Berberis Ceylanica Schneider: A Rich Source of Berberine with Antimicrobial Properties Article

Image

Article “Berberis Ceylanica Schneider: A Rich Source of Berberine with Antimicrobial Properties” is published in Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Education.

Berberis ceylanica Schneider is an endemic plant to Sri Lanka belonging to the family Berberidaceae Even though B. ceylanica is used in traditional medicinal systems in Sri Lanka, very few research works has been carried out for this plant. There are no records on detailed pharmacognostic evaluation on Berberis ceylanica, as very few scientific studies were not completed up to now.

Plant family Berberridaceae comprises 14 genera and 701 species of perennial herbs and shrubs. Its members occur in most temperate regions of the world. The most important and largest genus is Berberis, with about 500 species. Berberis aristata is one of the most important plants used in Ayurveda system of medicine which belonging to the genus Berberis. At present, this plant is critically endangered species due to extensive collections by pharmaceutical industries due to high content of isoquinoline alkaloid berberine. In recent decades, berberine has intrigued increasing interest in its significant bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antmicrobial and anticancer effects.

In the present study, we have investigated the berberine content, antimicrobial and antioxidant factors in the hot water extract of B. ceylanica stem for the first time. Further B. ceylanica can be used as a substitute for berberine bearing plants as it contain high amount of berberine.

National Centre for Advanced Studies for Humanities and Social Sciences, Ward place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka, is acknowledge for financial assistanceand P. Marasingha and S. Sugatadasa for the help of plant authentication.

Media contact;

Rutherford,

Editorial Manager,

Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Education,

WhatsApp: +19473334405