Withania somnifera and Centella asiatica Extracts Ameliorate Behavioral Deficits in an In Vivo Drosophila melanogaster Model of Oxidative Stress

Due to an increase in the aging population, age-related diseases and age-related changes, such as diminished cognition and sleep disturbances, are an increasing health threat. It has been suggested that an increase in oxidative stress underlies many of these changes. Current treatments for these diseases and changes either have low efficacy or have deleterious side effects preventing long-time use. Therefore, alternative treatments that promote healthy aging and provide resilience against these health threats are needed. The herbs Withania somnifera and Centella asiatica may be two such alternatives because both have been connected with reducing oxidative stress and could therefore ameliorate age-related impairments. To test the effects of these herbs on behavioral phenotypes induced by oxidative stress, we used the Drosophila melanogaster sniffer mutant which has high levels of oxidative stress due to reduced carbonyl reductase activity. Effects on cognition and mobility were assessed using phototaxis assays and both, W. somnifera and C. asiatica water extracts improved phototaxis in sniffer mutants. In addition, W. somnifera improved nighttime sleep in male and female sniffer flies and promoted a less fragmented sleep pattern in male sniffer flies. This suggests that W. somnifera and C. asiatica can ameliorate oxidative stress-related changes in behavior and that by doing so they might promote healthy aging in humans.

Metabolomic Profiling and Immunomodulatory Activity of a Polyherbal Combination in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressed Mice

The study was aimed to develop a characterized polyherbal combination as an immunomodulator containing Phyllanthus emblica L., Piper nigrum L., Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, and Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. Through response surface methodology (RSM), the ratio of aqueous extracts of four plant materials was optimized and comprised 49.76% of P. emblica, 1.35% of P. nigrum, 5.41% of W. somnifera, and 43.43% of T. cordifolia for optimum immunomodulatory activity. The optimized combination showed antioxidant potential and contains more than 180 metabolites, out of which gallic acid, quercetin, ellagic acid, caffeic acid, kaempferitrin, and p-coumaric acid are some common and significant metabolites found in plant extracts and in polyherbal combination. Treatment with the polyherbal combination of different doses in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced the subsets of immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells (60%), B cells (18%), CD4 cells (14%), and CD8 cells (7%). The characterized polyherbal combination exhibited potent immunomodulatory activity, which can be further explored clinically for its therapeutic applicability.

Effects of the Withania somnifera supplementation on sports performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Withania somnifera has been used as an ergogenic resource in recent years. In this scenario, a systematic literature review is justified to compile the findings in the scientific literature and to evaluate the methodological quality of these investigations. Aims: Our objective with this review was to evaluate the effects of Withania somnifera supplementation on sports performance in physical exercise practitioners. Material and Methods: This systematic literature review with meta-analysis addresses the effects of Withania somnifera supplementation on sports performance. Results: Of the parameters evaluated in the articles, the maximum oxygen uptake was shown to improve significantly in the three studies in which it was evaluated. Maximum strength was not influenced by the supplementation. Conclusions: The results of the present systematic literature review showed evidence that the supplementation of Withania somnifera over 500 mg to 1,250 mg before or after exercise can improve physical performance. Keywords: Withania, Sports, Dietary Supplements, Athletic Performance.

Formulation of Herbal Gel for Wound Healing from Hollarrhena Pubences, Withania Somnifera, Azadirachta Indica, Curcuma Longa

The present reaearch has been undertaken with the aim to fomulate and evaluate the herble gel containng alcoholic extract of Hollarrhena pubences(kurchi), Withania somnifera(ashwagandha), curcuma longa(turmeric)Azadiracht indica(neem). The gel formulation prepared by using various polymer bases(methyl cellulose) . The stability study have carried as perICH guideline. The result show that the gel formulation containing kurchi, ashwagandha, turmeric, neem has better stability than other. All formulation studied on animal model(rat).The present work justifies the use oh herbal gel containing ashwagandha, turmeric, neem, kurchi for wound healing. Keywords: wound healing; Hollarrhena pubences, withania somnifera, curcuma longa, azadirachta indica; topicle gel.

Chemical Composition, Biological Activity, and Health-Promoting Effects of Withania somnifera for Pharma-Food Industry Applications

The Withania genus comes from the Solanaceae family and includes around 23 species, spread over some areas of the Mediterranean, Asia, and East Africa. Widely used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, these plants are rich in secondary metabolites, with special emphasis on steroidal lactones, named withanolides which are used as ingredients in numerous formulations for a plethora of diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, arthritis, impotence, amnesia, hypertension, anxiety, stress, cancer, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases, and many others. Among them, Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is the most widely addressed species from a pharmacological and agroindustrial point of view. In this sense, this review provides an overview of the folk uses, phytochemical composition, and biological activity, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activity of W. somnifera, although more recently other species have also been increasingly investigated. In addition, their health-promoting effects, i.e., antistress, anxiolytic, adaptogenic, antirheumatoid arthritis, chemoprotective, and cardiorespiratory-enhancing abilities, along with safety and adverse effects are also discussed.

An in silico approach towards exploration of the oxidative stress resistance of major withanolides of Withania somnifera in relation to COVID-19 management

Oxidative stress is the state of imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) in the biological system and the ability of the body to detoxify them resulting in increased accumulation of free radicals in the cells. This stress leads to weakening of the immune system thus leading to higher susceptibility to other infections as well. This also includes the weakening of the respiratory tract leading to increased susceptibility of viral infections as in the case of COVID-19. Treatment for any kind of abnormality requires the identification of the key target proteins and pathways that are being altered. Withania somnifera is being used in the traditional medicinal system to improve health and longevity thus creating a sense of mental as well as physical well being. The present study utilises network pharmacological approach to predict the potential oxidative stress targets of the three major withanolides: withanolide A, withaferin A and withanone. Primarily, the targets of the individual withanolides were obtained from the Swiss target and DIGEP-pred databases and the GO terms and lead hits related to oxidative stress were retrieved from AMIGO2 database. Totally 40 correlative hits were obtained as anti stress targets of the withanolides, which were subjected to functional enrichment and protein–protein interaction analysis to study the enriched pathways underlying oxidative stress response. Further the eleven crucial targets of the four selected pathways were analysed using molecular docking analysis. A total of forty protein hits were obtained as oxidative stress targets of the withanolides. Further, the pathway enrichment of these forty target genes showed the AGE RAGE signalling pathway as highly enriched pathway. Therefore, the AGE RAGE signalling pathway along with its underlying pathways namely MAPK signalling pathway, FOXO pathway and PI3-AKT pathway were chosen among all the other enriched pathways. Further the molecular docking analysis of the eleven target proteins falling under these four pathways showed good docking scores of the withanolides with all the eleven targets with the highest interaction against BCL2. From the above study, the biological targets and associated pathways of the withanolides have been retrieved. Thus the in silico approach undertaken in this study explores the role of the key withanolides in the antioxidant potential of the traditional medicinal plant Withania somnifera.