HPLC characterization of molluscicidal component of Tamarindus indica and its mode of action on nervous tissue of Lymnaea acuminata

BACKGROUND

Fasciolosis is a water-borne disease with gastropods snail (Lymnaea acuminata) act as key-link is still burden for mankind especially in developing countries. Snail control is one of the important tools to trim down the frequency of fasciolosis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the toxic effect and inhibitory potential of plant Tamarindus indica and their active constituent on the key enzyme of nervous tissue of snail L. acuminata.

METHOD

The present study deals with the chromatographic isolation and identification of molluscicidal component from Tamarindus indica bark and its effects on enzymes activities of vector snail L. acuminata.

RESULT

The toxicity study reveals that among all organic extract ethanol extract of T. indica bark (96 h LC50:127.4 mgL-1) was more effective than other organic extracts. The 96 h LC50 of column purified fraction of T. indica bark was 13.78 mgL-1 respectively. Saponin was isolated, characterized and identified as active molluscicidal component in the bark of T. indica by column chromatography, TLC and HPLC chromatographic methods. The in vivo and in vitro treatment of column purified fraction and saponin has significant inhibition in enzyme AChE, ACP and ALP activities. The study of inhibition kinetics indicates that inhibition of AChE and ALP is competitive, while ACP is uncompetitive in both the treatments.

CONCLUSION

Thus inhibition of these enzyme activities by T. indica bark column purified fraction and saponin in the snail L. acuminata may be the cause of its molluscicidal activity which leads snail death.

Scattering Studies with Low-Energy Kaon-Proton Femtoscopy in Proton-Proton Collisions at the LHC

The study of the strength and behavior of the antikaon-nucleon (K[over ¯]N) interaction constitutes one of the key focuses of the strangeness sector in low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this Letter a unique high-precision measurement of the strong interaction between kaons and protons, close and above the kinematic threshold, is presented. The femtoscopic measurements of the correlation function at low pair-frame relative momentum of (K^{+}p⊕K^{-}p[over ¯]) and (K^{-}p⊕K^{+}p[over ¯]) pairs measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=5, 7, and 13 TeV are reported. A structure observed around a relative momentum of 58  MeV/c in the measured correlation function of (K^{-}p⊕K^{+}p[over ¯]) with a significance of 4.4σ constitutes the first experimental evidence for the opening of the (K[over ¯]^{0}n⊕K^{0}n[over ¯]) isospin breaking channel due to the mass difference between charged and neutral kaons. The measured correlation functions have been compared to Jülich and Kyoto models in addition to the Coulomb potential. The high-precision data at low relative momenta presented in this work prove femtoscopy to be a powerful complementary tool to scattering experiments and provide new constraints above the K[over ¯]N threshold for low-energy QCD chiral models.

Measurement of ϒ(1S) Elliptic Flow at Forward Rapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

The first measurement of the ϒ(1S) elliptic flow coefficient (v_{2}) is performed at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4) in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The results are obtained with the scalar product method and are reported as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) up to 15  GeV/c in the 5%-60% centrality interval. The measured ϒ(1S)v_{2} is consistent with 0 and with the small positive values predicted by transport models within uncertainties. The v_{2} coefficient in 2<p_{T}<15  GeV/c is lower than that of inclusive J/ψ mesons in the same p_{T} interval by 2.6 standard deviations. These results, combined with earlier suppression measurements, are in agreement with a scenario in which the ϒ(1S) production in Pb-Pb collisions at LHC energies is dominated by dissociation limited to the early stage of the collision, whereas in the J/ψ case there is substantial experimental evidence of an additional regeneration component.

