Tibetan precious pills are an integral part of TTM (Traditional Tibetan Medicine). Among them, Rinchen Drangjor Rilnag Chenmo (RDRC) has been named “King of Precious Pills” due to its efficacy in treating a multitude of human disorders. RDRC has a complex formulation with about 140 ingredients, mostly from medicinal plants and a few precious stones and metals. Not many studies have been done on the experimental validation of antimicrobial properties of this important pill. The current study investigated the antimicrobial activity of the extracts of RDRC. Both aqueous and chloroform extracts were evaluated for their antibacterial potential against a total of seven different bacterial species, which are pathogenic, including three species of Vibrio, viz. V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus and V. harveyi using the well-diffusion method and also by assessing MIC and MBC values. Its antifungal potential was also studied against two fungal strains Aspergillus niger and Talaromyces islandicus. It was found that the chloroform extract of RDRC exerted a positive antibacterial effect on all the Vibrio species tested, and the least MIC of 3.33 mg/ml was observed for V. parahaemolyticus. This is the first study of its kind on the anti-Vibrio effect of the Tibetan precious pill, Rinchen Drangjor Rilnag Chenmo.

AMPs are small oligopeptides acting as integral elements of the innate immune system and are of tremendous potential in the medical field owing to their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. They offer a multitude of immunomodulatory properties such as immune cell differentiation, inflammatory responses, cytokine production, and chemoattraction. Aberrancy in neutrophil or epithelial cell-producing AMPs leads to inflammation culminating in various autoimmune responses. In this review, we have tried to explore the role of prominent mammalian AMPs—defensins and cathelicidins, as immune regulators with special emphasis on their role in neutrophil extracellular traps which promotes autoimmune disorders. When complexed with self-DNA or self-RNA, AMPs act as autoantigens which activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells and myeloid dendritic cells leading to the production of interferons and cytokines. These trigger a series of self-directed inflammatory reactions, leading to the emergence of diverse autoimmune disorders. Since AMPs show both anti- and pro-inflammatory abilities in different ADs, there is a dire need for a complete understanding of their role before developing AMP-based therapy for autoimmune disorders.

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