Avartani (Helicteres Isora)

Recent Research on Helicteres isora

• Venkatesh, Sama & Reddy, G & Reddy, Bommineni & Mekala, Lakshman. (2019). ANTI-DIABETIC ACTIVITY OF HELICTERES ISORA ROOT. The different extracts of the roots of Helicteres isora (Family-Sterculiaceae) were tested for anti-diabetic activity, by glucose tolerance test in normal rats and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Aqueous ethanol and butanol extracts had shown significant protection and lowered the blood glucose levels to normal in the glucose tolerance test. In alloxan-induced diabetic rats, the maximum reduction in blood glucose was observed after 3h at a dose level of 250 mg/ kg of body weight. The percentage protections by aqueous ethanol and butanol extracts were 30 and 48% respectively. In the long-term treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats, the degree of protection was determined by measuring blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, and urea levels on 0, 3, 5, 7, and 10th days. Both extracts showed a significant anti-diabetic activity comparable with that of glibenclamide. The histopathological studies during the long-term treatment have shown to ameliorate the biochemical damages caused by alloxan. These results indicate that the Helicteres isora root possesses significant anti-diabetic activity.
• Ganesan, Kumar & Banu, Gani & Murugesan, Arunachalam. (2009). Antidiabetic activity of Helicteres isora L. Bark extracts ostreptozotocin-induceded diabetic rats. 1. 379- 382. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease caused by an absolute or relative lack of insulin and or reduced insulin activity, which results in hyperglycemia and abnormalities in carbohydrate, protein,  and fat metabolism. Though different types of oral hypoglycaemic agents are available along with insulin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, there is a growing interest in herbal remedies due to the side effects associated with these therapeutic agents. The bark of Helicteres isora Linn. has been used in the indigenous systems of medicine in India for the treatment of diabetes mellitus since time immemorial. The present investigation was undertaken to study the anti-diabetic effects of the aqueous bark extracts of Helicteres isora on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The aqueous bark extracts of Helicteres isora significantly reduced the high fasting glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. After 2 weeks of treatment with the extracts, the glycemia level of 100 mg/ kg bark extract-treated diabetic rats dropped significantly from 370.0 ± 22.9 on day 2 to 121.8 ± 11.8 mg/dl (P < 0.001) on day 14 and from 336.6 ± 11.8 to 106.6 ± 2.9 mg/dl (P < 0.001) for 200 mg/ kg dose, corresponding to 67.1% and 68.4% reduction, respectively. Thus, the aqueous bark extracts of Helicteres isora possess anti-diabetic properties.
• Ganesan, Kumar & Banu, Gani & Murugesan, A.G. & Pandian, M. (2006). Hypoglycaemic effect of Helicteres isora bark extract in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 107. 304- 7. 10. 1016/ j. jep. 2006. 05. 007. The hypoglycaemic effect of the aqueous extract of the bark of Helicteres isora L. (Sterculiaceae) was investigated in normal, glucose load conditions and streptozotocin (STZ)- induced diabetic rats. In normal rats, the aqueous extract of the bark of Helicteres isora L. (100 and 200 mg/ kg/ p.o.) significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the blood glucose levels from 64.5- 48.5 and 67- 47 mg  % 2h after oral administration of bark extract and also significantly lowered the blood glucose in STZ diabetic rats from 68- 105 and 66- 85.5 mg % 21 days after daily oral administration of the extract (P < 0.001). The results suggested that the aqueous extract of the bark of Helicteres isora L. possesses a potential hypoglycaemic effect in diabetic rats.
• Zareen, Nazia & Venkatesh, Sama & Bolleddu, Rajesh. (2019). Antidiabetic Effect of Helicteres isora Root in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats. 6. 1067. The anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of the butanolic extract of Helicteres isora root were investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats along with its in vitro free radical scavenging activity. The butanolic extract was tested for its antidiabetic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetes at an oral dose of 125 and 250 mg/kg by acute and chronic dosing. Treatment with butanolic extract of H. isora roots at the dose of 125 and 250 mg/ kg caused a reduction of blood glucose by 29.49 and 32.23 % respectively, within 1 hour time after oral treatment. Chronic administration of the butanolic extract at a dose of 125 and 250 mg/kg significantly reduced the blood glucose level by 41.38 and 54.18 %, respectively on day 10. Whereas glibenclamide (5 mg/ kg) caused a significant reduction of 26.94 % in plasma glucose levels. Both butanolic extract at 250 mg/ kg and glibenclamide had significantly lowered triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. The decrease in triglyceride and total cholesterol levels could be through its control of hyperglycemia. Besides, the butanolic extract was also tested for its antioxidant activity by using the diphenyl picryl hydroxyl radical assay method and it was found to effectively scavenge the free radical in vitro with an IC 50 of 26 µg/ ml. The total phenol content of butanolic extract was found to be 480 mg GAE/gm of the extract. Butanolic extract of H. isora root at a dose of 250 mg/kg caused significant hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and hence can be considered a potent anti-diabetic agent. The effective dose can be concluded as 250 mg/ kg.
