Paper Flower, Bougainvillea spectabilis: Update Properties of Traditional Medicinal Plant

Ipomoea reniformis Chaos is claimed in Indian traditional medical practice to be useful in the treatment of epilepsy and neurological disorders. In the present study, pretreatment effect of methanolic extract of Ipomoea reniformis on epilepsy and psychosis was evaluated in rodents using standard procedures. Besides evaluating epileptic and behavioral parameters, neurotransmitters such as Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) in epilepsy and in psychosis dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin contents in the rodent brain were estimated. The extract pretreatment reduced maximal electro shock; Isoniazid (INH) and Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures and also significantly inhibited the attenuation of brain GABA levels by INH and PTZ in mice. These results suggested that the observed beneficial effect in epilepsy may be by enhancing the GABAergic system. The test drug also inhibited the apomorphine induced climbing and stereotyped behavior and showed significantly reduced levels of brain dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin which may be due to blocking of central dopaminergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic pathways or by enhancing the GABAergic system. The results obtained in present study suggest that the title plant possesses antiepileptic and antipsychotic activities in rodents.


Introduction
Ipomoea reniformis (IR) also called as merremia emarginata (Burm. f.) is a procumbent herb belonging to the family convolvulaceae. In India, it is commonly known as Undirkana and Mushakparni. The plant is widely distributed in India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Tropical Africa and mainly grows in rainy and winter season. In India, it is found in Southern part mainly counting Chennai, and some places of Andhra Pradesh [1]. Traditionally, IR has been used to treat diverse clinical conditions ranging from pain; fever to neurological disorders [2]. IR has been claimed to be useful for inflammation, headache, fever, cough, neuralgia, rheumatism and also in liver and kidney diseases [3]. The powder of leaves is used as a snuff during epileptic seizures. Juice acts as purgative and the root is having diuretic, laxative actions and applied in the disease of the eyes and gums [4].
The plant contains various neuroprotective chemical constituents such as caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic and sinapic acid esters. Petroleum ether extract contains fats and fixed oil while aqueous extract contains amino acids, tannins (condensed and pseudo tannins) and starch [5]. IR has been reported to possess various pharmacological actions, mainly antidiabetic [6], antiinflammatory [7], nephroprotective [8], antibacterial [9], antioxidant and antimicrobial activity [10]. Further, the principle constituents of IR such as sinapic and ferulic acids have exhibited behavioural and pharmacological

Introduction
Traditional Medicines or natural products such as plants, animals and microorganisms are the oldest form of health care in the world and used in the prevention, and treatment of illnesses 1  ovate to rounded shapes. Leaves are deep green, leathery in texture and hairy underneath. A cluster of three flowers arise in leaf axils. They are cream in color, small, slender, with hairy tubes and surrounded by showy. The colorful bracts are crinkled, fairly large, egg-shaped, and possess colors such as rose, rusty-red, magenta and purple. The fruit is an elongated five-lobed achene less than 1-2 cm long. It is rather inconspicuous, not showy, and has a dry, hard fruit cover 8 .

Antibacterial Property
Umamaheswari et al., 20  Hajare et al., 23 evaluated the antibacterial activity of various solvent extracts of the leaf of B. spectabilis. The bacteria used in the study were Escherichia coli and Micrococcus aureus. They reported that the ethanolic and acetone extracts can be better than aqueous extract used topically as disinfectants primarily in first aid dressing.

Antihyperlipidemic Property
Adebayo et al., 24 suggested that the leaf of B. spectabilis had beneficial effect on serum cholesterol concentration reduction. The 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day of B. spectabilis ethanolic extract was administered orally into the rat for 7 days. The plant extract significantly reduced total cholesterol, and triglyceride.
Saikia and Lama 12 reported that the leaf of B. spectabilis decreased serum lipid profile in rats fed with high fat diet and to compare it with a standard hypolipidaemic drug simvastatin. The 100 or 200 mg/kg/day of B. spectabilis methanolic extract were administered orally into the rat for 8 weeks. The plant extract showed significant reduction in total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein levels. It has also shown significant increase in high density lipoprotein.

Antidiabetic Property
Bhat et al., 25 reported that the leaf of B. spectabilis showed a good oral glucose tolerance and significantly reduced the intestinal glucosidase activity by studying diabetic mice. The 100 µg of B. spectabilis aqueous and methanolic extracts were injected intraperitoneally into the mice for 21 days. The plant extracts showed significant increase in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and hepatic, skeletal muscle glycogen content. Bhat et al., also found a regeneration of insulin-producing cells and corresponding increase in the plasma insulin and c-peptide levels with the treatment of B. spectabilis extracts.
Jawla et al., 26 reported that the stem bark of B. spectabilis exhibited potent hypoglycemic activity by studying in alloxan induced diabetic rats. The 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg/day of B. spectabilis ethanolic extract were administered orally into the rat for 7 days. The stem bark extract exhibited significant hypoglycemic activity 22.2% more than standard oral hypoglycemic drug, glibenclamide. Jawla et al., 27

