Anita Dua

Withania somnifera (ASHWAGANDHA) ATTENUATES ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE IN AGED SPINAL CORD AND INHIBITS COPPER INDUCED LIPID PEROXIDATION AND PROTEIN OXIDATIVE MODIFICATIONS

Withania somnifera is classified in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, as a rasayana, a group of plant-derived drugs which promote physical and mental health, augment resistance of the body against disease and diverse adverse environmental factors, revitalize the body in debilitated conditions and increase longevity. We investigated the effects of Withania somnifera on copper-induced lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in aging spinal cord of Wistar rats. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) decreased significantly in the spinal cord from adult to aged mice. Treatment with Withania somnifera successfully attenuated GPx activity and inhibited lipid peroxidation in a dose dependent manner. Withania somnifera inhibited both the lipid peroxidation and protein oxidative modification induced by copper. These effects were similar to those of superoxide dismutase and mannitol. The results indicate the therapeutic potential of Withania somnifera in aging and copper-induced pathophysiological conditions.

Efficacy and risk profile of anti-diabetic therapies: Conventional vs traditional drugs—A mechanistic revisit to understand their mode of action

An increasing array of anti-diabetic drugs are available today, yet Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) - remains a life threatening disease, causing high mortality and morbidity in developing and developed countries. As of now, no effective therapy is available for the complete eradication/cure of diabetes and its associated complications. Therefore, it is time to re-think and revisit molecular pathways and targets of each existing drug in order to identify multiple targets from different signaling pathways that may be manipulated simultaneously to treat or manage T2DM effectively. Bearing this goal in mind, the article reviews the mechanisms of action of available anti-diabetic drugs with in-depth mechanistic analysis of each therapy. The conventional and herbal strategies are analysed and compared for their benefits and the associated possible side effects. This critical information is necessary not only for the development of better, novel and potent anti-diabetic therapy in future but also for best possible combinational therapies and strategies with the available drugs.

BIOREACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF FENNEL (FOENICULUM VULGARE MILLER)

Methanolic extract of dried Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare Miller) seeds was analyzed for the presence of bioreactive compounds: ascorbate, riboflavin, tocopherol and polyphenols with potential antioxidant properties. The extract had low ascorbate (197.12 + 1.82 µg), riboflavin (11.97 + 0.35 µ g ) and tocopherol (280.33 + 5.67 µg/g dry seeds) content. Howeve r the extract had high polyphenol content ( 16.506 + 0.32 mg/g dry seeds ) . Antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by various mechanisms including DPPH free radical scavenging, metal induced protein and lipid oxidation inhibition and protection of D NA against H 2 O 2 induced damage. Fennel had excellent free radical scavenging activity with IC 50 2.1 mg dry seed weight . IC 5 0 observed for protection of proteins and lipids against met al ion induced oxidation is 2.1 and 2.5mg dry seed weight respectively . E x tract equivalent to 0 .5µg seeds is enough to protect DNA against H 2 O 2 induced oxidation. The results suggest that polyphenols are the principal components responsible for high antioxidant potential of methanolic extract of fennel .

ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF CUMIN ( CUMINUM CYMINUM ) SEEDS

Antimicrobial properties of methanolic extract of cumin ( Cuminum cyminum ) seeds on f our enteropathogenic and food - spoiler bacterial strains have been investig ated. The cumin extract has been fo und to be effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Increase in absorb ance between 260 - 280 nm indicates that incubation of bacterial cultures with cumin extract causes damage to the ir cell membranes and release of intracellular nucle otides and proteinaceous materials from the cells . The g rowth inhibition zone s observed b y agar well diffusion method we re 10.7 to 14.0 mm in diameter in presence of cumin extract. Minimum concentration s of cumin extract effective against E,coli , P.aerugin osa, S.aureus and B. pumilus we re found to be 12.5, 6.25, 25.0 and 6.25 mg dry weight per ml respectively.

An efficient and improved methodology for the screening of industrially valuable xylano-pectino-cellulolytic microbes.

