Ahsana Dar

Verified

Ahsana verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Ahsana verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• PhD
• Professor at Hamdard University

Background: Phytotherapy is a common practice around the world, including Pakistan. One such medicinal plant is Tagetes patula. Its flower is edible and used for various local illnesses, especially cancer. However, they lack the toxicological evaluation of this plant, including its active flavonoid i.e. Patuletin, which is addressed in the present...

Ethnopharmacological relevance The edible plant Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw. commonly known as Nagphana, belongs to the Cactaceae family. It is traditionally used to treat various ailments including inflammation, gastric ulcers, diabetes, hepatitis, asthma, whooping cough and intestinal spasm. Aim of the study Despite its traditional use in v...

The plant Conyza sumatrensis, is reputed for anticancer activities in most parts of Nigeria. Our previous study on the anticancer evaluation of the extract and fractions of the plant on breast (MCF-7) and lung (NCI-H460) cell lines, revealed a higher sensitivity of the Chloroform (CHCl3) -fraction against the cell lines. The present study involved...

Digas colic drops (DCD-684) a polyherbal formulation containing Carum carvi, Foeniculum vulgare, Mentha arvensis, Mentha piperita and Zingiber officinale is widely used in Pakistan against gastrointestinal ailments including infantile colic. The DCD-684 (0.03-3ml/kg.bw) administered orally in acute (7-days) and sub-acute toxicity (14-days) tests, d...

The effect of Unani coded polyherbal formulations (Picolin) containing: 1) Cinnamomum verum (Bark), 2) Glycyrrhiza glabra (Root), 3) Linum usitatissimum (Seed) and 4) Vitex agnus castus (Seed) on the hormonal levels of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients (n=73) was determined. A randomized controlled multi-center trial was conducted on thre...

The in vivo hepatoprotective potential of methanolic extract of Ceasalpinia bonduc (CBLM) has been explored against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced acute liver injury in rats. Treatment of plant extract on CCl4 intoxicated liver significantly reduced the hepatoxicity, along with serum enzymes GPT and GOT. To explore the chemical constituents fr...

Digas colic drops (DCD-684) is a polyherbal formulation containing decoctions of five medicinal plants namely Carum carvi L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Mentha arvensis L., Mentha piperita L. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe. These plants have been extensively used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases including...

Background CYP2D6 is to be considered the most pronounced gene in pharmacegenetic field which is involved in metabolizing ~25% of all clinically used neuroleptic drugs and other antidepressants. We designed a study to evaluate differential expression of CYP2D6*4 and CYP2D6*10 variants which are very prevalent in Asian countries and exhibit variatio...

The increased survival rate of stroke patients has led to the higher incidences of post‐stroke depression. Carnosic acid has the ability to cross blood brain barrier with good neuro‐modulatory actions. Recently, inclined level of fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) in the postmortem brain of the depressed patients was noted. Therefore, in the present...

Memory loss is a complication of diabetes which requires new approaches to its treatment. Shengmai San (SMS) is a famous traditional Chinese formula containing Panax ginseng, Ophiopogon japonicas, and Schisandra chinensis, whereas Radix puerariae has many reported pharmacological uses. In this study the combination, as Jiawei SMS (J‐SMS) was screen...

The in vitro antiproliferative and antioxidant studies of the leaf extract and fractions of Conyza sumatrensis was investigated by applying the Sulforhodamine-B and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assays (DPPH-RSA) respectively. While the antiproliferative activity was carried out at 1-250 and 1-100 μg/ mL for the extract and fractions against breas...

Aims: The aim of the current study was to identify active compound(s) responsible for the antiproliferative effects of O. basilicum and explore their underlying mechanism/s. Background: Plants have been the source of medicines for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. Ocimum basilicum (Sweet Basil, Bobai Tulsi) has been used in the...

