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Keywords: n Withania somniferan , Aswagandha Tablet, Ayurveda, LC-MS, Immunomodulatory activity, Antioxidant activity
Aswagandha Tablet is a proprietary herbal formulation prepared using root of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, an important medicinal plant used in Ayurveda. It is a rich source of many bioactive constituents mainly withanolides, a group of steroidal lactones with numerous biological activities. Pharmacological properties of W. somnifera have been extensively studied worldwide. However, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of finished herbal products of this species are not much explored. In this study, Metabolite profiling of Aswagandha Tablet (AT), has been carried out by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by various in-vitro studies such as DPPH radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and reducing power assay. Immunomodulatory activity of AT by mast cell degranulation assay in Wistar rats was also studied. Tandem Mass spectroscopic evaluation and subsequent data analysis led to the identification of several bioactive components belonging to various classes of metabolites like steroidal lactones, polyphenolics, phenolic glycosides, flavonoids and alkaloids. Pharmacological evaluation showed that AT possesses good antioxidant activity and dose-dependent immunomodulatory effect.
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Phytochemistry Division, Centre for Medicinal Plants Research, Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal, India