Effect of copper, nickel and lead on callus growth dynamics of Solanum lycopersicum

Solanum lycopersicum cv. (Punjab Kesar Cherry) (Tomato) belonging to family Solanaceae has been priced for the presence of lycopene, low sugar content and curative properties. However, the productivity of tomatoes has been observed to be low due to both biotic as well as abiotic stress. Considering the toxicity of copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) as environmental contamination and the economic importance of S. lycopersicum, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of these heavy metals on various growth parameters of callus cultures and plantlet regeneration. Callus induced through nodal segments was inoculated on Murashige and Skoog medium containing different concentrations (0 µM, 50 µM, 100 µM, 200 µM, 300 µM, 400 µM and 500 µM) of copper, lead and nickel. Decrease in different growth parameters was observed as 91.66-16.66 %, 76.38-11.11 %, 81.94-13.88 % for percent callus survival,  90.90-25 %, 72.72-37.50 %, 79.66-20 % for percent callus multiplication, 79.54-0 %, 82.75-33 %, 63.8-50 %  for percent root regeneration and 73.33-33 %, 72.50-33 %, 79.6- 20 % for percent shoot generation with increasing concentrations of Cu, Pb and Ni, respectively. Decrease in the average fresh and dry weight of callus was observed for all the metals. The order of toxicity was observed as Pb > Ni > Cu at the highest concentrations used for treating S. lycopersicum. The present study revealed that all three metals induced stress in the studied plant and need attention to developing methods to mitigate the consequences of metal toxicity in crop plants.

ANTIMUTAGENIC POTENTIAL OF POLLEN GRAINS OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANT SPECIES

Objective: The present study was planned to explore the antimutagenic response of ethanolic extracts of pollen grains of four plant species viz., Bauhinia variegata, Cassia biflora, Cassia glauca and Cassia siamea belonging to Fabaceae family.Methods: Ames assay was used to evaluate the antimuatagenic activity of the ethanolic extracts of pollen grains of four plant species. Both TA 98 and TA 100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium were used in presence and absence of S9 mix during the present study.Results: Among four species studied, pollen extracts of Bauhinia variegata and Cassia biflora had shown maximum percentage inhibition of revertant colonies during presence and absence of S9 mix, respectively.Conclusion: The present study reveals that pollen extract of four plant species viz., Bauhinia variegata, Cassia glauca, Cassia biflora and Cassia siamea exhibited antimutagenic potential against two direct acting mutagens viz., (4 nitro-o-phenylenediamine; NPD for TA 98 and sodium azide for TA 100) and one indirect acting mutagen (2 amino-flourine; 2AF) which indicates that pollen grains of these species can act as potential source of anticancer drugs.Keywords: Ames assay, Bauhinia variegata, Pharmaceutical, Cance

Polyphenolic characterization of pollen grains of some medicinal plant species using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC)

Polyphenols, the secondary metabolites distributed in different parts of a plant, have major role in protecting the plants from deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiations and various diseases caused by pathogens. Considering the fact that these metabolites possess tremendous medicinal properties, extensive research has been carried out during the past few decades to explore their potential health benefits. Further, polyphenols are documented to possess different activities such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiulcer. The present study pertained to analyze different polyphenolic compounds in pollen grains of 9 medicinally important plant species viz., Bauhinia variegata, B.purpurea, Cassia biflora, C. fistula, C. glauca, C. saimea and Delonix regia belonging to Fabaceae family, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis belonging to Malvaceae family and Melia azadirach belonging toMeliaceaefamily using Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Various polyphenolic compounds likecaffeic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, coumaric acid, ellagic acid, epicatechin, gallic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin, tert-butyl hydroquinone andumbelliferonewere found to be present in the pollen grains of these plant species. The order of plant species in terms of maximum number of polyphenolic compounds was observed as Cassia saimea (10) > B. purpurea (9) = C. fistula (9) = Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (9) > Delonix regia (8) > B. variegata (6) > C. glauca (4) = Melia Azadirach (4) > C. biflora (3). The plants such as C. saimea, B. purpurea, C. fistula and H. rosa-sinensis with different polyphenolic compounds indicated their potential forthe treatment of ailments

