Diversity, indigenous uses and traditional practices of dye yielding plants in Central Himachal Pradesh, North western Himalaya

560-564The present paper is an attempt to assess the diversity and document the indigenous uses and traditional practices of dye yielding plants in Central Himachal Pradesh North Western Himalaya. A total of 17 species of dye yielding plants belonging to 13 families and 17 genera were recorded. These species are used to dyeing clothes and other items. Different plant parts were utilized, of which fruit (07 spp.) was used in the majority, followed by flowers (05 spp.); bark (04 spp.) and leaves (03 spp.) Information on indigenous uses and traditional practices was documented with the help of local inhabitants. Natural dye yielding plants have immense significance in the socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of the inhabitants. The indigenous knowledge of extractions, processing and practices of in situ and ex situ conservation of the species; natural dyes has declined to a great extent. Therefore, to maintain dye yielding plant wealth, awareness among the inhabitants; involvement of local inhabitants and Forest Department about the indigenous uses and traditional practices have been suggested

Diversity, indigenous uses and traditional practices of dye yielding plants in Central Himachal Pradesh, North western Himalaya

The present paper is an attempt to assess the diversity and document the indigenous uses and traditional practices of dyeyielding plants in Central Himachal Pradesh North Western Himalaya. A total of 17 species of dye yielding plants belongingto 13 families and 17 genera were recorded. These species are used to dyeing clothes and other items. Different plant partswere utilized, of which fruit (07 spp.) was used in the majority, followed by flowers (05 spp.); bark (04 spp.) and leaves(03 spp.) Information on indigenous uses and traditional practices was documented with the help of local inhabitants.Natural dye yielding plants have immense significance in the socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of the inhabitants.The indigenous knowledge of extractions, processing and practices of in situ and ex situ conservation of the species; naturaldyes has declined to a great extent. Therefore, to maintain dye yielding plant wealth, awareness among the inhabitants;involvement of local inhabitants and Forest Department about the indigenous uses and traditional practices havebeen suggested

SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF SOME BENZOTHIAZOLE DERIVATIVES AS ANTIDIABETIC AGENTS

Objective: The objective of the present research investigation involves synthesis and biological evaluation of antidiabetic activity of benzothiazole derivatives.Methods: A novel series of benzothiazole derivatives 7(a-l) were synthesised and synthesised compounds were characterised for different physical and chemical properties like molecular formula, molecular weight, melting point, percentage yield, Rf value, IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR and mass spectroscopy. The newly synthesised benzothiazole derivatives were subsequently assayed in vivo to investigate their hypoglycemic activity by the alloxan-induced diabetic model in rats. Results: All the synthesised derivatives showed significant biological efficacy. The compound 7d at 350 mg/kg exerted maximum glucose lowering effects whereas 7c showed minimum glucose lowering effects. All the compounds were effective, and experimental results were statistically significant at p<0.01 and p<0.05 level.Conclusion: From the results, it is clear that compound 7d demonstrated potent anti-diabetic activity and would be of better use in drug development to combat the metabolic disorder in future

PREPARE AND EVALUATE MUCOADHESIVE FORMULATIONS OF LAMIVUDINE WITH BETTER CONTROLLED/ SUSTAINED DRUG RELEASE PROFILE

The aim of present study was to formulate & evaluate the mucoadhesive sustained release formulations of lamivudine and to fulfill this aim, two mucoadhesive formulations Gels and Tablets were prepared by using three different polymers: HPMC K15, poloxamer 407 & carbopol 934. Three mucoadhesive gel and nine tablet formulations were prepared and evaluated for various parameters. All three gels were able to give sustained release up to 12 hours. Tablet formulations, F1 to F5 failed to fulfill the aim. Only F6, F7, F8 & F9 formulations were selected, as all gave sustained release up to 12 hours, except F6, which gave sustained release profile only till 7 hours. From the drug release plots, it was concluded that the type of polymer and concentration of polymer have distinct effect on in vitro drug release profile and all the formulations follow first order mechanism with anomalous diffusion or non-fickian diffusion, except carbopol gel and poloxamer tablets. Carbopol gel follows zero order release rate with super case II transport and poloxamer tablets (F6) follow higuchi with non-fickian diffusion. It is concluded that mucoadhesive formulations of lamivudine can be prepared for sustaining its release. And the successful outcome of the present study also encourage for further studies to assess the ability of the mucoadhesive formulations of lamivudine in providing an effective sustained and safe therapy for AIDS

Multiple shoots regeneration of (anti-cancer plant) Catharanthus roseus -An important medicinal plant

ABSTRACT An efficient and cost effective micropropagation protocol using MS medium developed for Catharanthus roseus, a commercially important medicinal plant. Shootlets were regenerated from nodal explants of stem through axillary shoot proliferation. The induction of multiple shoots from nodal segments were premier in MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l BAP ± 1mg/l NAA. For rooting, different concentration of IBA were used and maximum rooting was recorded on MS medium with 5 mg/l IBA. The rooted plantlets were hardened initially in culture room conditions and then transferred to misthouse

EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY, GC-MS AND FT-IR PROFILE OF COW URINE DISTILLATES PREPARED FROM FRESH URINE OF INDIGENOUS COW BREEDS

