Ethnomedicinal Uses, Pharmacological and Phytochemical Studies of Bambusa Arundinaceae Retz (A Review)

Introduction

Bambusa arundinacea, commonly known as Bamboo belongs to family Poaceae (Gramineae). It is known by various names as Bnah in Assamese, Spanish bamboo in English, Wans in Gujarati, Kanta bans in Hindi, Bansa in Urdu, Vansa in Sanskrit and Bilawar in Kashmiri¹. It is situated upto height of 1250 m on the hills of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka in India, Peru, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Malaysia^{2, 3}. The plant consists of hard stem with internode and solid node that gives strength to this plant. The nodes bears many buds from which branches evolve, this makes Bamboo different from other grass family. The plant stems are thorny tufted on a stout rootstock, with a height of 240-280cm and diameter of 150-170 mm. It has elongated and lanceolate leaves and flowers are in the form of panicles⁴. 

Bambusa arundinacea has been reported to possess important pharmacological activities such as antiinflammatoy⁵, antidiabetic⁶, antioxidant⁷, antimicrobial⁸, insecticidal⁹, antihelmintic¹⁰, anticancer¹¹, protective effect¹², antiarthritis¹³, etc. Muniappan et al⁵ reported that the methanolic leaves extract exhibited promising antiinflammatory activity on carrageenan and immunologicaly induced paw edema in Albino wistar rats¹⁴. B. arundinacea has been found to possess antimicrobial activity against a number of bacterial and fungal strains hence it could be a possible source to obtain new and effective compound to treat bacterial and fungal infections. Zubair et al¹⁴ reported that n-hexane and chloroform extract displayed significant antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens while acetone, methanol and butanol extract were found to be inactive. Thamizarasan et al⁸ reported that hexane, acetone and hydroethanolic extract of this plant seeds have significant antimicrobial effect against various microorganisms. Jayarambabu et. al¹⁵ reported the antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles using Bambusa arundinacea extract by Agar disc diffusion method against S. aureus and B. subtilis. The ethanolic extract of tender shoots of the plant possess antifertility effect as reported by Vanithakumari et al¹⁶.

B. arundinacea is endowed with antihyperglycemic potential. Joshi et al¹⁷ reported the aqueous ethanolic extract of leaves of B. arundinacea to possess hypoglycemic activity, Nazreen et al⁶ reported the hypoglycemic effect of B. arundinacea leaves three fractions viz. ethanolic petroleum ether, chloroform in STZ induced diabetic rats. Kumar et al²³ reported that roots ethanolic extract of this plant displayed lowering in the blood glucose level in normal and hyperglycemic rats in alloxan and OGTT methods. Macharla et al¹⁸ reported that the aqueous ethanolic stem extract (200mg/kg) of Bambusa arundinaceae showed decrease in glucose level in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Jayarambabu et al¹⁵ reported the antidiabetic effect of Bambusa arundinaceae (BA) extract and its ZnO nanoparticles in normal and STZ induced rats.

B. arundinacea has been reported to possess insecticidal⁹ and antihelmintic¹⁰ properties. B. arundinacea has been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-arthritic effect against complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis in female rat were investigated by Rathod et al¹³. B. arundinacea has been found to possess protecting properties as well as anti-plasmin activity in cortical neuron which were induced by N-methyldaspartate and fibrinogen and fibrin degradation (FDPs) assay, respectively as reported by Hong et al¹². B. arundinacea is a rich source of antioxidants. Chauhan et al⁷ reported that the methanolic extract and different fractions of young shoots of Bambusa arundinace have prominent antioxidant property. B. arundinacea synthesized nanoparticles further enhanced the biological activities. For example, Kalaiarasi et al¹¹ have synthesized the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using B. arundinacea leaf extract which showed enhanced cytotoxicity on PC-3 (lung cancer) and Vero normal cell lines. Jayarambabu et al¹⁵ prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) of BA extract exhibited strong anticancer activity against MCF-7 cell line. Patel et al¹⁹ reported antiglycation potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles utilizing B. arundinacea leaf extract, inhibited the formation of AGEs, decreased  the level of fructosamine and formation of glycosylated Hb.