Objectives: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Mill. I.M.Johnst. is a medicinal plant widely used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Materials and methods: The effects of methanol extracts of the leaf, stem, and root barks were evaluated on breast (MCF-7) and lung (NCI-H460) cancer cells at 1-250 μg/mL using the SRB assay an...

Tagetes patula is used to treat cancer patients in alternative healthcare systems. However, its cytotoxic and genotoxic effects have not been reported. Therefore, themethanol extract of T. patula flower, the ethyl acetate fraction, and the pure compound patuletin were evaluatedusing the Allium test.The methanol extract and fraction contained ~3% an...

The sedentary lifestyle is responsible for the high prevalence of diabetes which also impairs cognition including learning and memory. Various studies have highlighted the learning and memory impairments in rodent models but data regarding the timeline of their development and their correlation to biochemical parameters are scarce. So, the present...

Background: Endophytic fungi are receiving attention as sources of structurally novel bioactive secondary metabolites towards drug discovery from natural products. This study reports the isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites from an endophytic fungus Aspergillus nidulans, associated with Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn., a plant wh...

Objectives: In the last few decades, therapeutic uses of medicinal compounds present in food as a normal constituent has risen substantially, largely because of their fewer side effects and adequate efficacy. This study is designed to investigate a role of brain serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in the potential nootropic, anxiolytic, and other b...

The study was aimed at evaluating various biological actions of widely consumed Areca catechu nut. The nut's ethanolic extract exhibited cytotoxicity (lung cancer cell line), embryotoxicity (chick embryo), phytotoxicity (Lemna minor), insecticidal (Rhyzopertha Dominica), anti-bacterial (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), anti-fungal (Microsporum canis) and m...

The current study examined the cytotoxic activity of chloroform flowers extracts of five Ixora species Linn. (Rubiaceae). An in-vitro growth inhibition and cytotoxic effect were demonstrated against three different human cancer cell lines named as, uterine cervical (HeLa), lung (NCI H-460) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines. Among different color...

Bioassay guided fractionation of the cytotoxic extract of the plant Cuscuta reflexa, employing cytotoxic assay against a panel of 60 cell lines, led to the isolation of 13 compounds identified as odoroside H (1), 21-hydroxyodoroside H (2), neritaloside (3), strospeside (4), 16-β-hydroxydigitoxin (5), N-trans and cis feruloyl tyramines (6 and 7), et...

Background: Illicium verum Hook. f. (Star anise) has been traditionally used for the treatment of abdominal colic, vomiting, pain, nervousness, insomnia and rheumatism. Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of Illicium verum extracts. Methods: Different extracts of I. verum (IV-Ext-1, IV-Ext-3 an...

Background Nerium oleander extract preparations have been used in the Arab folkmedicine for the treatment of solid tumors. Objective In the current investigation, bioassay-guided fractionation of N. oleander stem methanolic extract was performed to identify the active compound(s) responsible for its antiproliferative activity and the mechanism of...

Recently, considerable attention has been paid to drug exploration from natural sources for treating memory loss, a major manifestation of various neurodegenerative diseases. Increasing evidences implicate brain serotonin metabolism in learning and memory, supporting the notion that targeting 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) and its receptors would be be...

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in developing countries including Pakistan. This study was designed to assess the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms, monoamines and their metabolite levels, MAO-B activities before and after treatment with antidepressants in a subset of Karachi population in Pakistan. Drug naive depr...

The cytotoxicty of Alpinia calcarata rhizome and leaf extracts, fractions and essential oils were evaluated in vitro against human lung NCI-H460 and cervical HeLa cancer cell lines using sulphorhodamine-B assay. Although an array of bioactivities of A. calcarata rhizome have been reported previously, no attempt has been made to study the cytotoxici...

The clerodane diterpenoids 16-oxo-cleroda-3, 13(14) E-diene-15 oic acid (1) and kolavenic acid (2) isolated from Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula (Linn.) were previously reported for their antimicrobial activity. Thus present study was designed to investigate the biofilm inhibiting potential of these diterpenoids (1-2) and five new lactone deriva...