Investigations of Anisotropic Flow Using Multiparticle Azimuthal Correlations in pp, p-Pb, Xe-Xe, and Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC

Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients (v_{n}) and their cross-correlations using two- and multiparticle cumulant methods are reported in collisions of pp at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, p-Pb at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, Xe-Xe at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.44  TeV, and Pb-Pb at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. The multiplicity dependence of v_{n} is studied in a very wide range from 20 to 3000 particles produced in the midrapidity region |η|<0.8 for the transverse momentum range 0.2<p_{T}<3.0  GeV/c. An ordering of the coefficients v_{2}>v_{3}>v_{4} is found in pp and p-Pb collisions, similar to that seen in large collision systems, while a weak v_{2} multiplicity dependence is observed relative to nucleus-nucleus collisions in the same multiplicity range. Using a novel subevent method, v_{2} measured with four-particle cumulants is found to be compatible with that from six-particle cumulants in pp and p-Pb collisions. The magnitude of the correlation between v_{n}^{2} and v_{m}^{2}, evaluated with the symmetric cumulants SC(m,n) is observed to be positive at all multiplicities for v_{2} and v_{4}, while for v_{2} and v_{3} it is negative and changes sign for multiplicities below 100, which may indicate a different v_{n} fluctuation pattern in this multiplicity range. The observed long-range multiparticle azimuthal correlations in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions can neither be described by pythia 8 nor by impact-parameter-Glasma, music, and ultrarelativistic quantum molecular dynamics model calculations, and hence, provide new insights into the understanding of collective effects in small collision systems.

Sensitivity Enhancement of a Concave Shaped Optical Fiber Refractive Index Sensor Covered with Multiple Au Nanowires

In the present paper, a new kind of concave shaped refractive index sensor (CSRIS) exploiting localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is proposed and numerically optimized. The LSPR effect between polaritons and the core guided mode of designed CSRIS is used to enhance the sensing performance. The sensor is characterized for two types of sensing structures coated with gold (Au) film and Au nanowires (AuNWs), respectively. The influence of structural parameters such as the distance (D) of the concave shaped channel (CSC) from the core, the diameter of the nanowire (d_n) and the size (s) of the CSC are investigated here. In comparison to Au film, the AuNWs are shown to significantly enhance the sensitivity and the performance of the designed sensor. An enhanced sensitivity of 4471 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) is obtained with AuNWs, for a wide range of analytes refractive index (n_a) varying between 1.33 to 1.38. However, for conventional Au film; the sensitivity of 808.57 nm/RIU is obtained for the same range of analytes.

First Observation of an Attractive Interaction between a Proton and a Cascade Baryon

This Letter presents the first experimental observation of the attractive strong interaction between a proton and a multistrange baryon (hyperon) Ξ^{-}. The result is extracted from two-particle correlations of combined p-Ξ^{-}⊕p[over ¯]-Ξ[over ¯]^{+} pairs measured in p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV at the LHC with ALICE. The measured correlation function is compared with the prediction obtained assuming only an attractive Coulomb interaction and a standard deviation in the range [3.6, 5.3] is found. Since the measured p-Ξ^{-}⊕p[over ¯]-Ξ[over ¯]^{+} correlation is significantly enhanced with respect to the Coulomb prediction, the presence of an additional, strong, attractive interaction is evident. The data are compatible with recent lattice calculations by the HAL-QCD Collaboration, with a standard deviation in the range [1.8, 3.7]. The lattice potential predicts a shallow repulsive Ξ^{-} interaction within pure neutron matter and this implies stiffer equations of state for neutron-rich matter including hyperons. Implications of the strong interaction for the modeling of neutron stars are discussed.

Molecular modelling and docking of Mus musculus HMGB1 inflammatory protein with CGA

