Nagkesar (Mesua Ferrea)

Recent Research on Nagkesar (Mesua Ferrea)

• Perumal, Rajalakshmi & Vadivel, V. & Ravichandran, Natesan & Brindha, Pemaiah. (2019). Investigation on Pharmacognostic Parameters of Sirunagapoo (Mesua ferrea L): A Traditional Indian Herbal Drug. Pharmacognosy Journal. 11. 225- 230. 10. 5530/ pj. 019. 11. 35. Introduction: Flower buds of Sirunagapoo (Mesua ferrea) are used in the Siddha system of medicine as carminative and astringent. It is traditionally used to treat various diseases like cough, vaginal discharge, diarrhea, over-bleeding and peripheral neuritis. It is one of the major ingredients in Amukkara choornam, Inji choornam, and Elathi choornam which are used for indigestion, loss of appetite, and gastritis. Methods: Pharmacognostic characters of M. ferrea flower buds were studied through powder microscopy. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts were investigated for phytochemical screening, total phenolic content, and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and the ethanolic extract was subjected to GC- MS analysis. Results: Powder microscopy of flower buds of M. ferrea revealed the presence of brachysclereids, macrosclereids, starch grain, crystals, and parenchyma cells. The powdered material exhibited a 6.07% loss on drying, 2.93 % of total ash, 11.34 % of water-soluble extractive, and a pH value of 5.35. Data showed the presence of sterols only in ethanol extract and phenols, flavonoids, saponins, and coumarins in both ethanol and aqueous extracts. Ethanolic extract was found to contain a higher concentration of total phenols (1030 mg GAE/ L) when compared to aqueous extract. A total of forty compounds were detected in GC- MS analysis and the major compounds are eugenol (61%) and cinnamaldehyde (15 %). In vitro studies revealed antioxidants in terms of DPPH free radical scavenging property (IC- 50 = 229.7 mg/ ml) and remarkable anti-inflammatory activity using RBC membrane stabilization assay (70.27 %) were noted. Conclusion: This study provides the pharmacognostic standards, phytochemical profile, major volatile compounds, and in vitro properties of Mesua ferrea flower buds.
• Murthuza, Syed. (2013). Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potency of Mesua Ferrea Linn. INDIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH. 3. 55- 59. 10. 15373/ 2249555X/ AUG2013/ 18. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potency of the stem bark of Mesua ferrea L. an ethno medicinally important plant. Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant activity was carried out by Total antioxidant, DPPH, Ferric reducing, ABTS, and nitric oxide assays. In vitro, anti-inflammatory assays were also studied through inhibition of HRBCs membrane stabilization, heat-induced hemolysis, Proteinase inhibitory activity, and albumin denaturation assay. Results revealed that the methanolic extracts have significantly higher antioxidant activity scavenging for DPPH assay (89.70 %), ABTS assay (77.64 %), and Nitric oxide scavenging 89.28 %. Total phenolics-content was found to be 33,600 mg/ 100g of plant material, total flavonoids 164 μg/ ml, and total tannins content 156 μg/ ml were significantly higher in methanol extract. The methanol extract of the plant exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity for HRBCs membrane stabilization (78.20 %), heat-induced hemolysis (47.40 %), Albumin Denaturation (70.58 %), and Proteinase inhibitory activity (50.73 %).
• D, Narender & Ganga Rao, Battu & Rao, E & Talluri, Mallikarjuna Rao & Vs, Devadas. (2012). Quantification of phytochemical constituents and in-vitro antioxidant activity of Mesua ferrea leaves. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2. S539– S542. 10. 1016/ S2221- 1691 (12) 60269-X. To investigate the quantification of the total phenolic, alkaloid content, and In-vitro antioxidant activity of ethanol (70 %), methanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane extracts of Mesua ferrea (M. ferrea) leaves. The quantification of the total phenolic and alkaloid contents was estimated by taking gallic acid and atropine as a standard; in-vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated for extracts by using different free radicals (superoxide, hydroxyl, and DPPH). Results M. ferrea leaves ethanol (70 %) extract has more phenolic and alkaloidal content than other extracts. The selected plant extracts produced concentration-dependent percentage inhibition of different free radicals and produced maximum activity at a concentration of 1280 μg and thereafter the percentage inhibition was raised gradually to its maximum level with higher concentrations. Conclusion- In the present study we found that the extracts of M. ferrea showed good antioxidant activity. Among the four extracts, the ethanol (70 %) extract showed better activity than other extracts.
