Acetaminophen (APAP) is the most commonly used nonprescription antipyretic-analgesic drug. This medication is thought to be safe at the suggested dosage (4 g/24 h), but its overdose (up to 2.5 g/kg) can cause severe injuries to the human body, including renal injury. APAP has various toxic effects on nephrons, as it leads to an excessive free radical generation that, in turn, results in a disturbance in the redox homeostasis of cells, causing oxidative stress. To replenish this oxidative stress, there is an ultimate urge for natural therapies that can retain the cellular homeostasis of nephrons by diminishing the overdose impression of acetaminophen. The principle objective of this work is to appraise nephrotoxicity due to APAP and its amelioration through the antioxidant properties of aqueous extracts of selected medicinal plants: Urtica dioica, Capsella bursa-pastoris, and Inula racemosa (UD, CBP, and IR, respectively). The pH stability of the nutraceuticals used was examined by determining the impact of pH 4, pH 7 and pH 9 on the DPPH radical scavenging activity of aqueous plant extracts. Gas chromatography-Mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) analytical technique was performed to determine the volatile organic phytochemical profiles of all three medicinal plants. Male Swiss albino mice were used for the present investigation. The animals were distributed into five groups of (n = 6), a total of 30 mice, for in vivo analysis. Group 1 served as the control group; group 2 received a single IP dose of APAP (600 mg/kg); group 3 received APAP pretreated with UD (300 mg/kg); group 4 received APAP pretreated with CBP (300 mg/kg); and group 5 received APAP pretreated with IR (300 mg/kg). Overdose of the APAP- induced a significant (p < 0.05) alterations in the total protein concentration, weight and the nephrological architecture in renal tissue, as observed through biochemical assays and histopathological examinations. Due to nephrotoxicity, there was a substantial (p < 0.05) drop in body weight and total protein contents in the APAP alone group when compared to the treatment groups. There was remarkable protection against APAP-induced alterations in the total protein of renal homogenate in the treatment groups. Histopathological analysis (H&E staining) of the mice kidneys indicated severe deterioration in the APAP alone group, whereas the therapy groups showed considerable nephroprotection towards APAP-induced abnormalities. The biochemical findings and histopathological study of the kidneys revealed that the herbal extracts (UD, CBP, and IR) have a nephroprotective potential against APAP-induced nephropathy. The trend of efficacy was observed as UD > CBP > IR. However, extensive study is needed to determine the likely ameliorative mechanism of these nutraceuticals.

Arun Kumar Tiwari, Pushpraj S Gupta, Mahesh Prasad, Paraman Malairajan. J Pharmacopuncture 2022;25:369-81. https://doi.org/10.3831/KPI.2022.25.4.369

Natural antioxidants derived from plants have played a vital role in preventing a wide range of human chronic conditions and provide novel bioactive leads for investigators in pharmacotherapy discovery. This work was designed to examine the ethnopharmacological role of Urtica dioica (UD), Capsella bursa-pastoris (CBP), and Inula racemosa (IR). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) were illustrated through colorimetric assays, while the antioxidant activity was investigated through DPPH and ABTS assays. The evaluation of phytochemicals by FT-IR of UD and CBP revealed high contents of aliphatic amines, while IR showed a major peak for ketones. The antioxidant activity, TPC and TFC were highest in the ethanol extract of UD, followed by CBP, and IR showed the lowest activity. All of the extracts revealed significant antioxidant capacities along a dosage gradient. Through a HPLC analysis at a wavelength of 280 nm, UD leaves demonstrated an intense peak of quercetin, and the peak for rutin was less intense. CBP (whole plant), instead, demonstrated a major yield of rutin, and a peak for quercetin was not observed in CBP. IR (rhizomes) showed both quercetin and rutin. All of the extracts were significantly cytotoxic to HepG2 cells after 48 h with the trend IR > UD > CBP. The outcomes of this study may be effective in the selection of specific plants as realistic sources of the bioactive components that might be useful in the nutraceutical progression and other biomedical efficacies.

Remedies from nature are always of great interest. In the concerns related to health and diseases, this interest is very large. Traditional medicine systems are a result of the trials over the years and their role in the domain of well-being is still important. The scientific possibilities of research on traditional medicine have found a way for much healthier and beneficial treatment protocols. The current chapter discusses different traditional medicine systems and their safety and efficacy, as assessed by modern scientific studies.

