Assessment of calcium oxalate crystal inhibition potential, antioxidant activity and amino acid profiling in horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum): high altitude farmer's varieties

Unlocking New Approaches to Urolithiasis Management Via Nutraceuticals

Urolithiasis, commonly known as kidney stones, is characterized by the formation of hard deposits in the urinary tract. These stones can cause severe pain and discomfort, and their management typically involves a combination of medical interventions and lifestyle modifications. According to the literature, 30% and 50% of urolithiasis cases recur. Between 9 and 12% of persons in industrialised countries are predicted to have urolithiasis at some time. Due to the high frequency of stone formation, recurrent nature, and prevalence in adults, it has a significant impact on society, the person, and the health care system. Adopting the best prophylactic measures is crucial in light of these developments to decrease the impact of urolithiasis on individuals and society. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the potential role of nutraceuticals in the management of urolithiasis. Nutraceuticals, such as herbal extracts, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, have gained recognition for their potential in promoting urinary health and reducing the risk of urolithiasis. These compounds can aid in various ways, including inhibiting crystal formation, enhancing urine pH balance, reducing urinary calcium excretion, and supporting kidney function. Additionally, nutraceuticals can help alleviate symptoms associated with urolithiasis, such as pain and inflammation. While medical interventions remain crucial, incorporating nutraceuticals into a comprehensive management plan can offer a holistic approach to urolithiasis, improving patient outcomes and quality of life. Therefore, nutraceuticals may be a desirable choice for treating and avoiding recurring urolithiasis for patients and medical professionals. Therefore, the present study has focused on nutraceuticals' role in preventing urolithiasis.

Studies on phytochemical, mineral content, in vitro anti-urolithiatic and anti-diabetic activities of horse gram flour extracts and its biosynthesized Ag nanoparticles

The current study aims to examine the use of horse gram flour and its extracts as a low-cost source of mineral content with anti-urolithiatic, anti-diabetic properties and to compare the biological activities with its biosynthesized AgNPs. The secondary metabolites and the macro and micronutrients present in the selected herbal product, reinforces the utility of the horse gram as a promising herbal. Present investigation reveals that the biomass chosen for the study as a cheap natural source with valuable mineral content of calcium (43.06 mg/L), followed by potassium (13.78 mg/L) and sodium (6.94 mg/L). The grain's water extracts found to contain carbohydrate as dominating component with the value of (65.10 ± 0.95 mg g^-1 equivalent). Whereas both water and ethanol extract contain TPC (phenol) viz; 60.13 ± 2.45 mg g^-1, 68.24 ± 1.33 mg g^-1, TTC (terpenoids)53.21 ± 1.4 mg g^-1,51.27 ± 2.65 mg g^-1, followed by TSC (sterol)as 45.58 ± 1.7 mg g^-1, 57.27 ± 1.65 mg g^-1 in moderate amounts respectively. The aqueous extract of Horse gram was used for the synthesis the AgNPs through a straightforward green approach and characterized by FESEM, TEM, zeta potential, X-ray diffraction, UV spectroscopy and particle size measurement. These studies demonstrate the production of AgNPs with an average particle size of 30 nm-60 nm. Investigation on anti-urolithiatic property with aqueous extract, (HGW), ethanol extract (HGE) and its biosynthesized Ag nanoparticles (HG-Ag) reveal that, among the three samples chosen, the biosynthesized Ag nanoparticles possess the best inhibiting activity. The disintegration of crystals in gel medium further validated the extracts and Ag nanoparticles crystal growth inhibitory activity, at concentrations of 2% for extracts and 200 μg/ml for AgNPs. Further, it is also found that the HG-Ag nanoparticle exhibit good anti-diabetic activity (75.36%) than the other two extracts (HGW Extract-67.18% & HGE Extract-44.29%). Thus, the seed flour extracts and its AgNps demonstrated to be a promising natural herbal product with potential mineral content, antidiabetic and anti-urolithiatic activities which could be a used as a value-added product in the dietary formulations.

A chromosome-scale draft genome sequence of horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum)

Horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum [Lam.] Verdc.) is an underutilized warm-season diploid legume (2n = 20, 22). Because of its ability to grow under water-deficient and marginal soil conditions, horsegram is a preferred choice in the era of global climate change. In recognition of its potential as a crop species, we generated and analyzed a draft genome sequence for a horsegram variety, HPK-4. Ten chromosome-scale pseudomolecules were created by aligning Illumina scaffold sequences onto a linkage map. The total length of the ten pseudomolecules was 259.2 Mbp, covering 89% of the total length of the assembled sequences. A total of 36,105 genes were predicted on the assembled sequences. Diversity analysis of 89 horsegram accessions by dd-RAD-Seq identified 277 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), suggesting narrow genetic diversity among the horsegram accessions. This is the first attempt to generate a draft genome sequence of horsegram and will provide a reference for sequence-based analysis of horsegram germplasm.