006593   Gupta S;Singh S V;Bhatia A K (Biotechnology Dep, Mcrobiology and Immunology Dep, GLA Univ, Mathura-281 406, Email: shoorvir.singh@gmail.com) : Immuno-reactivity pattern of secretory proteins of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis vaccine 'S5' with potential for diagnosis of Johne's disease in early infection. Indian J Biotechnol 2016, 15(3), 306-12.

Diagnosis of Johne's disease (JD) is hampered by the lack of specific immune-reactive antigens. Therefore, studies should be focused on the search of new candidate antigenic epitopes as 'novel biomarkers' for early diagnosis of JD. Secretory proteins profile of novel biotype ('S 5') of 'Indian Bison Type' and their immuno-reactivity was studied in early growth period (4 & 6 wk). Analysis of harvested CF (culture filterate) proteins was done by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Immunoblotting showed strong reactivity of 4 CF proteins (19, 36-38 and 65 kDa). Additional 48 kDa protein was recognized at 6 wk using MAP infected caprine serum. Diagnostic potential of early phase secretory proteins was evaluated using Indirect ELISA test. Results showed slightly lower sensitivity and 100.0% specificity with respect to whole cell sonicated semi-purified protoplasmic antigen (sPPA). Our earlier studies clearly exhibited that there cannot be universally effective diagnostic kits in case of chronic insidious diseases like Johne's disease. Therefore efforts should be to use antigen candidates from locally prevalent strains. By using commercially available universal kits we are unknowingly grossly under reporting the disease prevalence/incidence.

3 illus, 5 tables, 37 ref

006592   Gopi M;Purushothaman M R;Chandrasekaran D (NO, ICAR-Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Email: getgopi72@gmail.com) : Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on serum protein, mineral status blood picture and immune status in broilers. Indian J expl Biol 2016, 54(12), 808-15.

In poultry, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is widely used as a feed additive to control mortality due to ascites in broilers. Apart from its use the treatment of a variety of disorders viz., ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, muscle fatigue and muscle weakness, its supplementation has been reported to be beneficial for cardiovascular disease, chronic heart failure, cancer, migraine, asthma and hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on serum protein, serum minerals, blood parameters, ascites susceptibility and humoral immune status in broilers fed with different energy levels which influence their productivity, biochemical profile and ascites incidences. The treatment had three levels of CoQ10, namely 0, 20 and 40 mg/kg at normal (NE), low (LE) and high (HE) energy levels in which 2X3 factorial design was followed. The haemoglobin and packed cell volume were not affected (P <62> 0.05) by either energy or CoQ10 levels but the erythrocyte osmotic fragility per cent (EOF %) and blood glucose levels were decreased by CoQ10 supplementation at both 20 and 40 mg/kg. The serum calcium level had significantly (P <60> 0.01) increased with CoQ10 at 40 mg/kg (12.70 vs. 11.58 and 11.98 mg/dL) in NE diet group over the unsupplemented and 20 mg/kg supplemented birds. Compared to the respective unsupplemented groups, CoQ10 @40 mg/kg reduced (P <60> 0.01) the serum total protein (4.69 vs. 5.23 g/dL) and serum albumin (2.46 vs. 2.78 g/dL) in NE group but increased (P <60> 0.01) (4.70 vs. 4.08 g/dL) and (2.59 vs. 2.04 g/dL), respectively in LE group. High energy birds showed significantly (P <60> 0.01) increased serum albumin (2.74 vs. 2.24 g/dL). The humoral immunity against Newcastle Disease (ND titre) was significantly (P <60> 0.01) higher in 21 days of growth period at both the levels of supplementation but on 42 days no significant difference among the groups were observed. It can be concluded that CoQ10 supplementation at 20 mg/kg decreased blood glucose level and increased erythrocytes osmotic stability and hence, could reduce bird's susceptibility to ascites.

2 illus, 3 tables, 44 ref

006591   Garima G;Agrawal N K;Moin S;Gupta P K (Biochemistry Dep, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Govt Medical College, Nalhar, Mewat, Email: drneer80@yahoo.com) : Study on the role of dietary agent Momordica charantia L on protein glycation. Int J pharm Sci Res 2016, 7(5), 2168-73.

Protein glycation is a spontaneous post translational modification of proteins by excess sugars causing formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in diabetic individuals and responsible for diabetes complications. A wide variety of anti-glycating agents have been reported & recently there has been interest in natural products with anti-glycation properties. Momordica charantia L (M. Charantia L) has been used historically for medicinal purposes particularly for treatment of diabetes & cancers. M. Charantia L Extract contains potent antioxidant activity and it can be a useful anti-glycating agent. Human serum albumin was used for in vitro glycation. Various concentrations of extract of M. Charantia L were analyzed. Co-incubation of the M. Charantia L. extract with HSA-fructose mixture intensify the fructose mediated glycation of HSA as indicated by increases fluorescence intensity in tryptophan fluorescence &AGE related fluorescence studies. M. Charantia L. seems to aggravate sugar mediated glycation of the protein and need further studies to pinpoint specific bioactive compounds responsible for the observed activities.

