Antidiabetic principle from Eclipta prostrata

The methanol extract of the whole plant of Eclipta prostrata and one of its isolated compounds, eclalbasaponin II were administered to alloxan-induced diabetic rats for 28 and 7 consecutive days, respectively. During the study, a potent antidiabetic activity was observed. Blood sugar was significantly (p < 0.001) reduced by E. prostrata extract (300 mg/kg) and eclalbasaponin II (10 mg/kg), as compared to untreated diabetic rats. Analyses of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) showed no significant (p < 0.001) hepatotoxicity by E. prostrata extractive in alloxan-induced diabetic rats when compared to the diabetic control rats.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Hydrogeochemical evolution of shallow and deeper aquifers in central Bangladesh: arsenic mobilization process and health risk implications from the potable use of groundwater

Protection of groundwater quality from various natural and anthropogenic forces is a prime concern in Bangladesh. In this study, we utilized groundwater geochemistry of shallow and deeper aquifers to investigate the hydrogeochemical processes controlling water quality, and the sources and mechanism of Arsenic (As) release to water and associated human health risks in the Faridpur district, Bangladesh. Analysis of hydrochemical facies indicated that groundwaters were Ca–Mg–HCO3\ua0type and that water–rock interactions were the dominant factors controlling their major-ion chemical composition. The dissolution of calcite, dolomite, and silicates, as well as cation exchange processes regulated the major ions chemistry in the groundwater. Dissolved fluoride (F−) concentrations (0.02–0.4\ua0mg/L) were lower than the drinking water standard of 1.5\ua0mg/L set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Arsenic contamination of groundwater is among the biggest health threats in Bangladesh. The measured As concentration (0.01–1.46\ua0mg/L with a mean of 0.12\ua0mg/L) exceeded the maximum permissible limit of Bangladesh and WHO for drinking water. The estimated carcinogenic risk of As exceeded the upper benchmark of 1 × 10–4\ua0for both adult and children, and health threats from shallow groundwater were more severe than the deeper water. The vertical distribution of As resembled Fe and Mn with their higher concentrations in shallow Holocene aquifers and lower in deeper Pleistocene aquifers. Speciation calculation indicated the majority of groundwater samples were oversaturated with respect to siderite, calcite, and dolomite, while undersaturated with respect to rhodochrosite. The saturation state of the minerals along with other processes may exert kinetic control on As, Fe, and Mn distribution in groundwater and lead to their lack of statistically significant correlations. Microbially mediated reductive dissolution of Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides is envisaged as the primary controlling mechanism of As mobilization in Faridpur groundwater. Pyrite oxidation was not postulated as a plausible explanation of As pollution

Elemental analysis in surface soil and dust of roadside academic institutions in Dhaka city, Bangladesh and their impact on human health

The increasing industrial activities, number of vehicles on road and population in large cities causes the contamination of air in urban environment, and eventually affect human health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to collect soil and dust samples from twelve roadside academic institutions in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. One of the twelve sites is control site for this study. The elemental (Ca, Fe, K, Ti, Sr, Zn, Zr, Rb, Cr, Ni, Pb and Cu) concentration in soil and dust samples were analyzed by XRF technique. The metals concentration in dust and soil samples followed the following order: Fe > Ti > Sr > Zn > Zr > Rb > Pb > Cu, and Fe > Ti > Zr > Sr > Rb > Zn > Cu > Pb > As, respectively. As expected, the most elemental concentration at the control site, which was situated inside a village and ~ 1 km far away from the road, was lower compared with those in soil and dust samples. Average As concentration (16.52 mg/kg) in soil was observed to be three times higher than its background value. The concentration of Pb in the dust sample of a school at Sadarghat (136.04 mg/kg) was significantly higher than the other sites. We observed that the mean concentration for most of the metals had a higher concentration than the background values set by Chinese Environmental Protection Administration (CEPA), except for K and Zr. Soil samples were analyzed to determine the percentage of organic matter by dry combustion technique, and the average amount of organic matter in soil samples was 1.42%. Conversely, the contamination levels of heavy metals were assessed based on the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF) and contamination factor (CF). Subsequently non-carcinogenic health risk was determined using lifetime average daily dose (LADD). The non-carcinogenic health risk was found to be more prominent for children than that for adults. No significant carcinogenic health risk was found in the study area