Infection Control Practices among Undergraduate Dental Students: Case of a Private Dental Institution in North India

Objective: Transmission of infectious agents in a dental clinic is unavoidable. A considerable emphasis must be placed on observing a strict protocol for infection control. The present study assesses infection control practices undertaken by undergraduate dental students in a dental college in North India.Materials and Methods: Along with the general information (age, gender and year of study), a self-applied questionnaire (15 questions with dichotomous response of yes/no) was administered to third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. Fisher exact test was used to assess the differences according to the student year of study and gender.Result: Receiving an overall response rate of 94.2%, highest responses in “yes” were received for wearing and changing gloves and wearing face masks. Changing face masks, hand pieces and burs between patients was practiced more by the senior students, whereas using a special container for disposing of sharp objects was reported more by juniors (p<0.05). No difference among genders was seen.Conclusion: The present study reports unsatisfactory infection control practices, which calls for strict follow-up of infection control guidelines

PRODUCTION OF INDIAN CITRUS RINGSPOT VIRUS FREE PLANTS OF KINNOW EMPLOYING CHEMOTHERAPY COUPLED WITH SHOOT TIP GRAFTING

Indian citrus ringspot virus (ICRSV) is known to cause serious problem in Kinnow (Citrus nobilis Lour × C. deliciosa Tenora). This paper reports the elimination of ICRSV from Kinnow by chemotherapy coupled with shoot tip grafting under in vitro conditions. Nodal segments from infected mother plant (indexed by indirect ELISA and RT-PCR) were cultured on MS medium containing 2-iP (1mg/l) and malt extract (800 mg/l) along with different concentrations of five antiviral chemicals acycloguanosine, azidothymidine, 2,4-dioxohexahydro-1, 2,5-triazine (DHT), ribavirin and 2- thiouracil. Shoot tips of size 0.7 mm were excised from the sprouts of these nodal segments and grafted on to rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri) under aseptic conditions. The plantlets obtained from chemotherapy coupled with in vitro micrografting were indexed by indirect ELISA and RT-PCR after acclimatization. Maximum effect (37% virus elimination) was seen for ribavirin at 25 mg/l followed by 2-thiouracil at 25 mg/l (21.4%) and acyclguanosine at 25 mg/l (20.8%). Azidothymidine and DHT at the tested doses could not eliminate ICRSV. In the present study only those plants/plantlets were considered virus free, which showed negative reaction both with indirect ELISA and RT-PCR

Plasma levels of angiopoietin-1 and -2 predict cerebral malaria outcome in Central India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria (CM) syndrome are not well understood. Previous studies have shown a strong association of inflammatory chemokines, apoptotic markers and angiogenic molecules with CM associated mortality. Recognizing the importance of angiopoietins (ANG) in the pathogenesis of CM, a retrospective investigation was carried out in a hospital cohort of malaria patients with <it>Plasmodium </it>infection in central India to determine if these factors could be suitable markers of CM associated severity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients enrolled in the study were clinically characterized as healthy controls (HC), mild malaria (MM), CM survivors (CMS) and CM non-survivors (CMNS) based on their malaria status and hospital treatment outcome. Plasma ANG-1 and ANG-2 levels were assessed using sandwich ELISA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to calculate area under the curve (AUC) for each biomarker in order to assess predictive accuracy of individual biomarkers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The plasma levels of ANG-1 were lower in CMS and CMNS compared to control groups (mild malaria and healthy controls) at the time of hospital admission. On the contrary, ANG-2 levels positively correlated with malaria severity and were significantly higher in CMNS. The ratio of ANG-2/ANG-1 was highest in CMNS compared to other groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that compared to ANG-1 (AUC = 0.35), ANG-2 (AUC = 0.95) and ratio of ANG-2/ANG-1 (AUC = 0.90) were better markers to discriminate CMNS from MM cases. However, they were less specific in predicting fatal outcome amongst CM cases at the time of hospital admission.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that at the time of admission plasma levels of ANG-2 and ratio of ANG-2/ANG-1 are clinically informative biomarkers to predict fatal CM from MM cases while they have limited usefulness in discriminating fatal CM outcomes in a pool of CM cases in endemic settings of Central India.</p

