Fatemeh Etemadi is a PhD student at UMass Amherst in Crop Physiology. As part of her experiment, working on "Fava beans as Medicinal plant". She did lots of experiments which got very interesting results.

L-Dopa has been shown to be an effective drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Synthetic L-Dopa is relatively expensive and some side-effects have been reported associated with artificial products. Fava beans is known as a rich natural sources of L-Dopa and clinical studies have shown that its anti-Parkinson’s characteristics has no or minimal side-effects compared with synthetic forms. Concentration of L-Dopa is often measured in seeds while other parts of plants may accumulate significant amounts of this chemical. The accumulation of L-Dopa in different plant organs of fava beans was studied in the field and controlled environment. In Field condition Windsor which is currently the common fava beans variety used in New England was planted on April 2013. Fava beans were harvested at six-leaf stage and when pods were fully grown. Plant parts were digested separately and analyzed for L-Dopa concentrationusing HPLC. The contents of L-Dopa in plant parts werein the following order; seedlings> leaves > terminal buds > seeds > roots > stems with 13.3, 10.5, 9.5, 7.2, 6.5, 3.5 mg g-1, respectively. Accumulation of L-Dopa from germination until 10-leaf stage in eight varieties of fava beans was studied in greenhouse. All varieties had their peak concentration of L-Dopa between 2-4 leaf stages followed by a declining trend. Delle Cascineand Bell bean varieties had the most and the least concentrations of L-Dopa by 10.89and 7.56 mg g-1respectively.Also, accumulation of L-Dopa after applying drought stress on Windsor variety was studied. The results indicated that drought stress did not influence L-Dopa concentration at various stages of growth. L-Dopa concentration in 6-leaf stage was higher than other stages of growth (20.1 mg/g) when affected by severdrought stress.

Jaspreet Kaur is a Pharmacist from India who is pursuing her masters in Pharmacology from Chandigarh College of Pharmacy,CGC (Punjab Technical University), India. She is a researchscholar and doing her research work on Alzheimer's disease. Jaspreet Kaur did her Bachelor in Pharmacy from Punjabi University Patiala, India. Now she's in second year of her masters in Pharmacology and is working on root extract of Coleus forskohlli for the treatment of Alzheimer's type of dementia. After completing her research work, she'll be writing thesis for the research done. Jaspreet Kaur has attended a number of conferences in India related to her research work and now is looking forward to attend conference and to present poster of research done in Herbals summit-2015.

The present study was designed to investigate the potential of Coleus forskohlii plant extract- ‘forskolin’ in experimental dementia in wistar rats. Dementia was induced by the administration of high fat diet (HFD) for 90 days. The effects on learning and memory were assessed using Morris Water Maze (MWM) test. A battery of biochemical tests such as brain thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and total serum cholesterol levels were measured. Administration of high fat diet significantly impaired the learning and memory and also deleteriously affected the biochemical parameters. Administration of forskolin (20 mg/kg, p.o.) for 14 days significantly attenuated high fat diet induced memory deficits and the biochemical alterations. Combined administration of forskolin and Pregnane X receptor (PXR) antagonist, Ketoconazole (25 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the beneficial effects of forskolin in HFD treated rats. This study demonstrates that improvement of memory by forskolin administration may occur as an outcome of its antioxidative, anticholinergic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic and amyloid lowering potential. The study also proposes the possible involvement of Pregnane X receptors in the pathophysiology of experimental dementia.

Gamal Badawy, graduate of Birmingham University,UK, in 2003. Currently he is an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Embryology in the Department Zoology, Faculty of Science, at Menoufiya University, Egypt. He has published more than 20 papers and abstracts in reputed journals. He is serving as a reviewer for six journals.

