This study demonstrates that the treated extract has significant central nervous system depressant effect. Further studies on active constituent of the extract can provide approaches for therapeutic intervention.
This research evaluated the phytochemical contents as well as the analgesic, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial effects of the methanolic extract of Alpinia nigra leaf. Phytochemical analysis was carried out using established methods. The analgesic effects of the extract were measured with the formalin test and tail immersion test. The antibacterial activity of the extract was evaluated using the disc diffusion technique. Cytotoxicity was assessed with the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance using statistical software (SPSS, Version 19.0). The qualitative phytochemical screening of A. nigra leaf extract showed the presence of medicinally active secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, glycosides, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, anthraquinone glycosides, and saponins. The extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg revealed a prevailed central nociception increasing the reaction time in response to thermal stimulation. The extract also showed a response to chemical nociceptors, causing pain inhibition in the late phase. The leaf extract (2 mg/disc) showed mild antibacterial activity compared to tetracycline (50 μg/disc). In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the LC50 (lethal concentration 50) value of the extract was found to be 57.12 μg/mL, implying a promising cytotoxic effect. The results evidenced the moderate analgesic and antibacterial effects with pronounced cytotoxic capability.
Populations of different South Asian nations including Bangladesh reportedly have a high risk of developing diabetes in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the differences in the gut microbiome of COVID-19-positive participants with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared with healthy control subjects.Microbiome data of 30 participants with T2DM were compared with 22 age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched individuals. Clinical features were recorded while fecal samples were collected aseptically from the participants. Amplicon-based (16S rRNA) metagenome analyses were employed to explore the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and its correlation with genomic and functional features in COVID-19 patients with or without T2DM. Comparing the detected bacterial genera across the sample groups, 98 unique genera were identified, of which 9 genera had unique association with COVID-19 T2DM patients. Among different bacterial groups, Shigella (25%), Bacteroides (23.45%), and Megamonas (15.90%) had higher mean relative abundances in COVID-19 patients with T2DM. An elevated gut microbiota dysbiosis in T2DM patients with COVID-19 was observed while some metabolic functional changes correlated with bidirectional microbiome dysbiosis between
Plants are an entity essential to the function of the biosphere as well as human health. In the context of human health, this research investigated the effect of Lasia spinosa (Lour) leaf methanolic extracts (LSML) on antioxidative enzymes and gene expression as well as biochemical and histological markers in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes model. Fructose-fed streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic animals were subjected to a four-week intervention followed by the assessment of the animal’s blood and tissues for enzymatic, biochemical, histological, and genetic changes. LSML-treated groups were shown to decrease plasma glucose levels and improve body and organ weights compared to the untreated group in a dose-dependent manner. At the doses of 125 and 250 mg/kg b.w., LSML were able to normalize serum, hepatic, and renal biochemical parameters and restore the pancreas, kidney, liver, and spleen tissue architectures to their native state. A considerable increase (p < 0.01) of liver antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD, GSH, and a decrease of MDA level in LSML-treated groups were found at higher doses. The improved mRNA expression level of antioxidant genes CAT, SOD2, PON1, and PFK1 was also found at the doses of 125 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg BW when compared to untreated control groups. The results demonstrate that LSML impacts the upregulation of antioxidative gene expressions, thus improving the diabetic complications in animal models which need to be affirmed by compound-based antioxidative actions for therapeutic development.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.