http://repo.lib.jfn.ac.lk/ujrr/handle/123456789/6009 2026-02-24T08:56:17Z http://repo.lib.jfn.ac.lk/ujrr/handle/123456789/11732 Title: In vitro Anticoagulant Activity of Methanolic Extract of Ficus hispida (Hairy Fig) Bark Authors: Gunawardhana, K.A.P.S; Dharmasena, M.C.P; Bandara, W.M.A.P; Sivasinthujah, S; Rasaratnam, K Abstract: Background: Ficus hispida L. f. (Hairy Fig), is a widely used herb in traditional medicine in Sri Lanka and is reported to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, antinociceptive, antineoplastic, and antidiabetic activities. However, its potential anticoagulant effect on human blood is yet to be revealed, highlighting the importance of understanding its impact on blood clotting mechanisms. Objective: To evaluate the in vitro anticoagulant activity of methanolic extract of Ficus hispida bark Methods: The fresh, healthy bark of F. hispida was collected and rinsed with tap water. The cleaned bark was dried in an oven at 40°C and finely ground into powder using an electric grinder. The methanol extract of F. hispida was obtained by combining 40 g of dry powder with 250 mL methanol (solute to solvent ratio of 1:6.25) at 55°C for 3 hours using a Soxhlet apparatus. Then the extract was evaporated by a rotary evaporator and redissolved in 2.4 mg/mL of Tris buffer at pH 7.4. Venous blood samples were collected from six healthy volunteers in sodium-citrated tubes and subjected to plasma separation by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 15 minutes. The anticoagulant efficacy of extracted plant material was evaluated by prothrombin time measurement. Data were analysed by one-way ANOVA using SPSS version 18.0. Results: The extraction yield of methanolic extract of F. hispida bark was 15%. The methanolic extract showed an anticoagulant potential on pooled human plasma by elevating the prothrombin time in a concentration-dependent manner by 3.00, 12.07, 22.67, and 64.20 sec at a concentration of 156.25, 312.5, 625 and 1250 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, statistical analysis indicated that methanol extract of F. hispida bark has a significant (p=0.001) anticoagulant effect on human plasma at a concentration above 312.5 µg/mL compared to negative control prothrombin time of 15.8 sec. Conclusions: Methanolic extract of F. hispida bark showed an anticoagulant effect on pooled human plasma in a concentration-dependent manner; further studies on compound purification and characterization are recommended to find the active anticoagulant compound. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.jfn.ac.lk/ujrr/handle/123456789/11731 Title: Physical, physicochemical and preliminary phytochemical analysis of siddha poly herbal drugs used for treating diabetes mellitus in Northern province, Sri Lanka Authors: Sivarangini, S; Ravimannan, N; Merin Dinushiya, J; Nilanusha, S; Sugansika, M; Sivasinthujah, S Abstract: The Siddha system of medicine uses natural herbal products for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). In Northern Province, Sri Lanka Madhumeha chooranam, Neerizhivu chooranam 1 and Neerizhivu chooranam 2 are famously used ones among the most prioritized drugs for DM. Therefore, this study aimed to formulate the crude drug, evaluate the physical properties, physiochemical properties and phytochemical screening of crude drugs as it is necessary to standardize this formulation for the safety of the stakeholders. Plant materials were collected in Jaffna and powdered. Madhumeha chooranam, Neerizhivu chooranam 1 and Neerizhivu chooranam 2 were prepared using siddha literature. Organoleptic properties, physical and physiochemical parameters were evaluated for the crude drug. The crude drug was macerated with methanol separately for 48 hours at room temperature and phytochemical were analysed for each crude extracts. The results of physical and physiochemical were analysed with one-way ANOVA using SPSS 23. All three drugs showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, tannins, steroids, proteins, amino acids, glycosides, phenol, terpenoids and anthraquinones. The results of physical and physiochemical parameters were confirned and can be used for setting standards for the selected drugs Madhumeha chooranam, Neerizhivu chooranam 1, and Neerizhivu chooranam 2. