DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF COLON SPECIFIC DRUG DELIVERY OF BUDENOSIDE

Objective: The objective of this research is to design and evaluate a colon specific drug delivery of budenoside using guar gum as enzyme dependent polymer.Methods: Matrix tablets of Budenoside were prepared by using wet granulation technique with different proportions of guar gum and evaluated for different evaluation tests and release profiles.Results: The formulations were studied for post compression parameters like hardness, friability, weight variation and drug content are in acceptable range of pharmacopoeial specifications. In vitro swelling and Invitro release studies was carried out at different pH ranges (1.2, 6.8 and 7.4). The release profile of budenoside from the matrix tablets is dependent upon the gelling property of guar gum and degradation of guar gum polysaccharide by colonic bacteria. High concentration of guar gum showed less drug release in the stomach as an enzyme dependent polymer. In vitro release data revealed that the presence of rat caecal content in dissolution medium showed the significant increase in drug release (97.12%), when compared to drug release study in absence of caecal content (76.86).Conclusion: The results were subjected to study the release kinetics. The values of correlation coefficient indicated that the drug release followed Zero order drug release kinetics with Peppas drug release mechanism. In vitro drug release studies shows that guar gum with high concentration (25%) has optimum release in a controlled manner for 24 hours.Â

ENHANCED PRODUCTION OF PSORALEN THROUGH ELICITORS TREATMENT IN ADVENTITIOUS ROOT CULTURE OF PSORALEA CORYLIFOLIA L.

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effect of two elicitors namely Methyl Jasmonate (MeJ) and Salicylic acid (SA) on adventitious root production of Psoralea corylifolia L. as the elicitors and at different concentrations.Methods: Adventitious roots of P. corylifolia L. were treated with different concentration of elicitors such as MeJ (10, 20, 30 and 40 µM/l) and SA (50, 100, 150 and 200 µM/l) to enhance the psoralen contents. After the treatment, psoralen content was analyzed through the analytical HPLC experiments (Methanol: Water (50:50) at 0.8 ml/min-1 flow rate and the injection volume as 20 µl).Results: MeJ and SA treatments at the concentrations of 30 µM/l and 150 µM/l respectively were found to increase the net wet weight of adventitious root production to 8 fold at 8 hours of elicitor treatment periods. Further, the quantity of psoralen was determined from the elicitors (MeJ and SA) treated roots and mother plant through the analytical HPLC experiments in order to estimate the psoralen content and it was found as 3.73 mg/ml, 0.015 mg/ml and 0.56 mg/ml respectively.Conclusion: In the present study we achieved enhanced production of psoralen through abiotic elicitors (MeJ and SA) treatment and concluded that the MeJ at 30 µM/l concentration shows significant enhancement of psoralen production.Â

Dorab fishery of Gulf of Mannar waters and population characteristics of the species Chirocentrus dorab (Forsskal, 1775) and Chirocentrus nudus Swainson, 1839

Dorab (wolf-herrings) fishery of Gulf of Mannar and species diversity, biology as well as population characteristics of the species, Chirocentrus dorab (Forsskal, 1775) and Chirocentrus nudus Swainson, 1839 were studied to understand the dynamics of the resource, evaluate extent of their exploitation and to propose appropriate strategies for sustaining the stock and yield. Almost all gears operating along the coast exploit dorabs. About 1,142 t dorabs were landed annually during the period. Fishery was supported by two species dominated by C. dorab. Growth estimates indicated that both species grow much faster than the earlier estimates from the same region. Stock assessment shows that both species were under heavy fishing pressure and subjected to overexploitation resulting in low production below the MSY level. Strategies for enhancing stock and yield are discussed

Sardines of the Gulf of Mannar ecosystem - fishery and resource characteristics of major species

Fishery, species diversity and resource characteristics of exploited sardine resources of the genera Sardinella were studied during 2000-2008. Sardines were exploited by sardine gillnets, trawls and shore seine. Annual average production for the period was 20,249 t. They formed about one fourth of the total marine fish production (77,443 t) of the region. Fishery was supported by eight species dominated by Sardinella gibbosa, followed by S. sirm, S. albella and S. longiceps. Fishery fluctuated widely with declining trend over the years mainly due to reduction in the fishing effort following destruction of traditional crafts and gears during the Tsunami in 2004. Oilsardine in the fishery registered an increasing trend with wide annual fluctuation during the period. Stock assessment studies show that the exploitation rate of major species ranged between 0.45 and 0.62, against the EMSY value of 0.72 and 0.86. This indicated that sardine resource as a whole is under-exploited, offering considerable scope for enhancing their yield. Despite contributing a higher share to marine fish production, sardines, along with other small pelagics, play a vital ecological role in sustaining the stock and fishery of other predatory groups especially large pelagics by providing them a major share of their forage. They support 46 to 87% of the total food of pelagic predators and 14 to 29% of demersal predators

