Effect of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. seeds on serum glucose and other metabolic parameters of normal and alloxan - induced diabetic rats

Oral administration of the ethanol extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima seeds (CP - 250 and 500 mg/kg) caused significant fall in blood glucose levels even at 2½ h after a single dose of treatment in normal fasted and glucose loaded Wistar rats. At 250 mg/kg dose level, CP completely prevented the elevation of blood glucose caused by oral glucose feeding. In alloxan diabetic rats, CP was able to lower the blood glucose level to around 132 mg / 100 ml from 10th day and thereafter. The biochemical findings were supported by histopathological studies of liver, kidney and pancreas of control and treated rats. CP was able to increase catalase levels of diabetic rats. Reduced levels of serum protein and elevated levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase(SGPT), alkaline phosphatase(ALP), cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine and uric acid were almost normalised in CP treated diabetic rats. CP was also able to reduce in vitro lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes and inhibit 1- diphenyl – 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) induced free radicals significantly

Biosurfactants produced by Bacillus subtilis A1 and Pseudomonas stutzeri NA3 reduce longevity and fecundity of Anopheles stephensi and show high toxicity against young instars

Anopheles stephensi acts as vector of Plasmodium parasites, which are responsible for malaria in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Currently, malaria management is a big challenge due to the presence of insecticide-resistant strains as well as to the development of Plasmodium species highly resistant to major antimalarial drugs. Therefore, the present study focused on biosurfactant produced by two bacteria Bacillus subtilis A1 and Pseudomonas stutzeri NA3, evaluating them for insecticidal applications against malaria mosquitoes. The produced biosurfactants were characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which confirmed that biosurfactants had a lipopeptidic nature. Both biosurfactants were tested against larvae and pupae of A. stephensi. LC50 values were 3.58 (larva I), 4.92 (II), 5.73 (III), 7.10 (IV), and 7.99 (pupae) and 2.61 (I), 3.68 (II), 4.48 (III), 5.55 (IV), and 6.99 (pupa) for biosurfactants produced by B. subtilis A1 and P. stutzeri NA3, respectively. Treatments with bacterial surfactants led to various physiological changes including longer pupal duration, shorter adult oviposition period, and reduced longevity and fecundity. To the best of our knowledge, there are really limited reports on the mosquitocidal and physiological effects due to biosurfactant produced by bacterial strains. Overall, the toxic activity of these biosurfactant on all young instars of A. stephensi, as well as their major impact on adult longevity and fecundity, allows their further consideration for the development of insecticides in the fight against malaria mosquitoes

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy and brine shrimp lethality assay of Alstonia scholaris stem bark extract mediated ZnONPs

Alstonia scholaris is one of the most important medicinal plants and herein, we present the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using the bark extract of Alstonia scholaris, and evaluation of their antimicrobial efficacy. Stable ZnO nanoparticles were formed by treating 90 mL of 1 mM zinc nitrate aqueous solution with 10 mL of 10% bark extract. The formation of Alstonia scholaris bark extract mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles was confirmed by UV–visible spectroscopic analysis and recorded the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) at 430 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) analysis revealed that primary and secondary amine groups in combination with the proteins present in the bark extract is responsible for the reduction and stabilization of the ZnONPs. The crystalline phase of the nanocrystals was determined by XRD analysis and morphology was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hydrodynamic diameter (26.2 nm) and a positive zeta potential (43.0 mV) were measured using the dynamic light scattering technique. The antimicrobial activity of Alstonia scholaris ZnONPs was evaluated (in-vitro) using disc diffusion method against fungi, Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria which were isolated from the biofilm formed in drinking water PVC pipelines. The results obtained suggested that ZnO nanoparticles exhibit a good anti-fungal activity than bactericidal effect towards all pathogens tested in in-vitro disc diffusion method (170 ppm, 100 ppm and 50 ppm). Further, the toxicity of biosynthesized ZnONPs was tested against Alstonia scholaris to evaluate the cytotoxic effect that displayed LC50 value of 95% confidence intervals

In vitro anti- biofilm and anti-bacterial activity of Sesbania grandiflora extract against Staphylococcus aureus