• Chaitanya, Krishna & Konuku, Kamalakara & Yarla, Nagendra sastry & Padal, S. & lakshmi, Dr & Duddukuri, Govinda. (2015). Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant and Phytochemical Analysis of Mesua Ferrea Bark Extracts. International Journal of Current Trends in Pharmaceutical Research. 3. In the present study investigation was carried out to assess the in vitro anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities and phytochemical analysis of Mesua ferrea bark ethyl acetate extract. Novel anti-inflammatory and antioxidants screened from medicinal plants are used as a medication for the treatment of diseases without having any side effects. The anti-inflammatory activities of Mesua ferrea bark extracts were evaluated by in vitro 5- LOX and HRBC membrane stabilization assay. Among all the extracts MFBEE exhibited significant 5- LOX inhibitory activity and showed a protective effect on the HRBC membrane stabilization. ROS and RNS mediates oxidative stress has been implicated in pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. MFBEE exhibited significant DPPH, ABTS, NBT, and NO free radical scavenging activity. The phytochemical analysis of Mesua ferrea bark ethyl acetate extract revealed the presence of a high amount of phenolic content, flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins which may be responsible for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of Mesua ferrea bark ethyl acetate extract.
• Ahmed, Idris & Mirghani, Mohamed & Muyibi, S.A. & Daoud, Jamal & Mikail, Maryam. (2012). Anti-bacterial and cytotoxicity properties of the leaves extract of Nahar (Mesua ferrea) plant. Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences. 6. 583- 587. The increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the growing interest in human health have resulted in an increasing need for the exploration of both essential oils and other plant extracts in the food and pharmaceutical industries. This work, as part of ongoing work on the leaves of the Nahar (Mesua ferrea) plant, was aimed at evaluating the antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration as well as cytotoxicity of the leaves extract. The dry leaves were ground and extracted in an oven shaker set at 37° C and 200 rpm for 24 hours using ethanol and methanol as solvents. The agar disc diffusion method was used for the evaluation of the antibacterial property of the leaf extract, micro broth dilution was employed for the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), while Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality bioassay was made use of for the cytotoxicity assay. Ethanol gave a higher extract yield (6.20%) than methanol. The extract showed a remarkable antibacterial property against all the selected microbes (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) with the inhibition zones ranging from 16.0± 0.5 mm to 18.0± 0.5 mm for all the tested bacteria. The MIC range of 2.5- 0.625 mg/ mL with an MBC value of 5 mg/ mL was obtained for the gram-negative bacteria while the MIC range of 1.3- 0.313 mg/mL with an MBC value of 2.5 mg/ mL was obtained for the gram-positive bacteria. The leaf extract was found to be toxic to the Brine shrimps with LC50 of 500ppm (μg /mL) suggesting that the extracts may contain bioactive compounds of potential therapeutic and prophylactic significance.
• Mazumder, Rupa & Dastidar, Sujata & Basu, S & Mazumder, Avijit & Singh, Suyash. (2004). Antibacterial potentiality Maesua Ferrea Linn. flowers. Phytotherapy research: PTR. 18. 824- 6. 10. 1002/ ptr. 1572. The antibacterial efficacy of the methanol extract of whole flowers of Mesua ferrea Linn. was studied against various strains of bacteria. It could inhibit many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at concentration ranges of 100 to 50 microg/ml, or even lower, as against vibrios and Escherichia coli. In in vivo tests, used at concentrations of 100 and 200 microg/g of body weight, it offered significant protection to the Swiss strain of albino mice when challenged with 50 MLD of a virulent strain Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 6539. Mortality in mice due to these two dosages of the extract alone was insignificant. The extract at 200 microg/g body weight dosage, could significantly reduce the viable count of the strain Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 6539 in the liver, spleen, and heart blood of the extract-treated challenged mice.
• Zhang, Xiaochun & Gao, Rongrong & Liu, Yan & Cong, Yuhe & Zhang, Dongdong & Zhang, Yu & Yang, Xuefei & Lu, Chunhua & Shen, Yuemao. (2019). Anti-virulence activities of bioflavonoids from Mesua ferrea L. flower. Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics. 13. 222- 227. 10. 5582/ ddt. 2019. 01053. Based on the anti-virulence activity of Salmonella, the ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of Mesua ferrea flower was investigated for its chemical constituents. Ten purified compounds were identified and assayed for their inhibitory activity against Type III secretion system (T3SS) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blots experiments. We found the bioflavonoids, rhusflavanone, and mesuaferrone B, exhibited inhibitory effects on the secretion of Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) effector proteins (SipA, B, C, and D) without affecting the bacterial growth. In addition, 5, 6, 6′- trihydroxy- [1, 1′-biphenyl]- 3, 3′- dicarboxylic acid (6) is a new natural product from the M. ferrea flower.
• Yi, Wang & Yuan, Xiaolong & Li, Yunqing & Zhang, Jinfeng. (2019). The complete chloroplast genome of Mesua ferrea: the first Calophyllaceae plastome. Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 4. 3027- 3028. 10. 1080/ 23802359. 2019.  1666668. The first complete chloroplast genome sequences of Mesua ferrea were reported in this study. The cpDNA of M. ferrea is 161,470 bp in length and contains a large single copy region (LSC) of 88,760 bp and a small single copy region (SSC) of 17,482 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IR) regions of 27,614 bp. The genome contains 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome is 36.4 %. Phylogenetic analysis of 30 chloroplast genomes within the order Malpighiales suggests that M. ferrea is closely related to Garcinia mangostana.
