Showing papers by "Abhay Chowdhary published in 2014"
TL;DR: Comparison of the overall performance of all the feature classifiers concluded that “mixed feature set” is the best feature set and showed an excellent rate of accuracy for the training data set.
Abstract: The preliminary study presented within this paper shows a comparative study of various texture features extracted from liver ultrasonic images by employing Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), a type of artificial neural network, to study the presence of disease conditions. An ultrasound (US) image shows echo-texture patterns, which defines the organ characteristics. Ultrasound images of liver disease conditions such as “fatty liver,” “cirrhosis,” and “hepatomegaly” produce distinctive echo patterns. However, various ultrasound imaging artifacts and speckle noise make these echo-texture patterns difficult to identify and often hard to distinguish visually. Here, based on the extracted features from the ultrasonic images, we employed an artificial neural network for the diagnosis of disease conditions in liver and finding of the best classifier that distinguishes between abnormal and normal conditions of the liver. Comparison of the overall performance of all the feature classifiers concluded that “mixed feature set” is the best feature set. It showed an excellent rate of accuracy for the training data set. The gray level run length matrix (GLRLM) feature shows better results when the network was tested against unknown data.
82 citations
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Results suggest that extracts have strong anti-influenza virus activity that can inhibit viral attachment and/or viral replication, and may be used as viral prophylaxis.
Abstract: The influenza viruses are major etiologic agents of human respiratory infections, and inflict sizable health and economic burden. The present study reports the in vitro antiviral effect of Justicia adhatoda crude extracts against influenza virus by Hemagglutination (HA) reduction in two different layouts of simultaneous and post treatment assay. The aqueous and methanolic extracts were used for antiviral activity in the non-cytotoxic range. Methanolic extract showed 100% reduction in HA in the simultaneous and post treatment assays at the concentration of 10mg/ml. The aqueous extracts at concentrations of 10mg/ml and 5mg/ml reduced the HA to 33% and 16.67%, respectively, in the simultaneous assay. These results suggest that extracts have strong anti-influenza virus activity that can inhibit viral attachment and/or viral replication, and may be used as viral prophylaxis.
24 citations
TL;DR: The study proves that there is high prevalence of leptospirosis in rodents and dogs in this region, which proves possible role of these animals in transmission ofLeptospires to humans and it is imperative to necessary control measures to prevent human leptosphereirosis.
20 citations
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Ethanol extracts of Ocimum sanctum Linn.
Abstract: Ethanol extracts of Ocimum sanctum Linn. and Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. f. & Thoms. were included for the present in vitro study. Pepsin was used as a substitute for HIV-protease to evaluate inhibitory activity of these extracts, as pepsin has close resemblance with HIV-protease in proteolytic activity. Extracts of O. sanctum and T. cordifolia showed potent inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 123.73 and 11.20 µg/ml respectively. In our earlier study, these extracts exerted their anti-HIV activity via multiple mechanisms of action; viz., interference with the gp120 / CD4 interaction and inhibition of HIV-reverse transcriptase. In the present study, they also showed potent inhibitory activity against pepsin enzyme, suggesting that they may be useful as HIV protease inhibitors. The inhibitory activity could be attributed to flavonoids and phenolic content respectively.
17 citations
TL;DR: This is the first report of R. glutinis isolation from the institute and the CSF cultures remained negative for Rhodotorula, acid fast bacilli and other pyogenic organisms.
Abstract: Summary
Rhodotorula is ubiquitous saprophytic yeast belonging to phylum Basidiomycota. These encapsulated basidiomycetes are being increasingly recognised as important emerging human pathogens. There are scanty reports of meningitis caused by Rhodurorula spp in HIV infected patients. We present one such case of meningitis by Rhodutorula glutinis in HIV-infected patient. The patient also had a past history of abdominal tuberculosis. The diagnosis of Rhodotorula was confirmed by Gram staining and culture of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Contamination was ruled out by repeated culturing of CSF from the same patient. Therapy with Amphotericin B showed good results. Patient was discharged from the hospital. However, in the seventh month of follow-up patient was readmitted with complaints of fever, breathlessness, altered sensorium, vomiting and succumbed to his illness. This time the CSF cultures remained negative for Rhodotorula, acid fast bacilli and other pyogenic organisms. Our last 11-year retrospective analysis of 8197 specimens received for mycological work-up showed that this is the first report of R. glutinis isolation from our institute.