Allergies have known to be an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off an allergen or antigen initiating mast cells to release histamine into the blood. Substances which prevent mast cells from releasing histamine are considered as antiallergic agents. The drugs utilized for the treatment of allergy are mast cell stabilizers, steroids, anti-histamine, leukotriene receptor antagonists, and decongestants. Anti-histamine drugs have side effects such as drowsiness, confusion, constipation, difficulty urinating, blurred vision, etc. The use of medicinal plants for effective and safe management of diseases has recently received much attention. Various herbs are utilized for their antiallergic and anti-histaminic properties. Some of the herbs useful in the management of allergic diseases of the respiratory tract like Piper longum, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Solanum xanthocarpum have been discussed. Ample scientific evidence is available for the anti-histaminic and antiallergic activity of Azadirachta indica, Aloe vera, Tinospora cordifolia, and a number of other such herbs which are safer to use as antiallergic agents have been reported. The review summarizes a wide variety of herbs and botanical ingredients with their common scientific names and distribution for their easy identification and usage as safe antiallergic agents, also discussing their molecular mechanisms involved in combating allergic reactions.

Background: Acute cough in children often causes discomfort to children and parents, reducing their quality of life. Despite the extensive utilization of over-the-counter remedies for cough, the efficacy of most of these treatments in children has not been confirmed. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 106 children with acute cough to evaluate the efficacy and safety of KalobaTUSS®, a paediatric cough syrup based on acacia honey and on Malva sylvestris extract, Inula helenium extract, Plantago major extract, and Helichrysum stoechas extract by using a validated 6 points Likert scale. Results: Children were orally treated with KalobaTUSS® or placebo for 8 days. Children receiving KalobaTUSS® showed an early and significant reduction in night-time and day-time cough scores measured using a specific scale and a shorter duration of cough than children treated with the placebo. Conclusions: KalobaTUSS® is well tolerated and produces positive effects by reducing the severity and shortening the duration of cough in children. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov no. NCT04073251. Retrospectively registered.

The pandemic spread of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global threat. No cure is available for this condition till date. Ayurveda, may come to rescue in these times of COVID-19 spread. In this review we have analyzed that the COVID-19 has analogy with the Rajayakshma (∼a wasting disease indicating suboptimum immune response) and the established treatment of Rajayakshma disease can be proposed for preventive as well as curative purpose.

En tr The present study was designed to examine the inulinase production capability of Rhodotorula glutinis SO-28 by using Inula viscosa, a promising medicinal plant, as sole carbon source in submerged fermentation. Inula viscosa, a perennial member of Asteraceae family, is a popular and widespread medicinal plant in the Mediterranean region. It is termed as “yapışkan andız otu” in Turkey and has been widely used in folk medicine since the ancient times. Taguchi design of experiment (DOE) technique was utilized for the inulinase production optimization process. An orthogonal array layout of L16 was utilized with four influential factors as following: Inula viscosa amount, agitation speed, incubation temperature, and incubation time at four levels. The obtained results showed that optimized inulinase production enhanced enzyme activity as 99.63 U/ml which was 5-fold higher than the unoptimized condition. In brief, Inula viscosa can be used effectively for inulinase production and use of statistical optimization techniques like Taguchi DOE significantly increases the enzyme yield. Bu çalışma, batık kültür fermantasyonunda tek karbon kaynağı olarak umut verici bir tıbbi bitki olan Inula viscosa kullanılarak Rhodotorula glutinis SO-28'in inulinaz üretim kapasitesini incelemek üzere tasarlanmıştır. Asteraceae familyasının çok yıllık bir üyesi olan Inula viscosa, Akdeniz bölgesinde popüler ve yaygın bir tıbbi bitkidir. Türkiye'de “yapışkan andız otu” olarak adlandırılmakta ve eski çağlardan beri halk tıbbında yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. İnülinaz üretim optimizasyonu sürecinde Taguchi deney tasarımı (DOE) tekniği kullanılmıştır. Inula viscosa miktarı, çalkalama hızı, inkübasyon sıcaklığı ve inkübasyon süresi olmak üzere dört etkin faktörlü ve dört seviyeli olan L16 ortogonal dizilim kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, optimize edilmiş inulinaz üretiminin enzim aktivitesini, optimize edilmemiş durumdan 5 kat daha yüksek olan 99.63 U / ml olarak arttırdığını göstermiştir. Kısacası Inula viscosa, inülinaz üretiminde etkin bir şekilde kullanılabilir ve Taguchi DOE gibi istatistiksel optimizasyon tekniklerinin kullanımı enzim verimini azımsanmayacak ölçüde artırmaktadır.