Brown seaweeds exhibit several health benefits in treating and managing wide array of ailments. In this study, the antidepressant-like effect of methaolic extracts from Sargassum swartzii (SS), Stoechospermum marginatum (SM), and Nizamuddinia zanardinii (NZ) was examined in forced swimming test (FST), in rats. Oral administration of SS, SM, and NZ...

Several Euphorbia species have been used in folklore as cancer remedies, however, scientific studies on the cytotoxicity (in vitro studies) of Euphorbia caducifolia are lacking. In present study, anticancer potential of E. caducifolia aerial parts ethanol extract and its fractions were evaluated against human lung (NCI-H460), breast (MCF-7), prosta...

Background: Recent studies show that together with serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT), leptin also plays an important role in the etiology of depression. Tryptophan increases brain 5-HT but the effects of tryptophan on leptin and responses to stress are not known. Objective: To evaluate the effect of tryptophan load (300mg/kg, orally) on seroto...

Cuscuta reflexa (Convolvulaceae), is commonly known as amarbel or akashbel. In Bangladesh and Nepal some of the tribes use C. reflexa against edema, body ache, cancer, skin infections and liver disorders. Despite its traditional uses there is no information regarding genotoxic effects of either the plant extract or its pure compounds. Methanolic ex...

Research in the area of herbal psychopharmacology has increased considerably over the past few decades in search of panacea for neuroprotection. Seaweeds are one of the herbal sources consumed in many Asian countries as medicine due to their remarkable bioprospecting properties and evident health benefits. Keeping in view the bioactive potential of...

The Areca catechu nut has a long history of consumption throughout the world, especially in South East Asia. It is estimated to be consumed by 20% of the global population. This figure is on the rise due to migration of native users to developed countries. The literature reveals that areca nut consumption is linked to the dependency syndrome and ex...

Research in the area of herbal psychopharmacology has increased considerably over the past few decades in search of panacea for neuroprotection. Seaweeds are one of the herbal sources consumed in many Asian countries as medicine due to their remarkable bioprospecting properties and evident health benefits. Keeping in view the bioactive potential of...

Opuntia dillenii (Nagphana) traditionally used against inflammation and also possess analgesic effect. Thus in the present study analgesic properties of O. dillenii cladode methanol extract, its fractions obtained via vacuum liquid chromatography along with isolated α-pyrones, opuntiol and its glucoside, opuntioside were analyzed. The acetic acid-i...

Ethanopharmacological relevance: Opuntia dillenii Haw (Nagphana) traditionally used against inflammation. The present study addressed the anti-inflammatory activity of O. dillenii derived methanol extract, fractions and pure compounds and their underlying mechanism of action. Materials and methods: O. dillenii cladode methanol extract was subjec...

Presented in 14th National and 5th International Conference of Botany

Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse, Volume 3: General Processes and Mechanisms, Prescription Medications, Caffeine and Areca, Polydrug Misuse, Emerging Addictions and Non-Drug Addictions is the third of three volumes in this informative series and offers a comprehensive examination of the adverse consequences of the most common...

A po lyherb alLinku s cough syru p is popularly used against various respiratory ailments, however there is no information regarding its genotoxicity. Thus, Linkus extract (1 and 5 g /kg) was administered orally to Wistar rats (n=9-12)for 3, 7 and 14 consecutive days with 24h intervals. Negative and positive control animals received water orcycloph...

The important question, does bromine atom free radical, Br·, undergo a chemical reaction with a substrate before it dimerizes to dibromine Br2, is investigated through electrochemical oxidation of bromide ion Br−. Cyclic voltammetry and spectrophotometry were used as electro-oxidation and monitoring devices. Simulation of cyclic voltammogram was us...

Halloysite is a clay mineral with chemical similarity to kaolin, a pharmaceutical ingredient. It consists of mainly aluminosilicate nanotubular particles in the size range of ∼200-1000nm. Many studies have tried to empirically explore this novel clay for its potential in drug delivery systems but no work has yet studied its cytotoxicity from the pe...

