Saraca indica

Medicinal plants are used as a complementary and alternative medicine in treatment of various diseases including cancer worldwide, because of their ease of accessibility and cost effectiveness. Multicomposed mixture of compounds present in a plant extract has synergistic activity, increases the therapeutic potential many folds, compensates toxicity, and increases bioavailability. Saraca indica (family Caesalpiniaceae) is one of the most ancient sacred plants with medicinal properties, exhibiting a number of pharmacological effects. Antioxidant, antibreast cancer activity and toxicological evaluation of Saraca indica bark extract (SIE) were carried out in the present study. The results of the study indicated that this herbal preparation has antioxidant and antibreast cancer activity. Toxicological studies suggest that SIE is safer to use and may have a potential to be used as complementary and alternative medicine for breast cancer therapy

Pharmacokinetic interaction potential assessment of cladrin, a potent bioactive constituent of Butea monosperma, and raloxifene, a prescription anti-osteoporotic by in vitro ADME approach

Raloxifene is a well-known modulator of estrogen receptors which is structurally similar to tamoxifen. As flavonoids can interact with the estrogen modulator raloxifene in vitro, we performed an in vitro stability study and in situ permeability assay of raloxifene and cladrin in female Sprague-Dawley rats when administered alone and when co-administered. The in vitro study samples were analyzed by HPLC; raloxifene administered individually and in combination with cladrin was compared. In this study, we investigated the absorption, metabolic stability, plasma stability, determination of permeability and plasma protein binding of both drugs in SD rats using an established in situ single pass intestinal perfusion model. Increase in the bioavailability of raloxifene and cladrin alone or in co-administration also could be because of the activation of P-glycoprotein in the rat intestine. Further the present report concludes on the basis of ATPase assay of both raloxifene and cladrin alone and in combination showed that both drugs are P-gp substrate. In in situ permeability assay showed that the both drugs competitively lower the permeability of each other but still the predicted human permeability value lied in the range of high permeability drug.

Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Hyperadrenergic Hypertension: Biochemical, Physiological, and Pharmacological Evidence From Targeted Ablation of the Chromogranin A (Chga) Gene

Oxidative stress, an excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) outstripping antioxidant defense mechanisms, occurs in cardiovascular pathologies including hypertension. Here, we used biochemical, physiological, and pharmacological approaches to explore the role of derangements of catecholamines, ROS, and NO• in the development of a hyper-adrenergic model of hereditary hypertension: targeted ablation (knockout, KO) of chromogranin A (Chga) in the mouse

Naturally Occurring Genetic Variants in Human Chromogranin A (CHGA) Associated with Hypertension as well as Hypertensive Renal Disease

Chromogranin A (CHGA) plays a fundamental role in the biogenesis of catecholamine secretory granules. Changes in storage and release of CHGA in clinical and experimental hypertension prompted us to study whether genetic variation at the CHGA locus might contribute to alterations in autonomic function, and hence hypertension and its target organ consequences such as hypertensive renal disease (nephrosclerosis). Systematic polymorphism discovery across the human CHGA locus revealed both common and unusual variants in both the open reading frame and such regulatory regions as the proximal promoter and 3′-UTR. In chromaffin cell-transfected CHGA 3′-UTR and promoter/luciferase reporter plasmids, the functional consequences of the regulatory/non-coding allelic variants were documented. Variants in both the proximal promoter and the 3′-UTR displayed statistical associations with hypertension. Genetic variation in the proximal CHGA promoter predicted glomerular filtration rate in healthy twins. However, for hypertensive renal damage, both end-stage renal disease and rate of progression of earlier disease were best predicted by variants in the 3′-UTR. Finally, mechanistic studies were undertaken initiated by the clue that CHGA promoter variation predicted circulating endothelin-1. In cultured endothelial cells, CHGA triggered co-release of not only the vasoconstrictor and pro-fibrotic endothelin-1, but also the pro-coagulant von Willebrand Factor and the pro-angiogenic angiopoietin-2. These findings, coupled with stimulation of endothelin-1 release from glomerular capillary endothelial cells by CHGA, suggest a plausible mechanism whereby genetic variation at the CHGA locus eventuates in alterations in human renal function. These results document the consequences of genetic variation at the CHGA locus for cardiorenal disease and suggest mechanisms whereby such variation achieves functional effects

Catecholamine Storage Vesicles: Role of Core Protein Genetic Polymorphisms in Hypertension

Hypertension is a complex trait with deranged autonomic control of the circulation. The sympathoadrenal system exerts minute-to-minute control over cardiac output and vascular tone. Catecholamine storage vesicles (or chromaffin granules) of the adrenal medulla contain remarkably high concentrations of chromogranins/secretogranins (or “granins”), catecholamines, neuropeptide Y, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and Ca2+. Within secretory granules, granins are co-stored with catecholamine neurotransmitters and co-released upon stimulation of the regulated secretory pathway. The principal granin family members, chromogranin A (CHGA), chromogranin B (CHGB), and secretogranin II (SCG2), may have evolved from shared ancestral exons by gene duplication. This article reviews human genetic variation at loci encoding the major granins and probes the effects of such polymorphisms on blood pressure, using twin pairs to probe heritability and individuals with the most extreme blood pressure values in the population to study hypertension

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Antibacterial and toxicological evaluation of ß-lactams synthesized by immobilized ß-lactamase-free penicillin amidase produced by <i style="">Alcaligenes</i> sp.

1068-1072Search for anti-ß-lactamase and synthesis of newer penicillin were suggested to overcome resistance to penicillin in chemotherapy. It was found that clavulanic acid, an ant-ß-lactamase was ineffective due to its structural modification by bacteria. Thus, there is a need for the synthesis of newer pencillins. Retro-synthesis was inspired by the success of forward reaction i.e.conversion of penicillin G to 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) by biological process. In the present study a better enzymatic method of synthesis of newer pencillin by a ß-lactamase-free penicillin amidase produced by Alcaligenes sp. is attempted. Antibacterial and toxicological evaluation of the enzymatically synthesized ß-lactams are reported. Condensation of 6-APA with acyl donor was found to be effective when the reaction is run in dimethyl formamide (DMF 50% v/v) in acetate buffer (25 mM pH 5.0) at 37°C. Periplasm entrapped in calcium alginate exihibited the highest yield (~34%) in synthesis. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the synthetic products against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi varied between 20–80 µg/ml. Some of the products exhibited antibacterial activity against enteric pathogens. It was interesting to note that product A was potent like penicillin G. LD50 value of three products (product A, B and C) was more than 12mg/kg. Furthermore, these synthetic ß-lactams did not exihibit any adverse effect on house keeping enzymes viz., serum glutamate oxalacetate-trans-aminase, serum glutamate pyruvate -trans-aminase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase of the test animals. The hematological profile (RBC and WBC) of the test animals also remained unaffected