Aim of the study : To evaluate the detergent activity of aqueous extract of Ammi majus L . and Psoralea corylifolia L

Aim of the study: To evaluate the detergent activity of aqueous extract of Ammi majus L. and Psoralea corylifolia L. Materials and methods: The detergent activity of aqueous extract of test drugs was evaluated by using a standard physicochemical test with Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as a standard drug. Surface tension was measured by Du Nouytensiometer; Dirt dispersion by using Indian ink; Cleaning ability by greasy wool yarn test; Foaming properties by cylinder shake method and Wetting ability by canvas disc method. pH values and total saponin was also determined. Both the test and standard drugs were analyzed in 1% and 5% concentrations. Results: The aqueous extract of both the test drugs produced a significant detergent effect at both the concentration but less than SLS as it exhibited a pronounced effect in all the parameters except detergency. The test drugs were found to be acidly balanced; exhibited a prominent surface tension reduction, high foaming, wetting, and cleaning ability with a good quantity of saponin. Conclusions: Based on the above results it can be concluded that the aqueous extract of test drugs has significant surface-active properties thus these drugs can be used as a natural surfactant. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Introduction A detergent is a chemical substance that is equipped with a cleansing property. A good detergent is soluble in water, allows the water solution to enter the capillaries by lowering the interfacial tension, breaks up the particles that have agglomerated, links the dirt or oil particles with the water rather than the substance being cleansed.1 Natural surfactant can be obtained either from sources of plant or animal origin. Natural surfactants possess several advantages over chemically synthesized ones, and they have low environmental risk due to their natural origin. Some of the advantages of such compounds over synthetic ones are their biodegradability, low toxicity, biocompatibility, low cost, and specificity. They are available in large quantities and are also very effective in extreme conditions like temperature, pH, and salinity.2 Natural surfactants are found in many Unani medicinal plants. 170 NEUROPHARMAC JOURNAL 6 (2021) 169-179 Chemically, the properties of the natural surfactants are due to the presence of ‘Saponin’ which allows the formation of stable soap-like foam when shaken in an aqueous solution.3 Unani system of medicine is evidence-based medicine. Since the beginning, this system has been using medicines to beautify the skin, face, hair, eyes, and nails. A large number of tested single drugs, compound formulations, and various prescriptions in which jali (detergent) drugs were used as an ingredient are found to be effective in clinical practice and presently, some of them are scientifically proven.4 Unani physicians were very well acquainted with the jali (detergent) drugs; they frequently used them to treat certain dermatological disorders.5 According to the Unani concept detergents are drugs that remove sticky fluids from the skin pores. They flow amidst the sticky material or fluid and the surface on which they are being used, thus separating the morbid matter from the affected part. Jali drugs can unblock the pores of the skin.6,7 Unani detergents are not only used to treat skin diseases but also in cosmeceutical preparations, hair care, etc. Aatreelal and Babchi are the two most important detergent drugs of the Unani system of medicine. Aatreelal consists of the dried ripe fruits of Ammi majus L. (Umbelliferae) commonly known as Bishop's flower8 and Psoralea corylifolia Linn (Leguminosae) is an annual herb growing throughout the plains of India, commonly known as Babchi. All parts of both plants are used to treat a variety of skin problems, such as leucoderma, skin rashes, infections, and others. It is an ancient and useful remedy for leucoderma. The psoralen, a furanocoumarin, promotes pigmentation.9 Fruits are also enriched with 0.4% xanthotoxin. Xanthotoxin is the chief active principle in the fruit.8 The drug has been reported for its antioxidant10 anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, antiatherosclerotic, and anti-inflammatory activities.8,11 As per Unani physicians, Psoralea corylifolia is an important remedy for treating vitiligo and they incorporated it into various formulations as an ingredient. It is used both internally as well as externally.12 Coumarins, flavonoids, and monoterpene phenols are the main active components of Psoralea corylifolia seeds.13 This drug has been reported for its antifungal,14 antibacterials,15 antifilarial,16 antitumor,17 antiviral, antiprotozoal, Insecticidal and genotoxic activities.18 Despite their use in skin diseases, both the drugs have not been investigated for their surface-active properties. The term surfactant covers