Ethnomedicinal Uses

Bambusa arundinacea are arboreous grasses known to mankind since a long time and is utilized as a food and shelter by native people^{20, 21}. It is used in various application such as making traditional and musical instruments, boat rafts, construction, furnitures and flooring, fencing and fodder for cattles, utensils for cooking, and in management of waste water²².  

In folk medicine, Bambusa arundinacea is used for the treatment of many inflammatory disorders²³. The plant stem and leaves are acidic and used as a laxative, in blood diseases, kapha, inflammation, piles and bile disorders²⁴. It is also used in constringent and kidney disorders in Ayurveda. The extract of leaves bud is used in menstrual discharge, leaves infusion for eye wash and used internally for bronchitis, gonorrhoea and fever⁹. The acrid seed are used for liver dysfunction and urinary discharges². The root ointment is a remedy for liver cirrhosis and tumors¹. The leaves are emmenagogue and used for sciatica, fibrositis, gastic and liver diseases, lung bronchitis, and gonorrhea whereas flower juices is used in deafness and ear pain. The bark is used as a cure for eruptions²⁵. The manna is sweet, acrid, tonic which is used for blood diseases, lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and tuberculosis. Besides this, it is also used for fever, haemoglobin deficient anaemia, hepatitis and leprosy. Tabasheer (dried bamboo sap) containing 97% silicon dioxide is used as a tonic for cough and asthma. The leaves of this plant are used by tribal women in Madras for abortion of a child by chewing it two times a day²⁶. In Kanyakumari Kani tribes, the seeds of this plant increase the fertility and therefore it is in large demands for the improvement of fertility in this area²⁷.  The leaf juice is used for osteoarthritis, osteoporosis for making the cartilage and bones strong, for strengthening arterial walls, teeth and nails and reduces psoriasis and dermatitis. Traditional practitioner’s uses 2-3 cups of B. arundinacea Retz. leaf decoction three times a day for months to treat diabetes mellitus⁵. 

Pharmacology

Bambusa arundinacea has been reported to exhibit important pharmacological activities viz. antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer, antifertility, antihelmintic, insecticidal, antimicrobial, etc. (Figure 1). These activities are discussed below.

Figure 1: Biological activities exhibited by B. arundinacea Click here to View figure

Antiinflammatory, analgesic and antiulcer activity

B. arundinacea is reported for the treatment of many inflammatory conditions. It has been found that the methanolic leaves extract exhibited antiinflammatory activity on carrageenan and immunologicaly induced paw edema in Albino wistar rats⁵. The effect was found to be significant, compared to  positive control, phenylbutazone. However, amalgamation of extract and phenylbutazone when administered orally in Albino rats resulted in enhanced antiinflammatory activity experimentally without any ulcerogenic effect. Therefore, the amalgamation of extract of this plant with modern medicationcould produce antiinflammatory drugs that could be of advantage in treating inflammatory problems such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. B. arundinacea ethanolic and hydroalcoholic extract displayed in vitro anti-inflammatory activity with IC₅₀ of 700 and 212 μg/mL, respectively whereas ibuprofen displayed IC₅₀ of  118.33 μg/mL²⁸. Also, the ethanolic leaves extract at 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg exhibited promising analgesic and antipyretic effect in dose dependent manner²⁹. These results indicate that B. arundinacea has the potential to reduce inflammation with less side effects.

Antimicrobial effect

B.arundinacea could be a possible source to obtain new and effective compound to treat bacterial and fungal infections. B. arundinacea has been found to possess antimicrobial activity against a number of bacterial and fungal strains. 2,6 dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone isolated from bamboo extract inhibits the growth of Candida albicans, Trichophyton interdigitale, Microsporum gypseum, Peniciilium. chrysogenumStaphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and P. aeruginosa³⁰. 