11 citations
TL;DR: The characterization and quantification of Kaempferol from methanolic and aqueous extracts of Fusarium chlamydosporum showed antibacterial activity against drug resistant strains of Psuedomonas aerugenosa and MRSA and its cytotoxicity was examined.
Abstract: Present study describes the characterization and quantification of Kaempferol from methanolic and aqueous extracts of Fusarium chlamydosporum ,an endophytic fungi isolated from Tylophora indica stem. MTT assay was done to examine its cytotoxicity. The CC50 values in both the extracts were 10mg/ml concentration The methanolic extract also exhibited antibacterial activity against drug resistant strains of Psuedomonas aerugenosa and MRSA with an MIC of 500 µg/ml concentration. The HPTLC analysis exhibited the presence of Kaempferol at 0. 21% in aqueous and 0.24% in methanolic extracts. Presence of Kaempferol in Fusarium chlamydosporum(endophytic fungi) in stem of Tylophora indica and its antibacterial activity are not well documented till date.
9 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Regular use of two plants known for their medicinal properties regularly used in primary health care and oral hygiene in rural areas of Rajasthan, India may provide a solution for better management of the disease in malaria risk areas.
Abstract: The present study was planned to evaluate antiplasmodial activity of two plants Azadirachta indica and Acacia nilotica regularly used in primary health care and oral hygiene in rural areas of Rajasthan, India. The aim was to corroborate how traditional practices using chewing sticks (Fresh twigs of medicinal plants in place of tooth brush) in relation to control of malaria. The In vitro antimalarial activity of fresh twigs of Azadirachta Indica (neem) and Acacia nilotica (Babul) were evaluated against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain by light microscopy using Giemsa-stained smears. Azadirachta indica most commonly used in the area showed promising antiplasmodial activity with IC50 of 39.86 μg/mL as compared to Acacia nilotica the IC50 value ranged beyond 50 μg/mL (IC50 77.78 μg/mL). Both the plants studied under present investigation are known for their medicinal properties, regular use may provide a solution for better management of the disease in malaria risk areas.
8 citations
TL;DR: The present study aimed to assess oxidative stress markers in HIV patients and found positive results for both viral and host factors responsible for oxidative stress in HIV disease.
Abstract: Background Both viral and host factors are responsible for oxidative stress in HIV disease, which in turn activates the replication of HIV provirus by various pathways. Oxidizing stress is a pathologic phenomenon resulting from imbalance between the system producing active oxygen species and those defending the organism. The present study was aimed to assess oxidative stress markers in HIV patients.
5 citations
TL;DR: The immobilized culture of Tylophora indica and Curcuma longa derived from leaves and rhizome respectively were used to enhance the production of their active compounds, Kaempferol andCurcumin, and a clear image of biosynthetic pathway of these compounds is given.
Abstract: Immobilization of plant cell plays a very important role in exploiting plant cell culture for the production of high value phyto-pharmaceuticals. It is the advanced novel biotechnological approach, through which it is possible to achieve a physiological state conducive for metabolite production .That can overcome many limiting factors of suspension culture with distinct advantage of easier separation from product and also being agreeable for biotransformation of low value compounds to higher value product. In the described study, the immobilized culture of Tylophora indica (Asclepeadaceae) and Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) derived from leaves and rhizome respectively were used to enhance the production of their active compounds, Kaempferol and Curcumin. The maximum content of Kaempferol and Curcumin were obtained in cultures fed with 5mg/100ml of Cinnamic acid i.e.3.31%/300beads and 3.36 %/300beads respectively at the age of two weeks in Zenk media .This study also has given a clear image of biosynthetic pathway of these compounds.
5 citations
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Shilajit can be effective in treatment of diabetes not only through inhibition of alpha-amylase and alphaglucosidase enzymes, but also by its antioxidant effect.