NANOTECHNOLOGICAL APPROACH TO ENHANCE THE STABILITY AND BIOAVAILABILITY OF THE HERBAL DRUG "MURVA"

Murva (Maerua oblongifolia) contains numerous bioactive compounds that may provide multiple health benefits, including anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-pyretic and anti-diabetic. Most of the therapeutic effects of murva have been attributed due to the presence of triterpenoids and alkaloids, in their composition. Although these compounds have been shown promising therapeutic effects under in-vitro conditions, they met with limited efficacy in clinical settings due to various reasons such as poor oral absorption and bioavailability. Different techniques have been proposed to improve the stability and bioavailability of the herbal drugs. Among such strategies, nanoparticulate based drug delivery systems are novel and promising tools. In this study, chitosan nanoparticles containing Murva (CNP1-CNP3) were synthesized by ionic gelation technique, which resulting in particles size smaller than 650nm. The encapsulation efficiency of nanoformulations was over 41.5%. The nanoformulations exhibited slow and sustained in vitro release over 99% of drug from the Murva encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles after 24 hours. The synthesized nanoformulations were found to be a promising system for oral sustained administration of murva and also enhances its stability and bioavailability. Keywords: Nanoparticles, Murva, chitosan, stability, bioavailability

Cryptostegia grandiflora -a potential multi-use crop

Abstract Cryptostegia grandiflora, a member of Asclepiadaceae, was evaluated as a potential multi-use crop. The plant contained 14.0% protein, 6.5% oil, 6.9% polyphenol, and 2.13% hydrocarbon. The gross heat value of the species was 3878.0 cal/g, while the oil fraction was 7350.1 cal/g, and the hydrocarbon fraction was 9300.0 cal/g. The NMR spectra of the hydrocarbon fraction reveals the presence of cis-polyisoprene (natural rubber). The oil fraction contains both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids including: lauric acid (trace), myristic acid (15.24%), palmitic acid (25.90%), stearic acid (3.8%), oleic acid (8.0%), linoleic acid (24.76%), and arachidic acid (22.28%). The high proportion of saturated fatty acids and the high oil content (\5.0%) make C. grandiflora a potential source for industrial raw material and alternative for conventional oil

Role of Vitamin A and Vitamin D in management of polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a very common cause of infertility in reproductive age groups, has increased exponentially in the past few years registering 9% of cases annually worldwide. It is one of the most common syndromes which manifests hormone secretion and its activity. Insulin resistance, obesity, Vitamin and mineral deficiency, etc., are commonly associated with PCOS. Vitamin A is a lipid-soluble vitamin that is useful in antioxidant activity and steroid synthesis is known to prevent the occurrence of PCOS. Vitamin D, a steroid hormone originating from cholesterol is commonly known as “the sunshine vitamin,” is also one of the observed vitamin deficiencies in PCOS women. Supplementation of Vitamins in the diet is essential in the management of PCOS women. This review attempts to brief the role of Vitamin A and Vitamin D as an important agent to overcome the challenges of PCOS by reviewing the investigations of various authors about the potential role of supplementation of Vitamin A and Vitamin D in various model organisms and Randomised Clinical Trials (RCT’s)

Exploited marine fishery resources off Tuticorin along the Gulf of Mannar coast

Tuticorin coast of Gulf of Mannar is endowed with rocky bottom, coral reefs and sea grass beds with characteristic flora and fauna. It also acts as home for several endangered marine mammals, sea cows and marine turtles. These resources were exploited by a variety of gears during 2000-2005

Oceanic squids - their distribution, abundance and potential in the EEZ of India and contiguous seas

FORV Sagar Sampada collected a good number of oceanic squids belonging to several families from the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas. Of these, the most important species was the purpleback flying squid Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis which forms a potential oceanic squid resource. This species was caught in pelagic trawl at depths up to.200-250 m from surface in the oceanic areas. Though the squid is known to be distributed throughout India's oceanic waters, it frequently occurred in comparatively more abundance, up to 318 squids per haul, in the northneastem Arabian Sea. There was wide variation in the size of this squid (from 20 mm to 472 mm), the largest individual weighing 4.5 kg. The diamondback squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus, the largest specimen of which measured 585 mm in length and 5.3 kg in weight, was also caught from a few stations. Besides these large species, several others belonging to families such as Onychoteuthidae, Histioteuthidae, Enoploteuthidae and Cranchiidae are also distributed in the EEZ. A large number of oceanic squids were collected at night, which is indicative of their diel vertical migration towards surface layers during night hours