• Kumar, T & Mary, A & Christy, Violet & Seetharaman, Ramya & Malaiyandi, Malaisamy & Sivaraj, C & Pandian, Arjun & Raaman, Nanjian & Balasubramanian, Krishnamoorthi. (2012). Antioxidant and anticancer activity of Helicteres isora dried fruit solvent extracts. J. Acad. Indus. Res 1. Helicteres isora dried fruit solvent extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant and anticancer activity. Acetone fruit extract H. isora showed (96.44 %) strong antioxidant activity compared to hexane, and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Acetone extract exhibited better cytotoxicity against human lung cancer cells (NCI-H460) whereas; acetone and crude protein extracts showed activity against reactive oxygen species.
• Suthar, Manish & Rathore, Garvendra & Pareek, Aditi. (2009). Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of Helicteres isora (L.) Fruits. Indian Journal of pharmaceutical sciences. 71. 695- 9. 10. 4103/ 0250-474X. 59557. The present investigations evaluated the antioxidant and antidiabetic activity of Helicteres isora (L.) fruits belonging to the family Sterculiaceae. The hot water extract of Helicteres isora fruits was prepared and screened for its in vitro antioxidant activity using 1, 1- diphenyl, 2-picryl hydroxyl assay, ss-carotene-linoleate model and microsomal lipid peroxidation or thiobarbituric acid reactive species assays and the IC (50) values were calculated. The antidiabetic effect was studied using the in vitro glucose uptake in the isolated rat hemidiaphragm model. The hot water extract of Helicteres isora showed maximum activity with IC (50) value 25.12 +/- 0.18 mug/ ml for 1, 1- diphenyl, 2- picryl hydroxyl assay method, and low activity with IC (50) value 740.64 +/- 4.76 mug/ ml for microsomal lipid peroxidation assay. In the ss-carotene-linoleate model, the extract showed 45.63% antioxidant activity. The extract produces a significant (P< 0.05) uptake of glucose by isolated rat hemidiaphragm but is less effective than that of the reference drug, metformin. The hot water extract of the fruit of Helicteres isora exhibited significant antioxidant activity and moderate antidiabetic activity and merits further investigation in animal models and isolation of its active constituents.
• Pritam, Prem & jain, amita & Joshi, Neelu. (2014). A Comparative Study of Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents in Different Parts of Helicteres isora L. American Journal of Life Science Research. 2. 292. 10. 11648/ j. ajls. 20140205. 17. Helicteres isora L., commonly known as Indian Screw Tree is a highly valued medicinal plant in South- East Asia. The various phytochemicals like phenols, flavonoids, and other antioxidants that impart the medicinal properties in this plant, vary in their composition and concentration in different plant parts. In the present research, the total phenolic content, total flavonoids content, and free radical scavenging activity (FRAP and DPPH assay) in fresh and dry sample extracts of leaf, bark, fruit, and root of H. isora L., prepared in four different solvents (distilled water, ethanol, methanol, and acetone) were studied, and their results compared using Pearson’s Correlation. The plant extracts were also subjected to RP-HPLC for detection and quantitation of naturally occurring phenolic compounds using six phenolic standards (Gallic acid, Vanillin, Catechol, Ferrulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and Caffeic acid). The highest total phenolic content (7.22 mg/g GAE) and FRAP value (64.98 mg/ g TE) were observed in an aqueous dry root extract. The acetone extract of fresh leaf (57.08 mg/ g of RE) was found richest in total flavonoids, while the methanolic extract of fresh fruit uniquely exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity as evidenced by the low IC50 value (34.37 mg/ ml) in DPPH assay. The RP-HPLC analysis revealed that Catechol and Gallic acid was the most abundantly found phenolic compounds in extracts of H. isora L. The total phenolic content showed a strong positive correlation with free radical scavenging activity (FRAP and DPPH assays) in both fresh and dry plant parts, suggesting that phenols are the main compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity. The root of H. isora L. was found rich in phenolics and antioxidant capacity indicating its strong potential for medicinal use, followed by fruit, leaf, and bark.