Recently, High Mobility Group Box1 (HMGB1) protein has been reported as an inflammatory cytokine present in all nucleated cells with crucial role in the genesis and promotion of cancer. No HMGB1 protein mice model and its active site details are available to validate mice in vivo experiments. Here, for the first time we have reported in silico mice HMGB1 model using human HMGB1 template. Prepared HMGB1 secondary structure showed 6-α helices, 5-β turns, 2-γ turns with 67% α-helices, 32% coil and 9% turn without β-sheet, and classified as α-class protein. Ramachandran plot analysis showed 98.2% and 92.3% residues lies in favoured region, verified by RAMPAGE and PDBsum server respectively. Cancer atlas of HMGB1 protein showed up-regulated expression of HMGB1 gene in different cancer, proved by CAB (CAB005873) and HPA-antibody (HPA003506) in silico. HMGB1 protein showed interaction with different biologically important inflammatory protein as depicted in STRING result.Prominent active site has residues Tyr⁷⁸Ile⁷⁹Pro^80-81Lys⁸²Gly⁸³vGlu⁸⁴Thr⁸⁵Lys^86-88Phe⁸⁹Lys⁹⁰Asp⁹¹Pro⁹²Asn⁹³Tyr¹⁶²Lys¹⁶⁵ with 310 ų site volume.Interacting residues of CGA-HMGB1 docked complex were ILE⁷⁹PRO^80-81LYS⁸²GLY⁸³GLU⁸⁴LYS^86-88PHE⁸⁹Arg¹⁶³Ala¹⁶⁴LYS¹⁶⁵Gly¹⁶⁶ with docking score 3872 and surface area 412.6. CGA-conformer C3950 showed best docking than CGA and conformer-ZINC03947476, iso-chlorogenic acid and cischlorogenic acid. HMGB1 mice model could be a good therapeutic target for anti-cancerous drugs.

Canine babesiosis among working dogs of organised kennels in India: A comprehensive haematological, biochemical, clinicopathological and molecular epidemiological multiregional study

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First holistic study on canine babesiosis among working dogs from India.

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B. gibsoni babesiosis is posing a diagnostic & therapeutic challenge in this country.

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Atypical babesiosis (MODS, DIC) are being maidenly documented from this country.

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Simple PCR assay results were statistically found to be significantly false negative.

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Nested PCR assay to be relied upon as screening and for epidemiological studies.

Canine babesiosis is a serious disease among tick-borne haemoprotozoan diseases, globally. The present study was envisaged for carrying out thorough investigation of the disease among working dogs of organised kennels situated in different agro-climatic zones of India as comprehensive understanding of the disease from this country was pertinently lacking. During the study period of three years (2012–2014), 330 dogs suspected for babesiosis were examined for clinicopathology by their physical examination, haematological and biochemical parameters estimation, while the detection of apicomplexan parasites was confirmed by using various diagnostic techniques i.e. by conventional microscopy, by two different Babesia specific 18S rRNA based PCR protocols (conventional/simple PCR and nested PCR assays) followed by sequencing of obtained PCR amplicons for Babsesia spp. identification. Out of 330 clinical cases screened 5.15% (17/330), 9.09% (30/330) and 15.45% (51/330) were found to be positive in microscopic examination, simple- and nested- PCR assay, respectively. Comparative statistical analyses of these diagnostic assay results revealed that significant difference exists among the three diagnostic methodologies and thus it is recommended that the nested PCR technique be relied upon as a screening molecular assay and also for epidemiological studies of the disease in this country. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA depicted the monophyletic nature and clonal expansion among all the B. gibsoni, under study. Sequencing results of PCR amplicons revealed that B. gibsoni has predominantly established itself over B. vogeli as former was incriminated in 47 cases while latter was confirmed in only four animals. Based on the clinical severity, these 51 affected animals were classified into three main groups’ of 17 animals each viz., apparently healthy-, simple or uncomplicated babesiosis- and atypical or complicated babesiosis- group. Haematological and biochemical profiling of these dogs confirmed the characteristics findings of infection by both the Babesia spp. It was observed that the infection by small form of Babesia (B. gibsoni) is posing a significant therapeutic challenge and chemosterilization by commonly prescribed anti-protozoal drugs was not achieved as clinical relapses were often observed. The clinical signs, sequence based confirmation and severity of the infection suggested that there is a positive selection of B. gibsoni (smaller form) over B. vogeli (larger form) in this country and raises serious concerns as prognosis in former is considered to be poor compared to latter. Thus, these findings have opened new paradigms for planning of pragmatic control strategies against this emerging canine health problem.

