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Objective: Leucas aspera (Willd.) Linn. is a herbaceous annual distributed throughout India from the Himalayas down to Ceylon. This study was aimed to investigate the pharmacognostical, phytochemical characteristics, and heavy metal content of the aerial parts of L. aspera. Methods:The aerial parts of the plant were subjected to macroscopical and microscopical characterization, followed by physicochemical evaluations using standardized procedures. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) of the dried plant powder was done to determine the metal and mineral content. Preliminary phytochemical screening and metabolite analysis of the hydroalcoholic extract of L. aspera (HAELA) were also performed to analyze the various phytoconstituents. Results:In this study, the microscopic characteristics of L. aspera were found to be consistent with earlier reports. The total ash value was relatively high (11.5% w/w). Alcohol soluble and water-soluble extractive values were found to be 6.5% and 9%, respectively. AAS indicated the plant to contain insignificant quantities of heavy metals and considerable amounts of copper, sodium, potassium, and iron. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, lignins, phenols, saponins, sterols, and tannins in HAELA. Conclusion:The pharmacognosy -anatomical, physicochemical, heavy metal characteristics, and the preliminary phytochemical studies of the aerial parts of L. aspera have revealed the presence of phytoconstituents such as triterpenoids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and glycosides; insignificant quantities of heavy metals and significant content of phenolics and tannins in the plant.

The present study focuses on the anti-inflammatory activity of Justicia gendarussa Burm.f. on an acute model of inflammation: the carrageenan-induced paw edema assay. Methanolic extract of J. gendarussa (JRM) roots at a dose of 100 mg/kg significantly inhibited edema formation 5 h after carrageenan induction. JRM inhibited carrageenan-elicited total cycloxygenase activity, 5-lipoxygenase and 15-lipoxygenase activities in blood mononuclear cells of rats, decreased neutrophil infiltration in paw tissue as shown by low myeloperoxidase activity, and also caused a 53% inhibition in cyclooxygenase-2 activity in paw tissue. Purification of JRM by liquid-liquid partitioning yielded an ethyl acetate fraction of JRM that showed interleukin-6 downregulation potential and the ability to inhibit prostaglandin E2 production in vivo. The present investigation provides pharmacological evidence to support the folklore claim that J. gendarussa is an anti-inflammatory agent.

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Plant growth and physiological response of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) were studied in controlled environment using normal soil and indigenous Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi treated soil. The seedlings of Zea mays were inoculated with Giguspora species of VAM (Glomus fasiculatum) and the inoculum was multiplied with help of Zeamays seed bed. Sesame seeds were then inoculated into the bed and it was found that the plant height, shoots lengths, roots, biomass of shoot and roots were considerably increased in the mycorrhizal plants. The effect of VAM infection was assessed in pot experiment. In this comparative study, specific mycorrhizal fungi had consistent effects on various growth parameters such as the number of leaves, number of roots, shoot length, biomass of shoot and roots and biochemical parameters were observed at various time intervals by statistical analysis using two way ANOVA, it was confined with mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal infected plants. It was found that the ability of isolates to maintain the plant growth effectively in the case of mycorrhizal seedlings shows a maximum absorbtion of 0.77 ±0.2, shoot length is about 8.34 ±0.2, count of root and leaves are about 8.10 ±0.3, 5.6 ±0.3 respectively under mycorrhizal infection in 30days of analysis and had a positive effect on the growth at all intervals. Biochemical analysis were carried out to estimate the total chlorophyll, chrophyll A, chlorophyll B and Carotenoids contents and it was analyzed to be 9 ±0.5 mg/g, 8.3 ±0.5 mg/g, 3.6 ±0.5 mg/g, 4 ±0.3 mg/g respectively. At the 30 th day of analysis for the mycorrhizal plants, it was found to be high in mycorrhizal seedlings which shows the symbiosis had improved the nutrient uptake of cultivated plants. Nevertheless G. fasiculatum was found to be the most efficient fungus and exhibited the highest levels of mycorrhizal colonization, as well as the greatest stimulation of physiological parameters.

The ever-increasing problem of pancreatitis due to alcohol abuse demands evaluation of novel drugs of plant origin. This study explores the therapeutic effects of the methanolic extract of Brassica oleraceae (MEBO) on ethanol and cerulein induced pancreatitis in rats. The MEBO was subjected to GC-MS and HPLC analysis. Male albino Wistar rats were divided into various groups, fed with alcohol (36% of total calories for 5 weeks) and cerulein (20 μg/kg b.wt i.p, weekly thrice for last three weeks) with or without MEBO (40 mg/kg b.wt). Serum lipase, amylase, IL-1β, IL-18, caspase-1, lipid peroxides, oxidative stress index and antioxidant status were assessed in pancreas. Six compounds were identified in GC-MS analysis. Co-administration of MEBO reduced the pancreatic marker enzymes in serum, IL-1β, IL-18 and caspase-1 and increased the antioxidant status of pancreas. The pancreato-protective effect of Brassica oleraceae may be attributed to well-known anti-inflammatory flavonoids, luteolin, quercetin and myricetin.