The main objective of this research is to investigate the anti-biofilm and anti-bacterial activity of Sesbania grandiflora (S. grandiflora) against Staphylococcus aureus. S. grandiflora extract were prepared and analyzed with UV –Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Dynamic light scattering. Biofilm forming pathogens were identified by congo-red assay. Quantification of Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) particularly protein and carbohydrate were calculated. The efficacy of the herbal extract S. grandiflora and its inhibition against the pathogenic strain of S. aureus was also evaluated. The gradual decrease or disappearance of peaks reveals the reduction of protein and carbohydrate content in the EPS of S. aureus when treated with S. grandiflora. The antibacterial activity of S. grandiflora extract against the bacterial strain S. aureus showed that the extract were more active against the strain. To conclude, anti-biofilm and antibacterial efficacy of S. grandiflora plays a vital role over biofilm producing pathogens and act as a good source for controlling the microbial population

Development and quantification of biodiesel production from chicken feather meal as a cost-effective feedstock by using green technology

Increased urbanization and increase in population has led to an increased demand for fuels. The result is the prices of fuels are reaching new heights every day. Using low-cost feedstocks such as rendered animal fats in biodiesel production will reduce biodiesel expenditures. One of the low-cost feedstocks for biodiesel production from poultry feathers. This paper describes a new and environmentally friendly process for developing biodiesel production technology from feather waste produced in poultry industry. Transesterification is one of the well-known processes by which fats and oils are converted into biodiesel. The reaction often makes use of acid/base catalyst. If the material possesses high free fatty acid then acid catalyst gives better results. The data resulted from gas chromatography (GC) revealed these percentages for fatty acid compositions: myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. The biodiesel function group was analyzed by using FTIR. This study concluded that the rooster feathers have superior potential to process them into biodiesel than broiler chicken feathers fat because of fatty acid composition values and it has important properties of biodiesel

A novel multiplex real-time PCR for the detection of Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Paratyphi A and Burkholderia pseudomallei in clinical samples

Enteric fever, caused by infection with Salmonella Typhi or Paratyphi A, B, or C (typhoidal Salmonella) and melioidosis are among the most common bacterial causes of acute febrile illness in tropical and subtropical countries. The diseases are widely spread even in developed countries mainly affecting travellers returning from endemic areas. Melioidosis is an increasingly recognized fatal septicemic infection also mimicking tuberculosis. These pathogens are largely underreported due to lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic tools. In this study, an inhouse multiplex real-time PCR assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of Salmonella Typhi, S. Paratyphi A and B. pseudomallei using specific primers. The inhouse developed assay was evaluated on buffy coat and serum samples collected from patients with acute febrile illness at four different centres. The assay had a detection limit of less than 1 genome copy for S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A and 18 genome copies per 10 µl of PCR input for B. pseudomallei. Among the 1101 samples tested by multiplex real-time PCR, one (0.09%) sample was positive for S. Typhi. One sample was positive for blood culture identified as S. Typhi but negative by real-time PCR. The samples were negative for S. Paratyphi A and B. pseudomallei. The multiplex real-time assay would be highly useful as a diagnostic aid for the syndromic approach and comprehensive diagnosis of enteric fever and melioidosis. The assay could improve the overall diagnostic capability and be a useful tool during outbreak investigations

Standardization and Evaluation of an In-house Multiplex Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction for Simultaneous Detection of Pathogenic Species of Brucella, Rickettsia, and Leptospira in Patients with Acute Febrile Illness

Background and Objectives: Acute febrile illness is caused by a wide range of etiologies. Brucella, Rickettsia and Leptospira as a cause of acute febrile illness have not been well studied. Identification by culture is laborious and diagnosis is often based on serological tests. We aimed to develop an in-house multiplex real-time PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of Brucella, Rickettsia and Leptospira and evaluate on samples collected from patients presenting with acute febrile illness. Methods: Samples (n=1101) were collected from patients presenting with acute febrile illness from different regions. An inhouse multiplex real-time PCR was developed for the specific detection of Brucella species, Rickettsia species and pathogenic species of Leptospira. The assay was evaluated on clinical samples. IgM ELISA was carried out on randomly selected samples (n=178). Results: The detection limit of the multiplex real-time PCR assay was 6.3, 43.7 and 1.2 genome copies per 10 μl of PCR input for Brucella, Rickettsia and Leptospira respectively. Among 1101 samples, Leptospira was positive in 1.36% samples and Rickettsia was positive in 0.36% samples. Among random samples, 37.1% of samples were positive for Brucella IgM, 19.6% were positive for Rickettsia IgM and 11.2% were positive for Leptospira IgM. Interpretation and Conclusions: The study showed a high seroprevalence of Brucellosis and Rickettsiosis among the samples. The in-house multiplex real-time PCR assay will be a useful tool in the syndromic diagnosis for a specific and comprehensive laboratory diagnostic testing