Plant Archives Vol. 12 No. 1, 2012 pp.

5-9

ISSN 0972-5210

Review Article

ETHNOMEDICINAL IMPORTANCE OF HYGROPHILA SPINOSA T. ANDERS : A REVIEW

Amit Kumar Dash1*, G. K. Dutta1, K. K. Sardar2 and G. Sahoo2 Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Science and A. H., I.G.K.V., Anjora, Durg - 491 001 (Chattishgarh), India. 2 College of Veterinary Science and A.H., O.U.A.T., Bhubaneswar - 751 003 (Odisha), India.
1

Abstract
Hygrophila spinosa contains several phytoconstituents viz. phytosterols, polyphenols, proanthocyanins, mucilage, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, etc. having haematinic, antidiabetic, anti-nociceptive, hepato-protective, antioxidative and androgenic property with no side effects. In the present text, literatures about ethnomedicinal importance such as hematinic, hepato-protective, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antinociceptive, anticancerous and androgenic properties of H. spinosa are discussed. It was concluded that the residual fraction of hot water extract of H. spinosa have better haematinic property on induced haemolytic anemia than that of its aqueous and methnolic counterparts. It was also established that the methanolic fraction has higher potential in inhibiting lipid peroxidation and methanolic and aqueous fractions in increasing reduced glutathione concentration in blood in case of induced haemolytic anemia on 30th day of experiment. Key words : H. spinosa, herbal medicine, haematinic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antinociceptive and androgenic.

Introduction
Man since time immemorial has been using herbs or plant products as medicine for combating ailments viz. cold, coryza, joint pains, fever, etc. and building up immunity or resistance. The use of herbal products in amelioration of such common diseases are credited to the traditional systems of medicines like Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. A vast majority of rural population depends largely on herbal remedies. A good number of herbal remedies have stood the test of time particularly for the treatment of allergic, metabolic and degenerative diseases associated with aging. However, no scientific data regarding identity and effectiveness of these herbs are available except that in the treatise of Ayurveda and Unani medicine. In view of the above, pioneering research on indigenous medicinal plants was initiated by Sir Ram Nath Chopra, which is well documented in his comprehensive treatise (Chopra et al., 1958). During the past many decades, traditional knowledge system of medicine has become a topic of global concern. Man has been using plant and plant products in different ways according to his needs, particularly as food, fuel and medicine. Among the entire flora, 35,000-70,000 species are used for
*Author for correspondence : E-mail: akdash123@gmail.com

medicinal purposes. India is one of the richest floristic regions of the world and has been a source of plants and their products since ancient times. China and India are two major producers of medicinal plants having more than 40% of global biodiversity (Vijeesh and Velumani, 2011). Although several bottlenecks lies in the medicinal plant research, the prospects of development of indigenous drugs for human and animal health care system should be very bright and brilliant so that the development of some drugs of promising therapeutic efficacy can find a suitable place for therapeutic applications. The concerted efforts of team of phytochemists, pharmacologists and biotechnologists working together in well organised laboratories can make dream possible in multidimensional chemical, pharmacological and biotechnological screening of the active fraction of the plants followed by the tests for studying the different effects viz. analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, adaptogenic, antifertility, antidiabetogenic, hypolopidemic, hepatoprotective, etc. along with involvement in enzymatic, endocrinological, immunomodulatory functions. These studies can help to widen their profile of activity and open new vistas of therapeutic applications. The rural folks have strong belief

Amit Kumar Dash et al.

