Herbal Research
Laboratory Home Overview:

Research carried out in this laboratory has shown that involvement of free radical generation leading to membrane permeability changes and calcium deregulation at cellular and mitochondrial level is a common unspecific phenomenon in most toxic conditions. Study of important redox regulatory mechanisms, modulation of antioxidant responses at cellular and mitochondrial level, its role in cell survival under stress and its amelioration by standardized medicinal plant extracts and their active constituents is our current interest. 

The laboratory is also involved in development of scientifically validated herbal formulations under a CSIR network project and an inter-agency Golden Triangle Partnership project. The studies involve standardization, bioactivity evaluation and safety profile of formulations being developed. A database on heavy metals and persistent pesticide levels in therapeutically important medicinal plants has been created as a result of data generated by extensive analysis in the laboratory. Monographs containing pharmacopoeial standards of 24 medicinal plants have also been developed, 7 of which have been published in Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India.

  Major activities:

  • Delineation of redox mechanisms involved in hepatotoxicity and its mitigation by herbal extracts.

  • Development of scientifically validated herbal formulations, including their safety assessment.

  • Heavy metals and persistent pesticide estimation in selected therapeutically important medicinal plants.

Highlights of Current Research:

Semi-automated 96 well microassays for rapid screening of SOD mimetic activity; LPO inhibitory capacity; ABTS radical assay; total thiol content and NO quenching capacity were developed and standardized. Two of these assays have been used for secondary screening of antioxidant in CSIR Coordinated programme for development & commercialization of new bioactive molecules from natural sources. 

Nimesulide, a specific Cox-II inhibitor, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide caused cell death in isolated primary hepatocytes. Viability of cells was restored in the presence of herbal extract along with modulation of antioxidant enzymes. At the mitochondrial level ROS generation was enhanced in their presence which also resulted in large amplitude mitochondrial swelling and changes in membrane potential. Calcium overload and glutathione depletion were found to enhance membrane permeability transition. 

Standardized extract of a medicinal plant and its alkaloid were found to have antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities in diabetic rats as assessed by modulation of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes, restoration of free radical mediated changes at cellular and sub-cellular levels. 

Scientifically validated herbal health promoters are being developed for aged population and patients suffering from diabetes and cancer under the network project "Newer Scientific Herbal Preparations for Global Positioning". These formulations are undergoing clinical trials. 

A Quality Assurance of Medicinal Plants (QAMP) database has been created for easy retrieval of specific information on heavy metals and persistent pesticide contamination. It contains data on 1300 samples of 250 therapeutically important medicinal plants collected from 78 locations covering the whole of India. It has more than 32000 data entries as an outcome of extensive analysis in the lab.

Major Facilities available:

  • Two-Dimentional gel electrophoresis Ettan IPGphor-3 (Amershum) 

  • Western blotting equipment with blot development facility 

  • Gradient Master Thermal Cycler (Eppendorff) 

  • Biosafety Cabinate (Safe flow) 1.2

  • CO2 Incubators (Thermopharma Hareus - Hera cell) 

  • High resolution Microscopes - Leitz (Diaplan) 

  • Inverted Microscope (Leica) 

  • TLC Applicator (Desaga) 

  • Lyophilizer (Hetro FD-3) 

  • Spectrophotometer (SPECTRA max PLUS) 

  • Cold centrifuge (Sigma 3 K18) 

  • Clean air work station (Klenzaids) 

  • Incubator Shakers (Scigenics Biotech)

  Staff:
Dr (Mrs) Poonam Kakkar, Scientist F and Head 
Mrs. Jyotsna Singh, Scientist B
Mr. R.P. Singh, Group II(IV) 
Mr. J.C. Awasthi, Group II(1)

Project Staff:
Mr. Dwaipayan Sinha, Senior Research Fellow-CSIR
Ms. Archana Kumari, Senior Research Fellow-ICMR
Ms. Meenakshi Tiwari, Senior Research Fellow-ICMR 
Mr. B.K. Singh, Senior Research Fellow-CSIR
Ms. Sapna Sharma, Senior Research Fellow-ICMR
Ms. Madhulika Tripathi, Project Assistant
Mr. Saurabh Srivastava, Project Assistant 
Ms. Radhika Kapoor, Project Assistant 
Ms. Chetna Misra, Project Assistant 


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