Serviceberry [Amelanchier alnifolia (Nutt.) Nutt. ex. M. Roem (Rosaceae)] leaf extract inhibits mammalian α-glucosidase activity and suppresses postprandial glycemic response in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and hyperglycemia

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Serviceberry or Saskatoon berry [Amelanchier alnifolia (Nutt.) Nutt. ex. M. Roem (Rosaceae)], native to the North Glacier forests of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, has been used by the Blackfeet Indian tribe in alleviation of diabetes. Anecdotally, tea made from twigs and leaves have been used for optimum health and diabetes management. However, such traditional knowledge of the medicinal properties of Amelanchier alnifolia has not been validated by scientific studies. The goal of this study was to identify potential antidiabetic mechanisms of serviceberry.

Materials and Methods

Serviceberry plant samples consisting of leaves, twigs, and leaves with berries were extracted and fractionated. Ethyl acetate and water fractions were tested for inhibition of α-glucosidase activity in vitro. Diet-induced obese, hyperglycemic C57Bl6 mice were administered serviceberry leaf extract prior to sucrose-, starch-, or glucose-loading to test for α-glucosidase inhibition and decreased post-prandial glycemic response.

Results

In the course of screening for potential antidiabetic mechanisms, serviceberry leaf extracts and subfractions demonstrated potent inhibitory activity against mammalian intestinal α-glucosidase activity (EC 3.2.1.20). Further, in an animal model of diet-induced obesity and hyperglycemia, serviceberry leaf subfraction demonstrated significant inhibition of intestinal α-glucosidase activity, and delayed the absorption of carbohydrates, resulting in significant lowering of post-prandial blood glucose concentrations, similar to the antidiabetic drug Acarbose™.

Conclusions

These findings indicating that serviceberry leaf extract may lower post-prandial glycemic response corroborate traditional knowledge of the Blackfeet Indians of Montana, and potentially offer a complementary approach in the treatment of diabetes.     

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extract from Spiranthera odoratissima A. St. Hillaire (Manacá) roots

Acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, the tail flick test and carrageenan-induced peritonitis were used to study the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of the crude ethanolic extract from Spiranthera odoratissima roots. Pentobarbital-induced sleeping time was used to study the central depressant effect of the extract. The ethanolic extract caused a dose dependent inhibition of acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing and leukocyte migration, and produced a significant, dose-related increase in the duration of sleep. The results suggest that Spiranthera odoratissima roots contain compounds with anti-inflammatory and central depressant actions.     

Anti-inflammatory compounds from leaves and root bark of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Müll. Arg

Alchornea cordifolia is one of the most widely-used plants in traditional medicine throughout Africa, principally for inflammatory, antimicrobial and parasitic diseases. In continuation of our investigations on its anti-inflammatory activity, we fractionated the leaf and root bark extracts and isolated six compounds which exhibited significant topical anti-inflammatory activity in the mouse ear oedema model using croton oil at a dose of 90 microg/cm2. Daucosterol (2), acetyl aleuritolic acid (4), N1,N2-diisopentenyl guanidine (5) and N1,N2,N3-triisopentenyl guanidine (6) were shown to be more active than indomethacin, while beta-sitosterol (1) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (3) were less effective. This is the first report on the presence of compounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 in this plant and of the anti-inflammatory activity of 3, 5 and 6. These compounds may account, at least in part, for the use of A. cordifolia in folk medicine to treat inflammation.     

中国中医药信息网(http: //www.cintcm.ac.cn)

中国中医药信息网是由国家中医药管理局和中国中医研究院共同投资建立的全国性中医药行业网络中心.该网站设立在中国中医药研究院中医药信息研究所内,承担着中医药行业对外宣传的任务.1999年中国中医研究院与香港TCM-0NLINE HOLDINGS LIMITED合资成立了“北京中研信中医药信息网络有限公司”,共同建设和经营“中国中医药信息网”.     

THE SPANISH SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ACUPUNCTURISTS (S.E.A.P.)

The S.E.A.P.was founded during the Constituent Congress of the W.F.A.S.In 1987.It wasmotivated by the close friendshlp between the President of the W.F.A.S.Professor Carlos M.Lasviand Professors Wan Xuetai,Cheng Xinon and theDeputy Minister of Health of the People's Republicof China,Mister Hu Ximing,during the first Spanish Congress on Traditional Chinese Medicine which     

In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae)

Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) is a widely distributed plant in Africa. It is used in the traditional medicine of many African countries for the treatment of bacterial, fungal, parasitic and inflammatory disorders. Aqueous decoction and methanol leaf extracts were tested for their ability to reduce Croton oil-induced oedema in the mouse ear, after topical application. The methanol leaf extract dose-dependently inhibited the Croton oil-induced ear oedema in mice (ID(50)<500 microg/cm(2)). A bio-assay guided liquid-liquid fractionation of this methanol extract gave four active fractions: water insoluble (F1), hexane (F2), ethyl acetate (F3) and water (F4). The hexane fraction showed a very high activity (42% inhibition at 0.7 microg/cm(2)) as compared to the control. The other fractions were less active (F1: 56% at 506.2 microg/cm(2); F3: 57% at 289.3 microg/cm(2); F4: 32% for 203.8 microg/cm(2)) while indomethacin gave 49% of inhibition at 90 microg/cm(2). The activity of F1 and F3 may be at least in part explained by the presence of anti-inflammatory flavonoids (hyperoside and quercitrin, quercitrin being identified in the plant for the first time) while the activity was not correlated to the tannin contents. None of these compounds were detected in the most active F2 fraction. These results support the reported traditional use of this plant against topical inflammatory disorders.     