Objective: To investigate the possible ameliorative effect of crude water extract of Morus alba leaves on developmental defects of cervical spinal cord in 14 days rat pups maternally subjected to diabetes and/or Al intoxication. Materials and Methods Seventy fertile male and virgin female rats were used. The pregnant rats were arranged into seven groups and their pups were sacrificed at 14 days old. Cervical spinal cord was separated and subjected for light and TEM examination as well as DNA fragmentation. Results At the histological level, the central canal appeared congested with marked hyperplasia of their ependymal cells in pups of diabetic mother. Edematous lesions were detected within neuronal cells of the grey matter. Different cytopathological alterations including vacuolation, pyknosis and chromatolysis of neuronal cells were detected. However, pups maternally diabetic and received Morus alba extract showed marked amelioration of the histological structure including arrangement of ependymal cells and improvement of multipolar motor neuronal cells. At TEM level, an increase of nuclei with clumped chromatin material and irregular nuclear envelope was evident. The RER become vesiculated and disrupted throughout the cytoplasm. The mitochondria appeared swollen and degenerated. White matter possessed variable reduction of demyelinated axons. Vacuolation of myelinated axons and edematous lesions were detected. Highest amelioration was detected in those of diabetic mother treated with Morus alba comparing with the other experimental groups. Neuronal cells of both diabetic and/or Al intoxicated mothers possessed genomic DNA fragmentation. Highest incidence of genomic DNA fragmentation was markedly increased in pups of Al intoxicated mothers alone or in combination with diabetes. On the other hand pups of mother received Morus alba besides either Al intoxication and/or diabetes revealed resolution of DNA damage. Conclusion The present study proved that Morus alba leaves extract has an ameliorative effect against developmental defects of cervical spinal cord.

Xiuli Zhang is a professor at Binzhou Medical University, China

The aim of this study was to investigate the preventive and therapeutic potentials of protocatechuic acid (PCA) and also to explore the possible mechanisms by which it works to Parkinson's disease (PD). C57BL/6 mice were used as experimental animals and were injected with MPTP (25mg/kg/d) for seven consecutive days to induce PD mice. PCA (10 mg/kg/d) or Madopar (125 mg/kg/d) was administrated separately before or after MPTP injection to PD mice for 10 days including 7 days treated with MPTP. After discontinuing these treatments, behavioural tests were conducted, and midbrain sections including substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) area were immunostained with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and detected apoptosis through TUNEL assay. Moreover, the expressions of Bcl2-associated X protein (Bax), B-cell lymphoma 2 protein (Bcl-2), cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-8 in the midbrain of mice were detected by western blot method. The results showed that PCA treatment significantly relieved the motor symptoms of PD mice induced by MPTP and increased the number of TH-positive neurons in the SNc of the brain compared to MPTP treatment mice. The neuronal apoptosis induced by MPTP was attenuated coupled with increased Bcl-2 expression, decreased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and reduced activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8. In conclusion, PCA might have preventive effect and therapeutic potential to PD. These results propose PCA as promising agent in the prevention and treatment of PD.

Jong-Sang Kim has completed his Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and postdoctoral training for 1 year in the same campus. He is the tenured full professor of School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University. He has published more than 180 papers in peer-reviewed international journals and has been serving as a senior editor of Food Science and Biotechnology, a SCI journal.

Ginseng, a traditional herbal medicine, has been extensively used in Korea and other East Asian countries for millenniums to maintain physical vitality, boost immune system, and delay aging process. It has been processed into various kinds of dietary supplement and alternative medicine with booming market demands. Ginseng and its products account for major portion in ‘Health Functional Foods’ market in Korea. Compound K (20-O-(b-D-glucopyranosyl)-20(S)-protopanaxadiol) is a major ginsenoside metabolite detected in the urine and blood of rats after ginseng administration. As compound K was reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities, we hypothesized that it could exert neuroprotective action. Compound K Significantly reduced cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation induced by glutamate in HT22 cells, whereas it did not restore glutathione depletion caused by glutamate. In addition, it was further investigated whether compound K affected the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1, one of the major cellular antioxidant defense systems, and it was found that it dose-dependently increased HO-1 expression. Compound K-mediated cytoprotection of HT22 neuronal cells from glutamate insult was abrogated by either HO-1 inhibitor (Tin protoporphyrin, SnPP) or AKT inhibitor (LY294002). In conclusion, the present results demonstrate for the first time that compound K protects neuronal cells against glutamate-induced oxidative injury through the induction of HO-1 expression, which is, in turn, activated maybe through Nrf2-Keap1 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

Mohandas Rao KG has completed his PhD from Manipal University in 2003. He is currently the Head of the Department of Department of Anatomy at Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal University, India. He has published more than 100 scientific papers in the field of gross human anatomy and neurosciences in reputed journals.

