Manabendra Mandal

Ethnobotany of the Monpa ethnic group at Arunachal Pradesh, India

BackgroundThe present paper documents the uses of plants in traditional herbal medicine for human and veterinary ailments, and those used for dietary supplements, religious purpose, local beverage, and plants used to poison fish and wild animals. Traditional botanical medicine is the primary mode of healthcare for most of the rural population in Arunachal Pradesh.Materials and methodsField research was conducted between April 2006 and March 2009 with randomly selected 124 key informants using semi-structured questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed through informant consensus factor (FIC) to determine the homogeneity of informants knowledge on medicinal plants.ResultsWe documented 50 plants species belonging to 29 families used for treating 22 human and 4 veterinary ailments. Of the medicinal plants reported, the most common growth form was herbs (40%) followed by shrubs, trees, and climbers. Leaves were most frequently used plant parts. The consensus analysis revealed that the dermatological ailments have the highest FIC (0.56) and the gastro-intestinal diseases have FIC (0.43). FIC values indicated that there was high agreement in the use of plants in dermatological and gastro-intestinal ailments category among the users. Gymnocladus assamicus is a critically rare and endangered species used as disinfectant for cleaning wounds and parasites like leeches and lice on livestocks. Two plant species (Illicium griffithii and Rubia cordifolia) are commonly used for traditional dyeing of clothes and food items. Some of the edible plants recorded in this study were known for their treatment against high blood pressure (Clerodendron colebrookianum), diabetes mellitus (Momordica charantia), and intestinal parasitic worms like round and tape worms (Lindera neesiana, Solanum etiopicum, and Solanum indicum). The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh have traditionally been using Daphne papyracea for preparing hand-made paper for painting and writing religious scripts in Buddhist monasteries. Three plant species (Derris scandens, Aesculus assamica, and Polygonum hydropiper) were frequently used to poison fish during the month of June-July every year and the underground tuber of Aconitum ferrox is widely used in arrow poisoning to kill ferocious animals like bear, wild pigs, gaur and deer. The most frequently cited plant species; Buddleja asiatica and Hedyotis scandens were used as common growth supplements during the preparation of fermentation starter cultures.ConclusionThe traditional pharmacopoeia of the Monpa ethnic group incorporates a myriad of diverse botanical flora. Traditional knowledge of the remedies is passed down through oral traditions without any written document. This traditional knowledge is however, currently threatened mainly due to acculturation and deforestation due to continuing traditional shifting cultivation. This study reveals that the rural populations in Arunachal Pradesh have a rich knowledge of forest-based natural resources and consumption of wild edible plants is still an integral part of their socio-cultural life. Findings of this documentation study can be used as an ethnopharmacological basis for selecting plants for future phytochemical and pharmaceutical studies.

Bio-based Biodegradable and Biocompatible Hyperbranched Polyurethane: A Scaffold for Tissue Engineering

Hyperbranched polyurethanes are synthesized using TDI, PCL diol, butanediol, and pentaerythritol (1-5 wt%) as the B(4) reactant with and without the monoglyceride of sunflower oil. The biodegradation, physico-mechanical, and thermal properties are found to be tailored by varying the percentage weight of the branching unit. An MTT/hemolytic assay and subcutaneous implantation in Wistar rats followed by cytokine/ALP assay and histopathology studies confirm a better biocompatibility of HBPU with MG than without MG. HBPU supports the proliferation of dermatocytes with no toxic effect in major organs, in addition the in vitro degraded products are non-toxic. Cell adherence and proliferation endorse the bio-based HBPU as a prospective scaffold material in the niche of tissue engineering.

