Protocol optimization for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction from dried, fresh leaves, and seeds of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Consistent isolation of best quality deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is particularly problematic due to the presence of phenolic compounds and polysaccharides. Inconsistencies in extraction results can be attributed to the age and growth stages of the plant material analyzed. Mature leaves have higher quantities of polyphenols, tannins and polysaccharides that can contaminate DNA during isolation. In this study, we used fresh and dried leaves as well as seeds for optimization of high quality DNA isolation protocols from A. hypogaea. The DNA extracted with three different methods cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and cesium chloride (CsCl) density gradient) were comparatively studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis in terms of quantity and quality. High quality genomic DNA was obtained from fresh leaves by modified CTAB methods. The DNA obtained ranged from 1 to 2.5 ng/μl. DNA obtained by this method was strong and reliable showing its compatibility for simple sequence repeat (SSR) analyses. The SDS based methodology give large quantities of DNA contaminated with polysaccharides. Fresh leaves also gave best result in SDS method. The quantity and quality of DNA obtained was very poor in all the tested methods in case of dried leaf tissues. The current protocol will probably be useful for the extraction of high-molecular weight DNA from other plant materials containing large amounts of secondary metabolites and essential oils.Key words: Polysaccharides, polyphenols, tannins, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cesium chloride (CsCl), secondary metabolites, SSR

Assessment of the knowledge, behavior and practice of self-medication amongst female students in a pakistani university

This study set sights at the issue of predominance of the attitude and behavior of self medication, medication storage and self treatment among female students of a Pakistani university. Random sampling and cross sectional surveys were conducted after collecting the data with the help of a questionnaire that was circulated amongst students. Of the 450 participants, 78.74 % of students admitted that they store medicines with them while other 50.95 % of students replied that they stop taking medicine prescribed by their doctors with the doctor’s intimation. The 78.74 % females were involved in self-medication. The 21.98 % were of the opinion that they did it to save their time and the 12.57 % claimed that the medicine given by the doctor did not have any effect. The medicines which are used to treat symptoms as self-medication are analgesics and antipyretics (22.57 %), ear, nose and throat drugs (14.34 %), vitamins and minerals (12.17 %), gastro-intestinal tract drugs (10.30 %), anti-infections (8.05 %) and herbal medicines (5.44 %). Female students should be educated to be sure to acquire safe practice by increasing their knowledge. Such strong policies should be instigated that the availability of unprescribed medicines should be restricted to avoid hazards due to self-medication.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire