The search for lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors has been carried out for decades due to its importance in inflammatory diseases. In the present study, it was observed that the methanolic extract of Cuminum cyminum L. inhibited LOX activity. Activity-guided screening of the C. cyminum crude extracts helped the identification and isolation of cuminaldehyde as a 15-LOX inhibitor. The enzyme kinetics analysis suggested cuminaldehyde to be a competitive inhibitor and the IC 50 value derived from LB plots is 1,370 μM. Binding constants of cuminaldehyde on LOX was deduced by isothermal titration calorimetry. The combined thermodynamics and molecular modeling analyses suggested cuminaldehyde as a competitive LOX inhibitor. It is proposed from the present study that the coordinate bond between the Fe(2+) atom in the active site of the enzyme and the cuminaldehyde may be responsible for the enzyme inhibition. The study suggests that cuminaldehyde may be acting as an anti-inflammatory compound and may be therefore included in the category of leads for developing dual COX-LOX inhibitors as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

This study investigated the process of preparing fermented medicines as prescribed in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine. Berberine, an alkaloid, was used as a model compound. Berberine is the active constituent of Berberis aristata and is alleged to have anti-inflammatory effect. Biotransformation of berberine was studied by the phospholipase A 2 assay in fermented products prepared in traditional and commercially available brewer's yeast-induced environments. Sugar and alcohol levels were estimated to indicate the culmination of fermentation. It was confirmed that traditional fermentation biotransforms berberine to a greater extent than commercially available brewer's yeast-induced fermentation. Therefore, fermentation induced by commercially available yeast is no substitute for the ethnopharmacological and traditional fermentation prescribed in the traditional Indian system of medicine.

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