World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Samamalee et al . World Journal of Pharmaceutical SJIF ResearchImpact Factor 7.523

Volume 6, Issue 13, 1-9. Review Article ISSN 2277– 7105

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF SPINOSA (KOHILA): A REVIEW

Samamalee Upekshi Kankanamge* and A. A. M. D. Dinithi Nuwanga Amarathunga

Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Werahera, Sri Lanka.

ABSTRACT Article Received on 21 August 2017, In the present review, an attempt has been made to put together the

Revised on 11 Sept. 2017, traditional, phytochemical and pharmacological studies done on an Accepted on 02 October 2017

DOI: 10.20959/wjpr201713-9837 important medicinal Lasia spinosa. It is a large herbaceous plant that belongs to the family and mostly distributed in South 8533 Asia and South-East Asia. Major phytochemicals namely alkaloids, *Corresponding Author carbohydrates, saponins, glycosides, tannins, phenolic compounds and Samamalee Upekshi flavonoids have been studied in this plant. All edible parts of the plant Kankanamge Department of Pharmacy, L. spinosa contain alkaloids and additionally leaves contain tannins Faculty of Allied Health and phenolic compounds. The stem, young leaves and rhizomes are of Sciences, General Sir John economic value and hence cultivated and used widely as an edible Kotelawala Defence food. The plant possesses the major pharmacological activities University, Werahera, Sri including anti-helminthic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti- Lanka. oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-tumor and various other disease preventive factors. This review encompasses the potential application of the above plant in the pharmaceutical field due to its varying pharmacological activities. Habitat and distribution of the plant and the nature of compounds isolated are also reviewed.

KEYWORDS: Lasia spinosa, Kohila, Medicinal plant, Phytochemicals.

INTRODUCTION The history of herbal medicine is as old as human civilization. Herbal medicines are extracted from for use in the treatment of various diseases. Lasia spinosa (L.) (local name - Kohila) which belongs to the family Araceae is a perennial herb that is mostly distributed in India, Sri Lanka, South-East Asia and Malaysia.[1,2,3] It is a stout, marshy plant with a creeping spiny rhizome. It has been in folkloric use for many years. The tender leaves and

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rhizomes are used as a vegetable and in the indigenous medicine the plant is recommended for a variety of disease conditions such as cholic, intestinal disorders and rheumatism.[4,5,6,7] Common names of Lasia spinosa are Chengmora/Sibru (Assames), Kata-kachu (Bengali), Janum-saru (Manipuri), Kohila/Maha kohila /Engili kohila (Sri Lanka), Zawangzang (Mizoram), Laksmana (Sanskrit).[6,8,9,10,11]

Botanical description Taxonomical Classification Botanical name: Lasia spinosa Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Maglinophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Family: Araceae : Lasia Species: Spinosa

Lasia spinosa is a large herbaceous plant that belongs to the family Araceae which consists of approximately 115 genera and 16 species. The plant is a stout, marshy plant with a creeping spiny rhizome that can grow up to 2 m tall; leaves arise from the base and are arranged like a rosette. Each leaf is divided into several lobes and numerous small arms called the leaf stalk along the veins found at the back of leaves.[12,13] It is largely a plain green plant and is saved by its attractive, curious-looking inflorescence. Typical of an aroid, the real flowers are borne on a spike-shaped spadix. Unlike most other aroid species, the spathe of Lasia spinosa is not sail-like. The tips of the spathe is long, extended and twists along its length and held erect above the plant. Fruits of this plant are each aggregated on a club-like structure.[8,9,12]

Habitat and distribution Lasia spinosa (L.) is a perennial herb that is mostly distributed in Southern Asia and occurs usually in swamps, wet forests, sub-tropical forests, open marshes, muddy streams, ditches, and wetlands or in permanently standing water.[6,12,14] The plant with origins in India is now spread to Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and China.[10,12] However, in Assam, it is occurred commonly in Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Darrang, Kokrajhar and Kamrup.[15] Plants are aquatic or terrestrial, shot-stemmed spiny heirs with underground rhizome. Plants grow and spread via underground stems which are rich in starch.[14] www.wjpr.net Vol 6, Issue 13, 2017. 2

