Community forestry in Nepal: a policy innovation for local livelihoods

millions fed, food security, Community forestry, Civil society, CFUG,

Scavenging and metal chelating potential of Carthamus tinctorius L. extracts

Carthamus tinctorius leaves were extracted with methanol and distilled water. The extracts were evaluated for their potential free radical scavenging capacity using four different in vitro methods (DPPH, metal chelation, radical removal and hydrogen peroxide scavenging methods). The total phenolic content obtained for aqueous (112. 2±1.708 GAE mg/g) and for methanolic extract (89.66±2.00 GAE mg/g). In DPPH, IC50 values was found to be 176.66±2.08 and 278.33±1.52 and 310.33±1.52 for the ascorbic acid, aqueous and methanolic extract respectively. In superoxide radical scavenging IC50 values are 381.27±1.43, 544.42±2 and 606.78±3.02 µg/ml for the ascorbic acid, aqueous and methanolic extract respectively. In the metal chelating activity, IC50 values are 385.94±3.00, 337±1 and 487±0.984 µg/ml for the EDTA, aqueous extract and methanolic extract respectively. In hydrogen peroxide scavenging, IC50 values were 261±1, 278±3.52 and 370±1 µg/ml for the ascorbic acid, aqueous extract and methanolic leaf extract of Carthamus tinctorius respectively. The correlation suggests that phenolic compounds are responsible for the antioxidant activities of leaves

Assessment of total phenolic content and antioxidant potentiality of selected Indian folk medicinal plants by spectrophotometric method

Natural antioxidant capacity of five important folk medicinal plants measured in vitro. Total phenolic content (TPC), flavonoid content (FC) and free radical scavenging capacity of ethanolic, methanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Lippia alba (LA), Annona squamosa (AS), Hyptis suaveolens (HS), Commiphora wightii (CW) and Milletia pinnata (MP) was assessed using spectrophotometric method. Folin ciocalteu and aluminium chloride method employed to optimise TPC and FC. Free radical scavenging potentiality of leaf extracts was assessed using Ferrous ion chelation (FIC), 2, 2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) scavenging, Hydroxyl (OH•) radical scavenging (HRS) and Superoxide (O- 2) radical scavenging (SRS) methods. Results revealed that the TPC (96.22±5.85 to 519.23±34.90 ?g GAE/gm dry weight) were found significant in aqueous extracts from all the plants except AS (p<0.05). For FC (?g QCE/gm dry weight), ethanol was found optimum for LA (463.94±6.49), CW (289.99±2.70) and MP (347.47±4.50) whereas, aqueous was found more appropriate for rest two plants were found significant instead of ethanol and methanol (all p<0.05). The lowest IC50 (?g/ml) were recorded from A. squamosa (27.72±8.95), H. suaveolens (27.78±0.88), C. wightii (27.18±0.16) and M. pinnata (27.30±0.03). All plants have reflected a high antioxidant capacity; however, the highest antioxidant activity was reported from ethanolic extract of H. suaveolens followed by L. alba, A. squamosa, C. wightii and M. pinnata. Hence, these studies show that all folk medicinal plants contain potential antioxidant bioactive compounds

Synthesis and evaluation of analgesic, anti-asthmatic activity of (E)-1-(8-hydroxyquinolin-7-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1 ones

Abstract Seventeen (E)-1-(8-hydroxyquinolin-7-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1 one derivatives were synthesized via aldol condensation of substituted benzaldehydes with quinoline chalcones starting from 8-hydroxy quinoline. Molecular docking studies were performed on COX-2 protein for analgesic activity and PDE 4 enzyme for anti-asthmatic activity. Docking studies for analgesic activity reveal that the compounds 2 , 4 , 12 , 14 , and 15 showed significant interaction in terms of hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic attachment and van der Waal interaction with COX-2. The docking studies and pharmacological screening indicate that substitution of hydroxyl and conjugated ketone groups on the aldehyde ring and the quinoline ring accelerates analgesia with better binding to active site. Eddy's hot plate method was used to evaluate analgesic activity of the synthesized compounds. Compounds showed a substantial increase in reaction time when compared with standard pentazocin. Compounds 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 and 13 showed significant binding interactions with PDE 4 enzyme and hence were selected for evaluation of anti-asthmatic activity using the goat tracheal chain method. Studies reveal that substitution of the methoxy group at 4th & 5th positions for compounds 2 , 4 & 7 leads to significant percentage inhibition of histamine induced contraction. The synthesized compounds are thus found to be potent as analgesic and anti-asthmatic agents

