EFFECT OF DILLENIA INDICA L. AGAINST OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED CARDIOMYOPATHY ON ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETES MICE MODEL

 Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate the antihyperglycemic and antioxidative properties of Dillenia indica fruits.Methods: Aqueous fruit extract and methanolic fruit extract (MFE) were prepared, and preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out. Diabetic mice were prepared with alloxan (150 mg/kg) body weight (b.w.). Antihyperglycemic study of short duration was carried out with doses (150–550) mg/kg b.w. of MFE in diabetic mice. Antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase) activity assays and histopathological analysis were done in heart tissue of mice.Results: Preliminary phytochemical screening showed that the phytoconstituents were strongly present in the MFE and therefore was considered for further studies. From the antihyperglycemic study, it was found that 350 mg/kg b.w. dose was the most effective in reduction of blood glucose level. A significant increase in the activities of the antioxidant enzymes was observed in the MFE-treated group. From the histopathological studies, it was observed that detrimental effects of oxidative stress were attenuated in the treated group.Conclusion: Concluding the studies, it could be ascertained that D. indica fruits were found to be quite effective in proving its potential against hyperglycemia and oxidative stress, and therefore, the fruits could be considered to be of therapeutic value in diabetes.Â

Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak re-emergence regulation in East Africa: preparedness and vaccination perspective

Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus, and Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) are the most potentially life-threatening and grievous species reported among the Ebolavirus genus. Previously, the most common cases pointed to EBOV as the primary causative agent of Ebolavirus epidemics and fatalities. From 2013 to 2016, a devastating EBOV outbreak in West Africa resulted in 29,000 illness cases, prompting WHO global member countries to prioritise vaccine candidates in the early stages of development. The impending spread of EBOV in Guinea, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted the ongoing need for secure and effective vaccine programmes against emerging infections using the most secure deployment precautions and methodologies. The West Africa outbreak and all current outbreaks in other countries have been prevented through the effective immunisation of healthy individuals through vaccination and their interactions with identified patients, medical practitioners, and frontline emergency professionals. Despite the fact that EBOV outbreaks previously only infected a small percentage of the global population, they have occasionally caused widespread suffering and huge economic costs in endemic countries. Reported transmission of such viruses beyond nonendemic zones in conjunction with the bioweapon potentiality of ebolaviruses necessitates the discovery and production of EBOV vaccines globally.O

METHANOLIC FLOWER EXTRACT OF PHLOGACANTHUS THYRSIFLORUS NEES. ATTENUATES DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY IN ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC MICE

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to determine the effects of Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus on hyperglycemia and oxidative stress in kidneys of diabetic mice.Methods: Aqueous flower extract (AFE) and methanolic flower extract (MFE) were prepared. Preliminary phytochemical screenings were carried out. Diabetic mice were prepared by administering alloxan at 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w). The effects of different doses (150–550 mg/kg b.w) of the MFE on hyperglycemia were examined for short-term duration in diabetic mice. Activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR) were examined under normal, diabetic, and diabetic-treated groups. Histopathological studies were also carried out for the above groups.Results: It has been found that the flavonoids and tannins were strongly present in MFE and further in vivo studies with MFE were carried out. It has been also observed that 250 mg/kg b.w dose of MFE showed significant reduction of blood glucose level. The activities of SOD, CAT, and GR increased in diabetic mice treated with MFE. Histological studies showed that MFE could further halt the damage caused by oxidative stress and reduced tissue injuries in diabetic mice.Conclusion: MFE of P. thyrsiflorus has positive effects in alloxan-induced diabetic mice and could be potential candidate for the detailed molecular studies and management of diabetes

A Perspective Review on Microbial Fuel Cells in Treatment and Product Recovery from Wastewater

The treatment of wastewater is an expensive and energy-extensive practice that not only ensures the power generation requirements to sustain the current energy demands of an increasing human population but also aids in the subsequent removal of enormous quantities of wastewater that need to be treated within the environment. Thus, renewable energy source-based wastewater treatment is one of the recently developing techniques to overcome power generation and environmental contamination issues. In wastewater treatment, microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has demonstrated a promising potential to evolve as a sustainable approach, with the simultaneous recovery of energy and nutrients to produce bioelectricity that harnesses the ability of electrogenic microbes to oxidize organic contaminants present in wastewater. Since traditional wastewater treatment has various limitations, sustainable implementations of MFCs might be a feasible option in wastewater treatment, green electricity production, biohydrogen synthesis, carbon sequestration, and environmentally sustainable sewage treatment. In MFCs, the electrochemical treatment mechanism is based on anodic oxidation and cathodic reduction reactions, which have been considerably improved by the last few decades of study. However, electricity production by MFCs remains a substantial problem for practical implementations owing to the difficulty in balancing yield with overall system upscaling. This review discusses the developments in MFC technologies, including improvements to their structural architecture, integration with different novel biocatalysts and biocathode, anode, and cathode materials, various microbial community interactions and substrates to be used, and the removal of contaminants. Furthermore, it focuses on providing critical insights and analyzing various types, processes, applications, challenges, and futuristic aspects of wastewater treatment-related MFCs and thus sustainable resource recovery. With appropriate planning and further studies, we look forward to the industrialization of MFCs in the near future, with the idea that this will lead to greener fuels and a cleaner environment for all of mankind

Fungal-Based Remediation in the Treatment of Anthropogenic Activities and Pharmaceutical-Pollutant-Contaminated Wastewater

Pharmaceutical personal care products (PPCPs) have increased in consumption due to the worldwide post-pandemic situation, marking them as chemical and pathogenic pollutants in significantly higher concentrations than ever in the ecosystem. Considering the inexplicable levels of these chemical residues discharged into the environment, concerns have been raised regarding their probable ecotoxicity to marine and terrestrial life. A further concern is the potential for developing and spreading antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and genes in aquatic ecosystems due to antibiotic exposure. Hence, knowing how these compounds impact aquatic ecosystem functioning is imperative, and thus is a critical area of research. The ecological risk analysis of PPCPs in aquatic ecosystems has been carried out using various strategies. Previous studies have reported numerous approaches for eliminating these PPCPs, including conventional treatment methods, activated sludge processes, generated wetlands, biological remediation, sequencing batch reactors, phytoremediation, and membrane bioreactors. In terms of green biotechnology approaches, the current research aims to discover effective procedures for removing PPCPs and their emerging resources as pollutants. Therefore, this review focuses on the over-extensive utilization of PPCPs and their emergent sources responsible for the contamination and environmental threat for future wastewater purposes. Further, as fungi and their enzymes and derivatives can remove pharmaceuticals and personal care products from wastewater through oxidation and several processes, they have attracted the attention of the scientific community due to their ability to remove PPCPs as pollutants and their status as emerging resources in wastewater. This review examines the fundamental approach and progress of the bioremediation of pharmaceutical- and personal-care-contaminated wastewater using fungal-based systems. It also discusses mechanistic approaches through hybridizing cultures and other biological systems with fungal strains, current technologies, and prospects for future research on PPCPs in wastewater treatment