Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26596277›Full record

ArticleOphthalmology and therapy2015

The Claim of Anti-Cataract Potential of Heliotropium indicum: A Myth or Reality?

Samuel Kyei, George Asumeng Koffuor, Paul Ramkissoon, Clement Afari, Emmanuel Akomanin Asiamah

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Ophthalmology and therapy, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Anticataract Effect of the Aqueous Extract of the Flowers ofAdvances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences · 2023
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021
    Review
  6. Current Trends in the Pharmacotherapy of Cataracts.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020
    Review
  7. Aquaporins as Targets of Dietary Bioactive Phytocompounds.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2018
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Samuel KyeiDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. skyei@ucc.edu.gh.
George Asumeng KoffuorDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Paul RamkissoonDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Clement AfariDepartment of Optometry and Visual Sciences, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Emmanuel Akomanin AsiamahDepartment of Pathology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology · GHUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal · ZAKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital · GH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHeliotropium indicum has several uses in traditional medicine attributable to its numerous bioactive compounds. It is used as a traditional remedy for cataracts in Ghana without any scientific verification. This study aimed at verifying the anti-cataract properties of an aqueous whole plant extract of H. indicum.

methodsThe effect (cataract score) of 30, 100, and 300 mg kg(-1) extract (bid for 21 days, per os) on the development of 30 µmol kg(-1) sodium selenite-induced cataract in 10-day-old rat pups was investigated. Soluble lens proteins alpha A and alpha B crystallins, total lens protein, total lens glutathione, and aquaporin 0 in enucleated lens homogenates were determined spectrophotometrically using commercially available kits. Histopathological studies on the lenses were also performed. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging effect and linoleic acid autoxidation (antioxidant properties) of the extract (0.1-3.0 mg ml(-1)), compared to n-propyl gallate, were ascertained using standard procedures.

resultsCataract scores showed that the extract, at all dose levels, significantly alleviated selenite-induced cataracts (P ≤ 0.001). Markers of lens transparency (aquaporin 0, alpha A and B crystallins), as well as total lens proteins and lens glutathione levels, were significantly preserved (P ≤ 0.01-0.001). The extract exhibited activity relevant for scavenging free radicals and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Epithelial and lens fiber integrity in the histopathological assessment were maintained with HIE treatment.

conclusionThe aqueous whole plant extract of H. indicum significantly inhibited the development of cataracts in rats via multiple mechanisms.

Indexed as

Alpha A and alpha B crystallinsAquaporin 0CataractDPPH scavenging effect

Identifiers

PMID26596277
PMCPMC4675728
OpenAlexW2178722350

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.