The total alkaloid fractions of the methanolic extracts of the leaves, ripe fruits, roots, seeds and stem of Solanum pseudocapsicum were subjected to in-vitro cytotoxicity, short-term toxicity and long-term survival studies. All the five fractions exhibited potent activity. The total alkaloid fraction of leaves was found to be the most potent. The HT-29 cell line was the most sensitive to the fractions. The cytotoxic concentration (CTC₅₀) values for all these fractions ranged between 0.39—0.91, 0.68—2.8, 0.92—3.56, 4.05—8.2, 3.28—5.65 and 0.95—5.55 μg/ml, respectively for HT-29, RD-228, A-549, HEp-2, B₁₆F₁₀ and Vero cell lines. In short-term toxicity studies, the fractions showed 50% viability at 93—128 μg/ml for DLA cells and 141—189 μg/ml for human lymphocytes. In the long-term survival studies on the cell lines RD-228, HEp-2 and Vero, cells retained their regenerative capacities at concentrations below 8 μg/ml. The total alkaloids of the plant, especially from the leaves merit further investigations to identify the active constituents in animal models.

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Dalton's lymphoma (DL), a spontaneous T cell lymphoma of mice, has been shown to inhibit macrophage activation in vitro. The present investigations were undertaken to study the mechanism of the DL-mediated macrophage inhibition. Reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophages could be reversed by the co-presence of a DL cell membrane preparation in the incubation mixture. One of the active macrophage inhibiting molecules of the DL cells was found to be the gangliosides. Incubation of macrophages with DL gangliosides (DLG) in vitro could inhibit the RNI production. DLG was found to act only at the initial stages of the LPS activation. Addition of DLG beyond 3h after the start of LPS treatment had no effect, showing that the DLG acted by altering some of the early events of the macrophage activation mechanism. In vivo administration of DLG also caused inhibition of RNI production of the macrophages. The DLG treatment was found to augment the proliferation of splenocytes by inhibiting the RNI production of the splenic macrophages. Indomethacin-treated DL cells were not significantly different from the untreated ones regarding their effect on the RNI production of macrophages, thus ruling out the involvement of metabolites of the arachidonate pathway in the modulation of macrophage activation by the DL cells.

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Four successive extracts of the whole plant of Enicostemma axillare (E. axillare), were examined for in vitro antioxidant activity using nine different methods. In the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) method, all the four extracts of E. axillare showed potent antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ values ranging from 13.26 to 24.36 μg/ml. The chloroform extract has shown potent antioxidant activity in H₂O₂, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl radical using the deoxyribose and lipid peroxidation methods, with IC₅₀ values of 16.99±0.38, 60.66±0.30, 25.06±0.12, and 94.66±2.40 μg/ml, respectively. Potent activity was also observed for the petroleum ether extract with the deoxyribose, p-nitroso dimethyl aniline (p-NDA), and H₂O₂ methods and for the ethyl acetate extract with the H₂O₂ and nitric oxide methods. All extracts showed moderate total antioxidant capacity using the phosphomolybdenum method. The activity was not correlated with the total phenol content of the extracts.

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1,3-Dicapryloyl-2-linoleoylglycerol (1), a novel triglyceride, was isolated from berries of Hippophae rhamnoides. The structure was elucidated on the basis of MS, 1D and 2D NMR experiments including HMQC and HMBC. The metal chelating, free radical scavenging, and lipid peroxidation inhibiting properties of the compound were also estimated with particular reference to radiation protection. In case of metal chelation and superoxide ion scavenging, 1 showed maximum inhibition at 50 μg/ml (11%) and 100 μg/ml (55%), respectively, whereas in lipid peroxidation, 1 showed maximum inhibition (57%) at 2 mg/ml as compared to quercetin as a control.

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Polymer nanoparticles are veritable tools for pharmacokinetic and therapeutic modifications of bioactive compounds. Nanoparticle technology development and scaling up are however often constrained due to poor payload and improper particle dissolution. This work was aimed to develop descriptor based computational models as prior art tools for optimal payload in polymeric nanoparticles. Loading optimization experiments were carried out both in vitro and in-silico. Molecular descriptors generated in three different platforms DRAGON, molecular operating environment (MOE) and VolSurf+ were used. Multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) provided computation models which were further validated based on goodness of fit statistics and correlation coefficients (DRAGON, R²=0.889, Q²=0.657, R²_pred=0.616; MOE, R²=0.826, Q²=0.572, R²_pred=0.601; and VolSurf+, R²=0.818, Q²=0.573, R²_pred=0.653). Pharmacophore space modeling studies were carried out in order to understand the fundamental molecular interactions necessary for drug loading in poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolic acid). The space modeling study (R²=0.882, Q²=0.662, R²_pred=0.725, Δ_cost=108.931) indicated that hydrogen bond acceptors and ring aromatic features are of primary significance for nanoparticle drug loading. Results of in vitro experiments have also confirmed the fact as a viable prognosis in case of nanoparticle payload. Polymeric nanoparticles payload prediction can therefore be a useful tool for wider benefits at the preformulation stages itself.

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Bacillus subtilis (natto) phage ONPA suspended in an SM buffer without a cryoprotectant is sensitive to freezing at −20°C to −40°C. Freezing with a cryoprotectant and/or at low temperatures (−80°C and −165°C) can dramatically improve the viability of ONPA. B. subtilis (natto) phage JNDMP, the other principal type of B. subtilis (natto) phage used in this study, was stable even without a cryoprotectant at −20°C. The observation of ONPA using electron microscopy, after freezing at −20°C and subsequent thawing, suggested that the phage tails contracted and the phage genome DNA remained in the heads. The contraction of the phage tails may have caused the inactivation of ONPA phage particles.