Antibody responses to the merozoite surface protein-1 complex in cerebral malaria patients in India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>infection causes cerebral malaria (CM) in a subset of patients with anti-malarial treatment protecting only about 70% to 80% of patients. Why a subset of malaria patients develops CM complications, including neurological sequelae or death, is still not well understood. It is believed that host immune factors may modulate CM outcomes and there is substantial evidence that cellular immune factors, such as cytokines, play an important role in this process. In this study, the potential relationship between the antibody responses to the merozoite surface protein (MSP)-1 complex (which consists of four fragments namely: MSP-1₈₃, MSP-1₃₀, MSP-1₃₈and MSP-1₄₂), MSP-6₃₆and MSP-7₂₂and CM was investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Peripheral blood antibody responses to recombinant antigens of the two major allelic forms of MSP-1 complex, MSP-6₃₆and MSP-7₂₂were compared between healthy subjects, mild malaria patients (MM) and CM patients residing in a malaria endemic region of central India. Total IgG and IgG subclass antibody responses were determined using ELISA method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence and levels of IgG and its subclasses in the plasma varied for each antigen. In general, the prevalence of total IgG, IgG1 and IgG3 was higher in the MM patients and lower in CM patients compared to healthy controls. Significantly lower levels of total IgG antibodies to the MSP-1_f38, IgG1 levels to MSP-1_d83, MSP-1₁₉and MSP-6₃₆and IgG3 levels to MSP-1_f42and MSP-7₂₂were observed in CM patients as compared to MM patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that there may be some dysregulation in the generation of antibody responses to some MSP antigens in CM patients and it is worth investigating further whether perturbations of antibody responses in CM patients contribute to pathogenesis.</p

Plasma IP-10, apoptotic and angiogenic factors associated with fatal cerebral malaria in India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>in a subset of patients can lead to cerebral malaria (CM), a major contributor to malaria-associated mortality. Despite treatment, CM mortality can be as high as 30%, while 10% of survivors of the disease may experience short- and long-term neurological complications. The pathogenesis of CM is mediated by alterations in cytokine and chemokine homeostasis, inflammation as well as vascular injury and repair processes although their roles are not fully understood. The hypothesis for this study is that CM-induced changes in inflammatory, apoptotic and angiogenic factors mediate severity of CM and that their identification will enable development of new prognostic markers and adjunctive therapies for preventing CM mortalities.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Plasma samples (133) were obtained from healthy controls (HC, 25), mild malaria (MM, 48), cerebral malaria survivors (CMS, 48), and cerebral malaria non-survivors (CMNS, 12) at admission to the hospital in Jabalpur, India. Plasma levels of 30 biomarkers ((IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, Eotaxin, FGF basic protein, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1 (MCAF), MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, TNF-α, Fas-ligand (Fas-L), soluble Fas (sFas), soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNF-R1) and soluble TNF receptor 2 (sTNFR-2), PDGF bb and VEGF)) were simultaneously measured in an initial subset of ten samples from each group. Only those biomarkers which showed significant differences in the pilot analysis were chosen for testing on all remaining samples. The results were then compared between the four groups to determine their role in CM severity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IP-10, sTNF-R2 and sFas were independently associated with increased risk of CM associated mortality. CMNS patients had a significantly lower level of the neuroprotective factor VEGF when compared to other groups (P < 0.0045). The ratios of VEGF to IP-10, sTNF-R2, and sFas distinguished CM survivors from non survivors (P < 0.0001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest that plasma levels of IP-10, sTNF-R2 and sFas may be potential biomarkers of CM severity and mortality. VEGF was found to be protective against CM associated mortality and may be considered for adjunctive therapy to improve the treatment outcome in CM patients.</p