Abstract: Shilajit is considered as a panacea in Ayurveda, as it is effective in number of ailments including diabetes. In the present study, 2 extracts namely, aqueous and ethanol of Shialjitwere evaluated for their effect on alphaamylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes using in vitro assays. AlphaAmylase inhibitory activity of Shilajit extracts was evaluated using Porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase (PPA) with starch as a substrate, whereas, alphaglucosidase inhibitory activity was evaluated using p-nitrophenyl-α-DGlucopyranoside (PNPG) as a substrate. Further, the antioxidant activity of extracts was monitored using DPPH assay, whereas, phenolic content was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Ethanol extract showed the highest inhibitory activity against alpha-amylase (IC50= 95.05 µg/ml) as well as alpha-glucosidase (IC50= 1.87 µg/ml) than aqueous extract. Both the extracts were strong inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase than alpha-amylase and inhibited the enzyme more potently than the standard acarbose. The alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Shilajit correlated to antioxidant activity and phenolic content of extracts. Thus Shilajit can be effective in treatment of diabetes not only through inhibition of alpha-amylase and alphaglucosidase enzymes, but also by its antioxidant effect.
5 citations
TL;DR: Recombinant human interferon (rhIFN)-α may be used at an optimized dose to cause appropriate neuromodulation of cytokine/chemokine secretion that can aid in the development of therapeutic approaches for many infectious diseases of the central nervous system for which therapies are lacking.
Abstract: Objective: Recombinant human interferon (rhIFN)-α is a potent immunoregulator having a wide range of therapeutic applications. In the present study, rhIFN-α was e
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: This work would allow users to safely use rapidly generated in silicoprotein models in all the contexts where today only experimental structures provide a solid basis: structure-based drug design, analysis of protein function, ligand-receptor and protein-protein interactions, antigenic behaviour, and rational design of proteins with increased stability or novel functions.
Abstract: Protein modelling plays a major role in the drug discovery process. Often lack of proper structure is a major problem to use receptors as targets. The ultimate goal of protein modelling is to predict a structure from its sequence with an accuracy that is comparable to the best results achieved experimentally. This would allow users to safely use rapidly generated in silicoprotein models in all the contexts where today only experimental structures provide a solid basis: structure-based drug design, analysis of protein function, ligand-receptor and protein-protein interactions, antigenic behaviour, and rational design of proteins with increased stability or novel functions. The servers which are freely available for protein modelling and optimization are mentioned in this review briefly which can be accessed and used for academic purpose.
TL;DR: The preliminary phytochemical screening of aerial parts of the plant showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids and glycosides in all the three solvent extracts may contain antiplasmodial molecule that could be isolated by bio-guided phyt biochemical studies.
Abstract: Malaria is one of the most prevalent, devastating parasitic infectious diseases in the world. In an attempt to search for new antimalarial compounds efforts are being made to do preliminary screening of aerial parts of the plant Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle (family Rutaceae) at early flowering and fruiting stages against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain. The plant extract were prepared in three extract forms: Ethyl acetate, Methanol and aqueous extract using standard procedure. The highest antimalarial activity was observed with ethyl acetate extract (IC50 42.73 μg/mL) as compared to methanolic extract (IC50 94.18 μg/mL) followed by aqueous extract (IC50 >100μg/mL).The toxicity of the extract was monitored with the brine shrimp lethality assay and showed no toxicity in all solvent extract tested. The preliminary phytochemical screening of aerial parts of the plant showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids and glycosides in all the three solvent extracts may contain antiplasmodial molecule that could be isolated by bio-guided phytochemical studies. Keywords: Plasmodium falciparum, Citrus aurantifolia, antimalarial plants, Brine shrimp
TL;DR: It was observed that Curcumin content in vitro studies (static as well as immobilize cultures) were enhanced in one week old cultures fed with 5 mg/100 ml of media, and decreased expression of the protein in treated samples exhibited decreased expression as compared to control.
