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Objective: To investigate the effects of Hippeastrum hybridum (HH) as a free radical scavenger, and an inhibitor of the two enzymes i-e Alpha-amylase (α-amylase) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE)., Methods: In this study, HH plant was preliminary analyzed for phytochemical screening and then tested for its antioxidant, anti-α-amylase, and anti-AChE efficiency via standard procedures., Results: Phytochemical analysis shows the existence of different compounds; while Coumarins and quinones were absent. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannins content were found to be (78.52 ± 0.69) mg GAE/g, (2.01 ± 0.04) mg RUE/g, and (58.12 ± 0.23) mg TAE/g of plant extract respectively. 28.02% ± 0.02% alkaloid and 2.02% ± 0.05% saponins were present in the HH extract. The HH extract showed the anti-oxidant property with IC50 (50% inhibition) of (151.01 ± 0.13) (HH), (79.01 ± 0.04) (Ascorbic acid) for ferric reducing, (91.48 ± 0.13) (HH), (48.02 ± 0.11) (Ascorbic acid) against Ammonium molybdenum, (156.02 ± 0.31) (HH), (52.38 ± 0.21) (Ascorbic acid) against DPPH, 136.01 ± 0.21 (HH), 52.02± 0.31 (Ascorbic acid) against H 2 O 2 , and 154.12 ± 0.03 (HH), (40.05 ± 0.15) (Ascorbic acid) μg/mL against ABTS respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that HH caused a competitive type of inhibition of α-amylase ( V max remained constant and Km increases from 10.65 to 84.37%) while Glucophage caused the un-competitive type of inhibition i-e both Km and V max decreased from 40.49 to 69.15% and 38.86 to 69.61% respectively. The K i , (inhibition constant); K I , (dissociation constant), K m , (Michaelis-Menten constant), and IC50 were found to be 62, 364, 68.1, and 38.08 ± 0.22 for HH and 12, 101.05, 195, 34.01 ± 0.21 for Glucophage. Similarly, HH causes an anon-competitive type of inhibition of AChE i-e Km remains constant while V max decreases from 60.5% to 74.1%. The calculated K i , K I , K m , and IC50 were found to be 32, 36.2, 0.05, and 18.117 ± 0.018., Conclusion: From the current results, it is concluded that HH extract contains bioactive compounds, and could be a good alternative to controlling oxidants, Alzheimer's and Type-II diabetic diseases.

The present research study investigates the phytochemical and pharmacological importance of Bromus pectinatus. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of this plant was carried out to use standard method for the presence of various bioactive constituents. Results showed the ethanolic extract contain natural product such as steroids, alkaloids, tannins, coumarin, saponins, flavonoids and phenols. These compounds play a key role to reducing various disease and microbial inhibition. The ethanolic extract also showed the antimicrobial and antifugal activity against different pathogenic bacterial strains e.g Escherichia coli, Micrococus leutus, Protus vulgarus, and Kelebsela pneumona and three fungal strains Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavous, Aspergillus niger. The antioxidant assay was performed as % inhibition of DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) free radicals. The plant extract has more antioxidant activity as compared to ascorbic acid. The maximum concentration (800µg/ml) is the most effective of all. The plant extract showed the high cytotoxicity activity against Brine shrimp. Moreover, the plant extract exhibited allelopathic effect on different growth parameters of wheat plant mostly at higher concentration. These results indicate that the BPEE have a potential broad-spectrum antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidant and phytotoxic activity due to the presence of bioactive compounds.

In the present study, we investigated the efficiency of rosmarinic acid (RA) in preventing the alteration of oxidative parameters in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ). The animals were divided into six groups (n = 8): control, ethanol, RA 10 mg/kg, diabetic, diabetic/ethanol, and diabetic/RA 10 mg/kg. After 3 weeks of treatment, we found that TBARS levels in liver and kidney were significantly increased in the diabetic/saline group and the administration of RA prevented this increase in the liver and kidney (P < 0.05). Diabetes caused a significant decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the diabetes/saline group (P < 0.05). However, the treatment with 10 mg/kg RA (antioxidant) prevented this alteration in SOD and CAT activity in the diabetic RA group (P < 0.05). In addition, RA reverses the decrease in ascorbic acid and non-protein-thiol (NPSH) levels in diabetic rats. The treatment with RA also prevented the decrease in the Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) activity in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats. Furthermore, RA did not have any effect on glycemic levels. These results indicate that RA effectively reduced the oxidative stress induced by STZ, suggesting that RA is a potential candidate for the prevention and treatment of pathological conditions in diabetic models.

