Regeneration of Andrographis paniculata Nees: Analysis of genetic fidelity and andrographolide content in micropropagated plants

Andrographis paniculata Nees is a valuable medicinal plant which yields the therapeutic compound andrographolide. The objective of the present study was to develop reliable in vitro propagation techniques in this plant species. The efficiency of shoot regeneration in A. paniculata was tested on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), thidiazuron (TDZ), kinetin (Kn) and 2-isopentenyl adenine (2-iP) at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 μM and BAP (1.0 μM) in combination with other cytokinins like TDZ, Kn and 2-iP (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 μM) by using nodal explants. Maximum number of 39 shoots per explant was recorded on MS medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 μM) and Kn (5.0 μM). An anatomical study confirmed shoot regeneration via direct organogenesis. Regenerated shoots were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), indole-3- acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 μM for the induction of roots. Cent percent shoots developed roots after transfer to half strength MS medium supplemented with IBA (2.0 μM). The rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized and established in soil. Randomly amplified polymorphic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (RAPD) analysis was carried out to check for possible genetic alterations in regenerated plants and the results revealed that the recovered plants did not exhibit any type of polymorphism. The andrographolide content was determined in regenerated plants using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and regenerated plants had considerable amount of andrographolide, so regenerated plants could be used as raw material for andrographolide extraction.Keywords: Andrographis paniculata, andrographolide, nodal culture, micropropagatio

Computing Some Degree-Based Topological Indices of Graphene

Graphene is one of the most promising nanomaterial because of its unique combination of superb properties, which opens a way for its exploitation in a wide spectrum of applications ranging from electronics to optics, sensors, and bio devices. Inspired by recent work on Graphene of computing topological indices, here we compute new topological indices viz. Arithmetic-Geometric index (AG2 index), SK3 index and Sanskruti index of a molecular graph G and obtain the explicit formulae of these indices for Graphene

The modulatory effect of septilin on cytotoxicity of cisplatin in a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line

435-441Cisplatin (Csp) is a recurrently used chemotherapeutic drug but its use is inadequate due to undesirable adverse effects. In search of alternative medicine more attention has been given to phytochemicals. Septilin (Spt), a polyherbal drug and its therapeutic potential is huge but there is a scarcity of studies on its cytotoxic potential on cancer cells. The current study was designed to examine the effects of Spt in combination with Csp on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and normal human breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cell lines. Cell viability for Spt treated cells was studied using MTT assay. IC50 value of Csp on MCF-7 cells was found to be 10 µg/mL at 24 h. This dose was further used to study the combined effects of Csp with Spt on MCF-7 and MCF-10A cell lines. Maximum cytotoxicity of Spt on MCF-7 cells was observed at Spt 5 µg/mL. The mechanism of Spt induced cytotoxicity was studied using apoptosis assay. Spt did not show any cytotoxic effects on MCF-10 A normal human breast epithelial cells, indicating Spt has no effect on normal cells. Our findings suggest that Spt can be used in combination with an anticancer drug Csp to increase its efficacy and/or to minimize its side effects on normal cells

The modulatory effect of septilin on cytotoxicity of cisplatin in a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line

Cisplatin (Csp) is a recurrently used chemotherapeutic drug but its use is inadequate due to undesirable adverse effects. In search of alternative medicine more attention has been given to phytochemicals. Septilin (Spt), a polyherbal drug and its therapeutic potential is huge but there is a scarcity of studies on its cytotoxic potential on cancer cells. The current study was designed to examine the effects of Spt in combination with Csp on human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and normal human breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cell lines. Cell viability for Spt treated cells was studied using MTT assay. IC50 value of Csp on MCF-7 cells was found to be 10 μg/mL at 24 h. This dose was further used to study the combined effects of Csp with Spt on MCF-7 and MCF-10A cell lines. Maximum cytotoxicity of Spt on MCF-7 cells was observed at Spt 5 μg/mL. The mechanism of Spt induced cytotoxicity was studied using apoptosis assay. Spt did not show any cytotoxic effects on MCF-10 A normal human breast epithelial cells, indicating Spt has no effect on normal cells. Our findings suggest that Spt can be used in combination with an anticancer drug Csp to increase its efficacy and/or to minimize its side effects on normal cells

Study to compare the blood sugar profile of the patients on risperidone and olanzapine with divalproex sodium as the common base

