Background: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in postmenopausal women. The expression of caveolin, a membrane protein and a negative regulator of nitric oxide (NO), increases after menopause. The present study was designed to determine the effect of daidzein (DDZ), a phytoestrogen in attenuated cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) in ovariectomized rat heart. Methods: Heart was isolated from ovariectomized rat and mounted on Langendorff’s apparatus, subjected to 30 min ischemia and 120 min reperfusion. IPC was mediated by four cycles of 5 min ischemia and 5 min reperfusion. The infarct size was estimated using triphenyltetrazolium chloride stain, and coronary effluent was analyzed for lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) release to assess the degree of myocardial injury. The release of NO was estimated indirectly by measuring the release of nitrite in coronary effluent. Results: IPC-induced cardioprotection was significantly attenuated in ovariectomized rats as compared to normal rats, which was restored by treatment of DDZ, a caveolin inhibitor (0.2 mg/kg subcutaneously) for 1 week. However, this observed cardioprotection was significantly attenuated by perfusion of l-nitroarginine methyl ester, an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor (100 µM/L) and glibenclamide, an adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium ion channel blocker (10 µM/L) alone or in combination, noted in terms of increase in myocardial infarct size, release of LDH and CK-MB, and also decrease in the release of NO. Conclusion: Thus, it is suggested that DDZ restores the attenuated cardioprotective effect in ovariectomized rat heart, which may be due to downregulation of caveolin and subsequent increase in the activity of eNOS.

Berberis aristata D.C. (Berberidaceae) is an edible plant commonly used in Indian system of medicine as a antidiarrhea, hypoglycemic, anti-cancer, gastro-irritant, anticoagulants, antipyretic, hypotensive, CNS depressant, and diaphoretic etc. [4][5][6] However no scientific study on the anti-diabetic activity of this plant has been reported. The present investigation was undertaken to study the antidiabetic activity of root of B. aristata in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. maTeRIaLS aND meThODS Plant MaterialAfter proper identification by Taxonomists of the Botanical Survey of India, Dehradun, India. The root of B. aristata was collected from surrounding area of Rishikesh, Uttaranchal. The roots was dried in shade at room temperature and coarsely powdered by using a mechanical grinder. The powdered drug was then extracted successively with petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol each for 24 hours. The extracts were concentrated under reduced pressure. The dried extracts were stored in the airtight container. AnimalsMale Wistar albino rats (150-200 g) were housed in a spacious cage for 10 days after obtaining approval from It is concluded that the ethanol extract of B. aristata possess anti-diabetic activity in alloxan induced diabetic rats. The ethanol extract of B. aristata is very promising to develop standardized phytomedicine for diabetes mellitus.

Objective:To study the pharmacognostic characters of a medicinally important crude drug, Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. Methods: Various pharmacognostic parameters involved in organoleptic, microscopic, physicochemical, phytochemical and fluorescence evaluation were carried out. Results: The macroscopy study showed that the leaves was observed as sessile, obovate-oblong apex, tapered base, dentate margin, simple, serrate lamina, surface glabrous. The leaf microscopy showed the presence of diacytic stomata, unicellular covering trichomes, arc shaped vascular bundle which contain lignified xylem and non lignified phloem, cortical parenchyma and a thin strip of collenchyma, micro rosette calcium oxalate crystals. The powder characteristics of leaf showed the presence of lignified fibers, medullary rays, bordered pitted xylem vessels, calcium oxalate crystals, stomata, epidermal cells and covering trichomes. Physicochemical parameters like total ash value was 9.21%, water soluble ash 1.56%, acid insoluble ash 1.35%, swelling index 4 mL, loss on drying 1.09% and foreign matter was 0.20%w/w respectively where as stomatal indexes of upper and lower surfaces were 33.2 and 23, respectively. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of carbohydrates, flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile oil, fats and oils, tannins and phenolic compounds. Conclusion: The present study provides the scientific data for the proper authentification and establishment of quality control standards for the therapeutic use of Sphaeranthus indicus.

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It is an annual, prostrate-decumbent, procumbentascending, glandular, villous, tomentose, aromatic herbs, a height of 30-60 cm. Stems are narrowly winged along with wing toothed. Leaves are sessile, 2.5-5 x1.5-2 cm, obovate-oblong, acute to rounded at tip, glandular-villous on both surfaces; apex are ABSTRACT Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. has the vernacular name of, "Mundi" and "East Indian globethistle, family Asteraceae. It is a spreading aromatic herb. It is indigenous at Rater of Chhindwara District, M.P and even found in most of the moist damp places of tropical zones of Garhwal Himalaya. The herbs contain a deep cherry coloured essential oil and a bitter alkaloid Sphaer anthine. It also contains many other active ingredients, namely, eudesmenolide-7αhydroxy eudesm-4-en-6, 12-olide, 2-hydroxycostic acid, β-eudesmol, ilicic acid, methychavicol, α-ionone, d-cadinene, α-terpinene, citral, geraniol, geranyl acetate, sphaerene, indicusene and sphaeranthol. The herb has been investigated for many diseases and used in ethnomedicne. The review of this medicinal plant can revealed some important and valuable information with respect to pharmacog nostical, phytochemical and phar macological aspects. The main objective of this paper is to gather some valuable information with respect to its standardization, which has been done along with active ingredients by some researchers.

Background:We have recently reported that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is involved in ischemic preconditioning-mediated cardioprotection by promoting nitric oxide (NO) release into diabetic rat heart (DRH). The upregulation of HO-1 decreases the endothelin-1 (ET-1) production, which is a negative regulator of NO. In diabetes, the level of HO-1 is reduced while the level of ET-1 gets elevated. Thus, the present analysis was aimed to explore the concept of HO-1 and ET-1 in the abrogated cardioprotective role of ischemic post conditioning (IPOC) in the DRH. Materials and Methods: To explore the concept, a selective HO-1 inducer hemin, 18 hrs prior and a selective ETA receptor antagonist BQ-123, one week prior, were administered to DRH before isolation. DRH was removed and then mounted on Langendorff's apparatus, subjected to 10 min stabilization followed by 30 min ischemia. IPOC had been induced by four cycles of 5 min reperfusion along with 5 min ischemia followed by further 120 min of reperfusion. The extent of the infarct was measured and the coronary effluent was tested for the LDH, CK-MB and NO release. Results: In DRH, cardioprotection mediated by the IPOC was significantly attenuated. Hemin and BQ-123 reinstated the impact of IPOC in DRH and also increased the release of NO. In BQ-123 pre-treated diabetic rat, the administration of hemin was unable to produce the additive cardioprotective effect of IPOC. Conclusion: Thus, it is suggested that hemin and BQ-123 restore the attenuated cardioprotective effect of IPOC in the DRH, which may be due to increased NO release.