• Manke, Mahesh & Dhawale, Shashikant & Patil, Dasrao & Pekamwar, Sanjay & Jamkhande, Prasad. (2015). In-vitro Anthelmintic and Antioxidant Activity of Helicteres isora Linn. Fruit Extracts. Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature. 5. 10. 1080/ 22311866. 2014. 961101. In-vitro anthelmintic activity of methanol and petroleum ether extracts of Helicteres isora fruits were determined by the evaluation of time for paralysis and death (min.) against Indian earthworms Pheretima Posthuma. Various concentrations of extracts were tested in the bioassay (10, 20, and 50 mg/ ml). Albendazole at a concentration of 20 mg/ml was included as a standard reference while normal saline (0.9 % NaCl) solution as a control. Antioxidant activity was determined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) and Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) radicals scavenging assays. Both methanol and petroleum ether extracts showed dose-dependent anthelmintic activity. The DPPH free radical scavenging activity was obtained with the methanol extract (IC50 42.95 µg/ ml), while petroleum ether extract showed less free radical scavenging activity (IC50 89.81 μg/ml) as compared to standard ascorbic acid (IC50 23.75 µg/ ml). Hydrogen peroxide decomposition activity of methanol and petroleum ether extracts was shown in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 of 36.61 µg/ ml and 74.40 µg/ ml respectively, while the IC50 value for ascorbic acid was 9.64 micro-Gram/ ml. Methanol extracts showed more potent anthelmintic and antioxidant activity than petroleum ether extracts.
• Mahajan, Renuka & Itankar, Prakash. (2020). Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Wound Healing Potential of Helicteres isora Linn. Leaf Extracts. Digital Chinese Medicine. 3. 188- 198. 10. 1016/ j. domed. 2020. 09. 005. Objective To investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound healing potential of Helicteres isora Linn. leaf extracts. Methods: The petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethanol, and hydroalcoholic extracts of leaves were screened for phytochemicals. The 1, 1- diphenyl- 2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging tests, and reducing power assays were performed to measure antioxidant activity; disc diffusion methods were used to evaluate antimicrobial potential. Wound healing activity was evaluated by incision and excision wound rat models. Results: The extracts contained mainly sterols and flavonoids. The hydroalcoholic extract showed remarkable antioxidant and antimicrobial potential and significant (P < 0.05) wound healing activity. Conclusions: The identified activities of the hydroalcoholic extract may be attributable to its constituent phytochemicals.
• Ganesan, Kumar & Murugesan, A. G. (2008). Hypolipidemic activity of Helicteres isora L. bark extracts in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 116. 161- 6. 10. 1016/ j. jep. 2007. 11. 020. In this study, the hypolipidaemic effect of an aqueous extract of the bark of Helicteres isora was investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)- induced diabetic rats. Administration of the bark extract of Helicteres isora (100 and 200 mg/ kgb. w.) for 21 days resulted in a significant reduction in serum and tissue cholesterol, phospholipids, free fatty acids, and triglycerides in STZ diabetic rats. In addition to that, a significant (p< 0.05) decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) whereas a significant increase (p< 0.05) in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were observed in STZ diabetic rats, which were normalized after 21 days of bark extract treatment. The bark is extracted at a dose of 200 mg/ kg b. w. showed a much more significant hypo-lipidaemic effect than at the dose of 100 mg/ kg. b.w.
