ChapterPDF Available

Role of Emblica officinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease

Authors:

Abstract

Emblica officinalis (L.) is popularly known as Indian gooseberry. The species is native to India and also grows in tropical and subtropical regions. Traditionally, the fruit is useful as astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, laxative, livertonic, refrigerant, stomachic, restorative, alterative, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, hair tonic, and digestive medicine. It is one of the constituents of the famous ayurvedic preparation, triphala, which is prescribed in many digestive disorders. It mainly contains vitamin C which is responsible for its antioxidant activity; other compounds include emblicanins A and B, gallic acid, and geraniin. Different parts and formulations of E. officinalis are used in different types of skin disorders, i.e., scabies, dry skin, and wrinkled skin. E. officinalis has strong skin photo-protective effects through its ability to quench reactive oxygen species generated by UVB irradiation due to antioxidant activity related to UV protection. Amla has potential mitigative, therapeutic, and cosmetic applications. Toxicological studies have shown it to be safe and nontoxic.
439
R.R. Watson and S. Zibadi (eds.), Bioactive Dietary Factors and Plant Extracts in Dermatology,
Nutrition and Health, DOI 10.1007/978-1-62703-167-7_40, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
A. A. Zanwar
Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University ,
Medical college campus, Off satara road , Dhankawadi, Pune 411 043 , Maharashtra , India
e-mail: anandzanwar@rediffmail.com; anandzanwar10@gmail.com
S. L. Badole, M.Pharm., Ph.D. (Pharmacology) (*)
Department of Pharmacology , PE Society’s Modern College of Pharmacy ,
Sector 21, Yamuna Nagar , Nigadi, Pune , Maharashtra , India 411044
e-mail: sachinbadole@rediffmail.com; sachinbadole8880@gmail.com
R. Saini
Molecular Biology Laboratory , Center of Hematology and Hemotherapy-HEMOCENTRO,
University of Campinas (UNICAMP) , Rua Carlos Chagas, 480 , Campinas , Sao Paulo , Brazil
e-mail: dr.rashmisaini@gmail.com
Key Points
Phyllanthus emblica Linn. syn. Emblica of fi cinalis Gaertn. belonging to Euphorbiaceae family.
The species is native to India and also grows in tropical and subtropical regions.
E. of fi cinalis mainly contains vitamin C which is responsible for its antioxidant activity.
E. of fi cinalis have been used in traditional medicine to treat broad-spectrum disorders.
Toxicological studies have shown it to be safe and nontoxic.
Keywords Amla Antioxidant activity Emblica of fi cinalis Indian gooseberry Phyllanthus emblica
Introduction
Indian gooseberry or Emblica of fi cinalis enjoys a hallowed position in Ayurveda—an Indian indigenous
system of medicine. According to the belief in ancient Indian mythology, it is the rst tree to be
created in the universe [ 1 ] . The species is native to India and also grows in tropical and subtropical
regions. Indian gooseberry is a medium-sized tree, the fruit of which is used in many ayurvedic prepa-
rations from time immemorial. The parts of Emblica of fi cinalis ( E. of fi cinalis ) such as leaf, roots, stem,
fruit, ower, and bark have been used in traditional medicine to treat broad-spectrum disorders [ 2 ] .
Chapter 40
Role of Emblica of fi cinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
Anand A. Zanwar , Sachin L. Badole, and Rashmi Saini
440 A.A. Zanwar et al.
Botanical Descriptions
Synonym : Phyllanthus emblica Linn.
Family : Euphorbiaceae
Habitat : Native to tropical Southeast Asia; distributed throughout India.
