Effect of Bauhinia forficata extract in diabetic pregnant rats: maternal repercussions

Bauhinia forficata, commonly known as paw-of-cow, is widely used in Brazil folk medicine for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus. The purposes of present study were to determine the repercussions of diabetes on the defense system against oxidative stress in pregnant female rats and to characterize the influence of the treatment with Bauhinia forficata extract on the antioxidant system, glycemic control, hepatic glycogen, cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins and lipids. Virgin female Wistar rats were injected with 40 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) before mating. Oral administration of an aqueous extract of Bauhinia forficata leaves was given to non-diabetic and diabetic pregnant rats in 3 doses: 500 mg/kg from 0 to 4(th) day of pregnancy, 600 mg/kg from 5(th) to 14(th) day and 1000 mg/kg from 15(th) to 20(th) day. All the females were killed on the day 21 of pregnancy. A maternal blood sample was collected by venous puncture and the maternal liver was removed for biochemical measurement. The diabetic pregnant rats presented hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, bypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, decreased determinations of reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Treatment with B. forficata extract did not interfere in the albumin, total protein and lipid, triglyceride, cholesterol and SOD determinations. Increased hepatic glycogen, decreased uric acid concentration and increased GSH activity was observed. This last fact suggests that the plant may have some action on antioxidant defense system. However, the demonstration of the active component present in B. forficata responsible for its antioxidant effect and the increase in hepatic glycogen deserve further investigation.

Estudo do extrato de Bauhinia forficata L. sobre o diabete em ratas prenhes

The objective of this paper was to study the aqueous extract of Bauhinia forficata L. (pata-de-vaca) effects on streptozotocin-induced diabete pregnant rats. We used Wistar pregnant rats, dividided in 3 experimental groups: control (C, n=7), non-treated diabetics (DNT, n=7) and streptozotocin induced-diabetics treated with an aqueous extract of pata-de-vaca leaves, 200 mg/kg dose (DT, n=7). The animals received the extract through a gastric tube (gavage). The blood glucose level were verified on day 0, 5, 14 and 20 of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the daily mean water intake, food intake and average maternal weight gains of rats were measured. The results demonstrated that plant extract reduced the postimplantation loss porcentage, increasing the number of live fetuses likely to the control group. We found increased food and water intake of the DT and DNT pregnant rats compared to control due to hyperglycemic state. We also observed average maternal weight gains was likely to the DT and control groups on different pregnant periods, suggesting treatment with the plant contributed for the rat weight gains. The blood glucose level of dams did not present significative differences between DT and DNT groups. Thus, the B. forficata aqueous extract, 200 mg/kg dose, did not present hypoglycemic effect on streptozotocin-induced diabete pregnant rats. Nevertheless, the results suggest that DT pregnant rats were kept safe the for B. forficata aqueous extract, allowing at term pregnant occurence.