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Phytochemistry Preliminary phytochemical screening of different solvent extracts of L. spinosa has revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, steroids, saponins, glycosides, ascorbic acid and tannins.[9,10,16] It contains significant amount of α-carotene, ß-carotene, ß-carotene-5, 6, 5/, 6/ diepoxide, 5, 6, 5/, 6/- diepoxy-5, 8, 5/,8/-tetrahydro-ß, ßarotene-3,3/-diol, or cis-neoxanthin and unidentified carotenoids I, II, III and IV. Higher content of pro-vitamin A carotenoid has been found in the edible part of the most mature rhizomes Maturity and variety can affect the composition and the content of carotenoids of L. spinosa (L).[17]

The cooked sample of this plant contained ash, proteins, fats, carbohydrates. The plant is very rich in carbohydrates about 35.74 % in dried extraction. An appropriate amount of proteins has been observed as 17.6 %, ash 34 %, moisture 83 %, total solids 17 % and fat 1.16 %. The inorganic mineral analysis of the leaves has shown that it contained magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper and molybdenum.[9]

Traditional and ethno-pharmacological uses Lasia spinosa is a medicinally important plant, traditionally being used by different ethnic communities globally. There are numerous reports on the medicinal and economical properties of this plant. The young leaves are commonly used by the local people as a vegetable and is given to lactating mothers. The rhizome is rich source of dietary fiber calcium[18] and pro-vitamin A carotenoids.[17, 19] To boost their nutrition levels, especially in the Bodo communities have resorted to the administration of the leaf extract of L. spinosa as the cheapest source of multivitamins.[9]

In traditional medicine, it is recommended for treating colic, tuberculosis of lymph nodes, swollen lymph nodes, rheumatism/rheumatoid arthritis, injuries, snake bites and insect bites. It is also used in the treatment of sore throat, constipation, to purify blood, lung inflammation, bleeding cough and the whole plant in uterine cancer.[4,12,18,19,20] The rhizome is most frequently used as a remedy for hemorrhoids in Sri Lanka and Malays.[6,12,21] The protection offered for some of the above conditions in part may be due to its high fiber content and the compounds with antioxidant activity.[6] In addition, leaves and stalks demonstrate profound anti-helminthics, anti-cestodal, anti-nematodal efficacy.[6,7,8,18,19,20,21] Decoction of rhizome is also useful in intestinal diseases, stomach aches[11], stimulates liver

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functions and reduces rathpitha conditions.[8] Paste from tender leaves is made for external use in burns.[11]

Pharmacological activities Anti-hyperglycemic activity The oral glucose tolerance test has been carried out to analyze the anti-hyperglycemic activity of L. spinosa leaf extracts in glucose loaded hyperglycemic mice. The anti-diabetic activity of L. spinosa stem hydro alcoholic extracts was also shown against dexamethasone induced diabetic albino rats. This study concluded that both methanolic and ethanolic leaf extracts of L. spinosa possess potential anti-hyperglycemic activity.[22]

Anti-hyperlipidemic activity Another study showed that the L. spinosa leaves possess and has the potential in prevention of hyperlipidemia induced pancreatitis in rats and showed cardio protective effect by the significant increase in serum HDL (High-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in the animals.[10]

Anti-bacterial activity Few studies were revealed that L. spinosa has antibacterial activity. Moderate activity of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts of rhizome has been shown against Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahemolyticus.[22] The aqueous extract exhibited no activity against the tested microorganisms at a concentration of 400 µg/disc. The petroleum ether extract showed mild inhibitory activity against various Gram-negative bacteria such as Shigella dysenteriae. It was also shown mild antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The dichloromethane extract revealed mild antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger and the ethyl acetate extract showed mild antifungal activity against Candida albicans.[23]

Anti-nociceptive activity A study has shown that the various partitioned of methanolic extracts of L. spinosa possessed significant anti-nociceptive effects. It was shown that the extract inhibited both peripheral and central mechanisms of pain, suggesting that the plant extract may act as a narcotic anti- nociceptive.[21] The petroleum ether fraction (400 mg/kg body weight) of L. spinosa has shown significant anti-nociceptive activity having 46.97 % of inhibition respectively compared to the standard diclofenac (51.67 %). The ethyl acetate fraction of methanolic extract (400 mg/kg body weight.) showed promising anti-nociceptive activity having 34.89 % www.wjpr.net Vol 6, Issue 13, 2017. 4

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of inhibition of writhings whereas dichloromethane fraction showed least inhibition of writhings.[21]

