Search

Background: Allergy is an ever-increasing immune disorder and is often fatal under certain circumstances. Lack of total curative medication prompts the search for various compounds as the lead molecules. Ginger, Zingiber officinale Roscoe, is a well-established medicinal plant in different traditional practices. Its use as antiallergic or anti-inflammatory agent has been vindicated but the underlying mechanism of action is yet unknown. Method: In this study, we analyzed the phytocompounds characterized from ginger for their binding affinities on cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1) and histamine H1 receptor (H1R) by molecular docking. The molecular interactions were compared against known agonists and antagonists of the two receptors. Results: The data indicate that ginger compounds have high binding affinity for both LTR1 and H1R comparable to those of antiallergic medications. The highest binding affinities were recorded for gingerenone-A (-7.3 kcal/mol) and zingiberol (-7.2 kcal/mol) on LTR1; and gingerenone-A (-8.7 kcal/mol) and a-curcumene (-8.0 kcal/mol) on H1R. Conclusion: In addition to antiallergic activity, molecular predications on the probable biological activities of the ginger compounds show that they can have a variety of medicinal applications including immunomodulatory and anticancer activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helicia excelsa (Roxb.) Bl. is a scarcely known medicinal plant and is native to Southeast Asia. It is most notably used for the treatment of gastric problems in the Mizo traditional medicine in India. Method: The leaves of H. excelsa were collected from Aizawl, Mizoram, India. An extract was prepared using chloroform. Qualitative phytochemical tests were performed to detect the important phytocompounds. The antioxidant activity was determined by total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total antioxidant content, DPPH- and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar well-diffusion method. Results: H. excelsa leaf contains amino acids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, phenols, phytosterols, proteins, and tannins. It showed inhibition in selected Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The phenol, flavonoid and total antioxidant contents were 4.52±0.09 gallic acid equivalent (GAE mg/g), 64.27±1.04 quercetin equivalent (QE mg/g), 11.39±0.45 ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE mg/g) respectively. IC50 value of DPPH-scavenging activity was 5.67±0.36. The ferric ion-reducing power showed concentration-dependent activity. The plant extract showed growth-inhibitory actions against Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, and Gram-positive species, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: H. excelsa leaf contains important bioactive compounds that need to be identified. The antioxidant and antibacterial activities support the basis of its medicinal application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A species of holly, Ilex khasiana Purk. (family Aquifoliaceae) is one of a few critically endangered medicinal plants in India. It is endemic to Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, and Aizawl, Mizoram. In the traditional medicines of Khasi and Mizo people, the leaves are used as a panacea for all sorts of infections. Nothing is known about its true pharmacological potentials. Objective: We aimed to assess the extract of I. khasiana leaves for its purported antiparasitic property. To test the antiparasitic activity, we collected intestinal tapeworms, Raillietina tetragona. Materials and Methods: I. khasiana leaves were dried and extracted in methanol. The plant extract was used to treat the tapeworms at different concentrations. The efficacy was recorded as survival values and were analysed by Student's t-test. The plant extracttreated tapeworms were fixed, dehydrated and observed under scanning electron microscopy for studying the structural details. Results: The methanol extract of I. khasiana leaf showed dose-dependent antiparasitic effect as that of albendazole. The treated tapeworms developed massive structural damages. The scolex was deformed, with its tegument extensively damaged. The suckers had their spines clumped. The body segments severely contracted and some portions were eroded. Hair-like microtriches were completely lost. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that I. khasiana has antiparasitic activity and requires further investigations, and that there is a need to foster its conservation and propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ilex khasiana Purkay. is a lesser-known species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae) that is endemic to Northeast India. Designated as critically endangered, the plant is used in the treatments of bacterial infections, cancer, intestinal helminthiasis, tuberculosis, and viral infections. A methanol extract of the leaves was prepared from which 16 different compounds were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. An alkylated phenol, 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol, was the predominant compound. Acute toxicity test indicated that the plant extract was non-toxic even at the highest dosage tested, i.e., 2000 mg/kg body weight. The plant extract caused considerable prolongation of survival in mice transplanted with Dalton's lymphoma ascites, extending life by 33 %, with median survival time of 35.5 and average survival time of 22.83 days, and with a treatment to control ratio of 131.37 %. Reduction of body mass, lipid peroxidation, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine were seen in DLA-transplanted mice after treatment with the plant extract. On the other hand, glutathione level, glutathione S-transferase and superoxide dismutase activity increased. Alkaline comet assay showed that the plant extract effectively induced DNA damage, producing a tail length of 11.89 μm and Olive moment of 2.36 at 250 mg/kg bwt, the most effective dosage. Molecular docking revealed high ligand binding ability of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol to chemokine receptor CXCR4, DNA topoisomerase 2-alpha, DNA topoisomerase 2-beta, histone deacetylases (HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC3), Janus kinase 1 and programmed cell death protein 1. The safety and anticancer activity in the present study substantiate the therapeutic importance of I. khasiana as acclaimed in the Mizo traditional medicine. Additionally, the study advocates further pharmacological investigations as well as the conservation and propagation of the endangered plant for future research., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:K. Lalchhandama reports equipment, drugs, or supplies and travel were provided by India Ministry of Science & Technology Department of Biotechnology. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background and Aim: Schima wallichii Korth., commonly known as the needlewood tree (family Theaceae) has therapeutic uses in traditional Mizo medicine for human helminthiasis and serves as a balm against ectoparasites in animals. Although the medicinal properties have been studied experimentally, its use as a traditional anthelmintic remains unexplored. This study aimed to analyze the chemical components and antiparasitic activity of S. wallichii ., Materials and Methods: The chemical analysis of S. wallichi bark extracts was conducted focusing on the secondary metabolites using petroleum ether, chloroform, and methanol. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the specific compounds. An anthelmintic susceptibility test was carried out against Raillietina tetragona , intestinal cestode parasite of fowl., Results: The methanol extract yielded the highest concentrations of alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, sterols, saponins, and tannins among all the extracts. Sterols were the most abundant compounds in all extracts, with flavonoids being absent. Secondary metabolites were largely absent in the petroleum ether and chloroform extracts. The GC-MS data identified cholest-22-ene-21-ol as the major steroid component. The cestode parasite was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by the plant extract. The plant extract's anthelmintic activity was evident through observable damage to the parasite's outer structure., Conclusion: Phytosterols in S. wallichii bark are responsible for its anthelmintic properties. The mechanism and pharmaceutical properties of the anthelmintic molecule require further exploration., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Lalthanpuii and Lalchhandama.)