In the present study, the mechanism(s) of synergistic interaction of various platelet mediators such as arachidonic acid (AA) when combined with 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) or adenosine diphosphate (ADP) on human platelet aggregation were examined. The results demonstrated that 5-HT had no or negligible effect on aggregation but it did potentiate th...

Extracts, fractions and gastrointestinal‐resistant protein hydrolysates (GRPH) from rice bran (RB) of four Sri Lankan traditional varieties were studied for growth inhibition (GI) and cytotoxicity against human lung cancer (NCI‐H460), cervical cancer (HeLa) cell lines and effect on glutathione S‐transferase (GST) in vitro. RB extracts showed signif...

Objective: To investigate the anticancer and antioxidant potential of methanol bark extract of Ziziphus mauritiana (Z. mauritiana), which is used by traditional healers to cure some cases of cancer in Cameroon. Methods: The methanol crude extract of Z. mauritiana has the antiproliferative activity on four cancer cell lines and its antioxidant activ...

Context: Tagetes patula Linn. (Asteraceae) (French Marigold) flowers are used by local practitioners for cancer treatment; however, it lacks scientific justification. Objective: Identification of bioactive compounds in T. patula flower for cytotoxic and growth inhibition in human cancer cell lines along with its antioxidant properties using chem...

Objective: Chronic inflammation is a result of long lasting of acute inflammation, if not treated or resolved, this condition is a cause of many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Aegiceras corniculatum a mangrove plant has been using for many years for the treatment of many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like atherosclerosis, rheumatoid a...

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which monocytes migrate into the arterial wall in response to Monocytes Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) and causes LDL oxidation via NADPH oxidase leading to atherosclerotic plaque formation. We discovered two intracellular signal transducing phospholipases (PLA2), calcium independent iPLA2 and...

Cytokines are signaling proteins including chemokines, interleukins, interferons, lymphokines and tumor necrosis factor that induce immune-based inflammatory responses. Elevated levels of cytokines provoke a broad range of cellular and physiological response and inflammation. Opuntia dilleni (KER-GAW) HAW belongs to genus Opuntia (Fam. Cactaceae) a...

Objective: To obtain a scientific basis of the use of plant-derived preparations by many rural people in Cameroon, for their primary health care needs in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. Methods: The antiproliferative effect of 11 plants methanol crude extracts on four cancer cells using sulforhodamine-B assay and their antioxidant acti...

In a previous study, we evaluated the maternal and fetal safety of antimalarial herb Artemisia annua with artemisinin yield of 1.09%. Here, we attempted to ascertain the contraceptive claim of A. annua. Sexually matured female Wistar rats (180–220 g) were allotted into four study groups of six rats each. The control group received normal saline, wh...

Introduction: This study was primarily designed to investigate the antioxidant, immunomodulatory and mitogenic properties of acacia honey. Materials and Methods: The antioxidant and immunomodulatory potential was evaluated by luminoland lucigenin-amplified chemiluminescence assays, whereas the mitogenic potential was evaluated using cytochalasin B-...

The chemoprevention of chemically-induced hepatotoxicity is a crucial means of minimizing susceptibility to hepatic carcinogenesis and plants remain a rich source of anti-hepatotoxicants with antioxidant properties. The protective role of defatted-methanol (MECF) and ethyl acetate fractions (EF), obtained from Leaves of Cnestis ferruginea in rats i...

The current study was aimed at investigating the effect of Areca catechu nut dichloromethane fraction (7 mg/kg) on monoamines (serotonin and dopamine) modulation (5-hydroxytryptophan-induced tremors and phenylethylamine-induced stereotypes) and its interaction with tyramine (cheese effect). The dichloromethane fraction caused pronounced increase in...