• Jalalpure, Sunil & Mandavkar, Yuvaraj & Khalure, Pallavi & Shinde, Gulab & Shah, Amol. (2011). The antiarthritic activity of various extracts of Mesua ferrea Linn. seed. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 138. 700- 4. 10. 1016/ j. jep. 2011. 09. 042. Mesua ferrea Linn. (Cluciaseae), Cobra’s saffron, is named after the heaviness of its timber and is cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers. It is prescribed in the Ayurvedic literature for the treatment of pain, inflammation, and rheumatic conditions. In the present investigation, the activity of Mesua ferrea and its evaluation in the formaldehyde and Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats is reported. The extracts obtained from successive extraction were subjected to preliminary phytochemical investigation and antiarthritic activity was evaluated by inducing formaldehyde and CFA. Body weight changes and hematological parameters were measured. The results indicate that Mesua ferrea protects rats against formaldehyde and CFA-induced arthritis. The body weight changes, and hematological perturbations induced by CFA were maintained. The overall results indicated that Mesua ferrea exerts a potent protective effect against formaldehyde and adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. These findings demonstrate that the present study validates the ethnomedicinal use of seeds of Mesua ferrea in the treatment of arthritis conditions.
• Veeresham, Ciddi. (2015). Insulinotropic Activity of Methanolic Extract of Mesua ferrea Linn. Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 11. 410- 417. 10. 6000/ 1927- 5129. 2015. 11. 58. Abstract: Mesua ferrea flowers have been used in Indian traditional medicine for treating various diseases. In the present study, the Mesua ferrea flower methanolic extract (MFME, 200 mg/kg bw) was studied for anti-diabetic activity and underlying mechanisms for its activity. In the Streptozotocin-induced diabetes rats’ model, MFME treatment enhanced plasma insulin levels by 69.53 % (P<0.0001) than the diabetic control rats. In diabetic rats, MFME treatment significantly restored body weight and blood glucose levels to normal. In Insulin release studies on MIN6 beta cells, insulin release was potentiated in a dose-dependent manner of extract and glucose. The insulin-stimulatory effect of MFME was stimulated by 3-isobutyl-1-methyl xanthine, Glibenclamide, and elevated extracellular calcium. In distinction, the stimulatory effect was inhibited with diazoxide, nifedipine, EGTA, and K+ depolarized media. These results indicate that MFME anti-diabetic activity might be a result of the insulin secretagogue effect through beta cell physiological pathways.
• Garg, Sandeep & Yadavilli, Kameshwar & Ranjan, Rajeev & Attri, Pankaj & Mishra, Parshuram. (2009). In vivo Antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effects of methanolic extract of Mesua ferrea Linn. International Journal of PharmTech Research. 1. A Study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of dried flower methanolic extract of Mesua ferrea in male Wister rats. Methanolic extract of Mesua ferrea Linn was taken in 3 graded doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/ kg of BW) and was evaluated for their antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effects. Rats were artificially inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300) in drinking water at the onset of the experiment. After 24 h of bacteria inoculation, the methanolic extract was administered daily for 1 week. After 1 week, rats were sacrificed for their liver. The effect of Mesua extract was studied on the oxidant profile of the liver. ALT, AST, CPK, Creatinine, and urea profiles were analyzed with standard procedures. Administration of Mesua ferrea flower extract in all the doses caused a significant increase in biochemical parameters and posed a hepatoprotective effect; however in 100 mg/kg of BW, the effect was significant. CAT, SOD, GPx, and GR were measured for evaluation of antioxidant activity and found significantly higher activity in Mesua-fed rats than control. AAT and AST showed a significant decrease in Mesua-fed groups of Wister Rats. This investigation demonstrated the potent antioxidant activity of Mesua ferrea flower extract.
• Teh, Soek Sin & Ee, Gwendoline & Mah, Siau Hui & Ahmad, Zuraini. (2016). Structure-activity relationship study of secondary metabolites from Mesua beccariana, Mesua ferrea, and Mesua congestiflora for anti-cholinesterase activity. Medicinal Chemistry Research. 25. 10. 1007/ s00044- 016- 1531- 0. Our search for potential anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has led to the discovery of two bioactive compounds, α-mangostin (11) and congestiflorone acetate (13). This discovery was achieved from a preliminary screening of the anti-AChE activity on the extracts of three Mesua species namely M. ferrea, M. beccariana, and M. congestiflora using Ellman’s method. The pure metabolites, 1– 12 which were isolated from the Mesua species, along with a synthetic derivative, compound 13 were then evaluated for their activities to identify the compounds that correspond to the enzyme inhibitory activities. Compounds 11 and 13 were found to give significant anti-AChE activities with IC50 values of 17.51 and 20.25 µM.