Evaluation of toxicity after one-months treatment with Bauhinia forficata decoction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background: Previous experiments have shown that a decoction of Bauhinia forficata leaves reduces the changes in carbohydrate and protein metabolism that occur in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. In the present investigation, the serum activities of enzymes known to be reliable toxicity markers were monitored in normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats to discover whether the use of B. forficata decoction has toxic effects on liver, muscle or pancreas tissue or on renal microcirculation. Methods: An experimental group of normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats received an aqueous decoction of fresh B. forficata leaves (150 g/L) by mouth for 33 days while a control group of normal and diabetic rats received water for the same length of time. The serum activity of the toxicity markers lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, amylase, angiotensin-converting enzyme and bilirubin were assayed before receiving B. forficata decoction and on day 19 and 33 of treatment. Results: The toxicity markers in normal and diabetic rats were not altered by the diabetes itself nor by treatment with decoction. Whether or not they received B. forficata decoction the normal rats showed a significant increase in serum amylase activity during the experimental period while there was a tendency for the diabetic rats, both treated and untreated with decoction, to have lower serum amylase activities than the normal rats. Conclusions: Administration of an aqueous decoction of B. forficata is a potential treatment for diabetes and does not produce toxic effects measurable with the enzyme markers used in our study. © 2004 Pepato et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Evaluation of the spouted bed dried leaf extract of Bauhinia forficata for the treatment of experimental diabetes in rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of Bauhinia forficata aqueous extract on the maternal-fetal outcome and oxidative stress biomarkers of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Bauhinia forficata Link, commonly known as paw-of-cow, is widely used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes.Aim of this study: To evaluate the effect of Bauhinia forficata treatment on maternal-fetal outcome and antioxidant systems of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.Materials and methods: Virgin female Wistar rats were injected with 40 mg/kg streptozotocin before mating. Oral administration of an aqueous extract of Bauhinia forficata leaves was given to non-diabetic and diabetic pregnant rats at increasing doses: 500 mg/kg from 0 to 4th day of pregnancy, 600 mg/kg from 5th to 14th day and 1000 mg/kg from 15th to 20th day. At day 21 of pregnancy the rats were anaesthetized with ether and a maternal blood sample was collected for the determination superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH). The gravid uterus was weighed with its contents and fetuses were analyzed.Results and conclusion: The data showed that the diabetic dams presented an increased glycemic level, resorption, placental weight, placental index, and fetal anomalies, and reduced GSH and SOD determinations, live fetuses, maternal weight gain, gravid uterine weight, and fetal weight. It was also verified that Bauhinia forficata treatment had no hypoglycemic effect, did not improve maternal outcomes in diabetic rats, but it contributed to maintain GSH concentration similarly to non-diabetic groups, suggesting relation with the decreased incidence of visceral anomalies. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antiulcerogenic activity and toxicity of bauhinia holophylla hydroalcoholic extract

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Free radical scavenging profile and myeloperoxidase inhibition of extracts from antidiabetic plants: Bauhinia forficata and Cissus sicyoides

There is abundant evidence that reactive oxygen species are implicated in several physiological and pathological processes. To protect biological targets from oxidative damage. antioxidants must react with radicals and other reactive species faster than biological substrates do. The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts from leaves of Bauhinia forficata Link (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae) and Cissus sicyoides L. (Vitaceae) (two medicinal plants used popularly in the control of diabetes mellitus), using several different assay systems, namely, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) decolorization. superoxide anion radical (O-2 center dot-) scavenging and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. In the ABTS assay for total antioxidant activity, B. forficata showed IC50 8.00 +/- 0.07 mu g/mL, while C. sicyoides showed IC50 13.0 +/- 0.2 mu g/mL. However, the extract of C. sicyoides had a stronger effect on O-2 center dot- (IC50 60.0 +/- 2.3 mu p/mL) than the extract of B. forficata (IC50 90.0 +/- 4.4 mu g/mL). B. forficata also had a stronger inhibitory effect on MPO activity, as measured by guaiacol oxidation, than C. sicyoides. These results indicate that aqueous extracts of leaves of B. forficata and C. sicyoides are a potential source of natural antioxidants and may be helpful in the prevention of diabetic complications associated with oxidative stress.

Atividade alelopática dos extratos fresco e seco de folhas de barbatimão (Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville) e pata-devaca (Bauhinia forficata link) sobre a germinação e desenvolvimento inicial de plântulas de tomate

The objective of this study aimed at the verification of the allelopatic action of extracts of "pata-de-vaca" (Bauhinia forficata Link) and "'barbatimao" (Stryhnodendron adsiringens (Mart.) Coville) on seeds of tomato (Lyeopersicum esculentum Mill). Tomato seeds placed in translucent "gerbox" were treated with aqueous extracts prepared with fresh and dry leaves of the tested species at the following concentrations: 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0% (control). The experimental design was completely randomized with five treatments and five replications of 25 seeds per plot per species. The data were submitted to the analysis of variance and the means compared by Tukey test at 5% of probability. Germination percentage, mean time and germination rates (MGT and MGR), and mean of the primary root length were evaluated. No difference was found for germination percentage of tomato seeds for the different extracts. For MGR, all treatments with fresh leaf extract differed from the check. MGT and MGR showed differences among the following dry leaf extracts concentrations: 25%, 75% and 100%. All treatments presented inhibitory effect on the length of the primary root.

