Is there evidence that Withania somnifera is effective in tumor Dissertation

Is there evidence that Withania somnifera is effective in tumor suppression - Dissertation Example At present, plant products have already been used as a standard chemotherapeutic agent. For example, vinblastine (from periwinkle (Catharanthus)) and paclitaxel (from Yew tree (genus Taxus)) are already a part of chemotherapeutic options used against cancer (Choudhary et al., 2010). Because a high number of individuals still suffer from cancer, the search is still ongoing for the compound, both natural and synthetic, that can hopefully decrease the cancer-caused mortality rate considerably. Withania somnifera, commonly called as Ashwagandha, is a member of Solanaceae family, together with Nicotiana (tobacco), Solanum (potato), and Capsicum (pepper). In herbal medicine, W. somnifera has already been used against various health conditions. In Pakistan, it has been used against respiratory problems (Choudhary et al., 2010). In India, it has been recognized as an aphrodisiac and invigorating medicine (Choudhary et al., 2010). The plant is also used against intestinal ulcers, rectal bleed ing and irritable bowel (Pawar et al., 2011). Several withanolides isolated from Ashwagandha were also found to possess anti-glycation, possibly against diabetes, and anti-pyretic effects (Choudhary et al., 2010). ... EVIDENCE OF TUMOR SUPPRESSION ACTIVITY OF Withania somniferous In this literature review, four journal articles, ranging from 2003 to 2011, were looked into. Most of the methods used by these studies are in vitro, and only one using in vivo, although in an experimental model (rats). Google scholar was used as a search engine, with the results limited to 2000 to 2011. The search terms used were â€Å"Withania somnifera cancer†. Later in this paper, the quality of the research would be assessed mostly based on the methods used in the purification and activity assays. Activity of crude methanolic extract against NCI-H460 Compounds from the leaves and stems of W. somnifera were tested for its anti-proliferative activity against human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460 in vitro. In this study by Choudhary et al. (2010), tested for growth inhibitory and cytotoxic activities were the (1) crude methanolic extract of W. somnifera, (2-4) three isolates, and the positive control (5) doxorubi cin. The isolates were obtained using silica gel chromatography. They were then characterized using mass spectrometry and NMR. One of the three compounds were identified as withaferin A, while the other two were found to be its chlorinated steroidal lactone and epoxide derivatives, respectively. In testing their activity, GI50, or the concentration causing 50% growth inhibition of NCI-H460 cells, and LC50, or the concentration causing the death of 50% of the same cancer cell line, were measured for all the five test substances. The obtained data were compared using one-way ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range test (p < 0.05) using SPSS 17 program. Finally, the report also mentioned the presence of other studies that confirm the growth inhibitory activity of withaferin A against other

Central Park New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Central Park New York City - Essay Example The people of New York started airing their voices on the need of a recreational and a public park. It took the emphasis by a poet and an editor of Evening Post (now the New York post), William Cullen Bryant and an early architect by the name Andrew Jackson Downing. The two followed in demanding how important people of New York needed a public park by 1844. They felt the people of New York needed a lavish scenery similar to Bois de Boulogne in Paris France or Hyde Park based in London, England. It took long years of debate and disagreements about the location on where the park was to be erected before the actual building of the park finally started in 1857. The park’s superintendent Fredrick Law Olmsted and an architect Calvert Vaux won the competition on design to enable them with the expansion of the park under a plan called Greensward Plan. The park’s construction followed the same year and went on through up to the civil war in America until its completion in 1873. The Greensward Plan consisted of designs with 36 bridges, all of which Vaux designed, from a span of the Manhattan schist or granite and an iron cast which is lacy neo-gothic. A number of individuals assumed the responsibility of executing the plan these were, Jacob Wrey Mould an architect, Ignaz Anton Pilat a master gardener, George Waring an engineer and Andrew Hasell Green a politician, mandated with the responsibility of helping Vaux and Olmsted. After winning the contest, they went ahead and acquired the 843 acres of land in the city of New York at the Manhattan center, which is two and a half miles away from 59th and 106th street, and half a mile away from Fifth and Eighth Avenue. This led to the eviction of about 1600 people living in the swampy and rocky terrain as the legal inhabitants of the area. Other buildings brought down included a convent, a school, plants, shrubs, and the people residing in Seneca Village. Mostly African-Americans with an estimated 2700 million peop le in the village inhabited the area with three churches and a school. The members of this village became scattered all over the place and as a result, it led to their community became extinct in that area. The city compensated the people who owned land with an estimated average of $700 per lot of land. However, many of the people residing in the area found the compensation package to be below the property value they surrendered. The city planners chose the place because, of its unsuitable terrain that could not withstand nor allow the erection of commercial buildings. The terrain was rocky with swamps that to be turned into lakes, rivers and a reservoir for the old city. The ancient sculptures underwent improvement, enhancement and eradication to enable the creation of the park in accordance to the style of public grounds in Europe, and an appealing appearance of the countryside nature. To this extent, the planners Olmsted and Vaux came up with a plan, which included four transvers e roads, which enabled the carrying of town traffic below the level of the park. The architectural designs restrictions stated that, they were to be minimal. Only four buildings was the only one found in the original plan of the park. They proceeded to adhere to the plan of the park by choosing the materials used for building and made sure that the integration of the original plan was as