Pharmacokinetic profile of an intradeltoid diclofenac injection in obese Indian volunteers

Dhaneshwar Shep1, Ashwini Ojha2, Sweta Patel3, Manish Nivsarkar4, Vijaya Jaiswal1, Harish Padh51Medical Services, Troikaa Pharmaceuticals Ltd., 2Department of Bio-analytical, 3Department of Biostatistics, 4Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, B.V. Patel Pharmaceutical Education and Research Development Centre, 5Director, B.V. Patel PERD Centre, and Project Director, NIPER, Ahmedabad, IndiaBackground: A new propylene glycol-free and reduced-volume formulation of diclofenac sodium 75 mg/mL designed for intradeltoid administration has been found to be bioequivalent to a reference formulation of diclofenac sodium 75 mg/3 mL given via the intragluteal route in normal healthy volunteers. Standard needles may not reach the gluteus maximus muscle in many cases, especially in the obese. The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of the new formulation and compare the bioavailability of intradeltoid diclofenac sodium 75 mg/mL with that of the intragluteal 75 mg/3 mL reference formulation in obese volunteers.Methods: A comparative, two-way, single-dose, bioavailability study was carried out in 10 obese (body mass index > 25) male Indian volunteers after a washout period of seven days. Blood samples were collected until six hours following drug administration and analyzed using a prevalidated high-pressure liquid chromatography method.Results: The mean maximum plasma concentration and time to reach maximum plasma concentration for the test formulation were 1.30 µg/mL and 0.50 hours, respectively, versus 0.93 µg/mL and 1.08 hours for the reference formulation. The mean areas under the curve from 0 to last measurable time point (AUC0–t) for the test and reference formulations were 2.71 µg•h/mL and 2.73 µg•h/mL, respectively. The mean AUCs from 0 to infinity (AUC0–∞) for the test and reference formulations were 3.71 µg•h/mL and 3.75 µg•h/mL, respectively.Conclusion: The results suggest that the test formulation of diclofenac sodium 75 mg/mL has an AUC0–t and AUC0–∞ comparable with the reference intragluteal formulation of diclofenac sodium 75 mg/3 mL, but with an earlier time to reach maximum plasma concentration and a trend towards a higher maximum plasma concentration. This could be attributed to faster absorption from the deltoid region than from the gluteal region. The test formulation could be helpful in the management of pain in obese or overweight patients and those with dense subcutaneous fat in the gluteal area.Keywords: bioavailability, diclofenac, intradeltoid, obese, pharmacokinetic

Biologia Futura: treatment of wastewater and water using tannin-based coagulants

Industrialization and urbanization are mainly responsible for environmental pollution generating enormous amount of waste- water which needs to be treated. Wastewaters from various sources are toxic to humans and livestock, as well as posing environmental risks. Various treatment approaches have been used for the elimination of contaminants from water and wastewater. Coagulation/flocculation processes are the most commonly used techniques in water treatment for improving the condition of turbid water and removing suspended particles by destabilization and the creation of larger, heavier flocs that aid in sedimentation. Flocculants, both organic and inorganic, have long been used in wastewater treatment. The use of natural coagulants/flocculants for water and wastewater treatment has become essential due to the health risks associated with chemical flocculants. Tannin, a natural coagulant, has been suggested as substitute of chemical coagulants. Tannins are present in the leaves, fruits, barks, roots, and wood of trees as a secondary metabolite. Tannin-based coagulants derived from a variety of plant sources have been successfully used in the treatment of water and wastewater. This review summarises the current status and strategies on applications of tannin-based coagulants exploiting the eco-friendly green materials in water and wastewater remediation for the sake of pollution free environment

Social safeguards and co-benefits in REDD+:A review of the adjacent possible

We provide a synthesis of recent scholarship on social safeguards and co-benefits in REDD+ with a focus on debates on: first, tenure security, and second, effective participation of local communities. Scholars have explored both proximate and long-term co-benefits of REDD+ interventions, with an emerging trend that links safeguards to improved social co-benefits. Proximate co-benefits include improved rural livelihoods and lower costs of implementation. Long-term co-benefits include greater adaptive capacity of local communities and increasing transparency and accountability in forest governance. Our review suggests that greater tenure security and effective participation of local communities in management will not only prevent adverse social outcomes, but will also enable better forest outcomes and improved capacity for forest governance.</p