Molecular docking analysis of candidate compoundsderived from medicinal plants with type 2 diabetes mellitus targets

Herbal drugs are used for the treatment of diseases and disorders with its less side effects, easy availability and low cost. Several bioactive compounds have been isolated from medicinal plants such as Ficus benghelensis, Ficus racemosa, Ficus religiosa, Thespesia populena and Ficus lacur bouch were taken for screening. This study aimed to evaluate molecular interactions of selected diabetes mellitus (DM) targets with bioactive compounds isolated from Ficus benghelensis, Ficus racemosa, Ficus religiosa, Thespesia populena and Ficus lacur bouch. In this article, screening of the best substances as bioactive compounds is achieved by molecular docking analysis with 3 best selected DM target proteins i.e., aldose reductase (AR), Insulin Receptor (IR) and Mono-ADP ribosyltransferase-sirtuin-6 (SIRT6). In this analysis six potential bioactive compounds (gossypetin, herbacetin, kaempferol, leucoperalgonidin, leucodelphinidin and sorbifolin) were successfully identified on the basis of binding energy (>8.0 kcal/mol) and dissociation constant using YASARA. Out of six compounds, herbacetin and sorbifolin were observed as most suitable ligands for management of diabetes mellitus.

An update on sargramostim for treatment of acute radiation syndrome

The potential use by terrorists of an improvised nuclear device, a radiological dispersal device, or an unintended nuclear/radiological accident in heavily populated areas is a national security threat of major consequences. Although this type of security threat is considered to be low-risk, it would have a devastating impact. Health issues would be a major concern; medical care would be necessary for all those who received considerable radiation exposure (> 1 Gy) leading to hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (ARS). In the past few years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for such radiation exposure contingencies recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF, filgrastim, Neupogen), PEGylated rhG-CSF (PEGylated filgrastim, Neulasta) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF, sargramostim, Leukine) following the FDA's Animal Rule guidance. In this article, we have briefly reviewed the consequences of exposure to acute, potentially lethal doses of radiation and its pathologic sequelae, as well as ARS and the latest of the FDA-approved recombinant growth factors, namely sargramostim (Leukine), as a new treatment option for the subclinical, hematopoietic syndrome component of ARS. The nature of the recombinant and the preclinical and clinical research that preceded approval by the FDA are presented, as well as its use in the treatment of victims of radiation accidents.

Trichoderma erinaceum Bio-Priming Modulates the WRKYs Defense Programming in Tomato Against the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) Challenged Condition

The beneficial association and interaction of rhizocompetent microorganisms are widely used for plant biofertilization and amelioration of stress-induced damage in plants. To explore the regulatory mechanism involved in plant defense while associating with beneficial microbial species, and their interplay when co-inoculated with pathogens, we evaluated the response of tomato defense-related WRKY gene transcripts. The present study was carried out to examine the qRT-PCR-based relative quantification of differentially expressed defense-related genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.; variety S-22) primed with Trichoderma erinaceum against the vascular wilt pathogen (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici). The tissue-specific and time-bound expression profile changes under the four different treatments "(unprimed, Fol challenged, T. erinaceum primed and Fol+ T. erinaceum)" revealed that the highest upregulation was observed in the transcript profile of SlWRKY31 (root) and SlWRKY37 (leaf) in T. erinaceum bioprimed treated plants at 24 h with 16.51- and 14.07-fold increase, respectively. In contrast, SlWRKY4 showed downregulation with the highest repression in T. erinaceum bioprimed root (24 h) and leaf (48 h) tissue samples with 0.03 and 0.08 fold decrease, respectively. Qualitative expression of PR proteins (chitinases and glucanases) was found elicited in T. erinaceum primed plants. However, the antioxidative activity of tomato superoxide dismutase and catalase increased with the highest upregulation of SOD and SlGPX1 in Fol + T. erinaceum treatments. We observed that these expression changes were accompanied by 32.06% lesser H₂O₂ production in T. erinaceum bioprimed samples. The aggravated defense response in all the treated conditions was also reflected by an increased lignified stem tissues. Overall, we conclude that T. erinaceum bio-priming modulated the defense transcriptome of tomato after the Fol challenged conditions, and were accompanied by enhanced accumulation of defense-related WRKY transcripts, increased antioxidative enzyme activities, and the reinforcements through a higher number of lignified cell layers.

