ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF ALKALOIDS AND FLAVONOIDS EXTRACTED FROM TAMARIX APHYLLA LEAVES AGAINST COMMON HUMAN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

Background: Alkaloids and flavonoids are secondary metabolites extracted from different medicinal plants. Tamarix aphylla a traditionally valuable medicinal plant; was used for the extraction of alkaloids and flavonoids in order to evaluate their antibacterial activity. Methodology: The leaves of the plant were collected from district Kohat, Pakistan, and their alkaloids and flavonoids were extracted with ethanol and methanol, respectively. Four bacteria i.e. Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were selected for the biological screening of these phyto-constituents. Results: The concentration of alkaloids was found to be more in the leaves of Tamarix aphylla than flavonoids. The extracted phytochemicals showed varied inhibition zones against tested bacterial isolates. Alkaloids showed highest inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus (14±0.6 mm) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13±0.7 mm). Conversely, flavonoids showed the highest inhibitory affect against Salmonella typhi (17±0.7 mm) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (14±0.7 mm). However, both extracts showed the lowest inhibitory effects against Escherichia coli. Conclusions: It was concluded that the alkaloids and flavonoids from Tamarix aphylla leaves have antimicrobial potential against common human bacterial pathogens. However, flavonoids were found to be more active phytochemical against tested bacterial strains as compared to alkaloids

Audit of pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis usage in elective surgical procedures in two teaching hospitals, Islamabad, Pakistan: An observational cross-sectional study.

An audit of the antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical procedures is the basic area of antimicrobial stewardship programme. The current research aimed to evaluate the adherence-proportion of the pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) practices in common elective surgical procedures. It was an eight-month (January 2017 to August 2017) observational cross-sectional patients' treatment record-based study conducted at two tertiary care teaching hospitals of Islamabad, Pakistan. We investigated the three most commonly performed elective general surgical procedures at the hospitals in adults aged > 18 years with no previous infection or surgery. The required data were extracted from the medical charts. Current prescribing practices were compared with the standard prescribing guidelines. A total of 660 (Government Hospital (GH), n = 330 and Private Hospital (PH), n = 330) procedures were observed. The most commonly performed elective general surgical procedures were laparoscopic cholecystectomy 307/660 (46.5%), followed by direct inguinal hernia 197/660 (29.8%) and total thyroidectomy 156/660 (23.6%). Non-use of PAP was observed in 64/660 (9.7%) cases. PAP was given to 90.3% (n = 596/660) cases (300/330 (90.9%) patients in GH and 296/330 (89.7%) in PH; P = 0.599). Based on the existing guidelines, the choice of antibiotics was correct in only 4.2% (25/596) patients (10/300; 3.3% cases at GH and 15/296; 5% at PH). The appropriate use of antibiotics was significantly greater in direct inguinal hernia (n = 19/193; 9.8%) cases compared with that in total thyroidectomy (n = 4/152; 2.6%) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n = 2/251; 0.8%) cases; P = 0.001. Compliance to the timing was only 51% (n = 304/596) of the total patients received PAP which was significantly lower in GH 97/300 (32.3%) as compared with that in PH 207/296 (69.9%); P = 0.001. Administration timing of antibiotics was observed to be more appropriate in total thyroidectomy (n = 79/152; 51.9%) cases than in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n = 130/251; 51.8%) and direct inguinal hernia (n = 95/193; 49.2%) cases; P = 0.001. The route and dose were appropriate in accordance with the guidelines in all cases (100%). Most of the patients received ceftriaxone, a third-generation cephalosporin that is no longer recommended by the latest international guidelines. The current analysis revealed an alarmingly poor adherence rate with the guidelines in the three elective surgical procedures at both hospitals. To improve the situation, training and awareness programs about the antimicrobial stewardship interventions on the institutional level may be valuable

Identification of α-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Scutellaria edelbergii: ESI-LC-MS and Computational Approach