Abstract: Plant cell culture system has served as an alternative to enhance the production of high value phyto-pharmaceuticals. In the described study, the immobilized culture and static culture of Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) were used to maximize the production of the bioactive compound Curcumin. It was observed that Curcumin content in vitro studies (static as well as immobilize cultures) were enhanced in one week old cultures fed with 5 mg/100 ml of media (Static 8.71%; immobilize 2.03%). Statistically significant (seven fold) enhancement in Curcumin content was obtained in one week old static culture, which was maintained on Zenk production media incorporated with cinnamic acid (Control 1.57% and induced 8.717%). Quantitative estimation was done using HPTLC analysis with standard Curcumin. To evaluate the effect of treatment on total protein in Curcumin biosynthesis, we have examined Curcumin content as well as the protein profile of treated samples of Curcuma longa static culture. All the treated samples were analysed using SDS-PAGE for their proteomic profiles. A 23,420 Da protein was prominently expressed in all samples which may be a glycine rich protein (works on defence mechanism). Treated samples exhibited decreased expression of the protein as compared to control. This may be attributed to the formation of Reactive Oxygen species (ROS) in culture condition due to high concentration of sucrose (5%) in the Curcuma longa culture media that is known to induce oxidative stress and subsequent increase in Curcumin production. Further investigation is required to understand the actual protein involvement in Curcumin synthesis in different cultures treated with different compounds. The study signifies the use of plant explants to develop immobilized and static cultures rather than callus in Zenk media, which reduce the time as well as expenditure. The proteomic profile of C. longa has been discussed earlier, but its effect on proteomic profile of in vitro treated samples is a new study.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Anti-diabetic, antioxidant and anti-HIV activities of O. sanctum are reported, which correlated to antioxidant activity and phenolic content of extracts and these extracts showed no alpha-amylase inhibitory activity.
Abstract: One of the anti-diabetic therapeutic strategies is inhibition of carbohydrate digesting enzymes such as alpha-amylase and alphaglucosidase. In the present study, 2 extracts namely, aqueous and ethanol of Ocimum sanctum Linn. were evaluated for their effect on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes using in vitro assays. Aqueous extract showed the highest alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50= 26.75 µg/ml) than ethanol extract. However, both the extracts inhibited the enzyme more potently than the standard acarbose. Further, the antioxidant activity of extracts was monitored using DPPH assay, whereas, phenolic content was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of O. sanctum correlated to antioxidant activity and phenolic content of extracts. However, these extracts showed no alpha-amylase inhibitory activity. Besides, O. sanctum has shown anti-HIV potential in our previous study. Oxidative stress and anti-HIV drugs are associated with diabetes. Our current and previous studies thus report anti-diabetic, antioxidant and anti-HIV activities of O. sanctum.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Ethanol and aqueous extracts of Shilajit were included for the present in vitro study as mentioned in this paper, and they showed potent inhibitory activity against pepsin enzyme, suggesting that Shilajiit may be useful as a HIV protease inhibitor.
Abstract: Ethanol and aqueous extracts of Shilajit were included for the present in vitro study. Pepsin was used as a substitute for HIV-protease to evaluate inhibitory activity of Shilajit extracts, as pepsin has close resemblance with HIVprotease in proteolytic activity. Both the extracts;viz.,ethanol and aqueous,showed potent inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 9.61 and 193.80 µg/ml respectively. In our earlier study, these extracts exerted their anti-HIV activity via multiple mechanisms of action; viz., interference with the gp120 / CD4 interaction and inhibition of HIV-reverse transcriptase. In the present study, they showed potent inhibitory activity against pepsin enzyme, suggesting that Shilajit may be useful as a HIV protease inhibitor. The inhibitory activity could be due the high flavonoids content.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Biogenic A.indica GNPs can be looked upon as an effective candidate to improvise the treatment strategies against HIV infection and rendered hepato-protectivity.