surface-active compounds, in which interfacial and solution behavior leads to the following key surface-active properties viz. emulsification, wetting, foaming, detergency, and solubilizing.19,20 because of the above properties, the detergent activity of the two drugs was evaluated by adopting those methods which are commonly used to analyze the synthetic and natural detergent as well as plant-derived saponins. Materials and Methods Procurement and identification of test drugs The Psoralia corylifolia Linn and Amm majus Linn were procured from the NIUM (National Institute of Unani Medicine) Pharmacy, Bangalore. It was identified and authenticated by Pharmacognosist, Senior Assistant Prof. S. Noorunnisa Begum, Centre for Repository of Medicinal Resources (C-RMR), Trans-Disciplinary University (TDU), Attur, ViaYelahanka, Bangalore (identification no. Ammi majus L (5039) and Psoralia corylifolia L.(5041). A sample of test drugs has been submitted to the Herbarium / Museum of NIUM, Bangalore (Voucher specimen No. 67/IA/Res/2019) for future reference. Procurement of other materials, chemicals, and reagents Chemicals used in this study were of analytical grade and procured from authentic sources. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Indian ink were procured from Nice Chemical Pvt. Ltd, P.B. No. 2217, Manimala Road, Edappally, Kochi, Kerala. The wool yarn was procured from the city market, 171 NEUROPHARMAC JOURNAL 6 (2021) 169-179 Aligarh, India. Canvas paper and grease were procured from the local market of Bangalore. Preparation of extract The test drugs (Aatreelal and Babchi) were cleaned from dirt and other extraneous matter and dried at 450C in a hot air oven.21 It was powdered by an electric grinder and sieved with sieve no. 80. The aqueous extract of the test drugs was obtained by the cold maceration method.22 Sixty gm coarsely powdered air-dried material was accurately weighed and kept in a glass-stoppered conical flask and macerated with 600 ml of distilled water for 24 h, shaken frequently, during first 6 h and allowed to stand for 18 h. It was filtered rapidly but carefully to prevent any loss of solvent. Further, it was dried on a water bath at 1050 C for 6 h, cooled in a desiccator for 30 min, and then weighed without any delay. The yield percentage of the extract was calculated concerning the weight of crude drug and found to be 8.05%. The extract was stored in airtight containers at 40C. A fresh solution of the test drug was prepared in distilled water at the time of the experiment. Each experiment was repeated at least thrice and the mean values were used for further analysis. Determination of detergent activity by Surface tension measurement The outmost property of surfactants in an aqueous solution is the reduction of surface tension. The measurement of the reduction in surface tension can be carried out using many instruments, the easiest being the Du Nouytensiometer.23 Therefore, the mentioned instrument was used for the present study. The test drugs in various concentrations were measured for their effect on reduction of surface tension at room temperature (25°C) using a Du Nouytensiometer (DST-60 Surface Tension Analyzer, Model: DST-60, Brand: SEO-Korea), along with a 0.5% solution (w/v) in distilled water. The surface tension of the added distilled water was 72.0mN/m. The test solutions were aged for 30 min before further measurements.24 Dirt Dispersion The cleaning of dirt is the primary aim of a detergent. Dirt dispersion activity was evaluated by the method of Saad and Kadhim (2011).25 In this test two drops of 1% and 5% solution of test drug extracts were added in a large test tube containing 10 ml of distilled water. One drop of Indian ink was added; the test tubes had been stoppered and shook ten times. The amount of ink in the foam was estimated as none, light, moderate, or heavy.26 Cleaning Action Many methods are developed to test the cleaning ability of detergent such as the Greasy wool yarn test by Barnett and Powers (1951)27 Hair tresses soiled by sebum etc.28 Since the aim of the present study was only to determine the relative efficacy of the test drugs detergency, therefore, the easy one method was adopted for our study.23 One gm of wool yarn was placed in 5g grease, after that, it was placed in 100 ml of water containing one g and five gm of drug extract in a flask. The temperature of the water was maintained at 35 0C. The flask was shaken for 4 min at the rate of 50 times a minute by a magnetic stirrer on a hot plate. The solution was removed and a sample was taken out, dried at a constant temperature (90 0C) for 6 hours, and weighed till it became constant. The equation was used to calculate the reduction percentage of grease is DP= 100(1-T/C) In which, DP is the percentage of detergency power, C is the weight of sebum in the control sample and T is the weight of sebum in the test sample.29 Foaming Properties (foaming power and foam stability) This test was carried ou