Ethnomedicinally Rumex hastatus D. Don has been used since long for various ailments especially in neurological disorders. The reported data and the importance of Rumex genus demonstrate the vital medicinal value of R. hastatus. In the current investigational study, isolation of essential oil and its antioxidant and anticholinesterase assays were performed. The essential oil of R. hastatus was analyzed by GC-MS for the first time. The essential oil was evaluated for anticholinesterase and antioxidant assays. The anticholinesterase assay was conducted at various concentrations (62.5 to 1000 μg/ml) against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Similarly, the antioxidant potential was determined using DPPH and ABTS free radicals. The GC-MS analysis of essential oil showed 123 components. The result recorded for the anticholinesterase assays demonstrated a marked potential against AChE and BChE with IC50 values of 32.54 and 97.38 μg/ml respectively which were comparable with the positive control i.e., galanthamine (AChE, IC50 = 4.73 μg/ml and BChE, IC50 = 11.09 μg/ml). The antioxidant assays against DPPH and ABTS free radicals also exhibited significant scavenging potential with IC50 values of 3.71 and 6.29 μg/ml respectively, while for ascorbic acid the IC50 value was <0.1 μg/ml against both free radicals. Based on the current investigational studies, it may be concluded that R. hastatus is an effective source of essential oil's components having anticholinesterase and antioxidant potentials, which after subjecting to drug development may lead to novel drug candidates against neurodegenerative disorders.

Bergenin (BG) is a naturally occurring C-glycoside with demonstrated anti-arthritic potential. Its therapeutic efficacy is compromised due to its lower absorption and instability at neutral-basic pH. The present study reports fabrication of gum xanthan (GX) stabilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with BG for anti-arthritic activity in a CFA-induced arthritis model targeting ROS, cytokines and TLR expression. NPs were characterized through UV-vis, zetasizer, FT-IR and AFM. Oral administration of BG loaded NPs (1 mg kg⁻¹) exhibited potent anti-arthritic activity with a minimal arthritic score, mild to moderate paw tissue swelling, reduced degenerative changes along with mild articular changes and less influx of inflammatory cells in macroscopic X-ray and histological examination. Administration of BG and its NPs suppressed the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly as compared to the arthritic control group. Moreover, increased production of O₂˙⁻ in human neutrophils, stimulated by opsonized zymosan (OZ) and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) was also suppressed. BG and its loaded NPs were revealed to antagonize the oxidative stress via interference with the NADPH oxidase metabolic pathway. Their anti-oxidant activity was further assessed by their inhibitory effect against TLR (TRL-2 & -4) and cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) production. The current investigation validates GX stabilized AgNPs as stable and promising multi-targeted therapeutic nano-cargo for BG delivery with efficient treatment of RA.

Negatively charged lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major endotoxin and component of the outer membrane of several Gram-negative bacteria, provides a useful biomarker for the indirect detection of these pathogens. For instance, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes infections in almost all age groups, and has been implicated in food and water contamination. Current diagnostic and detection methods tend to be labor-intensive or expensive, necessitating the need for an easy, sensitive, rapid, and low-cost method. We report on the synthesis and use of positively charged chitosan stabilized silver nanoparticles (Chi-AgNPs) as a sensitive electrochemical nanobiosensor for the detection of LPS. Chi-AgNPs were synthesized through a facile, single step protocol, and characterized for size, charge, and morphology. Glassy carbon electrodes modified with Chi-AgNPs resulted in an enhancement of signal in the presence of both LPS and E. coli. Detection was accomplished over a large concentration range (several orders of magnitude) of 0.001–100 ng/mL and 10–10⁷ CFU/mL. The biosensors can reliably detect LPS and E. coli at very low concentrations. Chi-AgNPs have potential as low cost, sensitive nanobiosensors for Gram-negative bacteria due to strong electrostatic interaction with LPS present in their outer membranes.

Nonea micrantha Boiss. & Reut . being an unexplored member of Boraginaceae was investigated for GC/MS analysis, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities in an attempt to find its effectiveness in neurological disorders. The AChE and BChE inhibitory activities of crude methanolic extract (Nm.Cr), subsequent fractions; n-hexane (Nm.Hex), chloroform (Nm.Cf), ethyl acetate (Nm.EtAc), aqueous (Nm.Aq) and crude saponins (Nm.Sp) from N. micrantha were conducted using Ellman’s assay. The antioxidant activity of the plant samples using DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging potential following quantitative spectrophotometric and qualitative TLC method were also studied. Moreover the total reducing power (TRP) of all the samples was also figured out. The GC/Ms analysis confirmed that the plant is rich in bioactive molecules. Among different fractions, Nm.Hex, Nm.EtAc and Nm.Cf exhibited highest AChE inhibitory activities causing 75.51 ± 0.73, 68.54 ± 0.59 and 63.48 ± 0.59% enzyme inhibition respectively and IC50 of 44, 100 and 144 μg/mL respectively. In BChE inhibiton assay, Nm.Aq, Nm.Sp and Nm.Cr showed highest activity causing 83.49 ± 0.27, 81.49 ± 0.89 and 75.31 ± 0.56% enzyme inhibition with IC50 of 90, 110 and 44 μg/mL respectively. In DPPH assay, Nm.Aq, Nm.Cf, Nm.Hex and Nm.Cr were most potent exhibiting IC50 values of 3, 5, 93 and 120 μg/ml respectively. In ABTS assay Nm.EtAc, Nm.Aq, Nm.Sp and Nm.Cr showed IC50 values of 60, 95, 100 and 150 μg/mL respectively. Likewise ABTS inhibition was most prominent for Nm.Sp, Nm.EtAc and Nm.Aq causing 78.26 ± 0.49, 67.67 ± 0.73 and 63.58 ± 0.45% inhibition respectively at 1 mg/mL. These results were further confirmed by qualitative screening using DPPH and ABTS staining. Our anticholinesterase and antioxidant results signify the N. micrantha as a potential source of natural bioactive compounds. Moreover isolation of natural bioactive compounds from this plant may lead to novel drug candidates against neurodegenerative disorders.