Xylano-pectino-cellulolytic enzymes are valuable enzymes of the industrial sector. In our earlier study, we have reported a novel and cost effective methodology for the qualitative screening of cellulase-free xylano-pectinolytic microorganisms by replacing the commercial, highly expensive substrates with agricultural residues, but the microorganisms with xylanolytic, pectinolytic, cellulolytic, xylano-pectinolytic, xylano-cellulolytic, pectino-cellulolytic, and xylano-pectino-cellulolytic potential were obtained. The probability of getting the desired combination was low, so efforts were made to further improve this cost effective methodology for obtaining the high yield of the microbes capable of producing desired combination of enzymes. By inclusion of multiple enrichment steps in sequence, using only practically low cost substrates and without any nutrient media till primary screening stage, this improved novel protocol for screening gave only the desired microorganisms with xylano-pectino-cellulolytic activity. Using this rapid, efficient, cost effective, and improved methodology, microbes with required combination of enzymes can be obtained and the probability of getting the desired microorganisms is cent percent. This is the first report presenting the methodology for the isolation of xylano-pectino-cellulolytic positive microorganisms at low cost and consuming less time.

ANTIOXIDANT PROFILE OF CORIANDRUM SATIVUM METHANOLIC EXTRACT

Methanolic extract of Coriandrum sativum (coriander) seeds was analyzed for the presence of various antioxidants; ascorbate, riboflavin, tocopherol, polyphenols and in vitro antioxidant potential. The extract, rich in polyphenolic compounds (18.696 ± 0.12 mg/g dry seeds) was subjected to HPLC analysis for identification and quantification of phenolics. Gallic acid (173.656 μg), caffeic acid (80.185 μg), ellagic acid (162.861 μg), quercetin (608.903 μg) and kaempferol (233.70 μg)/g dry seeds were identified. Antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by various mechanisms including DPPH free radical scavenging, metal induced protein and lipid oxidation inhibition and protection of DNA against H2O2 induced damage. Coriander had excellent free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value 0.4 mg dry seed weight, whereas comparatively higher IC50 was observed with metal ion chelating assays (7.2-8.0 mg dry seed weight). The results suggest that polyphenols including gallic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin and kaempferol are the principle component responsible for high antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of coriander seeds. This is the first report on detailed analysis of antioxidant composition and antioxidant properties of methanolic extract of coriander seeds.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Polyphenols from Foods

Change in the lifestyle is causing the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), free radicals, and decreasing the physiological antioxidant capacity. ROS can also cause protein and lipid oxidation, nucleic acid mutation, and further responsible for the development of various diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, cataract, ageing, etc. Antioxidants can prevent the oxidation of biomolecules. Antioxidants present in food are now being preferred by consumers instead of synthetic antioxidants due to their non-toxic and non-carcinogenic effects. Antioxidants present in leafy vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, alcoholic, and non-alcoholic beverages have the ability to reduce the damage caused by ROS. Polyphenols have redox potential high enough to scavenge or terminate ROS and also provide the environment favourable for inhibition of bacterial growth. Polyphenols also have metal ion chelating property which causes the deficiency of essential metal ions in the growth medium and ultimately responsible for antimicrobial effect. Binding of the polyphenols to the thiol groups at the active site of various microbial enzymes makes them inactive, thus inhibiting the growth of microbes. Polyphenols particularly phenolic acids and flavonoids have great potential as food additives with pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food preservative properties. The aim of this chapter is to present some valuable natural sources of polyphenols, structural characteristics, main classes of polyphenolic compounds, and extraction of polyphenols and also provide information on the most recent developments in the chemical investigation of polyphenols, emphasising their antioxidant and antimicrobial potential.