Abstract: HIV is a retrovirus which belongs to the family of lentiviruses. From the beginning of the HIV epidemic almost 75 million people have been infected and about 36 million people have died of HIV. Globally, 35.3 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2012. Gold nanoparticles (A. indica-GNPs) were synthesized from leaf extract of Azadirachta indica by microwave assistance. Surface chemistry of monodispersed A.indica GNPs (30-40nm) was explored as natural linkers for attachment of AZT and verified by infrared spectroscopy. A.indica GNP-AZT nanoconjugate was found to exhibit 94.6% drug loading capacity and followed 1 st order of release kinetics at physiological pH. Hepato-protective property of A.indica GNPs was studied by cytokine analysis on an in vitro model of primary co-culture of rat hepatocyte-kupffer cells by ELISA. A. indica GNPs demonstrated upregulation of Interleukin (IL)-10 and downregulation of Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α with controlled IL-6 secretion in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced co-cultures; thereby persuading optimal interplay of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines and rendered hepato-protectivity. Quantification of p24 antigen done by ELISA for assessing anti-viral activity suggested a 20% increment (P<0.05) in anti-viral efficacy of AZT when conjugated to A. indica GNPs. Thus biogenic A.indica GNPs can be looked upon as an effective candidate to improvise the treatment strategies against HIV infection.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Murraya koenigii (Meethaneem) leaves slurry exhibited a significant hypoglycaemic activity on fourth hours of dosing, which reduced the glucose level up to 56% that is more effective than standard drug Glibenclamide (49%) and statistically significant (<0.05).
Abstract: Introduction: Medicinal plants are being used in the traditional systems of medicine in many parts of the world, especially in rural communities for diverse types of ailments. Diabetes mellitus is one of the extreme common chronic diseases. Many synthetic drugs are used to control hyperglycaemia. However, due to host resistance and other adverse effects of these compounds this becomes essential to find out the natural source to combat with the disease.
Objective: The main objective of current study was to evaluate the hypoglycaemic activity of Murraya koenigii (Meethaneem; Rutaceae).
Method: Leaves collected from Udaipur, Rajasthan region in the month of October were evaluated for hypoglycemic activity. Male wistar rat was used as experimental animal. Diabetes was induced by an intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injection of Streptozotocin. Animals with blood glucose>200mg % were selected and used for the study. Single dose of aqueous slurry of dried leaves powder (250mg/Kg) of Murraya koenigii were administered to selected animals for evaluation.
Result: Murraya koenigii (Meethaneem) leaves slurry exhibited a significant hypoglycaemic activity on fourth hours of dosing, which reduced the glucose level up to 56% that is more effective than standard drug Glibenclamide (49%) and statistically significant (<0.05).
Conclusion: The novelty of the work done is embedded in collection of data of hypoglycaemic activity of Murraya koenigii (Meethaneem) leaves collected from Udaipur, Rajasthan, India in the month of October, which showed a remarkable potential. The results was comparable to standard compound (Glibenclamide).
TL;DR: Prevalence of oral HPV infection in Indian HIV seropositive women with/without oral warts is evaluated to evaluate prevalence of Oral Papillomavirus related diseases irrespective of HAART.
Abstract: Background Oral manifestations (such as warts) of HIV infection are evident of disease progression, occurring in 30–80% of affected population. Recent evidence indicates that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related diseases are increased in the oral cavity of HIV seropositive individuals irrespective of HAART. This study was undertaken to evaluate prevalence of oral HPV infection in Indian HIV seropositive women with/without oral warts.
TL;DR: This research work is an attempt to develop a dual pronged carrier system using gold nanoparticles (GNP) for increasing effectiveness and sustained drug release of saquinavir.
Abstract: Background Conventional anti retroviral treatment (ART) has been a core treatment for HIV over the past three decades. Despite the effectiveness of these drugs, most of them abide significant drawbacks such as poor bioavailability and undesirable side effects; thus reducing patient compliance and rendering treatment regime ineffective. This research work is an attempt to develop a dual pronged carrier system using gold nanoparticles (GNP) for increasing effectiveness and sustained drug release of saquinavir.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: This study does seem to justify usage of fresh leaves of C. pictus as a munching dilatory supplement for treatment of diabetes as Fresh-aqueous extract exhibited potent inhibitory effect on carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes.
