LAWSONIA INERMIS LINN: A PLANT WITH COSMETIC AND MEDICAL BENEFITS

Plants play a major role on the earth and human beings depend on plants because of their medicinal properties. About 80% of the world population using plants as a medicinal drugs because plants have no side effects and show synergistic effect unlike modern medicine. In the present study, review and authentication of the various aspects of the plant Lawsonia inermis was carried out. This plant is mainly present in subtropical and tropical areas and is used in all over the world. The common name of L. inermis is Henna and Mehndi. It has been used for over 9000 years for their cosmetic values as a dye. Traditionally, in Asian countries like India and Pakistan, plant leaves are applied to hands, hairs and feet. Morphologically the plant is a small tree or shrub. L. inermis is cultivated for roots, flowers, stem bark and seeds for their medicinal uses. Proteins, carbohydrates and fatty acid are primary metabolites along with secondary metabolite such as tannins, quinines, terpenoids, coumarins etc which are present in L. inermis plant. Phytochemical constituents of L. inermis are responsible for its analgesic, antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective and hypoglycaemic properties. The plant has also been reported for antibacterial, antifungal, immunostimulatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity. Presence of these properties in L. inermis plant develops it as medicine against various pathogenic organism and diseases. This review gives a wide view on the phytochemistry, pharmacological properties and traditional uses of the plant.


Introduction
Many microbes show high pathogenecity towards human and cause various chronic diseases. Modern medicines are primarily used to treat these diseases. But due to inappropriate use of these medicines, microbes are developing resistance to the medicines and increasing the public health problems (Ali et al., 1995 andMuhammad andMuhammad., 2005). Starting from the human civilization, various plants had been used as medicine but now a days the use of medicinal plants increasing day by day (Natrajan et al., 2003 andMishra andSahu., 1977) for treating the diseases alone or in synergy with modern medicines. Because of their wide biological and medicinal activities as well as higher safety margins, plants are used as a medicine for primary healthcare in the different countries of world (Cragg et al., 1997 andPadma, 2005).
According to the World Health Organisation 20,000 species of plants are now in use due to their medicinal values and more than 80% of world's population are using them for their primary health care (Pandey et al., 2008 andVijayan et al., 2007). In India approx 3000 plant species are used as traditional medicines and have various therapeutic properties. (Prakash et al., 2010). A wide range of information, knowledge and benefits of medicinal plants exist in our early literature of Chinese, Unani, Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine (Goyal et al., 2008).
The diverse uses of L. inermis are described in ancient history of India and its considerable role in natural herbal medicines or Ayurveda (Lavhate et al., 2007). The present study was carried out to review and authenticate the various aspects of plant Lawsonia inermis, commonly known as Henna or Mehndi.

Plant description
Botanical description This plant is multi branched, deciduous shrub or small tree having 2.6 m height. Leaves of this plant are 1.3-3.2cm broadly or elliptic lanceolate. Flowers are white or rosecolored, which are used as a fragrant agent in local scent. Pedicle is short less than 1.3 cm, numerous in number and slender in shape. Calyx is 3-5 mm, long broadly campanulate; lobes are 2.5-3 mm, long, suborbicular or subreniform and undulate. Stamens are 8, which are inserted in pairs on the calyx-tube. Capsules are slightly veined outside, globose and diameter of the capsule is 6 mm. Persistent calyx support capsule with the tipped style (Nadkarni, 1982). Pea shape and globose seed capsules, which are red in color. Seeds are brown pitted, numerous small and pyramidal in shape (Sukh, 2006).

Habitat
L. inermis is mainly cultivated for cosmetic purposes and as traditional medicine in all over the world but native place of this plant is tropical as well as subtropical regions mainly India, Sri Lanka and the Middle East. Plant leaves of this plant are used as dye which stains the hair, hands and feet mainly in Asian countries (Jallad and Jallad, 2008).