The present study was undertaken to explore the antimicrobial potential of cow urine distillate (gomutra ark) against pathogenic microorganisms of medical and veterinary significance. Cow urine distillates (CUDs) were prepared from fresh cow urine of three Indian breeds viz. Sahiwal, Tharparkar, and Vrindavani. CUDs obtained from two goshalas and one commercially available CUD were also tested for antimicrobial activity for comparison. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CUD, antimicrobial activity of concentrated CUD, bacteriostatic and bactericidal potential as well as vapor phase activity were also determined. FT-IR and GC-MS analysis of the selected CUDs was performed to detect the surface functional groups and chemical composition. No antimicrobial activity was detected in the CUDs by disc diffusion and agar well diffusion methods. However, antimicrobial activity was observed in the microtitre Plate (MTP) assay as evidenced by inhibition of visible growth (turbidity) or measuring optical density (OD595). CUDs prepared from indigenous cows (Sahiwal and Tharparkar) exhibited superior antimicrobial activity compared to CUDs from crossbred cows (Vrindavani) or commercial CUDs. In general, CUDs were bactericidal for Gram-negative bacteria but bacteriostatic for Gram-positive bacteria. The MIC of CUDs was found to be in the range of 1:4 to 1:8 dilution. The concentrated CUDs exhibited a relatively lesser antimicrobial effect. CUDs exhibited antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur. CUDs also exhibited antimicrobial activity in the vapor phase. FT-IR spectra of selected CUDs exhibited bending vibrations at 1633.5 cm-1 due to N-H groups resembling N-H bonding in the structure of urea and stretching vibrations at 3330. 10 cm-1 due to C-H group. GC-MS analysis of selected CUDs exhibited many compounds that may be responsible for the antimicrobial activity. The results of the study confirm the antimicrobial potential of CUD as reported in ancient literature

Ethnomedicinal Plants Used in the Health Care System: Survey of the Mid Hills of Solan District, Himachal Pradesh, India

The study was performed in the mid hills of the Dharampur region in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. At the study site, a total of 115 medicinal plants were documented (38 trees, 37 herbs, 34 shrubs, 5 climbers, 1 fern, and 1 grass). In the study region, extensive field surveys were performed between March 2020 and August 2021. Indigenous knowledge of wild medicinal plants was collected through questionnaires, discussions, and personal interviews during field trips. Plants with their correct nomenclature were arranged by botanical name, family, common name, habitat, parts used, routes used, and diseases treated. In the present study, the predominant family was Rosaceae, which represented the maximum number of plant species, 10, followed by Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, which represented 8 plant species. The rural inhabitants of the Dharampur region in the Solan district have been using local plants for primary health care and the treatment of various diseases for a longer time. However, information related to the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants was not documented. The rural inhabitants of the Dharampur region reported that the new generation is not so interested in traditional knowledge of medicinal plants due to modernization in society, so there is an urgent need to document ethnomedicinal plants before such knowledge becomes inaccessible and extinct

From the periphery to the brain: Lipocalin-2, a friend or foe?

Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is an acute-phase protein that, by binding to iron-loaded siderophores, acts as a potent bacteriostatic agent in the iron-depletion strategy of the immune system to control pathogens. The recent identification of a mammalian siderophore also suggests a physiological role for LCN2 in iron homeostasis, specifically in iron delivery to cells via a transferrin-independent mechanism. LCN2 participates, as well, in a variety of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, cell differentiation and apoptosis, and has been mostly found up-regulated in various tissues and under inflammatory states, being its expression regulated by several inducers. In the central nervous system less is known about the processes involving LCN2, namely by which cells it is produced/secreted, and its impact on cell proliferation and death, or in neuronal plasticity and behaviour. Importantly, LCN2 recently emerged as a potential clinical biomarker in multiple sclerosis and in ageing-related cognitive decline. Still, there are conflicting views on the role of LCN2 in pathophysiological processes, with some studies pointing to its neurodeleterious effects, while others indicate neuroprotection. Herein, these various perspectives are reviewed and a comprehensive and cohesive view of the general function of LCN2, particularly in the brain, is provided.Ana Catarina Ferreira and Sandro Da Mesquita are recipients of PhD fellowships by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal)/FEDER. Fernanda Marques is an assistant researcher IF/ 00231/2013 of the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal). This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and COMPETE through the project: EXPL/NEUOSD/2196/2013 (to Marques F). The authors thank Nadine Santos for the helpful comments on the manuscript

Multi-attribute monitoring applications in biopharmaceutical analysis

Since the introduction of Quality by Design for production of biopharmaceuticals, the global biopharma industry has been advancing towards developing highly efficient and sensitive platforms for monitoring product quality attributes. Incorporating mass-spectrometry-based multi-attribute monitoring (MAM) as a novel tool for identifying and characterizing post-translational modifications in biotherapeutics has gained increasing traction. The ability of MAM to monitor multiple critical quality attributes coupled with new peak detection functions in a single workflow is highly desirable to the biopharmaceutical industry. This review examines and discusses the evolution and adaptation of MAM for routine product quality assessment. MAM applications in biotherapeutic characterization, comparability, and chemometrics have also been discussed, along with the gaps and future perspectives of the MAM implementation in biopharmaceutical drug development. Primary focus has been kept on major developments in last 6 years (2018–2024)