Zubair et al¹⁴ reported that n-hexane and chloroform extract displayed significant antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens while acetone, methanol and butanol extract were found to be inactive. Table 1 showed that n-hexane extract showed good inhibitory activity against E. coli, P. multocida, and B. subtilis with MIC  3.81 μg/mL, 5.28 μg/mL and 5.26 μg/mL, respectively whereas it was inactive on tested fungal strains. Chloroform extract displayed moderate inhibition on S. aureus and B. subtilis with MIC 15.5 μg/mL and 10.7 μg/mL, respectively while it was inactive against E. coli.Acetone extract was found to be active against G. lucidum with MIC = 4.00 μg/mL only while it did not show any inhibitory activity against A. alternata, E. coli, and S. aureus.

Table 1: Antimicrobial activity in terms of inhibition zones and minimum inhibitory concentration of B. arundinaceae leaves against selected bacterial and fungal strains^..

Tested microorganisms
Different organic extracts	B. subtilis	P. multocida	(Diameter of inhibition Zone (IZ) S. aureus            E. coli		, mm) A. alternata	G. lucidum
n-hexane	17.0±0.81b	19.0±0.70b	15.5±1.11d	22.2±1.47b	n.d	n.d
Chloroform	17.0±0.70b	16.0±1.80d	19.0±0.70c	n.d	8.5±1.23c	9.0±1.11c
Ethyl acetate	22.7±2.27b	18.0±0.70bc	n.d	n.d	n.d	n.d
Acetone	18.5±0.5b	16.2±1.47cd	n.d	n.d	n.d	24.2±5.26a
n-butanol	n.d	n.d	19.5±1.08c	22.0±3.11b	6.5±0.03d	6.5±1.11b
Absolute Methanol	n.d	n.d	n.d	n.d	11±1b	8.5±0.02b
(0.5:9.5) water: methanol	17.7±0.82b	n.d	22.0±1.82b	n.d	7.75±1.47cd	8.5±1.11b
(1:9) water: methanol	n.d	n.d	n.d	n.d	6.0±1.58d	n.d
Control	29.0±1.08a	34±1.08a	28.5±0.82a	28.5±1.08a	26.0±5.71a	26±2.38a
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) mg/mL.
Extracts	B. subtilis	P. multocida	S. aureus	E. coli	A. alternata	G. lucidum
n-hexane	5.62±0.12	5.28±0.16	22.4±0.32	3.81±0.5	n.d	n.d
Chloroform	10.7±0.07	12.5±0.21	15.5±0.21	n.d	10.6±0.38	10.5±0.40
Ethyl acetate	3.02±0.25	6.48±0.29	n.d	n.d	n.d	n.d
Acetone	12.4±0.11	12.1±0.12	n.d	n.d	n.d	4.00±0.36
n-butanol	n.d	n.d	15.8±0.22	2.81±0.23	18.4	15.0±0.04
Absolute Methanol	n.d	n.d	n.d	n.d	7.4±0.40	11.4±0.04
(0.5:9.5) water: methanol	10.4±0.17	n.d	5.89±0.10	n.d	11.8±0.07	11.4±0.46
(1:9) water: methanol	n.d	n.d	n.d	n.d	18.4±0.36	n.d
Control	2.04±0.32	2.04±0.32	2.14±0.32	2.04±0.32	3.05±0.04	3.05±0.04

Data are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation; values having different letters differ significantly (p <0.05). n.d= not detected. Rifampcin and Fluconazole used as control for bacterial and fungal strains respectively

The hexane, acetone and hydroethanolic extract of this plant seeds have shown significant antimicrobial effect against various microorganisms⁸. Jayarambabu et. al¹⁵ reported the antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles using Bambusa arundinacea extract by Agar disc diffusion method against S. aureus and B. subtilis. As observed from figure 2, the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles showed enhanced zone of inhibition of 14, 16, 17, 19 mm and 12, 14, 15, 17 mm against S. aureus and B. subtilis, respectively. The ZnO NPs interaction between S.aureus and B. Substilis was studied by SEM to observe the morphology changes of bacteria and under ZnO NPs treatment. The normal S.aureus and B. substilis shows spherical and rod shape with smooth surface area, but ZnO NPs treated bacteria displayed irregular morphology and ruptured bacterial cell walls which indicate the interaction of bacteria and ZnO NPs, leading to demolition of bacterial cells.