Abstract: Objective: Costus pictus D. Don is a potent anti-diabetic plant used in folk as well as Indian traditional medicine. In the present study, 4 extracts namely, Fresh-aqueous, Fresh-hydroalcoholic, Dry-Aqueous and Dry-hydroalcoholic prepared from fresh as well as dried leaves of C. pictus were evaluated for their effect on alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes using In vitro assays. Methods: Alpha-Amylase inhibitory activity of C. pictus extracts was evaluated using Porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase (PPA) with starch as a substrate, whereas, alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity was evaluated using p-nitrophenyl-α-D-Glucopyranoside (PNPG) as a substrate. Results : Only Fresh-aqueous extract of C. pictus revealed potent alpha-amylase inhibitory (IC 50 = 9.90mg/ml) as well as alpha-glucosidase inhibitory (IC 50 = 2.51mg/ml) activities. In general, it exhibited strong inhibitory effect on alpha-glucosidase than alpha amylase. Conclusion: Present study does seem to justify usage of fresh leaves of C. pictus as a munching dilatory supplement for treatment of diabetes as Fresh-aqueous extract exhibited potent inhibitory effect on carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes. Keywords: Alpha-amylase, Alpha-glucosidase, Costus pictus , Antidiabetic .
TL;DR: Alkaloids were demonstrated as the putative active compound showing promising antimalarial effect and showed stronger antiplasmodial activity as compared to D. innoxia and R. communis.
Abstract: Malaria is one of the most important tropical diseases and the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in India. The search for new antimalarial compounds has been necessitated by Plasmodium falciparum resistance to standard antimalarial drugs. Plants are important source of biologically active compounds and have potential for the development of novel antimalarial drugs. Since a number of alkaloids have been successfully used for the treatment of malaria since ancient time In this study the crude alkaloid extract of three young plants Carica papaya Linn. (Family: Caricaceae), Datura innoxia Mill. (Family: Solonaceae) and Ricinus communis Linn (Euphorbiaceae) were evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7. The mean inhibitory concentration (IC50), the mean cytotoxic concentration and the selectivity index were estimated. The cytotoxicity was estimated on Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell line in maximum dose tested. The alkaloidal extract of C. papaya showed stronger antiplasmodial activity as compared to D. innoxia and R. communis, the IC50 values in the range of 28.35 to 93.17μg/mL. Results demonstrated alkaloids as the putative active compound showing promising antimalarial effect.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The reason for the emergence of the disease in an area from where it had not been reported earlier could be due to migration of people from areas where the disease is endemic to hubs of development in urban areas for their livelihood.
Abstract: Leishmaniasis is caused by the infection of haemoparasite „Leishmaniadonovani’. Clinically it can present as Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis (MCL) and Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). In India it is a major health problem in the North & Central regions of India and is infrequently reported from western India. However, we encountered two clinically suspected cases of Leishmaniasis over a period of six months in the 2009. First case presented with Post Kala Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) and second presented as VL with secondary septicemia. In first case laboratory diagnosis was made by demonstration of LD bodies on histopathological examination and in second case anti-leishmanial antibodies were also detected. The reason for the emergence of the disease in an area from where it had not been reported earlier could be due to migration of people from areas where the disease is endemic to hubs of development in urban areas for their livelihood.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Hep-1 was found to be the most suitable formulation showing both anti-HBV activity and optimum hepatoprotectivity during the study, and could thus be beneficial in the treatment of liver inflammation.
Abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects around 350 million of the global population. The current antivirals are laden with side effects as well as expense burden. An alternative medication based on Ayurveda is being proposed to counter this scenario. Hep-1 to Hep-6 are herbal formulations used for the treatment of hepatitis B virus. They are also indicated for alleviation of hepatotoxicity. The molecular mechanism involved in the anti-HBV activity of these formulations is being studied using in-vitro models for the first time. Inhibition of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) secretion from the transfected human hepatocarcinoma PLC/PRF/5 cells, as well as inhibition of the surface antigen binding was taken up in the present study. These anti-HBV activities were detected by HBsAg specific antibody-mediated enzyme assay (ELISA) at concentrations ranging from 50 to 250µg/mL. The results indicate that the suppression of HBsAg production and inhibition were best observed at 150µg/mL across the extracts. This concentration was used to determine the hepatoprotectivity of these extracts in a Kupffer cell-hepatocyte in-vitro co-culture; determined by the expression of cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10, in presence of bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Hep-1 was found to be the most suitable formulation showing both anti-HBV activity and optimum hepatoprotectivity during the study. This extract could thus be beneficial in the treatment of liver inflammation.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The present study suggests that C. pictus might be useful as a HIV protease inhibitor, as the inhibitory activity of extracts could be attributed to phenolic content of the extracts.
