FECUNDITY STUDIES OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA ON DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Objective: Andrographis paniculata is widely used in Asia for various medicinal purposes. The plant has a major bioactive chemical constituent Andrographolide, which exhibits various essential pharmacological properties. Recently, to enhance immunity against viral fevers especially dengue viral fever during monsoon season, Tamil Nadu state government has advised rural health centres to provide a tea or kashayam made from a mixture containing this plant leaf along with selected plant roots and leaves. However, there is concern among the general public population that this plant extract may have a negative impact on potency. This study is being done to investigate the toxic effects of Andrographis paniculata on fecundity and physiological properties of Drosophila melanogaster. Methods: The flies were treated and mated in pure and mixed form of Andrographis paniculata separately. Results: The results were obtained in the form of egg count, which was compared to control and the conclusion was obtained that Andrographis paniculata might affect the fecundity and at the same time, it was observed that the developmental span from an egg to an adult fly increased upon treatment in successive generations. More importantly, the effect of pure form plant on the fecundity was found to be significant, while that of the mixed form was not. On mating a treated male with an untreated female and an untreated male with a treated female when the treatment is being discontinued, it can be very well seen that there is no effect on the fecundity of the flies. Conclusion: Since the continuity of the treatment played a major role on the effect of fecundity, highlighting the importance of the period of treatment and the exposure time of the compound on the fly system, therefore this research suggests that the conception of tea or kashayam extracted from mixed plant content could not have the same effect as the similar concentration of pure Andrographis paniculata and it does not have any acute effect on the fecundity when being consumed over a short period of time in Drosophila melanogaster model

Acrylamide: A Neurotoxin and a Hazardous Waste

Acrylamide is an organic water-soluble compound and a vinyl-substituted primary amide. It is well known for its toxic effects on humans. This chemical may lead to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is exposed to humans through diet, occupation, lifestyle and many environmental factors. Acrylamide is used in molecular laboratories and even in various manufacturing and processing industries. Acrylamide is formed in food cooked at high temperatures, and exposure to this chemical may cause damage to the nervous system. In this chapter the toxicity of acrylamide and its role as a hazardous waste are highlighted. The main topics of this study are occurrence, effects and toxicity caused by acrylamide and analysis of acrylamide induced neurotoxicity in rats. Furthermore, mitigation strategies involving acrylamide have been discussed

Additional file 1: of Poly herbal formulation with anti-elastase and anti-oxidant properties for skin anti-aging

Table S1. DPPH radical scavenging activity of plants extracts and quercetin. The supplementary file compares the DPPH radical scavenging activity of different methanolic plant extracts in terms of its percentage of inhibition and IC50 values. Quercetin was used as a standard to compare the efficacy of the plant extracts. Table S2. DPPH radical scavenging activity of poly herbal formulations. The supplementary file compares the DPPH radical scavenging activity of poly herbal formulations in terms of its percentage of inhibition and IC50 values. TableS3. Total reducing power of methanolic plant extracts. The supplementary file compares the ability of plant extracts to reduce ferric iron to ferrous iron, using vitamin C as a standard to calculate the reducing power of the extracts equivalent to vitamin C. Table S4. reducing power of poly herbal formulations. The supplementary file compares the ability of poly herbal formulations to reduce ferric iron to ferrous iron, using vitamin C as a standard to calculate the reducing power of the extracts equivalent to vitamin C. Table S5. Elastase inhibition capacity. The supplementary file compares the elastase inhibition capacity of plant extracts and PHF1 with copper sulfate as standard. Table S6. Nitric oxide scavenging capacity. The supplementary file compares the nitric oxide scavenging capacity of plant extracts and poly herbal formulations with curcumin as standard. Table S7. In vitro inhibitory capacity of poly herbal formulations. The supplementary file enlists the percentage of cells inhibited by poly herbal formulations at different concentrations against NIH3T3 fibroblast cells and A375 malignant melanoma cells (PDF 727 kb