Chitosan nanoparticles as Carrier of Immunorestoratory plant extract: synthesis, characterization and Immunorestoratory efficacy

Various medicinal plants are rich in certain bioactive compounds that can help in restoration of immune system but these compounds may be unstable in gastro intestinal tract due to elevated pH and harsh conditions that render the biotherapeutic compound ineffective in GI tract. Various particulate systems such as nanoparticles had been used to improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of various drugs. In our present research we have used chitosan, a biodegradable polymer as carrier of plant extract (i.e Ethanolic extract of leaves of Ziziphus mauritiana) having immunomodulatory property and checked its immunorestorative efficacy in immunosuppressed hostIt was found that the oral administration of leaf extract of plant loaded in chitosan nanoparticles is an efficient immunorestorer in Swiss albino mice whose immune system had been suppressed by giving intraperitoneal injection of hydrocortisone(10mg/Kg body weight).The nanoparticles system enhances stability in harsh conditions in GI tract and may be a better vehicle in future for efficient drug delivery.Keywords: Chitosan, nanoparticles, immunorestoration, Ziziphus mauritiana, Hydrocortisone, Immunosuppressio

Portal Vein Aneurysm: Incidental Detection of Uncommon Entity as Cause of Chronic Abdominal Pain

Portal vein aneurysm is an uncommon anomaly. Both congenital and acquired cases are reported. We report a case of idiopathic probably congenital portal vein aneurysm incidentally detected on contrast CT. There was no evidence of any chronic liver disease or portal hypertension in this patient

Functional and Predictive Structural Characterization of WRINKLED2, A Unique Oil Biosynthesis Regulator in Avocado

WRINKLED1 (WRI1), a member of the APETALA2 (AP2) class of transcription factors regulates fatty acid biosynthesis and triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in plants. Among the four known Arabidopsis WRI1 paralogs, only WRI2 was unable to complement and restore fatty acid content in wri1-1 mutant seeds. Avocado (Persea americana) mesocarp, which accumulates 60-70% dry weight oil content, showed high expression levels for orthologs of WRI2, along with WRI1 and WRI3, during fruit development. While the role of WRI1 as a master regulator of oil biosynthesis is well-established, the function of WRI1 paralogs is poorly understood. Comprehensive and comparative in silico analyses of WRI1 paralogs from avocado (a basal angiosperm) with higher angiosperms Arabidopsis (dicot), maize (monocot) revealed distinct features. Predictive structural analyses of the WRI orthologs from these three species revealed the presence of AP2 domains and other highly conserved features, such as intrinsically disordered regions associated with predicted PEST motifs and phosphorylation sites. Additionally, avocado WRI proteins also contained distinct features that were absent in the nonfunctional Arabidopsis ortholog AtWRI2. Through transient expression assays, we demonstrated that both avocado WRI1 and WRI2 are functional and drive TAG accumulation in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We predict that the unique features and activities of ancestral PaWRI2 were likely lost in orthologous genes such as AtWRI2 during evolution and speciation, leading to at least partial loss of function in some higher eudicots. This study provides us with new targets to enhance oil biosynthesis in plants

Optimization and effects of physico-chemical parameters on synthesis of Chitosan Nanoparticles by Ionic Gelation Technique

Background. Biopolymers are used as vehicles for the carrying drugs to their site of action. These polymers are less toxic and can even protect the drug entity from degradation in physiological conditions of the body. Large number of techniques are employed to prepare the nanoformulation of these polymers but ionic gelation is of great interest because no harsh and incompatible chemicals are used during the process. Chitosan nanoparticles are good drug carriers because of their good biocompatibility and biodegradability. As a new drug delivery system they have attracted attention due to their applications in loading protein, drugs etc.  In the present research ionic gelation technique have been optimized for the preparation of chitosan nanoparticles. Various physico-chemical parameters of Nanoparticles such as size, Zeta potential and poly dispersity index were evaluated under different process parameters. Result: In current study ionic gelation technique had been optimized for the preparation of chitosan nanoparticles. We have evaluated the effect of various physico-chemical parameters such as type of polyanion, Sonication, surfactant etc and their effect on size and zeta potential of nanoparticles had been studied. Conclusion: A novel Nanoparticle system composed of low molecular weight chitosan was successfully prepared in the present study by simple ionic-gelation techniques under aqueous-based conditions. It was observed that there was considerable effect of various physico- chemical parameters on size, zeta potential and polydispersity index of Nanoparticles prepared. Results shows that the size of Nanoparticles decreases with the increase in concentration of  Chitosan. Polyvinyl alcohol was found to be the best surfactant because it was very effective in decreasing the surface tension without increasing viscosity. Intermittent sonication during the process decreases the size of Nanoparticles considerably.Controled use of polyanions under different conditions can develop  negatively charged Nanoparticles that can be used for delivery of positively charded drugs and therapeutic molecules

ENHANCEMENT OF IMMUNE RESPONSES BY PROBIOTIC PROPERTIES OF LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS NCDC 195

Probiotics are microbial food supplements with beneficial effects on human health. Along with the dietary supplement, probiotics also have immunomodulatory properties. Present study was carried out using the in-vivo utilization of albino mice for the study of immunomodulatory effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 195. To estimate the increase immune responses Nitroblue Tetrazolium reduction test, (Inducible Nitric Oxide synthase) test and Phagocytosis (% age) have been studied. Results were compared with the control value and. It was observed that feeding the Swiss albino mice for 15 days with Probiotic dosage (Yogurt), causes 1.98 times increase in Nitroblue Tetrazolium reduction test as compared to control, whereas Inducible Nitric Oxide synthase and phagocytosis shows 1.71 and 1.82 times increase in immune responses respectively. Cell mediated immune response was also calculated, where there was increase of 1.04, 1.07 and 1.02 times in Delayed Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) as compared to control was observed. Keywords: Immunomodulation, Nitroblue Tetrazolium (NBT) reduction, Probiotic, Phagocytosis, Cell mediated immune response, Inducible Nitric Oxide synthetase

HYPOGLYCEMIC POTENTIAL OF PROBIOTIC DNA LOADED CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES: AN IN VIVO STUDY

The rise in infectious diseases as well as noninfectious immune related disorders causes millions of premature deaths worldwide and demands the need for the development of efficient immunomodulators. Consumer awareness about the harmful effects of chemical drugs raised a need to search for natural/ alternative therapies for the treatment of diseases. Immunotherapy is one of the alternative ways of modification of diseases. Some bacterial cell components such as peptidoglycans, lipoteichoic acid, secreted soluble substances, genomic DNA, etc, play role in immunomodulation responses. Structural difference between bacterial and eukaryotic DNA apparently account for the ability of bacterial DNA to serve as an immune activating agent, because of its high content of unmethylated CpG dinucleotides. Probiotic DNA’s efficacy could be further enhanced by loading it onto nanoparticles. Nanoparticle-assisted delivery may be a promising approach to alleviate the problem of instability and degradation of DNA. The present study was conducted to prepare and characterize the probiotic DNA loaded chitosan nanoparticles (DLCNP) and to find out the anti-diabetic potential of probiotic bacterial DNA Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 343 (LA DNA). Therapeutic efficacy of Probiotic DNA loaded with Chitosan Nanoparticles was evaluated in treating diabetic Balb/c mice. DNA loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles proved as effective anti-diabetic agents and in addition, the bioactivity of probiotic DNA was improved through nano delivery. Keywords: Probiotics, Probiotic DNA, Chitosan-DNA Nanoparticles, Immunotherapy, Anti-diabetic/ Hypoglycemic activity Â