Antioxidant activity
In a study conducted by Das Gupta et al (2003) revealed that methanolic extract was effective in increasing the antioxidant enzymes, hepatic glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities. Philip et al. (2011) performed the experiment on L. inermis seeds to determine the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity. Four different extracts of L. inermis seeds viz. ethanol extract (ET), dichloromethane extract (DCM), petroleum ether extract (PE) and aqueous extract (AQ) are compared for their flavonoid and total phenolic content as well as antioxidant activity . They concluded that the ethanolic extract of L. inermis seeds is efficient antioxidant as compared to aqueous extract, petroleum ether extract and dichloromethane extract due to the presence of higher concentration of phenolic and flavonoids compounds in ethanol extract. Muhammad and Muhammad (2005), investigated that water and chloroform extracts of L. inermis (henna plant) leaves was found effective against the growth of microorganisms which causes burn wound infections. Ethanolic extract of L.inermis accelerate the healing process in experimental animals as compared to control animals (Nayak et al., 2007).  According to Mikhaeil et al., (2004), methanolic extract of henna leaves at 1 mg/ml concentration displays immunomodulatory action which is showed by the stimulation of T-lymphocyte proliferative responses. As per Dikshit et al. (2007) Naphthoquinone fraction shows significant immunomodulatory effect, obtained from leaves L. Inermis.

Immunomodulatory effect
Hepatoprotective activity 90% ethanol extract of L. inermis and its ethyl acetate fraction showed hepatoprotective activity. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Ethanol extract and its ethyl acetate fractions of 200 and 400 mgkg -1 b.wt. treated groups showed significantly decreases in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum transaminases (AST and ALT) and total bilirubin (TB). So, it's indicated that L. inermis seeds use in liver disorders. Against CCl4 (0.5 mL kg -1 , i.p.) induced mice, these extract increases the albumin and total protein level significantly (p<0.01) in dose dependent manner. The seeds extract and its fraction also lowered the levels of hepatic malondialdehyde by inhibiting the production of free radicals and prevented CCl4 induced oxidative stress by significantly restoring the levels of reducing glutathione. The histopathological examination of liver sections supplemented these biochemical parameters and suggested that ethyl acetate fraction has a more significant (p<0.05) hepatoprotective effect against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats. (Chaudhary et al., 2012). Hepatoprotective and lipid peroxidation inhibitory property occur due to the presence of flavonoids (Tapas et al., 2008). Wurochekke et al. (2004) investigated the in-vitro and invivo antitrypanosomal activity of L. inermis leaves and they concluded that the crude methanolic extract of L. inermis leaves had in-vitro activity against Trypanosoma brucei at concentration of 8.3 mg mL -1 of blood while in-vivo study indicated that the treatment tends to ameliorate the disease condition but did not affect the level of parasitaemia and pack cell volume. Tadesse and Mirutse (2009), conducted in-vitro experiments and concluded that crude aqueous and hydro alcoholic extract of Lawsonia inermis show no antihelmenthic effect. Khan and Nasreen (2010), tested the antifungal activity of methanolic extracts of five plants against 10 phytopathogenic fungi and Candida albicans B017. L. inermis showed the greatest percent inhibition of mycelial growth of target fungi (76.47-87.77%) among all the extracts tested. The protein fractions of L. inermis exhibited four to five times more percentage inhibition of mycelial growth of Bipolaris oryzae and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum than the nonprotein fractions. According to Khan and Nasreen (2010), the active compounds responsible for the effectiveness against plant pathogens were proteinaceous in nature or were proteins. Aqueous, methanol and chloroform crude extracts L. inermis leaves showed the in-vitro antimicrobial activity by inhibiting the growth of different strains of pathogenic fungi. (Saadabi, 2007;Habbal et al., 2005). Endrini et al. (2002) conducted a study in which MTT based cytotoxic assay was used for anticarcinogenic activity of L. inermis chloroform extract. In this viable tumour cells had mitochondrial dehydrogenase enzyme, which reduce the soluble tetrazolium salt in to insoluble coloured formazone. After dissolution of formazone it can be measured by spectrophotometer. The effect of this extract was tested on normal liver cell lines and liver cancer cell lines. Cell inhibition or cell killing was the explained by the IC50 value. Cytotoxicity was determined with IC50 values of 0.3 and 24.85μg/ml against liver and human breast cancer cell lines. Effect of L. inermis extract on mice having solid Ehrlich tumour was tested and found effective. On the 12 th day, L. inermis extract received mice were compared with control mice receiving water only. Control mice showed higher diameters of the gluteal solid tumor mass than L. inermis treated group. It was also found that extract treated mice showed increased pH level and reduced level of glutathione lipid peroxidation than the control. It indicated the possibility of cancer cell metabolism inhibition by the extract (Zumrutdal et al., 2008). A similar study showed that extracts of L. inermis stop the multiplication of DLA induced tumour cells in mice. It also increased the mean survival time and life span of mice. These results concluded that L. inermis used as a novel drug in the cancer treatment (Priya et al., 2011).

