Introduction:Nonsteroidal and steroidal drugs are generally used as a part of drug therapy in inflammation. However, these drugs have severe side-effects like nausea and vomiting. Therefore, there is a need to identify anti-inflammatory compounds that will be effective with a better safety profile. Solanum xanthocarpum Schrad and Wendl and Cassia fistula Linn has many therapeutic uses mentioned in Ayurveda and therefore we aimed to study its anti-inflammatory activity both alone and in combination.Materials and Methods:The water extract of dried fruits of Solanum xanthocarpum Schrad and Wendl and dried pulp of Cassia fistula Linn was prepared. The anti-inflammatory activity of these extracts was investigated using the carragenan-induced paw edema model in rats individually and in two different combinations. ED50 of both the extracts singly and in combination were calculated by dose-response curves, and this information was then plotted on the isobologram. The interaction index of the extracts was also investigated to determine whether both the extracts in combination show synergistic or antagonistic or additive effects.Results:It was observed that extracts of dried fruits of Solanum xanthocarpum showed more anti-inflammatory activity than dried fruits of Cassia fistula Linn. Both the extracts showed maximum anti-inflammatory activity at 500 mg/kg dose. Among the different dose combinations of both the extracts, the 1:1 combination at the 500 mg/kg dose showed maximum percentage inhibition of 75%, which was comparable with the positive control, diclofenac sodium, which showed 81% inhibition.Conclusion:As revealed by the isobolograms, both the combinations fell below the additivity line, which indicates synergistic interactions between Solanum xanthocarpum and Cassia fistula extracts. Interaction indices of both combinations were observed to be <1, which re-demonstrated the synergistic effects of the combination.

Objective: To conduct pharmacognostic standardisation and chromatographic fingerprinting of leaves and fruits of Zanthoxylum rhetsa.Methods: The macroscopic, microscopic and physicochemical evaluation of the crude drugs were conducted as per I. P and WHO guidelines. The chromatographic fingerprint was also developed for the leaves and fruits.Results: The microscopic characteristics of leaves exhibited anomocytic stomata, fibrovascular tissue, lignfied pericyclic fibers and pitted xylem vessels. The fruits exhibited pericarp, oil cells, stone cells, xylem and endosperm. The physicochemical analysis was also conducted. The leaf and fruit powders complied with WHO prescribed limits for microbial load NMT 1× 105 CFU/ml and were found to be free from pathogenic organisms. The HPTLC fingerprint was established for methanol extract of leaves and fruits using Dichloromethane: chloroform: ethanol (4:4:1) as solvent and 10% methanolic sulphuric acid as spray reagent.Conclusion: The present work provides referential information for the correct identification and standardisation of the plant.

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Introduction: Zanthoxylum rhetsa fruits, a common spice in many cuisines, have proven to have a good therapeutic potential and are routinely used in food, medicine, and commerce. The present study was conducted to screen the in vitro antileukemic and antimalarial activities of the methanolic extract of Z. rhetsa fruits and conduct mechanistic studies for antileukemic activity. Methods: Methanol extract was prepared by maceration process and standardised with lupeol as a marker using HPLC. MTT and SRB assays were used to establish the cytotoxicity of the extract against L929 and leukemic cell lines (Jurkat, K562, and HL-60). The amount of ROS in cell lines was detected by flow cytometry using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate. Apoptosis on HL-60 was detected by Annexin-V/PI dual staining assay through cell cycle analysis and gel electrophoresis. In vitro antimalarial activity was conducted on Plasmodium falciparum CQ sensitive 3D7 strains according to the WHO 2001 guidelines. Results: The methanol extract contained 1.03% of lupeol. Potent antileukemic activity (IC50 <10 μg/mL) was observed against HL-60 in comparison to K562 and Jurkat cell lines. The extract induced apoptosis in cancer cells in the proliferative and mitotic phase without DNA fragmentation. Therefore, the antileukemic activity exhibited by the extract could be attributed to the increased oxidative stress generated in cancer cells. Fruits also exhibited good antioxidant activity against normal cells, thus proving beneficial as cytoprotective agents. Promising antimalarial activity (IC50 = 16.21 μg/mL) with high selectivity against malarial parasites was exhibited by the fruits. Conclusion: Thus, the fruits of Z.rhetsa can be used as an adjuvant therapy to reduce the side effects and resistance associated with chemotherapy and can be a potential candidate for drug discovery research in the areas of cancer and parasitic infection.