups was studied by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) respectively. The 97.78% methylene blue (MB) was degraded in the presence of Ag2O NPs and UV–visible light source in 180 min The antibacterial activity of the Ag2O NPs were tested against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus)) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli (E coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria. It was found that the Ag2O NPs have strong growth inhibiting activity against Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria.

Evaluation of Paeonia emodi for its cardioprotective potentials: An investigative study towards possible mechanism

Ethnopharmacological relevancePaeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle (peony) is an important member of family Paeoniaceae. Different parts of the plant have been folklorically used for treatment of different diseases. Infusion of dried flowers is used to treat diarrhea, the seeds are emetic and cathartic while the rhizome has been indicated for the treatment of hysteria, abdominal spasm, nervine tonic and headache. Besides these, peony has also been used in different respiratory and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) like hypertension, palpitations, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis. Being a folkloric remedy for the treatment of CVDs, Paeonia emodi (P. emodi) requires to be explored scientifically for MI management. AimThe current research work was designed to explore the possible cardioprotective mechanism of P. emodi in Isoproterenol hydrochloride (ISO) induced MI in mice. Materials and methodsExperimental animals randomly divided in different groups, received methanolic extract of P. emodi (Pe.ME) and its subsequent fractions for 15 days followed by ISO (100 mg/kg s.c) at 24 h interval for two days. The cardioprotective potential of the test samples were investigated by determining the serum levels of Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT), Aspartate Amino Transferase (AST), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) and Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK). The ethyl acetate fraction (Pe.EA) was found potent among all the tested samples of P. emodi. Based on its high potency, Pe.EA was subjected to GC-MS analysis and further relevant experiments including anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, lipid peroxidation, membrane stabilization, thrombolytic, DNA ladder assay and histopathological study. ResultsPe.EA exhibited significant cardioprotective activity through reduction in levels of serum biomarkers responsible for MI. It significantly reduced serum levels of ALT (p < 0.001), AST (p < 0.001), CPK (p < 0.05) and LDH (p < 0.001) at a dose of 300 mg/kg as compared to ISO treated group. The GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of potential compounds (esculetin, methyl eugenol, isovanillic acid) which might play a role in cardioprotection. Further screening confirmed that the effect of Pe.EA is mediated through multiple targets/mechanisms, which include anti-hyperlipidemia, antioxidant, lipid peroxidation inhibition, membrane stabilization, thrombolytic and DNA protective effects. Histopathological studies revealed the palliative effect for the damage caused in myocardial tissues. ConclusionFindings of current study provide evidence that P. emodi is a potential candidate for the treatment and management of MI.

Evaluation of Paeonia emodi and its gold nanoparticles for cardioprotective and antihyperlipidemic potentials

Paeonia emodi Wall. ex Royle is an important member of family Paeoniaceae and folklorically used for constipation, hysteria, respiratory diseases, epilepsy and cardiac diseases like hypertension, palpitations, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis. In the present study, ethyl acetate fraction of P. emodi (Pe.EA) was subjected to column chromatography to obtain sub- fractions. These sub-fractions were screened for their cardioprotective activity in isoproterenol hydrochloride (ISO) induced myocardial infarction (MI) in mice. The most active fraction Pe. EA 40 was used for its gold nanoparticles synthesis (Pe.EA 40-AuNPs). Pe.EA 40 and Pe.EA 40-AuNPs were investigated for their cardioprotective, antihyperlipidemic, DNA fragmentation assay and histopathological study. Pe.EA 40 (80 mg/kg body weight) significantly reduced the serum levels of Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK) to 66.07 ± 1.54, 77.08 ± 1.79, 84.86 ± 1.34 and 265.34 ± 4.34 IU/L respectively as compared to ISO treated group. Pe.EA 40-AuNPs (40 mg/kg) reduced the levels of ALT, AST, CPK and LDH to 60.74 ± 2.79, 75.47 ± 1.67, 80.48 ± 2.64 and 247.54. ± 5.57 IU/L respectively. A significant reduction was observed in lipid profile, protection in DNA damage and restoration of histopathological changes as compared to ISO treated group. Based on the results, it can be suggested that preparation of Pe.EA 40-AuNPs enhances the therapeutic potential of plant extract for the treatment of atherosclerosis and MI.