Ramesh L. Londonkar

Nicotine induced inhibition of the activities of accessory reproductive ducts in male rats

Adult male albino rats were treated with 0.4 mg nicotine/100 g body weight either orally or intraperitoneally for 30 days. All animals were autopsied on the 31st day. Epididymis and vas deferens were dissected out, weighed and processed for biochemical estimations. Nicotine caused a reduction in the weight of epididymis and vas deferens in both drug treated groups. The total cholesterol content is increased while protein, DNA and RNA contents and the epididymal sperm count were decreased. The acid phosphatase content is also decreased, whereas alkaline phosphatase is increased. The surface epithelial cell height of these ducts is decreased and secretory activity is reduced with the disruption of epithelial cell projections. These changes may be due to non-availability of androgens in nicotine treated rats.

Antiandrogenic effect of Striga orobanchioides

The ethanolic extract of the whole plant of Striga orobanchioides given for 7 days to immature male rats at a dose level of 200 mg/kg body weight caused a significant decrease in the weight of the testes, epididymis, seminal vesicles and the ventral prostate. It also produced degenerative changes of Leydig cells, their nucleus, the seminiferous tubules and a significant decrease in the number of spermatocytes and spermatids. The seminiferous tubules of the treated rats are shrunken and compactly arranged. The antiandrogenic or antispermatogenic effect of the extract is discussed.

Antibacterial Attributes of Apigenin, Isolated from Portulaca oleracea L.

The flavonoid apigenin was isolated from aerial part of P. oleracea L. The dried sample of plant was powdered and subjected to soxhlet extractor by adding 80 mL of ethanol : water (70 : 30). The extract was centrifuged at 11000 rpm for 30 min; supernatant was taken for further use. The fraction was concentrated and subjected to PTLC. The R f value of isolated apigenin was calculated (0.82). Purified material was also subjected to its IR spectra, LC-MS, NMR, and HPLC for structural elucidation. The apigenin so-obtained was subjected to antibacterial activity on five pathogenic bacterial strains like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter aerogenes; among all the bacterial strains, Salmonella typhimurium (17.36 ± 0.18) and Proteus mirabilis (19.12 ± 0.01) have shown maximum diameter of inhibition zone for flavonoid and remaining bacterial strains have shown moderate diameter of inhibition zone when compared with control values 14.56 ± 0.21 and 11.68 ± 0.13, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the flavonoid isolated from P. oleracea L. was tested at the concentration ranging from undiluted sample to 10 mg per mL of concentration. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) for the flavonoid for all tested bacterial strains was found to be >4 mg per mL. Hence, the apigenin has antibacterial property and can be used to develop antibacterial drugs.

Nicotine Delays Puberty In Male Rat

Immature male albino rats, 30 days of age, were treated with 0.3 mg nicotine/100 g body weight either orally or intraperitoneally for 30 days. All the animals were autopsied on the 61 st day, by which time they were sexually mature. Testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle, prostate gland and vas deferens were dissected out, weighed, and processed for biochemical and histological studies. Weight of testis and accessory sex organs of nicotine treated group was significantly reduced. The total cholesterol content was increased while protein, DNA and RNA contents were decreased. The acid phosphatase content was also decreased whereas that of alkaline phosphatase was increased. The surface epithelial cell height of accessory sex organs was decreased along with secretory activity. No spermatozoan was observed in the cauda epididymis of intraperitoneal nicotine treated rats. The changes in the testis and accessory sex organs may be due to reduced output of pituitary FSH and LH which are important to initiate the spermatogenesis and steroidogensis. The absence of spermatozoa in the cauda epididymis and reduction in the activities of accessory sex organs indicates the delay caused by nicotine in the attainment of puberty.

Characterization of phyto-nanoparticles from Ficus krishnae for their antibacterial and anticancer activities

Abstract Background: Ovarian cancer is deadliest of fifth leading cause of death in women worldwide. This is due to advanced-stage disease rate associated with the development of chemoresistance. Hence, the current study emphasizes the process of synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from green chemistry method. Ficus krishnae is a perennial plant, native to India, used in folklore medicine to treat various diseases. Objective: For the development of reliable, ecofriendly, less expensive process for the synthesis of AgNPs against bacterial and ovarian cancer. Methodology: The synthesis of silver nanoparticles from stem bark of Ficus krishnae was carried out. The synthesized nanoparticles are subjected by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and FTIR analysis. The antibacterial efficacy also determined by disc diffusion method, MIC, CFU and growth curve. In vitro cytotoxicity effect of aqueous extract and AgFK nanoparticle in ovarian cancer cell line by MTT assay was performed. Results: The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by UV-VIS spectroscopic absorbance shown that peak at 435 nm. XRD photograph has indicated the face-centered cubic structure of the synthesized AgNPs. SEM study demonstrated that the size from 160 to 260 nm with interparticle distance, whereas shape is spherical. The particle size were ranging from 15 to 28 nm determined by XRD pattern. The antibacterial and cytotoxicity activity of this nanoparticle has showed a potential activity when compared with standards. Conclusion: The present study confirms that the biosynthesized AgNPs from Ficus krishnae stem bark extract have a great affiance as antibacterial and anticancer agent.

Cytotoxicity and hepatoprotective attributes of methanolic extract of Rumex vesicarius L.

