Acalypha indica Linn. (Family; Euphorbiaceae), commonly known as Indian copper leaf in English and other vernacular names includes, Kuppameni, Kuppi and Harittamanjari. The whole plant of A. indica is used in the traditional medicinal system to treat various diseases. In Ayurveda, A. indica used as a laxative, anthelmintic, emetic, expectorant and also used to treat scabies, earache, syphilitic ulcers and snake bites. In Siddha medicine, A. indica is used to treat diseases associated with teeth and gums, stomach aches, irritations, burns, wheezing and respiratory diseases. This plant has been studied for antidiabetic, wound healing, postcoital infertility, antivenom, antiulcer, antimalarial, anti inflammatory, antimicrobial, alphaamylase inhibitor, neuroprotective and antioxidant activities. Hence the current study has been assumed to explicate the anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effect of methanolic extract of Acalypha indica Linn. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant material The whole plant of Acalypha indica was collected from Hyderabad, Telangana in November and was identified taxonomically and authenticated by P. Suresh Babu, Head Department of Botany, New Government Degree College, Kukatpally. Preparation of methanolic extract The whole plant of Acalypha indica was collected, cleaned, dried under shade for about six days and coarsely powdered in a mixer grinder. The powdered material was stored and taken up for the Soxhlet extraction process. The 300 g of the powdered plant is packed in the Soxhlet

Objective: Phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, have aroused great scientific interest due to their diverse pharmacological activities. Several studies suggested that flavonoids act as antihypertensive by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). In the present study, rutin, which is a citrus flavonoid, was evaluated for its antihypertensive activity using in vivo and in vitro models. Rutin was screened for in vitro assay procedures such as diphenylpicrylhydrazyl and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) for its antioxidant activity. Methods: Its antihypertensive effect was investigated in Nω-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride-induced hypertensive rats, and various parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate were measured; in vitro ACE inhibitory activity was carried out against ACE, aiming at a better understanding of the interaction of this flavonoid with the enzyme. To understand its binding affinity with the angiotensin-converting enzyme, molecular docking studies were carried out using ligand fit of Maestro 9.1 (Schrodinger Software Inc.). An in silico study of rutin was performed for the prediction of Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) by utilizing a web-based program (www.swissadme.ch). This software computes physicochemical descriptors as well as predicts pharmacokinetic properties and drug-like nature of one or multiple small molecules (blood–brain barrier, cytochromes P450, and P-glycoproteins). Results: Rutin at different dose levels of 200 and 400 mg/kg was tested, and the results have shown its antihypertensive, hypotensive, and negative chronotropic effects. Its antihypertensive activity might be mediated through angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (half maximal inhibitory concentration=66.01 μg/mL). In vitro studies also revealed the antioxidant activity of rutin, thus playing a major role in reducing oxidative stress associated with hypertension. The rutin showed optimum binding affinity with a molecular target (angiotensin-converting-enzyme) with the binding energy of −9.0 kcal/mol as compared to the standard (−6.3 kcal/mol). These results indicated that rutin is one of the potential ligands to treat hypertension. ADME results revealed the three violations of rutin (such as molecular mass, hydrogen donor, and acceptors) of five, and the standard captopril has got zero violations which clearly indicated the probability for its higher oral bioavailability. Conclusion: From the above, it is concluded that rutin possesses antioxidant and antihypertensive activities.

Plant collection and extraction Fruits of Terminalia bellerica were collected from a local market during December 2016. Crude plant material was identified and authenticated by Botanist (Voucher specimen no., TBR6) from Government Degree College Kukatpally, Hyderabad. Fruits were dried in the shade; coarsely powdered and powdered material was used for the extraction process. Chemicals and reagents Triton X100 used was a product of SRL Chemicals, Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt Ltd., Maharashtra, India. Simvastatin drug used was a product of Sun Pharmaceuticals India LTD., Mumbai, India. Biochemical kits and all other chemicals were of analytical grade.

Chemicals and drugs Methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetylcholine iodide, DTNB, disodium hydrogen phosphate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate were purchased from SD Fine Chemicals Limited, Mumbai. Donepezil was purchased from Hetero laboratories, Hyderabad, Diazepam from Ranbaxy laboratories and Aluminium chloride from Himedia laboratories Mumbai.

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