English : Emblic, Indian gooseberry
Ayurvedic : Aaamalaki, aaamalaka, dhaatri, kaayasthaa, amoghaa, amritaphala, amla, aaamalaa,
dhaatriphala, Vayasyaa, vrshya, shiva, hattha
Unani : Aamalaa, amlaj
Siddha/Tamil : Nellikkaai, nelli
Distribution : Tropical and subtropical countries
It owers during March–April and has an extended fruiting period from October to March. The
feathery leaves are linear-oblong, with a rounded base and obtuse or acute apex. Leaves are simple,
many sub-sessile, closely set along the branchlets, distichously light green having the appearance of
pinnate leaves [ 2 ] . Leaves measure about 1.8 × 0.5 cm which are closely set in pinnate fashion, making
the branches feathery in general appearance. Bark is thick (12 mm), shining grayish brown or grayish
green. The fruits are yellowish green (Fig. 40.1 : Photograph of E. of fi cinalis fruit), fl eshy, globose,
and shining and changed to light yellow or red-brick when mature. The average yield of wild trees
growing in the forests is 23.5 kg.
Cultivation and Collection
Indian gooseberry is quite hardy and it prefers a warm dry climate. It needs good sunlight and rainfall.
It can be grown in almost all types of soils, except very sandy type. The seeds are enclosed in a hard
seed coat which renders the germination dif cult. Seeds are soaked in water for 3–4 h and sown
on previously prepared seed beds and irrigated. Excess irrigation and water logging are harmful.
One-month-old seedlings can be transplanted to polythene bags and 1-year-old seedlings can be
planted in the main eld with the onset of monsoon. Pits of size 50 cm
3 are dug at 6–8 m spacing and
lled with a mixture of top soil and well-rotten planting is done. Irrigation and weeding are required
during the rst year. Application of organic manure and mulching every year are highly bene cial.
Fruit yield ranges from 30 to 50 kg/tree/year when fully grown [ 2 ] .
Fig. 40.1 Photograph of
Emblica of fi cinalis fruit,
eshy, globose, and shining
and changed to light yellow
or red-brick when mature
441
40 Role of Emblica officinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
The fruiting season is exceptionally long. The fruit in this area becomes t for harvesting in
December. They can be retained on the tree up to March without any signi cant loss in quality or yield.
The picking of fruits is generally done by the villagers in February and March. Indian gooseberry is
being cultivated on a large scale due to increase in demand.
Pharmacology and Phytochemistry of E. of fi cinalis
Traditionally, the fruit is useful as astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, laxative, liver tonic, refrigerant,
stomachic, restorative, antipyretic, anti-in ammatory, hair tonic, and digestive medicine. It is used for
a variety of ailments such as anemia, hyperacidity, diarrhea, eye in ammation, anomalies of urine,
leucorrhea, jaundice, nervine debility, liver complaints, and cough [ 3 ] . The taste of Indian gooseberry
is sour, bitter, astringent, and is quite brous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt
water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable.
Seeds contain xed oil, phosphatides, and a small quantity of essential oil. The xed oil yields about
16% and has the following physical and chemical characteristics: acid value 12.7; saponi cation value
185; iodine value 139.5; acetyl value 2.03; unsaponi able matter 3.81%; sterol 2.70%; and saturated
fatty acid 7% [ 1 ] .
The E. of fi cinalis fruits are not good for fresh consumption because of astringency and acidic taste.
These fruits are used in huge quantities for making pickles and preserves, both in the villages and in
the towns. They are offered for sale in the towns for this purpose. The Indian gooseberry-fruits are
dried for making triphala. They are also used as a principal ingredient in making another famous
ayurvedic tonic, chyavanprash [ 2 ] .
The norsesquiterpenoid glycosides isolated from roots of Phyllanthus emblica include
4 ¢ -hydroxyphyllaemblicin B, phyllaemblicins E and F, phyllaemblic acid, phyllaemblicin B, and
phyllaemblicin C [ 4 ] .
There are different types of compounds which are responsible for antioxidant activity of
E. of fi cinalis. Emblica fruit contains vitamin C (478.56 mg/100 ml), and emblicanins A and B. The
medicinally important compounds such as ellagic acid, gallic acid, tannins, methyl gallate, corilagin,
furosin and geraniin were isolated from ethyl acetate extract of E. of fi cinalis and the potency of nitric
oxide scavenging activity was found to be in following manner: geraniin > corilagin > furosin > gallic
acid > methyl gallate [ 5 ] .
