Anthelmintic properties of extracts from Artemisia plants against nematodes.[Pubmed: 26691254]

Artemisia plant genus, natural inhabitant of northern Punjab Pakistan, is well known for its anthelmintic properties; many Artemisia species have not been so far scientifically proved. The aim of this study was to assess in vitro anthelmintic activity of Artemisia indica and Artemisia roxburghiana against mixed infection of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants. This study is first scientifically proven study on anthelmintic activity of A. indica and A. roxburghiana. Five different concentrations (50, 25, 12.5, 6.25 and 3.75 mg/mL) accompanied by negative control (PBS) and positive control (albendazole, 10%) were used to carry out the egg hatch inhibition assay, larval mortality assay and adult worm mortality assay. The Baermann technique was used first time in larval mortality assay and proved to be effective. The results revealed that methanolic extracts of both A. indica and A. roxburghiana, showed maximum anthelmintic activity at concentration of 50 mg/ml by egg hatch inhibition (85±21.2; 80±28.3), larvae mortality (18±2.8; 17±4.2) and adult worm mortality (8.5±2.1; 8±2.8) assays. However, at concentration of 50 mg/ml both plant extracts in comparison to albendazole showed statistically insignificant (p≤0.05) results. The A. indica showed higher anthelmintic activity at all concentrations as compared to A. roburghiana. It has been concluded both plants exhibit anthelmintic activity and further evaluation of these plants should be carried out to purify the active ingredients for anthelmintic activity. Moreover, the decoctions of these plants could be used to GINs after confirming anthelmintic properties through in vivo.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors isolated from Artemisia roxburghiana.[Pubmed: 26118418]

Artemisia roxburghiana is used in traditional medicine for treating various diseases including diabetes. The present study was designed to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of active constituents by using protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) as a validated target for management of diabetes. Various compounds were isolated as active principles from the crude methanolic extract of aerial parts of A. roxburghiana. All compounds were screened for PTP1B inhibitory activity. Molecular docking simulations were performed to investigate the mechanism behind PTP1B inhibition of the isolated compound and positive control, ursolic acid. Betulinic acid, betulin and taraxeryl acetate were the active PTP1B principles with IC50 values 3.49 ± 0.02, 4.17 ± 0.03 and 87.52 ± 0.03 µM, respectively. Molecular docking studies showed significant molecular interactions of the triterpene inhibitors with Gly220, Cys215, Gly218 and Asp48 inside the active site of PTP1B. The antidiabetic activity of A. roxburghiana could be attributed due to PTP1B inhibition by its triterpene constituents, betulin, betulinic acid and taraxeryl acetate. Computational insights of this study revealed that the C-3 and C-17 positions of the compounds needs extensive optimization for the development of new lead compounds.

A new guaianolide from Artemisia roxburghiana.[Pubmed: 23432134]

A new member of 5αH,6βH,7αH,11αH-guaian-12,6α-olides, 11-epi-8α-hydroxyarborescin, together with a mixture of (24R)- and (24S)-cycloart-25-en-3b,24-diols, palmitic acid and 1-octacosanol were isolated from the leaves of Artemisia roxburghiana Bess. (Asteraceae) of Vietnam. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods.

Restoration potential of pioneer plants growing on lead-zinc mine tailings in Lanping, southwest China.[Pubmed: 19143344]

This study focused on the restoration potential of ten pioneer plants (Artemisia roxburghiana, Artemisia tangutica, Carex inanis, Cyperaceae hebecarpus, Plantago depresa, Cynoglossum lanceolatum, Potentilla saundesiana, Coriaria sinica, Oxyria sinensis, and Miscanthus nepalensis) during the early phase of Pb-Zn mine tailings phytostabilization, in Lanping, China. The concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, and Cu) and soil fertility (the available N, P, K, and organic matter) in the rhizosphere of these species have been compared. The results showed a general improvement in the rhizosphere soil properties of pioneer plants. Of the ten species, the concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Cu in the rhizosphere of A. roxburghiana have the greatest reduction of 56.23%, 83.00%, and 84.36%, respectively, compared to the bulk soil. The best improvement in soil fertility was found in the rhizosphere of P. saundesiana, with an increase of 241.83%, 170.76%, 49.09%, and 81.60%, respectively, in the available N, P, K, and organic matter. Metals accumulated by the plants have been mainly distributed in the root tissues, and only small amounts transferred to the aboveground tissues. The highest contents of Pb and Zn have been recorded in C. hebecarpus with 57.84 and 87.92 mg/kg dry weight (dw), respectively. The maximum Cu content was observed in C. inanis with 1.19 mg/kg dw. Overall, pioneer plants will be ideal species for the phytostabilization of mine tailings, but the potential use varies in different pioneer plant species. Among these ten species, A. roxburghiana has been identified to be the most suitable for phytostabilization programs, due to its greatest improvement on physical-chemical properties in the rhizosphere soil.

The effect of medicinal plants of Islamabad and Murree region of Pakistan on insulin secretion from INS-1 cells.[Pubmed: 14750205]

In vitro testing of the extracts of medicinal plants collected from Islamabad and the Murree region on insulin secretagogue activity was carried out. Dried ethanol extracts of all plants (ZH1-ZH19) were dissolved in ethanol and DMSO, and tested at various concentrations (between 1 and 40 microg/mL) for insulin release from INS-1 cells in the presence of 5.5 mM glucose. Glibenclamide was used as a control. Promising insulin secretagogue activity in various plant extracts at 1, 10, 20 and 40 microg/mL was found, while in some cases a decrease in insulin secretion was also observed. Artemisia roxburghiana, Salvia coccinia and Monstera deliciosa showed insulin secretagogue activity at 1 microg/mL (p < 0.05) while Abies pindrow, Centaurea iberica and Euphorbia helioscopia were active at 10 microg/mL (p < 0.05). Extracts of Bauhinia variegata and Bergenia himalacia showed effects at 20 microg/mL (p < 0.05), and Taraxacum officinale and Viburnum foetens at 40 microg/mL (p < 0.05). Insulin secretagogue activity could not be detected in the extracts of Adhatoda vasica, Cassia fistula, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Morus alba, Plectranthus rugosus, Peganum harmala and Olea ferruginea. The results suggest that medicinal plants of Islamabad and the Murree region of Pakistan may be potential natural resources for antidiabetic compounds.