Utilization of Triphala by Ayurvedic physicians for management of obesity: a cross-sectional study Shital Giramkar, Manasi Deshpande, Supriya Bhalerao Annals of Ayurvedic Medicine, 2023 Obesity is a metabolic condition observed due to multiple causes. The current treatment modalities necessitate the need of safe and effective pharmacotherapy. Ayurvedic texts have recommended various anti-obesity drugs and formulations for obesity, of which Triphala is a top cited formulation. In the present study, documentation of Triphala utilization by Ayurvedic physicians was carried out. A survey was carried out in 86 Ayurvedic physicians from Pune city. They were asked for frequency of Triphala usage, its dose, dosage form, beneficial and adverse effects using a pre-designed questionnaire. Of 86 respondents, data from only 70 physicians was analyzable. Triphala was used by 66 physicians for obesity. The commonly used form was churna in a dose of 3-7 gm. Ayurvedic signs and symptoms formed major criteria for dose selection followed by conventional anthropometry. Our study revealed that Ayurvedic physicians commonly prescribe Triphala to their obese patients owing to its efficacy and safety.
Phytochemicals in the treatment of inflammation-associated diseases: the journey from preclinical trials to clinical practice Akib Nisar, Suresh Jagtap, Suresh Vyavahare, Manasi Deshpande, Abhay Harsulkar, Prabhakar Ranjekar, Om Prakash Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2023 Advances in biomedical research have demonstrated that inflammation and its related diseases are the greatest threat to public health. Inflammatory action is the pathological response of the body towards the external stimuli such as infections, environmental factors, and autoimmune conditions to reduce tissue damage and improve patient comfort. However, when detrimental signal-transduction pathways are activated and inflammatory mediators are released over an extended period of time, the inflammatory process continues and a mild but persistent pro-inflammatory state may develop. Numerous degenerative disorders and chronic health issues including arthritis, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, among others, are associated with the emergence of a low-grade inflammatory state. Though, anti-inflammatory steroidal, as well as non-steroidal drugs, are extensively used against different inflammatory conditions, they show undesirable side effects upon long-term exposure, at times, leading to life-threatening consequences. Thus, drugs targeting chronic inflammation need to be developed to achieve better therapeutic management without or with a fewer side effects. Plants have been well known for their medicinal use for thousands of years due to their pharmacologically active phytochemicals belonging to diverse chemical classes with a number of these demonstrating potent anti-inflammatory activity. Some typical examples include colchicine (alkaloid), escin (triterpenoid saponin), capsaicin (methoxy phenol), bicyclol (lignan), borneol (monoterpene), and quercetin (flavonoid). These phytochemicals often act via regulating molecular mechanisms that synergize the anti-inflammatory pathways such as increased production of anti-inflammatory cytokines or interfere with the inflammatory pathways such as to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other modulators to improve the underlying pathological condition. This review describes the anti-inflammatory properties of a number of biologically active compounds derived from medicinal plants, and their mechanisms of pharmacological intervention to alleviate inflammation-associated diseases. The emphasis is given to information on anti-inflammatory phytochemicals that have been evaluated at the preclinical and clinical levels. Recent trends and gaps in the development of phytochemical-based anti-inflammatory drugs have also been included.
