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Introduction: Albizia odoratissima Benth., [Family: Mimosaceae] is commonly known as Black Siris. In traditional Indian Medicine, bark of A. odoratissima is used in the treatment of leprosy, ulcers and cough. The objective of this study was to screen methanolic extract of A. odoratissima bark for antimicrobial activity owing to its ethnomedicinal use. Method: In agar well diffusion method, plate count agar (PCA) plates were inoculated with 100μl of each pathogenic microorganism adjusted to standardized inoculum (1.5 × 108 CFU/ml) in triplicates and spread with sterile swabs. After incubation for 24 hrs at 37 °C, the plates were observed. The zone of inhibition was measured and expressed in millimeters. Result and Discussion: The extract showed good antibacterial activity only against Gram positive bacteria with zone of inhibition ranging from 12 mm to 21 mm. Maximum zone of inhibition of 21 mm at 80 μg/ml concentration was observed against S. mutans. The extract did not show any inhibitory activity against Gram-negative bacterium (P. auriginosa). The test antibiotic ciprofloxacin showed activity with zone of inhibition ranging from 29 mm to 34 mm while ketoconazole showed zone of inhibition of 28 mm against C. albicans. Phytochemical analysis of the extract showed the presence of steroids, tannins, phenolics, saponins. Conclusion: From the study, it can be concluded that the methanolic extract of A. odoratissima bark possesses significant antimicrobial activity against Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus mutans) and yeast (Candida albicans) which might be due to the presence of steroids, saponins and phenolics in the bark, with no effect on Gram negative bacteria.

Carbonic anhydrases (EC 4.2.1.1) are ubiquitous metalloenzymes present in prokaryotes and eukaryotes that are encoded by five evolutionarily unrelated gene families are involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Novel interesting chemo types, in addition to the sulphonamide and sulfamate were discovered, many of which are based on natural products, such as phenols/polyphenols, phenolic acids, and coumarins. Methanolic extract of Leucas cephalotes belongs to family Labiatae (or Lamiaceae) tested for human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) I and II inhibition study. The significant IC 50 values are calculated for the methanolic extract of Leucas cephalotes for hCA I found to be 0.23 mM/ml which is showing relatively less potent then hCA inhibition against hCA II having IC 50 values of 0.19 mM/ml. Leucas cephalotes is a weak inhibitors they may constitute leads for developing tighter binding compounds.

Background and objectives: The use of plants and their extracts in vector control for malaria has received recent attention. Paullinia pinnata leaf is used in folklore medicine for the treatment of fever and was investigated in this study for its larvicidal activity. Materials and methods: Effects of the methanol extract, pet. ether and chloroform fractions of P. pinnata leaf was been investigated against the third and fourth instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae by adopting the WHO method with little modification. Result: All the tested extract and fractions exhibited significant larvicidal effects against A. gambiae larvae. The pet. ether displayed the strongest response after 24 hr exposure, while the methanol extract exhibited a dose-dependent effect 48 hr after exposure. The Phytochemical analysis of P. pinnata revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins. Discussion and Conclusion: This study indicates that P. pinnata leaf possesses larvicidal activity against Anopheles gambiae and may be a possible source for control of mosquito vectors.

Introduction: Michelia champaca (Magnoliaceae), commonly known as Svarna champa is a glorious ancient Indian medicinal plant, rich in flavonoids and possessing several folkloric uses, traditionally claimed of having CNS effects. This study was undertaken to ascertain the nootropic potential (memory enhancing effects) of the hexane extracts of the leaves of Michelia champaca (Magnoliaceae) using rectangular maze and Y maze (interoceptive behavioral models). Methods: Hexane extracts of leaves of Michelia champaca (dosed at 100 and 200 mg/kg each) were administered to adult Swiss albino Wistar mice and the effect on acquisition, retention and retrieval of spatial recognition memory was determined, by using rectangular maze and Y maze (interoceptive behavioral models). Bacopa monniera extract was used as the standard drug while Scopolamine hydrobromide served as the amnestic agent. Results: The higher doses of the Michelia champaca extract exhibited a more promising nootropic potential. Maximal response was observed in the 200 mg/kg dose of extract, which closely approximated the results for the standard drug Brahmi. The higher dose elicited greater responses in both the models studied and were comparable to that achieved with the standard drug. Conclusion: The hexane extract of Michelia champaca afforded mild memory enhancing effects, the higher dose evoking pronounced alteration of behavior and better learning assessments.