Antioxidant activity The free radical scavenging activity of the L. spinosa extracts on the stable radical 1,1- diphenyl-2-pecrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was determined by several studies.[21,24] The ethyl acetate

fraction showed the highest free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value 16.42 µg/ml in comparison to positive control- Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). At the same time the

aqueous fraction also exhibited moderate antioxidant potential having IC50 value of 73.20 µg/ml.[21] The results obtained from the study conducted in Sri Lanka proved that the major contribution to the total antioxidant activity of the rhizome is by polyphenols and ascorbic acid.[6]

Anthelmintic activity The results of a recent study indicated that methanolic extract of L. spinosa significantly exhibited paralysis and caused death of worms especially at highest concentration of 100 mg/ml, as compared to standard reference Albendazole (10 mg/ml). It was found that the leaves of L. spinosa possess potent anthelmintic activity.[25]

The use of L. spinosa leaves in the treatment of intestinal worm infections is a common ethno-botanical practice in the Naga tribes of India. In some studies, the anticestodal efficacy of leaf extract of L. spinosa was investigated against a tapeworm using Hymenolepis diminuta rat animal model. The anticestodal effects of L. spinosa leaf extract was determined by monitoring the eggs per gram of feces (EPG) counts and percentage worm recovery rates after treatment with leaf extract. The effect of plant extract was found to be dose-dependent, and double doses showed better efficacy as compared with single doses. In the case of infections with immature worms, 1600 mg/kg double dose of L. spinosa leaf extract reduced the fecal egg counts of H. dimunta by 80.8 % and worm recovery rate by 16.7 %, respectively.[26] Another study showed that the leaf extract of L. spinosa possesses significant anthelminthic efficacy against the adult stages and migrating larvae of Trichinellosis spiralis.[20]

Anti-inflammatory activity According to Deb et al. anti-inflammatory activity of L. spinosa was tested using the xylene- induced ear oedema model mice. In xylene-induced ear edema model mice, hydro-alcoholic www.wjpr.net Vol 6, Issue 13, 2017. 5

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root extract of L. spinosa showed a significant inhibitory effect on the oedema formation in a dose dependent manner. This inhibition can be considered direct evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory efficacy of the root extract of L. spinosa through reducing vasodilation and so that improving oedematous condition.[27]

Anti-diarrheal activity Anti-diarrheal activity has been evaluated using castor oil-induced diarrheal mice model. In this study, both standard anti-motility drug loperamide and hydro-alcoholic extract of root of L. spinosa significantly reduced the number of stools in a dose dependent manner compared with the control. The results demonstrated that the root extract of L spinosa exhibits potent anti-diarrheal activity and supports its traditional use in the treatment of diarrhea.[27]

Gastro-protective activity Ethyl acetate fraction from the methanol–water (80:20) extract of L. spinosa rhizome was evaluated for gastro-protective activity. In this gastric secretion studies, compared with control, the rat treated with L. Spinosa extract at the dose of 100 mg/kg significantly showed a tendency to decrease gastric juice, free acidity and total acidity when compared with control group. The L. Spinosa extract was found to be safe up to 2000 mg/kg with no sign of mortality or change in behavioral pattern. This result suggests that the plant extract is not toxic and to be safe. Gastric secretion measurements of pylorus-ligated rats showed that L. Spinosa significantly decreased the gastric content, total, free acidity and increased pH at doses of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg. The results demonstrated that the extract of rhizome of L. spinosa exhibits gastro-protective activity and supports its traditional use in the treatment of gastric ulcers.[28]

CONCLUSION Literature studies indicate that Lasia spinosa (L) is biologically active plant which makes it a remarkable plant. It has significant traditional uses, some of them have been experimentally established and an attempt has been made to isolate potential chemical constituents and their mechanism of action. Present review compiles the traditional uses, pharmacological properties and chemical constituents present, which can be useful information for further studies on this plant. More research is needed to identify and characterize the active constituents which are responsible for its biological activity.

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26. Temjenmongla, Yadav AK. Anticestodal Efficacy of Lasia spinosa Extract Against Experimental Hymenolepis diminuta Infections in Rats. Pharmaceutical Biology, 2006; 44(7): 499-502. 27. Deb D, Dev S, Das AK, Khanam D, Banu H, Shahriar M, Ashraf A, Choudhuri MS, Basher SA. Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal activities of the hydroalcoholic extract of Lasia spinosa Linn. (Araceae) roots. Latin American Journal of Pharmacy, 2010; 29. 28. Dubey MK, Das S, Yadav S, Gupta PC, Jaiswal SK, Sharma B. Gastroprotective potential of bioactive fraction from Lasia spinosa rhizome on experimentally induced gastric ulceration. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Dec 2014; 5(12): 5209.

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