We investigated the efficacy of rosmarinic acid (RA) in preventing lipid peroxidation and increased activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the brain of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The animals were divided into six groups (n = 8): control, ethanol, RA 10 mg/kg, diabetic, diabetic/ethanol and diabetic/RA 10 mg/kg. After 21 days of treatment with RA, the cerebral structures (striatum, cortex and hippocampus) were removed for experimental assays. The results demonstrated that the treatment with RA (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced the level of lipid peroxidation in hippocampus (28%), cortex (38%) and striatum (47%) of diabetic rats when compared with the control. In addition, it was found that hyperglycaemia caused significant increased in the activity of AChE in hippocampus (58%), cortex (46%) and striatum (30%) in comparison with the control. On the other hand, the treatment with RA reversed this effect to the level of control after 3 weeks. In conclusion, the present findings showed that treatment with RA prevents the lipid peroxidation and consequently the increase in AChE activity in diabetic rats, demonstrating that this compound can modulate cholinergic neurotransmission and prevent damage oxidative in brain in the diabetic state. Thus, we can suggest that RA could be a promising compound in the complementary therapy in diabetes., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Nanotechnology can be used to produce nanoparticles (NPs) through the green route by using plant extract. NPs can be synthesized in many ways, but there is a growing need to build up high‐yield, low‐priced, harmless, and eco‐friendly procedures; thus, the green synthesis of NPs is one recent advancement in nanotechnology and nanoscience. The current study is designed for the development of an easy, feasible, and eco‐friendly, method for the biosynthesis of silver/gold (Ag/Au) monometallic NPs (MNPs) and their Ag/Au bimetallic NPs (BNPs) by using the metabolic extract of the novel Hippeastrum hybridum (HH) plant. The HH plant has not previously been used in the synthesis of BNPs. These NPs were then tested for their potential as a scavenger of different free radicals, that is, ferric chloride, 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), 2,2 azobis, 3‐ethyl benzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid (ABTS), ammonium molybdate, anti‐enzyme activity against alpha‐amylase (α‐amylase), and snake venom enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to check their potential as antioxidants by using ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, energy dispersive x‐ray (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy investigations, MNPs and BNPs were both identified. According to UV–vis sharp peaks at 417, 576, and 542 nm were recorded, which corresponded to AgNPs, AuNPs, and BNPs, respectively. According to XRD examination, the crystal structure contains Ag, Au, and Ag/Au BNPs with average sizes of 13.3, 10.72, and 8.34 nm, respectively. Ag, Au, and Ag/Au BNPs possessed morphologies that were asymmetrical, according to SEM, and were calculated to be 40, 30, and 20 nm in size, respectively. The signal of Ag of the HH‐AgNPs was confirmed to be 22.75%, the Au signal of the HH‐AuNPs to be 48.08%, the Ag signal to be 12%, and the elemental Au signal to be 38.26% of the Ag/Au BNPs. The BNPs showed more significant activities as free radical scavengers with 86.58 ± 0.031 (ferric chloride), 50 ± 0.052 (molybdenum), 69.1 ± 0.31 (DPPH), 64.15 ± 0.31 (H2O2), and 70.55 ± 0.08 (ABTS) 50% inhibitory concentrations. BNPs competitively inhibit α‐amylase (Vmax remained unchanged, Km increased from 10.65% to 84.37% and 10.75% to 132.76%, respectively), while in the case of AChE, Km remained constant and Vmax decreased from 23.62% to 40.26% due to a non‐competitive type of inhibition. However, further research is suggested to reduce the drawbacks of NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to study the biogenic synthesis and characterization of Hypecoum pendulum extract‐induced silver nanoparticles (HP‐AgNPs) and to investigate its antioxidant, anti‐alpha‐amylase, and anti‐acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities. UV spectrometry at 417 nm with an surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of 1.54 confirmed the biosynthesis of HP‐AgNPs. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that HP‐AgNPs are crystalline with a 36 nm size. The average size of 80 nm was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The functional moieties bearing compounds accountable for the encapsulation and stability of HP‐AgNPs were assessed by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique. Energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) demonstrated that silver was the main element (49%) of HP‐AgNPs. HP‐AgNPs showed the promising antioxidant potential of ABTS (71.57%), diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH, 69.46%), H2O2 (66.94%), ferric chloride (73.71%), and ammonium molybdenum (65.7%). HP‐AgNPs exhibited significant enzymatic inhibition potential with IC50 of 48.8 ± 4.03 μg/mL (α‐amylase) and 51.78 ± 3.16 μg/mL (AChE). Kinetics studies showed that HP‐AgNPs produced mixed‐type inhibition against α‐amylase (Km increased from 40.65 to 131.44%, whereas Vmax decreased from 4.14 to 9.77%) and non‐competitive‐type inhibition (Vmax decreased from 17.05 to 62.03% and Km remain constant) against AChE. Finally, it may be concluded that HP‐AgNPs may possess anti‐Alzheimer, anti‐diabetic, and antioxidant capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, green nanotechnology has received much importance in different fields. It is concerned with the production of small‐size nanoparticles (NPs). It is less toxic to human health and also environmentally benign. Heliotropium eichwaldi (HE) is an herbaceous weed and is widely distributed in Pakistan. The herb is used traditionally for earache, headache, cleaning, and healing ulcers. The aim of this study is to develop an easy and justifiable method for the synthesis of HE‐AgNPs using HE extract and then to investigate the effects of HE‐AgNPs as a free radical scavenger, an inhibitor of the two enzymes, that is, alpha‐amylase (α‐amylase) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). UV–Vis spectrum at 416 nm confirmed the AgNPs formation, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the irregular‐shaped HE‐AgNPs, the average size of 19.79 nm was calculated using four major peaks (38.41°, 44.48°, 64.56°, and 77.47°) of X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed the peaks for the functional groups, and electron diffraction X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed that silver was the main element (30.68%). The HE‐AgNPs showed an excellent %scavenging of ferric chloride (73 ± 0.098), ammonium molybdenum (72 ± 0.0021), 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (64 ± 0.055), H2O2 (63.6 ± 0.001), and 2,2′‐azino‐bis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (67.36 ± 0.0014). Hydroxyl radical (67 ± 0.005) showed low IC50 values of 99.93 ± 0.017, 84.58 ± 0.017, 90.14 ± 0.059, 116.02 ± 0.034, 113.02 ± 0.035, and 134.4 ± 0.042 μg as compared with HE extract. Similarly, a maximum inhibition of 67 ± 0.21% (HE extract), 71.4 ± 0.0021% (HE‐AgNPs), and 85 ± 0.11% (glucophage) was reported against α‐amylase with IC50 values of 68 ± 0.27 μg ml−1 for HE extract, 34.43 ± 0.21 μg ml−1 for HE‐AgNPs, and 27.43 ± 0.13 μg ml−1 for glucophage. Statistical analysis showed that HE inhibits α‐amylase in a competitive mode, and HE‐AgNPs in a mixed mode. Similarly, in the case of AChE, the HE plant and HE‐AgNPs exhibited 57 ± 0.21% and 64 ± 0.0021% inhibition with IC50 values of 20 ± 0.014 and 16.81 ± 0.011 μg, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that the HE plant and HE‐AgNPs caused a non‐competitive type of AChE. Our work suggests the successful generation of HE‐AgNPs, subsequently as significant antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti‐Alzheimer agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study is aimed at the pharmacological characterization of methanol extract of Calligonum polygonoides from District Bannu. Dried plant was grounded and extracted with methanol to prepare methanol crud extract. In vitro biological assays were conducted using this methanolic extract according to standard protocol. Cytotoxic activity of plant methanolic extract against brine shrimps while antifungal activity was also measured. Eighty percent death rate of brine shrimp was observed at 1,000 µg/mL of plant extract. 70 ± 0.0% growth inhibition of Aspergillus niger was measured during the present study. Significant scavenging results were observed during scavenging of free radicles viz; 78.1% against DPPH, 83.1% to ABTS and 36% against superoxide at 500 µg/mL were obtained. The results obtained in this study indicate that C. polygonoides possess significant antioxidant, antifungal and cytotoxic bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]