Antibacterial activity
Yemeni traditional healer's uses ethanol extracts of 20 plants species for the treatment of pathogenic diseases. Both gram positive and gram negative bacteria used for the antibacterial screening of different plant species. Among all the plant species tested, L. inermis ethyl acetate extract was showed highest antibacterial activity (Ali et al., 2001). Dama et al. (1999) studied quinonic compounds from L. inermis in-vitro for antimicrobial properties. Kirkland and Marzin (2003) conducted genotoxic studies on lawsone and suggested that it is a weak bacterial mutagen for Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 and was more clearly mutagenic for strain TA2637. Overall, it is suggested that L. inermis possess no genotoxic risk to the consumer. Antibacterial effect was also reported by the aqueous extract of leaves of L. inermis (Baba-Moussa et al., 1997). Aqueous, methanol and chloroform crude extracts L. inermis leaves showed the in-vitro antimicrobial activity by inhibiting the growth of different strains of pathogenic bacteria. (Saadabi, 2007;Malekzadeh, 1968;Habbal et al., 2005). R.K. Sharma et al. (2016) Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(1): 15-20 This paper can be downloaded online at http://ijasbt.org & http://nepjol.info/index.php/IJASBT Sharma (1990), reported in-vitro and in-vivo studies on tuberculostatic activity of L. inermis. In in-vitro tuberculostatic activity of henna, he reported that 6 μg/ml of herb inhibits the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and Tubercle bacilli from sputum on Lowenstein Jensen medium. In his in-vivo studies, he also reported that dose of 5 mg/kg body weight in guinea pigs and mice led to a significant resolution of experimental tuberculosis following infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Abd-el-Malek et al. (1973) showed antibacterial activity in Lawsonia inermis leaves ethanol extract. Bhuvaneswari et al. (2002) reported the use of leaves of the plant in treating urinary tract infection which is mainly caused by Staphyloccocus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Psedomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. S. aureus cause pimples, boils and skin diseases which was treated by plant leaves. Two antibiotic classes which are cell wall inhibitor and nucleic acid inhibitor are less potent than drug (Gentamycin, Erythromycin, Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol and Streptomycin) which inhibit protein synthesis. For this study plant extract synergism used in the formation of drugs by combining the plant drug with modern medicine in treating the different diseases because now days organism show resistance against antibiotics (Ajaiyeoba, 2000). Aguwa (1987) studied the abortifacient activity of methanolic extract of Lawsonia inermis root and indicated that the methanolic extract shows dose-dependent effect in the induction of abortion in mice, rats and guinea pig. The results were confirmed by its ethno medicinal use in the procurement of abortion in humans in some parts of Nigeria.

Conclusion
Now, the scenario of the world is changing towards the use of nontoxic plant products. Also, now adays a big problem has arisen, development of drug resistant pathogen against modern medicines. So, herbal medicines are the alternatives of modern drugs with their synergistic effects for treating the infectious diseases of human civilization. By exploring various literatures we reveal that L. inermis plant have broad spectrum of pharmacological activities and due to these activities of L. inermis it can be used as a remedy in herbal medicines. Various phytoconstituents are present in this plant, thus enabling it for treating different diseases in various areas. Furthermore, for treating different diseases a broad investigation is required to develop its medicinal utility. This plant has various medicinal properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antimyotic, antimicrobial etc. As this plant has various therapeutic activities, it deserves special consideration by scientists and researchers for developing a milestone drug of this time. However, further assessment is required to explore the hidden potentials of L. inermis and its therapeutic applications for human welfare. Kirkland D and Marzin D (2003)