• Khan, Iftikhar & Varkey, Thomas & Akram, Muhammad & Munir, Naveed & Riaz, Muhammad & Merhavy, Zachary. (2023). Evaluation of In Vivo Anti-Diarrheal Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants Traditionally Prescribed for the Management of Diarrhea. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 4. 10. 21608/ AUJES. 2023. 182911. 1112. This study explores the anti-diarrheal activities of aqueous-ethanolic extract of selected medicinal plants collected from Rawalakot Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Different doses of the hydro-ethanolic extract of this Punica granatum, Aegle marmelos, Myrtus communis, and Helicteres isora as 250, 500, and 1000 mg/ kg body weight (b.w.) were tested for antidiarrheal activity using castor oil-induced diarrhea in standardized animal specimens of albino rats (n = 5 in each group). Loperamide as a standard drug (control group, n= 5) and atropine (control group, n= 5) were utilized to evaluate the frequency of diarrheal feces and to check the intestinal transit by charcoal meal, respectively, while normal saline was used as a negative control group (n= 5). Anti-diarrheal activities of hydro-ethanolic extracts at different doses were compared to standard drug and negative control groups. Results revealed that extracts of the selected plants at different doses induced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the number of diarrheal feces and this reduction was increased with increasing the dosage. This demonstrated that aqueous ethanolic extracts of the studied plants were able to increase the percentage inhibition of the charcoal meal movement and at high concentrations (1000 mg/ kg b.w.), it significantly decreased the intestinal transit as compared with standard drug (atropine). From these results, it can be concluded that the selected traditional plants can have a significant antidiarrheal effect, but more research is recommended to explore the phytochemical constituents responsible for these anti-diarrheal activities.
• Venkatesh, S. & Sailaxmi, K. & Reddy, Bommineni & Mullangi, Ramesh. (2007). Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Helicteres isora root. Indian Drugs. 44. 295- 299. The various organic extracts of Helicteres isora Linn (Sterculiaceae) root were tested for anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced paw edema and for analgesic effect using a hot plate test. The chloroform extract of Helicteres isora administered orally at doses of 250 mg/kg had a significant anti-inflammatory activity with a 35.48 % reduction of paw edema, compared to the control. An increase in hot plate latency time was also observed in animals receiving aqueous ethanol, petroleum ether, and chloroform extracts at an oral dose of 250 mg/ kg when placed on a hot plate. Furthermore, the nonselective opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone blocked the analgesic effects of the extracts in the hot plate test, suggesting that the observed analgesic effect probably involves the participation of the opioid system. These results suggest that the Helicteres isora root extracts possess anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
• Venkatesh, S. & Sailaxmi, K & Reddy, BMadhava & Ramesh, Mullangi. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of Helicteres isora root. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 69. 10. 4103/ 0250- 474X. 38479. The aqueous ethanol extract of Helicteres isora root was partitioned using various solvents like petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol. Of the 10 tested microbial strains, all fractions exhibited antimicrobial activity against 9 microbial strains at concentrations of 10, 5, and 2.5 mg/ ml. Among tested organisms, Micrococcus luteus, Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans were the most sensitive and Salmonella typhimurium was the most resistant. Butanol extract was found to possess the most potent antimicrobial activity.
• Priyanka, L & Kekuda, Prashith & K.J, Chaithra & Hl, Raghavendra & S, Akshatha & A, Priyanka. (2015). ANTIMICROBIAL AND RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF LEAF AND FRUIT OF HELICTERES ISORA L. WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES. 4. 1793- 1803. Medicinal plants are integral components of traditional medicine in various parts of the world. Helicteres isora L. (family Sterculiaceae) is widespread in distribution and is claimed to have many traditional uses. In the present study, we investigated the antimicrobial and free radical scavenging efficacy of leaf and fruit extract of H. isora. Antibacterial activity was tested by Agar well diffusion assay. The poisoned food technique was performed to assess antifungal assay. DPPH free radical scavenging activity was performed to investigate the radical scavenging efficacy of extracts. All test bacteria were susceptible to both extracts. Fruit extract inhibited most of the bacteria to a higher extent. Among fungi, Bipolaris sorokiniana was highly susceptible to extracts followed by Curvularia sp and others. Both extracts scavenged DPPH radicals dose-dependently. Fruit extract was more efficient in scavenging DPPH radicals when compared to leaf extract. The plant H. isora is a promising source of antimicrobial and radical scavenging agents. 
