Rapid Induction of Somatic Embryos and Production of Synthetic Seeds from Hempedu Bumi (Andrographis paniculata) - A Malay Ethnomedicinal Plant

Hempedu Bumi, Andrographis paniculata a popular Malay ethnomedicinal plant used to treat various kinds of diseases like common cold, fever, liver disease and snake bite. Andrographolide a bitter compound present in the plant posses many medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-HIV and promising anticancer activity. Large amount of the compound is being extracted from the plants so there is a need for commercial cultivation of this plant, but seed dormancy proved to be a major obstacle for this process. So production of non-dormant synthetic seeds is an alternative to the dormant natural seeds for the mass cultivation of this plant. Hence the present study is aimed to produce somatic embryos and synthetic seeds using plant tissue culture technique. The zygotic embryos from immature seeds of A. paniculata were inoculated on to MS media containing various auxins (NAA, IBA, 2, 4-D), and cytokinins (BAP, TDZ and Kinetin) for the induction of somatic embryos. Out of all the treatments used, only 1.5 mg/L NAA + 0.75 mg/L Kinetin produced somatic embryos after 6 weeks of culture and the number of somatic embryos per explant was 9.8 ± 0.6. NAA alone produced rhizogenic calli and NAA along with BAP produced hard friable white callus, 2, 4-D alone and 2, 4-D with cytokinins (BAP, Kinetin) produced creamy callus, while IBA alone and in combination with cytokinins (BAP, Kinetin), TDZ resulted in germination of embryos into seedlings. The somatic embryos produced were coated with sodium alginate solution and made into synthetic seeds. The synthetic seeds that have been produced can be used as planting material and for conservation of the plant for future uses

In Vitro Propagation of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Cultivar Jawzi Using Shoot Tip

This study reports the successful establishment of a somatic embryogenesis technique for the mass production of a date palm Jawzi cultivar using shoot tip explants. The shoot tip, leaf primordia, and the ground of apical meristems were utilised as explants in the research. The study involved the utilisation of various types of media. It began with initiation media (IM), which had two stages for inducing embryogenesis. This was followed by multiplication media (MM), then elongation shoot media (EM), and finally rooting media (RM) and acclimatization. Embryo induction in the different media types required 50-53 weeks. The first stage, IM2, (3.0 mg.l-l 2iP, 10.0 mg.l-l NAA and 5.0 mg.l-l 2,4-D) for 12 weeks. This was followed by the second stage, IM3, which lasted for 38-41 weeks and included 1.0 mg.l-l BAP, 1.5 mg.l-l 2iP, and 1.0 mg.l-l NAA. These stages enabled us to achieve the optimal value for embryo induction. Afterward the MM3 (0.5. mg.l-l BAP, 0.5 mg.l-l 2iP and 0.5 mg.l-l KIN) showed the highest percentage of total counts of embryo multiplication, while the highest shoot length was attained on EM1 (1.0. mg.l-l BAP, 1.0 mg.l-l KIN and 0.1 mg.l-l IBA). The results also highlighted that RM1 (0.1 mg.l-l BAP, 0.1 mg.l-l KIN,1.0 mg.l-l NAA and 0.5 mg.l-l IBA) showed the highest roots length and roots number, in conclusion, these findings emphasise the importance of media composition in tissue culture protocols. Evaluating the effects of specific media components on different aspects of plant development can optimise tissue culture protocols for plant propagation

Melissopalynological Analysis of Forest Honey from North Malaysia

Honey is a natural product widely used by humans due to its sweet taste and health benefits produced by bees from nectar and honey dew of various plants. To establish and increase the production of honey one must know the plants that take part in the production of honey. In this study pollen analysis of forest honey samples from northern part of Malaysia was carried out to determine the botanical sources playing role in the production of honey in that region. The pollen samples were acetolyzed and identified microscopically. Out of the three samples studied Baling sample was unifloral having Mimosa scabrella as predominant pollen while Jeli and Gerik samples are multifloral containing Tipo myrcia and Elais guineensis as major secondary pollen. Fabaceae family represented four pollen types and accounted 80% of pollen in Baling sample and 34 % in Gerik sample while completely absent in Jeli sample. These results showed the dominance of plants from Fabaceae family in honey production. All the samples analysed have Albizia falcataria, Eupatorium sp., Sparganium typha, Tilia sp. and Tipo myrcia in common indicating that these plants are present in all the three places and these results also can be used as a tool in geographical identification of North Malaysian honey from others