on one such plant namely H. spinosa T. Anders having haematinic, antidiabetic, anti-nociceptive, hepatoprotective, antioxidative and androgenic property. H . spinosa is an annual, robust and erect herb belonging to the family Acanthaceae with subquadrangular thickened nodes, oblanceolate leaves with yellow spines in axils, flowers pale to purple blue, densely clustered in axils, fruits oblong, glabrous capsules 4 to 8 seeded and finds its mention in Ayurvedic treatise like Sushruta Samhita and Charak Samhita as Rasayan or rejuvenator (Kirtikar & Basu, 2005 and Nadkarni, 2007). H. spinosa, portrayed in Ayurvedic literature as Ikshugandha, is commonly found in moist places on the banks of paddy fields, tanks, ditches, etc. and widely distributed throughout India from Himalayas to Ceylon, Srilanka, Burma, Malaysia and Nepal with synonyms as H. auriculata (Schumach), Heine; Asteracantha longifolia (L.) Nees. H. spinosa is a commonly found herb in India being used as vegetable in some states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal and is employed for the treatment of cancer, arthritis, hepatotoxicity, inflammation, blood diseases, diabetes, fever, constipation, bacterial infection, etc. H. spinosa contains various groups of phyto-constituents viz . phytosterols, polyphenols, proanthocyanins, mucilage, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, etc and is useful in the treatment of anasaraca, diseases of urinogenital tract, dropsy of chronic Brights disease, hyperdipsia, vesical calculi, flatulence, diarrhea, dysentery, leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea, asthma, blood diseases, gastric diseases, painful micturition, menorrhagea, etc. (Rastogi & Mehrotra, 1993; Annonymous, 2002 and Sharma et al., 2002). Presently more than half of the global population experiences some forms of anaemia in their life time that affects people of all ages, although the elderly, young pregnant women are at greater risk leading to various diseases (Duff, 2008). People below poverty line in the developing countries just cannot afford for the treatment of anaemia and other dreadful diseases because of involvement of high cost of available allopathic medications. Moreover, the rural population in various parts of the globe do not have adequate access to high quality drugs for this problem thus compelling them to depend heavily on plants and herbal products. Since, anaemia is very common and the incidence is likely to increase in future, there is need to prevent it or seek for more cost-effective and better treatment strategies (Duff, 2008). Anaemia is claimed to have been treated successfully with herbal materials by traditional medicine practitioners. For instance, in China, anaemia,

arteriovenous malformations, varicose veins and haemorrhages, etc. have been treated with plant materials (Richard, 1978). Growth factor like cytokines stimulates haemopoietic system and H. spinosa extract is reported to show haemopoietic stimulation in rodents (Singer et al., 1993). Ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of H. spinosa significantly increased haemoglobin, haemocrit, RBC and total WBC count in anaemic male rats (Dasgupta et al ., 2001). The ethanolic extract of Asteracantha longifolia (Nees.) effectively restored the hematological parameters, serum iron and serum protein (Pawar et al., 2010). The extract of this plant also normalized the microcytic (smaller in size), anisocytosis (disturbed shape) and hypochromic RBCs and justified the inclusion of this plant in the management of iron deficiency anemia due the presence of iron and other constituents such as flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, lupeol and betulin. Pre flowering hot water extract of H. spinosa leaf and aerial part showed better haematinic effect than the post flowering extract (Mandal, 2008 and Thakur, 2008). The residual fraction of hot water extract of H. spinosa have better haematinic property on induced haemolytic anemia than that of its aqueous and methnolic counterparts (Dash, 2011). Long term use of hot water extract of H . spinosa alone, in combination with conventional haematinics and conventional haematinic alone showed that H. spinosa hot water extract alone have better effect with no additive effect with conventional hematinics (Mandal, 2008). Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder currently affecting 285 million people worldwide and this number is set to increase even upto 438 million by the year 2030 (Sicree et al., 2009). Plant materials being used as traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes are considered to be good sources for a new drug candidate or a lead to make a new drug. In third world countries, plant extract or different folk plant preparations are being prescribed by the traditional practitioners for control of diabetes. Now-a-days, more than 400 plants are being used for producing hypoglycaemic effects which requires proper scientific evaluation, pharmacological screening, chemical investigation followed by validation and documentation. Free radicals are responsible by lipid per oxidation occurred during production and storage of nutrients (Singh et al ., 2002) and are directly involved in cancers, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes (Yildrin et al., 2001), Alzheimers disease (Allison et al., 2001). In animal organism, different biochemical pathways of the normal metabolism involve free radicals formation, but in these cases defense mechanism processes against the oxidative