• Verotta, Luisella & Lovaglio, Erminio & Vidari, Giovanni & Vita-Finzi, Paola & Neri, Maria & Raimondi, Alessandro & Parapini, Silvia & Taramelli, Donatella & Riva, Antonella & Bombardelli, Ezio. (2004). 4-Alkyl- and 4-phenyl-coumarins from Mesua ferrea as promising multidrug-resistant antibacterials. Phytochemistry. 65. 2867- 79. 10. 1016/ j. phytochemist. 2004. 07. 001. Supercritical CO2 selectively extracted a series of 4-alkyl and 4-phenyl 5, 7- 7-dihydroxy-coumarins from Mesua ferrea blossoms. Chemical modifications of the isolated compounds allowed us to confirm the structures elucidated by spectroscopic means and to prepare new derivatives amenable to SAR studies and potential pharmaceutical development. Biological investigations towards the screening of a number of bacterial strains and Plasmodium falciparum, identified compounds 1-9 as weak antiprotozoal agents and potent antibacterials on resistant Gram-positive strains.
• Hamiri, Shama & Hicham, Harhar & Mohamed, Rahouti. (2015). Antifungal activity of essential oils of two plants containing 1,8-cineole as a major component: Myrtus communis and Rosmarinus officinalis. Journal of Materials and Environmental Science. 6. 2967- 2974. Myrtus communis and Rosmarinus officinalis are aromatic plants used in traditional medicine. In the present work, we studied the chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of these two plants. Chromatographic analysis showed that 1, 8- cineole is the major component of myrtle (37.0%) and rosemary (43.16 %). Anti-fungal activity of essential oils has been studied against three apple rot fungi by the micro-atmosphere method. The essential oils of M. communis were more active, they completely inhibited the growth of Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum, and Alternaria alternata at concentrations of 400, 600, and 1800 µl/ l respectively. While that of R. officinalis has not achieved total inhibition only at concentrations above 800 µl/ l for A. alternata and 1200 µl/ l for B. cinerea, in the case of P. expansum, an inhibition percentage of 89 % was obtained at a concentration of 1800 µl/ l.
• Nandy, Subhangkar & Tiwari, Pinkesh. (2012). SCREENING OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF Mesua ferrea Linn FLOWER. International Journal of Biomedical Research. 3. 10. 7439/ ijbr. v3i5. 509. Mesua ferrea Linn is used in traditional medicine in many parts of the world for the treatment of various diseases viz. cutaneous affections, sores, scabies, wounds, etc., and as an embrocation in rheumatism. It is claimed in traditional medicine that the root and bark of the plant are used in the treatment of gastritis and bronchitis. In the present study, the ethanolic extract of the flower of Mesua ferrea Linn was screened for its anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced rat paw edema using a rat model. The extract was administered orally in the dose of 100 mg/ kg body wt., 200 mg/ kg body wt., and 400 mg/ kg body wt. The ethanolic extract of 400 mg/ kg body weight. Shows the maximum anti-inflammatory action in the comparison to the standard anti-inflammatory agents.
• Chakraborty, Dipankar & Arefin, Paroma & Bhattacharjee, Sreebash & Hasan, Mehedi & Sarkar, Rajib & Das, Suman & Rahman, Md. Saidur & Habib, Shehan & Islam, Shirmin & Jahan, Ferdoushi & Ray, Gorungo & Ferdous, Jannatul & Farhana, Fahima & Islam, Ashraful & Mostafa, Mohammad. (2023). Biological activity of Mesua ferrea (Nageswar) seed extracts: An in vitro and silico study. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked. 36. 10. 1016/ j. imu. 2023. 101166. Overuse of antimicrobial drugs has led to selective resistance to existing antibiotics, necessitating the development of different and improved alternatives. Natural substances, particularly those derived from plants, are well-known for their therapeutic characteristics, including antibacterial and antifungal properties. Over the last decade, several pharmacological investigations on medicinal plants have been carried out based on their traditional uses in complementary therapies. In our current study, we have evaluated the pharmacological properties of Mesua ferrea seed ethanolic extract. To test their antioxidant properties, a 1, 1- diphenyl- 2- picryl- hydrazine (DPPH)-radical scavenging activity test was performed. Using the agar well diffusion method, the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of M. ferrae seed was investigated against four bacteria such as Salmonella typhi, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The ethanol extract of M. ferra seed was shown to be efficient against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in this investigation, although Salmonella typhi, and Escherichia coli. Demonstrated resistance to this extract. The results revealed that gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive than gram-negative bacteria to the ethanolic extract of M. ferra seed at all concentrations utilized (from 20 μL to 100 μL). The lowest inhibition zone was produced by a dose of 20 μL with an inhibition zone equal to 11 mm and 14.33 mm, while the maximum inhibition zone was produced by a high concentration of 100 μL with an inhibition zone of 19.33 mm and 18 mm against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus respectively. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC- MS) was performed to identify the compounds in the extract to determine their pharmacological effects and then we performed in-silico experiments to determine the biological activity of the compounds. We have concluded from the study that M. ferrea seed can be a potential source for lead compound development.
