Antimycobacterial activity of linoleic acid and oleic acid obtained from the hexane extract of the seeds of Mesua ferrea L. and their in silico investigation

Tuberculosis is responsible for about 8 million deaths worldwide annually. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains urgently requires the development of new drugs against tuberculosis. Drug discovery from plants against tuberculosis is an exciting area for exploration. In the present study, the fatty acids- linoleic and oleic acids isolated and identified from the seeds of the plant Mesua ferrea L. exhibited antimycobacterial activity. The analysis was done using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and supplementary information was obtained using fourier transform-infra red and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the purified fraction containing both the compounds was found to be 78 µg/mL. In silico molecular docking studies against the target proteins GlfT2, Inh A and mtKasB of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed high scores for both the compounds. Cytotoxicity studies of the compounds revealed no toxicity and high antioxidant activity was observed

Genotype independent regeneration and agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.)

Development of an efficient genotype independent regeneration and genetic transformation system in sweet potato continues to be of great interest. Agrobacterium‐mediated genetic transformation protocol was established in two different cultivars of sweet potato using Agrobacterium strain EHA105 harbouring binary plasmid pBI121 containing GUS and nptII genes. The internodal stem segments from 30‐day‐old micropropogated plants were used as explant with different combinations of media and hormones. MS and LS media with various concentrations of growth regulators proved to be non‐responsive and the infecundity was severe with the addition of cytokinins. Nonetheless, MS with 2,4‐D and TDZ gave a good percentage of callusing but with low differentiation. In different concentrations of NAA, significant amount of callusing was observed but percentage of rooting remained low in both the genotypes. Gamborg’s B5 supplemented with NAA proved to be the most suitable media and hormone combination, which yielded shoot formation after 8 ‐ 10 weeks with a regenera‐ tion efficiency of 40 ‐ 70%. Stable integration of transgene was confirmed by PCR analysis. Furthermore, qRT‐PCR analysis was performed to assess the transcript accumulation in addition to the GUS enzymatic assay in the transgenic lines

Differentiation of petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading <i style="">Pseudomonas </i>spp. based on lectin binding of cell extracts in an agglutination assay

74-79Plant and animal lectins with various carbohydrate specificities were used to type 43 petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudomonas isolates and the type strain P. aeruginosa MTCC1034 in a microtiter plate assay. Initially, a panel of nine lectins with their known specificity was used. For optimal typing, pretreatment by washing bacteria with a low pH buffer to allow protein release, followed by proteolytic degradation to eliminate autoagglutination, was used. Lectin types of treated samples were stable and reproducible. No strain proved to be untypeable by this system. The species were clustered into 10 different lectin types on the basis of their lectin binding with specific bacterial cell surface carbohydrate moieties. The result of lectin typing reveals considerable intraspecific variations within the species.</i

Assessment of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of <i>Dendrocnide sinuata </i>(Blume) Chew leaves–A medicinal plant used by ethnic communities of North East India

17-21 Traditional medicine plays an important role in the primary health care in India. Dendrocnide sinuata (Blume) Chew has been used as medicine for curing diseases by different tribal communities of North East India. An ethno-medicinal study was done among few tribal communities of this region through questionnaires in consultations with the tribal practitioners and has resulted in the documentation of various uses of the plant for curing diverse form of ailments. Further, in vitro study was carried out to investigate its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties from the leaf extract of the plant. The methanol and aqueous extracts of leaves were tested for their antimicrobial activity against three Gram-positive bacteria, three Gram-negative bacteria, one yeast species using Agar diffusion method and for their antioxidant activity using scavenging activity of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrozyl) radical method. Antimicrobial activity was observed against Gram-negative bacteria only. The highest antimicrobial activity was exhibited by the 75 and 100% methanolic extracts but no extract showed any antifungal activity against Candida albicans used in the study. The methanolic leaf extracts of 75 µg/ml and 100µg/ml concentrations also exhibited high free radical scavenging activity. The phytochemical screening demonstrated the presence of different types of compounds like terpenoids, tannins, flavonoids and others, which could be responsible for the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. </smarttagtype

