Efficacy of Desmodium gangeticum extract and its fractions against experimental visceral leishmaniasis

Crude ethanolic extract of Indian medicinal plant, Desmodium gangeticum (A001) and its three fractions-hexane (F002), n-butanol (F003) and aqueous (F004) were evaluated chemoprophylactically and chemotherapeutically against experimental visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters. Ethanolic extract showed 41.2+/-5.3% inhibition of parasite multiplication when administered at a dose of 250 mg/kgx2 on day -7 and +7 of Leishmania donovani challenge. Its n-butanol fraction exhibited better efficacy than the ethanolic extract to the tune of 66.7+/-6.1% inhibition when administered at similar dose schedule. But the other two fractions failed to exert any action prophylactically. F003 also imparted significant (P<0.001) non-specific resistance to peritoneal macrophages against Leishmania infection. F003 also showed moderate antileishmanial activity when tested against established infection of Leishmania donovani in hamsters but the rest three fractions failed to show any significant inhibition of parasite multiplication. These findings revealed that this plant has potential prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against Leishmania infection and warrants detailed investigations on its possible immunopotentiatory actions.     

Allophylus serratus: a plant with potential anti-ulcerogenic activity

Allophylus serratus is known to possess various therapeutic properties. We evaluated the anti-ulcerogenic property of crude ethanolic extract of Allophylus serratus (AS) in different ulcer models in Sprague-Dawley rats. The extract at 400 mg/kg body weight, once daily, orally has a significant effect in cold restraint (CRU, 2 h cold restraint stress), aspirin (ASA, 150 mg/kg body weight, orally), alcohol (AL, 1 ml/200 gm of absolute alcohol) and pyloric ligation (PL, 4h ligation) induced gastric ulcer models as it showed protection index of 71.28, 62.50, 90.84 and 64.29% protection, respectively whereas, standard drug omeprazole (OMZ, 10mg/kg body weight) has shown protection index of 85.70, 74.99 and 74.99 in CRU, ASA and PL model respectively. Sucralfate (SUC, 500 mg/kg body weight) as a standard drug in AL model has 93.20% protection. Furthermore, AS has significantly decreased the free acidity (72.41%), total acidity (47.97%) and peptic activity (24.59%), respectively as well as has significantly increased the mucus secretion (29.41%). Conclusively the ulcer protective effect of AS may be due to its anti-secretory along with cytoprotective mechanism.     

Prostatitis: prevalence, health impact and quality improvement strategies

Since its identification as a discrete entity, prostatitis has been a crippling and dreadful disease for the males and from then till date it is well recognized that it has continuously eluded the urologists and the practitioners and the patients were generally avoided. But the newer advent in research has changed the concept of the medical management of prostatitis that had been in stagnation for the past many years. The traditional myths related to the disease were continued to be unlighted with improved understanding of the distribution, cause and measures for the management of this disease. From herbal treatment used by the ethnic communities historically to today's modern treatment modules of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents, though not very successful, but has embarked a light of hope in both practitioners and patients for the effective management of this condition, which has negatively affected the normal as well as intimate life of the sufferers. With newer and more widely accepted classification of the disease the practitioners and patients diagnosed with prostatitis now can hope for a better improvement and management of the disease. The present study tries to encompass the important and useful work reported by several workers and progress in the effective management of this awful condition.     

Cinnamic aldehydes affect hydrolytic enzyme secretion and morphogenesis in oral Candida isolates

Effect of cinnamaldehyde (CD), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy cinnamaldehyde (HMCD) and 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxy cinnamaldehyde (HDMCD) on growth and virulence factors of standard (Candida albicans 90028) and 26 oral isolates of C. albicans has been investigated. Growth was significantly inhibited by all three compounds in both solid and liquid medium, no systematic difference was observed between various isolates. MIC₉₀ ranged from 125 to 450 μg/ml for CD, 100–250 μg/ml for HMCD and 62.5–125 μg/ml for HDMCD. All oral isolates were found to be proteinase and phospholipase secretors, both proteinase and phospholipase secretion was significantly inhibited by all the three tested molecules. No systematic difference in secretion or its inhibition was observed between standard and oral isolates as also between various isolates. Average drop in proteinase and phospholipase secretion caused by ½ MIC of CD was 33% and 28%, HMCD; 46% and 44%, HDMCD; 59% and 54%. The standard strain and all the 26 oral isolates displayed morphogenesis under triggering experimental conditions; no difference was seen between standard and various isolates. In the absence of test compounds hyphae development at 300 min was 83% for standard strain whereas average hyphae development for oral isolates was 85%. Average hyphal transition was suppressed by all tested compounds. At ½ MIC concentration at 300 min average hyphal transition of standard and oral isolates was CD; 49% and 57%, HMCD; 45% and 38%, HDMCD; 5% and 5%. Average haemolytic activity of the three tested compounds varied from 10 to 15% at their highest MIC compared to 20% shown by fluconazole at typical MIC of 30 μg/ml.