The total antioxidant capacity in terms of the ascorbic acid equivalents by cyclic voltammeter is
94 mg/g of E. of fi cinalis extract and total reactivity is 6.23 ± 0.15 × 10
−3 s −1 with diammonium salt
method [ 6 ] .
In the study of effect of E. of fi cinalis extract on lipid pro les and oxidative stress in the aging pro-
cess, the oral administration of ethyl acetate extract of E. of fi cinalis for 100 days to aged rats par-
tially prevented age-related increases in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the serum and liver. Oral
administration of E. of fi cinalis signi cantly inhibited the serum and hepatic mitochondrial thiobarbi-
turic acid-reactive substance levels in aged rats. These results indicate that E. of fi cinalis may prevent
age-related hyperlipidemia through attenuating oxidative stress in the aging process [ 7 ] .
E. of fi cinalis extracts on mature human osteoclasts suggest the possible use of this medicinal plant
as therapeutic tools against different forms of arthritis and osteoporosis, improving the activity of
already employed drugs [ 8 ] . E. of fi cinalis have antidiabetic and hypotriglyceridemic activity, do not
show any toxic effects, and improve liver function by normalizing the activity of liver-speci c enzyme
alanine transaminase [ 9 ] .
E. of fi cinalis can be used as an alternative/adjuvant drug in preventing and treating the extra pyra-
midal side effects of antipsychotic agents in clinical practice. It was shown that in addition to vitamin C,
other polyphenols like tannins and gallic acid may contribute to its effectiveness to reduce oxidative
stress and catalepsy [ 10 ] .
442 A.A. Zanwar et al.
Antibiotic activity against a wide variety of microorganisms—pathogenic and nonpathogenic
gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeast, and fungi—was also noted with fruits of
E. of fi cinalis [ 11 ] .
The administration of ethyl acetate extract of E. of fi cinalis reduced the elevated levels of serum
creatinine and urea nitrogen in the aged rats. In addition, the tail arterial blood pressure was markedly
elevated in aged control rats as compared with young rats, while the systolic blood pressure was
signi cantly decreased and signi cantly reduced thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels of
serum, renal homogenate, and mitochondria in aged rats. These results indicate that E. of fi cinalis is an
antioxidant for the prevention of age-related renal disease [ 12 ] .
Role of E. of fi cinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
Mitochondrial activity of human skin broblasts was measured by 2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3-
(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2 H -tetrazolium (WST-8) assay for evaluation of cell prolifera-
tion. When broblasts were incubated with various concentrations (0–40 g/mL) of amla extract
(prepared by solvent extraction) for 48 h, elevation in the mitochondrial activity in a concentration-
dependent manner was observed. Amla extract when added to broblast culture media at varying
concentrations (0–40 mg/mL) and subjected to incubation for 48 h or to time course test (0, 24 and
48 h) at 20 mg/mL, the result indicated concentration-dependent manner effect of amla extract on
procollagen type I C-peptide production by human skin broblasts in culture. Also procollagen type I
C-peptide signi cantly increased by 36% at 20 mg/mL and by 17% at 40 mg/mL, as compared with the
non-treated control cells. In case of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), marked reduction was
observed in MMP-1 production in a dose-dependant manner as compared with the non-treated control
cells. On the other hand, MMP-2 levels did not change and hence amla extract has a number of poten-
tial cosmetic applications [ 13 ] .
Different types of formulations of E. of fi cinalis are used in different types of skin disorders treated
as per survey Assamese people in India. The extracted juice of E. of fi cinalis is mixed with sugar and
the mixture is orally taken for scabies. The fruits are orally taken for dry skin. The paste is applied
directly on the skin. The extracted juice is used for taking bath for wrinkled skin. The fruit and
Curcuma longa are together crushed and the juice produced is orally taken for measles. The juice
extracted from the fruit is mixed with citrus lemon juice and hot water. The obtained product is used
for washing the hairs in pediculosis [ 14 ] .
