Abhijit Dutta

Histological and ultrastructural studies on the toxic effect of pan masala and its amelioration by Elettaria cardamomum.

AIM To investigate the histological and ultrastructural changes observed in pan masala intoxicated mammalian testes under the effect of cardamom. METHODS Male Swiss mice were given pan masala orally at a dose of 2% of the feed and cardamom at a dose of 0.2% of the feed. They were divided into three groups, control (Group I), pan masala-treated (Group II), and a combination of pan masala and cardamom-treated group (Group III). Histologically, the testes of Group II mice displayed degeneration of tubular epithelium, disruption of spermatogenesis, and a marked reduction in germ cells. RESULTS When cardamom was given, damage was less with fewer distorted cells and also improvement with normal tubules and spermatid differentiation in Group III. Ultrastructurally, pan masala-treated testes showed cytoplasmic vacuolation, shrinkage and pyknotic nuclei of spermatogonia, and abnormal acrosomal granules. CONCLUSION When cardamom was given, the amelioration process was more evident showing a comparable morphology with control.

Protective effect of Eleteria cardamomum (L.) Maton against Pan masala induced damage in lung of male Swiss mice.

OBJECTIVE To study the potential ameliorating properties of cardamom Elettaria cardamomum (E. cardamomum) L. Maton against pan masala induced damage in lung of male Swiss mice. METHODS The experimental animals were divided into 3 groups (control, pan masala treated group and pan masala with cardamom treated group) to evaluate pan masala toxicity. The observations were substantiated with profound changes in the lung tissue as revealed in the histologic and transmission electron microscopic examinations. RESULTS Lung of pan masala treated group showed adenocarcinoma, edema, and inflammation with increased activity of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase. The deleterious effects were seen to be less in cardamom treated group and the enzymatic activity also decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the ameliorating group. CONCLUSIONS Thus, the present experiment exciting results are observed when cardamom is supplemented with pan masala, or when given alone.

Effectiveness of Combination of Antibiotics on Different Isolates of ‘Ralstonia solanacearum’—A Dreaded Soil Born Phytopathogen and A Causative Agent of Bacterial Wilt

Few antibiotics have been found to be exhibiting antibacterial efficacy on different isolates of Ralstonia solanacearum, e.g., brinjal, capsicum, and tomato, causes bacterial wilt in enormous crops in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions across the world. In vitro, various combinations of antibiotics, i.e., ceftriaxone, gentamycin, and ambistryn in 1:1, 3:1, 1:3 ratios were screened and compared with application of antibiotics in their single form by agar well diffusion method. The zone of inhibition (ZOI) results reflected synergistic effect of combination of antibiotics on all three strains. The best result was observed with the combination of ceftriaxone–ambistryn (streptomycin) in 1:3 ratios, in Brinjal isolates. In capsicum, 1:3 ratio of the above antibiotics combination were either indifferent or antagonistic. In tomato strain, the combination of gentamycin and ambistryn in 1:3 ratios showed maximum efficacy. These results demonstrated indifferent effects for all combinations. The mode of action of combination therapy significantly differed from that of the same antibiotic acting individually; therefore, the selection of an appropriate combination of antibiotics are of paramount importance. It is expected that the combination therapy or synergistic therapy on this bacterial disease may be a step in the right direction for treating the wilt diseases in solanaceous plants to avoid antibiotic resistance.