• Singha, L. & Das, Malay. (2021). Effect of Mesua ferrea Linn. seed kernel oil on percutaneous absorption of Diltiazem Hydrochloride through pig ear epidermis: A mechanistic study. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology. 64. 102628. 10. 1016/ j. jddst. 2021.102628. The present study reports the mechanistic investigation of Mesua ferrea L. seed kernel oil as a natural skin permeation enhancer. The natural oil was extracted by the Soxhlation method. The permeation parameters resulting from the ex vivo skin permeation study of the model drug Diltiazem HCl across oil-pre-treated pig ear epidermis revealed better transdermal flux of the test groups compared to the control one. Also, the investigated oil exhibited a significantly higher penetration enhancement effect compared to the standard penetration enhancer Transcutol and the maximum permeation enhancement effect was observed at 15 % v/ v in PG. The permeation enhancement mechanistic studies by FT- IR, DSC, and SEM suggested that the enhancement effect of the oil was due to the fluidization of lipids and interaction with keratinocytes of the stratum corneum maintaining morphological integrity of the skin membrane. Furthermore, the test oil was found to be non-irritant in nature and safe for topical application. These findings suggest that Mesua ferrea L. seed oil is an efficient and safe natural skin permeation enhancer providing the scope for future research on its usage in the development of transdermal drug delivery devices.
• Rajopadhye, Anagha. (2012). Hepatoprotective Effect of Stamen Extracts of Mesua ferrea L. against Oxidative Stress induced by CCl4 in Liver Slice Culture Model. Natural Product Sciences. 18. 76- 82. Stamens of Mesua ferrea L. are a well-known herbal drug used in the Indian System of Traditional Medicine to treat various diseases. The claimed activity of this plant part is necessitated to investigate antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity. The authenticated plant sample was extracted with hexane, ethanol (EtOH), and water (aq.) using ASE 100 accelerated solvent extractor. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by means of different in vitro assays. The hepatoprotective effect was investigated on carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress in the liver slice culture model. Cytotoxic marker lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was released in a culture medium and the activity of lipid peroxidation along with antioxidant enzymes (AOEs) namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) were estimated. Hexane and EtOH extracts significantly inhibited DPPH, NO, SOD, and ABTS + radical in a dose-dependent manner. The trade of phenol content was aq. extract < hexane extract < EtOH extract. A significant correlation was shown between total phenol content and free radical scavenging activity of extracts. The culture system treated with hexane extract, EtOH extract, or ascorbic acid exhibited significant depletion in LDH, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidative enzymes SOD, CAT, and GR. Hexane extract and EtOH extracts of the stamen of M. ferrea protected liver slice culture cells by alleviating oxidative stress-induced damage to liver cells.
• Hossain, Mohammad & Sakib, Md.Hossan & Mahmood, Asif & Karim, Naymul & Alam, Mohammad & Islam, Ariful & Sharma, Monalisha. (2015). Study on in-vitro thrombolytic activity of methanolic extract of Mesua ferrea leaves. International Journal of Medical and Health Research. 1. 52- 55. Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the thrombolytic activity of methanolic extract of leaves of Mesua ferrea. Method: Methanolic extract of Mesua ferrea.Was used to evaluate various phytochemical methods. The thrombolytic effect of the fraction was investigated in the clot lysis experiment. Result: The extract exerted 36.32 % lysis of the blood clot in the thrombolytic activity test while 85.45 % and 7.5 % lysis were obtained for positive control (streptokinase) and negative control respectively. So, the extract possessed considerable thrombolytic activity. Conclusion: Our present investigations indicate that the methanolic extract of leaves of Mesua ferrea exhibited considerable thrombolytic activity. There may be many pharmacologically active constituents in the fraction. So, extensive pharmacological and phytochemical experiments are essential.
• Rajendran, Karthik & Reddy, E. & Khanna, Amit. (2016). Anticancer effect of Mesua ferrea extracts on Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell line. International Journal of Life-Sciences Scientific Research (IJLSSR). 2. 198- 205.
• Gupta, Amit & R., Khamkar & Chaphalkar, Sushama. (2014). In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of root aqueous extract of Mesua ferrea in human whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells using flow cytometry.
• Chahar, Manoj & Kumar, D. & Lokesh, T & Manohara, K. P. (2012). In-vivo antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity of mesuol isolated from Mesua ferrea L. seed oil. International immunopharmacology. 13. 386- 91. 10. 1016/ j. intimp. 2012. 05. 006. Mesua ferrea L. (Nagkesar) is traditionally used for antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, and antiallergic activities. It is an ingredient of ayurvedic formulations like Brahma Rasayana and Chyavanprash which are being used to improve immunity. The present study was performed to evaluate the immunomodulatory activity of mesuol isolated from M. ferrea seed oil in experimental animals. In the humoral immune response model, mesuol evoked a significant dose-dependent increase in antibody titer values in cyclophosphamide (50 mg/ kg, i. p., 9th and 16th day) induced immunosuppression which was sensitized with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) on the 7th and 14th day of the experiment. In the cellular immune response model, an increase in paw volume was recorded on the 23rd day in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed rats treated with SRBC (0.03 ml 2% v/ v, s.c.) on the 21st day. Mesuol restored the hematological profile in the cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression model. Mesuol potentiated percentage neutrophil adhesion in neutrophil adhesion test in rats and phagocytosis in carbon clearance assay. The study indicated the immunomodulatory activity of mesuol.