Figure 2: Antimicrobial activity of Bambusa Arundinacea mediated ZnO NPs  against S. aureus and B.subtilis and SEM images of a) Control S. aureus  b) ZnO NPs treated c) Control B.subtilis and d) ZnO NPs treated. Click here to View figure

Antifertility effect

The ethanolic extract of tender shoots of the plant exhibits antifertility effect¹⁶.  The administration of plant extract at 300 mg/kg in male rats for 7 days caused a fertility reduction in male rats and the reduction was 15% for control rats and 23% for tested rats after a seven day recovery period. The protein serum as well as effect of oxaloacetic and pyruvic transaminase was non toxic on the rats.

Antidiabetic effect

B. arundinacea is endowed with antihyperglycemic potential. The aqueous ethanolic extract of leaves of B. arundinacea have been found to possess hypoglycemic activity. Joshi et al¹⁷ reported that BA leaves aqueous extract at 1000 mg/kg produced a promising decrease in blood glucose level to 260 mg/dL at 3 hr in STZ induced diabetic rats. Whereas in OGTT method, the extract increased blood glucose significantly at 30 minutes as shown figure 3.

Figure 3: OGTT in euglycemic rats treated with Bambusa arundinacea extract. Click here to View figure

Nazreen et al⁶ reported the hypoglycemic effect of B. arundinacea leaves three fractions viz. ethanolic petroleum ether, chloroform in STZ induced diabetic rats showed that chloroform was the most potent in lowering the blood glucose at 150 mg/kg b.w., compared to glibenclamide, positive control. Also, this fraction did not cause any ulceration, decreased GSH level and increased LPO, AST and ALP enzymes (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Effect of chloroform fractions and ethyl acetate fraction of Bambusa on blood glucose levels of diabetic rats (A). Effect of fractions on lipid peroxidation (B) Click here to View figure

Kumar et al³¹ reported that roots ethanolic extract of this plant displayed lowering in the blood glucose level in normal and hyperglycemic rats in alloxan and OGTT methods. Macharla et al¹⁸ reported that the aqueous ethanolic stem extract (200mg/kg) of Bambusa arundinaceae showed decrease in glucose level in alloxan induced diabetic rats. As observed from figure 5, Group II, III, IV, V and VII showed suppression of blood glucose level at 6 hrs significantly (p<0.01) compared to zero hour to its respective group.

Figure 5: Antidiabetic activity of aqueous ethanolic Bambusa arundinaceae stem extracts. GI: Normal rats; GII: alloxan control; GIII: glibenclamide; GIV: BA stem extract (50 mg/kg); GV: BA stem extract (100 mg/kg); GVI: BA stem extract (200 mg/kg) Click here to View figure

Jayarambabu et al¹⁵ reported the antidiabetic effect of Bambusa arundinaceae (BA) extract and its ZnO nanoparticles. As shown in figure 6, BA extract and ZnO-NPs did not produce reduction in blood glucose levels in normal rats. Whereas in STZ induced diabetic rats, ZnO NPs  significantly dropped the blood glucose levels at 200 mg/kg after 14 days of oral administration than BA extract. Moreover, the histopathology of liver after treatment with BA extract and ZnO-NPs displayed normal architecture, and the hepatocytes were observed (figure 7).

Figure 6: (a) Effect of Bambusa arundinacea and ZnO NPs on fasted normal Wister rats, (b) Effect of Bambusa arundinacea and ZnO NPs on blood glucose levels in STZ induced diabetic Wister rats. Click here to View figure

Figure 7: (a) Normal control, (b) Diabetic control, (c) Metformin standard, (d) Bambusa arundinacea group, (e) Zinc oxide nanoparticles group. Click here to View figure

Insecticidal activity

B. arundinacea has been reported to possess insecticidal property. The young shoots contain 0.03% hydrogen cyanide, benzene carboxylic acid and cyanogenic glucosides viz. taxiphyllin which are reported to be fatal on mosquito larvae. Bamboo shoots can resists insects, laterites, pH and hemp thus they have antiseptic and antilarval properties⁹.  

