Progress in Drug Research. Fortschritte der Arzneimittelforschung. Progrès des Recherches Pharmaceutiques

Nematodes are believed to have originated 1000 million years ago as free living anaerobic benthic organisms. Modern anthelmintic drugs have been in use but the worms have created resistance to most of the broad spectrum anthelmintics such as benzimidazoles, levamisole, avermectins, etc. However, these drugs cause side effects. More recently, plant extracts have been reported as having developed resistance against anthelmintics. A study using earthworms to determine the activity has been developed and explained in a well-defined manner in this chapter...

Natural products of higher plants may possess a new source of antimicrobial agents with possibly novel mechanisms of action. They are effective in the treatment of infectious diseases while simultaneously mitigating many of the side effects that are often associated with conventional antimicrobials. A method using scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study the morphology of the bacterial and fungal microbes and thus determining antimicrobial activity is presented in the chapter.

In this assay, the rat erythrocytes are induced with hydroxyl radical damage by the addition of H2O2. This causes the rupture of the RBC and the contents leak out giving the red colour of the haemoglobin to the medium. Hence, anti-haemolytic activity has been presented here in a brief and easy manner using the rat erythrocytes.

Various chemical in vitro assays have been developed to measure antioxidant capacities of plant products. Despite the recent popularity in the antioxidant research, the lack of standardized assays to compare research results from different research groups has been a major challenge. The examination of various antioxidant assays is required for the development of standard methods that are broadly applicable by researchers and industry. However, due to the complex nature of biological systems, there is no single universal method for measuring antioxidant capacity...

Plants are a rich source of secondary metabolites that have medicinal and aromatic properties. Secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, iridoids and phenolics generally produced by plants for their defence mechanisms have been implicated in the therapeutic properties of most medicinal plants. Hence, quantification of these metabolites will aid to discover new and effective drugs from plant sources and also to scientifically validate the existing traditional practices. Quantification of large group of phytochemicals such as phenolics and flavonoids is quantified in this context...

Anti-nutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitor, phytic acid and cyanogen are as important as nutritional content of any edible plant part. The anti-nutritional factors can be defined as those substances generated in natural food substances by the normal metabolism of species and by different mechanisms (e.g. inactivation of some nutrients, diminution of the digestive process or metabolic utilization of feed) which exert effects contrary to optimum nutrition. Hence, trypsin inhibitor, phytic acid and cyanogens present in edibles with the methods in the chapter would be helpful...

Optimal intakes of elements, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, copper, zinc and iodine, can reduce individual risk factors including those related to cardiovascular diseases among humans and animals. In order to meet the need for vitamins, major minerals, trace minerals, fatty acids and amino acids, it is necessary to include a full spectrum programme that can deliver all of the nutrients in the right ratio. Minerals are required for normal growth, activities of muscles, skeletal development (such as calcium), cellular activity, oxygen transport (copper and iron), chemical reactions in the body, intestinal absorption (magnesium), fluid balance and nerve transmission (sodium and potassium), as well as the regulation of the acid base balance (phosphorus)...

The proximate composition of foods includes moisture, ash, lipid, protein and carbohydrate contents. These food components may be of interest in the food industry for product development, quality control (QC) or regulatory purposes. Analyses used may be rapid methods for QC or more accurate but time-consuming official methods. Sample collection and preparation must be considered carefully to ensure analysis of a homogeneous and representative sample, and to obtain accurate results. Estimation methods of moisture content, ash value, crude lipid, total carbohydrates, starch, total free amino acids and total proteins are put together in a lucid manner...

Plants are the natural producers of medicinal agents like alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolics. These phytocompounds alone or in combination act as a therapeutic agent in various disease complications. Various chemical reagents are used to determine the major phytochemicals present in plant parts. Protocols involved in screening of alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, phytosterols, fixed oils, and fats are shown in this chapter.

A bioactive compound influences the health of living organisms and it has extranutritional constituents that typically occur in low quantities in foods, which helps to enhance or boost the immune system. Plants and their products possess bioactive compounds, i.e., secondary metabolites. Here, extraction is an important process to isolate the bioactive compounds. Biological activities of the extract show a significant variation depending on the extraction methods and this also opens a gateway for selecting suitable extraction methods...