ABSTRACT Panicum maximum.Jacq (Poacace), a perennial grass used widely as fodder and medicine to treat various ailment and diseases was evaluated Cytotoxic/anticancer, immunomodulatory and antinfective properties of leaf extract and fractions of Panicum maximum. The leaf extract and fractions of Panicum maximum were investigated for anticancer act...

The genus Morinda is pan tropical in its distribution with about 80 species. This genus includes trees, shrubs and vines. In the Western Pacific region, vines are most common while the trees are only a few, including Morinda citrifolia which typically have "vine-like" characteristics of their branches and stems [1,2]. The tree belongs to the family...

Introduction: Antioxidants of natural origin are of great health benefi ts in the prevention and treatment of various diseases associated with reactive oxygen species. This investigation was aimed to evaluate the cellular antioxidant, cytotoxic and antileishmanial activities of Hippocratea africana (Willd.) Loes. ex Engl. (family-Celastraceae) syn....

Plant Biotransformation is one of the tools for structural modifications of the organic substrate of low, moderate or high biological value utilizing plant cultured cells, these modifications of organic structures may lead to biologically augmented products and which may be ultimately substantial in cure or improvement of various morbidities and di...

The root extract and fractions of Croton zambesicus were investigated for anticancer activity against HeLa cells, DNA interaction, immunomodulatory and antileishmanial activities. The GCMS analysis of the most active fraction against HeLa cell was carried. The root extract was found to exert significant anticancer activity with the hexane fraction...

Twenty-one novel urea derivatives were synthesized and their structures characterized by mass, NMR, IR, and UV spectroscopy. These compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative profile against human PC-3 (prostate) and NCI-H460 (lung) cancer cell lines. Among them, compound 21 N-(3-nitrophenyl)-N′-(1-phenylethyl)urea was found to be active a...

Apart from their nutritional properties, foods are basically health promoting or disease preventing. Typical example of such type of foods is honey. Sodium arsenite has been implicated in covalent interactions with the thiol groups in proteins, thereby affecting their structure–function relationship. This study was undertaken to investigate on the...

Context: Homalium letestui Pellegr (Flacourtiaceae) is used in various decoctions traditionally by the Ibibios of the Niger Delta of Nigeria to treat stomach ulcer, malaria and other inflammatory diseases, as well as an aphrodisiac. Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the stem extract of the plant....

Artemisia annua is a Chinese antimalarial herb that has been used for more than 2000 years. The maternal and foetal safety of the ethanolic leaf extract of therapeutically active Artemisia annua (EAA), with previously determined artemisinin yield of 1.098% was evaluated in Wistar rats. Twenty pregnant rats, divided into four study groups of saline...

In this research work seventeen urea derivatives, including five new derivatives N-mesityl-N'-(3-methylphenyl)urea (2), N-(3-methoxyphenyl)-N'-(3-methylphenyl)urea (4), N-mesityl-N'-(4-methylphenyl)urea (6), N-(1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-N'-(3-methylphenyl)urea (9) and N-(2-methylphenyl)-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinecarboxamide (15) have synthesized by reacting...

Artemisia annua is widely used for the treatment of malaria and other disorders. In a previous study, the artemisinin concentration in the dry leaves of A. annua grown under humid tropical conditions was determined to be 1.098% using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. In the current study, biochemical and haematological evaluati...

Hypericum (H.) perforatum, popularly called St. John's Wort has been used traditionally for the treatment of anxiety, depression and as a nerve tonic. Large amount of clinical and animal experimental data demonstrate that H. perforatum acts by biochemical mechanisms similar to the tricyclic antidepressants or serotonin reuptake inhibitors. However,...

Context: Hippocratea africana (Willd.) Loes. ex Engl. (Celastraceae) root is used traditionally as an antipoison or antidote to treat liver diseases. Objective: To evaluate antioxidative burst and hepatoprotective potentials of H. africana against paracetamol-induced liver injury in rats. Materials and method: Antioxidative burst activity of t...