Ethnomedicinal Importance of H. spinosa T. Anders : A Review

process propagation are also involved without evincing a good and constant mechanism (Yildrin et al., 2001). Exogenous antioxidant compounds are responsible for strengthening defense mechanism of the body. Antioxidants block the free radicals formation by different ways and establish important control function in some oxidative stress diseases (Harbone, 1994 and Allison et al., 2001) and in food conservation (Skerget et al., 2005). The natural antioxidants isolated from medicinal plants acquire great biochemical and pharmacological importance in the last few decades (Capecka et al., 2005; Harish and Shivanandappa, 2006). The treatment of diabetic rats with the hydro-alcoholic extract of the aerial parts of H. auriculata (100 and 300 mg/kg body weight) for three weeks demonstrated reduction in blood glucose, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and hydroperoxide in both liver and kidney. The extract increased the glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione s-transferase (GST) and catalase in the treated groups. Treatment with the extract also reduced lipid peroxidation that is associated with increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Hence, the extract possesses antidiabetic and antioxidant activities (Vijayakumar et al., 2006). Sultana et al. (2006) reported that methanolic extract of the H. spinosa is an effective inhibitor of oxidative stress and oxidant induced post necrotic proliferation in rat liver. Sawadogo et al. (2006) investigated that the methanolic extract of leaves contains phenolic and flavonoid which has promising antioxidant activity. However, aqueous extract of leaves of Asteracantha longifolia shows potent antioxidant activity in various in vitro models (Dasgupta and De, 2007). The free radical-scavenging effect of H. auriculata is due to the different phytochemicals present in its various extracts and fractions; the total phenolic content and the terpenoids present in the ethyl acetate and n-butaonl fractions are responsible for high and overall free radical scavenging effect seen in vitro (Hussain et al., 2009). The active constituent poly-phenolics and terpenoids present in the ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions may be responsible for the in vitro free radical scavenging activity of H. auriculata (K. Schum) Heine. The work done in our laboratory demonstrated that the total antioxidant (317.511.42, mole of ascorbic acid equivalent/mg of extract) and total phenolics (0.14240.016, mg of gallic acid equivalent/mg of extract) in hot water extract of leaf and aerial parts and amongst aqueous, methanolic and residual fraction of hot water extract of leaf and aerial parts, methanolic fraction contained the high concentration of total antioxidant and aqueous fraction contained the highest concentration of

phenolic compounds (Dash, 2011). It was also established that the methanolic fraction has higher potential in inhibiting lipid peroxidation and methanolic and aqueous fractions in increasing reduced glutathione concentration in blood in case of induced haemolytic anemia on 30th day of experiment (Dash, 2011). The management of pain is a great challenge in modern medicine, despite the currently available wide range of analgesics. Medicinal plants are believed to be an important source of new chemical substances with potential therapeutic effects in relieving pain (Farnsworth, 1889 and Gupta et al., 2006). The aqueous extract of aerial parts and root for its anti-nociceptive property using both chemical and thermal methods of nociception in mice (Shanmugasundaram and Venkataraman, 2005). Chloroform and alcoholic extracts of H. spinosa T. Anders leaves have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities (Patra et al., 2009a and 2009b). Medicinal plants represent a rich source of antimicrobial agent and are used medicinally as a source of many potent and powerful drugs (Srivastava et al., 1996). A wide range of medicinal plant extracts as raw drugs possess varied medicinal properties and include root, stem, flower, fruit, twigs exudates and modified plant organs. While some of these raw drugs are collected in smaller quantities by the local communities and folk healers for local use, many other raw drugs are collected in larger quantities and traded in the market as the raw material for many herbal industries (Uniyal et al., 2006). Methanol extracts of H. spinosa showed antimicrobial activity specially against Burkholderia pseudomallei strain (Samy, 2005). Petroleum ether, chloroform, alcoholic and aqueous extracts of leaves of H. spinosa produced significant anthelmintic activity while both alcoholic and chloroform extracts showed significant antibacterial activity as compared to other extracts (Patra et al., 2009b). Methanol extract of H. spinosa seed showed inhibition of hepatocarcinogenesis in Wistar rats with increase in GPx, CAT and ODC (Ahmed et al., 2001). Petroleum ether extract from H. spinosa root exhibited antitumor activity in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Sarcoma-180 bearing mice and extract suppressed significantly the tumor fluid volume at the end of three weeks experiment with decrease of about 50% of packed cell volume and increased life span of EAC/S-180 bearing mice in a day dependent manner (Mazumdar et al., 1997). The hydroalcoholic extract of aerial part of H. spinosa could prevent or delay the development of breast cancer in the rats (Pattanayak and Sunita, 2008). Aphrodisiac plants are plants with anabolic properties i.e. they help in protein synthesis and enhance sexual

Amit Kumar Dash et al.

abilities in males. They are also known as androgenic plants because their properties are similar to that of androgen. Speman, a polyherbal formulation containing A. longifolia, is responsible for improving number and morphology of sperms (Agrawal and Kulkarni, 2003). The ethanolic extract of seeds confirmed androgenic as well as improvement of sexual behaviour of rat in dose dependent manner and also improved the histoarchitecture of testis and increase in the concentration of sperm count in epididymis as well as increase in testosterone level (Chauhan et al., 2009).

