ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037
Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE
Vol. 07, Issue 02,February 2022 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 53 ASSESSING THE ADAPTOGENIC PROPERTIES OF BORAGO OFFICINALIS, A HERB
FROM THE UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE
Thandu Rajini
Asst. Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Princeton College of Pharmacy, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Malothu Suresh
Asst. Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Princeton College of Pharmacy, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Abstract - This study was led to assess adaptogenic movement of ethanolic concentrate of leaves of Borago officinalis in rodents and mice. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not rats' and mice's anoxic tolerance tests, as well as their swimming endurance times, organ weights, and biochemical parameters, were affected by forced swimming endurance stress. At oral doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg, these activities are tested. The stress- induced variations in these biochemical parameters—serum glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, BUN and cortisol levels, and organ weights—were significantly reduced by pretreatment with extract in these stress models. In addition, rats' and mice's anoxic tolerance durations were longer in the extract-treated animals. Accordingly, adaptogenic properties are suggested by BO's capacity to improve stress-induced changes and extend swimming time in both stress models.
Keywords: Adaptogenic, tolerance to anoxic stress, Borago officinalis, and stress from forced swimming.
1 INTRODUCTION
Russians came up with the term
"adaptogen" to describe a group of natural substances with unique properties. They are substances that assist the human body with adjusting to states of inward and outside pressure and oppose circumstances of stress that would ordinarily adversely affect its working.
They additionally assist the body with accomplishing an ideal equilibrium of inner energies. An adaptogen's action must be nonspecific, or resistant to a wide range of harmful factors, whether they are biological, chemical, or physical. The body and mind react to changes in homeostasis as the root cause of stress. The useful pressure is called Eustress while destructive pressure is called Trouble.
The organism's homeostatic mechanisms become compromised under extreme stress, putting its survival in jeopardy.
Under these circumstances, stress sets off an extensive variety of body changes called General Transformation Condition (GAS). The annual herb Borago officinalis
(B.officinalis L.), also known as "Star flower," is a member of the family Boraginaceae. It originated in Syria but spread naturally to Asia, Europe, North Africa, South America, and the Mediterranean. Gaozaban is the name given to the plant in the unani medical system. Borage is used by naturopathic doctors to control metabolism and the hormonal system. It was once used to treat depression, anxiety, and grief as a nerve tonic. To counteract the effects of steroid therapy, leaves have been used as an adrenal tonic. It also provides vitality during illness recovery. The antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties of an ethanolic extract of defatted B.
officinalis seeds have been reported.
2 MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Chemicals
The chemicals that were utilized were all of the analytical grade. SPAN Diagnostics Kits Ltd. provided the kits for measuring
ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037
Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE
Vol. 07, Issue 02,February 2022 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 54 glucose, BUN, corticosterone, serum
cholesterol, and triglycerides.
2.2 Preparation of Extract
The pharmacist at S.U.C.P. college in Hyderabad verified the authenticity of the B. officinalis leaves, which were obtained from an Unani medical store in Hyderabad. In a soxhlet apparatus, the leaves were shade-dried, ground into a powder, and extracted for 48 hours with 95% ethanol. Using a rotary flash evaporator, the extracts were filtered and concentrated in a vacuum at lower pressure. Distilled water containing 1%
(w/v) carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used to make a suspension.
2.3 Acute Toxicity Studies
Using a specially designed oral needle attached to a polythene tube, B. officinalis ethanolic extract was administered orally to mice and rats at various doses (50- 2000 mg/kg). The animals were observed for 48 hours during the study period (Short term toxicity) in accordance with CPCSEA guidelines for any mortality, and the extract was found to be safe up to 2000 mg/kg. The dosages chose were 50 and 100 mg/kg. The exploratory convention got endorsement from the Institutional Creature Morals Panel (IAEC/SUCP/05/2007).
2.4 Forced Swimming Endurance Test (Physical Stress)
For forced swim endurance stress, 200- 250 g male and female rats were utilized.
In saline, rats in Group I received 1%
CMC; (vehicle management). Group II mice underwent stress and treatment with 1% CMC in saline; (negative influence). Bunch III rodents were treated with Withania Somnifera (100 mg/kg) and stress; (positive management). Ethanolic extract at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o., was administered to rats in Groups IV and V. and anxiety. The rats were kept in a propylene tank with a diameter of 37 x 30 cm and a height of 25 cm that was
filled with water to simulate swimming stress. For seven days, extracts were given to rats once daily. On the eighth day, the rats were allowed to swim until they were completely worn out, and the endpoint was taken when the animals began to drown. The mean swimming time for each gathering was determined.
In order to estimate biochemical parameters like serum glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, BUN, and cortisols, the animals were killed and their blood was collected through cardiac punctures. After alcohol washing, the weights of organs like the liver, adrenals, and spleen were recorded.
2.5 Anoxic Stress Tolerance Test in Mice
The male and female mice were randomly divided into five groups, each with six mice. The mice in Group I received 1%
CMC in saline; (vehicle management).