E. of fi cinalis enhances the broblast proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner and also
exhibits a highly signi cant photo-protective effect against UVB-induced cytotoxicity, thereby
suggestive of strong skin protective ability. E. of fi cinalis pretreatment signi cantly protects against
this loss in cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. E. of fi cinalis possess the potential
inhibitory effect on intracellular oxidative damage induced by UVB irradiation. The antioxidant
activities were associated with the improved cell viability which is due to increased cellular levels of
ROS lead to cellular damage and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the use
of antioxidants, protecting the cells from such cellular damage has been a good strategy for development
of photo-protective agents of cosmetic interests. E. of fi cinalis has also shown strong skin photo- protective
effects through its ability to quench ROS generated by UVB irradiation and thus preventing DNA
damage which is due to antioxidant activity related to UV protection (antiphoto-aging). E. of fi cinalis
has strong anti-hyaluronidase activity which suggests the increased hyaluronic acid, and is highly
bene cial for prevention of premature skin aging, i.e., wrinkle formation [ 15 ] .
443
40 Role of Emblica officinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
Toxicity
Acute oral toxicity with PartySmart (containing E. of fi cinalis ) revealed that the LD
50 was greater than
2,000 mg/kg body weight. Repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity with PartySmart (1,000 mg/kg body
weight) revealed no clinical signs and preterminal deaths were observed. Body weights of male and
female rats in the PartySmart-treated groups were comparable with the control group. No change in
food intake was observed. Hematological and biochemical parameters were within normal range in all
the drug-treated groups. No gross abnormalities attributing to the drug toxicity were noticed in any
of the treated groups. There was no signi cant difference in the organ weight pro le of the animals in
the treated groups as compared to control. Histopathological examination of all target organs showed
no evidence of lesions attributing to drug toxicity. Repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity with PartySmart
revealed no adverse effect on the parameters evaluated, thereby indicating that PartySmart is devoid
of adverse effects with the doses employed [
16 ] .
In sub-acute toxicity study of Kalpaamruthaa (a modi ed indigenous formulation containing
E. of fi cinalis ) for 30 days revealed no toxicity up to a dose level of 500 mg/kg, body weight did not
cause any changes in biochemical and hematological changes, but transient rise in hemoglobin, leu-
kocyte count, free fatty acid, plasma, and urine creatinine and signi cant decrease in blood glucose,
triglyceride, and phospolipid level were observed [ 17 ] .
References
1. Khan KH. Roles of Emblica of fi cinalis in medicine: a review. Bot Res Int. 2009;2:218–28.
2. Joy PP, Thomas J, Mathew S, Skaria BP. Medicinal plants. In: Bose TK, Das KP, Joy PP, editors. Tropical horticulture,
vol. 2. Calcutta: Naya Prokash; 2001. p. 449–632.
3. Majeed M, Bhat B, Jadhav AN, Srivastava JS, Nagabhushanam K. Ascorbic acid and tannins from Emblica
of fi cinalis gaertn. Fruits a revisit. J Agric Food Chem. 2009;57:220–5.
4. Liu Q, Wang YF, Chen RJ, Zhang MY, Wang YF, Yang CR, Zhang YJ. Anti-coxsackie virus B3 norsesquiterpe-
noids from the roots of Phyllanthus emblica . J Nat Prod. 2009;72:969–72.
5. Kumaran A, Karunakaran RJ. Nitric oxide radical scavenging active components from Phyllanthus emblica L. Plant
Foods Hum Nutr. 2006;61:1–5.
6. Khopde SM, Priyadarsini KI, Mohan H, Gawandi VB, Satav JG, Yakhmi JV, Banavaliker MM, Biyani MK, Mittal
JP. Characterizing the antioxidant activity of Emblica of cinalis (Phyllanthus emblica ) extract. Curr Sci.
2003;84:1515–8.
7. Yokozawa T, Kim HY, Hyun JK, Okubo T, Chu DC, Juneja LJ. E. of fi cinalis ( Emblica of fi cinalis Gaertn.) prevents
dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress in the ageing process. Br J Nutr. 2007;97:1187–95.
