Anju Rani George’s research while affiliated with Bharathiar University and other places

Psidium guajava is profusely grown in several tropical and subtropical countries for its fruit. The fruit has been used for food and medicinal purpose, and therefore it is called in the nickname as the poor man’s apple. Up-and-coming research has found that various parts of guava fruit such as peel, pulp, and seed and their bioactive phytochemicals exert anti-tumorigenic effects against various human cancers through multiple mechanisms. The majority earlier reviews of P. guajava present a broad overview of ethnopharmacological uses, phytochemical compositions, pharmacological and biological properties, and therapeutic potential in the treatment of numerous diseases. So far, critical review of the available research data on cancer prevention and therapeutic potential of different parts of guava fruit such as fruit peel, pulp, and seed has not been published to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, the intention of this review is to collect the available literature and to provide comprehensive information of the cancer preventive and therapeutic potential of various parts of guava fruit and their isolated bioactive compounds with mechanism of action. To present this review in systematic manner, a complete literature survey was made to collect and compile available research papers on varied parts of guava fruit and their isolated bioactive compounds to reveal their usage in the prevention and treatment of cancer through in vitro and in vivo studies. Different electronic bases such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, etc., were used to collect information. The literature survey showed that guava fruit possesses various medicinal properties which have been reported from across the globe in the form of ethnobotanical or ethnopharmacological analysis, laboratory explorations, and clinical trials. In addition, this review highlights the various patents and commercial products that use guava fruit as raw material. This review could be a good reference for researchers who are enthusiastic to undertake further research on drug development using bioactive compounds of guava fruit for prevention and treatment of cancer.

This is an Open Access Journal / article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. All rights reserved. The present work investigates the impact of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) as seed priming agents on the germination characteristics of three Vigna species such as V. mungo, V. radiata and V. unguiculata. ZnO NPs were synthesized using green tea leaves and were characterized by UV-VIS, XRD, FTIR and SEM. After characterization, nanoparticle suspensions of different concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/L) were prepared. Overnight soaked seeds of all three Vigna species were grown in wet cotton containing different concentrations of ZnO NPs at room temperature (25±1 o C) under dark condition for 6 days. For each day, seed germination percentage, root and shoot lengths and seedling vigour index were measured. For V. mungo and V. radiata, 10 and 20 mg/L and for V. unguiculata only 10 mg/L influenced these germination characteristics. Higher concentrations of ZnO NPs (30 to 50 mg/L) showed a relative decrease in all the germination characteristics for three Vigna species. It was noted that at certain optimum concentrations of ZnO NPs, the seedling exhibited good growth over control and beyond that a decline in growth was observed. The results of this investigation indicated the potential of using ZnO NPs as seed priming agents for these species in low concentrations only. ABSTRACT RESEARCH ARTICLE

Tectona grandis L. f., belonging to the family Lamiaceae, is a widely used traditional medicinal plant that can treat malaria, inflammation, diabetes, liver disease, tumors, and skin diseases. It also has various pharmacological activities like antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diuretic, and hypoglycemic. The study aims to gather information on variations in phytochemicals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties of three teak clones (Nilambur Project Trial- NPT), i.e., NPT16, NPT42, and NPT116, using aqueous extracts of young and mature leaves. This investigation concluded that the mature leaves of the teak clone NPT42, with a concentration of 100µg/mL, showed considerable levels of secondary metabolites and antioxidants and promising anti-inflammatory activity.