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Introduction: This work was conducted in order to investigate the hypoglycaemic and antioxidant activity of the stem bark of Morinda lucida Benth (Rubiaceae), which has traditionally been used in Ghana for the management of diabetes mellitus. Methods: The powdered stem bark was successively Soxhlet-extracted with petroleum ether and 70% v/v ethanol, respectively, and were then evaporated to dryness to produce crude petroleum ether (PML) and ethanolic (EML) extracts. The hypoglycaemic activity of PML and EML were determined in streptozotocin–induced diabetic rats. Five groups of six diabetic rats received oral administrations of 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg body weight of PML and EML once daily for 19 days. Glibenclamide (5 mg per kg body weight) was used as positive control while distilled deionised water (2 ml) acted as the diabetic control. Blood glucose levels were monitored initially for 6 hours and subsequently over the full 20 days. Results: All extracts exhibited statistically significant (P < 0.001) hypoglycaemic and substantial antioxidant activities throughout the study period. While EML demonstrated the strongest hypoglycaemic activity 6 hours after administration, PML exhibited the highest activity 24 hours after administration and throughout the rest of the study period. Again, both extracts showed antioxidant activities, however EML was more effective. Conclusion: The results of our investigation indicate that the stem bark of M. lucida possesses hypoglycaemic constituents that are well distributed in both petroleum ether and 70% v/v ethanol extracts. In addition, both extracts also showed considerable antioxidant activity. These results give credibility towards the traditional use of the stem bark of M. lucida as an antidiabetic agent.

Background: Heart wood of Madhuca longifolia J.F. Macbr. (Sapotaceae) is used in traditional medicine of India to treat seizure. Objectives: The heart wood extract of Madhuca longifolia was investigated for anticonvulsant activity and the possible mechanism of action involved in this activity. Materials and methods: The anticonvulsant activity of the methanol extract of heart wood of Madhuca longifolia was assessed in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) – induced convulsion in mice with benzodiazepine as standard drug. Mechanistic studies were conducted using both flumazenil, a GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor complex site antagonist, and naloxone a non-specific opioid receptor antagonist. Results: Madhuca longifolia at the dose of 400 mg/kg prolonged the onset time of seizure and decreased the duration of seizures compared to saline group (p < 0.001). Flumazenil and naloxone suppressed anticonvulsant effects of Madhuca longifolia. Discussion and conclusion: It appears that Madhuca longifolia may be useful for the treatment of absence seizures and that these effects may be related to its effect on GABAergic and opioid systems. This result suggests that Madhuca longifolia possesses biological active constituents which may contribute to the anti-convulsant activity of Madhuca longifolia. This supports the ethnomedical claims of the use of plant in the management of epilepsy.

Introduction: Pittosporum phylliraeoides is an endemic Australian plant historically used as a medicinal agent by indigenous Australians. P. phylliraeoides solvent extracts were tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities and toxicity in vitro. Results: All extracts displayed antibacterial activity in the disc diffusion assay. The methanol and hexane extracts demonstrated the broadest specificity, inhibiting the growth of 4 of the 14 bacteria tested (28.6%). The water, ethyl acetate, and chloroform extracts inhibited the growth of 2 (14.3%), 3 (21.4%), and 3 (21.4%) of the 14 bacteria tested respectively. P. phylliraeoides methanolic extract was also effective as an antifungal agent, inhibiting the growth of a nystatin resistant strain of Aspergillus niger. It did not affect the growth of Candida albicans. All extracts were more effective at inhibiting the growth of Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria. Indeed, only the methanol and hexane extracts were capable of inhibiting the growth of any of the Grampositive bacteria, inhibiting the growth of only 1 of the 4 (25%) Gram-positive bacteria tested each. All P. phylliraeoides extracts displayed low toxicity in the Artemia franciscana bioassay. The only significant increase in mortality above that of the control was seen for the ethyl acetate, chloroform and hexane extracts, although even these extracts displayed low toxicity, inducing less than 50% mortality at 72 h. Conclusions: The low toxicity of the P. phylliraeoides extracts and their inhibitory bioactivity against bacteria and fungi validate Australian Aboriginal usage of P. phylliraeoides and indicates its medicinal potential.

The present study was carried out to isolate the phytoconstituents and evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the petroleum ether and methanol extract of Abelmoschus manihot (Malvaceae) leaves using paw edema model. The air-dried, powdered laeves (1 Kg) were extracted over Soxhlet with petroleum ether and methanol. Two steryl alcohol, named 1-dodecanol (1) and 1-tridecanol (2) from petroleum ether exctract, together with a known acid ester, 1-tridecanoic acid methyl ester (3) from methanol extract, were isolated from Abelmoschus manihot. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The crude dried petroleum ether (10 g) and methanol (25 g) extracts was prepared at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, and evaluated for anti-inflammatory using the carrageenan and histamine-induced paw edema test. The results obtained indicate that the extracts possessed significant (p < 0.01) anti-inflammatory activity, which was found to be dose-dependent. This study showed that the petroleum ether and methanol extracts of Abelmoschus manihot woody stems possess potential pharmacological active constituents responsible for inhibition of the inflammation effect