• Khan, Iftikhar & Varkey, Thomas & Akram, Muhammad & Munir, Naveed & Riaz, Muhammad & Merhavy, Zachary. (2023). Evaluation of In Vivo Anti-Diarrheal Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants Traditionally Prescribed for the Management of Diarrhea. 4. 34- 46. This study explores the anti-diarrheal activities of aqueous-ethanolic extract of selected medicinal plants collected from Rawalakot Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Different doses of the hydro-ethanolic extract of this Punica granatum, Aegle marmelos, Myrtus communis, and Helicteres isora as 250, 500, and 1000 mg/ kg body weight (b.w.) were tested for antidiarrheal activity using castor oil-induced diarrhea in standardized animal specimens of albino rats (n = 5 in each group). Loperamide as a standard drug (control group, n= 5) and atropine (control group, n= 5) were utilized to evaluate the frequency of diarrheal feces and to check the intestinal transit by charcoal meal, respectively, while normal saline was used as a negative control group (n= 5). Anti-diarrheal activities of hydro-ethanolic extracts at different doses were compared to standard drug and negative control groups. Results revealed that extracts of the selected plants at different doses induced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the number of diarrheal feces and this reduction was increased with increasing the dosage. This demonstrated that aqueous ethanolic extracts of the studied plants were able to increase the percentage inhibition of the charcoal meal movement and at high concentrations (1000 mg/ kg b.w.), it significantly decreased the intestinal transit as compared with standard drug (atropine). 
• Pohocha, Nazneen & Grampurohit, Nirmala. (2001). Antispasmodic activity of the fruits of Helicteres isora Linn. Phytotherapy research: PTR. 15. 49- 52. 10. 1002/ 1099- 1573 (200102) 15: 1< 49:: AID-PTR729> 3.0. CO; 2- E. Fruits of Helicteres isora Linn., commonly called Murudsheng in India, are usually prescribed in the Indian traditional systems of medicine, especially in Ayurveda, for a variety of intestinal complaints. The antispasmodic activity was checked in vitro on guinea-pig ileum against three spasmogens, acetylcholine, histamine, and barium chloride. The IC (50) for each was determined. The activity was compared with standard antispasmodic agents, atropine, and diphenhydramine hydrochloride. The activity was also studied in vivo by observing the gastrointestinal motility in mice using the marker technique and the ED (50) was calculated. Acute toxicity studies were conducted on mice using the method of Weil and the LD (50) was determined. The results indicated that the fruits possess very good antispasmodic activity.
• Rattanamaneerusmee, Acharaporn & Thirapanmethee, Krit & Nakamura, Yasushi & Bongcheewin, Bhanubong & Chomnawang, Mullika. (2018). Chemopreventive and biological activities of Helicteres isora L. fruit extracts. Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences. 13. 484. 10. 4103/ 1735-5362. 245960. Helicteres isora L. (H. isora) has been used in traditional medicine in Asia. This study aimed to determine the biological activities of H. isora fruit extracts. The chemopreventive effect was examined by cell proliferation assay and differentiation-inducing effect. The anti-inflammatory activity of extracts was studied on the levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α), production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE- 2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX- 2). Cell proliferation assay revealed that H. isora extracts and its major compound, rosmarinic acid, showed no cytotoxicity in THP-1 and RCM-1 cells. Methylthio acetic acid from Cucumis melo was used as a positive control and 80% ethanol extracts demonstrated significant cell differentiation induction. Hexane extract of H. isora could lower the levels of TNF- α, PGE- 2, and NO in THP- 1 cell with 51.61 ± 0.79%, 69.68 ± 0.017%, and 69.93 ± 9.41% inhibition, respectively. The highest inhibitory effect on COX-2 was obtained from dichloromethane extract. Dexamethasone inhibited the secretion of TNF- α with 95.82 ± 0.50% while celecoxib showed an inhibitory effect on COX-2 and PGE-2 with 100 % and 99.86 %, respectively. The ethanol extract showed the best antioxidant activity by DPPH and FRAP assays at IC50 of 5.43 ± 1.01 μg/ mL and 22.83 ± 0.13 mmol FeSO4/ g sample, respectively, while the positive control, trolox, showed the antioxidant activity with IC50 and FRAP values at 4.08 ± 0.85 μg/mL and 10.84 ± 0.04 mmol FeSO4/g sample, respectively. Taken together, H. isora possesses chemopreventive and antioxidant activity. Further studies on the in vivo activities of this plant are suggested.
• Venkatesh, Sama & Laxmi K, Sai & Reddy, Bommineni & Ramesh, M. (2007). Antinociceptive activity of Helicteres isora. Fitoterapia. 78. 146- 8. 10. 1016/ j. fitote. 2006. 09. 024. Helicteres isora root extracts were studied for antinociceptive activity on acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice, at a dose of 250 mg/kg. Petroleum ether, chloroform, and aqueous ethanol extracts have shown significant activity.
