University of Peradeniya

About: University of Peradeniya is a education organization based out in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 5970 authors who have published 7388 publications receiving 197002 citations.

Y-chromosomal variation confirms independent domestications of swamp and river buffalo.

Abstract: Y-chromosomal variation in the water buffalo was analysed by sequencing of DBY, ZFY and SRY gene segments. A clear separation of the paternal lineages of the river and swamp types parallels the differences between their maternal lineages and nuclear DNA. Sequence divergence was found to be comparable to the divergence of taurine cattle and zebu, and this divergence predated domestication, confirming that river and swamp buffalo originated from different wild populations. Within a sample of 23 Thai swamp buffaloes, we identified four haplotypes with different geographical distributions, two of which were shared by Thai wild buffaloes.

Plant-based milk substitutes as emerging probiotic carriers

Abstract: At present, there is an increasing demand for probiotic enriched plant-based milk products. Although many varieties of plant-based milk exist, soymilk, rice-milk and coconut-milk are the major carrier matrices used in probiotic food development. In general, these products are safe for consumption and can be considered as a suitable vehicle for delivering probiotics due to their ability in maintaining sufficient probiotic levels during product shelf life. However, studies that are focusing on the evaluation of functional efficacy of probiotics in these products with special reference to gastrointestinal survival, adhesion to intestinal epithelium and immunomodulation are scarce and these aspects need to be further assessed.

Larval survey of surface water-breeding mosquitoes during irrigation development in the Mahaweli Project, Sri Lanka.

Abstract: A survey of ground water-breeding mosquitoes was done during 1986–1987 in an area undergoing irrigation development in the Mahaweli Project of Sri Lanka. Forty-nine species were collected during the 12-mo phase of human settlement and infrastructure construction, and 42 species during the succeeding 12-mo period under irrigated rice culture. Development resulted in the elimination of some preexisting breeding habitats, the modification of others, and the creation of new habitats. The overall change from uninhabited forest to settled irrigated rice sharply increased the prevalence of Anopheles annularis van der Wulp, An. peditaeniatus (Leicester), Aedeomyia catasticta Knab, Mimomyia hybrida (Leicester), Mansonia uniformis (Theobald), and Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles. Equally sharp decreases occurred in the prevalence of An. barbirostris van der Wulp, An. barbumbrosus Strickland & Choudhury, Ae. jamesi (Edwards), Ae. vittatus (Bigot), Ae. pseudomediofasciatus (Theobald), Cx. halifaxii Theobald, Cx. malayi (Leicester), Cx. minutissimus (Theobald), Cx. nigropunctatus Edwards, Cx. fuscocephala Theobald, and Cx. mimulus Edwards. Other species that showed smaller positive or negative changes included An. nigerrimus Giles, An. culicifacies Giles, An. jamesii Theobald, An. subpictus Grassi, An. vagus Donitz, An. varuna Iyengar, Mi. chamberlaini (Ludlow), Ma. annulifera (Theobald), Cx. bitaeniorhynchus Giles, Cx. gelidus Theobald, and Cx. pseudovishnui Colless. Irrigation development led to reduced breeding by the majority of species; however, most species that did increase in prevalence were potential vectors of human disease. Components of the irrigation system such as reservoir and canal margins, seepages, and rice fields provided increased breeding sites for some of these species.

Chitosan-Alginate Nanoparticle System Efficiently Delivers Doxorubicin to MCF-7 Cells

Abstract: A chitosan-alginate nanoparticle system encapsulating doxorubicin (DOX) was prepared by a novel ionic gelation method using alginate as the crosslinker. These nanoparticles were around 100 nm in size and more stable with higher positive zeta potential and had higher % encapsulation efficiency (95%) than DOX loaded chitosan nanoparticles (DOX Csn NP) crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). FTIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis revealed successful loading of DOX. In vitro drug release showed an initial release phase followed by slow release phase with higher cumulative release obtained with DOX loaded chitosan-alginate nanoparticles (DOX Csn-Alg NP). The in vitro cytotoxicity of DOX released from the two nanoparticle systems showed a notable difference on comparison with that of free DOX on the MCF-7 cell line. The SRB assay, AO/EB staining, and fluorescence uptake study indicated that free DOX only showed dose dependent cytotoxicity, whereas both dose and time dependency were exhibited by the two sets of NPs. While both systems show sustained release of DOX, from the cell viability plots, DOX Csn-Alg NPs showed their superiority over DOX Csn NPs. The results obtained are useful for developing DOX Csn-Alg NPs as a sustained release carrier system for DOX.