Ethnobotanical usages of plants in western Mizoram

486-493Ethnobotanical survey among the tribals inhabiting western part of Mizoram brought to light a number of wild plant species used as edibles and as herbal medicine. There are 23 plants species, which were common throughout the study area. The tribals utilized 89 plant species for herbal medicine, 44 plant species consumed as wild edible fruits, 33 plant species as wild edible plants, 8 plant species for pig food, 11 plant species for fire wood & for charcoal making and 23 plant species for timber. The paper enumerates and discusses various ethnobotanical aspects of the plants used by the tribals of Mizoram

Mikania Mikrantha Leaf Extract Mediated Biogenic Synthesis of Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Characterization and Its Antimicrobial Activity Study

With an aim to introduce a new highly potent antimicrobial nanoparticles using an environment-friendly route, he present work reports the green synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4NPs) utilizing Mikania mikrantha leaf extract and its application as efficient antimicrobial agent. The green Fe3O4NPs have been described by X-beam diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FT-IR) investigation. The TEM image shows the rhomboidal Fe3O4NPs with average mean sizes 20.27 nm. The FT-IR investigation proved Fe3O4NPs have been balanced out through the associations of steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenyl propanoids, phenolic acids and proteins present in the leaf extract. The synthesized Fe3O4NPs shows a very high antibacterial and antifungal property against 5 bacterial strains such as Bacillus cereus, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Achromobacter spanius and Chromobacterium pseudoviolaceum strain, and 4 fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium citirinum, Fusarium oxysporium, and Candida albicans). The green synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles can interfere metabolic activities of microorganisms which determine its antimicrobial properties and could bring a promising application in the fields of medicine. </p

Biosynthesis of Triangular-Shape ZnO Nanoparticles Using Tecoma Stans and Its Antimicrobial Activity

The present work reports the first green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) using Tecoma stans leaf extract. The ZnO-NPs have been investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Ultra Violet-Visible (UV-Vis), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FT-IR) analysis. XRD investigation confirms the crystalline structure of ZnO. The TEM images show triangular shape ZnO-NPs with sizes running from 15-20 nm. The XPS spectrum revealed the presence of Zn and O in the sample. Photoluminescence studies of ZnO-NPs displayed a sharp emission of blue band at 447 nm which is attributed to the defect structures in ZnO crystal. The presence of alcoholic, phenolic amide groups in the plant extracts is responsible for the formation of ZnO-NPs. The synthesized ZnO-NPs showed a very high antibacterial property against five bacterial strains such as Bacillus cereus,Acinetobacter johnsonii, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Achromobacter spanius and Chromobacterium pseudoviolaceum, with the highest zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 24 mm being shown against Achromobacter spanius strain. Further, the synthesized nanoparticles displayed excellent activities against four fungal strains, where a highest ZOI of 30 mm was observed against Penicillium citirinum, hence proving its high efficacy as antimicrobial agents.</div

Antioxidant and Phytochemical analysis of selected lichen species from Mizoram, India

Lichens are an important source of biologically active substances, primarily phenols, which are well known for their antioxidant properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluated phytochemical constituents (flavonoids and phenols), and the antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of the selected lichens species viz. Usnea baileyi,&nbsp;Hypotrachyna cirrhata and Lobaria pulmonaria&nbsp; collected from Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary, Mizoram, India. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid of the various extracts varied from 31.11 to 67.84 mg of Gallic acid equivalent per gram dry weight (GAE/g DW) and from 27.43 to 37.06 mg of Quercetin equivalent per gram dry weight (QE/g DW) respectively. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the methanol extract of tested samples showed a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 value ranges from 133.6 µg/ml in&nbsp;L. pulmonaria&nbsp;to 243.9 µg/ml in&nbsp;U. baileyi. A comparison between lichens extract and positive control (BHT) showed a strong antioxidant capacity (IC50=10.81 μg/ml) of positive control than the lichens methanolic extract. A high negative and significant negative correlation (P&lt;0.05) was observed between total phenol content and antioxidant activity IC50 of DPPH assay. Moreover, a positively high significant correlation was also obtained between total flavonoid and phenol content (P&lt;0.01). The present study showed that bioactive compounds present in the lichen thallus may be used as good sources of natural antioxidants and a potential candidate for curing several ailments.&nbsp