Enhanced production of lupeol through elicitation in in vitro shoot cultures of snake grass (Clinacanthus nutans)

Clinacanthus nutans (Acanthaceae), generally known as ‘snake grass’, has diverse uses in customary system of herbal medicine. The species is endowed with various bioactive compounds exhibiting extensive pharmacological properties. The present investigation focused on elicitor-intervened in vitro shoot biomass cultivation and scale-up production of the anti-cancerous compound ‘lupeol’, one of the foremost constituents in this species. For the augmented production of lupeol, the shoot cultures were elicited with various concentrations of yeast extract (YE), chitosan and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Maximum shoot biomass yield and production of lupeol was detected in MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mgl-1 BA and 400 mgl-1 YE. The petroleum ether extracts of selected samples upon TLC analysis proved Rf values corresponding to lupeol. HPTLC analysis revealed that the sample treated with YE displayed relatively higher amount (975.50 ng) of lupeol than the in vivo plant (713.69 ng). Hence the in vitro shoot culture system with elicitor (YE) treatment propose an appropriate method for the elevated synthesis of lupeol which can be scaled up via bio-reactor technology in doing so profiting the pharmaceutical appliances

Somatostatin Receptor 1 and 5 Double Knockout Mice Mimic Neurochemical Changes of Huntington's Disease Transgenic Mice

Selective degeneration of medium spiny neurons and preservation of medium sized aspiny interneurons in striatum has been implicated in excitotoxicity and pathophysiology of Huntington's disease (HD). However, the molecular mechanism for the selective sparing of medium sized aspiny neurons and vulnerability of projection neurons is still elusive. The pathological characteristic of HD is an extensive reduction of the striatal mass, affecting caudate putamen. Somatostatin (SST) positive neurons are selectively spared in HD and Quinolinic acid/N-methyl-D-aspartic acid induced excitotoxicity, mimic the model of HD. SST plays neuroprotective role in excitotoxicity and the biological effects of SST are mediated by five somatostatin receptor subtypes (SSTR1-5). and R6/2 mice. Conversely, the expression of somatostatin receptor subtypes, enkephalin and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases were strain specific. SSTR1/5 appears to be important in regulating NMDARs, DARPP-32 and signaling molecules in similar fashion as seen in HD transgenic mice.This is the first comprehensive description of disease related changes upon ablation of G- protein coupled receptor gene. Our results indicate that SST and SSTRs might play an important role in regulation of neurodegeneration and targeting this pathway can provide a novel insight in understanding the pathophysiology of Huntington's disease

<span style="font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt" lang="EN-GB">Genetic uniformity analysis of cryopreseved<i> in vitro</i> plantlets of <i>Kaempferia galanga</i> L.—An endangered medicinal species in Tropical Asia </span>

425-428While using the protocols for the long-term conservation, assessment of true-to-type regenerants from cryopreserved materials is important. In the present study, no significant variation in banding pattern was noticed in the RAPD profile of cryopreserved and control samples of shoot tip-derived Kaempferia galanga plants. But in the case of somatic embryo-derived samples, some variation was observed in the banding pattern (16.2% polymorphism), though the plants were phenotypically similar. Recovery of cryopreserved somatic embryos in K. galanga was preceded through a callus phase, from which secondary embryos were induced later. The RAPD profile of somatic embryo-derived samples revealed that variation was due to the occurrence of callus phase. As minor genetic variations arising in in vitro cultures without marked phenotypic changes are considered to be beneficial for diversity conservation and sustainable utilization, cryopreserved somatic embryos of K. galanga would serve as an alternative for generating and maintaining genetic diversity of this medicinal wealth

Adsorption performance of continuous fixed bed column for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye using Eucalyptus sheathiana bark biomass

In this study, the adsorptive effectiveness of sustainable and cost-effective eucalyptus bark biomass in the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from its aqueous solution has been tested using a packed bed up-flow column experiment. A series of column experiments using raw eucalyptus bark was performed to determine the breakthrough curves with varying inlet MB dye flow rate (10–15 mL min−1), initial MB dye concentration (50–100 mg L−1) and adsorbent bed height (10–15 cm). High bed height, low flow rate and high initial dye concentration were found to be the better conditions for maximum dye adsorption. To predict the breakthrough curves and to determine the characteristic parameters of the column dynamics for industrial applications and for process design, Thomas model, Yoon–Nelson model and bed depth service time model were applied to experimental breakthrough data. All models were found suitable for describing the dynamic behaviour of the column, with respect to MB flow rate, initial dye concentration and adsorbent bed height. The findings revealed that eucalyptus bark biomass has a high adsorption potential for the removal of MB dye from aqueous solutions in a column system, and that it could be used to treat dye-containing effluents