Introduction: In Ayurvedic system of medicine, medhaya rasayana is a combination of many plant extracts and is used as a brain tonic. Centella asiatica (CeA) is one of the medicinal herb used in medhaya rasayana and is known to be having memory enhancing properties. In the present study, we investigated the role of CeA fresh leaf extract treatment on dendritic morphology of neurons of cingulate gyrus; a region associated with memory. Methods: Seven day old neonatal rat pups (n=6) were fed with 6 ml/day/kg body weight of fresh leaf extract of CeA for 6 weeks. After the treatment period, the rats were killed, their brains were removed and the neurons of cingulate gyrus were impregnated with silver nitrate (Golgi staining). Cingulate gyrus neurons were traced using camera lucida and dendritic branching points (a measure of dendritic arborization) and intersections (a measure of dendritic length) were quantified. These data were compared with data of age-matched saline control rats (SC) which were fed with 6 ml/day/kg body weight of normal saline for 6 weeks (n=6) and normal control rats (NC) which remained undisturbed in home cage for 6 weeks (n=6). Results: The results showed a significant increase in the dendritic length (P<0.01) and dendritic branching points in both apical (P<0.05) and basal (P<0.01) dendrites of cingulate gyrus neurons of rats treated with CeA fresh leaf extract when compared to that of NC group. However, there was no significant difference in the cingulate gyrus neuronal dendritic arborisation between NC and SC groups. Conclusions: CeA fresh leaf extract has neuronal dendritic growth stimulating property in cingulate gurys. Present study confirms the neuroprotective property of CeA and provides experimental evidence for neuronal structural enhancement induced by CeA extract in memory related area like cingulate gyrus.

Arul Amuthan, is the first Ethnopharmacologist with blend educational background of Traditional Siddha Medicine (MD) and Medical Pharmacology (MSc). Currently he is purusing his PhD at Manipal University, India in the area of drug discovery from natural products. He is the Chairman of Scientitific Committee of ‘Indian Siddha Medical Graduates Association’ and serving as Associate Editor of ‘International Journal of Pharmacology and Clinical Sciences’ He is the active reviewer in many peer reviewed journals. He is a dynamic researcher in the area of ethnopharmacology, Siddha Medicine, drug discovery, Yoga, Naturopathy, Varma therapy (Siddha vital point manipulation) and Integartived Medicine.

Background: Traditional Siddha Medicine suggests using Vernonia cinerea (VC) to alleviate toxic effects caused by metallic drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of VC against cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. Methods: Ethanolic and aqueous extract of Vernonia cinerea were prepared using soxhalate apparatus. In-vitro cytoprotective activity of extracts at 10, 100 and 1000μg/100µL doses, against cisplatin was evaluated in African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells by sulphorhodime-B assay. Acute toxicity study in mice was carried out by following the OECD-423 guideline. For nephroprotective screening, a total of 12 male albino mice were divided into four groups (n=3). Group-1 served as normal kidney control. Nephrotoxicity was induced in groups 2-4 by administering a single dose of cisplatin (5.5mg/kg, i.p) on day 4. Group-2 served as cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity control. Group-3 and 4 received 200 mg/kg dose of aqueous and ethanolic extract respectively from day 1 (3days prior to cisplatin) until day 15 (11 days after cisplatin). On day 16, the kidneys were collected for haematoxylin & eosin staining. The histology slides were observed under microscope and qualitatively compared between different groups. Results: There was a dose dependent protection of Vero cells against cisplatin by aqueous extract treatment compared to ethanolic extract. In acute toxicity study, the extracts were nontoxic up to 2000 mg/kg. The body weight gain in normal mice was +3.67g, whereas the weight gain was only +1g (27.25%) due to cisplatin treatment. Histology of cisplatin treated animals showed mild acute renal tubular necrosis characterized by early changes in proximal convoluted tubules with loss of epithelial cells and luminal cast. Ethanol extract potentiated cisplatin toxicity; evidenced by death of two animals on second day, weight reduction in third animal by -1g (-27.25%) and no reversal of cisplatin induced acute renal tubular necrosis. Whereas; aqueous extract treatment significantly alleviated cisplatin toxicity by gaining (p = 0.024) body weight of 2g (55.5%), with mild reversal of cisplatin induced acute renal tubular necrosis characterized by regeneration of tubular lining in renal parenchyma. Conclusion: Vernonia cinerea aqueous extract showed protection against cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. Further studies on phytochemical isolation, optimal dosage and evaluating protective mechanism are ongoing in our lab.

