The study aimed at analyzing the metabolite profile of Nardostachys jatamansi using RP-HPLC, GC-MS and also its antioxidant, biomolecule protective and cytoprotective properties. The 70% ethanolic extract of Nardostachys jatamansi (NJE) showed the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids (gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, homovanillin, epicatechin, rutin hydrate and quercetin-3-rhamnoside) analyzed by RP-HPLC, whereas hexane extract revealed an array of metabolites (fatty acids, sesquiterpenes, alkane hydrocarbons and esters) by GC-MS analysis. The antioxidant assays showed the enhanced potency of NJE with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 222.22 ± 7.4 μg/mL for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 13.90 ± 0.5 μg/mL for 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), 113.81 ± 4.2 μg/mL for superoxide, 948 ± 21.1 μg/mL for metal chelating and 12.3 ± 0.43 mg FeSO₄ equivalent/g of extract for ferric reducing antioxidant power assays and was more potent than hexane extract. NJE effectively inhibited 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced oxidation of biomolecules analyzed by pBR322 plasmid DNA damage, protein oxidation of bovine serum albumin and lipid peroxidation assays. The observed effects might be due to the high content of polyphenols, 53.06 ± 2.2 mg gallic acid equivalents/g, and flavonoids, 25.303 ± 0.9 mg catechin equivalents/g, of NJE compared to the hexane fraction. Additionally, the extract abrogated the protein, carbonyl, and ROS formation, and NJE showed cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells above 75 μg/mL. Thus, the study suggests that the herb unequivocally is a potential source of antioxidants and could aid in alleviating oxidative stress-mediated disorders.

Diastolic dysfunction (DD), a hallmark of obesity and primary defect in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, is a predictor of future cardiovascular events. We previously reported that linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, improved DD in Zucker Obese rats, a genetic model of obesity and hypertension. Here we investigated the cardioprotective effects of linagliptin on development of DD in western diet (WD)-fed mice, a clinically relevant model of overnutrition and activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Female C56Bl/6 J mice were fed an obesogenic WD high in fat and simple sugars, and supplemented or not with linagliptin for 16 weeks. WD induced oxidative stress, inflammation, upregulation of Angiotensin II type 1 receptor and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) expression, interstitial fibrosis, ultrastructural abnormalities and DD. Linagliptin inhibited cardiac DPP-4 activity and prevented molecular impairments and associated functional and structural abnormalities. Further, WD upregulated the expression of TRAF3IP2, a cytoplasmic adapter molecule and a regulator of multiple inflammatory mediators. Linagliptin inhibited its expression, activation of its downstream signaling intermediates NF-κB, AP-1 and p38-MAPK, and induction of multiple inflammatory mediators and growth factors that are known to contribute to development and progression of hypertrophy, fibrosis and contractile dysfunction. Linagliptin also inhibited WD-induced collagens I and III expression. Supporting these in vivo observations, linagliptin inhibited aldosterone-mediated MR-dependent oxidative stress, upregulation of TRAF3IP2, proinflammatory cytokine, and growth factor expression, and collagen induction in cultured primary cardiac fibroblasts. More importantly, linagliptin inhibited aldosterone-induced fibroblast activation and migration. Together, these in vivo and in vitro results suggest that inhibition of DPP-4 activity by linagliptin reverses WD-induced DD, possibly by targeting TRAF3IP2 expression and its downstream inflammatory signaling.

Herbal extracts have been reported as alternate therapies for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and its associated oxidative stress. In the present study we investigated the phytochemical constituents of Ocimum gratissimum leaf 70% ethanolic fraction (OGE) by LC-ESI–MS/MS which showed a variety of compounds that include polyphenols, flavonoids and fatty acids. OGE showed 124.3±5.8mg/g gallic acid equivalents of polyphenols and 25.33±1.8mg/g catechin equivalents of flavonoids. The antioxidant activity of O. gratissimum was analyzed by in vitro antioxidant assays such as DPPH, iron chelating, ABTS, nitric oxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging which showed a potent free radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 470±28.6, 330±17.4, 133±7.2, 83±4.4, 260±12.7μg/mL. OGE was checked for its macromolecules such as DNA, protein and lipidperoxidation damage protective activities. The extract showed 44.8% DNA damage protection against H2O2 induced SH-SY5Y human neuronal cell damage, 80% protection against AAPH induced BSA oxidation and also showed lipid peroxidation inhibition with an IC50 value of 735±38.3μg/mL. O. gratissimum also exhibited a significant anxiolytic effect at a dose of 400mg/kg/b/wt as analyzed by the open field and elevated plus maze tests in mice. Overall our study demonstrates that O. gratissimum exhibits antioxidant, macromolecule damage protective and anxiolytic effects