38 research outputs found

    Effect of oral administration of ethanolic extract of Vitex negundo on thioacetamide-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

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    BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress due to abnormal induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules is believed to be involved in the etiology of many diseases. Evidences suggest that ROS is involved in nephrotoxicity through frequent exposure to industrial toxic agents such as thioacetamide (TAA). The current investigation was designed to explore the possible protective effects of the leaves of Vitex negundo(VN) extract against TAA-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. METHODS: Twenty four Sprague Dawleyrats were divided into four groups: (A) Normal control, (B) TAA (0.03% w/v in drinking water), (C) VN100 (VN 100 mg/kg + TAA) and (D) VN300 (VN 300 mg/kg + TAA). Blood urea and serum creatinine levels were measured,supraoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of renal tissue were assayed. Histopathological analysis together with the oxidative stress nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase p22phox in kidney sections were examined in all experimental groups. RESULTS: Blood urea and serum creatinine levels were increased in TAA group as a result of the nephrotoxicity compared to the VN100 and VN300 groups where, the levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Renal MDA level was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the VN-treated groups with increased CAT and SOD activities compared to the TAA group. Light microscopic examination of renal tissues stained by H&E stain and Masson’s Trichrome for TAA-treated groups revealed severe histopathological changes, whereas specimens obtained from VN-treated groups showed only mild changes. These findings were supported by immunohistochemical results. CONCLUSIONS: VN extract acts as a natural potent antioxidant to prevent ongoing TAA-induced nephrotoxicity in rats, both biochemically and morphologically

    Pyrolysis: A Sustainable Way to Generate Energy from Waste

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    Lignocellulosic biomass is a potentially more valuable renewable resource that can be utilized effusively as a chief source of heat for cooking and can correspondingly subsidize the production of electricity, heat, biofuels and chemicals including solid fuel like char or carbon. Lignocellulosic residues are mixed and burnt with coal to generate electricity. Presently, crude oil is replaced by bioethanol and biodiesel produced from biomass substrate. Some special class of chemicals can be derived from biomass that can subsequently replace the usage of non‐renewable resources of oil and coal. Pyrolysis of woody biomass to obtain pyroliginous acid was started hundreds of years ago, which has versatile applications. The range of products that can be derived from biomass is huge, prompting extent of research using different types of thermal conversion technologies, including pyrolysis, gasification, torrefaction, anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal processing. This chapter provides insights about the stages of reaction during pyrolysis and the outcome of reaction conditions on the products. Technical development and adjustment of process condition can offer a suitable environmentally benign scheme to increase the energy density of the lignocellulosic residues

    Design, synthesis, multipotent antioxidant activity of new heterocycles and some reactions of acid hydrazide based on butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) moiety / Wageeh A. Yehye

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    This work involves searching and designing of MPAO. To obtain MPAO, one can screen drug collections and/or antioxidant-product libraries, or couple an antioxidant group with other antioxidant pharmacophores. Therefore, de novo antioxidant design strategy provides important clues as to how the design concept for MPAO can be improved. Accordingly, novel 1-acylthiosemicarbazides (4.4-4.6), 1,3,4-thiadiazoles (4.7-4-9), 1,2,4-triazoles (4.10-4.12), and 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-5-thione derivatives (4.14-4.20) bearing the well-known free radical scavenger (BHT) were designed and synthesized. To verify the antioxidant activity of the designed MPAO, two different established in vitro antioxidant assays, DPPH and lipid peroxidation were used. Synthesised BHT derivatives (4.4-4.12) were examined for their capacity to scavenge stable free radical (DPPH˙) and their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation using well-known standard antioxidant, BHT and α-TOH as well as the compound 4.1. Compounds 4.4-4.12 showed inhibition of DPPH stable free radicals at 10-4 M more than the well-known standard antioxidant BHT and starter compound 4.1. Compound 4.12 is the most potent in the in vitro lipid peroxidation and exhibited promising in vitro inhibition of Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation of essential oils, using egg yolk as a lipid-rich medium (86.4%, IC50 2.85 ± 1.09 μM/ml) while α-TOH (84.6%, IC50 5.6 ±1.09 μM/ml). X-ray structure of 4.11 emphasized the contribution of stereoelectronic substituent effects (o- methoxy group) on the inhibition results obtained in both DPPH and lipid peroxidation assays, resulted in 27% and 76% inhibition while in the absence of stereoelectronic effects, 4.12 (p-methoxy group) resulted in 52% and 86% inhibition, respectively. The work then continued with the investigation of some reactions of hydrazide (4.3) under different conditions of experiment and reagents. The results promoted novel synthetic approaches for the preparation of diarylsemicarbazones and symmetrical azines to be new indirect hydrazination procedure, which could allow future researchers to carry out studies to prepare diarylsemicarbazone bearing active carbonyl groups and other functional groups sensitive to hydrazine hydrate

    Hepatoprotective Role of Ethanolic Extract of Vitex negundo in Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Male Rats

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    The hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract from the leaves of Vitex negundo (VN) was conducted against thioacetamide- (TAA-) induced hepatic injury in Sprague Dawley rats. The therapeutic effect of the extract was investigated on adult male rats. Rats were divided into seven groups: control, TAA, Silymarin (SY), and VN high dose and low dose groups. Rats were administered with VN extract at two different doses, 100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg body weight. After 12 weeks, the rats administered with VN showed a significantly lower liver to body weight ratio. Their abnormal levels of biochemical parameters and liver malondialdehyde were restored closer to the normal levels and were comparable to the levels in animals treated with the standard drug, SY. Gross necropsy and histopathological examination further confirmed the results. Progression of liver fibrosis induced by TAA in rats was intervened by VN extract administration, and these effects were similar to those administered with SY. This is the first report on hepatoprotective effect of VN against TAA-induced liver fibrosis