8. Penolazzi L, Lampronti I, Borgatti M, Khan MTH, Zennaro M, Piva R, Gambari G. Induction of apoptosis of
human primary osteoclasts treated with extracts from the medicinal plant Emblica of fi cinalis . BMC Complement
Altern Med. 2008;8:59.
9. Qureshi SA, Warda A, Sultana V. The Effect of Phyllantus emblica Linn. on type-II diabetes, triglycerides and
liver-speci c enzyme. Pak J Nutr. 2009;8:125–8.
10. Mythilypriya R, Pemminati S, Nair V, Dorababu P, Gopalakrishna HN, Mrsm P. Effect of aqueous fruit extract of
Emblica of fi cinalis on haloperidol induced catalepsy in albino mice. JCDR. 2009;3:1657–62.
11. Ray PG, Majumdar SK. Antimicrobial activity of some Indian plants. Econ Bot. 1976;30:317–20.
12. Yokozawa T, Kim HY, Kim HJ, Tanaka T, Sugino H, Okubo T, Chu DC, Juneja LR. Amla ( Emblica of fi cinalis
Gaertn.) attenuates age-related renal dysfunction by oxidative stress. J Agric Food Chem. 2007;55:7744–52.
13. Fujii T, Wakaizumi M, Ikami T, Saito M. Amla ( Emblica of fi cinalis Gaertn.) extract promotes procollagen production
and inhibits matrix metalloproteinase-1 in human skin broblasts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;119:53–7.
14. Saikia AP, Ryakala VK, Sharma P, Goswami P, Bora U. Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by assamese people
for various skin ailments and cosmetics. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006;106:149–57.
15. Adil MD, Kaiser P, Satti NK, Zargar AM, Vishwakarma RA, Tasduq SA. Effect of Emblica of fi cinalis (fruit)
against UVB-induced photo-aging in human skin broblasts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;132:109–14.
444 A.A. Zanwar et al.
16. Venkataranganna MV, Gopumadhavan S, Sundaram R, Peer G, Mitra SK. Pharmacodynamics and toxicological
pro le of PartySmart, a herbal preparation for alcohol hangover in Wistar rats. Indian J Med Res. 2008;127:
460–6.
17. Mythilypriya R, Shanthi P, Sachdanandam P. Oral acute and subacute toxicity studies with kalpaamruthaa, a
modi ed indigenous preparation, on rats. J Health Sci. 2007;53:351–8.
Article
Full-text available
Management of vitiligo through ayurveda
Article
Full-text available
Neuroleptic drugs used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other affective disorders are known to produce extrapyramidal side effects. Catalepsy was induced by these drugs in animals and these have been used as models for the extrapyramidal side effects associated with antipsychotic agents in human beings. In the present study, we have attempted to evaluate the protective effect of the aqueous extract of the fruits of Emblica officinalis (EO) on haloperidol (1.0mg/kg intraperitoneal administration) induced catalepsy in mice by employing the standard bar test. Mice were allocated to seven groups, each group containing six animals. The effects of the test drug EO (0.8, 2.0 and 4.0mg/kg doses) and the standard drugs scopolamine (1.0mg/kg) and ondansetron (0.5 and 1.0mg/kg doses) were assessed after single and repeated dose administration for seven days, 30 minutes prior to the haloperidol. Mice were sacrificed on the seventh day and super oxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the brain tissue was estimated by using the Beauchamp and Fridovich method. A significant (P<0.001) reduction in the cataleptic scores was observed in all the test drug treated groups as compared to the control, with maximum reduction in the dose 4.0mg/kg group. Similarly, the maximum reduction in SOD activity (P<0.01) was observed in the dose 4.0mg/kg group. Our study suggests that EO has significantly reduced oxidative stress and the cataleptic score induced by haloperidol. It could be used to prevent drug-induced extrapyramidal side effects.
Article
Full-text available
Emblica officinalis (Amla) are widely used in the Indian system of medicine and believed to increase defense against diseases. This article discuses and summarizes important medicinal values of Emblica officinalis (EO). In this communication, we reviewed the applications of EO in cancer, diabetis, liver treatment, heart disease, ulcer, anemia and various other diseases. The use of EO as antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antipyretic, analgesic, cytoprotective, antitussive and gastroprotective are also reviewed. Its applications for memory enhancing, ophthalmic disorders, lowering cholesterol level are focused. The effects of EO in neutralizing snake venom and as an antimicrobial are also included. This paper also review the retrospective studies on the Amla at molecular level.