Implementation of Active Case Detection of Visceral Leishmaniasis along with Leprosy through Female Community Health Volunteers in Sarlahi District, Nepal

Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and leprosy are important public health problem in Nepal. Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) play pivotal role to promote community based health services. Therefore, we designed an implementation research to assess the effectiveness of active case detection (ACD) and information education and communication (IEC) campaign of Visceral leishmaniasis cases along with leprosy cases through Female Community Health Volunteers in Visceral leishmaniasis endemic 10 Village Development Committees of both Visceral leishmaniasis and leprosy prevalent Sarlahi district of Nepal. Objective To determine the effectiveness of active case search strategy of visceral leishmaniasis along with leprosy through Female Community Health Volunteers in Sarlahi district. Method One hundred fifty one Female Community Health Volunteers of twelve Village Development Committees were oriented on detection, identification and referral of Visceral leishmaniasis and leprosy patients. They were oriented on referring the patients to district hospital for confirmatory diagnosis and treatment. The intervention was continued up to ten months after training of Female Community Health Volunteers. Data on number of Visceral leishmaniasis and leprosy patients detected and referred by Female Community Health Volunteers and detected through passively at district hospital were collected and indicators was calculated. Result Altogether 151 Female Community Health Volunteers were trained from 12 (Village Development Committees) VDCs of Sarlahi district. Their knowledge on leprosy and Visceral leishmaniasis related information subsequently increased after training. None of the Visceral leishmaniasis or leprosy cases were detected actively through Female Community Health Volunteers. However, two leprosy cases were detected through household screening. Conclusion Female Community Health Volunteers should be provided sufficient knowledge to use them in community based active case detection of Visceral leishmaniasis and leprosy.

In silico Prediction, Characterization, Molecular Docking, and Dynamic Studies on Fungal SDRs as Novel Targets for Searching Potential Fungicides Against Fusarium Wilt in Tomato

Vascular wilt of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (FOL) is one of the most devastating diseases, that delimits the tomato production worldwide. Fungal short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) are NADP(H) dependent oxidoreductases, having shared motifs and common functional mechanism, have been demonstrated as biochemical targets for commercial fungicides. The 1,3,6,8 tetra hydroxynaphthalene reductase (T4HNR) protein, a member of SDRs family, catalyzes the naphthol reduction reaction in fungal melanin biosynthesis. We retrieved an orthologous member of T4HNR, (complexed with NADP(H) and pyroquilon from Magnaporthe grisea) in the FOL (namely; FOXG_04696) based on homology search, percent identity and sequence similarity (93% query cover; 49% identity). The hypothetical protein FOXG_04696 (T4HNR like) had conserved T-G-X-X-X-G-X-G motif (cofactor binding site) at N-terminus, similar to M. grisea (1JA9) and Y-X-X-X-K motif, as a part of the active site, bearing homologies with two fungal keto reductases T4HNR (M. grisea) and 17-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from Curvularia lunata (teleomorph: Cochliobolus lunatus PDB ID: 3IS3). The catalytic tetrad of T4HNR was replaced with ASN¹¹⁵, SER¹⁴¹, TYR¹⁵⁴, and LYS¹⁵⁸ in the FOXG_04696. The structural alignment and superposition of FOXG_04696 over the template proteins (3IS3 and 1JA9) revealed minimum RMSD deviations of the C alpha atomic coordinates, and therefore, had structural conservation. The best protein model (FOXG_04696) was docked with 37 fungicides, to evaluate their binding affinities. The Glide XP and YASARA docked complexes showed discrepancies in results, for scoring and ranking the binding affinities of fungicides. The docked complexes were further refined and rescored from their docked poses through 50 ns long MD simulations, and binding free energies (ΔG_bind) calculations, using MM/GBSA analysis, revealed Oxathiapiprolin and Famoxadone as better fungicides among the selected one. However, Famoxadone had better interaction of the docked residues, with best protein ligand contacts, minimum RMSD (high accuracy of the docking pose) and RMSF (structural integrity and conformational flexibility of docking) at the specified docking site. The Famoxadone was found to be acceptable based on in silico toxicity and in vitro growth inhibition assessment. We conclude that the FOXG_04696, could be employed as a novel candidate protein, for structure-based design, and screening of target fungicides against the FOL pathogen.

