In vitro Studies of Iron Chelation Activity of Purified Active Ingredients Extracted from Triticum aestivum Linn. (Wheat Grass)
Priyabrata Das
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute, 16A Park Lane, Kolkata-700016, West Bengal, India.
Ashis Mukhopadhyay *
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute, 16A Park Lane, Kolkata-700016, West Bengal, India.
Suvra Mandal
National Research Institute for Ayurvedic Drug Development, Kolkata-700091, West Bengal, India.
Bikas Chandra Pal
NIPER, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India.
Raghwendra Mishra
N.R.S Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata-700014, West Bengal, India.
Debarati Mukherjee
N.R.S Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata-700014, West Bengal, India.
Soma Mukhopadhyay
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute, 16A Park Lane, Kolkata-700016, West Bengal, India.
Jayasri Basak
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute, 16A Park Lane, Kolkata-700016, West Bengal, India.
Manoj Kar
N.R.S Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata-700014, West Bengal, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objective: Seven to eight days germinated plants of Triticum aestivum (wheat grass) are a rich source of vitamin A, C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, cobalt, zinc and protein. Traditionally the aqueous extract of T. aestivum was reported to be used as a health tonic in folk and ayurvedic medicine. We previously reported that aqueous extract of T. aestivum was found to reduce the blood transfusion requirement in iron overloaded Thalassemia and Myelodysplastic syndrome patients. Our objective was to extract and purify active ingredients from wheat grass and study their mode of action in stabilizing hemoglobin level in those patients.
Design and Method: Active ingredients of wheat grass were extracted and purified by cation exchange column chromatography followed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. In vitro experiments with phenylhydrazine treated red blood cell hemolysate were carried out before and after treatment of purified fraction of T. aestivum to study iron chelating activity.
Result: Purified fraction of T. aestivum treated red blood cell showed significant inhibition of free reactive iron production and formation of thio-barbituric acid reactive substances when compared to desferrioxamine treated hemolysate.
Conclusion: Iron chelating activity of purified fraction of T. aestivum, an inexpensive, easily available source, is very promising for further clinical trial and development of oral iron chelator drug for Thalassemia, Myelodysplastic syndrome and other iron overloaded diseases.
Keywords: Iron chelation, wheat grass extract, mugineic acid, thalassemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, HPLC, iron