Background: Bipolar Affective Disorder which previously was called as manic depressive disorder represents the sixth leading cause of disability. Several preliminary studies suggest that antipsychotic monotherapy or in combination with mood stabiliser have a better prognosis. This study was conducted to compare the blood sugar profile of the patients who are on risperidone and olanzapine with divalproex sodium as the common base.Methods: It was a prospective, comparative, observational, hospital-based clinical study conducted between November 2013 to March 2015. 41 BPAD patients on Risperidone and 38 BPAD patients on Olanzapine were included. A brief history and examination were carried out and the data was entered in a proforma sheet. The investigations carried out were noted. Patients were followed up for a period of 12 weeks i.e. 2,4,8 and 12th = week and the data analysed using SPSS software. Adverse drug events if any were recorded.Results: Our study included 79 treatment-naive patients among whom 17 (21.5%) were women and 62 (78.5%) were men. The polarity of the disease of the majority of the patients was mania at the time of diagnosis. The mean blood sugar levels in risperidone and olanzapine group at the time of diagnosis were 137mg% and 111mg% respectively and weights 62kg and 63.5kg respectively. There was a gradual increase in blood sugar levels and weight from 4th week. At the end of the 12th week, the mean blood sugar levels were 152mg% and 164mg%, weights 65.5kg and 69.5kg in risperidone and olanzapine group respectively.Conclusions: Olanzapine was found to have higher incidence and rapid increase in blood sugar levels which can easily be treated by switching over to another drug. It has been suggested that at least a baseline survey should be undertaken on the prevalence of diabetes in Indian population among patients exposed to antipsychotic drugs

Ruptured cornual ectopic pregnancy at 8 weeks gestation- successful conservative approach: a case report

Cornual pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy that usually leads to uterine rupture with resultant life threatening hemorrhage. The mortality of interstitial pregnancies is more than twice that of other tubal pregnancies.  Cornual pregnancies often rupture later than other tubal pregnancies because the myometrium is more distensible than the fallopian tube. We report a case where a patient presented at 8 weeks of gestational age with ruptured cornual ectopic pregnancy and hemoperitoneum. Emergency Laparotomy was done and cornual rupture was sutured successfully. Close monitoring of pregnancies in these patients is important to prevent a deleterious delay in treatment of a cornual pregnanc

Isolation and characterization of altered root growth behavior and salinity tolerant mutants in rice

Generation, screening and isolating mutants for any developmental and adaptive traits plays a major role in plant functional genomics research. Identification and exploitation of mutants possessing contrasting root growth behavior and salinity tolerance in rice will help us to identify key genes controlling these traits and in turn will be useful for manipulating abiotic stress tolerance through tilling and genetic engineering in rice. In this study, we have screened about 1500 mutants (M2 generation) generated by treating an upland drought tolerant genotype Nagina 22 with Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS), for their root growth behavior and salinity tolerance under hydroponic conditions. Six independent mutant lines possessing significantly shorter roots and three mutant lines exhibiting greater degree of salinity tolerance than the wild type plants were identified. The identified mutant lines were advanced to M5 generation to allow the mutants to reach homozygosity, and the fixed mutants were confirmed for their phenotype. One mutant namely N22-C-241-5-6 was found to possess significantly shorter roots than wild type N22, and it was also noticed that the mutant was devoid of root cap. Among the three salinity tolerant mutant lines identified, N22-C-334-3 was found to possess a greater degree of tolerance upto 250 mM Nacl stress at germination stage. These identified mutant lines can be used for further physiological, biochemical and molecular biology experiments to identify candidate gene(s) controlling root growth behavior and salinity tolerance in rice.Keywords: Rice, mutation, EMS, altered rood growth and salinity tolerant mutantAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(40), pp. 5852-585

Flexibility of the Cytoplasmic Domain of the Phototaxis Transducer II from Natronomonas pharaonis

Chemo- and phototaxis systems in bacteria and archaea serve as models for more complex signal transduction mechanisms in higher eukaryotes. Previous studies of the cytoplasmic fragment of the phototaxis transducer (pHtrII-cyt) from the halophilic archaeon Natronomonas pharaonis showed that it takes the shape of a monomeric or dimeric rod under low or high salt conditions, respectively. CD spectra revealed only approximately 24% helical structure, even in 4 M KCl, leaving it an open question how the rod-like shape is achieved. Here, we conducted CD, FTIR, and NMR spectroscopic studies under different conditions to address this question. We provide evidence that pHtrII-cyt is highly dynamic with strong helical propensity, which allows it to change from monomeric to dimeric helical coiled-coil states without undergoing dramatic shape changes. A statistical analysis of predicted disorder for homologous sequences suggests that structural flexibility is evolutionarily conserved within the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein family

BDNF Induced Translation of Limk1 in Developing Neurons Regulates Dendrite Growth by Fine-Tuning Cofilin1 Activity

Dendritic growth and branching are highly regulated processes and are essential for establishing proper neuronal connectivity. There is a critical phase of early dendrite development when these are heavily regulated by external cues such as trophic factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major trophic factor known to enhance dendrite growth in cortical neurons, but the molecular underpinnings of this response are not completely understood. We have identified that BDNF induced translational regulation is an important mechanism governing dendrite development in cultured rat cortical neurons. We show that BDNF treatment for 1 h in young neurons leads to translational up-regulation of an important actin regulatory protein LIM domain kinase 1 (Limk1), increasing its level locally in the dendrites. Limk1 is a member of serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) family kinases downstream of the Rho-GTPase pathway. BDNF induced increase in Limk1 levels leads to increased phosphorylation of its target protein cofilin1. We observed that these changes are maintained for long durations of up to 48 h and are mediating increase in number of primary dendrites and total dendrite length. Thus, we show that BDNF induced protein synthesis leads to fine-tuning of the actin cytoskeletal reassembly and thereby mediate dendrite development