The aqueous suspension of Withania somnifera root powder was investigated for their in vivo and in vitro immunomodulatory properties. W. somnifera showed potent inhibitory activity towards the complement system, mitogen induced lymphocyte proliferation and delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Administration of W. somnifera root powder did not have a significant effect on humoral immune response in rats. Our results report immunosuppressive effect of W. somnifera root powder, thus it could be a candidate for developing as an immunosuppressive drug for the inflammatory diseases. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rasool M

Department of Bio-Sciences

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Varalakshmi P.

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Vascular Pharmacology

In order to develop a better therapeutic approach for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), withaferin-A; a steroidal lactone incorporated with mannosylated liposomes (ML-WA) was administered to adjuvant induced arthritic rats in intent to target the synovial macrophages. The confocal microscopy studies showed a successful internalization of ML-WA in the primarily isolated synovial macrophages. Consequently, targeting synovial macrophages via ML-WA reduced the oxidative stress (ROS and NO), and paw edema, however, a progressive gain in the body weight was observed in AIA rats. ML-WA treatment upregulated the production of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and downregulated the release of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), favoring osteoclastogenesis negatively. Correspondingly, the ankle joints were found intact with no bone erosion and cartilage degradation in ML-WA treated AIA rats as evidenced by histopathological analysis. Also, synovial macrophage assessment showed that the concentration and the gene amplification of M1 macrophage mediated pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1 and VEGF) were curtailed in ML-WA treated AIA rats. In contrast, anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) was found abundantly released. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the M1 surface marker (CD86) was found down regulated, whereas, M2 marker (CD163) was highly amplified in ML-WA treated synovial macrophages of arthritic rats. Cumulatively, our result signified that targeted delivery of ML-WA ameliorated the severity of inflammation and bone resorption in AIA rats via M1 to M2 macrophage repolarization. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces

Withaferin-A, a steroidal lactone encapsulated mannose decorated liposomes ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis by intriguing the macrophage repolarization in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats

Background: The present study was conducted to elucidate the protective role of Withania somnifera against bromobenzene induced nephrotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction in rats. Methods: In this study, Wistar albino rats of either sex were divided into six groups consisting of six animals each. The first one was control, those in group II received bromobenzene (10mmol/kg, intragastric intubation) once, but group III and IV animals received W. somnifera (250 and 500mg/kg, orally), respectively for 8 days followed by bromobenzene once on the 8th day and silymarin (100mg/kg, orally) was given for 8 days to group V animals and then bromobenzene on the last day. Group VI animals received only W. somnifera (500mg/kg) for 8 days. Results: The levels of renal lipid peroxidation, lysosomal enzymes and glycoprotein were increased significantly (p&lt;0.05) in the bromobenzene alone treated rats and antioxidant status and mitochondrial enzymes were found to be decreased, when compared to the control group. The levels of kidney functional markers (urea, uric acid and creatinine) were also found to be abnormal in serum of bromobenzene alone treated rats. On the other hand, administration of W. somnifera (250 and 500mg/kg) along with bromobenzene offered a significant dose-dependent protection to the biochemical alterations as observed in the bromobenzene alone treated rats, which was also evidenced by histopathology. Conclusion: Thus, the oral administration of W. somnifera significantly protected against the bromobenzene induced nephrotoxicity and renal mitochondrial dysfunction in rats. © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.

Renal Failure

Protective effect of administration ofWithania somiferaagainst bromobenzene induced nephrotoxicity and mitochondrial oxidative stress in rats

In recent years, Spirulina has gained more and more attention from medical scientists as a nutraceutical and a source of potential pharmaceuticals. The present study was conducted to elucidate the immunomodulatory effect of Spirulina fusiformis (a cyanobacterium of the family Oscillatoriaceae) in vivo and in vitro. The in vivo effect of S. fusiformis (400 or 800 mg/kg body wt.) on humoral immune response, cell-mediated immune response and tumour necrosis factor alpha was investigated in mice. We also evaluated the effect of S. fusiformis (50 or 100 μg/ml) in vitro on mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin)- induced T lymphocyte proliferation in heparinized human peripheral blood. For comparison, dexamethasone was used as a standard. In mice, S. fusiformis (400 or 800 mg/kg body wt.) administration significantly inhibited the humoral immune response, cell-mediated immune response (delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH)) and tumour necrosis factor alpha in a dose-dependent manner. In vitro, S. fusiformis (50 or 100 μg/ml) decreased the mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin)- induced T lymphocyte proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner when compared with control cells. These observations clearly suggest that S. fusiformis has a remarkable immunosuppressive effect, which provides a scientific validation for the popular use of this drug, and helped us in further work on investigating its complete mechanism of action. © 2008 The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy and Springer.

Journal of Natural Medicines

Appraisal of immunomodulatory potential of Spirulina fusiformis: an in vivo and in vitro study

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the protective effect of Withania somnifera Linn.Dunal (family-Solanaceae), commonly known as Ashwagandha, on adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. Results were compared with those for Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Arthritis was induced by intradermal injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (0.1 mL) into the right hind paw of Wistar albino rats. Withania somnifera root powder (1000 mg/kg/day) and Indomethacin (3 mg/kg/day) were orally administered for 8 days (from 11th to 18th day) after adjuvant injection. The anti-arthritic effect of W. somnifera root powder was assessed by measuring changes in lipid peroxidation, antioxidant status, and glycoprotein levels in plasma and spleen of arthritic animals. In addition, cartilage degradation was also assessed by estimating bone collagen, and urinary constituents in arthritic animals. Results of the present investigation showed significant increase in the level of lipid peroxides, glycoproteins, and urinary constituents with the depletion of antioxidant status and bone collagen in arthritic animals. These biochemical alterations observed were ameliorated significantly by oral administration of W. somnifera root powder (1000 mg/kg body weight) in arthritic animals. The results of this study clearly indicate that W. somnifera root powder is capable of rectifying the above biochemical changes in adjuvant arthritis. © 2007 The Authors.

Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology

Protective effect of Withania somnifera root powder in relation to lipid peroxidation, antioxidant status, glycoproteins and bone collagen on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats

Journal	Data powered by TypesetVascular Pharmacology
Publisher	Data powered by TypesetElsevier BV
ISSN	1537-1891
Open Access	0