Saleemulla Khan is an Assistant professor Selection grade, in Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Scinces, Manipal University, Manipal. He earned Ph.D. from Manipal University in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2012. He has been working in the area of development of herbal dietary supplements for the management of osteoporosis and Diabetes mellitus. He is a recognized Ph.D guide and has about 32 national and international Publications to his credit and authored 4 chapters in different books.

According to Ayurveda, Tinosopra cordifola Miers (Menispermaceae) used as a rejuvenator and it is also routinely prescribed to treat fever, diabetes and skin diseases. The present study was aimed to estimate the antioxidant potential of methanolic extract of the stem of T.cordifolia and its subsequent fractions. Dried stem material was extracted with methanol (TCM) and partitioned with petroleum ether (TCP), dichoromethane (TCD), butanol (TCB) and water successively. Antioxidant potential of initial methanolic extracts and its fractions was estimated by 5 different methods like DPPH, ABTS and total antioxidant activity etc. Methanolic extract and butanol fractions showed highest scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 17.01 µg/ml and 13.4 µg/ml respectively whereas other fractions shown poor activity in DPPH radicle scavenging activity. IC50 values for other methods were also calculated, of the all methods butanol fraction showed the maximum activity than other fractions. Therefore the findings of the present study support the fact that T.cordifola is a promising source of antioxidant agent and suggest its further investigation. The obtained results provide a support for its potential application in food system as an antioxidant and as a neutraceutical in biological systems.

Ujwala Wasnik received her B- Pharm from Amravati University, India, in 2003. M-Pharm (Quality Assurance) from the SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai (India) in 2007 and she was submitted her PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Uttar Pradesh Technical University, Lucknow (India) in 2014. She was worked as a lecturer in the faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the R. V. Northland Institute, Greater Noida, India, since 2009 -2012. She has also served as a visiting faculty at C. U. Shah College of Pharmacy, Mumbai on 2005 to 2007 and DIPSAR, Delhi University of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research Centre on 2008-2009 (India). She was worked as a Research associate on AICTE funded research project entitles as “Assessment of medicinal plants for the nonalcoholic steato hepaptis of fatty liver diseases and its molecular mechanism of actions”. She presented her research papers in international conferences on PSWC 2007 held at The Netherlands, and the conference which was held at Dubai on 2012. She was presented her research papers in national conferences held at Mumbai, Jaipur and Varanasi. She has published her research papers in good impact factors journals. She was worked as a Quality Analyst in A- KLASS Pharmaceutical Private Limited, on 2003 to 2004. She was works as a visiting faculty at C. U. Shah college of Pharmacy, Mumbai on 2005 to 2007 where she was doing her master of Pharmacy. Ujwala has published 7 peer-reviewed papers, 7 research posters to her credit.

Phytomedicines are used by the traditional healers, in the management, control and/ or treatment of convulsions. The present report is an investigation of antiseizure activity of Phyllanthus amarus, belonging to the Euphorbiaceae (family). The Pentyleneterazole (PTZ) and the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) models were used for assessing the anticonvulsant effects of the leaves of alcoholic extract in mice and rats. Wistar rats of either sex weighing in between 150-250 gms and 25-30 gm of albino mice were used for the experiments. The animals were divided into 6 groups containing 6 animals in each group. Group-I received 10 ml/kg of 1% NaCMC p.o. and served as control. Group-II received phenytoin sodium (25 mg/kg, orally) as standard controls in MES method and PTZ induced seizures method respectively. Group- III and IV were administered two graded doses of test drug i.e. 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, respectively, p.o. in both theexperimental models.The extracts suppress the duration of hind limb extension induced by MES in mice and also exhibited protectoreffect in PTZ –induced seizures in rats at the doses of 50 mg/kg and 100mg/kg p.o. Since the alcoholic extract of Phyllanthusamarus delayed the occurrence of MES induced convulsions and PTZ induced convulsions. It is concluded that, it interferes with gabaergicmechanisms to exert their anticonvulsant effects. The alcoholic extract of leaves produced significant anticonvulsant activity for all the different models studied.The latency of seizure (sec), duration of seizure (sec) and mortality rate were determined in test and control groups.

Bhavesh Nayak has completed his PhD at the age of 31 years from Gujarat University. He is the principal of Shree Swaminaryan Sanskar Pharmacy College. He has published more than 29 papers in reputed journals and 3 books. He has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Mosquito menace is ubiquitous problem throughout the world. Large numbers of diseases are known to spread through mosquitoes. Many attempts are made to control the mosquito menace and to eradicate the scourge of malaria and other severe diseases. Since there is no effective vaccine available for the control of these diseases, prevention of mosquito bites is one of the main strategies to control or minimize incidence of these diseases. The use of insect repellents can provide a practical and economical means of preventing mosquito-borne diseases. Most of the mosquito repellent formulations available in the market are mainly prepared with active ingredients of synthetic origin. Natural or herbal mosquito repellents available in the market are generally based on volatile oils. Mosquito repellent activities are reported with several medicinal plants. For present study, Sphaeranthus indicus (Ind. Var. Gorakhmundi; fruit), Piper betel (Ind. Var. Nagarvel Pan; leaf), Trachyspermum ammi (Ind. Var. Ajwain; oil), Cymbopogan citratus (Ind. Var. Lemon grass; oil) were used to prepare polyherbal formulation. Extracts prepared by using solvent reflux method and were subjected for phytochemical study. Quality and purity of Ajwoin oil and lemon grass oil was detected by GC. Species of mosquitoes such as Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefaciatus were breeded. Polyherbal lotion formulations were prepared by using different combinations of oils and extracts. They were studied and evaluated for pH, viscosity, spreadability, irritancy. Finding indicate optimum result with pH 5.20-6.87, viscosity 24025-4893 cps, spreadability 11.20-15.48 gm.cm/sec and the median effective time (ET99) 4.60 hours after application. The prepared formulations do not cause any irritancy and inflammation on skin. All formulations were studied for Mosquito repellent activity. Formulation F4 has potential Mosquito repellent activity showing 99.8 % Mosquito repellent activity.

Saloni kamboj has completed her B. pharm and at present she is pursuing her masters in pharmacognosy 1st year at Guru Nanak dev. university, Amritsar, state- Punjab, India

Gmelina asiatica is a rich source of flavonoids which play important role in neuroprotection, consist of flavonoid quercetagetin and kaempferol which are reported to have anxiolytic property. Methanolic extract of 400mg/kg increase the number of entries in open arm and time spent in open arm in elevated plus maze and when compared with control, it clearly indicated that methanolic extract exert an anxiolytic activity in plus maze at a dose of 200mg/kg and 400 mg/kg. The methanol extract increased the number of entries and time spent in light compartment as compared to control which showed the anxiolytic property of plant. Phytochemical screening and TLC evidenced that flavonoid comprises major group of compounds present in active extract and anxiolytic activity of plant can be due to the presence of flavonoids.

Ishag has completed his PhD at the age of 37 years from Putra University of Malaysia and one and half year postdoctoral studies from the National University of Malaysia, School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology. He has published more than 14 papers in reputed journals. He is currently continuoing his postdoctoral studies in Herbal Cancer Research.

Ethnopharmacologically, Clausena excavata Burm. F. has been used in folk medicines in eastern thailand for the treatment of cancer. To investigate the apoptosis mechanism, dentatin (DTN) was separated from this plant. DTN-induced cytotoxicity was observed with the MTT assay. Acridine orange/propidium iodide staining was used to detect cells in early apoptosis and high content screening (HCS) to observe nuclear condensation, cell permeability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome c release. Apoptosis was confirmed with a clonogenic assay, DNA laddering and caspase 3/7 and 9 assays. A significant increase in chromatin condensation in the cell nucleus was observed by fluorescence analysis. Apoptosis was confirmed by the reduced number of colonies in the clonogenic assay and the increased number of cellular DNA breaks in treated cells observed as a DNA ladder. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with DTN encouraged apoptosis with cell death-transducing signals that reduced MMP by down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax, triggering cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol. The released cytochrome c triggered the activation of caspase 9 followed by the executioner caspase 3/7. DTN treatment significantly arrested MCF-7 cells at the G0/G1 phase (p<0.05) and ROS was significantly elevated. Moreover, DTN significantly blocked the induced translocation of NF-κB from cytoplasm to nucleus. Together, the results demonstrated that the DTN isolated from Clausena excavata inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells, leading to cell cycle arrest and programmed cell death, which was confirmed to occur through the mitochondrial pathway with involvement of the NF-κB signalling pathway.

Dinithi Peiris obtained her PhD from University of Sheffield, UK and postdoctoral studies from Queen’s University, and University of British Columbia, Canada. She is a senior lectuer attached to Univesity of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. She has published more than 15 papers in reputed journals and 06 text books for university students. She has been serving as an editorial board member of for two internaitonal journals. Her main resesarch area includes use of traditional medicine for treatment of cancer and diabetes.

Raw leaves of Passiflora suberosa L. (Family: Passifloraceae) is used as a traditional remedy to manage diabetes. Yet, its ethnomedical usage is not scientifically proven. Hypoglycaemic effect of the aqueous leaf extract (ALE) of P. suberosa in mice was determined. ALE was prepared and mice (n= 9/group), were treated with 25, 50, 100, 200 mg/kg ALE and distilled water (DW; control). Fasting and random blood glucose levels were determined at 1st , 3rd and 5th hours of post-treatment. Acute administration of 50mg/kg of ALE significantly (p < 0.01) reduced fasting blood glucose levels (BGL) at 1st, 3rd and 5th hours of post treatment. Similarly, 100 mg/kg of ALE significantly reduced fasting BGL at 3rd and 5th hours of post treatment. However, it did not change the random BGL in non-fasted mice. To evaluate the chronic effect of ALE, 18 mice (n=9) were treated orally either with DW or 50 mg/kg of ALE for 30 consecutive days and fasting BGL was measured on the final day of the treatment after 1, 3, and 5 hours. A significant reduction in fasting BGL was observed, at 1st , 3rd and 5 hours respectively. The same dose showed a significant (p < 0.01) improvement in sucrose tolerance test after 5 hours. However, ALE did not show a significant improvement in glucose tolerance test following an oral glucose challenge. The findings from this study suggest that the ALE of P. suberosa may be prescribed as alternative medicine to manage diabetes mellitus.

Mohammad Hashemi has completed his M.Sc. from Azad University of Tabriz and M.Sc. studies from University of Tehran at the age of 26 years. He has ranked 6th in Plant biotechnology Graduate Program Entrance Exam among more than 2500 participants (2013). He has published more than 5 papers in reputed journals

One of the large and diverse groups of biological compounds that produced in plant cells are secondary metabolites or bioactive constituents. These compounent plays important roles in fields of pharmacology, bioherbicides, biocolors, toxins, hallucinogenic substances and biofragrances. These capacity and features of secondary metabolites make them attractive for use in biotechnology. Plant cells show physiological and morphological responses to microbial, physical or chemical factors which are as ‘elicitors’. Plant cell suspension and hairy root culture elicitation are the most applied and talented alternatives method to production of secondary metabolites, which has been a subject of attention in many investigations. The present review summarizes the classification of elicitors, mechanisms of elicitors’ activity, and applications for the production of secondary metabolites in plant cell and tissue culture.

Sergio Andrés Cabrera Navarro is an Agroindustrial Engineer and currently He is studying his Master Degree in Agrofood Science at the University of Tolima-Colombia. He is a consultant of the nanotechnology and biotechnology line of the Tecnoparque Nodo La Granja-SENA Regional Tolima. He has researched on biocompounds, phytochemicals, antioxidants and antimicrobial on natural products. He has published and article related to the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the extracts of Granadilla (Passiflora ligularis). Currently He supports de development of innovative prototypes for agroindustrial companies in the Tecnoparque-SENA Tolima, Colombia.

The Cholupa (Passiflora maliformis) is an exotic herbal-fruit, highly desired by its sensory qualities. In Colombia the Cholupa’s crop has been mainly destined to the fresh consumption. However the current increment of degenerative diseases among people such as cancer has proposed the Passiflora gender as an alternative worldwide for their pharmaceutical properties, which gives to the crop a promising future in the world market. The main objective of this study was to determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of Passiflora Ligularis. It was used the reflux extraction method, using as solvent water, ethanol 35% (v/v) and 70% (v / v), working with leaves and flowers as plant material. The analysis demonstrated that both aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts present phenolic compounds, achieving maximum levels of 7.35 mg Eq Ac. Gal /g dry matter. Also was determined maximum total flavonoids equivalent to 11.94 mg Eq Vitexin / g dry matter on hydroalcoholic extracts. In vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using the methodology of capturing the free radical (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Power (FRAP), in both methods was determined that hydroalcoholic extracts were more active. The corresponding test antimicrobial activity, indicated that the extracts of Passiflora maliformis have the ability to reduce the growth of both E. coli (ATCC 25922) and S. aureus (ATCC 25923), mainly finding that aqueous extracts possess greater power microbial inhibition than the hydroalcoholic ones. In this study also was possible to identify a correlation between the phenols and antioxidant activity (FRAP).

