OVERVIEW OF CYNODON DACTYLON (DOOB GRASS) IN MODERN MEDICINE AS ANTIDIABETIC HERB .

Abstract- According  to WHO About 347 million people worldwide  have  diabetes, and is predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death in the world by the year 2030.According to Diabetes Atlas 2012, released by ‘International Diabetes Federation’ India has 63 million people living with diabetes and is only second to China. By 2030, India's diabetes burden is expected to cross the 100 million mark as against 87 million earlier estimated.  Many oral hypoglycemic agents, such as biguanides and sulfonylurea are available   along with insulin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus but they have significant side effects and sometimes they are found to be ineffective in chronic diabetic patients.  Since ancient times, diabetes has been treated orally with several medicinal plants or their extracts. Phytochemical study shows  the presences of flavonoids and sterols in Cynodon dactylon(Doob Grass) which exhibit hypoglycemic activity and are also known for their ability of beta cell regeneration  of pancreas. Sterols have also shown to decrease blood sugar in experimental animal models

MANNOSYLATED MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES ASSISTED ARTESUNATE DELIVERY FOR CEREBRAL MALARIA: MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES ASSISTED ARTESUNATE DELIVERY

Objective: The present investigation focused on the novel approach using artesunate (AS) loaded mannosylated conjugated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (M-MWCNTs) for site-specific delivery to the brain in the treatment of cerebral malaria (CM). Methods: The raw MWCNTs were purified by selective oxidation method and then exposed to sequential chemical functionalization according to the following steps: carboxylation, acylation, amine modification and finally, D-mannose conjugation. The AS was loaded via the equilibrium dialysis method in the molar ratio 1:3 of various functionalized sonicated MWCNTs. The functionalized MWCNTs were characterized for elemental analysis, FTIR, TEM, zeta potential and percentage drug entrapment efficiency. The in vitro drug release study was performed on AS conjugated purified MWCNTs (AS-P-MWCNT) and AS conjugated M-MWCNTs. Bio-distribution study was performed on albino rat for quantitative measurement of AS in different organs and blood. Results: The TEM images of M-MWCNTs indicated their open tubular nature and AS-M-MWCNTs suggests the entrapment of AS. The percent drug entrapment of AS-M-MWCNT was found to be 80.29±3.4 %. In vitro AS release from AS-M-MWCNTs was found in a controlled manner at pH 7.4. The bio-distribution studies clearly indicate the superiority of the AS-M-MWCNTs, as compared to the plain drug towards increasing the accumulation of AS in brain. Conclusion: The results suggest that AS-M-MWCNTs could be employed as an efficient nano-carrier for antimalarial therapy in cerebral malaria

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Not AvailableAcute toxicity tests (96 h) were conducted in flow-through systems to determine the lethal toxicity of a heavy metal compound, mercuric chloride, and an organophosphorus pesticide, malathion, to air-breathing teleost fish, Channa punctatus (Bloch) and to study their behavior. The 96-h LC50 values were determined, as well as safe levels. The results indicate that mercuric chloride is more toxic than malathion to the fish species under study. Dose- and dose–time-dependent increases in mortality rate were also observed in response to both test chemicals.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe Indian freshwater air-breathing teleost fish Channa punctatus (Bloch) was exposed to acute concentrations of the organochlorine pesticide endosulfan. In flow-through bioassays the 24, 48, 72, and 96 h LC50 values were estimated as 19.67, 12.95, 10.15, and 7.75 ppb, respectively. DNA damage (single-strand breaks) was also studied in gill and kidney tissues at single-cell levels in the specimens, exposed to different acute doses of endosulfan, by applying single-cell gel electrophoresis or comet assay. Dose-dependent responses were observed in DNA damage in both tissues. A comparison of DNA damage in both tissues at different doses indicated that the gill cells were more sensitive to the pesticide exposure than the kidney cells. This study explored the utility of the comet assay for in vivo laboratory studies using fish for screening the genotoxic potential of various agents.Not Availabl

Eudragit S100 Coated Citrus Pectin Nanoparticles for Colon Targeting of 5-Fluorouracil

In the present study, Eudragit S100 coated Citrus Pectin Nanoparticles (E-CPNs) were prepared for the colon targeting of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). Citrus pectin also acts as a ligand for galectin-3 receptors that are over expressed on colorectal cancer cells. Nanoparticles (CPNs and E-CPNs) were characterized for various physical parameters such as particle size, size distribution, and shape etc. In vitro drug release studies revealed selective drug release in the colonic region in the case of E-CPNs of more than 70% after 24 h. In vitro cytoxicity assay (Sulphorhodamine B assay) was performed against HT-29 cancer cells and exhibited 1.5 fold greater cytotoxicity potential of nanoparticles compared to 5-FU solution. In vivo data clearly depicted that Eudragit S100 successfully guarded nanoparticles to reach the colonic region wherein nanoparticles were taken up and showed drug release for an extended period of time. Therefore, a multifaceted strategy is introduced here in terms of receptor mediated uptake and pH-dependent release using E-CPNs for effective chemotherapy of colorectal cancer with uncompromised safety and efficacy

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Not AvailableEndosulfan, a widely used organochlorine pesticide, is readily bio-accumulative in fishes and can be indirectly harmful to human populations. Limited efforts have been made to study long-term genotoxic effects of endosulfan in different tissues of fish using gentoxicity biomarkers. Therefore, the current investigation was undertaken to detect single-cell DNA strand breaks induced by endosulfan in the fresh water teleost fish Mystus vittatus using the comet assay. The LC(50) value of technical grade endosulfan was first determined for the fish species in a semistatic system, and on the basis of the LC(50) value, the sublethal and nonlethal concentrations were determined. The DNA damage was measured in gill, kidney, and erythrocytes as the percentage of DNA in comet tails of fish specimens exposed to the sublethal and nonlethal concentrations of endosulfan. In general, significant effects (p < 0.01) from both concentration and time of exposure were observed in exposed fishes. It was found that all the tissues at all concentrations exhibited the highest DNA damage on day 1, after which there was a nonlinear decline in the percentage of tail DNA. The comparison of DNA damage among the tissues at different concentrations could not show the sensitivity of particular tissue to endosulfan. The current study explored the utility of the comet assay for in vivo laboratory studies using fish species to screen the genotoxic potential of chemical agents.Not Availabl

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(ICAR Cess Fund F. No. 4(31)/2000-ASR-1;Code No. 0677001)River Gomti, a tributary of river Ganga in northern India, is being polluted due to indiscriminate disposal of domestic sewage and industrial wastes that contain genotoxic chemicals. The study was conducted to evaluate the genotoxic potential of polluted water of river Gomti in two fish species, namely Channa punctatus and Mystus vittatus. The fishes were exposed in situ in nylon cages to the polluted water of river Gomti fixed near a distillery outlet located in Lucknow. The induction of DNA damage and micronuclei were determined in blood erythrocytes using comet assay and micronucleus test, respectively. The induction in micronuclei frequencies and DNA damage were found to be significantly elevated (p < 0.01) in exposed specimens after 3 days post-exposure as compared to the control, i.e. from laboratory-acclimatized fish specimens. The comparison of DNA damage between the two species indicated that C. punctatus is more sensitive to aquatic pollutants. Thus, this fish could be used as a bio-indicator of genotoxicity for bio-monitoring of water bodies. The results further revealed that the river Gomti is being contaminated with potential genotoxic and mutagenic chemicals produced from industrial and domestic activities; therefore, immediate measures are needed to reduce the inflow of pollutants in the river.Indian Council of Agricultural research, New Delhi