Azadirachta indica cell suspension culture is used to metabolize dianabol to yield potent anticarcinogenic 17β-hydroxy-17α-methyl-5α-androst-1-en-3-one, which can also be synthesized.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. We investigated the molecular mechanism of antiproliferation potential of Acacia honey on NCI-H460 cells by cell cycle, viability, cytokines, calcium ion and gene expression analysis. Acacia honey inhibited cells proliferation, arrested G0/G1 phase, stimulated cytokines, calcium ion relea...

The leaf extract and fractions of Lasianthera africana were investigated for immunomodulatory activity of the in whole blood, neutrophils and macrophages using luminol/lucigenin-based chemiluminescence assay. The extract and fractions were similarly screened for antileishmanial activity against promastigotes of Leishmania major in vitro. GCMS analy...

Objective To investigate the effects of fractionation of acacia honey on its antioxidant potential in contrast with the pure honey from whole blood, brain and liver in vitro.Methods Honey was partitioned into three fractions (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and aqueous). Their immuno-modulatory effect on whole blood was assayed using Luminol-amplifi...

The seed extract of Telfairia occidentalis used for nutritional purposes was investigated for anticancer activity against HeLa cells using SRB method and DNA interaction activity using gel electrophoresis. Antioxidative burst activity of the extract in whole blood, neutrophils and macrophages was also investigated using luminol/lucigeninbased chemi...

Objective: Homalium letestui Pellegr (Flacourtiaceae) is used in traditional medicine in parts of Nigeria for the treatment of malaria, ulcer, and inflammatory diseases and as an aphrodisiac. This investigation was aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic, immunomodulatory, and antileishmanial properties of stem extract and fractions of Homalium letestui (H...

Bioassay-guided isolation studies on the methanolic extract of the leaves of Bombax ceiba employing DPPH antioxidant assay led to the isolation of a new xanthone C-glucoside, shamimoside (2), along with three known constituents, mangiferin (1), stigma-5-en-3-O--glucoside, and -amyrin. The structure of shamimoside has been elucidated through exten...

Bioassay-guided isolation studies on the methanolic extract of the leaves of Bombax ceiba employing DPPH antioxidant assay led to the isolation of a new xanthone C-glucoside, shamimoside (2), along with three known constituents, mangiferin (1), stigma-5-en-3-O-β-glucoside, and β-amyrin. The structure of shamimoside has been elucidated through exten...

Introduction: Natural products from plants have been of great importance in the treatment of various disease conditions especially those involving reactive oxygen species. This study was aimed to investigate the cytotoxic, immunomodulatory and antileishmanial properties of stembark extract and fractions of Mammea africana sabine (Guttiferae) (syn....

To demonstrate the calcium antagonistic property of ethanol extract of Bacopa monniera in guinea-pig trachea. The dose response curves of CaCl(2) (1 × 10(-5) to 1 × 10(-1) M) were constructed in the absence and presence of ethanol extract of Bacopa monniera (100, 500 and 700 μg/ml) or nifedipine (1 × 10(-6) M) in guinea-pig trachea in calcium free...

Cytotoxic, antioxidative burst and antileishmanial properties of leaf extract and fractions of Setaria megaphylla were investigated to ascertain the folkloric claims of its potency in inflammatory diseases and infections. The leaf extract and fractions of Setaria megaphylla were investigated for anticancer activity against HeLa cells using SRB meth...

A series of fourteen (14) N-nitrophenyl-N'-(alkyl/aryl)urea and symmetrical 1,3-disubstituted urea derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antidepressant activity in mice. Among them, N-(4-nitrophenyl)-N'-(1'-phenylethyl)urea (1), demonstrated profound antidepressant property as reflected by significant reduction in the immobility time...

The current study was aimed at comparing the behavioral and biochemical (5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels) effects of monoamine reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine, venlafaxine and imipramine) in sub-chronically forced swim stressed rats. At the given doses of 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg, among aforesaid antidepressants, the imipramine...