Introduction:The fruits of Opuntia elatior Mill. are known as prickly pear and folkloric use as hematinic, anti-inflammatory and antiasthmatic action. Previously, the fruit juice of prickly pear was evaluated in reversed anemia induced by HgCl2 in a dose dependant manner and present study revealed about its effect in acute hemolytic anemia.Aim:To evaluate the hematinic activity of fruits of Opuntia elatior Mill.Materials and Methods:The hematinic activity of an orally administered fruit juice was studied on phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced anemic rats. The hematological parameters such as hemoglobin (Hb) content, red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), and reticulocyte count were analyzed as indices of anemia.Results:PHZ altered the hematological parameters by hemolysis characterized by a decrease in Hb content, total RBC counts and PCV (P < 0.001) on day 3. The Hb content (g%) was significantly increased (P < 0.05) at day 7 in 10 and 15 ml/kg fruit juice treated rats, which was a good improvement compared to the standard.Conclusion:The speedy and progressive recovery of anemic rats responding to treatment of the O. elatior Mill. fruits may be due to increased erythropoiesis and/or antioxidant property of betacyanin.
The fruits of Opuntia elatior Mill. (Family: Cactaceae) is known as prickly pear and widely used in several indigenous systems of medicine for the treatment of various ailments, viz. Anemia, asthma, inflammatory disorders, and diabetes. The objective of the present work is to screen phytochemical compositions and evaluation hematinic activity of fruits of Opuntia elatior Mill. The hematinic activity of an orally administered fruit juice (5, 10 and 15 ml/kg) was studied on mercuric chloride (HgCl2) -induced anemic rats. Phytochemical analysis signifies the presence of betacyanin as an active principle which was confirmed by spectrophotometric, HPLC and LC-MS techniques. The total betacyanin content (47.10 mg/100 ml) equivalent to betanin obtained from the fruits of O. elatior Mill. was higher compared to O. ficus-indica and O. undulata Griff. while lower compared to O. stricta Haw. Mercuric chloride altered the hematological parameters by hemolysis characterized by decrease in Hb content, total RBC counts and PCV (p < 0.001) on day 30. Fruit juice at the dose of 10 ml/kg and 15 ml/kg showed a good percentage of recovering in hemoglobin, 32.99 % and 38.18 %, respectively, which was higher than standard treated group (29.8 %) indicating the correction of anemia induced by mercuric chloride after 30 days treatment. The speedy and progressive recovery of anemia in the treatment of prickly pear may be due to increased erythropoiesis and/or antioxidant property of betacyanin.
Background:Opuntia elatio Mill is a xerophytic plant with potentially active nutrients. It is traditionally appreciated for its pharmacological properties; however, the scientific information on this plant is insufficient.Objective:The present study evaluates the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory action of prickly pear.Materials and Methods:Writhing and tail-immersion tests were carried out to evaluate analgesic action, while the carrageenan-induced paw edema and neutrophil adhesion tests were conducted in Albino wistar rats to assess anti-inflammatory action.Results:ED50 values of the fruit juice in writhing, tail immersion, and paw edema test were 0.919, 2.77, and 9.282 ml/kg, respectively. The fruits of Opuntia produced analgesic and anti-inflammatory action in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion:The results establish the folklore use of prickly pear may be due to the presence of betacyanin and/or other phenolic compounds.
Background:The presence of potentially active nutrients and their multifunctional properties make prickly pear a perfect candidate for the production of phytopharmaceutical products. Among the numerous Opuntia species, bioactive compounds have been isolated and characterized primarily from Opuntia ficus-indica, Opuntia polycantha, Opuntia stricta, Opuntia dilleni for various medicinal properties.Objective:Based on the traditional use of prickly pear for enhancement of immune function, the objective of the present study to evaluate the effect of prickly pear on mast cell degranulation function.Materials and Methods:The Opuntia fruit juice (OFJ) (10-200 μl/ml) were studied for the effect on sensitized rat peritoneal mast cell degranulation induced by immunological (egg albumin), and nonimmunological (compound 48/80) stimuli and compared with that of the reference standard, sodium cromoglycate and ketotifen (10 μg/ml).Results and Conclusion:The OFJ exhibited significantly (P < 0.001) concentration dependent inhibition of mast cell degranulation. The IC50 value of OFJ was found 12.24 and 18 μl/ml for immunological and nonimmunological induced mast cell degranulation, respectively. The betacyanin is an active principle compound in prickly pear that may responsible for mast cell stabilizing action.
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