Green chemistry approaches towards the design and synthesis of anti-infective fluoroquinolone derivatives

Fluoroquinolones are of pivotal interest for scientists because of their excellent pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles. They have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and show several promising features such as, greater bioavailability, admirable tissue penetration and comparatively lower incidence of antagonistic and lethal effects. These have made the compounds highly desirable to combat several infectious diseases. Various synthetic conventions have been established to hasten the fluoroquinolone's amination rate and to improve yield. Such methods have significant disadvantages including, costly reagents, usage of vast quantities of harmful solvents, excessive heat and sideways reactions. These drawbacks aren't appropriate in current pharmaceutical market. Hence, it is highly desirable to develop a newer green and more efficient process for fluoroquinolones synthesis. Green chemistry methodology endeavours to achieve sustainability at the molecular level. The field of green chemistry has shown how chemists can design next-generation products and processes to make them more cost-effective while being virtuous for human health and the environment. This graphical review demonstrates the current developments in the synthesis of fluoroquinolones employing the principles of green chemistry by using the novel, recyclable and environmental-friendly catalysts and solvents.</p

Understanding the Therapeutic Potential of Ascorbic Acid in the Battle to Overcome Cancer

Cancer, a fatal disease, is also one of the main causes of death worldwide. Despite various developments to prevent and treat cancer, the side effects of anticancer drugs remain a major concern. Ascorbic acid is an essential vitamin required by our bodies for normal physiological function and also has antioxidant and anticancer activity. Although the body cannot synthesize ascorbic acid, it is abundant in nature through foods and other natural sources and also exists as a nutritional food supplement. In anticancer drug development, ascorbic acid has played an important role by inhibiting the development of cancer through various mechanisms, including scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), selectively producing ROS and encouraging their cytotoxicity against tumour cells, preventing glucose metabolism, serving as an epigenetic regulator, and regulating the expression of HIF in tumour cells. Several ascorbic acid analogues have been produced to date for their anticancer and antioxidant activity. The current review summarizes the mechanisms behind ascorbic acid’s antitumor activity, presents a compilation of its derivatives and their biological activity as anticancer agents, and discusses delivery systems such as liposomes, nanoparticles against cancer, and patents on ascorbic acid as anticancer agents

Arformoterol Tartrate: A Review of Pharmacology, Analysis and Clinical Studies

This article is a review of the therapeutic significance of arformoterol tartrate, a new generation 2 adrenergic agonist bronchodilator available in a nebulized form. Arformoterol is well absorbed through the lungs when administered via a standard jet nebulizer and is useful in long-term maintenance therapy of bronchoconstriction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Much clinical evidence suggest the potentially enhanced efficacy of this drug in the treatment of COPD including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Various hyphenated analytical methodologies have also been employed for the determination and quantification of arformoterol. This review provides an updated account on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical studies, analytical techniques, drug-drug interactions, contraindications, and therapeutic applications of arformoterol tartrate.Keywords: Arformoterol tartrate, Adrenergic agonist, Bronchodilator, COPDTropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research December 2010; 9 (6): 595-60

FRUIT CULTIVATION IN SALT-AFFECTED SOILS: CONSTRAINTS AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

Horticulture is increasingly being seen as a sunrise sector with huge growth potential. In many developing and underdeveloped countries, horticultural crops are being promoted to achieve the intertwined goals of sustainable food and nutritional security, equitable growth and rural prosperity. In the last few decades, India has made rapid strides in the production of horticultural crops. Globally, India is the second largest producer of fruits. Despite huge socioeconomic and environmental benefits, the growth of Indian fruit industry continues to be hampered by different constraints. Low productivity of fruits vis-à-vis other major producers, huge post-harvest losses and negligible presence in global export market are some of the factors hindering India from becoming a leader in the global fruit trade. Majority of the fruit crops are highly sensitive to biotic and abiotic stresses with about three-fourths of the fruit crops listed known to be highly sensitive to salinity and the related soil constraints. As further expansion of area under fruit crops seems possible only in marginal situations, this paper attempts to shed light on the properties of the marginally productive salt-affected soils, mechanisms underpinning salt tolerance and doable interventions for growing fruit crops under saline conditions.ICA

