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The phytochemical study was carried out on the Hedyotis herbacea plant, which belongs to the Rubiacea family and is traditionally claimed to have wound healing activity. The plant was extracted using cold maceration techniques with rising polarity solvents such as petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol. The secondary metabolite present in the extract was found through preliminary phytochemical screening. Exracts were further subjected for isolation. Betulinic acid was isolated from the chloroform exract. Isolated Betulinic acid was weighed at 0.50 mg, and its presence was verified using TLC in a solvent solution of toluene, ethyl acetate, and glacial acetic acid (8.5:1.5: 0.02 v/v/v). Betulinic acid was further characterised by IR, NMR and Mass spectroscopy. The ability of Hedyotis herbacea to repair wounds can be further investigated by using betulinic acid.

Aim: This study evaluates the effect of in vivo wound healing potential of Ursolic acid rich chloroform extract of Hedyotis herbacea Linn ointment using incision and excision wound model. Study Design: Wound healing potentials of Hedyotis herbacea were analysed by Incision and excision wound model. Place of Study: Nandha College of Pharmacy, Erode, Tamilnadu. Methodology: Hedyotis herbacea was subjected to extraction (cold maceration), with solvents of increasing polarity. All the extracts were estimated for the presence of phytoconstituents by HPTLC. As the study has been focused on the phytoconstituent based biological activity, the Ursolic acid rich chloroform extract was chosen for the study of wound healing activity. The Chloroform extract of Hedyotis herbacea was incorporated into ointment base, to prepare the ointment. The ointments prepared with Chloroform extract (2.5% and 5%) of Hedyotis herbacea (CEHH) were subjected for evaluation of excision and incision wound model. Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups each consisting of six animals; group I (left untreated) considered as untreated control, group II treated with 5% w/w povidone-iodine ointment served as standard, group III treated with CEHH 2.5% w/w ointment, and group IV treated with CEHH 5% w/w ointment were considered as test groups. All the treatments were given once daily. Wound healing effect was assessed by the rate of wound contraction, level of total protein, Hydroxy proline, Hexosamine and Hexuronic acid and histopathology studies in an excision wound model. Tensile strength was also measured in both excision and incision wound. Results: Wound healing activity of CEHH 5% w/w ointment treated group was greater than CEHH 2.5% w/w and untreated groups in both excision and incision wound model. The high rate of wound contraction (*P< 0.001), high tensile strength (*P< 0.001), and elevated total protein, Hydroxyproline, Hexosamine, and Hexuronic acid content were observed in animals treated with CEHH ointments when compared to the untreated control group of animals. Histopathological studies of the CEHH ointments treated groups also revealed the effectiveness in wound healing. Conclusion: These results justified the claimed traditional use of the Hedyotis herbacea as wound healing plant.

The human bronchial epithelium is an important barrier tissue that is damaged or pathologically altered in various acute and chronic respiratory conditions. To represent the epithelial component of respiratory disease, it is essential to use a physiologically relevant model of this tissue. The human bronchial epithelium is a highly organized tissue consisting of a number of specialized cell types. Primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) can be differentiated into a mucociliated tissue in air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures using appropriately supplemented media under optimized growth conditions. We compared the histology, ciliary length, and function, diffusion, and barrier properties of HBEC from donors with no respiratory disease grown in two different media, PneumaCult-ALI or Bronchial Epithelial Differentiation Medium (BEDM). In the former group, HBEC have a more physiological pseudostratified morphology and mucociliary differentiation, including increased epithelial thickness, intracellular expression of airway-specific mucin protein MUC5AC, and total expression of cilia basal-body protein compared with cells from the same donor grown in the other medium. Baseline expression levels of inflammatory mediators, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), soluble ST2, and eotaxin-3 were lower in PneumaCult-ALI. Additionally, the physiological cilia beat frequency and electrical barrier properties with transepithelial electrical resistance were significantly different between the two groups. Our study has shown that these primary cell cultures from the same donor grown in the two media possess variable structural and functional characteristics. Therefore, it is important to objectively validate primary epithelial cell cultures before experimentation to ensure they are appropriate to answer a specific scientific question.

Asthma is an airway inflammatory disease characterized by epithelial barrier dysfunction and airway remodeling. Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a pleiotropic cytokine shown to contribute to features of airway remodeling. We have previously demonstrated that IL-13 is an important mediator of normal airway epithelial repair and health. The role of IL-13 signaling via its receptor subunits (IL-13Rα1/IL-4Rα and IL-13Rα2) in airway epithelial repair and restoration of intact barrier function is not well understood and was investigated in this study using in vitro models. The blocking of IL-13 signaling via IL-13Rα2 significantly reduced airway epithelial repair by 24 h post-mechanical wounding in 1HAEo- cells. Expression and release of repair-mediating growth factor, heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor (HB-EGF), and subsequent activation of EGF receptor (EGFR) were also significantly reduced in response to wounding when IL-13Rα2 was blocked. Our data support that IL-13 signals via IL-13Rα2 to mediate normal airway epithelial repair via HB-EGF-dependent activation of EGFR. In human donor lung tissues, we observed that airway epithelium of asthmatics expressed significantly decreased levels of IL-13Rα2 and increased levels of IL-13Rα1 compared with nonasthmatics. Dysregulated expression of IL-13 receptor subunits in the airways of asthmatics may thus contribute to the epithelial barrier dysfunction observed in asthma.-Yang, S. J., Allahverdian, S., Saunders, A. D. R., Liu, E., Dorscheid, D. R. IL-13 signaling through IL-13 receptor α2 mediates airway epithelial wound repair.