• Venkatesh, Sama & Reddy, Bommineni & Reddy, G & Mullangi, Ramesh & Mekala, Lakshman. (2010). Antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Helicteres isora roots in alloxan-induced diabetic rats: A possible mechanism of action. Journal of natural medicines. 64. 295- 304. 10. 1007/ s11418- 010- 0406- 9. The antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of Helicteres isora Linn. (Sterculiaceae) root extracts were investigated in alloxan-induced diabetic rats and a possible mechanism of the blood glucose lowering action was studied. Alloxan-induced diabetic rats experienced 69.13 and 51.14 %, 22.60 and 21.89 %, 30.12 and 19.96 %, and 50.05 and 34.29 % reduction in blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and urea levels following oral administration of butanol and aqueous ethanol extracts of H. isora root, respectively, at 250 mg/ kg for 10 days. The beneficial effects of these extracts were supported by evidence from histological examinations of the liver, pancreas, and kidney. Following the treatment with both extracts, the degenerative changes caused by alloxan in pancreatic cells were restored, particularly with the butanol extract. Histological examination convincingly showed the restoration of pancreatic islets, kidney glomeruli, and liver to its normal size. These results suggest that H. isora roots possess antidiabetic principles and can be useful for the treatment of diabetes.
• Ganesan, Kumar & Banu, Gani & Murugesan, Arunachalam. (2008). Effect of Helicteres isora bark extracts on heart antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Journal of Applied Biomedicine. 6. 89- 95. 10. 32725/ jab. 2008. 012. The present study investigated the effect of the aqueous extract of Helicteres isora L. (Sterculiaceae) bark on oxidative stress in the heart of rats during diabetes. The aqueous extract of Helicteres isora bark (100 mg, 200 mg/kg body weight, b.w.) was screened for its antioxidant effect in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. An appreciable decrease in peroxidation products, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), conjugated dienes (CD), and hydroperoxides (HP) was observed in the heart tissues of Helicteres isora (HI) treated diabetic rats. The decreased activities of key antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione- S- transferase (GST) and glutathione (GSH) in diabetic rats were brought back to near normal range upon HI treatment. Tolbutamide was used as the standard reference drug. These results suggest that HI possesses promising antioxidative activity in STZ diabetic rats.
• Shriram, Varsha & Jahagirdar, Sheetal & Latha, C. & Kumar, Vinay & Dhakephalkar, Prashant & Rojatkar, Supada & Shitole, Mahadeo. (2010). Antibacterial & anti-plasmid activities of Helicteres isora L. The Indian Journal of medical research. 132. 94- 9. Multiple drug resistance (MDR) is a serious health problem and a major challenge to global drug discovery programs. Most of the genetic determinants that confer resistance to antibiotics are located on R-plasmids in bacteria. The present investigation was undertaken to investigate the ability of organic extract of the fruits of Helicteres isora to cure R-plasmids from certain clinical isolates. Active fractions demonstrating antibacterial and anti-plasmid activities were isolated from the acetone extracts of shade-dried fruits of H. isora by bioassay-guided fractionation. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics and organic extracts was determined by the agar dilution method. Plasmid curing activity of organic fractions was determined by evaluating the ability of bacterial colonies (pre-treated with organic fraction for 18 h) to grow in the presence of antibiotics. The physical loss of plasmid DNA in the cured derivatives was further confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The active fraction did not inhibit the growth of either the clinical isolates or the strains harboring reference plasmids even at a concentration of 400 microg/ml. However, the same fraction could cure plasmids from Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, and E. coli (RP4) at curing efficiencies of 14, 26, 22, and 2 percent respectively. The active fraction mediated plasmid curing resulted in the subsequent loss of antibiotic resistance encoded in the plasmids as revealed by the antibiotic resistance profile of cured strains. The physical loss of plasmid was also confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The active fraction of acetone extract of H. isora fruits cured R-plasmids from Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical isolates as well as reference strains. Such plasmid loss reversed the multiple antibiotic resistance in cured derivatives making them sensitive to low concentrations of antibiotics. Acetone fractions of H. isora may be a source to develop anti-plasmid agents of natural origin to contain the development and spread of plasmid-borne multiple antibiotic resistance.