Withania somnifera (100 mg/kg, p.o.) was used to treat Group II mice; Ethanolic extract was given to rats in Groups III and IV at oral doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg, respectively and anxiety. For seven days, the drug treatment was done every day.
The animals were subjected to anoxia stress at the conclusion of the drug treatment, and the duration of anoxia tolerance was recorded. To induce anoxia stress, a hermetic vessel with a capacity of one liter of air was used. Each animal was kept in the hermetic vessel, and the time it took for them to show the first signs of convulsion was recorded. The animals were then taken out of the vessel right away and resuscitated if necessary.
2.6 Statistical Analysis
Graphpad INSTAT was used to conduct a one-way ANOVA on the data, with all values expressed as mean standard error.
Dunnet's multiple comparison tests were used to estimate the significance of the differences between the various groups during the post-hock analysis.
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Vol. 07, Issue 02,February 2022 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 55 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The study found that the extract had adaptogenic properties because it significantly (p 0.05) increased swimming time. B. officinalis pretreatment at 50 and 100 mg/kg significantly (p 0.05) reversed the stress-induced increase in adrenal weight and spleen weight in the stress control group during swimming endurance stress. Plasma cortisol, triglycerides, glucose, BUN, and cholesterol were significantly restored after being pretreated with more than two doses (p 0.05) prior to forced swimming.
In rats, the extract provided significant protection against anoxia-induced stress changes at various doses. The appearance of convulsion served as the end point for the Anoxia tolerance test. Both Dose I (50 mg/kg/b.w.) and Dose II (100 mg/kg/b.w.) of B. officinalis showed statistically significant (p 0) results. 001) an increase in the tolerance to stress time on day seven in comparison to the control group.
The substances known as adaptogens are intended to induce organs into a state of non-specific increased resistance in order to improve stress resistance and adaptability to extraordinary challenges. They normalize body functions, strengthen stressed-out systems and functions, and protect against a wide range of emotional and environmental stressors. The most common method for determining a novel compound's anti-stress property is forced swimming. This worldview depends on the perception that creatures when compelled to swim in water ultimately expected a trademark stationary stance, without any trace of any action. As a result, the mice's apparent immobility indicates a state of exhaustion, fatigue, and diminished stamina, culminating in their inability to swim any further and their beginnings of drowning. The expanded swimming time has been seen in mice, pre-treated with B.officinalis with improved actual execution fundamentally longer than
untreated (control) gathering and in this manner affirming its adaptogenic nature.
ACTH is released in response to stress, stimulating the synthesis and release of cortisol in the adrenal cortex.
The mobilization of stored fat and carbohydrate reserves is influenced by elevated plasma cortisol, which in turn raises blood glucose levels. Antistress medications reverse the elevated levels of cortisol. Stress-induced elevated levels of cortisol and blood glucose were significantly reduced by B. officinalis. The results of this study's reference drug, Withania somnifera, were also comparable. The stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) and sympathetic system results in the liberation of catecholamines and glucocorticoids, which inhibit the immune system at multiple sites like the liver and kidney, causing the significant increase in serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and BUN levels in animals subjected to stress. The standard drug Withania somnifera and B.
officinalis both significantly (p 0.05) reduced serum cholesterol, BUN, and triglycerides. This may be because B.
officinalis inhibits sympathetic nervous system stimulation. The stress-induced adrenomedullary response, which results in increased production of corticotrophic hormone and an increase in adrenal weight, is the cause of the increased weight of adrenals in stressed animals. B.
officinalis and Withania somnifera significantly (p 0.05) reduced the weight of the liver and adrenal glands. This could be because they reversed the stress- induced adrenomedullary response, which in turn decreased corticotropic hormone production. Squeezing the spleen can cause lymphocytes to move into the bloodstream and contribute to the spleen's weight loss. The spleen weight was significantly (p 0.05) increased when B. officinalis and the reference plant Withania somnifera were used as a pretreatment. This might be because of restraint of enlistment of lymphocytes to
ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037
Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE
Vol. 07, Issue 02,February 2022 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 56 blood from spleen. Anoxia is a very
stressful condition. Oxygen is necessary for all body functions, including cellular respiration. Any lack of this essential component disrupts everybody mechanism. Any drug's primary antistress effect could be an increase in adaptation during this stress. The study showed that B. officinalis significantly extended the time before convulsion, confirming its antistress property. Due to its potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties, it may take longer to cause convulsions. Flavanoids, tannins, and phenolic glycosides were found to have a wide range of biological activities, including adaptogenic activity [18]. These constituents may be responsible for the adaptogenic activity, whereas the standard drug Withania somnifera contains glycosides, steroids, and flavanoids. Phytochemical constituents like Phytosterols, Saponins, Phenols, Tannins and Flavanoids have been accounted for to be available in the ethanolic leaf concentrates of B.Officinalis. These components with demonstrated antioxidant activity are primarily responsible for B. Officinalis' adaptogenic activity.
4 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the restoration of a large number of parameters studied during various types of stress suggests that administration of B. officinalis is capable of increasing the capacity of experimental animals to tolerate non-specific stress and acts as an adaptogenic agent.
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