Abstract: Objective: Pepsin has a close resemblance with HIV-protease in proteolytic activity as both of them belong to same aspartate enzyme family. Hence in the present study, pepsin was used as a substitute for HIV-protease. Pepsin assay could be used for preliminary screening of natural products for probable HIV-protease inhibitory activity. Therefore the objective of present study was to prepare 4 extracts namely, Fresh-Aqueous, FreshHydroalcoholic (HA), Dry-Aqueous and Dry-Hydroalcoholic (HA) from fresh as well as air dried leaves of Costus pictus D. Don. and to evaluate their effect on pepsin enzyme. Methods: Pepsin assay was carried out using hemoglobin as a substrate. Further, the antioxidant activity of extracts was monitored using DPPH assay, whereas, phenolic content was estimated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Results: All the extracts showed potent inhibitory effect against pepsin enzyme, wherein Fresh-HA revealed the highest inhibitory activity (93.49%) followed by Dry-HA (88.11%). The highest antioxidant potential was exhibited by Dry-HA extract (IC 50 = 1.03mg/ml). Conclusion: The present study suggests that C. pictus might be useful as a HIV protease inhibitor. The inhibitory activity could be attributed to phenolic content of the extracts.
19 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The data generated from the present study reveals that both Influenza type A and B are prevalent in Mumbai with considerable activity, and the peak activity was observed during monsoon season.
Abstract: The present study was carried out to monitor influenza viruses by identifying the virus and studying the seasonal variation during 2007–2009 in Mumbai. A total of 193 clinical respiratory samples (nasal and throat swab) were collected from patients having influenza like illness in Mumbai region. One-step real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (rRTPCR) was used to detect Influenza type A (H1 and H3) and Influenza type B virus. Isolation of the virus was carried out using in vitro system which was further confirmed and typed by hemagglutination assay and hemagglutination inhibition assay. Out of 193 samples 24 (12.4 3%) samples tested positive for influenza virus, of which 13 (6.73 %) were influenza type A virus and 10 (5.18 %) were influenza type B virus, while 1 sample (0.51 %) was positive for both. By culture methods, 3 (1.55 %) viral isolates were obtained. All the three isolates were found to be Influenza type B/Malaysia (Victoria lineage) by Hemagglutination Inhibition Assay. The data generated from the present study reveals that both Influenza type A and B are prevalent in Mumbai with considerable activity. The peak activity was observed during monsoon season.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed biogenic gold nanoparticles by microwave assistance in the view to improve their yield and monodispersivity, which can yield nanoparticles of uniform size and shape distribution along with high yield and exceptional biocompatibility.
Abstract: Gold nanoparticles (GNP), in recent years have gained special impetus in different fields of biomedical sciences such as targeted drug delivery, DNA labelling, sensors etc. As the morphologies and size of nanoparticles determine their properties and application; developing an easy, reproducible and eco-friendly synthesis method which can yield nanoparticles of uniform size and shape distribution along with high yield and exceptional biocompatibility becomes a priority. In this quest to synthesize GNPs with narrow size distribution, exceptional biocompatibility and ease of functionalization, we synthesized GNP in an eco-friendly manner from leaf extract of Azadirachta indica, commonly called as neem. However, achieving a considerable amount of monodispersivity and yield with conventional heating method was the bottle neck of our research. This study is therefore a comprehensive effort to develop biogenic GNPs by microwave assistance in the view to improve their yield and monodispersivity. GNPs synthesized by conventional hot plate heating and microwave assistance were reviewed for their size distribution and yield by UV-Visible spectroscopy, Nanoparticle tracking analysis and Transmission electron microscopy. The Full Width Half maxima (FWHM) were also calculated to attain a mathematical background to our spectral data to understand the size distribution of the GNPs. As against the traditional heating method, microwave heating method showed uniform heating profile increasing the monodispersivity and yield of GNPs. Microwave method thus provides better control on the shape and size distribution of gold nanoparticles and makes itself a suitable method for industrial synthesis of biogenic GNPs intended for therapeutic applications.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: A new technique, Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1 HNMR) is evaluated for the direct detection of anaerobes from clinical specimens and NMR correlated well with culture and the traditional GLC which is usually used for the rapid detection.