Antimycobacterial activity of linoleic acid and oleic acid obtained from the hexane extract of the seeds of <em>Mesua ferrea</em> L. and their <em>in silico</em> investigation

132-142Tuberculosis is responsible for about 8 million deaths worldwide annually. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains urgently requires the development of new drugs against tuberculosis. Drug discovery from plants against tuberculosis is an exciting area for exploration. In the present study, the fatty acids- linoleic and oleic acids isolated and identified from the seeds of the plant Mesua ferrea L. exhibited antimycobacterial activity. The analysis was done using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and supplementary information was obtained using fourier transform-infra red and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the purified fraction containing both the compounds was found to be 78 µg/mL. In silico molecular docking studies against the target proteins GlfT2, Inh A and mtKasB of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed high scores for both the compounds. Cytotoxicity studies of the compounds revealed no toxicity and high antioxidant activity was observed

Antimycobacterial activity of linoleic acid and oleic acid obtained from the hexane extract of the seeds of <em>Mesua ferrea</em> L. and their <em>in silico</em> investigation

132-142Tuberculosis is responsible for about 8 million deaths worldwide annually. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains urgently requires the development of new drugs against tuberculosis. Drug discovery from plants against tuberculosis is an exciting area for exploration. In the present study, the fatty acids- linoleic and oleic acids isolated and identified from the seeds of the plant Mesua ferrea L. exhibited antimycobacterial activity. The analysis was done using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and supplementary information was obtained using fourier transform-infra red and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the purified fraction containing both the compounds was found to be 78 µg/mL. In silico molecular docking studies against the target proteins GlfT2, Inh A and mtKasB of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed high scores for both the compounds. Cytotoxicity studies of the compounds revealed no toxicity and high antioxidant activity was observed

Comparative analysis of phytochemicals and nutrient availability in two contrasting cultivars of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.)

Sweet potato ranks as the world’s seventh most important food crop, and has major contribution to energy and phytochemical source of nutrition. To unravel the molecular basis for differential nutrient availability, and to exploit the natural genetic variation(s) of sweet potato, a series of physiochemical and proteomics experiment was conducted using two contrasting cultivars, an orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and a white-fleshed sweet potato (WFSP). Phytochemical screening revealed high percentage of carbohydrate, reducing sugar and phenolics in WFSP, whereas OFSP showed increased levels of total protein, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids. The rate of starch and cellulose degradation was found to be less in OFSP during storage, indicating tight regulation of gene(s) responsible for starch-degradation. Comparative proteomics displayed a cultivar-dependent expression of proteins along with evolutionarily conserved proteins. These results suggest that cultivar-specific expression of proteins and/or their interacting partners might play a crucial role for nutrient acquisition in sweet potato

Biofunctionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube: A Reactive Component for the in Situ Polymerization of Hyperbranched Poly(ester amide) and its Biophysico Interfacial Properties

A facile method of ultrasound-assisted noncovalent functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with fatty amide of castor oil and use of the same as a reactive component in the in situ polymerization of hyperbranched poly­(ester amide) (HBPEA) via an A₂ + B₂ + A′A₂ approach is reported. The reaction entails anchoring of the amide groups to MWCNT to maximize the reaction with the diacids, resulting in formation of the nanocomposite. Fourier transform infrared analyses validated the anchorage of ester-amide groups to the nanotubes. Intercalation and formation of dense polymer layers on the isotropically dispersed nanotubes (with mean coherency coefficient of 0.229) were evident from transmission electron microscopy. The changes in biophysico attributes were reflected in their selective efficacy against the Gram-positive bacteria with an enhanced cytotoxicity (death rate increase of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> by 137.5% and <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> by 107.6%) and significant decrease in the sheet resistance by 3 orders of magnitude (from 10⁷ to 10⁴ Ω sq^–1) as compared to the pristine HBPEA at low loading of 1 wt % MWCNT. The multifunctional nanocomposites maintained the acceptable mechanical performance, and kinetics evaluation of activation energy revealed enhanced thermal stability over pristine HBPEA; the nanocomposites can be envisaged for MWCNT-based bionano applications, particularly in the field of advanced textiles