42 • Probe •Vol LXII • No. 3 • May–Aug 2023 Herbal Notes Tinospora cordifolia Sanskrit name Guduchi English name Tinospora Gulancha Habit and Habitat Tinospora cordifolia is a large, deciduous, perennial climbing shrub. It is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia. The leaves of T cordifolia are broadly ovate with a groovy notch at the base, and epicuticular wax on both surfaces. The stem is green with a smooth surface and appears swollen at the nodes. The fruits are spherical, red drupes.1 Pharmacologic Actions Phytochemical studies reveal the extensive presence of terpenoids, alkaloids, and polysaccharides in all parts of the plant. The major phytochemicals in T cordifolia comprise cordifolioside A, tinosporaside, tinosporin, tinosporon, tinosporic acid, tinosporide, and tinosporidine. The plant parts predominantly exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-infective properties.1 A study was conducted to evaluate the immunostimulatory property of T cordifolia in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)–induced immunosuppressive mice. Male albino mice were divided into 4 groups: group 1 served as the control; group 2 was administered CCl4 (0.5 mL/kg body weight) from days 8 to 15, intraperitoneally; group 3 was fed with the aqueous extract of T cordifolia stem (40 mg/kg body weight) for 15 days; and group 4 was given both T cordifolia extract (for 15 days) and CCl4 (for the last 7 days). At the end of 15 days, their spleens were excised, and the splenic macrophages were separated.2 Administration of aqueous extract of T cordifolia, at 40 mg/kg body weight, to CCl4-intoxicated male albino mice significantly reduced the percentage of morphologically altered macrophages and DNA fragmentation and increased phagocytosis, splenic macrophage adhesion, and myeloperoxidase and nitric oxide release. Thus, this study confirms the immunostimulatory activity of T cordifolia stem in immunosuppressive conditions.2 Another study evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of T cordifolia in liposaccharide (LPS)- induced inflammation in rats. Male Charles Wistar rats were randomized into 6 groups: group 1, saline control; group 2, saline + 10 mL/kg body weight LPS; group 3, indomethacin + 10 mL/kg body weight LPS; group 4, 500 mg/kg body weight chloroform extract of T cordifolia + LPS; group 5, 250 mg/kg body weight chloroform extract of T cordifolia + LPS; and group 6, 125 mg/kg body weight chloroform extract of T cordifolia + LPS. Immunohistochemical analysis of the rats’ liver, lungs, heart, and kidneys revealed that the immunoreactivity of the proinflammatory cytokines such as the tumor necrosis factor-α, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase decreased markedly in rats that were pretreated with the chloroform extract of T cordifolia. Thus, the anti-inflammatory potency of T cordifolia was demonstrated by suppression of the production of proinflammatory cytokines.3 References 1. Ministry of Ayush, Government of India. Guduchi: classical contrive and quality profiles. In: Technical Dossier on Guduchi. 1st ed. New Delhi, India: All India Institute of Ayurveda; 2022:3–16. 2. Chakraborty B, Sengupta M. J Appl Pharm Sci. 2012;2(7):117–124. 3. Philip S, et al. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021;21:97. Tinospora cordifolia is the only ingredient of Himalaya Guduchi.
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