The level of studying of Inula L. genus species, growing on the territory of Ukraine, is insufficient today. The study of chemical composition, accumulation of biologically active substances, pharmacological action of investigated grass species’ extracts of Inula L. genus of Ukrainian flora are of current interest. The aim of the work is making qualitative and comparative analysis of ascorbic, organic acids and tannic substances content in the raw material of investigated species of Inula L. genus (Inula britannica L. and Inula helenium L.). Quantitative determination was carried out by volume titration method. The presence of ascorbic acid, organic acids and tannic substances in the raw material of Inula L. genus investigated species was established with the help of paper chromatography and thin-layer chromatography methods. The quantitative determination of total organic acids was carried out according to XI edition of State Pharmacopoeia methods in terms of malic acid. Water extracts were studied for the tannins presence in raw material of Inula L. genus investigated species. Compounds identification was carried out through chemical reactions in accordance with Ukrainian State Pharmacopeia. The results obtained showed the perspective of further study of the biological activity of Inula britannica L. and Inula helenium L.

Oligo- and polysaccharides, especially fructooligosaccharides and inulin, are increasingly used as food ingredients. They are reported to stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria and are therefore used as prebiotics. As mono-, di-, oligo- and polysaccharides can together be present in food, an HPTLC method was developed for analyzing all in a single development. This method was used for both, effective food screening and quantification on the same plate. After a minimal sample preparation (aqueous extraction, dilution and filtration) and application, the samples were separated on an HPTLC plate silica gel 60 with acetonitrile - water 4:1 (V/V), containing 3.6 mM natural product reagent A. For a good reproducibility of the separation, the control of the layer activity was recommended. For up to 20 samples in parallel, the HPTLC analysis took 45 min (2.3 min/sample) with running costs of ca. 7 Euro (0.35 Euro/sample). Determination coefficients of the calibration curves were obtained between 0.9980 and 0.9998. The high degree of automation proved the method to be robust and suited for routine analysis, especially in food control. The newly developed method was successfully tested with 4 different prebiotic food and 60 naturally degraded inulin samples. A minimal sample preparation along with the determination of the intact inulin and FOS allowed the evaluation of the natural inulin degradation profile, as shown for naturally degraded inulin samples. This fast analysis might also be of interest in other fields that study, for example, plant breeding, edible insects, functional feed and metabolic processes.

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled ‘ Phyto estrogenic effect of Inula racemosa Hook. f – A cardio protective root drug in traditional medicine, (Mangathayaru K, Divya R, Srivani T et al., 2018) [1]. It describes the characterization details of the root extract and the compounds isolated from them that were shown to be phytoestrogenic in vivo and in vitro respectively.

Hepatic ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury mainly occurs following hepatic resection and liver transplantation and cause severe liver damage, organ injuries, and dysfunction. Pro-inflammatory cytokines that promote injury are released when kupffer cell activates after getting induced by I/R. Repercussions of oxidative stress and cardiac function against isoproterenol based myocardial infarction are caused by flavonol glycosides which are found in high concentrations in Inula racemosa (Ir).The root was deemed to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, and no report has been published about the liver-protective activity against hepatic I/R. Therefore, the present study was aimed to understand the therapeutic impact of Ir in hepatic I/R injury. Male albino, Wistar strain rats were used and were grouped into four total phenolic content, free radical scavenging activity and serum enzymes were determined. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis were also carried out. Inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL-6) and protein expression of p53, bax, and bcl-2 were determined. The administration of extracts of Ir significantly increased total phenolic and free radical scavenging activity. Altered cellular morphology, cytokines and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were returned to near normal level. IL-6 and TNF-α levels were reduced more than 25% following treatment. Also, the protein expression of p53, bax, and bcl-2 were also returned to near normal level. Taking all these data together, it is suggested that the extracts of Ir may be a potential therapeutic agent for providing several beneficial effects in hepatic I/R injury.