Antiarthritic activity 

B. arundinacea has been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-arthritic effect against complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis in female rat were investigated¹³. The methanolic plant extract at 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg b.w. for 21 days displayed dose dependent reduction in erosion of bone and enlargement of spleen, compared to control, But the reduction was not as significant as dexamethasone (5 mg/kg i.p.)

Antihelmintic Activity

B. arundinacea root ethanolic extract has been endowed with antihelmintic  property. The anthelmintic activity of the extract has been investigated in Pheretima posthuma. It has been observed that the extract at 10, 20 and 50 mg/mL were found to be lethal for Pheritima posthuma. The antihemintic effect was comparable to Albendazole, (10 mg/mL) and Piperazine citrate (15 mg/mL) positive control¹⁰.   

Protective effects

B. arundinacea has been found to possess protecting properties as well as anti-plasmin activity in cortical neuron which were induced by N-methyldaspartate and fibrinogen and fibrin degradation (FDPs) assay, respectively¹². It has been observed that B. arundinacea pyrolyzates treated neuronal cells increases the cell viability, compared to untreated cells. Furthermore, B. arundinacea pyrolyzates treated cortical neurons when stained by Hoechst 33342 showed decline in apoptosis following NMDA exposure. Besides this, pyrolyzates of B. arundinacea showed anti-plasmin activity. Pyrolyzate isolated from bamboo have antiapoptotic effect and it can be used for ischemic injury treatment as the amalgamation of NMDA receptor antagonists, GABAergic drugs ,glucocorticosteroids, and heparin are used for delay in post ischemic injury

Antioxidant property

Chauhan et al⁷ reported that the methanolic extract and different fractions of young shoots of Bambusa arundinace have prominent antioxidant property. Among the tested fractions (Table 2), n-butanol fraction contained highest phenolic (56.6±2.4 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g DW) and ethylacetate fraction contain highest flavanoid (47±2.6 mg Quercetin equivalent/g DW) content. From the DPPH scavenging activity as shown in Figure 8,  Ethylacetate fraction dispalyed highest scavenging with IC₅₀= 40.33±0.63 μM, compared to ascorbic acid (IC₅₀= 30.69±2.1 μM. Also, this fraction showed superior anti-lipid peroxidation (IC₅₀= 61.89±0.44 μM and reducing power as shown in Figure 8.

Table 2: Total Phenolic and Flavonoid content of different fractions of young shoots of Bambusa arundinaceae by Chauhan et al.

	Phenolic content mg Gallic acid equivalent/g DW	Flavonoid content mg Quercetin equivalent/g DW
n-hexane fraction	3.5±1.4	9.5±1.1
Chloroform fraction	10.2±1.8	8.5±0.7
Ethyl acetate fraction	30.8±1.5	47±2.6
n-butanol fraction	56.6±2.4	20±1.6

Figure 8: DPPH free radical scavenging, antilipid peroxidation and reducing power of different fractions of young shoots of Bambusa arundinaceae and Ascorbic acid. Data are represented as mean ± SD (n = 3). Click here to View figure

Anticancer activity

Kalaiarasi et al¹¹ have synthesized the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using B. arundinacea leaf extract and screened for cytotoxicity on PC-3 (lung cancer) and Vero normal cell lines. The AgNPs were characterized by FTIR, TEM  and SEM. The FTIR spectra of BaAgNPs showed intense peaks at 3396 cm^-1, 3211 cm^-1, 2286 cm^-1,1402 cm^-1for NH stretching,  S–H stretching,  C=C stretching (alkenes) and C=C stretching (Figure 9)

Figure 9: FT IR of AgNPs of Bambusa arundinaceae extract Click here to View figure

SEM analysis confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs in the reaction mixture. SEM images of BaAgNPs is shown in Figures 10A. The size of the synthesized AgNPs obtained ranged between 32 to 46.65 nm. TEM images for the biosynthesized AgNPs showed that the particles were spherically shaped with an average size ranging from 30 nm to 90 nm for AgNPs (Figures 10B).

