Shumaila Bashir

Response rates of standard interferon therapy in chronic HCV patients of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)

BackgroundInterferon based therapy is used to eradicate the Hepatitis C Virus from the bodies of the infected individuals. HCV is highly prevalent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) that is why it is important to determine the response of standard interferon based therapy in Chronic HCV patients of the region.Study designA total of 174 patients were selected for interferon based therapy. The patients were selected from four different regions of KPK. After confirmation of active HCV infection by Real Time PCR, standard interferon with ribavirn was given to patients for 6 months. After completion of therapy, end of treatment virologic response (ETR) was calculated.ResultsOut of total 174 patients, 130 (74.71%) showed ETR and 44 (25.28%) did not show ETR. In district Bunir, out of 52 patients, 36 (69.23%) showed ETR and 16 (30.79%) did not show ETR. In district Mardan, out of the total 74 patients, 66 (89.18%) were negative for HCV RNA and 8 (10.81%) were resistant to therapy. In Peshawar, out of 22, 16 (60%) were negative and 6 (40%) were positive for HCV RNA at the end of 6 months therapy. In the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), out of 18 only 10 (55.5%) were negative and 8 (44.45%) were positive for active HCV infection.ConclusionIt is concluded that the response of antiviral therapy against HCV infection in chronic HCV patients of KPK province is 74.71%. The high response rate may be due to the prevalence of IFN-responsive HCV genotypes (2 and 3) in KPK.

Insecticidal, brine shrimp cytotoxicity, antifungal and nitric oxide free radical scavenging activities of the aerial parts of Myrsine africana L.

The crude methanolic extract and various fractions derived from the aerial parts of Myrsine africana were screened in vitro for possible insecticidal, antifungal, brine shrimp lethality and nitric oxide free radical scavenging activities. Low insecticidal activity (20 %) was shown by chloroform (CHCl 3 ) and aqueous fractions against Tribolium castaneum and Rhizopertha dominic a, respectively. Good cytotoxic activity (66.66 %) was shown by the n-hexane fraction of the plant at 1000 μg/ml. The rest of the fractions showed low lethality at higher doses. No antifungal activity was observed for the crude extract and fractions screened against various fungal strains. The plant crude extract and fractions showed a concentration dependent nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity. Key words: Myrsine africana, insecticidal, brine shrimp lethality, antifungal and nitric oxide free radical scavenging assay.

Inhibition activities of colchicum luteum baker on lipoxygenase and other enzymes

In vitro enzymes inhibition activities of the crude methanolic extract and various fractions of Colchicum luteum Baker (Liliaceae) including chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous were carried out against actylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, lipoxygenase and urease enzymes. A significant enzyme inhibition activity (89%) is shown by the crude methanolic extract and its fractions against lipoxygenase, while low to significant activity (32–75%) was evident against butyrylcholinesterase. The crude methanolic extract and its various fractions demonstrated low activity (29–61%) against acetylcholinesterase and no activity against urease.

Anti-inflammatory and enzyme inhibitory activities of a crude extract and a pterocarpan isolated from the aerial parts of Vitex agnus-castus.

A new compound, 6a,11a-dihydro-6H-[1] benzofuro [3,2-c][1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-9-ol was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Vitex agnus-castus. The structure of this compound was identified with the help of spectroscopic techniques ((13)C NMR, (1)H NMR, HMBC, HMQC, NOESY and COSY). The compound showed low urease- (32.0%) and chymotrypsin- (31.4%) inhibitory activity, and moderate (41.3%) anti-inflammatory activity. The crude extract and various fractions obtained from the aerial parts of the plant were also screened for possible in vitro hemagglutination, antibacterial and phytotoxic activities. No hemagglutination activity against human erythrocytes was observed in crude extracts and fractions of V. agnus-castus. The fractions and crude methanolic extract showed moderate and low antibacterial activity. Exceptions were the CHCl(3) fraction, which showed significant antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumonia (81% with MIC(50)=2.19 mg/mL), the n-hexane fraction, which exhibited no activity against Salmonella typhi, and the CHCl(3) and aqueous fractions, which showed no activity against Bacillus pumalis. Moderate phytotoxic activity (62.5%) was observed by n-hexane fraction of V. agnus-castus against Lemna minor L at 1000 μg/mL.