• Danish, Faizan & Mehta, Bhupendra & Mehta, Darshana & Bashir, Basharat. (2016). In vitro cytotoxic activity of Mesua ferrea L. (Seeds) Extracts. 1. 2455- 4685. The In vitro cytotoxicity tests on the extracts of Mesua ferrea L. against Hek (Human embryonic kidney cell lines), IMR-32 (Human neuroblastoma), and C6 (Rat Glioblastoma) were achieved using MTT assay. The absorbance of each well was determined using a microplate reader at 550nm. A graph of cell viability versus concentrations was plotted for each extract. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were obtained from the plotted graph. Further dilutions will only be performed on the extracts with IC50 values less than 15 µg/ml. Three independent experiments were conducted to ensure the accuracy of the results. The crude extracts of M. ferrea L. (Seeds) showed significant anticancer activities against Hek (Human embryonic kidney cell lines), IMR- 32 (Human neuroblastoma), and C6 (Rat Glioblastoma). Among the two extracts Ethanol extract showed strong anticancer activity against the three tested cancer cell lines while hexane extract showed moderate anticancer activity.
• Subashini, Subashini & K, Raju & Thatipelli, Sujith & Rajkumar, Shyamala & Ramachandran, Shakila. (2021). Differentiation of Market Samples of Chennai Nagkesar and Nagkesar by Chromatographic Techniques. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 83. 775- 784. 10. 36468/ pharmaceutical- sciences.829. The efficacy of any herbal drug depends on its chemical profile and the biological activity of its ingredients. The anticipated efficacy of any drug could be achieved if authenticated ingredients are collected as per good collection practices in the appropriate season. The general problem faced in the herbal drug industry is the correct identification of the source plant. The present study aimed to develop chromatographic fingerprint profiles by using high-performance thin-layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography of Nagkesar and Chennai Nagkesar/ Cirunakappu to record the difference between them. Both samples were procured from the Chennai market, extracted successively with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts using Soxhlet apparatus, and subjected to high-performance thin-layer chromatography and high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis. The thin-layer chromatography of hexane extract of Nagkesar showed more spots than Chennai Nagkesar/ Cirunakappu and similarly with chloroform and ethanol extracts also. A maximum number of peaks was observed in all the extracts after derivatization with vanillin sulphuric acid reagent. In the high-pressure liquid chromatography results of hexane extract a maximum of 22 peaks were separated in Nagkesar whereas in Chennai Nagkesar/ Cirunakappu only 14 peaks were separated; in contrast, in the ethanol extract of Chennai Nagkesar/ Cirunakappu, 17 peaks were separated while in Nagkesar it was five peaks only.
• Chanda, Sumitra & Rakholiya, Kalpna & Parekh, Jigna. (2013). Indian medicinal herb: Antimicrobial efficacy of Mesua ferrea L. Seed extracted in different solvents against infection-causing pathogenic strains. Journal of Acute Disease. 2. 277– 281. 10. 1016/ S2221- 6189 (13) 60143- 2. To study the antimicrobial potential of Mesua ferrea (M. ferrea) L. seed extracts employed for antimicrobial assay. The plant powder was extracted in seven different solvents of increasing polarities against a wide spectrum of microbial strains. The agar disc diffusion method was employed for antimicrobial assay at the concentration of 500 μg/ disc. Gram-positive bacteria were most susceptible and yeast was most resistant. The pronounced antimicrobial activity was with the extracts in non-polar solvents than in polar ones. The results were compared with the zones of inhibition produced by commercially available standard antibiotics. The lipophilic extracts of M. ferrea L. showed more activity towards Gram-positive bacteria. These results indicate that activity could be attributed to the presence of essential oil, xanthones, and coumarins present within the seed of this plant. These results indicate that M. ferrea extract could be useful in fighting emerging drug-resistant microorganisms.
