J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Oct 22;51(22):6461-7. Comparison of antioxidative properties of carbazole alkaloids from Murraya koenigii leaves. •

Tachibana Y, Kikuzaki H, Lajis NH, Nakatani N. Department of Home Economics, Kenmei Women's Junior College, Honmachi, Himeji, Hyogo 670-0012, Japan. [email protected] A new dimeric carbazole alkaloid, 8,10'-[3,3',11,11'-tetrahydro-9,9'-dihydroxy-3,3',5,8'-tetramethyl-3,3'-bis (4-methyl-3-pentenyl)]bipyrano[3,2-a]carbazole (12), was isolated from the CH(2)Cl(2) extract of Murraya koenigii together with six known carbazole alkaloids, koenimbine (6), O-methylmurrayamine A (7), Omethylmahanine (8), isomahanine (9), bismahanine (10), and bispyrayafoline (11). Their structures were determined on the basis of (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric (MS) data. The antioxidative properties of 12 carbazole alkaloids isolated from leaves of M. koenigii were evaluated on the basis of the oil stability index together with their radical scavenging ability against 1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. On the basis of the lag time to reach a steady state, the 12 carbazoles were classified into three groups. It is suggested that an aryl hydroxyl substituent on the carbazole rings plays a role in stabilizing the thermal oxidation and rate of reaction against DPPH radical. Publication Types: Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't PMID: 14558763 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] • Nahrung. 2003 Aug;47(4):261-4. Evaluation of nitric oxide scavenging activity of certain spices in vitro: a preliminary study.

Baliga MS, Jagetia GC, Rao SK, Babu K. Department of Radiobiology Kasturba Medical College, Manipal-576 119, Karnataka, India. The plant extracts of some commonly used spices were examined for their possible regulatory effect on nitric oxide (NO) levels using sodium nitroprusside as a NO donor in vitro. Most of the extracts tested demonstrated direct scavenging of NO and exhibited significant activity and the potency of scavenging activity was in the following order: Foeniculum vulgare (aqueous) > Citrus limettiodes > Murraya koenigii (seed, aqueous) > Murraya koenigii (leaf, aqueous) > Curcuma aromatica (aqueous) > Murraya koenigii (leaf, dichloromethane:methanol) > Mentha arvensis (chloroform) > Mentha arvensis (aqueous) > Curcuma longa > Gingko biloba > Foeniculum vulgare (dichloromethane:methanol) > Zingiber officinale (aqueous) > Curcuma aromatica (ethanolic) > Murraya koenigii (seed, dichloromethane:methanol). All the evaluated extracts exhibited a dose-dependent NO scavenging activity. The aqueous extract of Foeniculum vulgare showed a greatest NO scavenging effect of 79.75% at 62.5 microg/mL as compared to the positive control, Gingko biloba where 36.22% scavenging was observed at similar concentration. The present results suggest that these spices might be potent and novel therapeutic agents for scavenging of NO and the regulation of pathological conditions caused by excessive generation of NO and its oxidation product, peroxynitrite. Publication Types: Evaluation Studies Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't PMID: 13678266 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] • Biofactors. 2000;13(1-4):141-6. Phenolic antioxidants from herbs and spices.

Nakatani N. Department of Food aind Nutrition, Faculty of Human Life Science, Osaka City

University, Sumiyoshi, Japan. [email protected] Spices and herbs are recognized as sources of natural antioxidants and thus play an important role in the chemoprevention of diseases resulting from lipid peroxidation. Our studies on spices and herbs have given us over a hundred compounds, known and new, having high antioxidant activity. From the Labiatae family, Rosmarinus officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Origanum vulgare and O. majorana gave 26 active comopounds. Over 40 antioxidative compounds from Zingiber officinale, 26 compounds from Curcuma domestica = C. longa, C. xanthorrhiza and Z. cassumunar were determined, these belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. From the family Myrtaceae, 25 compounds from the berries of Pimenta dioica were determined and 3 carbazoles were isolated from Murraya koenigii. Structure-activity relationships of some of the isolated compounds were also discussed. Publication Types: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review PMID: 11237173 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] • Indian J Exp Biol. 1997 Feb;35(2):148-50. Anti-oxidant effects of curry leaf, Murraya koenigii and mustard seeds, Brassica juncea in rats fed with high fat diet.

Khan BA, Abraham A, Leelamma S. Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Trivandrum, India. Status of lipid peroxidation was studied in rats induced high fat diet and some commonly used spices, viz. Murraya koenigit and Brassica juncea. The study revealed that these species alter the peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) level to a beneficial extent. Histological studies also focus on modulation of hepatic functions to near normal level. PMID: 9315222 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] • Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1996 Apr;40(2):155-8. Role of Murraya koenigii (curry leaf) and Brassica juncea (Mustard) in lipid peroxidation.

Khan BA, Abraham A, Leelamma S. Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. The status of lipid peroxidation was investigated in rats fed M. Koenigii (curry leaf) and B. juncea (Mustard). Concentration of malondialdehyde showed a significant decrease, while hydroperoxides and conjugated dienes were significantly increased in liver and heart of both the experimental groups. SOD and catalase activity was found to be increased in liver and heart of both the spices administered groups. Glutathione levels in liver, heart and kidney were lowered in rats administered these spices. Glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activity showed a sharp increase in the experimental groups compared to the controls. PMID: 9062811 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]