An inventory of the ethnobotanicals used as anti-diabetic by a rural community of Dhemaji district of Assam, Northeast India.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Traditional remedies used for treating diabetic ailments are very important in the primary health care of the people living in rural Dhemaji district of Assam, north-east India. Novel information gathered from the current survey is important in preserving folk indigenous knowledge. MATERIALS AND METHODS Interviews were conducted amongst 80 households comprising of 240 individuals using semi-structured questionnaires. The focus was on plants used in treating diabetes mellitus. RESULTS The current survey documented 21 plant species (20 families) which are reportedly used to treat diabetes mellitus by the rural people in the study area. To the best of our knowledge, Amomum linguiforme, Cinnamomum impressinervium, Colocasia esculenta, Dillenia indica, Euphorbia ligularia, Garcinia pedunculata, Solanum indicum, Sterculia villosa and Tabernaemontana divaricata are recorded for the first time based on globally published literature as medicinal plants used for treating diabetes mellitus and related symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The wide variety of plants that are used to treat diabetes mellitus in this area supports the traditional value that medicinal plants have in the primary health care system of the rural people of Dhemaji district of Assam. The finding of new plant uses in the current study reveals the importance of the documentation of such ethnobotanical knowledge.

Anti-malarial herbal remedies of northeast India, Assam: An ethnobotanical survey

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Malaria is a serious public health problem in the north-eastern region of India including Assam, in view of development of chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum. There is need for alternative and affordable therapy. AIM OF THE STUDY This study was conducted to document indigenous knowledge, usage customs and practices of medicinal plant species traditionally used by the residents of Sonitpur district of Tezpur, Assam to treat malaria and its associated symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 50 randomly selected sampling represented by male (38.76%) and female respondents (12.24%) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS The present ethno-botanical survey revealed 22 species of plants belonging to 17 botanical families were reported to be used exclusively in this region for the treatment of malaria. Verbenaceae (three species), Menispermaceae (two species), and Acanthaceae (two species) botanical families represented the species that are most commonly cited in this survey work and the detailed use of plants has been collected and described. CONCLUSIONS The most serious threat to the existing knowledge and practice on traditional medicinal plants included cultural change, particularly the influence of modernization and lack of interests shown by the next younger generations were the main problems reported by the informants during the field survey. Hence, the proper documentation of traditional medicinal plants being used as anti-malarial agents and related indigenous knowledge held by the tribal community is an important approach to control the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria reported in this survey work.

Biocompatible carboxymethylcellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid)/OMMT nanocomposite hydrogel for in vitro release of vitamin B12

The present work describes the preparation of a biocompatible nanocomposite hydrogel based on CMC-g-PAA and organo-MMT nanoclay by using methylene bis-acrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linker and potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator through radical graft polymerization. The nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by using techniques such as FTIR, SEM and XRD analysis. The effects of various parameters on the swelling behaviour of the hydrogels were studied. The mechanical strength of the nanocomposite hydrogels was determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and all the samples showed an increase in the storage modulus (G′) with an increase in cross-linker amount. The in vitro biocompatibility of the nanocomposite hydrogels showed that the presence of nanoclay in the nanocomposite hydrogel enhanced the in vitro blood compatibility. The vitamin B12 release mechanism has been studied during different time periods using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The drug release kinetics revealed that release of vitamin B12 follows a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism.

Evaluation of anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant potential of andrographolide and echiodinin isolated from callus culture of Andrographis paniculata Nees.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activity of andrographolide (AND) and echiodinin (ECH) of Andrographis paniculata. METHODS In this study, an attempt has been made to demonstrate the anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activity of isolated AND and ECH by broth micro-dilution method and 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, respectively. Structure elucidation was determined by electro-spray ionization-MSD, NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and IR spectra. RESULTS AND was effective against most of the strains tested including Mycobacterium smegmatis, showing broad spectrum of growth inhibition activity with Minimum inhibitory concentration values against Staphylococcus aureus (100 µg/mL), Streptococcus thermophilus (350 µg/mL) Bacillus subtilis (100 µg/mL), Escherichia coli (50 µg/mL), Mycobacterium smegmatis (200 µg/mL), Klebsiella pneumonia (100 µg/mL), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (200 µg/mL). ECH showed specific anti-bacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a concentration higher than 225 µg/mL. Both AND and ECH were not effective against the two yeast strains, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae tested in this study. CONCLUSION This preliminary study showed promising anti-bacterial activity and moderate free radical scavenging activity of AND and ECH, and it may provide the scientific rationale for its popular folklore medicines.