Polyherbal formulation conjugated to gold nanoparticles induced ferroptosis in drug-resistant breast cancer stem cells through ferritin degradation

Aim: Due to their minimal side effects, the anti-cancer properties of the polyherbal formulation are being investigated. However, due to their low absorption potential, the administration of polyherbal formulations is restricted. Loading the polyherbal formulation into gold nanoparticles enhances the bioavailability of the polyherbal formulation (PHF) accompanied by reducing the concentration of doxorubicin (dox). Ferroptosis is one of the novel pathways that specifically target cancer stem cells due to high ferritin levels. Hence, in the present study, we conjugated polyherbal formulation with gold nanoparticles and studied its effect on inducing ferroptosis in drug-resistant breast cancer cell lines.Materials and methods: PHF and dox conjugated to gold nanoparticles were characterized using FTIR, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, DLS, particle size analyzer, and XRD. The drug entrapment and efficiency studies were performed to assess the biodegradable potential of the synthesized gold nanoparticles. Paclitaxel-resistant breast cancer stem cells were generated, and an MTT assay was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity potential of AuNP-PHF and AuNP-dox. Scratch assay and clonogenic assay were performed to assess the migration and proliferation of the cells after treatment with chosen drug combinations. The ability of PHF and dox conjugated to gold nanoparticles to induce ferritinophagy was evaluated by RT-PCR. Finally, image analysis was performed to check apoptosis and cellular ROS using inverted fluorescent microscope. The ability to induce cell cycle arrest was assessed by cell cycle analysis using flow cytometer.Results and conclusion: PHF and dox conjugated to gold nanoparticles showed high stability and showed to induce ferritin degradation in drug resistant breast cancer stem cells through ferritin degradation. AuNP-PHF in combination with low dose of AuNP-Dox nanoconjugate could be used as an effective cancer therapeutic agent, by targeting the autophagy necroptosis axis

Plantlet regeneration of Cucumis melo L. Glamour cv. using different types of cytokinin and explants

Plantlets or clones’ regeneration in Cucurbitaceae species can be performed in vitro by applying the tissue culture techniques. Hypocotyls, cotyledons, leaves, cotyledonary nodes and petioles can be used as the explants or starting materials to initiate the regeneration under laboratory condition. BAP (Benzyl aminopurine) and TDZ (Thidiazuron) were among the well-known cytokinin used in tissue culture as plant hormones to regulate the plant growth in vitro. The effectiveness of BAP and TDZ was investigated in this study to determine the effect of different types of cytokinin hormone on C. melo explants since both hormones might show differences in their activity towards C. melo explants. This study found that BAP was superior at all used concentrations compared to TDZ during most of the growing stage of the explants (cotyledons and hypocotyls). Based on this finding, the experiment was repeated by using different types of explants which were nodal explants, petioles and young shoots along with cotyledons and hypocotyls, by using BAP that showed excellent plantlet regeneration. Cotyledon and nodal explants successfully regenerated plantlets with excellent height and significant number of shoots compared to the rest of the explants. The plantlets from cotyledons and nodal explants were regenerated via direct regeneration without any formation of callus. The direct shoot regeneration was the preferred method for mass production via tissue culture because the chances of somaclonal variation is low. Contrarily, the hypocotyls, petioles and shoot tips mostly developed callus and only several treatments formed very small plantlets

Green synthesis of Piper nigrum copper-based nanoparticles: in silico study and ADMET analysis to assess their antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic effects

