Aiyatullah Shah

Discovery of anti-microbial and anti-tubercular molecules from Fusarium solani: an endophyte of Glycyrrhiza glabra

Glycyrrhiza glabra is a high‐value medicinal plant thriving in biodiversity rich Kashmir Himalaya. The present study was designed to explore the fungal endophytes from G. glabra as a source of bioactive molecules.

Isolation, characterization and HPLC quantification of compounds from Aquilegia fragrans Benth: Their in vitro antibacterial activities against bovine mastitis pathogens

ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The underground parts of Aquilegia fragrans are traditionally used for the treatment of wounds and various inflammatory diseases like bovine mastitis. However, there are no reports on the phytochemical characterization and antibacterial studies of A. fragrans. AIM OF THE STUDY To isolate compounds from the methanol extract of the underground parts of A. fragrans and determine their antibacterial activity against the pathogens of bovine mastitis. The study was undertaken in order to scientifically validate the traditional use of A. fragrans. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the underground parts of A. fragrans using silica gel column chromatography. Structural elucidation of the isolated compounds was done using spectral data analysis and comparison with literature. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of isolated compounds in the crude methanol extract. The methanol extract and isolated compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activities against mastitis pathogens using broth micro-dilution technique. RESULTS The five isolated compounds were identified as (1) 2, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid methyl ester (2) β-sitosterol (3) Aquilegiolide (4) Glochidionolactone-A and (5) Magnoflorine. A quick and sensitive HPLC method was developed for the first time for qualitative and quantitative determination of four isolated marker compounds from A. fragrans. The crude methanol extract and compound 5 exhibited weak antibacterial activities that varied between the bacterial species (MIC=500-3000 µg/ml). CONCLUSIONS The above results show that the crude methanol extract and isolated compounds from A. fragrans exhibit weak antibacterial activities. Further phytochemical and pharmacological studies are required for proper scientific validation of the folk use of this plant species in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases like bovine mastitis.

Novel bioactive molecules from Lentzea violacea strain AS 08 using one strain-many compounds (OSMAC) approach

A new eudesmane sesquiterpenoid (1), and a new homologue of virginiae butanolide E (2) along with butyl isobutyl phthalate (3) were isolated from, actinomycete-Lentzea violacea strain AS08 isolated from north western Himalayas by stressing on modified one strain-many compounds (OSMAC) method. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses including 1D, 2D NMR along with HR-ESI-MS and FT-IR data. Herein, a distinctive method was added for inspecting secretory profile of the strain by quantification of extract value of cell free supernatant in different types of culture media fallowed by HPLC profiling of respective extracts, which revealed a highly altered metabolic profile of the strain and formed the base for the selection of media. The compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate activity against Gram negative (MIC ∼32-64µgml-1) in comparison to Gram positive bacterial pathogens. Compound 1 exhibited significant activity in human cancerous cell lines (IC50 ∼19.2µM).

Endophytes and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Hope in Desperation

Neurodegeneration is progressive loss of functional and structural integrity of the central nervous system. Neurodegenerative disorders are yet without any reliable therapy because the neurons of the central nervous system have limited ability to regenerate. Current therapeutic approaches rely mainly on abrogation of symptoms and leave the dying neurons to their fate. Protective and/or rescuing treatments need to be explored fully to suppress neuronal death that will automatically alleviate the symptoms. Adequate precedent exists in literature regarding the neuroprotective activity of endophytes. Endophytes are a class of microorganisms which colonize healthy plant tissues without causing any apparent harm to the host. Chemical moieties from known endophytes have been used against many disease models including neurodegenerative diseases. There is great hope that novel bioactive molecules from newer endophytes can impede pathogenic mechanisms and progression of many diseases. In this review, we will discuss promising pharmacological or clinical relevance of endophytes against various neurodegenerative diseases.

Bovine mastitis: An appraisal of its alternative herbal cure

Bovine mastitis is globally recognized as the most common and costly disease affecting dairy herds. The disease causes huge financial losses to dairy industries by reduced yield and milk quality, deaths and culling of affected cows and also by associated treatment costs. The disease occurs due to invasion of the mammary glands by pathogenic bacteria followed by their multiplication in the milk producing tissues. The most common treatment method available against bovine mastitis is the intra-mammary infusion of antibiotics. However, their use is associated with the problem of antimicrobial resistance. This scenario has made search for alternative treatment approaches necessary. Medicinal plants with their well-established history are an excellent natural product resource used as an alternative therapy. Antibacterial agents from plants can act as important sources of novel antibiotics, efflux pump inhibitors, compounds that target bacterial virulence or can be used in combination with existing drugs. The plants form an essential component of ethno-veterinary medicine used in the treatment of different diseases like bovine mastitis. This review article attempts to provide an overview of the different medicinal plants used in the treatment of bovine mastitis. Antimicrobial studies of these plant species and some of their isolated constituents have been reviewed in detail. It highlights the logic and precedence behind mining this important natural product resource. Our own research findings in this direction and future scope of research are also discussed briefly.

Antituberculotic activity of actinobacteria isolated from the rare habitats

A distinctive screening procedure resulted in the isolation and identification of antituberculotic actinobacteria. In this course, a total of 125 actinobacteria were isolated from various soil samples from untapped areas in Northwestern Himalayas, India. The antibacterial screening showed that 26 isolates inhibited the growth of at least one of the tested bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 11774), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 10240), Escherichia coli (10536), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 10145) and Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC BAA‐2146). The production media was optimized for the active strains by estimation of their extract value by the quantification of the ethyl acetate extract. The screening of fermentation products from the selected 26 bioactive isolates revealed that 10 strains have metabolites antagonistic against the standard H37Rv strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The characterization by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the diverse nature of these antituberculosis strains. The secondary metabolites of potent, rare strain, Lentzea violacea AS08 exhibited promising antituberculosis activity with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3·9 μg ml−1. The metabolites identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) included, Phenol, 2,5‐bis (1, 1‐dimethylethyl), n‐Hexadecanoic acid, Hexadecanoic acid methyl‐ester, Hexadecanoic acid ethyl‐ester and, 9,12‐Octadecadienoyl chloride(Z,Z) are biologically significant molecules.