H. S. Garg

Bio: H. S. Garg is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Fauna & Flora. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 274 citations.

Screening of Indian plants for biological activity: Part XII.

Abstract: Three hundred botanically identified plant materials have been extracted with 50% ethanol and the extracts put through a wide biological screen. These include tests for antibacterial, anticancer, antifertility, antifungal, anthelminthic, antiprotozoal, antiviral and pharmacological activities. Biological activities have been confirmed in fractions of fifty-six of these extracts.

Bioactivity of marine organisms : part viii: screening of some marine flora of western coast of india

Abstract: Methanolic extracts of 31 botanically identified species of marine flora, collected from Gujarat Coast, have been screened for a wide range of biological activities. Of these, 3 extracts showed anti-implantation, 2 had antiviral, 2 showed hypotensive, 1 had anti-inflammatory while 12 extracts showed diuretic activities. The antiviral activity; against EMCV, was confirmed in one alga. The active principles and results of these studies are reported.

Characterization of Sulphonoglycolipid from the Red Alga Laurencia pedicularioides

Abstract: Sulfonic acid-containing lipids are commonly referred to as sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols (SQDG). These lipids are structural components of chloroplast membranes and occur widely in higher plants, algae and photosynthetic microorganisms (Gustafson et at. 1989). The SQDG are acidic lipids located in the thylakoid membranes of oxygen-evolving photosynthetic organisms. The thylakoid membranes are comprised of about 50% protein and 50% lipid and are the intracellular sites of chlorophyll which is bound in specific chlorophyll-protein complexes. Chloroplast thylakoids have a characteristic lipid composition, the major components being monogalactosyl diacylglycerol and digalactosyl diacylglycerol (Araki et al 1989, Johns et al 1977). Sulphonoglycolipids of marine algae have received considerable attention in recent years because of their important biological functions as mentioned above as well as their interesting biological activities (Fusetani and Hashimoto 1975, Gustafson et al 1989, Kitagawa et al 1979, Siddhanta et al 1991 and Son 1990) including anti-HIV-1 activity (Gustafson et al 1989). There are several reports of Sulphonoglycolipids from marine green and red algae (Araki et al 1989, Fusetani and Hashimoto 1975, Siddhanta et al 1991 and Son 1990) and blue-green algae (Gustafson et al 1989). In the course of our continuing programme for isolating biologically active metabolites from marine algae, we have isolated a Sulphonoglycolipid from the methanolic extract of Laurencia pedicularioides (Boerg.) Lamouroux, a marine red alga. Laurencia species are best known for their fascinating array of secondary metabolites including halogenated terpenoids, acetogenins, eicosanoids and polyheterocyclic compounds (Bernart et al 1992). In this communication we report, for the first time, the isolation and characterization of a Sulphonoglycolipid from L. pedicularioides from Indian waters. Materials and Methods

Novel antiviral agents: a medicinal plant perspective

Abstract: Several hundred plant and herb species that have potential as novel antiviral agents have been studied, with surprisingly little overlap. A wide variety of active phytochemicals, including the flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans, sulphides, polyphenolics, coumarins, saponins, furyl compounds, alkaloids, polyines, thiophenes, proteins and peptides have been identified. Some volatile essential oils of commonly used culinary herbs, spices and herbal teas have also exhibited a high level of antiviral activity. However, given the few classes of compounds investigated, most of the pharmacopoeia of compounds in medicinal plants with antiviral activity is still not known. Several of these phytochemicals have complementary and overlapping mechanisms of action, including antiviral effects by either inhibiting the formation of viral DNA or RNA or inhibiting the activity of viral reproduction. Assay methods to determine antiviral activity include multiple-arm trials, randomized crossover studies, and more compromised designs such as nonrandomized crossovers and pre- and post-treatment analyses. Methods are needed to link antiviral efficacy/potency- and laboratory-based research. Nevertheless, the relative success achieved recently using medicinal plant/herb extracts of various species that are capable of acting therapeutically in various viral infections has raised optimism about the future of phyto-antiviral agents. As this review illustrates, there are innumerable potentially useful medicinal plants and herbs waiting to be evaluated and exploited for therapeutic applications against genetically and functionally diverse viruses families such as Retroviridae, Hepadnaviridae and Herpesviridae

Exploitation of marine algae: biogenic compounds for potential antifouling applications

Abstract: Marine algae are one of the largest producers of biomass in the marine environment. They produce a wide variety of chemically active metabolites in their surroundings, potentially as an aid to protect themselves against other settling organisms. These active metabolites, also known as biogenic compounds, produced by several species of marine macro- and micro-algae, have antibacterial, antialgal, antimacrofouling and antifungal properties, which are effective in the prevention of biofouling, and have other likely uses, e.g. in therapeutics. The isolated substances with potent antifouling activity belong to groups of fatty acids, lipopeptides, amides, alkaloids, terpenoids, lactones, pyrroles and steroids. These biogenic compounds have the potential to be produced commercially using metabolic engineering techniques. Therefore, isolation of biogenic compounds and determination of their structure could provide leads for future development of, for example, environmentally friendly antifouling paints. This paper mainly discusses the successes of such research, and the future applications in the context of understanding the systems biology of micro-algae and cyanobacteria.