The chapter deals with tools and techniques employed in pharmacognosy. Pharmacognostic evaluation helps to screen the commercial varieties, substitutes, adulterants and any other quality control of the drugs. It is a simple and reliable tool, helps to obtain information about biochemical and physical properties of crude drug. Methods such as macroscopic and microscopic analysis, maceration, histochemical colour reaction, photomicrography, organoleptic character of plant powder and extracts, fluorescence analysis of plant powder with different chemical reagents, determination of pH of plant powder, water solubility index (WSI) and water absorption index (WAI) and acid value are discussed...

Ethnobotany is the study of interrelationships between human cultures and plants, animals, and other organisms in their environment. It also creates an awareness of the link between biodiversity and cultural diversity. From the beginning of civilization, people have been using plants for various purposes like food, shelter, medicines, etc. Ethnobotanists play a key role in exploring these kinds of information from indigenous people which creates a gateway for formulating a novel drug. The content in this chapter deals with these aspects in an approachable manner...

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Silver pharmacology is at the cross-roads. It has a long history as a chemosterilent but is currently denigrated by some vested interests and other 'knowledge monopolies'. It deserves better--particularly in these critical times of ever mounting incidence of antibiotic resistance. This reappraisal outlines some approaches to a dispassionate debate as to why we should, or should not, be reconsidering silver as an addition to (not a substitute for) other antibiotics at the front line of medicine. This will require more understanding about (i) the chemistry of silver in a biological environment; (ii) the different physical and bio-reactive properties of ionised silver (Ag(I)) and nanoparticulate metallic silver (Ag(o)); (iii) the antibiotic potential of both Ag(I) and Ag(o); and (iv) establishing objective Quality Controls for potential silver therapies...

Plants of the genus Aloe have perhaps the longest recorded history of medicinal usage and are amongst the most widely used plants for traditional medicinal purposes worldwide. Aloe vera, Aloe ferox, Aloe arborescens and Aloe perryi are the best known and most widely used, but many other species are also used for their therapeutic properties. The Aloes have been used since ancient times, particularly for the treatment of microbial infections, gastrointestinal disorders and inflammatory conditions. In addition to their myriad uses in traditional therapeutics, the Aloes have also been used as components of cosmetic formulations, and in the food and beverage industries...

This chapter describes medicinal oils of animal origin, used in Africa and Australasia both for nutritional and medicinally for treating pain and inflammation. Analytical studies of composition, bio-efficacy and their remarkable safety are described. For obtaining reproducible benefits, it is very important to introduce Quality Controls whenever possible. These should cover all stages of production, storage and certify the 'truth in their advertising': to help eliminate adulterated products and false claims for purity and potency...

Celery preparations have been used extensively for several millennia as natural therapies for acute and chronic painful or inflammatory conditions. This chapter reviews some of the biological and chemical properties of various celery preparations that have been used as natural remedies. Many of these have varying activities and product qualities. A fully standardized celery preparation has been prepared known as an alcoholic extract of the seeds of a plant source derived from northern India. This is termed, Celery Seed Extract (CSE) and has been found to be at least as effective as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen in suppressing arthritis in a model of polyarthritis...

Perna canaliculus (Green-Lippped Mussel) is found only in New Zealand waters and is cultivated and manufactured for both the food and nutraceutical industry world-wide. P. canaliculus has traditionally been used as a therapeutic to treat various arthralgias in both humans and animals; however, clinical research reports provide conflicting results. Numerous in vitro studies have reported anti-inflammatory activity of the mussel under various conditions and also demonstrated a synergistic effect with pharmaceutical medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with P...

Ribonucleic acids from different organs and from yeast have been used for the treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases in the context of naturopathic medicine in the last 60 years. This chapter provides general information about ribonucleinates as therapeutic agents. Past and present pharmacological and clinical investigations are discussed in the field of the central nervous system, sensory organs, cancer and degenerative diseases of joints and vertebra.

Bacteria represent the earliest form of independent life on this planet. Bacterial development has included cooperative symbiosis with plants (e.g., Leguminosae family and nitrogen fixing bacteria in soil) and animals (e.g., the gut microbiome). It is generally agreed upon that the fusion of two prokaryotes evolutionarily gave rise to the eukaryotic cell in which mitochondria may be envisaged as a genetically functional mosaic, a relic from one of the prokaryotes. This is expressed by the appearance of mitochondria in eukaryotic cells (an alpha-proteobacteria input), a significant endosymbiotic evolutionary event...