Article
Full-text available
Amla is well-known for its rich vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and polyphenol contents. To assess its antioxidant activity, we examined aqueous amla extract for its ability to inhibit γ-radiation-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) in rat liver microsomes and superoxide dismutase (SOD) damage in rat liver mitochondria. For the LPO experiment, amla extract was added as its aqueous solution; and irradiation was carried out at different time intervals. The extent of LPO was measured in terms of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. It was observed that the amla extract acts as a very good antioxidant against γ-radiation-induced LPO. Similarly, it was found to inhibit the damage to antioxidant enzyme SOD. The antioxidant activity of the amla extract was found to be both dose- and concentration-dependent. The amount of ascorbic acid in amla was standardized by HPLC and titrimetric methods and was found to be 3.25 to 4.5% w/w. However in microsomes containing this composition of pure ascorbic acid alone, no inhibition in LPO was observed. Cyclic voltammetry of the amla extract was carried out to estimate the ascorbic acid equivalents, which was found to be 9.4% w/w of amla. This value was found to be in agreement when compared with the reactivity of both amla and ascorbic acid towards ABTS.- radical, a stable free-radical. Based on these results it is concluded that amla is a more potent antioxidant than vitamin C.
Article
Full-text available
Kalpaamruthaa (KA), a modified indigenous Siddha formulation constitutes Semecarpus anacardium nut milk extract, Emblica officinalis and honey. KA is evaluated for its behavioral and toxicological effects and also its consequence on biochemical and histological variations. Acute and subacute toxicity studies with KA were done on Wistar Albino rats. During acute toxicity study (72 hr), there were no any adverse effects found in the general behavior and mortality at any dose level given (50–2000 mg/kg b.wt.). In subacute toxicity study (30 days) KA (50, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.wt.) did not cause any changes in hematological and biochemical parameters with the exception of a transient rise in hemoglobin, leukocyte count, free fatty acid, plasma and urine creatinine and a significant decrease in blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels. The changes observed are significant only at the highest dosage of 500 mg/kg b.wt. Further, histopathological examination of vital organs showed normal architecture suggesting no morphological disturbances; it can be considered that KA is safe and non toxic.
Article
Full-text available
PartySmart is a herbal preparation intended for the management of alcohol hangover and other related toxic effects in clinical situation. The present study was designed to investigate the pharmacodynamics and oral toxicity of PartySmart, a herbal formulation in rats. Effect of PartySmart on blood acetaldehyde and alcohol levels was evaluated at doses of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg b.wt. in rats. Acute toxicity study was conducted with PartySmart at a limit test dose of 2000 mg/kg b.wt., p.o. In repeated dose 90 day study, PartySmart was administered at doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg b.wt. once-a-day, orally throughout the study period. PartySmart dose-dependently decreased blood ethanol and acetaldehyde levels as compared to control. PartySmart at a dose of 500 mg/kg b.wt. significantly reduced the area under curve (AUC) of ethanol and acetaldehyde levels. It increased the hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) at 500 mg/kg b.wt. and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg b.w. significantly. Acute toxicity study showed no clinical signs and pre-terminal deaths. The LD(50) of PartySmart was found to be greater than 2000 mg/kg b.wt. No significant differences in PartySmart-treated groups were observed on body weight, food intake, haematological and clinical chemistry, and organ weight ratios as compared to control group in the repeated dose study. Histopathological examination of all target organs showed no evidence of lesions attributing to drug toxicity. PartySmart enhanced acetaldehyde metabolism by increasing ADH and ALDH activity without any side effects. These findings indicate that PartySmart may exert beneficial role in the management of alcohol hangover without any toxicity.