江苏中医药信息网(www.jstcm.com)改版成功

江苏省目前规模最大的中医药网站———江苏中医药信息网 (www .jstcm .com)已于日前成功改版 ,该网在改版后更加注重了信息的快捷性、内容的丰富性、页面的美观性和功能的实用性 ,给我省中医药工作者及广大人民群众提供了更为完善的中医药网络服务 ,必将为促进我省中医药事业的发展和中医药科技的普及做出积极贡献。江苏中医药信息网由江苏省中医药学会、江苏省中西医结合学会、江苏省针灸学会、江苏省医疗气功协会、江苏中医药编辑部联合主办 ,于 2 0 0 3年 3月 9日开通。该网致力于宣传党的中医药政策 ,弘扬中医药先进文化 ,充分展示我省…     

印度Anisochilus carnosus(L.F.)Wall.的体外自由基清除活性(英文)

AIM:To evaluate in vitro anti-oxidant potential of methanolic and aqueous extract of Indian habitants Anisochilus carnosus (L.F.) wall.,which is an annual shrub belonging to the family Lamiaceae commonly known asmint family.METHODS:The present study describes the effects by DPPH,alkaline DMSO,scavenging of ferric ion,NO,H 2 O 2,ABTS models.Both extracts showed good free radical scavenging property which was calculated as IC 50.RESULTS:IC 50 of aqueous and methanolic extracts were found to be 7.09 and 5.77 μ...     

New Collection of Crude Drugs in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 Ⅰ.Callicarpa Linn. and Related Items

Callicarpa Linn. (beautyberry) is one of the major genera in Verbenaceae, about 20 of which are medicinal plants. Beautyberry, called Zizhu in China, is a generic name of those species and largely used as hemostatic medicine. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 has admitted three new crude drugs from the genus of Callicarpa Linn. including Callicarpae Macrophyllae Folium, Callicarpae Caulis et Folium, and Callicarpae Formosanae Folium for the first time since the 1977 version of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In ord...     

中医降酶(G.P.T.)的几个治法

不论急性肝炎、慢性肝炎或肝硬化,在肝细胞病变活动时,都可表现谷丙转氨酶(G.P.T.)的增高,所以谷丙转氨酶的下降是衡量肝功能恢复的重要指标,是临床医生和病员共同关注的问题。近年来,我们在收治不同类型肝     

Treatment of leishmaniasis in the Oyapock basin (French Guiana): A K.A.P. survey and analysis of the evolution of phytotherapy knowledge amongst Wayãpi Indians

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected disease with a high incidence in French Guiana, mainly in the middle and upper Oyapock basin, where Amerindian and some Brazilian people live. The main goals of this work were (i) to assess the knowledge about leishmaniasis in the different populations of the middle and upper Oyapock basin, (ii) to study the therapeutic strategies adopted by people affected by leishmaniasis and (iii) to document the use of phytotherapeutic remedies for leishmaniasis. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (K.A.P.) related to this disease and its treatments have been studied according to cultural group and geographical settlement. Within the Wayãpi group, the evolution of the knowledge of phytoremedies over the last 20 years has been characterised by literature-based comparisons.

Materials and methods

A total of 144 questionnaires were administered in all the villages of the upper Oyapock and Camopi basins. Correspondence analyses were used for multivariate analysis. Plant species were identified at the Cayenne Herbarium (CAY).

Results

The biomedical concept of leishmaniasis correlates well with the Teko and Wayãpi concepts of kalasapa and kalasapau. Although the vector of this disease was not correctly identified, the most commonly cited aetiology (74.5%) was vector-borne, and related epidemiological schemes correlate well with the one encountered in French Guiana.Theoretically and practically, health centres were the most commonly used resource for diagnostic in instances of leishmaniasis infection (65.9%), independently of the patient's cultural group, along with the use of pharmaceutical drugs (85.3%). Pharmaceuticals were commonly utilised despite the frequent (51.5%) use of phytotherapeutic remedies, alone or in combination with drugs. The most cited medicinal plant species for the treatment of leishmaniasis included Eleutherine bulbosa (Mill.) Urb. (Iridaceae, cited 14 times), Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Arecaceae, 9), Cecropia obtusa Trecul (Cecropiaceae, 8), Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae, 7), Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. (Bombacaceae, 6) and Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae, 6).Multiple correspondence analyses demonstrated that the species used in leishmaniasis remedies are more prone to vary by the user's place of residence than by their cultural origin, which indicates that exchange of knowledge about leishmaniasis remedies has occurred across different cultural groups.Literature-based comparisons between the remedies for leishmaniasis used by the Wayãpi during the 1980s showed a striking evolution, both in terms of diversity of species and number of plants used. The large number of species shared with other Guianese groups argues for intercultural exchange and may explain the majority (57.1%) of the newly used species highlighted in our study.

Conclusions

Leishmaniasis is a well-known disease in the studied area. Phytotherapeutic treatments are still in use, although they are not the main source of remedies, and should undergo pharmacological studies to evaluate their potential therapeutic value.