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.jfn.ac.lk/ujrr/handle/123456789/11730 Title: A Comparative Study on the Antioxidant Potentials of Hybrid and Generic Papayas Available in Jaffna, Sri Lanka Authors: Needhiraja, N; Chelliah, D; Krishnamoorthy, T; Jayasooriya, A. T. R.; Sivasinthujah, S; Senthilnanthanan, M Abstract: Generic papaya is a tropical plant abundant in Sri Lanka. Traditionally, it has been used therapeutically as it is a good source of polyphenols, carotenoids and an excellent source of vitamins that are powerful antioxidants. Specially, unripe fruit and leaf of papaya are recognized as a remedy for cancer and heart diseases due to their high antioxidant content. Recently, consumption of hybrid papaya fruits has increased as they are readily available in the local markets. However, the phytochemical constituents and quantity of these hybrid papaya varieties may differ from those available in the generic plant and hence their antioxidant potentials may also vary. Meanwhile there is concern within the community whether hybrid papaya has the same nutritional values as generic papaya. However, there have been no investigation done on the antioxidant activity of hybrid papaya available in Jaffna. Therefore, this study focused on investigating the in-vitro antioxidant potential of leaf and unripe fruit of generic and selected hybrid papaya varieties using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The unripe fruits and leaves of generic and selected hybrid (Red lady, Maradona, Tanin and Vega F1) varieties were collected from the Agricultural Research and Training Centre in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The unripe fruit was sliced after removing the skin and seeds. The sliced unripe fruit and leaves were shade dried and powdered. The powdered plant materials were macerated with methanol and ethyl acetate separately for 48 hours at room temperature. The DPPH assay was carried out on the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the individual plant materials by employing ascorbic acid as the standard. The obtained data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA at 5% significance level and a significant difference between the antioxidant activities of the standard (IC50 value = 12.394 μg/mL) and the selected papaya extracts (IC50 values vary from 430.641 – 6,652.267 μg/mL) was found. Further, the selected hybrid papayas exhibited better antioxidant properties than the generic one; but, did not show a common trend within them. The leaf extracts were found to possess more antioxidant potential than the unripe fruit extracts of the same papaya variety. With respect to the solvents employed in extraction, methanolic extracts of the selected papayas showed better antioxidant activity than the corresponding ethyl acetate extracts. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the leaf and unripe fruit extracts of hybrid papayas revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols and glycosides, which could be responsible for their antioxidant activity. The finding of the study revealed that hybrid papaya could be used as a raw material for functional food as generic papaya. However, there is a need to evaluate the other nutritional values to confirm it further. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.jfn.ac.lk/ujrr/handle/123456789/11729 Title: Development and Antibacterial Characterization of Hand Sanitizer Gel from Mint Leaf Extract (Mentha arvensis L.) Authors: Malarvarnan, S; Nirubini, A. S; Sivasinthujah, S; Gnanakarunyan, T.J Abstract: Formulation of hand sanitizers with herbs extract to enhance safety and quality while maintaining effective antibacterial properties. This study aimed to formulate hand sanitizers with different concentrations of ethyl acetate extracts of Mentha arvensis leaves and assess their physiochemical properties and antibacterial activities. The plant material was collected in Jaffna and allowed to shade dry. The dried plant material was macerated with ethyl acetate for 48 hrs at room temperature. Two different formulations (A and B) were prepared with 5% and 10% plant extract. Organoleptic characteristics, pH, homogeneity, turbidity, and antibacterial activity were evaluated. The antimicrobial activity of formulations was estimated using the agar well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli by employing a formulation excluding plant extract as control and WHO standard hand sanitizer used as a positive control. Results indicated that Formulation B, containing 10% extract, demonstrated satisfactory physiochemical properties and antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria. Formulation A showed a maximum inhibition of 10.60 ± 0.58 mm against E. coli at 800 μg/ml, with no activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa at lower concentrations. In contrast, Formulation B demonstrated greater efficacy, achieving inhibition zones of 14.17 ± 1.04 mm for E. coli, 10.17 ± 1.04 mm for S. aureus, and 3.83 ± 0.76 mm for P. aeruginosa at 800 μg/ml. These results indicate that Formulation B shows significant potential as an effective hand sanitizer. Further stability evaluation of formulation B will ensure the evaluation of the clinical usage. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z