Floral contrivances and specialised pollination mechanism strongly influence mixed mating in Wrightia tomentosa (Apocynaceae)

Reproductive success of a plant species is largely influenced by the outcome of mating pattern in a population. It is believed that a significantly larger proportion of animal-pollinated plants have evolved a mixed-mating strategy, the extent of which may vary among species. It is thus pertinent to investigate the key contributors to mating success, especially to identify the reproductive constraints in depauperate populations of threatened plant species. We examined the contribution of floral architecture, pollination mechanism and breeding system on the extent of outcrossing rate in a near-threatened tree species, Wrightia tomentosa. The breeding system was ascertained from controlled pollination experiments. In order to determine outcrossing rate, 60 open-pollinated progeny were analysed using an AFLP markers. Although the trees are self-compatible, herkogamy and compartmentalisation of pollen and nectar in different chambers of the floral tube effectively prevent spontaneous autogamy. Pollination is achieved through specialised interaction with moths. Differential foraging behaviour of settling moths and hawkmoths leads to different proportions of geitonogamous and xenogamous pollen on the stigma. However, most open-pollinated progeny were the result of xenogamy (outcrossing rate, tm = 0.68). The study shows that floral contrivances and pollination system have a strong influence on mating pattern. The differential foraging behaviour of the pollinators causes deposition of a mixture of self- and cross-pollen to produce a mixed brood. Inbreeding depression and geitonogamy appear to play a significant role in sustaining mixed mating in this species.

Heavy metal pollution due to coal washery effluent and its decontamination using a macrofungus, Pleurotus ostreatus

Release of the effluent generated during washing of coal became a major problem for coal industries due to presence of many toxic metals and other pollutants. These effluents are the main source of pollution in rivers and other water bodies. Therefore in this study, we tried to analyse the toxicity of coal washery effluent (CWE) collected from one of the washery plant situated in Dhanbad, India. CWE was found to be very toxic containing large amount of suspended particles and many heavy metals above than their permissible limits. Mycoremediation of CWE was also performed to decontaminate heavy metals from the CWE using a macrofungi Pleurotus ostreatus. Efficiency of Pleurotus for remediation of heavy metals was found to be highest in the 50% diluted effluent (57.2% Mn, 82.6% Zn, 98.0% Ni, 99.9% Cu, 99.3% Co, 99.1% Cr, 89.2% Fe and 35.6% Pb) followed by 25% diluted effluent (33.0% Mn, 55.1% Zn, 97.8% Ni, 99.7% Cu, 97% Co, 84.4% Cr, 87.1% Fe and 73.4% Pb) and raw effluent (23.3% Mn, 73.1% Zn, 78.7% Ni, 87.5% Cu, 59.3% Co, 64.6% Cr, 34.6% Fe and 11.3% Pb) respectively. Increased activity of antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation, concentration of metallothionein proteins and changes in peaks of FTIR spectra were also observed in fungal mycelia grown on the CWE containing media due to accumulation of different metals. Overall this study suggests that Pleurotus can be used as promising option for removal of heavy metals from the effluent released from washery plants and dilution of effluent could increase the efficiency of remediation.

Biological evaluation of novel curcumin-pyrazole-mannich derivative active against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

AIM

Our objective was to identify a more potent curcumin derivative with specific activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

MATERIALS & METHODS

A total of 21 curcumin derivatives were synthesized and detailed bio-evaluation was carried out including determination of static/cidality, synergy with front-line antituberculosis drugs and determination of efficacy in the murine model of M. tuberculosis infection.

RESULTS

We identified CPMD-6d dihydrochloride exhibiting concentration-dependent bactericidal activity against M. tuberculosis (MIC 2 μg/ml), even against drug-resistant strains. In addition, it synergizes with front-line antituberculosis drugs as well as significantly reduces bacterial load in mice lungs and spleen at 25 mg/kg as compared with ethambutol at 100 mg/kg.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, CPMD-6d dihydrochloride exhibits all properties to be positioned as a novel molecule of interest for treatment of tuberculosis. Graphical abstract: [Formula: see text].