BackgroundTo evaluate the hepatoprotective potential and invitro cytotoxicity studies of whole plant methanol extract of Rumex vesicarius L. Methanol extract at a dose of 100 mg/kg bw and 200 mg/kg bw were assessed for its hepatoprotective potential against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity by monitoring activity levels of SGOT (Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase), SGPT (Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase), ALP (Alkaline phosphatase), TP (Total protein), TB (Total bilirubin) and SOD (Superoxide dismutase), CAT (Catalase), MDA (Malondialdehyde). The cytotoxicity of the same extract on HepG2 cell lines were also assessed using MTT assay method at the concentration of 62.5, 125, 250, 500 μg/ml.ResultsPretreatment of animals with whole plant methanol extracts of Rumex vesicarius L. significantly reduced the liver damage and the symptoms of liver injury by restoration of architecture of liver. The biochemical parameters in serum also improved in treated groups compared to the control and standard (silymarin) groups. Histopathological investigation further corroborated these biochemical observations. The cytotoxicity results indicated that the plant extract which were inhibitory to the proliferation of HepG2 cell line with IC50 value of 563.33 ± 0.8 μg/ml were not cytotoxic and appears to be safe.ConclusionsRumex vesicarius L. whole plant methanol extract exhibit hepatoprotective activity. However the cytotoxicity in HepG2 is inexplicable and warrants further study.

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND GC-MS ANALYSIS OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF BOMBAX CEIBA BARK

Preliminary screening of phytochemicals is a valuable step, in the detection of the bioactive principles present in medicinal plants and subsequently it will lead to drug discovery and development. The present effort has been intended to investigate the phytochemical constituents, quantify the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and to determine the possible bioactive components of methanolic bark extract of Bombax Ceiba using GC-MS analysis. Phytochemical screening of bark extract revealed the presence of around 30 compounds such as alkaloid, carbohydrates, tannins, steroids, flavonoids, glycosides and phenolic compounds. Amongst these it was found to contain the highest phenolic content and flavonoids content. The compounds were identified by comparing their retention time, peak area and by interpretation of mass spectra and matched with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. The Bombax ceiba shows it is an excellent source of phytocomponents, which are medicinal important to become a potential drug in future perspective. Isolation of individual components would however, help to find new drugs.

In vitro antioxidant anti inflammatory and cytotoxicity activities from Hexane extract of Bryonopsis laciniosa fruits.

Bryonopsis laciniosa also known as “Shivlingi” annual climber with bright red fruits and is reported to be highly medicinal in India . As a folk medicine, the plant is used in treatment of broad range of diseases and disorders. In the present study, Hexane extract of B. laciniosa fruits were used to evaluate in vitro anti inflammatory, antioxidant and Cytotoxicity (towards MCF-7 cell line) activities. In vitro anti inflammatory activity by inhibition of protein denaturation, antioxidant assays like DPPH, ABTS, H 2 O 2 and FRAP were used to measure the antioxidant capacity of the hexane extracts and cytotoxicity activity using MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Hexane extract showed the effective antioxidant activity in all assays compared to ascorbic acid and BHT. The results for In vitro anti inflammatory activity of hexane extract and Dichlofenac drug were equivalent, hexane extract showed promising activity for inhibition of protein denaturation assay. The cytotoxicity activity from hexane extract was noticeable against MCF-7 cell line. The overall results show potential application of Bryonopsis laciniosa fruits suggesting their potential application as a health-promoting functional ingredient or natural preservative in foods.

Potential Investigation of In Vitro Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Haemolytic Activities from Polar Solvent Extracts of Pterocarpus marsupium

Pterocarpus marsupium is a well known plant in ayurvedic system of medicine. The plant has been found to possess diverse number of biological activities and is thus commercially exploited. In the present study, methanol and aqueous extracts of P.marsupium bark were used to evaluate in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-haemolytic activities. In vitro antioxidant activity was carried out by DPPH, ABTS, phosphomolybdenum, reducing power assays, antiinflammatory activity by inhibition of protein denaturation and anti-haemolytic by hyposaline induced haemolysis. Total phenolic and flavonoid content was also estimated. Methanol extract showed an effective pharmacological activity in all assays when compared with their respective standards. The maximum phenolic and flavonoid contents were found to be (280 ±0.47mg/g) and (620±0.81mg/g) respectively in methanol extract of Pterocarpus marsupium. This study indicates the presence of active constituents which can be exploited for the treatment of various diseases and also could be used in pharmaceutical industry.

GC-MS ANALYSIS OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN PETROLEUM ETHER EXTRACT OF FICUS KRISHNAE

The presence of phytochemical constituents in this selected species of Moraceae has been reported. There is no report exist on the phytochemical composition of i.e. GC-MS analysis of Ficus krishnae in petroleum ether extract. The present study was designed to determine the bioactive compounds in the petroleum ether extract of Ficus krishnae stem bark. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of petroleum ether extract of Ficus krishnae stem bark was investigated using Perkin-Elmer Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry. The GC-MS analysis has shown the presence of different phytochemical compounds in petroleum ether extract of Ficus krishnae composition. A total of 12 compounds were identified with valuable biological activity in the above extract. From the results, it is evident that Ficus krishnae contain various phytocomponents and is recommended as a plant of phytopharmaceutical importance.