Dipteracanthus patulus (DP) is an important medicinal plant and popularly known as black weed. Dipteracanthus patulus belongs to Acanthaceace family and very important indigenous medicinal plant. The earlier study reported that hepatoprotective activity leaves of DP, hence there is no report on hepatoprotective activity of whole plant of DP and the hepatoprotective phytoconsituents like lupeol, β-carotene, β-sitosterol and rutin are already reported in this plant material. Therefore this current research is aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of whole plant of Dipteracanthus patulus. The paracetamol induced rat model was used to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity and Silymarin was used for standard. The treatment with the ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts of Dipteracanthus patulus to the paracetamol induced liver toxic rats shows the significant reduction of SGOT, SGPT, ALP, total cholesterol, triglycerides, urea and uric acid levels. However the CAT, GSH, GPx and SOD levels were significant increase in ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts of Dipteracanthus patulus treated paracetamol induced liver toxic rats. Results of current research concluded that the hepatoprotective activity of Dipteracanthus patulus through antioxidant mechanism.

Supplementary Methods – Methods describing selection of house keeping genes and immunohistochemical staining procedure. Supplementary Tables – Tables containing clinical demographics for subjects, average counts, fold change, and p-value for all genes studied, and all differentially co-expressed genes. Supplementary Figures and Legends – Figures showing sample immunohistochemical staining for proteins of significantly altered genes, co-expression plots. (DOCX 35 kb)

The present study was carried out to investigate the in vitro xanthine oxidase inhibitory (XOI) and antioxidant activities of various extracts of the aerial parts of Flacourtia sepiaria Roxb which belongs to the family of Flacourtiaceae. Flacourtia sepiaria is traditionally used as an antidote for snake poisoning, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and kidney diseases. The XOI activity was evaluated by quantifying the decrease in absorbance of xanthine using U-V spectrophotometer. The antioxidant activities of the extract were determined by evaluating its DPPH, superoxide, hydroxyl, nitric oxide radical scavenging abilities, ferrous chelating ability, total phenolic content and flavonoid content. The XOI activity of the methanol extract (IC50 = 8.37 ± 0.21) was found to be significant (P

Introduction: The current study was carried out to investigate the phytochemical constituents and in vitro antioxidant potential of the aerial parts of Justicia beddomei (Clarke) Bennett belonging to the family Acanthaceae. The aerial part of J. bebbomei is traditionally used as a hepatoprotective, antitussive and antispasmodic. Methods: The dried powdered aerial parts of J. beddomei were extracted using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol using a soxhlet extractor and preliminary phytochemical screening was performed using standard protocols. All the extracts were evaluated for their potential antioxidant activities using tests such as DPPH, hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical scavenging abilities, β-carotene-linoleic acid model, reducing power ability and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Results: Preliminary screening revealed the presence of bioactive components especially phenolics and flavonoids in all the extracts. The phenolic and flavonoid content was found to be highest in methanolic extract and lowest in petroleum ether extract. All extracts showed strong antioxidant activity when compared with the standard. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that the aerial part extracts of J. beddomei is a good source of antioxidant constituents.

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs/spirometry) are routinely used clinically to diagnose asthma. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is a measure of airflow and is influenced largely by the resistance in the airways. During an “asthma attack”, the airways narrow owing to mucus hypersecretion and smooth muscle contraction, which results in a sharp increase in airway resistance and reduction in FEV1. In the clinics, this can be reproduced by exposing patients with asthma to non-specific smooth muscle contractile agonists such as methacholine. A fall in FEV1 at a relatively low dose of methacholine indicates airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). In asthmatic patients this drop in FEV1 can be reversed by inhaled bronchodilators such as β2-agonists (e.g. salbutamol), which relaxes airway smooth muscles. AHR is often used as a diagnostic criterion for asthma.

To evaluate anti convulsant effect of aerial parts of Phyllanthus longiflorus (PHL).Methanol extract of aerial parts of PHL (MPHL) was prepared by continuous hot extraction method using Soxhlet apparatus. MPHL at the doses 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg were administered to male albino mice by oral route and the activity was assessed against maximal electro shock (MES) and pentylene tetrazole (PTZ) induced seizure. Abolition of hind limb extension and onset of clonic convulsion were taken as a measure of MES and PTZ induced convulsion respectively.MPHL reduced the duration of extensor phase of convulsion in MES test by 62.5% (at 400 mg/kg) and also delayed the onset of clonic phase of convulsion in PTZ test by 50.7% (at 400 mg/kg). The activity was significant (p0.01) and comparable to the reference drug diazepam (2 mg/kg).Results suggest that aerial parts of Phyllanthus longiflorus are useful in the management of convulsion.