Crinum zeylanicum memory enhancing effect is mediated via central cholinergic transmission system

Background: Crinum zeylanicum is widely used in the ethno-therapeutic management of folk management of epilepsy, pain, neuropsychiatric, and dementing disorders in Nigeria. The current study was carried out to evaluate the possible mechanism of the memory enhancing the effect of C. zeylanicum extract and alkaloidal rich fraction in Wistar rats.Methods: The effect of Crinum zeylanicum bulb extract (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight orally), alkaloidal rich fraction (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg body weight p.o.), normal saline (10 ml/kg orally), or Eserine (0.3 mg/kg body weight i.p.) on spatial memory in rats was evaluated using the Y-maze. The blood samples obtained from rats in all treatment groups were evaluated for cholinesterase activities using modified Michelle electrometric method.Results: The extract and the alkaloid significantly (p<0.05) and dose-dependently increased spontaneous alternation behavior of rats in Y-maze. The extract produced 20.00%, 35.55%, and 52.00% inhibition of cholinesterase activity in the blood at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The alkaloid produced 56.67%, 62.67%, and 68.67% inhibition of cholinesterase activity in blood at 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg body weight (p.o.). Eserine a standard cholinesterase inhibitor at 0.3 mg/kg body weight produced a significant increase in spontaneous alternation behavior and produced 73.33% inhibition of blood cholinesterase activity. Data obtained from the study showed that the enhanced spontaneous alternation behavior observed in rats treated with the extract, and the alkaloid may be due to facilitation of cholinergic transmission resulting from inhibition of cholinesterase activity.Conclusion: The extract, as well as its partially purified alkaloid, possesses potential that may be employed for therapeutic management of Alzheimer’s disease

Immunoinformatics assisted design of a multi-epitope kit for detecting <i>Cronobacter sakazakii</i> in powdered infant formula

Objectives: Cronobacter sakazakii, formerly Enterobacter sakazakii, is an emerging ubiquitous and opportunistic foodborne pathogen with a high mortality rate. It has been implicated in cases of meningitis, septicaemia, and necrotizing enterocolitis among infants worldwide in association with powdered infant formula (PIF). This study was an insilico designed peptide base kit framework, using immunoinformatic techniques for quick detection of C. sakazakii in PIF. Materials and Methods: In the present study, a peptide-based kit was designed with a bioinformatic technique to rapidly identify C. sakazakii in PIF using flhE, secY, and bcsC, which are genes responsible for its biofilm formation, as target genes. The antigenicity, membrane topology, and the presence of signal peptides of the target genes were analysed using VaxiJen, DeepTMHMM, and SignalP servers. To provide stability and flexibility to the multiple-epitope construct, the linear B cells and helper T cells (IL-4 (interleukin 4) and IL-10 (interleukin 10) inducing epitopes) were linked with a GSGSG linker followed by the addition of protein disulphide bonds. To ascertain specificity, the multi-epitope construct was molecularly docked against genes from sources other than PIF, like alfalfa, and the environment, with PIF being the highest: –328.48. Finally, the codons were modified using the pET28a(+) vector, and the resultant multi-epitope construct was successfully cloned in silico. Results: The final construct had a length of 486 bp, an instability index of 23.26, a theoretical pI of 9.34, a molecular weight of 16.5 kDa, and a Z-score of –3.41. Conclusions: The multi-epitope peptide construct could be a conceptual framework for creating a C. sakazakii peptide-based detection kit, which has the potential to provide fast and efficient detection. However, there is a need for additional validation through the in vitro and in vivo techniques