We describe here a new species of terrestrial earthworm Eutyphoeus rihnimensis sp. nov. (family Acanthodrilidae) from specimens collected at Khawrihnim, a village in Mizoram, Northeast India. The new species is distinguished from its congener members in E. gigas group in having an outgrowth that branches into four finger-like projections from the male porophores, five pairs of supra-intestinal glands in 8188 segments, typhlosole that begins from segment 25, ventral intestinal caeca 10 that covers segments 33-34, a bidiverticulate spermathecae with a short and stout duct, and very short lateral and median diverticula among other characters. Sequence analysis based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene further warrants its distinction from known species of Eutyphoeus.

Spilanthes acmella Murr., popularised as toothache plant, is a well-known culinary and medicinal plant for different purposes, but its use as an anthelmintic is apparently exclusive to the Mizo people of India and Myanmar. A chloroform extract of Spilanthes acmella Murr. was analysed in a single quadrupole GC-MS system, from which it was found that the major compound was an alkylamide, N-isobutyl-(2E,4Z,8Z,10E)-dodecatetraenamide. A comparative study was performed on the anthelmintic activity of the plant extract and praziquantel (PZQ) against an intestinal cestode, Raillietina echinobothrida. In terms of efficacy, PZQ was more potent, but the plant extract was also effective at all concentrations tested. PZQ caused severe shrinkage and folds of the tegument, constriction of the suckers, dislocation of spines and erosion of microtriches. The plant extract caused shrinkage and folds on the main body but not on the scolex. Damage on the suckers is more pronounced than in PZQ-treated cestodes. The spines were completely removed. The current findings indicate that S. acmella is a good source of compounds with anthelmintic activity.