Article
Full-text available
The effect of aqueous fruit extract of Phyllanthus emblica Linn was studied on type-II diabetes, triglycerides (TG) and liver-specific enzyme, alanine transaminase (ALT). Our study showed that aqueous fruit extract, in a dose of 200mg/kg body weight, significantly decreased the blood glucose level after its intra-peritoneal administration in alloxan-induced diabetic rats (p<0.05). Almost similar decreased in glucose level was also observed by chlorpropamide, a known antidiabetic drug in a dose of 84 mg/kg. The aqueous extract also induced hypotriglyceridemia by decreasing TG levels at 0, 1, 2 and 4 hours in diabetic rats (p<0.05). In addition, the extract was also found to improve liver function by normalizing the activity of liver-specific enzyme alanine transaminase (ALT).
Article
Antimicrobial activity of 105 Indian plant species was tested. Among them, 30 showed antibacterial activity; 20 of these exhibited antifungal action as well. Seeds ofCarum copticum, stem ofPinus longifolia, roots ofPlumbago zeylanica andSaussurea lappa, and rhizome ofAlpinia officinarum have considerable antifungal activity, especially against pathogenic fungi. Antibiotic activity against a wide variety of microorganisms—pathogenic and nonpathogenic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeast, and fungi—was also noted with leaves ofLawsonia inermis, roots ofPlumbago zeylanica, and fruits ofTamarindus indica,Terminalia belerica, andEmblica officinalis.
Article
Emblica officinalis fruit (EO), commonly known as Amla is a reputed traditional medicine and functional food used in Indian subcontinent. It has long been used in Indian folk medicine to treat liver diseases, stomach ulcers, inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, geriatric complaints, skin disorders and beauty care. Recently, it has been shown to promote pro-collagen content and inhibit matrix metalloproteinase levels in skin fibroblast. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of EO to inhibit UVB-induced photo-aging in human skin fibroblasts. Mitochondrial activity of human skin fibroblasts was measured by MTT-assay. Quantifications of pro-collagen 1 and matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) release were performed by immunoassay techniques. Hyaluronidase inhibition assay was studied in vitro using bovine testicular hyaluronidase and human umbilical cord hyaluronic acid. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flowcytometry using propidium iodide. EO stimulated, the otherwise UVB inhibited cellular proliferation and protected pro-collagen 1 against UVB-induced depletion via inhibition of UVB-induced MMP-1 in skin fibroblasts (10-40 μg/mL, p>0.001). EO exhibited inhibitory activity of hyaluronidase (10-40 μg/mL, p>0.001). Treatment with EO also prevented UVB disturbed cell cycle to normal phase. The results of the present study suggests that EO effectively inhibits UVB-induced photo-aging in human skin fibroblast via its strong ROS scavenging ability and its therapeutic and cosmetic applications remain to be explored.
Article
Three new norsesquiterpenoid glycosides, 4'-hydroxyphyllaemblicin B (1) and phyllaemblicins E (2) and F (3), were isolated from the roots of Phyllanthus emblica, together with three known compounds, phyllaemblic acid (4), phyllaemblicin B (5), and phyllaemblicin C (6). Of these, 3 is a new norsesquiterpenoid dimer. The structures of 1-3 were established by spectroscopic data information and by acidic hydrolysis. The isolated compounds, together with two other known analogues, phyllaemblic acid methyl ester (7) and phyllaemblicin A (8), were evaluated for their antiviral activity toward coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) by an in vitro cytopathic effect inhibitory assay. Compounds 5-7 exhibited strong anti-CVB3 activity.
Article
The fruits of Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (Euphorbiaceae), also known as amla in Ayurveda, are considered to be a rich source of ascorbic acid. However, the antioxidant activities exhibited by E. officinalis extract are superior to those of ascorbic acid itself. Low molecular hydrolyzable tannins emblicanins A and B have been suggested in the earlier literature to be the contributory antioxidant molecules in the extract. This work finds no evidence for the presence of emblicanins A and B in the extract. In addition, the high content of ascorbic acid is also questionable due to previous nonidentification of coeluting mucic acid gallates. This paper reports a new HPLC method to detect even trace amounts of ascorbic acid in E. officinalis fruit juice or extract.