Insights into the role of natural products in the control of the honey bee gut parasite (Nosema spp.)

The honey bee is an important economic insect due to its role in pollinating many agricultural plants. Unfortunately, bees are susceptible to many pathogens, including pests, parasites, bacteria, and viruses, most of which exert a destructive impact on thousands of colonies. The occurrence of resistance to the therapeutic substances used against these organisms is rising, and the residue from these chemicals may accumulate in honey bee products, subsequently affecting the human health. There is current advice to avoid the use of antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and other drugs in bees, and therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative strategies for the treatment of bee diseases. In this context, the impact of nosema diseases (nosemosis) on bee health and the negative insults of existing drugs are discussed. Moreover, attempts to combat nosema through the use of alternative compounds, including essential oils, plant extracts, and microbes in vitro and in vivo, are documented.Plan of High end Foreign Experts of the Ministry of Science and Technology | Ref. G2022016009

Stress degradation studies and development of stability-indicating TLC-densitometry method for determination of prednisolone acetate and chloramphenicol in their individual and combined pharmaceutical formulations

A rapid and reproducible stability indicating TLC method was developed for the determination of prednisolone acetate and chloramphenicol in presence of their degraded products. Uniform degradation conditions were maintained by refluxing sixteen reaction mixtures for two hours at 80°C using parallel synthesizer including acidic, alkaline and neutral hydrolysis, oxidation and wet heating degradation. Oxidation at room temperature, photochemical and dry heating degradation studies were also carried out. Separation was done on TLC glass plates, pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 using chloroform: methanol (14:1 v/v). Spots at Rf 0.21 ± 0.02 and Rf 0.41 ± 0.03 were recognized as chloramphenicol and prednisolone acetate, respectively. Quantitative analysis was done through densitometric measurements at multiwavelength (243 nm, λmax of prednisolone acetate and 278 nm, λmax of chloramphenicol), simultaneously. The developed method was optimized and validated as per ICH guidelines. Method was found linear over the concentration range of 200-6000 ng/spot with the correlation coefficient (r2 ± S.D.) of 0.9976 ± 3.5 and 0.9920 ± 2.5 for prednisolone acetate and chloramphenicol, respectively. The developed TLC method can be applied for routine analysis of prednisolone acetate and chloramphenicol in presence of their degraded products in their individual and combined pharmaceutical formulations

Biotransformation of perfumery terpenoids, (−)-ambrox® by a fungal culture <it>Macrophomina phaseolina</it> and a plant cell suspension culture of <it>Peganum harmala</it>

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Biotransformation offers chemo enzymatic system to modify the compounds into their novel analogues which are difficult to synthesize by chemical methods. This paper describes the biotransformational studies of ambrox, one of the most important components of natural Ambergris (wale sperm) with fungal and plant cell culture.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Biotransformation of (−)-ambrox (<b>1</b>) with a fungal cell culture of <it>Macrophomina phaseolina</it> and a plant cell suspension cultures of <it>Peganum harmala</it> yielded oxygenated products, 3<it>β</it>-hydroxyambrox (<b>2</b>), 6<it>β</it>-hydroxyambrox (<b>3</b>), 1<it>α</it>-hydroxy-3oxoambrox (<b>4</b>), 1<it>α</it>,3<it>β</it>-dihydroxyambrox (<b>5</b>), 13,14,15,16-tetranorlabdane-3-oxo-8,12-diol (<b>6</b>), 3-oxoambrox (<b>7</b>), 2<it>α</it>-hydroxyambrox (<b>8</b>), 3<it>β</it>-hydroxysclareolide (<b>9</b>), and 2<it>α</it>,3<it>β</it>-dihydroxyambrox (<b>10</b>). Metabolite <b>4</b> was found to be new compound. These metabolites were structurally characterized on the basis of spectroscopic studies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Nine oxygenated metabolites of (−)-ambrox (<b>1</b>) were obtained from <it>Macrophomina phaseolina</it> and <it>Peganum harmala.</it> Enzymatic system of screened organisms introduced hydroxyl and keto functionalities at various positions of compound <b>1</b> in a stereo- and regio-controlled manner.</p

Arctium lappa (Burdock): Insights from ethnopharmacology potential, chemical constituents, clinical studies, pharmacological utility and nanomedicine

Arctium lappa L. is a medicinal edible homologous plant, commonly known as burdock or bardana, which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is widely distributed throughout Northern Asia, Europe, and North America and has been utilized for hundreds of years. The roots, fruits, seeds, and leaves of A. lappa have been extensively used in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A. lappa has attracted a great deal of attention due to its possession of highly recognized bioactive metabolites with significant therapeutic potential. Numerous pharmacological effects have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo by A. lappa and its bioactive metabolites, including antimicrobial, anti-obesity, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-allergic, antiviral, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activities. Additionally, A. lappa has demonstrated considerable clinical efficacies and valuable applications in nanomedicine. Collectively, this review covers the properties of A. lappa and its bioactive metabolites, ethnopharmacology aspects, pharmacological effects, clinical trials, and applications in the field of nanomedicine. Hence, a significant attention should be paid to clinical trials and industrial applications of this plant with particular emphasis, on drug discovery and nanotechnology

Cosmetic Applications of Bee Venom

Bee venom (BV) is a typical toxin secreted by stingers of honeybee workers. BV and BV therapy have long been attractive to different cultures, with extensive studies during recent decades. Nowadays, BV is applied to combat several skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, alopecia, vitiligo, and psoriasis. BV is used extensively in topical preparations as cosmetics and used as dressing for wound healing, as well as in facemasks. Nevertheless, the safety of BV as a therapeutic choice has always been a concern due to the immune system reaction in some people due to BV use. The documented unfavorable impact is explained by the fact that the skin reactions to BV might expand to excessive immunological responses, including anaphylaxis, that typically resolve over numerous days. This review aims to address bee venom therapeutic uses in skin cosmetics