- Short communication Phytochemical and Biological Investigations of

The n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and choloroform soluble fractions of a methanol extract of Acokanthera spectabilis were subjected to antimicrobial screening and brine shrimp lethality bioassay. All of the partitionates showed moderate to strong inhibitory activity to microbial growth, while the carbon tetrachloride soluble fraction demonstrated highest cytotoxicity having LC50 6.16 µg/ml. Acokanthera spectabilis (Family- Apocynaceae) is a fragrant ornamental shrub. The plant has reputation for its cardiotonic activities. 1 Previous phytochemical investigation with A. spectabilis led to the isolation of acobioside A and 14-Oacetylacovenodose C. 2 In the present study, we report the presence of a cardenolide as well as antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of the extractives of A. spectabilis growing in Bangladesh. The 1 H NMR spectra were recorded using a Bruker AMX-400 (400 MHz) instrument and the NMR spectra were acquired in CDCl3 and the δ values for 1 H spectra were referenced to the residual nondeuterated solvent signal

Impact of Industrially Affected Soil on Humans: A Soil-Human and Soil-Plant-Human Exposure Assessment

Heavy metal (HM) contaminated soil can affect human health via ingestion of foodstuffs, inhalation of soil dust, and skin contact of soil. This study estimates the level of some heavy metals in soils of industrial areas, and their exposures to human body via dietary intake of vegetables and other pathways. Mean concentrations of Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, As and Pb in the studied soil were found to be 61.27, 27,274, 42.36, 9.77, 28.08 and 13.69 mg/kg, respectively, while in vegetables the respective values were 0.53, 119.59, 9.76, 7.14, 1.34 and 2.69 mg/kg. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb originated from lithogenic sources, while Cr and As are derived from anthropogenic sources. A moderate enrichment was noted by Cr, As, and Pb in the entire sampling site, indicating a progressive depletion of soil quality. The bioaccumulation factor (BCF) value for all the vegetables was recorded as BCF &lt; 1; however, the metal pollution index (MPI) stipulates moderately high value of heavy metal accumulation in the vegetable samples. Hazard Index (HI) of &gt;0.1 was estimated for adults but &gt;1 for children by direct soil exposure, whereas HI &lt; 1 for both children and adults via dietary intake of vegetables. Estimated Total carcinogenic risk (TCR) value due to soil exposure showed safe for adults but unsafe for children, while both the population groups were found to be safe via food consumption. Children are found more vulnerable receptors than adults, and health risks (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic) via direct soil exposure proved unsafe. Overall, this study can be used as a reference for similar types of studies to evaluate heavy metal contaminated soil impact on the population of Bangladesh and other countries as well.</jats:p

Personal exposure to household air pollution and lung function in rural Bangladesh: A population-based cross-sectional study

We assessed whether personal exposure to household air pollution [PM2.5 and black carbon (BC)] is associated with lung functions (FEV1, FVC, and their ratio) in non-smoking adults in rural Bangladesh. We measured personal exposure to PM2.5 using gravimetric analysis of PM2.5 mass and BC by reflectance measurement between April 2016 and June 2019. The average 24-hour PM2.5 and BC concentration was 141.0μgm−3 and 13.8μgm−3 for females, and 91.7 μgm−3 and 10.1 μgm−3 for males, respectively. A 1 μgm−3 increase in PM2.5 resulted in a 0.02 ml reduction in FEV1, 0.43 ml reduction in FVC, and 0.004% reduction in FEV1/FVC. We also found a similar inverse relationship between BC and lung functions (9.6 ml decrease in FEV1 and 18.5 ml decrease in FVC per 1μgm−3 increase in BC). A higher proportion of non-smoking biomass fuel users (50.1% of the females and 46.7% of the males) had restrictive patterns of lung function abnormalities, which need further exploration.</p