Green silver nanoparticles: enhanced antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity with effects on DNA replication and cell cytotoxicity

Biofabricated metal nanoparticles are biocompatible, inexpensive and eco-friendly. They find immense utility in the domain of biomedical and materials science. The present work focuses on the ‘green’ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the methanolic extract of Syzygium cumini leaf. AgNPs showed the characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 442 nm. The XRD pattern confirmed the formation of face centered cubic AgNPs. The nanoparticles were uniformly distributed within a narrow size range of 10–20 nm. The particles exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Trichophyton rubrum, Aspergillus sp and Candida albicans. Alterations in membrane permeability of AgNP treated microbial cells were evident from scanning electron microscope images. The replication fidelity of small (1500 bp) DNA fragments in the presence of AgNPs was compromised in a dose-dependent fashion and addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to PCR reactions reversed the effect of AgNPs. Besides, the prepared nanoparticles inhibited biofilm formation in a wide range of AgNP concentrations. Significantly, cytotoxicity assays showed good compatibility of AgNPs with human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293). In summary, the study suggests an eco-friendly, cost effective and biocompatible approach for synthesizing AgNPs, which may act as a potential template for designing novel antibacterial, antifungal and antibiofilm agents.

Physical properties of simul (red-silk cotton) wood (Bombax ceiba L.) chemically modified with styrene acrylonitrile co-polymer and nanoclay

Abstract Wood plastic composites have been prepared based on simul wood (Bombax ceiba L.), which was vacuum impregnated with the styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) co-polymer nanoclay (nnc) intercalating system in the presence of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), a crosslinking agent. The impact of nanoclay was investigated on the mechanical, thermal, dynamic mechanical behavior, and the biodegradability of the resultant wood polymer nanocomposite (WPCnnc) was investigated. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the composite were relatively higher in the presence of 2 phr nanoclay. The limiting oxygen index values showed self-extinguishing behavior of the WPCnnc. Furthermore, the storage moduli (E′) and damping index (tan δ) of these products were high. WPCSAN/GMA/nnc exhibit higher biodegradability compared to WPCSAN/GMA.

In vitro evaluation of celluloytic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AMS1 isolated from traditional fermented soybean (Churpi) as an animal probiotic

A microorganism showing probiotic attributes and hydrolyzing carboxymethylcellulose was isolated from traditional fermented soybean (Churpi) and identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence and named as B. amyloliquefaciens AMS1. The potentiality of this isolate as probiotic was investigated in vitro and it showed gastrointestinal transit tolerance, cell surface hydrophobicity, cell aggregation and antimicrobial activity. The isolate was found to be non-hemolytic which further strengthens its candidature as a potential probiotic. The maize straw digestion was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy studies. The isolate was able to degrade filter paper within 96 hours of incubation. This study explores the possibility of combining the cellulase degrading ability of a microbe with its probiotic attributes to enhance gut health of animal and digestibility of the feed.

Investigation of physical and biological properties of polypyrrole nanotubes–chitosan nanocomposites

Polypyrrole nanotubes-chitosan (PPy-NTs:chitosan) nanocomposite films have been synthesized with varying concentration of polypyrrole nanotubes (PPy-NTs) and their physical and biological properties have been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs exhibit the increase in surface roughness of the nanocomposite films with increasing concentration of PPy-NTs. Enhancement in hydrophilicity of the nanocomposite films has been observed after surface functionalization with glutaraldehyde which is attributed to increase in surface energy due to the incorporation of polar groups on the films surface. The increasing amount of PPy-NTs in the nanocomposite leads to an increase in haemolysis activity, while the treatment with glutaraldehyde results in the decrease in haemolysis activity giving rise to higher biocompatibility. Urease immobilization in glutaraldehyde treated films exhibits higher enzymatic activity as compared to that of the untreated films, which is attributed to the enhancement in hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of the PPy-NTs:chitosan nanocomposites after functionalization with glutaraldehyde.