Evaluation of mycotoxins, mycobiota and toxigenic fungi in selected medicinal plants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Medicinal plants are used worldwide to treat a variety of ailments. Due to the provenance of medicinal plants, they are subjected to contamination by moulds, which may be responsible for spoilage and production of mycotoxins. The investigation was designed to throw light on mycological and mycotoxicological status of some medicinal plants from Pakistan and the result showed 30 % and 26.7 % samples were contaminated with aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, respectively. Mould contamination was present in 90 % samples, of which 70 % exceeded the permissible limits. Opium poppy, licorice root, and Indian rennet were most contaminated samples. The predominant moulds found were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Penicillium spp. and 31 % of the 47 isolates tested were found to be toxigenic. The findings indicate that the contamination in the medicinal plants may contribute to adverse human health problems. This information would prove helpful for regulatory agencies to establish limits for these contaminants in medicinal plants and will explore ways for export of herbal products to countries where more stringent permissible limits of mycotoxins exist. The study is first of its kind in the country reporting natural occurrence of mycotoxins in medicinal plants in Pakistan.

Relationship between the concentration of copper and iron in the aqueous humour and intraocular pressure in rabbits treated with topical steroids

Purpose: To evaluate the concentration of copper and iron in the aqueous humour of steroid‐treated eyes, particularly to study the concentration of these metals in relation to steroid‐induced increases in intraocular pressure (IOP).

Phytofabricated gold nanoparticles and their biomedical applications

In a couple of decades, nanotechnology has become a trending technology owing to its integrated science collection that incorporates variety of fields such as chemistry, physics, medicine, catalytic processes, food processing industries, electronics and energy sectors. One of the emerging fields of nanotechnology that has gained momentous admiration is nano-biotechnology. Nano-biotechnology is an integrated combination of biology with nanotechnology that encompasses the tailoring, and synthesis of small particles that are less than 100nm in size and subsequent exploitation of these particles for their biological applications. Though the variety of physical techniques and chemical procedures are known for the nanoparticles synthesis, biological approach is considered to be the preferred one. Environmental hazards and concerns associated with the physical and chemical approaches of nanoparticles synthesis has added impetus and zenith to the biological approach involving the use of plants and microorganisms. The current review article is focused on the synthesis of plant-derived (phytochemical) gold nanoparticles alongside their scope in biomedical applications.

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of teucrium royleanum (Labiatea).

The crude methanolic extract and subsequent fractions of Teucrium royleanum (Labiatea) were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Against tested pathogens, crude extract and subsequent fractions demonstrated moderate to excellent antibacterial activities. Highest antibacterial activity was displayed by the ethyl acetate fraction against S. typhi (100%), against E.coli (76.7%) and against P. aerugenosa (70.8%) followed by the chloroform fraction against S. typhi (85.7%). Similarly, the crude extract and its subsequent fractions showed mild to excellent activities in the antifungal bioassay with maximum antifungal activity against M. canis (87%) by the chloroform fraction followed by the ethyl acetate (71%) and n-butanol (70%) fractions.

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of andrachne cordifolia muell

The crude methanolic extract of Andrachne cordifolia Muell. (Euphorbiaceae) and its various fractions in different solvent systems (chloroform, ethyl acetate and n- butanol) were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Crude extract and subsequent fractions demonstrated moderate to excellent antibacterial activities against the tested pathogens. Highest antibacterial activity was displayed by both chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions (100%) followed by the crude extract (68%) against Salmonella typhi. Similarly, crude extract and its subsequent fractions showed mild to excellent activities in antifungal bioassay with maximum (76%) antifungal activity against Microsporum canis by the chloroform fraction followed by the crude extract (65%).

Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Sesquiterpene Coumarins from Ferula narthex Bioss: A New Anticancer Agent

[This corrects the article on p. 26 in vol. 7, PMID: 26909039.].The main objective of cancer management with chemotherapy (anticancer drugs) is to kill the neoplastic (cancerous) cell instead of a normal healthy cell. The bioassay-guided isolation of two new sesquiterpene coumarins (compounds 1 and 2) have been carried out from Ferula narthex collected from Chitral, locally known as “Raw.” Anticancer activity of crude and all fractions have been carried out to prevent carcinogenesis by using MTT assay. The n-hexane fraction showed good activity with an IC50 value of 5.434 ± 0.249 μg/mL, followed by crude MeFn extract 7.317 ± 0.535 μg/mL, and CHCl3 fraction 9.613 ± 0.548 μg/mL. Compounds 1 and 2 were isolated from chloroform fraction. Among tested pure compounds, compound 1 showed good anticancer activity with IC50 value of 14.074 ± 0.414 μg/mL. PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra) analysis of the compound 1 was carried out, in order to predicts their binding probability with anti-cancer target. As a results the compound 1 showed binding probability with human histone acetyltransferase with Pa (probability to be active) value of 0.303. The compound 1 was docked against human histone acetyltransferase (anti-cancer drug target) by using molecular docking simulations. Molecular docking results showed that compound 1 accommodate well in the anti-cancer drug target. Moreover the activity support cancer chemo preventive activity of different compounds isolated from the genus Ferula, in accordance with the previously reported anticancer activities of the genus.