The role of matrix effects on the quantification of abscisic acid and its metabolites in the leaves of Bauhinia variegata L. using liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the crude extracts from stem bark of Bauhinia guianensis

Methylene chloride, ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts front the stem bark of Bauhinia guianensis (Leguminosae, Caesalpinoideae) were obtained. These extracts were evaluated for antiinflammatory activity which was conducted using carrageenin, dextran and histamine-induced paw edema in rats. The extracts of B. guianensis were also assessed for analgesic activity which was conducted using the writhing test in mouse. The different animal groups were treated with these extracts (100 mg/kg i.p. and p.o, IC50) 30 min prior to the application of stimuli. The methanolic extract demonstrated significant inhibition in the carrageenin-induced edema model. In the dextran-induced edema model, all three extracts inhibited the inflammatory process significantly with the methanolic extract being the most active. The ethyl acetate extract was the only one shown to be effective in the histamine-induced edema model. Finally all extracts inhibited effectively the algogenic process in the writhing test induced by acetic acid.

Constituintes químicos e atividades antioxidante e alelopática de Bauhinia holophylla (Bong.) Steud

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica) - IBB

Repercussões maternas, reprodutivas e perinatais do tratamento com extrato aquoso de folhas de Bauhinia forficata (Pata-de-vaca) na prenhez de ratas não-diabéticas e diabéticas

Pós-graduação em Ginecologia, Obstetrícia e Mastologia - FMB

Avaliação da atividade hipoglicemiante do extrato bruto de Bauhinia holophylla (Steud.) em camundongos diabéticos induzidos por estreptozotocina

Pós-graduação em Biologia Geral e Aplicada - IBB

How to extract and expand randomness : a summary and explanation of existing results

We examine the use of randomness extraction and expansion in key agreement (KA) pro- tocols to generate uniformly random keys in the standard model. Although existing works provide the basic theorems necessary, they lack details or examples of appropriate cryptographic primitives and/or parameter sizes. This has lead to the large amount of min-entropy needed in the (non-uniform) shared secret being overlooked in proposals and efficiency comparisons of KA protocols. We therefore summa- rize existing work in the area and examine the security levels achieved with the use of various extractors and expanders for particular parameter sizes. The tables presented herein show that the shared secret needs a min-entropy of at least 292 bits (and even more with more realistic assumptions) to achieve an overall security level of 80 bits using the extractors and expanders we consider. The tables may be used to �nd the min-entropy required for various security levels and assumptions. We also �nd that when using the short exponent theorems of Gennaro et al., the short exponents may need to be much longer than they suggested.

Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS): a mixed methods RCT using an aqueous extract of Piper methysticum

Objectives: To report on the design, significance and potential impacts of the first documented human clinical trial assessing the anxiolytic and thymoleptic efficacy of an aqueous monoextract of Piper methysticum (kava). The significance of the qualitative element of our clinical trial is also explored. The Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS) is a 3-week placebocontrolled, double-blind, cross-over trial involving 60 adult participants (18—65) with elevated stable anxiety and varying levels of depressive symptoms. Aims: The aims of KADSS are: (1) to determine whether an aqueous standardised extract of kava is effective for the treatment of anxiety; (2) to assess the effects of kava on differing levels of depression; and (3) to explore participants’ experience of taking kava via qualitative research. The study also provides preliminary assessment of the safety of an aqueous extract of kava in humans. Conclusion: If results reveal that the aqueous kava preparation exerts significant anxiolytic effects and appears safe, potentially beneficial impacts may occur. Data supporting a safe and effective kava extract may encourage a re-introduction of kava to Europe, UK and Canada. This may provide a major socioeconomic benefit to Pacific Island nations, and to sufferers of anxiety disorders.