A Critical Review and Scientific Prospective on Contraceptive Therapeutics from Ayurveda and Allied Ancient Knowledge Narendra Bhatt, Manasi Deshpande Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2021 Commonly used synthetic or prescribed hormonal drugs are known to interfere with the endocrine system and may have adverse reproductive, neurological, developmental, and metabolic effects in the body. These may also produce adverse effects such as polycystic ovarian disorder, endometriosis, early puberty, infertility or toxicity to gonads, testicular germ cell cancer, breast or prostate cancer, brain developmental problems, and even birth defects. Globally, the emergence of renewed interest in natural products for reproductive health is on the rise, which offers opportunities for new contraceptive developments. The search for alternate, safer contraceptive products or agents of natural origin is of scientific interest. Ayurvedic classical texts offer knowledge and information about the reproductive function and therapeutics including those for enhancement and limiting male and female fertility. Review of ancient, medieval, and recent—including texts on erotica that provide information on approaches and large numbers of formulations and drugs of plant, mineral or animal origin—claimed to have sterilizing, contraceptive, abortifacient, and related properties is presented. Few among these are known to be toxic and few are not so common. However, most of the formulations, ingredients, or modes of administration have remained unattended to, due to issues related to consumer compliance and limitations of standardization and lack of appropriate validation modalities. Several of these ingredients have been studied for their phytoconstituents and for the variety of pharmacological activities. Efforts to standardize several classical dosage forms and attempts to adapt to modern technologies have been made. List of formulations, ingredients, and their properties linked with known constituents, pharmacological, biological, and toxicity studies have been provided in a series of tables. The possible effectiveness and safety of selected formulations and ingredients have been examined. Suggestions based on new drug delivery systems integrated with advances in biotechnology, to provide prospects for new therapeutics for contraception, have been considered. Ayurveda is built on a holistic paradigm of biological entity rather than limited gonadal functions. Graphic presentation of a few carefully chosen possibilities has been depicted. New approaches to standardization and ethnopharmacological validation of natural contraceptive therapeutics may offer novel mechanisms and modalities and therapeutic opportunities to satisfy unmet needs of contraception.
Phytochemicals in cancer treatment: From preclinical studies to clinical practice Amit S. Choudhari, Pallavi C. Mandave, Manasi Deshpande, Prabhakar Ranjekar, Om Prakash Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2020 Cancer is a severe health problem that continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide. Increasing knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression has led to the development of a vast number of anticancer drugs. However, the use of chemically synthesized drugs has not significantly improved the overall survival rate over the past few decades. As a result, new strategies and novel chemoprevention agents are needed to complement current cancer therapies to improve efficiency. Naturally occurring compounds from plants known as phytochemicals, serve as vital resources for novel drugs and are also sources for cancer therapy. Some typical examples include taxol analogs, vinca alkaloids such as vincristine, vinblastine, and podophyllotoxin analogs. These phytochemicals often act via regulating molecular pathways which are implicated in growth and progression of cancer. The specific mechanisms include increasing antioxidant status, carcinogen inactivation, inhibiting proliferation, induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis; and regulation of the immune system. The primary objective of this review is to describe what we know to date of the active compounds in the natural products, along with their pharmacologic action and molecular or specific targets. Recent trends and gaps in phytochemical based anticancer drug discovery are also explored. The authors wish to expand the phytochemical research area not only for their scientific soundness but also for their potential druggability. Hence, the emphasis is given to information about anticancer phytochemicals which are evaluated at preclinical and clinical level.
Experiential documentation of Trimad for its anti-obesity potential: A survey of Ayurvedic physicians from Pune city Megha Salunke, Manasi Deshpande, Supriya Bhalerao Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2017 BACKGROUND: Trimad is an Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation consisting of tubers of Mustaka (Cyperus rotundus), fruits of Vidanga (Embelia ribes) and roots of Chitraka (Plumbago zeylanica). It is recommended in Ayurveda for the management of obesity. However, there is no documented evidence about its safety and efficacy. Hence, as a first step, we carried out a survey to find out its usage by Ayurvedic physicians and their personal clinical experiences while using the formulation. METHODOLOGY: A questionnaire was designed which included questions regarding the usage, dosage, formulation, safety and tolerability of Trimad. After obtaining Ethics Committee permission, the questionnaire was administered to 86 physicians. Out of 86, the data obtained from 70 physicians who filled the complete information, was analyzed. The data are presented as percentages. RESULTS: Sixty seven percentage physicians were found to use Trimad for management of obesity. The commonly used form of Trimad was churna administered along with luke warm water as an adjuvant. The criteria for selection of drug informed by the physicians were Ayurvedic signs & symptoms followed by conventional anthropometry. The average efficacy rating for Trimad on scale of 1-10 was found to be 5. CONCLUSION: The survey revealed that Trimad is being used by large number of Ayurvedic physicians for the management of obesity.