    Magnetically directed antioxidant and antimicrobial agent: synthesis and surface functionalization of magnetite with quercetin

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    Oxidative stress can be reduced substantially using nanoantioxidant materials by tuning its surface morphological features up to a greater extent. The physiochemical, biological and optical properties of the nanoantioxidants can be altered by controlling their size and shape. In view of that, an appropriate synthesis technique should be adopted with optimization of the process variables. Properties of magnetite nanoparticles (IONP) can be tailored to upgrade the performance of biomedicine. Present research deals with the functionalization IONP using a hydrophobic agent of quercetin (Q). The application of quercetin will control its size using both the functionalization method including in-situ and post-synthesis technique. In in-situ techniques, the functionalized magnetite nanoparticles (IONP@Q) have average particles size 6 nm which are smaller than the magnetite (IONP) without functionalization. After post functionalization technique, the average particle size of magnetite IONP@Q2 determined was 11 nm. The nanoparticles also showed high saturation magnetization of about 51–59 emu/g. Before starting the experimental lab work, Prediction Activity Spectra of Substances (PASS) software was used to have a preliminary idea about the biological activities of Q. The antioxidant activity was carried out using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The antibacterial studies were carried out using well diffusion method. The results obtained were well supported by the simulated results. Furthermore, the values of the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the DPPH antioxidant assay were decreased using the functionalized one and it exhibited a 2–3 fold decreasing tendency than the unfunctionalized IONP. This exhibited that the functionalization process can easily enhance the free radical scavenging properties of IONPs up to three times. MIC values confirms that functionalized IONP have excellent antibacterial properties against the strains used (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli) and fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Trichoderma sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The findings of this research showed that the synthesized nanocomposite has combinatorial properties (magnetic, antioxidant and antimicrobial) which can be considered as a promising candidate for biomedical applications. It can be successfully used for the development of biomedicines which can be subsequently applied as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer agents

    Identification of meat origin in food products – A review

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    Recently, falsified meat products have become a serious problem. Many issues such as public health, fair trade, and religious consideration are directly influenced by adulterations of meat. To overcome this problem, various analytical methods, based on physical, chemical, anatomical, histological, and biological approaches are being utilized to identify meat species. Nevertheless, by virtue of their inherent limitations, most of these methods have been replaced by more accurate and sensitive detection methods, such as DNA-based molecular techniques. This review highlights the most extensive and updated overview of meat species identification based on DNA hybridization techniques. It will be demonstrated that the DNA-hybridization method is a highly sensitive method in analyzing the similarity of DNA strands, where the limit of detections was reported to be from 0.1% to less than 0.01%, depending on the meat species

    PASS-Predicted Hepatoprotective Activity of Caesalpinia sappan in Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats

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    The antifibrotic effects of traditional medicinal herb Caesalpinia sappan (CS) extract on liver fibrosis induced by thioacetamide (TAA) and the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in rats were studied. A computer-aided prediction of antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities was primarily performed with the Prediction Activity Spectra of the Substance (PASS) Program. Liver fibrosis was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by TAA administration (0.03% w/v) in drinking water for a period of 12 weeks. Rats were divided into seven groups: control, TAA, Silymarin (SY), and CS 300 mg/kg body weight and 100 mg/kg groups. The effect of CS on liver fibrogenesis was determined by Masson’s trichrome staining, immunohistochemical analysis, and western blotting. In vivo determination of hepatic antioxidant activities, cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and matrix metalloproteinases (MPPS) was employed. CS treatment had significantly increased hepatic antioxidant enzymes activity in the TAA-treated rats. Liver fibrosis was greatly alleviated in rats when treated with CS extract. CS treatment was noted to normalize the expression of TGF-β1, αSMA, PCNA, MMPs, and TIMP1 proteins. PASS-predicted plant activity could efficiently guide in selecting a promising pharmaceutical lead with high accuracy and required antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties

    Gold Nanofilm-Coated Porous Silicon as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrate

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    Metallic film-coated porous silicon (PSi) has been reported as a lucrative surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. The solution-based fabrication process is facile and easy; however, it requires additional reducing agent and extra chemical treatment, as well as hinders the suitability as a reproducible SERS substrate due to irregular hot spot generation via irregular deposition of metallic nanocrystallites. To address this issue, we report a unique one-step electronic beam (e-beam) physical vapor deposition (PVD) method to fabricate a consistent layer of gold (Au) nanofilm on PSi. Moreover, to achieve the best output as a SERS substrate, PSi prepared by electrochemical etching was used as template to generate an Au layer of irregular surface, offering the surface roughness feature of the PSi&ndash;Au thin film. Furthermore, to investigate the etching role and Au film thickness, Au-nanocrystallites of varying thickness (5, 7, and 10 nm) showing discrete surface morphology were characterized and evaluated for SERS effect using Rhodamine 6G (R6G). The SERS signal of R6G adsorbed on PSi&ndash;Au thin film showed a marked enhancement, around three-fold enhancement factor (EF), than the Si&ndash;Au thin film. The optimal SERS output was obtained for PSi&ndash;Au substrate of 7 nm Au film thickness. This study thus indicates that the SERS enhancement relies on the Au film thickness and the roughness feature of the PSi&ndash;Au substrate
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