Cost-effective and concurrent production of industrially valuable xylano-pectinolytic enzymes by a bacterial isolate Bacillus pumilus AJK

ABSTRACT Simultaneous production of xylanase and pectinase by Bacillus pumilus AJK under submerged fermentation was investigated in this study. Under optimized conditions, it produced 315 ± 16 IU/mL acidic xylanase, 290 ± 20 IU/mL alkaline xylanase, and 88 ± 9 IU/mL pectinase. The production of xylano-pectinolytic enzymes was the highest after inoculating media (containing 2% each of wheat bran and Citrus limetta peel, 0.5% peptone, 10 mM MgSO4, pH 7.0) with 2% of 21-hr-old culture and incubated at 37°C for 60 hr at 200 rpm. Xylanase retained 100% activity from pH 6.0 to10.0 after 3 hr of incubation, while pectinase showed 100% stability from pH 6.0 to 9.0 even after 6 hr of incubation. Cost-effective and concurrent production of xylanase and pectinase by a bacterial isolate in the same production media suggests its potential for various biotechnological applications. This is the first report of simultaneous production of industrially important extracellular xylano-pectinolytic enzymes by B. pumilus.

Cinnamaldehyde regulates H2O2-induced skeletal muscle atrophy by ameliorating the proteolytic and antioxidant defense systems: KAUR et al.

Skeletal muscle atrophy/wasting is associated with impaired protein metabolism in diverse physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), disturbed redox status, and weakened antioxidant defense system are the major contributing factors toward atrophy. Regulation of protein metabolism by controlling ROS levels and its associated catabolic pathways may help in treating atrophy and related clinical conditions. Although cinnamaldehyde (CNA) enjoys the established status of antioxidant and its role in ROS management is reported, impact of CNA on skeletal muscle atrophy and related pathways is still unexplored. In the current study, the impact of CNA on C2C12 myotubes and the possible protection of cultured cells from H 2O 2‐induced atrophy is examined. Myotubes were treated with H 2O 2 in the presence and absence of CNA and the changes in the antioxidative, proteolytic systems, and mitochondrial functions were scored. Morphological analysis showed significant protective effects of CNA on length, diameter, and nuclei fusion index of myotubes. The evaluation of biochemical markers of atrophy; creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase along with the study of muscle‐specific structural protein (i.e., myosin heavy chain‐fast [MHCf] type) showed significant protection of proteins by CNA. CNA pretreatment not only checked the activation of proteolytic systems (ubiquitin‐proteasome E3‐ligases [MuRF1/Atrogin1]), autophagy [Beclin1/LC3B], cathepsin L, calpain, caspase), but also prevented any alteration in the activities of antioxidative defense enzymes (catalase, glutathione‐ S‐transferase, glutathione‐peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase). The results suggest that CNA protects myotubes from H 2O 2‐induced atrophy by inhibiting/resisting the amendments in proteolytic systems and maintains cellular redox‐balance.

S-allyl cysteine regulates the TNFα-induced muscle wasting by suppressing proteolysis and regulating the inflammatory molecules in skeletal muscle myotubes

BACKGROUND Elevated levels of inflammatory molecules are key players in muscle wasting/atrophy leading to human morbidity. TNFα is a well-known pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of muscle wasting under diverse clinical settings. S-allyl cysteine (SAC), an active component of garlic (Allium sativum), has established anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in various cell types. However, the impact of SAC on skeletal muscle pathology remains unexplored. Owing to the known anti-inflammatory properties of SAC, we investigated whether pre-treatment with SAC has a protective role in TNFα-induced atrophy in cultured myotubes. METHODS AND RESULTS C2C12 myotubes were treated with TNFα (100ng/ml) in the presence or absence of SAC (0.01mM). TNFα treatment induced atrophy in myotubes by up-regulating various proteolytic systems i.e. cathepsin L, calpain, ubiquitin-proteasome E3-ligases (MuRF1/atrogin1), caspase 3 and autophagy (Beclin1/LC3B). TNFα also induced the activation of NFκB by stimulating the degradation of IκBα (inhibitor of NFκB), in myotubes. The alterations in proteolytic systems likely contribute to the degradation of muscle-specific proteins and reduce the myotube length, diameter and fusion index. The SAC supplementation significantly impedes TNFα-induced protein loss and protects myotube morphology by suppressing protein catabolic systems and endogenous level of inflammatory molecules namely TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) and Nox. CONCLUSION AND GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Our findings reveal anti-atrophic role for SAC, as it prevents alterations in protein metabolism and protects myotubes by regulating the level of inflammatory molecules and multiple proteolytic systems responsible for muscle atrophy.