The recent study investigated the in vitro anti-diabetic impact of the crude extract (MeOH) and subfractions ethyl acetate (EtOAc); chloroform; n-butanol; n-hexane; and aqueous fraction of S. edelbergii and processed the active EtOAc fraction for the identification of chemical constituents for the first time via ESI-LC-MS analysis through positive ionization mode (PIM) and negative ionization mode (NIM); the identified compounds were further validated through computational analysis via standard approaches. The crude extract and subfractions presented appreciable activity against the α-glucosidase inhibitory assay. However, the EtOAc fraction with IC50 = 0.14 ± 0.06 µg/mL revealed the maximum potential among the fractions used, followed by the MeOH and n-hexane extract with IC50 = 1.47 ± 0.14 and 2.18 ± 0.30 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the acarbose showed an IC50 = 377.26 ± 1.20 µg/ mL whereas the least inhibition was observed for the chloroform fraction, with an IC50 = 23.97 ± 0.14 µg/mL. Due to the significance of the EtOAc fraction, when profiled for its chemical constituents, it presented 16 compounds among which the flavonoid class was dominant, and offered eight compounds, of which six were identified in NIM, and two compounds in PIM. Moreover, five terpenoids were identified—three and two in NIM and PIM, respectively—as well as two alkaloids, both of which were detected in PIM. The EtOAc fraction also contained one phenol that was noticed in PIM. The detected flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenols are well-known for their diverse biomedical applications. The potent EtOAc fraction was submitted to computational analysis for further validation of α-glucosidase significance to profile the responsible compounds. The pharmacokinetic estimations and protein-ligand molecular docking results with the support of molecular dynamic simulation trajectories at 100 ns suggested that two bioactive compounds—dihydrocatalpol and leucosceptoside A—from the EtOAc fraction presented excellent drug-like properties and stable conformations; hence, these bioactive compounds could be potential inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase enzyme based on intermolecular interactions with significant residues, docking score, and binding free energy estimation. The stated findings reflect that S. edelbergii is a rich source of bioactive compounds offering potential cures for diabetes mellitus; in particular, dihydrocatalpol and leucosceptoside A could be excellent therapeutic options for the progress of novel drugs to overcome diabetes mellitus

Differential Proteomics of Helicobacter pylori Isolates from Gastritis, Ulcer, and Cancer Patients:First Study from Northwest Pakistan

Background and Objective: Helicobacter pylori is a human-stomach-dwelling organism that causes many gastric illnesses, including gastritis, ulcer, and gastric cancer. The purpose of the study was to perform differential proteomic analysis on H. pylori isolates from gastritis, ulcer, and gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: H. pylori was isolated from antrum and fundus biopsies obtained from patients who visited the Department of Gastroenterology. Using nano-LC-QTOF MS/MS analysis, differentially regulated proteins were identified through proteome profiling of pooled samples of H. pylori isolated from gastritis, ulcer, and gastric cancer patients. Antigenic scores and cellular localization of proteins were determined using additional prediction tools. Results: A total of 14 significantly regulated proteins were identified in H. pylori isolated from patients with either gastritis, ulcer, or gastric cancer. Comparative analysis of groups revealed that in the case of cancer vs. gastritis, six proteins were overexpressed, out of which two proteins, including hydrogenase maturation factor (hypA) and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (ndk) involved in bacterial colonization, were only upregulated in isolates from cancer patients. Similarly, in cancer vs. ulcer, a total of nine proteins were expressed. Sec-independent protein translocase protein (tatB), involved in protein translocation, and pseudaminic acid synthase I (pseI), involved in the synthesis of functional flagella, were upregulated in cancer, while hypA and ndk were downregulated. In ulcer vs. gastritis, eight proteins were expressed. In this group, tatB was overexpressed. A reduction in thioredoxin peroxidase (bacterioferritin co-migratory protein (bcp)) was observed in ulcer vs. gastritis and cancer vs. ulcer. Conclusion: Our study suggested three discrete protein signatures, hypA, tatB, and bcp, with differential expression in gastritis, ulcer, and cancer. Protein expression profiles of H. pylori isolated from patients with these gastric diseases will help to understand the virulence and pathogenesis of H. pylori