Abstract: The nonsporing anaerobes are commonly implicated as significant pathogens in human infections especially brain abscesses. Conventional laboratory diagnosis of anaerobes is time-consuming. Rapid detection of anaerobes from the clinical specimens is the need of the hour. Direct Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC) has been reported to be useful in rapid detection of anaerobes from the clinical specimens. The present study was carried out to evaluate a new technique, Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( 1 HNMR) for the direct detection of anaerobes from clinical specimens. A total of 34 pus specimens collected from brain abscesses were subjected to Conventional Microbiological Culture, Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( 1 HNMR) and Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC). The results of these two rapid techniques were correlated with the culture. Out of 34 pus specimens, eight pus specimens showed presence of anaerobes by culture. NMR (100%) and GLC (75%) correlated well with the culture in the detection of anaerobes. Seven pus specimens which were negative for anaerobes by culture showed presence of anaerobes by this two rapid techniques.NMR seems to have the potential in direct detection of anaerobes. NMR correlated well with culture and the traditional GLC which is usually used for the rapid detection of anaerobes. An important advantage of NMR is that the pus specimens do not require pretreatment as that of GLC. Both rapid techniques could detect presence of anaerobes where culture failed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the reaction time and percentage yield of various 2- amino-1, 3, 4-thiadiazole derivatives when synthesized by both, conventional as well by microwave irradiation along with their characterization using techniques such as FTIR and HPLC.
Abstract: The advantages of Microwave irradiation technology in the field of organic chemistry have been long known as it facilitates accelerated reaction rates, higher yields with relatively less power consumption than classical techniques. The presented study compares aspects like reaction time and percentage yield of various 2- amino-1, 3, 4-thiadiazole derivatives when synthesized by both, conventional as well by microwave irradiation along with their characterization using techniques such as FTIR and HPLC. They have a very promising role in the field of medicinal chemistry owing to their anti-cancer and anti-fungal properties The study also aims to evaluate biological activity of the compounds a simple and inexpensive technique making use of 2,2-Diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) to establish their worth as potential anti-oxidants . Thus this combination of faster synthesis and cost effectiveness can significantly reduce the cost of production of various pharmaceutical products containing thiadiazole and/or its derivatives which are known to be clinically potent.
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: It was observed that Curcumin content in vitro studies (static as well as immobilize cultures) were enhanced in one week old cultures fed with 5mg/100ml of media, and decreased expression of the protein as compared to control.
Abstract: Plant cell culture system has served as an alternative to enhance the production of high value phyto-pharmaceuticals. In the described study, the immobilized culture and static culture of Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) were used to maximize the production of the bioactive compound Curcumin. It was observed that Curcumin content in vitro studies (static as well as immobilize cultures) were enhanced in one week old cultures fed with 5mg/100ml of media (Static 8.71%; immobilize 2.03%). Statistically significant (seven fold) enhancement in Curcumin content was obtained in one week old static culture, which was maintained on Zenk production media incorporated with cinnamic acid (Control 1.57% and induced 8.717%). Quantitative estimation was done using HPTLC analysis with standard Curcumin. To evaluate the effect of treatment on total protein in Curcumin biosynthesis, we have examined Curcumin content as well as the protein profile of treated samples of Curcuma longa static culture. All the treated samples were analysed using SDS-PAGE for their proteomic profiles. A 23,420 Da protein was prominently expressed in all samples which may be a glycine rich protein (works on defence mechanism). Treated samples exhibited decreased expression of the protein as compared to control. This may be attributed to the formation of Reactive Oxygen species (ROS) in culture condition due to high concentration of sucrose (5%) in the Curcuma longa culture media that is known to induce oxidative stress and subsequent increase in Curcumin production. Further investigation is required to understand the actual protein involvement in