@article {1328, title = {Ethnomedicinal Knowledge Verification for the Antidiarrheal and Antioxidant Effects of Rhus chinensis Mill. Fruits with Identification of Thirty Constituents}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {13}, year = {2021}, month = {January 2021}, pages = {37-43}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {37}, abstract = {

Background: Ethnobotanical survey in the rural villages in Nepal revealed that the fruits of Rhus chinensis Mill. have been using for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. Objective: To evaluate antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, and identification of chemical constituents in the fruits of R. chinensis. Materials and Methods: Phytochemical screening was performed on the hexane and 70\% methanolic extracts of the sample followed by gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS). Total phenolic content (TPC) was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu method. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity. Antibacterial effect was estabilished by the Agar well diffusion assay. Results: A total of 30 compounds belonging to phenolics, anhydrides, aldehydes, fatty acids and hydrocarbons were identified in the extracts. The TPC value of 123.52{\textpm}1.29 mg GAE/g dry extract was estimated. IC50 value of 135.54{\textpm}0.82 μg/mL was calculated in DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Scavenging of 42.69{\textpm}0.1\% DPPH free radical and 63.20{\textpm}1.48\% hydrogen peroxide at 100 μg/mL concentration of 70\% methanolic extract were estimated. The maximum zone of inhibition (ZOI) observed was 23.00{\textpm}0.57 mm against Escherichia coli at loading dose of 5 mg of the extract. Conclusion: All together 30 compounds were identified in the fruits. The extracts efficiently inhibited the growth of E. coli and Shigella dysenteriae verifying the rural knowledge. At the same time, the extracts displayed efficient antioxidant activity. The phytochemicals identified were responsible for these activities.

}, keywords = {Antibacterial susceptibility assay, DPPH radical scavenging assay, GC-MS, Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, total phenolic content}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2021.13.6}, author = {Chandra Mohini Nemkul and Gan B Bajracharya and Hayato Maeda and Ila Shrestha} } @article {949, title = {A High Antibacterial Efficacy of Fruits of Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers from Nepal. GC-MS and Antioxidative Capacity Analyses}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {11}, year = {2019}, month = {September 2019}, pages = {889-893}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {889}, abstract = {

Background: Biological activities of the plant materials may vary with different geographic origin. Litsea cubeba fruits are consumed in Nepal as a spice ingredient and are considered to be possessed antibacterial property. Objectives: Aims of this work are: to compare phytoconstituents present in litsea oil by GC-MS analysis, and to evaluate antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the volatile oil and the fruit extracts. Materials and Methods: Hydrodistillation of L. cubeba fruits was performed to obtain litsea oil followed by extractions with boiling methanol. Fractionations of the extract provided hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts. The oil and extracts were analysed for the phytochemicals present. They were evaluated by using antibacterial susceptibility, brine-shrimp lethality and antioxidant capacity assays. Results: All together 49 compounds (accounting 93.66\%) were identified in the litsea oil by GC-MS. Monoterpenes being dominant components, the oil constituted 15.96\% of citral (geranial and neral). Other major constituents were capric acid (12.44\%), β-caryophyllene oxide (7.69\%), linalool (5.96\%), eucalyptol (5.13\%) and cis- β-terpineol (4.22\%). Litsea oil, hexane extract and dichloromethane extract displayed very effective antibacterial property. Ethyl acetate extract (LC50 = 21.52 μg mL-1) and litsea oil (LC50 = 31.62 μg mL-1) were found highly cytotoxic against brine-shrimp nauplii. Ethyl acetate (IC50 = 124.57 μg mL-1) and dichloromethane (IC50 = 271.08 μg mL-1) extracts displayed a modest DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Conclusion: Phytoconstituents present in the L. cubeba fruits from Nepal were analysed. Litsea oil and the extracts have displayed high antibacterial and potentially anticarcinogenic activities.

}, keywords = {Antioxidant, Brine-shrimp assay, DPPH assay, GC-MS analysis, Litsea oil, Minimum bactericidal concentration}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2019.11.142}, author = {Gan B Bajracharya and Pratigya KC} }