Figure 10: SEM (A) and TEM (B) of synthesized AgNPs of Bambusa arundinaceae extract Click here to View figure

The synthesized silver nanoparticles showed IC₅₀ values of the PC3 cells and Vero cells were 73.57 and 84.88 µg/mL and 93.58 and 96.41µg/mL for BaAgNPs. The effect of NPs on the growth of normal cell lines (Vero) did not exhibit significant cytotoxicity at their lower concentrations (figure 11). The percentages of the apoptotic bodies by AO/EtBr staining were found to be 76% and 62% for BaAgNPs and BnAgNPs, respectively (figure 12)

Figure 11: Cytotoxicity of synthesized AgNPs of Bambusa arundinaceae extract on PC-3 and Vero cell lines Click here to View figure

Figure 12: Bright field and fluorescence microscopy image of IC50 concentration of AgNPs and in vitro leaf extracts of B. arundinacea and B. nutans applied to PC3 cell lines and incubated at 37 °C with 5% CO2 for 48 h. Cytotoxicity observed from bright field microscopy: Click here to View figure

Jayarambabu et al¹⁵ prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) of BA extract exhibited strong anticancer activity against MCF-7 cell line. As shown in figure 13 (a,b), SEM images of the obtained nanoparticles  were agglomerated, and most of them are in spherical. From TEM figure 13 (c,d), the sizes of the particles were observed in the range of ~7-20 nm.

Figure 13: FESEM images of the ZnO NPs biosynthesized with plant extract (a-b) low and high magnifications. (c-d) TEM images of ZnO NPs at different magnifications Click here to View figure

Anticancer activity of Bambusa arundinacea mediated ZnO NPs against the MCF-7 cell lines is depicted in figure 14. It was observed that with an increase in ZnO NPs concentration the cell viability levels decreased. These results indicate that biosynthesized ZnO NPs exhibit good anticancer activity.

Figure 14: Anticancer activity of Bambusa arundinacea mediated ZnO NPs. Click here to View figure

Miscellaneous

Zihad et al³² carried out the laxative activity of the ethanolic extract of shoot of B.arudinacea  in mouse model.  It was observed from figure 15 that the extract exhibited promising laxative potential by promoting watery faeces, increasing gastrointestinal motility and the amount of intestinal content, when compared with a negative control.  The maximum activity (47.92%) was observed at 2h at the dose of 500 mg/kg b.w. Gastrointestinal transit at the dose of 250 and 500 mg/Kg was 67.18 and 60.03% respectively. This reports support the traditional use of shoot of B. arundinacea in constipation.

Figure 15: Laxative activity of Bambusa arundinacea in mice. Click here to View figure

Patel et al¹⁹ reported that zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) utilizing B. arundinacea leaf extract inhibited the formation of AGEs, decreased  the level of fructosamine and formation of glycosylated Hb. The antiglycation potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles, ZnO NPs which was prepared from zinc acetate using sodium hydroxide were investigated. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, and TEM analysis as shown in Figure 16. The FT IR spectra of ZnO NPs showed a sharp and intense peak at 681cm^-1 for Zn–O stretching, 1430 cm^-1 for C-C stretching, 1600 to 1800 cm^-1 for C=O, and 2854 cm^-1 for O-H stretching of carboxylic acid. The Result of TEM showed that ZnO NPs are spherical and some oval particles with an aevarge size of 80 nm. The synthesized ZnO NPs were tested for degree of glycation of albumin by measuring fluorescence intensity. The increased fluorescent intensity in BSA/glucose reaction indicates the level of glycated BSA increased over a period of time.  As observed from Figure 17, ZnO-Nps showed significant inhibition on glycation reaction , compared to control. Also, ZnO NPs treated glycation of albumin and AG treated glycation of albumin showed significant inhibition of glycated albumin (43.41% and 55.19% respectively) when compared to the untreated glycated control. Moreover, these nanoparticles inhibit the glycosylation of hemoglobin significantly when compared to the control (figure 18). Table 3 illustrates the preventive effect of green synthesized ZnO NPs on the formation of hemoglobin glycosylation. The study suggests biologically synthesized zinc nanoparticles showed the strong antiglycation potential and considered as a potential source of therapeutic agents for AGEs related disorder.