Curcumin-3,4-Dichloro Phenyl Pyrazole (CDPP) overcomes curcumin's low bioavailability, inhibits adipogenesis and ameliorates dyslipidemia by activating reverse cholesterol transport

BACKGROUND

Adipocyte dysfunction, obesity and associated metabolic disorders are of prime healthcare concern worldwide. Among available medications, natural products and inspired molecules hold 40% space in clinically prescribed medicines. In queue, this study overcomes the drawback of curcumin's low bioavailability with potent anti-adipogenic and anti-dyslipidemic activity.

METHODS

To evaluate the role of CDPP on adipocyte differentiation, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were used as an in-vitro model. Flow cytometry was performed for cell cycle analysis. Syrian golden hamsters were used to study pharmacokinetic profile and dyslipidemic activity exhibited by CDPP.

RESULT

CDPP was found to be a potent inhibitor of adipogenesis in-vitro. It blocked mitotic clonal expansion by causing cell cycle arrest. CDPP showed marked improvement in gastrointestinal stability and bioavailability in-vivo as compared to curcumin. Administration of CDPP (100mg/kg) significantly improved HFD induced dyslipidemic profile in hamsters and activated reverse cholesterol transport machinery.

CONCLUSION

CDPP could be used as a potential drug candidate against adipogenesis and dyslipidemia with enhanced gastrointestinal stability and bioavailability.

Molecular docking studies of 3-bromopyruvate and its derivatives to metabolic regulatory enzymes: Implication in designing of novel anticancer therapeutic strategies

Altered metabolism is an emerging hallmark of cancer, as malignant cells display a mammoth up-regulation of enzymes responsible for steering their bioenergetic and biosynthetic machinery. Thus, the recent anticancer therapeutic strategies focus on the targeting of metabolic enzymes, which has led to the identification of specific metabolic inhibitors. One of such inhibitors is 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP), with broad spectrum of anticancer activity due to its ability to inhibit multiple metabolic enzymes. However, the molecular characterization of its binding to the wide spectrum of target enzymes remains largely elusive. Therefore, in the present study we undertook in silico investigations to decipher the molecular nature of the docking of 3-BP with key target enzymes of glycolysis and TCA cycle by PatchDock and YASARA docking tools. Additionally, derivatives of 3-BP, dibromopyruvate (DBPA) and propionic acid (PA), with reported biological activity, were also investigated for docking to important target metabolic enzymes of 3-BP, in order to predict their therapeutic efficacy versus that of 3-BP. A comparison of the docking scores with respect to 3-BP indicated that both of these derivatives display a better binding strength to metabolic enzymes. Further, analysis of the drug likeness of 3-BP, DBPA and PA by Lipinski filter, admetSAR and FAF Drug3 indicated that all of these agents showed desirable drug-like criteria. The outcome of this investigation sheds light on the molecular characteristics of the binding of 3-BP and its derivatives with metabolic enzymes and thus may significantly contribute in designing and optimizing therapeutic strategies against cancer by using these agents.

Mining the Cicer arietinum genome for the mildew locus O (Mlo) gene family and comparative evolutionary analysis of the Mlo genes from Medicago truncatula and some other plant species

The mildew locus O (Mlo) gene family is ubiquitous in land plants. Some members of this gene family are involved in negative regulation of powdery mildew resistance, while others are involved in several other biological functions. Mlo proteins have characteristic seven transmembrane domains and a calmodulin-binding domain at their C-termini, and are associated with plasma membrane. The Mlo gene family has been studied in several economically important cereals, but little information is available on this gene family in the important legumes, Medicago truncatula Gaertn. and Cicer arietinum L. We carried out a comprehensive and comparative investigation of the Mlo gene family in these two species using the genome sequences available at the M. truncatula genome database (Mt v4.0) and NCBI (C. arietinum). A genome-wide homology-based search using Arabidopsis Mlo proteins as query identified 16 MtMlo (M. truncatula Mlo) and 14 CarMlo (C. arietinum Mlo) genes. The MtMlo and CarMlo genes had comparable gene structure, protein sequence and topology. Their chromosomal locations indicated the occurrence of extensive reorganization in the genomes of the two species after their divergence from the common ancestor. A multiple sequence alignment of 53 Mlo proteins from these two and several other species showed a highly conserved sequence block of seven amino acids, viz., L-ETPTW, towards their N-termini. The evolutionary phylogenetic analysis grouped the MtMlo and CarMlo members into four clusters, and most of the MtMlo and CarMlo members formed one-to-one ortholog pairs. The ka/ks analyses indicated that the MtMlo and CarMlo genes are subjected to intense purifying selection.