Antifertility Property
Mishra et al., 28 evaluated the effect of the 800 mg/kg/ day of oral administration of B. spectabilis leaves on reproductive organs and fertility of male and female Swiss albino mice for 30 days. They reported that this plant can reduce the caudal epididymal sperm count from 5.05x10 6 per ml in the control group to 0.65x10 6 per ml in the treatment group (87.13%). From histology study, this plant treatment revealed the reduction in the size of seminiferous tubules along with the thickness of germinal epithelial cells and the hypertrophy of interstitial cells of leydig. Moreover, the lumen of the tubules was found to be devoid of sperms. In female, it disrupted the estrous cycle, prolonged metaestrus phase from 10.6 h in the control group to 25.0 h in the treated group. The most significant change has been due to 145.28% increase in metaestrus phase along with 75.44% in estrus and 11.43% in diestrus phase. Both the hormones, testosterone and estrogen levels were significantly decreased. Hembrom et al., 29 evaluated the effect of 800 mg/ kg/day of oral administration of B. spectabilis leaves on the fertility of male Swiss albino mice for 50 days. This plant caused significant increase in the anodic protein concentration in seminal plasma of mice, collected from cauda epididymis (3.74 mg/ml) compared to the control group (2.37 mg/ml). This significant rise of anodic protein adds more negative charges on the sperm surface membrane that inhibits capacitation and fertilizing ability of the sperm. The other mechanism of this plant is to increase the M-isozymes of LDH from 3.31 units/ml/hr in the control group to 5.68 units/ ml/hr in the treatment group. It suggests a shift in the tissue respiration from aerobic to anaerobic condition resulting in more conversion of pyruvate into lactate in the seminal plasma and adversely affects the sperm metabolism in the epididymis.
Ikpeme et al., 19 evaluated the effect of 150, 300, 450 and 600 mg/kg/day of oral administration of B. spectabilis leaves on reproductive organs and fertility of male rats for 65 days. Results on the sperm parameters revealed significant reduction in the sperm count (9.38x10 6 per ml in control group to 6.76x10 6 per ml in treatment group), viability (86.55% in control group to 63.91% in treatment group) and motility (65.75% in control group to 42.75% in treatment group). Sperm head abnormalities were also significant in the different groups with the highest recorded at 600 mg/kg (8.75%) compare to that of control (2.75%). The testes weight was significantly reduced from 1.38 g in control to 1.10 g in treatment group.

Antioxidant Property
Chaires-Martinez et al., 30 evaluated the antioxidant activity of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts from leaf and stem of B. spectabilis. It was found that stem aqueous extract from B. spectabilis produced more 1,1-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) absorbance reduction (95.66%), with an IC 50 (the concentration to inhibit the oxidation of DPPH by 50%) values of 0.03 μg/mL.
Venkatachalam et al., 31 determined the phytochemical content and radical scavenging assays of methanolic and aqueous extracts of B. spectabilis leave. It was found that the methanolic extract showed greater amount of phytochemicals and higher antioxidant activity than aqueous extract.
Dhankhar et al., 32 evaluated the antioxidant activity of various solvent extracts (water, methanol, acetone, chloroform, petroleum ether) of B. spectabilis leave. The result showed that aqueous extract of the plant exhibited a potential antioxidant activity as tested by the metal chelating assay, superoxide radical scavenging activity and nitric oxide radical scavenging activity.

Anti-inflammatory Property
Mandal et al., 33 evaluated the acute anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extract of B. spectabilis leave by using carrageenan and dextran, whereas chronic anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis model. The 20 and 50 mg/kg of B. spectabilis had shown significant anti-inflammatory effects 20.6% and 67.6%, respectively, on carrageenaninduced acute inflammatory models. In dextran-induced edema, the effect was 30% and 66%, respectively. In arthritic model, the 50 mg/kg of this plant showed significant chronic anti-inflammatory effect 38.46% in comparison to the standard drug dexamethasone.

Antiulcer Property
Malairajan et al., 34 evaluated the antiulcer activity of ethanolic extract of B. spectabilis leaves. Its antiulcer activity was studied in three rat models: 1. Aspirin induced gastric ulcer which was compared with ranitidine; 2. Ethanol induced ulcer which was compared with sucralfate; and 3. Water immersion stress induced ulcer which was compared with omeprazole. The mechanism for the pharmacological action like antisecretory, cytoprotection, proton pump hypothesis was evaluated. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of B. spectabilis showed reduction in gastric volume, free acidity, total acidity and the ulcer inhibition was found to be 100%. The plant extract showed significant cytoprotective effect 89.71% and the extract showed protection index 72% in water immersion stress induced ulcer.
In conclusion, this review article has attempted to suggest B. spectabilis, to be one of the choices in the traditional medicinal plant.

Conflict of Interests
The authors do not have any conflict of interest to declare.

Acknowledgments
This review article was funded in part by the Thailand Research Fund and the Commission on Higher Education: Research Grant for Mid-Career University Faculty. Thanks should be addressed to the members of the Fish Research Unit, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University for their support. The author also appreciates all the anonymous reviewers and editor for their perceptive, comments and positive criticism of this review article.