In the present study, the Allium cepa chromosome assay was employed as a preliminary test to investigate the mutagenic and antimutagenic potential of three plants, namely Clinacanthus nutans, Adhatoda vasica, and Carica papaya, used by traditional practitioners in Malaysia against a direct acting mutagen-Methyl Methanesulphonate (MMS). Onions were planted in various treatment groups: plant extract alone, treatment 1 (pre-treatment with MMS and transfer into plant extracts), and treatment 2 (mixture of MMS and plant extracts). The bulbs planted in the extract alone for cytotoxicity and mutagenicity assessment revealed that none of the extracts of the three plants except the 50 mg/kg of methanol extract of A. vasicawere cytotoxic to A. cepa cells, but a moderate level of mutagenicity was observed at 200 and 400 mg/kg of methanol extract of C. papaya and at 400 mg/kg of aqueous extract of C. nutans. Antimutagenic screening on the other hand revealed that all the extracts tested were able to reduce the percentage chromosomal aberration induced by MMS, both in treatment 1 and 2. Besides that, MMS-induced cell death was also observed to be reduced in onion root cells treated with the plant extracts. Therefore, taking all the results obtained into consideration, the order of the plant extracts with increasing suppressiveness against MMS was C. papaya < A. vasica < C. nutans.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icpj.v2i8.15588 International Current Pharmaceutical Journal, July 2013, 2(8): 131-140
Introduction: Growing incidence of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), together with obesity, shows the complexity and progressive nature of these metabolic disorders and alarms the necessity to explore new and alternative therapeutic pathways and drugs. Diabetes has also been proven to be a key cause of premature aging through different mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms could lead us to manage diabetes more efficiently, thus curtailing its age-related complications. Insulin and leptin resistance are the most common pathophysiological link between T2DM and obesity. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is thought to interfere with glucose homeostasis and satiety through down-regulation of insulin and leptin signaling pathways. Thus, drugs that are potent to impede this enzyme should be effective in treating T2DM and obesity.
Method: In line with that, our current study involved screening of potent PTP1B inhibitors from the Natural Product Discovery System (NADI) database using in silico virtual screening and in vitro PTP1B inhibition study. The compounds that showed promising interaction with PTP1B catalytic site were traced down to their plant of origin. Further, the extracts of the plants were tested in vitro for PTP1B inhibition activity.
Results: Our results showed promising PTP1B inhibition activity of Pandanus amaryllifolius, Vitex negundo and Piper nigrum with 94.38%, 89.03% and 81.39% inhibition, respectively.
Conclusion: Therefore, the compounds of these plants might be an attractive option to develop drugs for T2DM and obesity.
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