Antimicrobial assay and genetic screening of selected freshwater Cyanobacteria and identification of a biomolecule dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one derivative

AIMS

Explorations of freshwater Cyanobacteria as antimicrobial (bacteria, fungi and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains) drug resource using bioassay, NRPS (non-ribosomal polypeptide synthetase) and PKS (polyketide synthase) genes, as well as in silico approach.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We have bioassayed the extracts of Phormidium CCC727, Geitlerinema CCC728, Arthrospira CCC729, Leptolyngbya CCC732, Phormidium CCC730, Phormidium CCC731 against six pathogenic bacteria comprising Gram (+ve): S. aureus including seven clinical MRSA and Enterococcus faecalis, Gram (-ve): Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella boydii along with non-pathogenic Enterobacter aerogenes as well as fungal strains (Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, C. krusei, C. tropicalis and Aspergillus niger) exhibiting antimicrobial potential. The NRPS and PKS genes of the target strains were also amplified and sequenced. The putative protein structures were predicted using bioinformatics approach.

CONCLUSION

PKS gene expression indicated β keto-acyl synthase as one of the important active domains in the biomolecules related to antitumour and antifungal group. The simultaneous identification of the biomolecule (dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one derivative) was also inferred spectroscopically.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Freshwater Cyanobacteria are prolific producers of secondary metabolite(s) that may act as the antimicrobial drug resource in addition to their much explored marine counterpart.

Pro-steroidogenic and pro-spermatogenic actions of nitric oxide (NO) on the catfish, Clarias batrachus: An in vivo study

In an earlier study we have demonstrated reproductive-stage dependent, cell specific existence of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)/NO system in testis of the catfish, Clarias batrachus. The present study is an extension to examine the role of NO in steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis through in vivo administration of a NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and a NOS inhibitor, N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) during the quiescence and recrudescence phase of the reproductive cycle of the catfish. Effects of these chemicals were assessed on the gonadosomatic index (GSI), levels of circulating & testicular testosterone, NO, activities of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) in testis, expression of different NOS isoforms and testicular morphology in relation to spermatogenesis. SNP treatment increased the GSI, testicular and circulating testosterone & NO, activities of testicular 3β-HSD & 17β-HSD, and expression of NOS isoforms. It also increased the area and perimeters of interstitium and seminiferous tubules in the testis. It accelerated the spermatogenesis, as was evident from the large number of spermatids/spermatozoa in seminiferous tubules and very few spermatogonial cells/primary spermatocytes in comparison to the control testis. On the contrary, l-NAME significantly suppressed GSI, testosterone & NO levels in serum and testis, and activities of testicular 3β-HSD & 17β-HSD. It also suppressed the expression of NOSs in testis. Though l-NAME did not alter the spermatogonial mitotic proliferation with the advancement of testicular recrudescence, it halted the progression of spermatogenesis (meiotic division and spermatozoa formation) as was clear from the increase in spermatogonial cells and very few advanced germ cells in the seminiferous tubules in l-NAME treated testis, compared to the control testis. The above noted effects were highly pronounced in the recrudescing catfish. Their effects were very marginal and at a particular dose levels of SNP and l-NAME in the quiescent testis. This study distinctly provides evidence of pro-steroidogenic and pro-spermatogenic role of NO. This study also demonstrates the existence of eNOS in fish testis for the first time. The positive feedback control of expression of all isoform of NOS in testis by NO is also noteworthy.