Synthesis and characterization of N-Mannich based prodrugs of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin: In vitro anthelmintic and cytotoxic evaluation

Prodrugs, the inert derivatives of existing drugs have successfully contributed to the modification of their physicochemical properties. The improved antimicrobial potential due to enhanced lipophilicity of some of the synthesized prodrugs of antibacterial agents by various schemes has already been reported. In the current study, synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of some more lipid based prodrugs/compounds of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin has been carried out. The synthesized prodrugs/compounds have been screened for anthelmintic activity using Indian earthworms and cytotoxic activity against human lung cancer cell lines A-549 employing sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay method. The prodrugs FQF1, 6b, 6c, and 6k were found to possess promising anthelmintic activity due to improved partition coefficient. Growth of selected cells lines was found to decrease with increase in concentration of prodrugs as compared to parent drug. Prodrug, 6k having GI50 value 28.8, has been proved to be the most active among all the synthesized prodrugs. Results of present investigation reveal that some of the synthesized prodrugs/compounds were found to possess promising biological activity

Crop Residue Degradation by Autochthonous Fungi Isolated from Cropping System Management Scenarios

In the rice-wheat system dominated belt of India (Indo-Gangetic plains; IGP), paddy leaves, about 8 to 9 t/ha of loose and anchored residue in the field, are mechanically harvested. Farmers prefer to burn this residue to clear the field for the timely preparation of conventional wheat sowing. In-situ degradation by autochthonous fungi can be a better option for the disposal of unwanted crop residues. Autochthonous fungi isolated from conservation agriculture-based crop management fields were screened and assessed for their residue degradation potential. Nineteen isolates were selected for detailed enzymatic analysis in submerged fermentation, responsible for lignocellulosic residue degradation. Out of these five fungal isolates RPW 1/3 (Aspergillus flavus), RPW 1/6 (Aspergillus terreus), RPW 1/9 (Aspergillus terreus), RPWM 2/2 (Penicillium janthinellum) and RZWM 3/1 (Aspergillus niger) showed higher activities of cellobiase, CMCase, FPase, xylanase, and laccase enzymes in solid state fermentation. Further two isolates RPW 1/3 and 1/6 showed approximately 30% degradation of straw residue after 10 days incubation

<b style="">A review on Bael tree</b>

171-178Bael, Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Correa ex Roxb., a tree of Indian origin is known from pre-historic time. It has a great mythological significance for Hindus. Utilization of bael in day-to-day life has great nutritional, environmental as well as commercial importance. It has been in use from time immemorial in traditional systems of medicine for relieving constipation, diarrhoea, dysentery, peptic ulcer and respiratory infections. Important medicinal properties of bael are antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, cardioprotective, antispermatogenic, anticancer and radioprotective. The present review deals with general and chemical profile and its economic importance including medicinal and other uses

Simple and efficient way to detect small polymorphic bands in plants

There are many ways to detect polymorphism. In this study we use the microsatellite markers to detect the polymorphism for the salt tolerance. This method has been successfully conducted in Oryza sativa and Brassica juncea. The results are reproducible. In contrast to previous methods, our method is simple and quite accurate for detecting the polymorphic bands. In this study instead of using agarose gel and ethidium bromide staining, we used non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel and a low-cost improved method for silver staining when we compare it to 11 other methods for their ability to detect simple sequence repeat polymorphisms as small as 50 bp in denaturing polyacrylamide gels. All methods detected the same alleles and banding pattern. However, important differences in sensitivity, contrast, time consumption and background were observed

Arformoterol Tartrate: A Review of Pharmacology, Analysis and Clinical Studies

This article is a review of the therapeutic significance of arformoterol tartrate, a new generation β2 adrenergic agonist bronchodilator available in a nebulized form. Arformoterol is well absorbed through the lungs when administered via a standard jet nebulizer and is useful in long-term maintenance therapy of bronchoconstriction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Much clinical evidence suggest the potentially enhanced efficacy of this drug in the treatment of COPD including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Various hyphenated analytical methodologies have also been employed for the determination and quantification of arformoterol. This review provides an updated account on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical studies, analytical techniques, drug-drug interactions, contraindications, and therapeutic applications of arformoterol tartrate