• Karri, Krishna & Gopalakrishnan, Velliyur Kanniappan & Hagos, Zenebe & Ponce-Noyola, Patricia & Palleti, John & Duddukuri, Govinda Rao & Konuku, Kamalakara. (2018). Isolation and Structural Characterization of Bioactive Anti-Inflammatory Compound Mesuaferrin-A from M. Ferrea. Analytical Chemistry Letters. Mesua ferrea L. is a medicinal plant belonging to the family Calophyllaceae, it is extensively used in folk medicine for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. The present study aimed to isolate the anti-inflammatory compound(s) from M. ferrea L bark ethyl acetate extracts by using analytical techniques such as Column Chromatography, TLC, HPLC, FT-IR, 1 H, 13 C NMR, and LC-MS against TNF-α and NO production in LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells. Among the eight fractions obtained M. ferrea L chloroform-ethyl acetate fraction 5 (MFCE-F5) showed significant inhibitory activities on nitric oxide and TNF-α production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. These study results recommended that the isolated bioactive compound Mesua Ferrin- A from M. ferrea L bark ethyl acetate extract may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
• Chakraborty, Tapash & Das, Malay. (2017). Oil of Mesua ferrea L. Seed as a Promising Pharmaceutical Excipient in Lipid-Based Nano Formulation. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. 7. 133- 141. 10. 7324/ JAPS. 2017. 70721. This paper reports the studies on the application of Mesua ferrea L. (nahor) seed oil as a safe pharmaceutical excipient. The Nahor seed oil was extracted by a hot continuous percolation process using a Soxhlet apparatus and analyzed by TLC and LC-MS. The safety profile of the oil was studied by acute toxicity study in a rat model and MTT assay with mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3). The compatibility of the oil with other excipients was studied by DSC and FT- IR analysis. TLC and LC-MS studies suggest the oil is composed of fatty acids similar to other USP-grade oils. The acute toxicity study and MTT assay suggest the safe use of Nahor oil at the cellular level in the living system. DSC and FT-IR studies confirm the compatibility of the oil with the general components of the lipid nanoparticles. This work provides a new dimension to M. ferrea L. seed oil for its safe use in pharmaceutical formulation.
• Teh, Soek Sin & Ee, Gwendoline & Mah, Siau Hui & Ahmad, Zuraini. (2016). Structure-activity relationship study of secondary metabolites from Mesua beccariana, Mesua ferrea, and Mesua congestiflora for anti-cholinesterase activity. Medicinal Chemistry Research. 25. 10. 1007/ s00044- 016- 1531- 0. Our search for potential anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has led to the discovery of two bioactive compounds, α-mangostin (11) and congestiflorone acetate (13). This discovery was achieved from a preliminary screening of the anti- AChE activity on the extracts of three Mesua species namely M. ferrea, M. beccariana, and M. congestiflora using Ellman’s method. The pure metabolites, 1–12 which were isolated from the Mesua species, along with a synthetic derivative, compound 13 were then evaluated for their activities to identify the compounds that correspond to the enzyme inhibitory activities. Compounds 11 and 13 were found to give significant anti-AChE activities with IC50 values of 17.51 and 20.25 µM.
• Shirsat, Pallavi & Kashikar, Rama & Athavale, Manjushree & Athavale, Tejas & Taware, Pritam & Saldanha, Tina & Kolhe, Swati & Tembhurne, Sachin. (2020). Subacute toxicity study of the ethanolic extract of Mesua ferrea (L.) flowers in rats. Drug and Chemical Toxicology. 43. 10. 1080/ 01480545. 2020. 1847134. Mesua ferrea Linn. is used traditionally in India and Southeast Asian countries as an antiseptic, antidote, and brain tonic. Recent pharmacological studies on the plant have highlighted M. ferrea to be a rich source of secondary metabolites, with proven therapeutic applications. Since the toxicity of a plant following repeated exposure is of higher clinical significance, the present investigation was conducted to establish the subacute toxicity profile of the ethanolic extract of Mesua ferrea flowers (MFE). The study was conducted by the OECD Guideline 407, wherein MFE was administered orally to groups of male and female rats (n1⁄ 45/ group/ sex) at doses of 100, 500, and 1000 mg/ kg, over a period of 28 days. Repeated administration of MFE had no adverse effect on the growth rate and hematological parameters of the animals. There were no changes in the biochemical parameters, except for a slight decrease in the CHOL (total cholesterol) levels, and an increase in the levels of AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase), at the highest dose. The latter corroborated with the histopathological findings exhibiting mild lymphocytic infiltration and hepatocyte degeneration observed in the liver tissues of both sexes. According to the study, the no- no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of M. ferrea in the 28-day repeated dose toxicity study in rats was 500 mg/ kg. Though the overall effects of the extract at the highest dose did not translate into any serious complications, its effect on hepatic function needs to be established over a longer period of study.
• Keawsaard, Sukanya & Liawruangrath, B. & Kongtaweelert, Samart. (2015). Bioactive compounds from Mesua ferrea stems. Chiang Mai Journal of Science. 42. 186- 196. The chemical constituents and biological activities of Mesua ferrea Linn. were studied. The stems of M. ferrea were extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol, respectively. The methanol extract exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli with a MIC value of 31.25 μg/ mL. The methanol extract and the dichloromethane extract exhibited the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 31.25 μg/ mL. The dichloromethane extract exhibited anticancer activities against KB-oral, MCF-7, and NCI- H187 cell lines with IC50 values of 18.01, 28.83, and 18.42 μg/ mL, respectively. Friedelin, the mixture of α-amyrin and β-amyrin, lupeol, and β- sitosterol were isolated from the active dichloromethane extract of the stems. Friedelin, the mixture of α-amyrin and β-amyrin, lupeol and β-sitosterol showed antibacterial activity against E. coli with MIC values of 250, 250, 250, and 1000 μg/ mL, respectively. They also showed antibacterial activity against S. aureus with MIC values of 250, 250, 500, and 1000 μg/ mL, respectively. The mixture of α-amyrin and β-amyrin exhibited anticancer activity against the MCF-7 cell line with the IC50 value 28.45 μg/ mL and lupeol exhibited anticancer activities against KB, MCF-7 and NCI- H187 cell lines with the IC50 values of 30.12, 34.25 and 21.56 μg/ mL, respectively. All the extracts and the isolated compounds were non-cytotoxic to Vero cells.