Nanobiotechnology is a popular branch of science that is gaining interest among scientists and researchers as it allows for the green manufacturing of nanoparticles by employing plants as reducing agents. This method is safe, cheap, reproducible, and eco-friendly. In this study, the therapeutic property of Piper nigrum fruit was mixed with the antibacterial activity of metallic copper to produce copper nanoparticles. The synthesis of copper nanoparticles was indicated by a color change from brown to blue. Physical characterization of Piper nigrum copper nanoparticles (PN-CuNPs) was performed using UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, SEM, EDX, XRD, and Zeta analyzer. PN-CuNPs exhibited potential antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities. PN-CuNPs have shown concentration-dependent, enhanced free radical scavenging activity, reaching maximum values of 92%, 90%, and 86% with DPPH, H2O2, and PMA tests, respectively. The antibacterial zone of inhibition of PN-CuNPs was the highest against Staphylococcus aureus (23 mm) and the lowest against Escherichia coli (10 mm). PN-CuNPs showed 80% in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, more than 50 components of Piper nigrum extract were selected and subjected to in silico molecular docking using the C-Docker protocol in the binding pockets of glutathione reductase, E. coli DNA gyrase topoisomerase II, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine to discover their druggability. Pipercyclobutanamide A (26), pipernigramide F (32), and pipernigramide G (33) scored the highest Gibbs free energy at 50.489, 51.9306, and 58.615 kcal/mol, respectively. The ADMET/TOPKAT analysis confirmed the favorable pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity profiles of the three promising compounds. The present in silico analysis helps us to understand the possible mechanisms behind the antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities of CuNPs and recommends them as implicit inhibitors of selected proteins

Pharmacological potential of Sargassum sp. of west coast of Maharashtra Kunkeshwar, India

A promising plant group that is important in medicine is the seaweed. In this investigation, we have focused on the pharmacological prospects of brown algae (Sargassum sp). Nutraceuticals refer to products that may combine pharmacological and nutrition. We have collected the plant material close to Kunkeeshwar in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra’s western coast. We focused on the Physicochemical Attributes of Sargassum sp., and the study found that the ash value (41 ± 0.67), moisture content (1.33 ± 0.038), alcohol-soluble extractive value (1.5 ± 0.030), moisture content (1.33 ± 0.038), and total cash value (41 ± 0.67) are all stated in (%).The GCMS findings, which demonstrate that a total of 25 chemicals were discovered in the aqueous extract of Sargassum sp., also represent their nutritional profile. All of these substances have chromatograms that can be observed.1-Hexyl-2-nitrocyclohexane is the substance with the second-largest retention duration and relative areas, followed by n-hexadanoic acid. The presence of ocladecanoic acid was later determined. The explanation for how the activity is concentration-dependent is pharmacological activity, particularly antioxidant activity as shown by the DPPH assay.2μg/mL is -1545.4 ± 0.05. as a minimum. and at (32 g/mL is 7.67 ± 0.05) is the highest. The antifungal activity of Candida albicans (12.8 mm) and Aspergillus niger (14.4 mm) both exhibit zone inhibition when tested against two distinct pathogen however, the antibacterial activity of three different bacteria demonstrates that Staphylococcus aureus (12 mm), Bacillus subtilis (10 mm), Proteus mirabilis (12.8 mm), and Escherichia. coli are all zone inhibited (13mm). Brown algae offer the greatest potential for human health nutrition, while pharmacological analysis is helpful for therapeutic application, according to the overall analysis

Combinational antidiabetic effects of Curcuma longa L. and Trigonella foenum-graecum L. extracts in alloxan induced type-1 diabetic rats

Objective: The current study aimed to determine the combined protective effect of Curcuma longa (CL) and Trigonella foenum-graecum (TFG) on alloxan-induced oxidative stress in liver tissue of albino Wister rats. Methods: Rats were divided into 8 groups with 6 individuals each. Group I served as control, group II, III and IV were treated with CL, TFG and CL + TFG respectively. Group V, VI, VII and VIII were alloxan-induced diabetic rats, whereas group V served as negative control and group VI, VII and VIII were treated with CL, TFG and CL + TFG respectively. Blood glucose, body weight, oxidative enzymes and histopathological changes were evaluated. Results: Group V showed significant increase in blood glucose levels after induction of alloxan, whereas, group VI, VII and VIII showed significantly decreased levels. However, the best hypoglycaemic activity was found in group VIII. The body weights were slightly increased in groups II, III and IV after the treatment of plant extracts, whereas, decreased body weights were noticed in group V. though no significant weight changes were observed in groups VI, VII and VIII. A significant decrease in oxidative enzyme levels as compared to group V were recorded. The histopathological investigation of liver tissue showed morphological alteration in group V and ameliorative effects in group VI, VII and VIII due to administration of CL, TFG and CL + TFG. Conclusion: Therefore, the combined administration of CL + TFG exhibits the highest hypoglycemic activity by reducing the oxidative enzyme levels and regeneration of liver tissue