• Abstracts are presented below for clinical studies on Three-Leaf Caper.

  Botanical Name: Crateva Nurvala Ayurvedic Name: Varuna Common Name: Three-Leaf Caper

  

  Plant Phytonutrient Profile

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  1: Cryo Letters. 2006 Nov/​Dec;27(6):375/​86.

  Cryopreservation of in vitro/​grown shoot tips of Crateva nurvala Buch. Ham, an important medicinal tree.

  Sanayaima RK, Kaur A, Agrawal A, Babbar SB.

  Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.

  Cryopreservation of in vitro axillary shoot tips of Crateva nurvala Buch. Ham, an important medicinal tree, was investigated. Axillary buds (c. 1mm in length) excised from 4/​week/​old in vitro cultures, were pre/​cultured on liquid MS medium supplemented with 0.4 M sucrose for 16 h. These were incubated in 2 M glycerol+0.4 M sucrose for 20 min at 25 degree C before being dehydrated with PVS2 solution for 40 min The dehydrated shoot tips were directly immersed in LN. Following cryopreservation and after rapid warming at 40 degree C, shoot tips were quickly washed with MS+1.2 M sucrose solution for 20 min and then plated on top of filter paper placed on MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg l/​1 BAP, kept in darkness for one day followed by placement of shoots directly on the medium and incubation in darkness for a day more, before transfer of cultures to light. Average survival in terms of normal shoot formation after 4 weeks of plating was 56.6 percent. The rescued shoot tips were bulked up by subsequent nodal cultures and when put onto 0.02 mg l/​1 NAA showed a rhizogenic response. Thus, in vitro/​grown shoot tips of Crateva nurvala were successfully cryopreserved following the optimization of the PVS2/​vitrification protocol.

  PMID: 17256072 [PubMed /​ in process]

  
  

  2: J Pharm Pharmacol. 2005 Nov;57(11):1437/​44.

  Role of lupeol and its ester on cyclophosphamide/​induced hyperlipidaemic cardiomyopathy in rats.

  Sudharsan PT, Mythili Y, Sudhahar V, Varalakshmi P.

  Department of Medical Biochemistry, Dr. ALM. Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, Chennai 600113, India.

  Cyclophosphamide, an alkylating agent widely used in cancer chemotherapy, causes fatal cardiotoxicity. In this study, lupeol, a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from Crataeva nurvala stem bark, and its ester, lupeol linoleate, were investigated for their possible hypocholesterolaemic effects against cyclophosphamide/​induced lipidaemic instabilities. Male albino Wistar rats were categorized into 6 groups. Group I served as control. Rats in groups II, V and VI were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of cyclophosphamide (200 mg kg(/​1)) dissolved in saline. Cyclophosphamide/​treated groups V and VI respectively received lupeol and lupeol linoleate (50 mg kg(/​1)), dissolved in olive oil, for 10 days by oral gavage. Groups III and IV served as drug controls and were administered lupeol and lupeol linoleate, respectively. Cyclophosphamide administration induced abnormal changes in serum lipoproteins and lipid fractions in both serum and cardiac tissue. The activity of lipid metabolizing enzymes was distorted significantly in the cyclophosphamide/​treated rats. The cyclophosphamide/​treated rats also showed extensive intermuscular haemorrhage in histology. Lupeol and its ester reversed the above alterations induced by cyclophosphamide. This study encapsulates the early lipaemic abnormalities in the heart tissue of cyclophosphamide/​treated rats. Treatment with lupeol linoleate was more effective than lupeol in rendering protection to the cardiac tissue challenged by cyclophosphamide.

  PMID: 16259776 [PubMed /​ indexed for MEDLINE]

  
  

  3: Hum Exp Toxicol. 2005 Jun;24(6):313/​8.

  Cardioprotective effect of pentacyclic triterpene, lupeol and its ester on cyclophosphamide/​induced oxidative stress.

  Sudharsan PT, Mythili Y, Selvakumar E, Varalakshmi P.

  Department of Medical Biochemistry, Dr. ALM. Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, Chennai, India.

  Cyclophosphamide (CP), an alkylating agent widely used in cancer chemotherapy, causes fatal cardiotoxicity. In the present study, lupeol, a pentacyclic triterpene, isolated from Crataeva nurvala stem bark and its ester, lupeol linoleate were investigated for their possible cardioprotective effects against CP/​induced toxicity. Male albino rats of Wistar strain were injected with a single dose of CP (200 mg/kg body weight, ip). In CP/​administered rats, activities of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase were elevated in serum with a concomitant decline in their activities in the cardiac tissue. Significant increases (P<0.001) in the levels of lipid peroxides and a decrease (P<0.001) in the levels of enzymic (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose/​6/​phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione/​s/​transferase) and nonenzymic (reduced glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E) antioxidants in the heart were also observed. The cardioprotective effects of lupeol (50 mg/kg body weight for 10 days orally) and its ester, lupeol linoleate (50 mg/kg body weight for 10 days orally) were evident from the significant reversal of the above alterations induced by CP. These observations highlight the antioxidant property of triterpenes and their cytoprotective action against CP/​induced cardiotoxicity.

  Publication Types: Comparative Study Research Support, Non/​U.S. Gov't

  PMID: 16004198 [PubMed /​ indexed for MEDLINE]

  
  

  4: Planta Med. 1977 Nov;32(3):214/​6.

  A new pentacyclic triterpene from the root bark of Crateva nurvala.

  Lakshmi V, Chauhan JS.

  PMID: 918156 [PubMed /​ indexed for MEDLINE]

  
  

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