Mohamed Eddouks has completed his PhD at the age of 26 years from Liege University and postdoctoral studies from Faculty of Medicine of Montreal. He has published three international books and more than 70 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Capparis spinosa Linn. (Capparaceae) was traditionally used for pharmacological purposes and has potential for use in modern cosmetics. This review aims to assess the current available knowledge of Capparis spinosa and its constituents for management of several diseases. Bibliographic investigation was carried out by scrutinizing classical text books and peer reviewed papers, consulting worldwide accepted scientific databases to retrieve available published literature. Only articles on pharmacological and phytochemical studies of Capparis spinosa have been selected. The main pharmacological activities of caper are antidiabetic, antihypertensive, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-allergic, hepatoprotective, antimibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities. Phytochemicals studies of this plant revealed the existence of many bioactive components such as saccharides and glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and volatile oils, fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E and steroids. We conclude that Capparis spinosa is beneficial for the treatment of many pathologies supporting then its use in human nutrition and healthcare.

Genet Minale is a lecturer in Ambo University in the department of pharmacy. She received a BSc. in chemistry from school of Natural Science in 2009 and MSc. in Pharmacognosy from school of Pharmacy in 2013 from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. In addition to teaching, Genet is one of the researchers on traditional medicine in Ethiopia. She conducts research on antimalarial and antimicrobial activities of some indigenous medicinal plant in Ethiopia and she collaborated on manuscript with her colleagues Dr. Kaleab Asres and Dr. Daniel Bisrat entitled in vitro antimicrobial activities of anthrones from the leaf latex of Aloe sinana in which she presented research compiled by Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Association. She currently founded to conduct a research on indigenous knowledge on traditional medicine and pharmacognostical evaluation of medicinal plant in Ethiopia by collaboration with Wondo Genet Agricultural research center. She can be contacted at genet (dot)minale(at)gmail(dot)com.

Introduction Despite over a century of effort and early optimism, a malaria-free world remain as much distant vision as ever1. Many malaria control strategies exist, but none are appropriate and affordable in all contexts2. Some of the factors that contributed to this worst picture of malaria are high cost control programs, emergence of new insecticide resistant strains of the vector, creation of new mosquito breeding sites, the problem of drug resistance (P. falciparum) to almost all currently available antimalarial drugs, lack of organized health infrastructures and the migration behavior of people that increase the incidence and spread of malaria3. Aloe sinana is one of endemic Aloe species of Ethiopia where its leaf latex is traditionally used in Debre Sina and in other central highlands of the country for the treatment of various illnesses, including malaria, wounds and snake bite. In continuation of our on-going research on antimalarial compounds from plants, the leaf latex of A. sinana was investigated for its antimalarial activity. Materials and Methods: Extraction: Leaves were harvested and the latex was collected by cutting the leaf transversally near the base and inclining on stainless tray. The water was allowed to evaporate in open air for two days, which yielded a reddish dark substance. Isolation of compounds: Isolation of compounds was performed by dissolving the latex in methanol and applied directly to PTLC (chloroform and methanol mixture; 4:1). The isolated compounds were further purified by repeated PTLC. Structural elucidation: All isolated compounds were characterized as anthrones by using various spectroscopic techniques (1H, 13C NMR, DEPT-135 and ESIMS) Acute oral toxicity test: Oral toxicity study was conducted as per the internationally accepted protocol drawn under OECD guidelines 4234. In vivo antimalarial assay: Antimalarial activity of the test samples was evaluated by a 4-day suppressive test against mice infected with Plasmodium berghi as described by Knight and Peters5. Results: The latex and all the isolated compounds showed significant chemosuppression in mice infected with P. berghi. At a dose of 400 mg/kg, the latex suppressed parasite growth by 68.2% compared to the negative control group and improved survival time considerably. Among the isolated compounds, aloinoside showed the most potent antiplasmodial activity inhibiting parasite growth by 85.2% at a dose of 100 mg/kg, with no signs of acute toxicity up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg. Conclusion: The leaf latex of A. sinana and isolated compounds, particularly aloinoside showed promising in vivo antimalarial activity. In light of the relative safety of the latex and isolated compounds, it can be concluded that the test substances could serve as potential candidates for the treatment of malaria. These results further illustrate that the reputed application of A. sinana leaves in the treatment of malaria in traditional medical practices is well founded.