Chauhan, N. S., V. Sharma and V. K. Dixit (2009). Effect of Asteracantha longifolia seeds on sexual behavior of male rats. Nat Prod Res., 14 : 1-9. Chopra, R. N., I. C. Chopra, K. L. Handa and L. D. Kapur (1958). Chopras indigenous drugs of India. U. N. Dhar & Sons Pvt. Ltd., Calcutta. Dasgupta, N. and B. De (2007). Antioxidant activity of some leafy vegetables of India : A comparative study. Food Chemistry, 101 : 471-74. Dasgupta, S. C., A. Gomes and M. Das (2001). Haematinic effect of H. spinosa T. Anderson on experimental rodents. Indian. J. Expt. Biol., 39 : 381-382. Dash, A. K. (2011). Identification of fractions of H. spinosa leaf extract responsible for ameliorative effect in induced anemic wistar rats. M.V.Sc Thesis, Indira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Raipur, India. Duff, S. (2008). Types of Anaemia. www.innvista.com. Farnsworth, N. R. (1989). Screening plants for new medicines. In Biodiversity, Part II Edited by: Wilson EO. National Academy Press, Washington, pp. 83-97. Gupta, M., U. K. Mazumder, P. Gomathi and S. V. Thamil (2006). Antiinflammatory evaluation of leaves of Plumeria acuminata. BMC Complementary. Altern. Med., 6 : 36. Harbone, J. B. (1994). The Flavonoids Advances in Research since 1986. Chapman & Hall., London. Harish, R. and T. Shivanandappa (2006). Antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective potential of Phyllanthus niruri. Food Chem., 95 : 180-185. Hussain, M. S., K. F. H. N. Ahamed, V. Ravichandiran and M. Z. H. Ansari (2009). Evaluation of in vitro free radical scavenging potential of different fractions of H. auriculata. Asian Journal of Traditional Medicines, 4(5) : 179-187. Kirtikar, K. R. and B. D. Basu (2005). Indian Medicinal plants, Vol. III, International Book Distributors, Dehradun, p 1863. Mandal, S. (2008). Studies on ameliorative effect of H. spinosa in wistar rats with induced anaemia. M.V.Sc Thesis, Indira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Raipur, India. Mazumdar, U. K., M. Gupta, S. Maiti and D. Mukherjee (1997). Antitumor activity of H. spinosa on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and sarcoma-180 induced mice. Ind. J. Expt. Biol., 35 : 473-477. Nadkarni, A. K. (2007). Indian Materia Medica, Vol I, Popular Prakashan, Mumbai, p668. Patra, A., S. Jha, P. N. Murthy, V. D. Aher, P. Chattopadhyay, G. Panigrahi and D. Roy (2009a). Anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of H. spinosa T. Anders leaves (Acanthaceae). Tropical J. Pharm. Res., 8 : 133-137. Patra, A., S. Jha, P. N. Murthy, D. Roy and A. N. Sahu (2009b). Analgesic and antimotility activities of leaves of Hygrophilia spinosa T. Anders. Pharmacologyonline, 2 : 821-828.

Conclusion
From the above cited literature, it can be concluded that H. spinosa encompasses various phytoconstituents viz., phytosterols, polyphenols, proanthocyanins, mucilage, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, etc. which are responsible for various medicinal properties H. spinosa, although investigated by many workers for its medicinal properties, still insists further cellular research for studying the mechanism of different bioactive principles that are responsible for its medicinal properties. Moreover, purification, identification of active principles and standardization of dosage forms of H. spinosa will have immense therapeutic implications in human and animal health care system. Since, the herbal medicines both in developed and developing countries are economical, easily available, less or no side effect, the interest towards plants having medicinal values is increasing substantially day by day. Hence, the present finding of H. spinosa will positively prompt the scientists and researchers to screen out the bioactive compounds for future pharmaceutical formulations.

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Ethnomedicinal Importance of H. spinosa T. Anders : A Review

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