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Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated hairy root culture of Plumbago rosea L. is an attractive alternative for the production of plumbagin which is the major bioactive compound in P. rosea tuberous roots. The traditional industries form the major consumer of the tuberous roots as these are used in many ayurvedic preparations. The present work investigates the prospects of utilizing hairy roots in the place of tuberous roots based on bacterial survival test of hairy roots and comparison through phytochemical analyses (TLC, Spectrophotometry, HPLC and LC-MS). Since the traditional system of medicine follows stringent curing procedure before incorporation of the roots in medicinal preparations, cured tuberous and hairy roots were also compared. The phytochemical profile of hairy roots was remarkably similar to that of tuberous roots. Curing caused no change in the phytotchemical composition of the roots but only a reduction in the amount of plumbagin and other molecules. Plumbagin was reduced to 0.372 ± 0.026% dry weight (DW) in cured tuberous roots (1.15 ± 0.08% DW in uncured) and 0.061± 0.0043% DW in cured hairy roots (1.32 ± 0.09% DW in uncured). An 11.3 fold increase in root biomass with 1.56% g DW plumbagin obtained in bioreactor as against 5.39 fold in shake-flasks (with 1% w/v inoculum over 3 weeks period), adds to the prospects of its applicability in traditional systems. The results suggest a refurbishment of conventional high quantity cured roots in traditional preparations with low quantity uncured roots, irrespective of root types.

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Soybean like many other crops, in this genomic era, has well-established genomic database which provides a wide range of opportunities for improvement through genetic manipulation. But the growing demand for soybean transgenics with increased production and improved quality has been handicapped due to inefficient transformation strategies and hence an efficient, stable and reliable transformation system is of prime requisite. In the present study, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was standardized by refining the glufosinate selection system in terms of dosage (0–6 mg l⁻¹) and degree of exposure. The cotyledonary node explants (with and without wounding) initially cultured on a non-selective shoot induction medium for 10 days before transferring them to the selective SIM with an optimized concentration of 5.0 mg l⁻¹ ammonium glufosinate, showed least selection escape frequency. Wounded cotyledonary node explants infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring pBIN-bar construct, showed an improved regeneration efficiency of 55.10% and transformation efficiency of 12.6% using Southern blotting in T₁ plants. Southern analysis of T₁ plants confirmed the integration of bar gene into the genomic DNA and the bar positive T₁ plants segregated in 3 : 1 ratio. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of a high transformation efficiency using Agrobacterium-mediated cot node-glufosinate system in an Indian soybean genotype.

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A new magnesium ion requiring N-acetyl-D-glucosamine specific lectin QIL was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from seeds of Quercus ilex L. through successive steps of (i) lectin extraction, (ii) ammonium sulphate (30–50%) fractionation, (iii) diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose chromatography, (iv) carboxymethyl (CM)-cellulose chromatography, and (v) Sephadex G-75 chromatography. The lectin, having specific activity of 25,600 hemagglutination units (HAU)/mg of protein, was found to be a monomeric protein with a native molecular weight of 13.2 kDa. N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine was found to exhibit most potent inhibitory action on the lectin activity among all the sugars tested. The lectin was also found to exhibit specificity for human blood groups A, B, and AB. It was converted to the corresponding apo-lectin by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment followed by buffer dialysis. The apo-lectin exhibited a specific and characteristic requirement for magnesium ions for the expression of its activity.

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To evaluate the antitumor and cytotoxic activity of methanol extract of Phyllanthus polyphyllus (MPP) in mice and human cancer cell lines, the antitumor activity of MPP was evaluated against an Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor model. The activity was assessed using survival time, hematological studies, lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST), solid tumor mass, and short-term in vitro cytotoxicity. The cytotoxic activity of MPP was evaluated using human breast cancer (MCF7), colon cancer (HT29), and liver cancer (HepG2) cell lines Oral administration of MPP (200 and 300 mg/kg) increased the survival time and significantly reduced the solid tumor volume in a dose-dependent manner. Hematological parameters, protein, and packed cellular volume (PCV), which were altered by tumor inoculation, were restored. MPP significantly decreased the levels of LPO, GPx, GST, and significantly increased the levels of SOD and CAT. In a cytotoxicity study against human cancer cell lines, MPP was found to have IC₅₀ values of 27, 42 and 38 μg/ml on MCF-7, HT-29, and HepG2 cells respectively. MPP possessed significant antitumor and cytotoxic activity on EAC and human cancer cell lines.

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The present investigations of δ¹⁸O and δD values of Teesta river system (glacier fed; Eastern Indian Himalaya) along a steep altitudinal gradient has helped to better understand the spatial variability of the isotopic composition in water and moisture sources. We have used the stable isotope composition of the main Teesta River, its major tributaries, glacial melt streams (nallah) and few high altitude lakes. As the region is dominated by Indian Summer Monsoon precipitation brought by the Bay of Bengal Branch, the δ¹⁸O values ranges from ~–11 to –15‰ and δD from ~–41 to –128‰ in the main Teesta River. We propose that as the monsoonal moisture penetrates along the river valleys towards higher Himalaya, a progressive depletion in ¹⁸O and D isotopes take place during orographic lifting, resultant cooling and progressive rainout. It is observed that d-excess values range between –1 to 18 and suggests mixed moisture source having contributions from moisture originating in Bay of Bengal and mid-latitude westerlies.

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