Figure 16: (A) FT-IR spectrum of biologically synthesized ZnO NPs; (B) TEM images of ZnO NPs Click here to View figure

Figure 17: Degree of glycation of albumin formed at different time interval measured relatively by measuring fluorescence intensity by using spectro fluorometry. Click here to View figure

Figure 18: Inhibitory effect of biosynthesized ZnO-NPs from bioactive fraction F3 obtained from crude Bambusa arundinacea leaf extract on glycosylated Hb. Click here to View figure

Table 3: Inhibitory effect of biologically synthesized ZnO NPs on the formation of glycosylated Hemoglobin expressed in percentage

No.	Absorbance	Percentage of Inhibition
Control (Hb + glucose)	0.723 ± 0.051	0
In presence of ZnO NPs with Hb + glucose	0.448 ± 0.082	39.73%

 

Phytochemistry

Phytochemical investigation of B. arundinacea Retz has afforded different type of chemical constituents (Figure 19). Tabasheer (dried bamboo sap) is white, crystalline and sweet siliceous matter near the shoots joint ^33,34.  Shoot of the plant contain various substances such as ethanedioic acid, hydrogen cyanide, waxes, and benzene carboxylic acid³⁵, fiferuloyl arabinose hexasaccharide and taxiphyllin (1)³⁶_. The seed of the plant contains various amino acids and other essential organic molecules such as phenylalanine, thiamine, lysine, leucine, histidine, aginine, cysteine, isoleucine, lysine, valine, methionine, tyrosine, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. The leaves of the plant contains mainly gluteline, betain, methionine, cholin, lysine, nuclease, urease and proteolytic enzymes.³⁷

Figure 19: Compounds isolated from B. arundinacea Click here to View figure

Tanaka et al³⁸ have reported isoorientin (2),  tricin glucoside (3), p-hydroxy cinnamic acid (4), lyoniresinol 3α-O- βD- glucopyranoside (5), 3, 4, 5-trimethoxyphenol-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), koaburaside (7), 2, 6 dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone (8) and sinapic aldehyde (9) from the leaves of the plant. The plant also contains 3′,3,6,7-tetramethoxy-4′,5,8-trihydroxy flavones (10), p-anisidic acid (11), 4′-hydroxy 3-hydroxy flavane (12) and hemicelluloses^{39, 40}. Nazreen et al isolated 17, 20, 20-tri demethyl-20α-isopranyl oleanane, (13), eicosanyl dicarboxylic acid (14) stigmasterol (15), Stigmastrol glucopyranoside (16), α-amyrin acetic acid (17) and ursolic glucopyranoside (18) from the chloroform fraction of this plant⁴¹.

Conclusions

Bambusa arundinacea is endowed with important pharmacological activities such as antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, insecticidal, antihelmintic, and anticancer. It is also rich in phenolic and flavonoid bioactive molecules. Moreover, the nanoparticles using this plant extract have shown remarkable enhancement in various biological activities.  Although, this plant has not been explored much scientifically, very few reports are available on this plant. The present review article will help the readers to explore more on this plant in various filed of nanotechnology, biotechnology and phytochemistry as it contains promising bioactive molecules.

Acknowledgments

Author acknowledges Departmemt of Chemistry, Al-Baha University for the required facilities.

Conflicts of Interest

There is no conflict of interest

Funding Sources

The review article received no funding

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