Alstonia venenata R.Br., a plant native to the Western Ghats, is recognized for its diverse medicinal properties. The plant’s extracts, particularly rich in alkaloids and other bioactive compounds, have shown potential anticancer activity. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) loaded with the root methanolic extract (RME) of A. venenata in combating breast cancer induced by dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) in female Sprague Dawley rats. The RME-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (RME-EnCNPs) were synthesized and characterized, and their in vivo efficacy was evaluated. Treatment with RME-EnCNPs significantly inhibited tumor progression, which is evidenced by reduced tumor volume, burden, and incidence. Moreover, the nanoparticles demonstrated a sustained release of the active compounds, leading to marked improvements in various biochemical, enzymatic, and histopathological parameters. The study found that both RME and RME-EnCNPs effectively suppressed tumor growth, with RME-EnCNPs showing superior efficacy in modulating tumor progression. Antioxidant assays revealed that treatment with RME-EnCNPs (500 mg/kg) resulted in significant increases in total protein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GSH) levels, alongside a marked reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO) (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that RME-EnCNPs exert a potent antioxidant effect, mitigating oxidative stress within the tumor microenvironment. The root extract of A. venenata and its nanoparticle formulation hold promise as a potential therapeutic agent for breast cancer, warranting further investigation to isolate active bioactive compounds and elucidate their mechanisms of action.

Liver disease is a significant global health concern, leading to around two million fatalities annually. This disorder encompasses a broad range of causes, including both well-established factors such as lifestyle choices, as well as less understood origins such as pre-existing medical diseases. In the present scenario, liver cancer poses a significant worldwide health concern, with projections indicating that the number of cases is expected to exceed one million by the year 2025. According to the World Health Organization, numerous developing nations, such as India, continue to rely on the utilization of plants and plant-derived substances for the treatment of diverse ailments. Desmodium Desv., a genus within the Fabaceae family, encompasses about 350 species that are primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. These plants have a long-standing history of traditional medicinal use in India, Thailand, and China, particularly for the treatment of liver diseases. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the ethnobotanical applications, phytoconstituents, and hepatoprotective properties associated with all species of Desmodium. The research employed various methodologies. Data on the Desmodium genus was collected up until the year 2022 through the examination of research articles, patents, and diverse online bibliographic databases such as PubMed, Research Gate, PubChem, Science Direct, Scopus, Wiley Online Library, Web of Science, eOL, POWO, and IUCN. The online search was conducted using the following keywords: Desmodium species, review articles, ethnobotanical uses, phytochemical constituents, and hepatoprotective property. In conclusion, it can be inferred that Ethnobotanical research has revealed that these particular species possess diverse pharmacological attributes, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, cytotoxic, and hepatoprotective activities. The analysis of phytochemistry reveals the presence of various compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, phenols, and other constituents inside these species. Out of a total of 350 species, it has been observed that 18 possess hepatoprotective properties. In order to substantiate the hepatoprotective applications and advance the development of prominent pharmaceuticals, additional pharmacological investigations including animal models and phytochemical explorations are necessary. Graphical abstract

ABSTRACT Aim: The present work reports the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using green tea leaves and its effect on germination, morphology and some biochemical attributes of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). Methodology:The synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by UV-VIS, XRD, FTIR and SEM. After characterization, they were added in different concentrations (1.0-10.0 mg/L) in distilled water. Healthy seeds of fenugreek were taken and placed in pot containing red soil and sand (1:1). They were watered adequately with solution containing various concentrations of ZnO NPs and allowed to grow for one week along with control. The percentage of seed germination was determined on the third day of growth. After one week, seedlings were harvested and used for the determination of morphological and biochemical attributes. High levels of germination percentage, shoot and root lengths, primary metabolites such as total chlorophyll, protein, carbohydrates and secondary metabolites such as total phenols, flavonoids, tannins and terpenoids were observed in 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L ZnO NPs treated plants compared to control. These findings indicate that the application of ZnO NPs at a lower concentration may increase germination, morphological and biochemical attributes of fenugreek. Results: the green synthesized ZnO NPs and their characterization proves that the polyphenol contents of green tea leaves are involved in the biosynthesis and stability of ZnO NPs. UV-Visible spectroscopic analysisshowed a peak at 380 nm, XRD and SEM confirms the hexagonal wurtzite structure of green synthesized ZnO NPs with a particle size of 62.5nm. The highest germination percentage was observed in 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L treated seeds. Interpretation: Findings indicate that the application of ZnO NPs at a lower concentration may increase germination, morphological and biochemical attributes of fenugreek.