Phyto-physicochemical, acute and subacute toxicity studies of Garcinia lanceifolia Roxb.- A rare ethnomedicinal plant of Assam, India

Garcinia lanceifolia; a small, glabrous, evergreen tree found in Northeast India belonging to the Clusiaceae family; has long, acuminate, lanceolate and fleshy leaves; tetramerous and polygamous inflorescence with both male and hermaphrodite flowers. A recent study has claimed that the bark contains antinociceptive, antihyperglycemic, and membrane stabilising activities. However, no reports on the pharmacognostic details and toxicity of the bark are reported. The bark was collected, dried and subjected to conventional organoleptic, microscopic evaluation, physicochemical evaluation and TLC methods. The powdered crude drug was examined for its physicochemical, fluorescence and microscopic characteristics. The extracts obtained after hot Soxhlet extraction were screened for their phytochemical constituents and the TLC fingerprints were also established. The toxicological profile of the hydroalcoholic extracts of G. lanceifolia, through acute and subacute toxicity tests, were performed. Male and female rats (Wistar) received 5000 mg/kg of hydromethanolic extract of G. lanceifolia (HAEGL) for the acute toxicity test and 500, 1000, 1500 or 2500 mg/kg of HAEGL for subacute toxicity test. This is the first study for the bark of G. lanceifolia which will serve as a standard for quality control and assurance thereby promoting further insights and conclusive studies on this plant

Water Quality Assessment of Pahuj River using Water Quality Index at Unnao Balaji, M.P., India

The study has been carried to assess the water quality index of Pahuj River at Unnao Balaji, Madhya Pradesh. The samples were collected from 10 different locations and analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters like Temperature, pH, Turbidity, Total Hardness, Chloride, Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand, Fluoride, Iron and Nitrate. Water Quality Index serves as the basis for environment assessment of water in relation to pollution load categorization and designation of classes. The value of Water Quality Index (WQI) at almost all location indicates that water of Pahuj River at Unnao Balaji is unfit for drinking purpose due to disposal of heavy amount of sewage into the River

Nf-κb Inhibition Rescues Cardiac Function By Remodeling Calcium Genes In A Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Model

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disorder causing progressive muscle degeneration. Although cardiomyopathy is a leading mortality cause in DMD patients, the mechanisms underlying heart failure are not well understood. Previously, we showed that NF-κB exacerbates DMD skeletal muscle pathology by promoting inflammation and impairing new muscle growth. Here, we show that NF-κB is activated in murine dystrophic (mdx) hearts, and that cardiomyocyte ablation of NF-κB rescues cardiac function. This physiological improvement is associated with a signature of upregulated calcium genes, coinciding with global enrichment of permissive H3K27 acetylation chromatin marks and depletion of the transcriptional repressors CCCTC-binding factor, SIN3 transcription regulator family member A, and histone deacetylase 1. In this respect, in DMD hearts, NF-κB acts differently from its established role as a transcriptional activator, instead promoting global changes in the chromatin landscape to regulate calcium genes and cardiac function

The expression of Clcn7 and Ostm1 in osteoclasts is coregulated by microphthalmia transcription factor

Microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF) regulates osteoclast function by controling the expression of genes, including tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K in response to receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL)-induced signaling. To identify novel MITF target genes, we have overexpressed MITF in the murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7 subclone 4 (RAW/C4) and examined the gene expression profile after sRANKL-stimulated osteoclastogenesis. Microarray analysis identified a set of genes superinduced by MITF overexpression, including Clcn7 (chloride channel 7) and Ostm1 (osteopetrosis-associated transmembrane protein 1). Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we identified two MITF-binding sites (M-boxes) in the Clcn7 promoter and a single M-box in the Ostm1 promoter. An anti-MITF antibody supershifted DNA-protein complexes for promoter sites in both genes, whereas MITF binding was abolished by mutation of these sites. The Clcn7 promoter was transactivated by coexpression of MITF in reporter gene assays. Mutation of one Clcn7 M-box prevented MITF transactivation, but mutation of the second MITF-binding site only reduced basal activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that the two Clcn7 MITF binding and responsive regions in vitro bind MITF in genomic DNA. The expression of Clcn7 is repressed in the dominant negative mutant Mitf mouse, mi/mi, indicating that the dysregulated bone resorption seen in these mice can be attributed in part to transcriptional repression of Clcn7. MITF regulation of the TRAP, cathepsin K, Clcn7, and Ostm1 genes, which are critical for osteoclast resorption, suggests that the role of MITF is more significant than previously perceived and that MITF may be a master regulator of osteoclast function and bone resorption

