Search

Huntington’s disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disease, normally starts in the prime of adult life, followed by a gradual occurrence of psychiatric disturbances, cognitive and motor dysfunction. The daily performances and life quality of HD patients have been severely interfered by these clinical signs and symptoms until the last stage of neuronal cell death. To the best of our knowledge, no treatment is available to completely mitigate the progression of HD. Mangiferin, a naturally occurring potent glucoxilxanthone, is mainly isolated from the Mangifera indica plant. Considerable studies have confirmed the medicinal benefits of mangiferin against memory and cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative experimental models such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of mangiferin against 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induced HD in rat models. Adult Wistar rats (n = 32) were randomly allocated equally into four groups of eight rats each: normal control (Group I), disease control (Group II) and two treatment groups (Group III and Group IV). Treatment with mangiferin (10 and 20 mg/kg, p. o.) was given for 14 days, whereas 3-NP (15 mg/kg, i. p.) was given for 7 days to induce HD-like symptoms in rats. Rats were assessed for cognitive functions and motor coordination using open field test (OFT), novel object recognition (NOR) test, neurological assessment, rotarod and grip strength tests. Biochemical parameters such as oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory markers in brain hippocampus, striatum and cortex regions were evaluated. Histopathological study on brain tissue was also conducted using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. 3-NP triggered anxiety, decreased recognition memory, reduced locomotor activity, lower neurological scoring, declined rotarod performance and grip strength were alleviated by mangiferin treatment. Further, a significant depletion in brain malondialdehyde (MDA) level, an increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) level, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and a decrease in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were observed in mangiferin treated groups. Mangiferin also mitigated 3-NP induced histopathological alteration in the brain hippocampus, striatum and cortex sections. It could be inferred that mangiferin protects the brain against oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, notably via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Mangiferin, which has a good safety profile, may be an alternate treatment option for treating HD and other neurodegenerative disorders. The results of the current research of mangiferin will open up new avenues for the development of safe and effective therapeutic agents in diminishing HD.

Background: Malaysia has a diverse range of medicinal plants that utilized to make effective nutritional, folk medicine, and cosmetic preparations. Natural antioxidants obtained from medicinal plant extracts have recently gained popularity as protective ingredients in sunscreen formulations due to their safety, wide range of biological effects on skin, and environmental sustainability in absorbing Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and preventing skin damage. Prolonged exposure to UV rays may cause skin damages like sunburn, photoaging, erythema, edema, wrinkle, and skin cancer. Natural sunscreen products are becoming more popular among consumers who are becoming more aware of the risks of excessive UV and chemicals in beauty and personal care products. Objective: This review aimed to provide brief information about ten commonly available medicinal plants in Malaysia with potential sun protection factor and antioxidant properties. Methods: In the present review, the relevant literatures were an extensive search from various scientific database including Pubmed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Ten commonly available medicinal plants in Malaysia such as Graptophyllum pictum, Moringa oleifera, Mangifera indica, Zanthoxylum rhetsa, Andrographis paniculata, Sonneratia caseolaris, Camellia sinensis, Morinda citrifolia, Nephelium lappaceum and Murraya koenigii were included based on its potential sun protection factor (SPF) and antioxidant properties. Results: All the ten medicinal plants reported in this review found to have potential antioxidant activities due to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid content in the extracts. All of these findings well correlated to their potential SPF. The M. indica extracts had the highest SPF value among the ten plant extracts reported in this review, with a value of =30. This is considered high sun protection action. Extracts of A. paniculata, M. citrifolia, C. sinensis, and G. pictum have a moderate photoprotective effect (SPF value of =15). Sun protection activity was low in M. oleifera and S. caseolaris (SPF value = 2). Conclusion: The identification of natural antioxidant and photoprotective ingredients from medicinal plants has demonstrated as a potential natural sunscreen product in protecting UV radiation against damaging UV rays, and therefore recommended to utilize them to replace synthetic chemicals in cosmetics development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To carry out phytochemical and physicochemical studies on the leaves of Gynura segetum. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical and physicochemical studies using chromatographic techniques, were carried out, Parameters evaluated include ash value, loss on drying and extractive value, amongst others. . Results: Phytochemical results revealed that the leaves of Gynura segetum contain alkaloid, terpene, flavonoid, tannin and saponin. Mean ash value (%) was 13.5 (total), 2.49 (acid-insoluble ash) and 6.14 (water-soluble ash). Loss on drying was 10.70 % while extractive value was 20.60 % in water and 14.13 % in ethanol. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis indicates the presence of rutin in the methanol extract of G. segetum and this was supported by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) studies. Conclusion: Useful quantitative and descriptive data essential for identifying and characterizing the plant for the purpose of quality control are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Propolis, a resinous substance collected by bees from various botanical sources, is esteemed for its medicinal properties and widely utilized in traditional and alternative medicine owing to its antimicrobial and antioxidant attributes. Objective: This study aimed to identify bioactive compounds with anti–fungal activity present in Malaysian Heterotrigona itama (H. itama) propolis against candidiasis. Methods: H. itama propolis was extracted using the maceration method, and its phytochemical composition was analyzed via Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier–transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC– MS). Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH assay, while anti–fungal properties were evaluated using the agar disk diffusion method. Results and Discussions: The ethanolic extraction of H. itama propolis yielded aqueous (AqE) and alkaline hydrolyzed (KPE) propolis extracts at rates of 38.75% and 30.47%, respectively. The KPE demonstrated a total phenolic content (TPC) of 0.723 ± 0.06 mg GAE/g, a total flavonoid content (TFC) of 38.36 ± 3.19 mg QE/g, and a total terpenoid content (TTC) of 4.60 ± 0.40 mg GAE/g. Conversely, the AqE exhibited TPC, TFC, and TTC levels of 2.17 ± 0.06 mg GAE/g, 6.75 ± 0.85 mg QE/g, and 2.94 ± 1.08 mg GAE/g, respectively. The H. itama propolis extract, particularly the KPE variant, demonstrated a notably higher TPC and TFC compared to the AqE, indicating its potential richness in bioactive compounds essential for anti–fungal activity benefits. GC–MS and FTIR analyses confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti–fungal properties, including phenols, hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid) and octadecanoic acid (stearic acid). The H. itama propolis extract also demonstrated significant anti–fungal activity against Candida species. Conclusion: The findings suggested that H. itama propolis extracts hold promise as valuable ingredients in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant, inherited neurological disorder associated with a pathogenic expansion of cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeats in exon 1 of the huntingtin gene (Htt). The onset of HD occurs between 30 and 50 years followed by a gradual occurrence of psychiatric disturbances, cognitive and motor dysfunction. The daily performances and life quality of HD patients have been severely interfered by these clinical signs and symptoms until the last stage of neuronal cell death. To the best of our knowledge, no treatment is available to completely mitigate the progression of HD. Mangiferin, a naturally occurring potent glucoxilxanthone, is mainly isolated from the Mangifera indica (Mango) plant. Considerable studies have confirmed the medicinal benefits of mangiferin against memory and cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative experimental models such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of mangiferin against 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induced HD-like memory, cognitive impairments and motor incoordination in rat models. Methods: Adult Wistar rats (n = 32) were randomly allocated equally into four groups: normal control, disease control and two treatment groups. Treatment with mangiferin (10 and 20 mg/kg, p.o.) was given for 14 days, whereas 3-NP (15 mg/kg, i.p.) was given for 7 days to induce HD-like symptoms in rats. Rats were assessed for their cognitive and motor functions using open field test (OFT), novel object recognition (NOR) and rotarod tests. Results: 3-NP triggered anxiety, decreased recognition memory, reduced locomotor activity, and declined rotarod performance were alleviated by mangiferin treatment. Conclusions: The findings from the present investigation provide a new possibility of mangiferin as an alternate neuroprotective agent in treating HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disease, normally starts in the prime of adult life, followed by a gradual occurrence of psychiatric disturbances, cognitive and motor dysfunction. The daily performances and life quality of HD patients have been severely interfered by these clinical signs and symptoms until the last stage of neuronal cell death. To the best of our knowledge, no treatment is available to completely mitigate the progression of HD. Mangiferin, a naturally occurring potent glucoxilxanthone, is mainly isolated from the Mangifera indica plant. Considerable studies have confirmed the medicinal benefits of mangiferin against memory and cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative experimental models such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of mangiferin against 3-NP induced HD-like behavioral and oxidative stress changes in rat models. Methods: Adult Wistar rats (n = 32) were randomly allocated into four groups. Treatment with mangiferin was given for 14 days, whereas 3-NP was given for 7 days to induce HD-like symptoms. Rats were assessed for cognitive and motor functions using OFT, NOR and rotarod tests. Oxidative stress markers were also evaluated. Results: 3-NP triggered anxiety, decreased recognition memory, reduced locomotor activity and declined rotarod performance were alleviated by mangiferin treatment. Further, a significant depletion in brain MDA level, an increase in GSH level, SDH, SOD and CAT activities, were observed in mangiferin treated groups. Conclusion: The findings from the present investigation provide a new possibility of mangiferin as an alternate neuroprotective agent in treating HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]