• Rajesh, K.P. & Hanumanthappa, Manjunatha & V, Krishna & Swamy, Kumara. (2013). Potential in vitro antioxidant and protective effects of Mesua ferrea Linn. bark extracts on induced oxidative damage. Industrial Crops and Products. 47. 186- 198. 10. 1016/ j. and crop. 2013. 03. 008. Free radicals and activated oxygen radical species are generated as a result of aerobic metabolism. Imbalance, if any, in the antioxidant defense system against free radicals can degrade biomolecules inside the living system. In this present study, antioxidant arbitrated protective activity of Mesua ferrea L. is reported on induced oxidative damage in erythrocytes, Hb, and DNA. Both, MCE (M. ferrea chloroform extract) and MEE (M. ferrea ethanol extract) exhibited significant antioxidant activity while MEE showed > 90 % protection to erythrocytes, Hb, and DNA by virtue of high total phenolics (1.005 ± 0.005 mg EGA mg−1) and total flavonoids (514.8g mg−1) whereas MCE showed <90 % but >70 % antioxidant protective activity probably due to 0.596 ± 0.002 mg EGA mg−1 total phenolics and 275.9 g EQ mg−1 total flavonoid content. It indicates that M. ferrea Linn. possesses significant protective activity against induced oxidative stress by acting as a strong antioxidant and potential electro-catalyst during the electrochemical oxidation of H2O2. Furthermore, HPLC of MCE and MEE revealed well known various good antioxidant molecules such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, coumaric acid, vanillic acid, rutin, quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol. Thus, M. ferrea Linn. bark was found to have a good antioxidant property.
• Khanduri, Vinod & Kumar, Kewat. (2017). Pollen production and release in Mesua ferrea Linn. (Guttiferae): a spatiotemporal pattern. Aerobiologia. 33. 10. 1007/ s10453- 016- 9446- 2. Based on a five-year study of pollen production and release in two different natural populations of Mesua ferrea from the Indo-Burma region of Northeast India, we determined that pollen output follows a spatio-temporal pattern. Pollen productivity determinations considered various sources of variability, including the number of flowers per branch, flowers per tree, anthers per tree, and pollen grains per tree. Each of these parameters revealed significant year-to-year and population effects. Anthesis follow a forenoon pattern, whereas another dehiscence pursues the diurnal pattern. The former was significantly correlated with the timing of floral visitation and pollen deposition on stigmas. The latter, however, had a significant relationship with the deposition of pollen grains on microscopic slides. The Apis and Xylocopa bees are the efficient pollinators to achieve reproductive success in M. ferrea. Annual production of pollen per tree varied from averages of 1.07 ± 0.10 × 1010 and 3.24 ± 0.16 × 1010 in years of low production, with alternate high years, producing 3.85 ± 0.34 × 1010 and 8.22 ± 0.76 × 1010 pollen grains per tree.

Pharmacognostic Study of Nagkesar

• The botanical source of Nagkesar may be either of the following: M. ferrea (flowers & stamens), O. longifolius (floral buds), and Cinnamomum sp. (young fruits)- (Bapalal vaidya, 1971).
• The commercial sample usually consists of loose fragrant stamens of M. ferrea which form a golden-brown powder, coarse to tough in texture and consisting of other floral parts such as filaments, peltate stigma and style, pieces from flashy sepals, and paper-thing pieces of the petiole, the last two being in much lesser proportion (Satakopan & Thomas, 1967).
• The flowers are fragrant, cream-colored, ebracteate, pedicellate, pedicellate, pedicle short, axillary or terminal, solitary or in pairs.
• The buds are subglobose. Microscopic features included the presence of cortical fibers, numerous resin canals and calcium oxalate crystals in the cortex, and a pith of the pedicle. The stamens are numerous with short filaments and somewhat thick elongated lobes. The commercial Nagkesar comprises the stamens and flowers appearing purplish brown and blackish brown respectively. Under UV light, the powdered stamens appear olive green while the flowers appear purplish brown, using nitro-cellulose amyl acetate. (Shome et al., 1982).
• Microscopically, the powdered stamens can be distinguished by the presence of copper- color filaments, striated cuticular layers of anthers, a characteristic endothelial layer, calcium oxalate crystals, spiral vessels, and spherical to oblong pollen grains with granular exine having three germinal pores and furrows (Satakopan & Thomas, 1967).
• In another study, three plants M. ferrea, O. longifolius, and C. inophyllum have been identified as Nagkesar, Sura Punnaga, and Punnaga respectively. The latter two are used as substitutes for the former (Prasad, 1982).