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Therapeutic Effects of Withania somnifera: An Overview with Special Focus on Alzheimer’s Disease and Infertility among Youth

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Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Immunomodulators

Abstract

Immunomodulators are biomolecules that are recognized for their characteristics to stimulate or suppress the adaptive or innate immunity. These agents modify the immune response by either enhancing (immunostimulators) or suppressing (immunosuppressants) the expression of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines that activate immune cells. Withania somnifera (WS) is an ancient ayurvedic herb popularly known as “Ashwagandha” in India in Sanskrit and “winter cherry” outside India in English that has been used in indigenous medicines for over 3500 years or more, owing to its inexhaustible therapeutic value. Studies have shown a wide range of therapeutic applications associated with WS such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-stress, antitumor, and anxiolytic, along with its protective role in numerous other ailments like cardiovascular, epilepsy, arthritis, diabetes, and depression. WS has also been recognized for its neuroprotective role in a number of degenerative conditions like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and most importantly Alzheimer’s disease. In today’s global scenario, the problem of infertility in males and disturbed sexual behavior in females is commonly observed. Withania has been shown to cure disorders related to reproductive system across countries with acceptable results. Currently, there is a drastic universal demand for development of herbal therapies effective for these ailments to minimize the side effects arising from chemotherapies. An overview of introduction and immunomodulatory role of Withania somnifera will be presented here with special focus on the mechanistic insights into the therapeutic effect of WS in treating Alzheimer’s and infertility problem. This chapter will also describe the latest attempts in biotechnological production of withanolides.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Chaman Lal Mahavidyalaya, Landhaura Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

    Deepika Saini

  2. Department of Bio Health Informatics, Indiana University & Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Mansi Srivastava

  3. Department of Zoology, Chinmaya Degree College, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

    Sandhya Vaid

  4. Maharishi University of Information Technology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lucknow, India

    Vipin Kesharwani

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  1. Deepika Saini
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  2. Mansi Srivastava
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  3. Sandhya Vaid
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  4. Vipin Kesharwani
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Application, Nehru Gram Bharati (Deemed to be University), Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Rajesh K. Kesharwani

  2. Faculty of B. Pharmacy, CSM Group of Institutions, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Raj K. Keservani

  3. All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi, India

    Anil K. Sharma

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Saini, D., Srivastava, M., Vaid, S., Kesharwani, V. (2022). Therapeutic Effects of Withania somnifera: An Overview with Special Focus on Alzheimer’s Disease and Infertility among Youth. In: Kesharwani, R.K., Keservani, R.K., Sharma, A.K. (eds) Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Immunomodulators. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2507-8_14

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