Context: A variety of Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K. Jansen (Asteraceae) is used by the Mizo people of India and Myanmar for intestinal helminthiasis. Objective: To perform a chemical analysis of the plant extract using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and test the anthelmintic activity on intestinal parasites. Materials and methods: An extract of the aerial parts was prepared in hexane and analysed using GC-MS. Survival test was performed in vitro on the cestode, Taenia tetragona , and the nematode, Ascaridia perspicillum . Concentrations of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg/mL, prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with 1% dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), were tested. Negative control was maintained in PBS with DMSO, and albendazole was used as a reference drug. Each treatment consisted of six worms and was done until death was confirmed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to describe the structural changes. Results: Nineteen compounds were detected. The major compounds were fatty alcohols such as 3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadec-2-en-1-ol and (9 Z )-9-hexadecen-1-ol. Important bioactive compounds including an alkylamide, N -isobutyl-(2 E ,4 Z ,8 Z ,10 E )-dodecatetraenamide, and a triterpenoid, lupeol, were also confirmed. The lethal concentration (LC 50 ) of the plant extract was 5128.61 ppm on T. tetragona and 8921.50 ppm on A. perspicillum . Tegumental shrinkage, erosion of microtriches, and distortion of the suckers were observed on the cestode. The nematode showed collapse of the lips and shrunk cuticle. Conclusions: Acmella oleracea contains important bioactive compounds, which are responsible for the broad-spectrum anthelmintic activity. Further study on the pharmacology of the compounds is warranted.

Background: Imperata cylindrica is considered as an agricultural weed, but it is a valuable plant in the traditional medicines of Southeast Asia. In the Mizo traditional medicine of India and Myanmar, the rhizomes and roots are used as a remedy for bacterial, fungal and intestinal helminth infections., Methods: An extract of the whole underground parts was prepared in Soxhlet apparatus using chloroform as a solvent. After concentrating in a vacuum rotary evaporator, the extract was analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Anthelmintic activity was tested in vitro against the tapeworm Raillietina tetragona and the roundworm Ascaridia galli. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the structural changes on the helminths after treatment with the plant extract., Results: Twenty-two compounds were identified from the plant extract out of which fatty acids were the predominant compounds. Palmitic acid was the most abundant. Bioactive phytosterols such as campesterol and stigmasterol were also detected. The plant extract was significantly effective on both the helminths and showed dose-dependent anthelmintic activity as that of albendazole. The tapeworm treated with the plant extract showed deformities on the suckers, clumping of the spines, tegumental folds and erosion of microtriches. Extensive damage was also seen on the roundworm including cuticular shrinkage, collapse of the lips, and formation of warty surface throughout the body., Conclusion: I. cylindrica extract effectively killed and caused detrimental effects on parasitic tapeworm and roundworm. The study therefore validates the traditional usage among the Mizo people, and guarantees further investigation on the exact compound(s) and mechanism of action.

Background and Aim: Spilanthes acmella is used for the treatment of intestinal helminth infections in Mizo traditional medicine. In spite of a variety of drugs developed for helminthiases, an entirely safe and absolutely effective drug is still lacking, so much so that infections remain a major problem in human and animal welfare. In this study, we attempted to substantiate S. acmella as an anticestodal agent., Materials and Methods: The aqueous extract of the aerial parts of S. acmella was prepared and from it a bioactive fraction was obtained using column chromatography. Chemical analyses were done using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Helminth survival test was performed in vitro on an intestinal cestode, Raillietina tetragona . Structural effects on the cestode were examined under scanning electron microscopy., Results: From the bioactive fraction of S. acmella extract, TLC indicated the presence of an aromatic quinone, which was identified using GC-MS as a quinoline derivative (2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline having a retention time of 24.97 min and chemical formula of C 12 H 15 N). The quinoline-rich fraction showed concentration-dependent activity against R. tetragona as that of albendazole. Scanning electron microscopy of the treated cestode revealed classic anthelmintic effects such as tegumental shrinkage and damage of surface organs. The scolex was shrunk, suckers were degenerated with disintegrated spines, and rostellum was completely collapsed. There were severe damages on the tegument and formation of pit-like scars on the proglottids., Conclusion: The efficacy of S. acmella extract and structural damages it caused on the cestode indicates that it is a potential source of anthelmintic agent and that 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline contributes to its antiparasitic activity., (Copyright: © Lalthanpuii and Lalchhandama.)