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Herbal notes
P R O B E
• V o l . L I I I • N o . 3 • A p r – J u n 2 0 1 4
Momordica charantia
Sanskrit/Indian name:
Karela
English name:
Bitter gourd
Antidiabetic Potentials of Momordica charantia:
Multiple Mechanisms Behind the Effects
Chaturvedi P
J Med Food
. 2012;15(2):101–107.
Momordica charantia
fruits have been used in the
management of diabetes in the ayurvedic and
Chinese systems of medicine, since many years.
Information regarding the standardization of
this fruit for its usage as an antidiabetic drug is
scanty. There are many reports on its effects on
glucose and lipid levels in diabetic animals and
some in clinical trials.
The present review is considered to produce some concrete
findings on the mechanism behind its hypoglycemic and
hypolipidemic effects. Studies have shown that
M charantia
repairs damaged cells, increases insulin levels, and also
enhances insulin sensitivity. It inhibits the absorption of
glucose by inhibiting glucosidase and also suppresses the
activity of disaccharidases in the intestine. Effects of
M
charantia
like transport of glucose in the cells, transport
of fatty acids in the mitochondria, modulation of insulin
secretion, and elevation of levels of uncoupling proteins in
adipose and skeletal muscles are similar to those of AMP-
activated protein kinase (AMPK) and thyroxine. Therefore,
it is proposed that effects of
M charantia
on carbohydrate and fat metabolisms are
through thyroxine and AMPK.
Azadirachta indica
Sanskrit/Indian name:
Nimba
English name:
Margosa
Antibacterial and Antiviral Evaluation of
Sulfonoquinovosyldiacylglyceride: A Glycolipid
Isolated from Azadirachta indica Leaves
Bharitkar YP, et al
Lett Appl Microbiol
. 2014;58(2):184–189.
In this study, antimicrobial activity
of sulfonoquinovosyldiacylglyceride
(SQDG), a glycolipid, isolated
from the leaves of
Azadirachta
indica
was evaluated against gram
positive and gram negative bacteria, and herpes simplex
virus. SQDG showed significant inhibitory activity against
Salmonella typhi
and 2 isolates of
Shigella dysenteriae
with
MIC values 32 μg/mL and 3 isolates of
S typhi
,
Escherichia
coli
, and
Vibrio cholerae
at 64 μg/mL with an inhibition
zone diameter ranging from 6.2 to 12.3 mm. The growth
kinetics study of SQDG on
S typhi
and
S dysenteriae
revealed the growths were completely inhibited at their
MIC values within 24 h of exposure. Interestingly, SQDG
inhibits herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and 2 with a
half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 9.1 and
8.5 μg/mL, compared with acyclovir (2.2 and 2.8 μg/mL
against HSV-1 and HSV-2). The selectivity index was found
to be 12.4 against HSV-1 and 13.41 against HSV-2.
The water-soluble metabolite, SQDG isolated from
A indica
possesses significant antibacterial as well as
anti-HSV activity.
