A potential antibacterial agent Embelin, a natural benzoquinone extracted from Embelia ribes

Herbal medicine has been used for the prevention and treatment of various health aliments from time immemorial. In the present work, embelin from Embelia ribes berries of Indian origin was extracted and characterized by UV, NMR, thermal and X-ray diffraction analyses. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of embelin against both Gram +ve and Gram -ve bacteria were studied using micro dilution method and agar plate method by sub-culturing 10μl of the test dilutions from MIC tubes on to fresh Mueller-Hinton agar plates. About 1.9± 0.1 gram of pure embelin was obtained from 100 gram of powdered berries (E.ribes). The characteristics studied reveal the properties are on par with the standard embelin received from Sigma (USA). With regard to antibacterial activity, embelin showed bactericidal activity against Gram +ve organisms, and bacteriostatic against Gram -ve organisms. Thus, embelin finds application as potent antibacterial agent

Management of chromium induced oxidative stress by marine Bacillus licheniformis

The present study describes management of oxidative stress induced by heavy metal chromium in marine Bacillus licheniformis (NCBI GenBank Accession Number- HM194725). It is identified that the isolate reduces 10-1500 mg/L of Cr (VI) within 24-72 h. Existence of chromium reductase in growth medium implies the possibility of enzymatic reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III). Nevertheless, no correlation was observed between the real concentration of Cr (III) and the predicted concentration upon reduction of Cr (VI). Extracellular surface-active agent (biosurfactant) of the isolate was found responsible for the reduced level of Cr (III) in the solution which eventually provides tolerance to the cells towards hexavalent chromium and protects the cells from oxidative stress

Quality assessment of commercial formulations of tin based herbal drug by physico-chemical fingerprints

The Tin based herbal drug Vanga Parpam is extensively used for treating urino genital infections, Odema, Polydepsia and Dyspepsia effectively. There are no reports of physico chemical fingerprints for the tin based drug available. Proper characterization techniques are required for checking the quality of the commercial samples, in terms of the physical and chemical constitution to meet the expected criteria to support its use worldwide. Two popular commercial brands such drug were characterized and compared in terms of morphology, composition, crystal lattice, and oxidation state of the active metal. Physico-chemical fingerprints were generated for the samples using analytical techniques like Powder X ray crystallography, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X ray Analysis and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Fourier Transformed Infra Red spectroscopy. It was found that the percentage of tin varied drastically in both brands along with a difference in the percentage composition of other elements and surface morphology which would have significant impact on the therapeutic efficacy and pharmacological activity of the drug samples. The current study appropriately substantiated the need for the use of modern analytical techniques in the establishment of quality and safety assurance of such potent drug

Bioinformatics in crosslinking chemistry of collagen with selective cross linkers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Identifying the molecular interactions using bioinformatics tools before venturing into wet lab studies saves the energy and time considerably. The present study summarizes, molecular interactions and binding energy calculations made for major structural protein, collagen of Type I and Type III with the chosen cross-linkers, namely, coenzyme Q₁₀, dopaquinone, embelin, embelin complex-1 & 2, idebenone, 5-O-methyl embelin, potassium embelate and vilangin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Molecular descriptive analyses suggest, dopaquinone, embelin, idebenone, 5-O-methyl embelin, and potassium embelate display nil violations. And results of docking analyses revealed, best affinity for Type I (- 4.74 kcal/mol) and type III (-4.94 kcal/mol) collagen was with dopaquinone.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Among the selected cross-linkers, dopaquinone, embelin, potassium embelate and 5-O-methyl embelin were the suitable cross-linkers for both Type I and Type III collagen and stabilizes the collagen at the expected level.</p

Removal of Tannic Acid From Aqueous Solution by Cloud Point Extraction and Investigation of Surfactant Regeneration by Microemulsion Extraction

The aim of this work is the extraction of tannic acid (TA) with two commercial nonionic surfactants, separately: Lutensol ON 30 and Triton X-114 (TX-114).The experimental cloud point extraction results are expressed by four responses to surfactant concentration and temperature variations: extent of TA extraction (E), remaining solute (X s,w) and surfactant (X t,w) concentrations in dilute phase and volume fraction of coacervate (Φc) at equilibrium. An empirical smoothing method was used and the results are represented on three dimensional plots. In optimal conditions, the extraction extent of TA reaches 95 and 87 % using TX-114 and Lutensol ON 30, respectively. Sodium sulfate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) addition and pH effect are also studied. Finally, the possibility of recycling of the surfactant is proved

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND HPTLC ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE PLANT OF ORTHOSIPHON THYMIFLORUS (ROTH.) SLEESEN

 Objective: The plant Orthosiphon thymiflorus (Roth.) sleesen is an herb belonging to the family Lamiaceae. It has been reported to possessseveral pharmacological properties. The study was aimed at carrying out the physico-chemical, phytochemical and high-performance thin layerchromatography (HPTLC) analysis on the whole plant of O. thymiflorus.Methods: The physico-chemical parameters were tested using standard methods. The preliminary tests for phytochemicals present were testedusing conventional methods. CAMAG HPTLC system equipped with TLC autosampler 4 applicator, TLC scanner 3 and win CATS 1.4.4. software wasused for HPTLC analysis of the plant. The different extracts were developed using suitable mobile phases using standard procedures and scannedunder ultraviolet 254 nm. The plates were also viewed under 366 nm and after derivatization with vanillin-sulfuric acid.Results: The physico-chemical parameters were studied. The plant was found to be free from adulteration and contamination. On phytochemicalanalysis, the plant showed the presence of triterpenoid, flavonoid, alkaloid, phenol, steroid, sugars, quinone and coumarin in different extracts tested.The TLC plate showed several spots at different Rf when viewed under 254 nm, 366 nm and after derivatization with vanillin-sulfuric acid. The HPTLCprofile showed several peaks that indicated the presence of various phytochemicals present in the plant.Conclusion: The study will help in standardization of the plant. The HPTLC profile will help in authentication and standardization of the plant.Keywords: Orthosiphon thymiflorus, High performance thin layer chromatography, Phytochemical screening, Standardization