Search

In order to search more antimicrobial natural products for new drug discovery, bioassay and chemical investigation of endophytic strains from Rumex madaio were carried out. Six fungal strains (numbered as L1, L6, L9, L10, R1, R2) were successfully isolated and their antimicrobial effects on three human pathogens, Escherichia coli, Staphyloccocus aureus and Candida albicans, were evaluated. The results indicated that ethyl acetate extracts of fermentation broth of these strains had no potent antimicorbial activity against E. coli and C. albicans while strains L1 and R1 had stronger inhibitory effects on S. aureus. On basis of morphological characteristics and 18S rRNA sequence analysis, strains L1 and R1 were respectively classified as Colletotrichum and Fusarium geni. The chemical study of strain R1 led to isolation of two known antimicrobial agents, dibutyl phthalate (1) and beauvericin (2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the antidiarrheal activity of Rumex vesicarius (leaf) by using in vitro and in vivo assays. Antidiarrheal effect of R. vesicarius was evaluated using castor oil-induced diarrhea model in rat. Weight and volume of the intestinal content were assessed using the enteropooling method. Atropine (3 mg/kg, i.p) was used as positive control. R. Vesicarius at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg p.o. significantly retarded castor oil-induced enteropooling and intestinal transit. The gastrointestinal transit rate was studied and R. vesicarius at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly inhibited (p<0.001) weight and volume of intestinal content. R. vesicarius caused concentration-dependent (0.01-1 mg/mL) relaxation of spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum tissue preparation and inhibited K+-80 induced contractions (0.01-5 mg/mL), similar to verapamil, suggestive of calcium channel blockade. Results obtained herein indicate that R. vesicarius may contain effective compounds which can be used as an antidiarrheal agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro and in vivo studies were undertaken to evaluate the pharmacologically mechanistic background to validate the traditional uses of Rumex acetosa in the treatment of emesis and gastrointestinal motility disorders such as constipation and diarrhea. In rabbit jejunum preparation, methanolic extract of R. acetosa (0.01-1.0 mg/mL) caused a transient spasmogenic effect, followed by the spasmolytic effect (3-10 mg/mL). In presence of atropine, spasmogenic effect was blocked while spasmolytic effect was emerged, suggesting that spasmogenic effect was mediated through activation of muscarinic receptors. Extract inhibited the K+ (80 mM)-induced contraction, suggesting Ca2+-channel blockade, which was further confirmed when pretreatment of tissue with extract shifted the Ca2+ concentration-response curves to the right, similarly as verapamil. R. acetosa also exhibited the significant antiemetic activity (p<0.05) against different emetogenic stimuli, when compared with chlorpromazine. This study confirms the presence of gut modulator (spasmogenic and spasmolytic) and antiemetic activates, validating its traditional uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rumex dentatus is well known plant of Polygonaceae family which is widely used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal tract. R. dentatus at doses 250 and 500 mg/kg significance decreased (p<0.001) the elevated level of ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin induced by paracetamol and results are comparable (p<0.001) with silymarin. The results were supported by histopathological investigations, phytochemical screening and detection of hepatoprotective active constituents e.g quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin by HPLC. So, it is concluded that R. dentatus has hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol liver damage in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]