Umrani Rinku D, Paknikar Kishore M
Centre for Nanobioscience, Agharkar Research Institute, G. G. Agarkar Road, Pune Maharashtra 411004, India.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:193156. doi: 10.1155/2015/193156. Epub 2015 Mar 18.
The roles of metals in human physiology are well established. It is also known that many metals are required in trace amounts for normal metabolism and their deficiency leads to diseases. In Ayurveda, metal-based preparations, that is, bhasmas, are indicated for the treatment of several diseases. Standard textbooks of Ayurveda recommend Jasada bhasma (zinc based bhasma) as the treatment of choice for diabetes. Modern medicine also recognizes the important role of zinc in glucose homeostasis. Yet, studies that validate the use of Jasada bhasma are few and uncomprehensive. There is an imminent need for a systematic study on physicochemical characterization, pharmacological efficacy, and toxicity assessment of several bhasma preparations to generate scientific evidence of their utility and safety. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that bhasmas comprise submicronic particles or nanoparticles. Thus a bhasma-inspired new drug discovery approach could emerge in which several metal based nanomedicines could be developed. This would help in utilizing the age old, time-tested wisdom of Ayurveda in modern medicine. One such study on antidiabetic activity of Jasada bhasma and the corresponding new drug, namely, zinc oxide nanoparticles, is briefly discussed, as an example.
金属在人体生理学中的作用已得到充分确立。人们也知道，许多金属是正常新陈代谢所需的微量元素，缺乏这些元素会导致疾病。在阿育吠陀医学中，金属制剂，即煅灰制剂，被用于治疗多种疾病。阿育吠陀医学的标准教科书推荐锌煅灰制剂（Jasada bhasma）作为糖尿病的首选治疗方法。现代医学也认识到锌在葡萄糖稳态中的重要作用。然而，验证锌煅灰制剂用途的研究很少且不全面。迫切需要对几种煅灰制剂进行系统的物理化学特性、药理功效和毒性评估研究，以产生其效用和安全性的科学证据。有趣的是，最近的研究表明煅灰制剂包含亚微米颗粒或纳米颗粒。因此，可能会出现一种受煅灰制剂启发的新药发现方法，可以开发几种基于金属的纳米药物。这将有助于在现代医学中利用阿育吠陀医学古老且经过时间考验的智慧。作为一个例子，简要讨论了一项关于锌煅灰制剂和相应新药（即氧化锌纳米颗粒）抗糖尿病活性的研究。