The mutK Gene of Vibrio cholerae: a New Gene Involved in DNA Mismatch Repair

A new gene, mutK, of Vibrio cholerae, encoding a 19-kDa protein which is involved in repairing mismatches in DNA via a presumably methyl-independent pathway, has been identified. The product of the mutK gene cloned in either high- or low-copy-number vectors can reduce the spontaneous mutation frequency of Escherichia coli mutS, mutL, mutU, and dam mutants. The spontaneous mutation frequency of a chromosomal mutK knockout mutant was almost identical to that of wild-type V. cholerae cells, indicating that when the methyl-directed mismatch repair is blocked, the repair potential of MutK becomes apparent. The complete nucleotide sequence of the mutK gene has been determined, and the deduced amino acid sequence showed three open reading frames (ORFs), of which the ORF3 represents the mutK gene product. The mutK gene product has no significant homology with any of the proteins deposited in the EMBL data bank. ORF2, located upstream of mutK, encodes a 14-kDa protein which has more than 70% homology with a hypothetical protein found only downstream of the E. coli vsr gene. ORF1, located farther upstream of mutK, has more than 80% homology with a major cold shock protein found in several bacteria. Downstream of mutK, a partial ORF having 60% homology with an RNA methyltransferase has been identified. The mutK gene has recently been positioned in the ordered cloned DNA map of the genome of the V. cholerae strain from which the gene was isolated (10)

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF LITSEA CUBEBA ESSENTIAL OIL HARVESTED FROM ARUNACHAL PRADESH, INDIA AND ESTIMATION OF MOSQUITO REPELLENT ACTIVITY WITH REFERENCE TO NETWORK ANALYSIS: CHEMICAL ANALYSIS MOSQUITO REPELLENT ACTIVITY LITSEA CUBEBA ESSENTIAL OIL ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Objective: Litsea cubeba is a medicinal plant indigenous to Southeastern Asia. The fruit of the plant is rich in essential oil. A study has been carried out to investigate on the chemical composition of essential oil of the plant harvested from Arunachal Pradesh and to find out its mosquito repellent activity. Methods: The essential oil has been isolated from the fresh fruits by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Compound-compound network analysis was carried out in SPSS software (IBM SPSS Statistics 20) followed by the construction of the network using Cytoscape 3.5.0. Mosquito repellent study was carried out using standard procedure. Results: Citronellal (17.32%), citronellol (13.85%), nimbiol (9.35%), and myrcenol (7.40%) were the major constituents of the essential oil and the essential oil illustrated 3 h mosquito repellent activity against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Conclusion: From this investigation, a significant difference could be observed in the essential oil composition from the previously reported data of other regional areas of Asia, and furthermore, the essential oil possesses significant mosquito repellent activity

Pharmacognostic and preliminary phytochemical evaluation of Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch.-Ham.) Sweet bark

Pharmacognostic, physico-chemical and preliminary phytochemical studies of Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch.-Ham.) Sweet (Family Lauraceae) bark was carried out. Physico-chemical parameters such as total, acid insoluble and water soluble ash value were determined. In microscopic studies, transverse and longitudinal section of bark and its powder characters were studied and characteristic features were established. Different extracts obtained by successive solvent extraction were tested separately for the presence of various phytoconstituents, viz. alkaloids, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats and fixed oils, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, gums, lignins, proteins, steroids, triterpenoids, tannins and phenolic compounds. The present study of C. bejolghota bark will be useful in laying down standardization and pharmacopoeia parameters and information obtained can be used as markers in the identification

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-GB">Pharmacognostic and preliminary phytochemical evaluation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">C<span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">innamomum bejolghota </span></i>(Buch.-Ham.) Sweet bark</span>

59-64<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Pharmacognostic, physico-chemical and preliminary phytochemical studies of Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch.-Ham.) Sweet (Family Lauraceae) bark was carried out. Physico-chemical parameters such as total, acid insoluble and water soluble ash value were determined. In microscopic studies, transverse and longitudinal section of bark and its powder characters were studied and characteristic features were established. Different extracts obtained by successive solvent extraction were tested separately for the presence of various phytoconstituents, viz. alkaloids, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats and fixed oils, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, gums, lignins, proteins, steroids, triterpenoids, tannins and phenolic compounds. The present study of C. bejolghota bark will be useful in laying down standardization and pharmacopoeia parameters and information obtained can be used as markers in the identification.</span

Phyto-physicochemical, acute and subacute toxicity studies of <em>Garcinia lanceifolia</em> Roxb.- A rare ethnomedicinal plant of Assam, India

360-369Garcinia lanceifolia; a small, glabrous, evergreen tree found in Northeast India belonging to the Clusiaceae family; has long, acuminate, lanceolate and fleshy leaves; tetramerous and polygamous inflorescence with both male and hermaphrodite flowers. A recent study has claimed that the bark contains antinociceptive, antihyperglycemic, and membrane stabilising activities. However, no reports on the pharmacognostic details and toxicity of the bark are reported. The bark was collected, dried and subjected to conventional organoleptic, microscopic evaluation, physicochemical evaluation and TLC methods. The powdered crude drug was examined for its physicochemical, fluorescence and microscopic characteristics. The extracts obtained after hot Soxhlet extraction were screened for their phytochemical constituents and the TLC fingerprints were also established. The toxicological profile of the hydroalcoholic extracts of G.lanceifolia, through acute and subacute toxicity tests, were performed. Male and female rats (Wistar) received 5000 mg/kg of hydromethanolic extract of G.lanceifolia (HAEGL) for the acute toxicity test and 500, 1000, 1500 or 2500 mg/kg of HAEGL for subacute toxicity test. This is the first study for the bark of G. lanceifolia which will serve as a standard for quality control and assurance thereby promoting further insights and conclusive studies on this plant