28 ref

006590   Florence A R;Jeeva S (Botany Dep, Scott Christian College (Autonomous), Nagercoil, Tamilnadu) : In vitro anticancer activity of Gmelina asiatica L. leaf against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Int J pharm Sci Res 2016, 7(5), 2116-21.

The present study was taken to prove the cytotoxic effect of ethanolic extract of Gmelina asiatica leaf on human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated by performing MTT assay. Cell morphological characteristics were observed by using phase contrast microscope. The results demonstrated in MCF-7 cancer cell lines treated with ethanolic extract of G. asiatica leaf showed the cell death which is dose dependent. Only 8.2% of cell viability was observed at 1000 μg/ml concentration of G. asiatica leaf extract. It is concluded that the ethanolic extract of Gmelina asiatica leaf can be used for the treatment of breast cancer.

30 ref

006589   Etukudo;Mbosowo M;Sasmuel O E;Egbe A (Biological Sciences Dep, Federal Univ Otuoke, P.M.B. 126, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Email: mbosombosowo@yahoo.com) : Assessment of fresh and dry cassva peels for nutrients potentials on growth of Telfaira occidentalis Hook in tropical soil. J advd scient Res 2016, 7(1), 49-52.

This study was designed to assess the nutrient composition of fresh and dry cassava peels and effects on Telfairia occidentalis Hook in tropical soil. The chemical properties of experimental soil and cassava peel were determined using standard procedures. 2kg of sectioned fresh and dry cassava peels were mixed with 2kg of sandy- loam soil based on treatment. Each treatment was placed in a perforated polythene bag. The following treatments were used; soil-only (control), soil + fresh cassava peel, and soil + dry cassava peel. The organic matter, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium contents in soil containing dry cassava peel were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of the control and soil treated with fresh cassava peel. Similarly, the plant height, root length, leaf number, fresh weight, dry weight and moisture contents of the test crop in soil containing dry cassava peel were comparatively higher than those of the control and soil treated with fresh cassava peel. The utilization of dry cassava peels as organic nutrients supplement for the growth of Telfairia occidentalis is a viable option for replenishing soil nutrients in Nigerian tropical soils. However, it is important to take into consideration the soil nutrient status and crop needs.

3 tables, 29 ref

006588   Eswari J S;Venkateswarlu C (Biotechnology Dep, National Institute of technology, Raipur-429 010, Email: satyaeswarij.bt@nitrr.ac.in) : Multiobjective simultaneous optimization of biosurfactant process medium by integrating differential evolution with artificial neural network. Indian J chem Technol 2016, 23(5), 335-44.

A method of differential evolution (DE) integrated with artificial neural networks (ANN) is derived for modelling and optimization of a biosurfactant process producing rhamnolipid by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) data is used to develop multiple regression and ANN response surface models in order to integrate them with DE for optimizing the medium compositions. The DE with global search operators explores the search space of the response surface models and finds the optimum medium compositions that maximize the rhamnolipid productivity. A multiobjective simultaneous optimization strategy that integrates ANN model with DE search is found to compromise for biomass concentration and maximize the rhamnolipid activity as 55.9 mg/L (R^{2 = 0.914) with an optimized medium compositions of glucose=24.079; NH₄NO₃=3.28; KH₂PO₄=0.24; yeast extract=7.95 and MgSO₄.7H₂O=2.69. The experimental rhamnolipid activity of 56 mg/L obtained using the optimized medium compositions are close to the predicted rhamnolipid activity. These findings demonstrate that the ANN-DE integrated multi objective optimization strategy is quite effective for simultaneous optimization of biochemical and biotechnological processes.}

4 illus, 3 tables, 22 ref

006587   Eraga S O;Ofeogbu P U;Ovu E O;IArhewoh M (Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology Dep, Faculty of Pharmacy, Univ of Benin, PMB-1154, Benin City, 300 001) : Investigation of the properties of mucin obtained from three soruces. Pharma Innovation 2016, 5(12), 8-12.

The purpose of this study was to carry out a comparative evaluation of the physicochemical properties of mucin powders extracted from three different sources. Mucin powders was extracted from the African giant snails and the intestines of cow and pigs by the wet rendering process and differential precipitation with chilled acetone. The precipitates were air-dried and pulverized into powder. The powders were subjected to different organoleptic and physicochemical evaluations including solubility profiles, pH, moisture content and particle size. Their powder flow properties such as bulk and tapped densities, true density, angle of repose, flow rate, Hausner's ratio and Carr's compressibility index were also evaluated. The mucin powders showed comparable organoleptic properties, solubility profiles, melting points and pH. The powders were positive to tests for carbohydrates and proteins with traces of fixed oil. Microscopic examination of their particles reveals particle size and size distribution from 60 - 88 μm. There were slight variations in the bulk properties of the powders which exhibited good to fair flowability with the following parameters; Hausner's ratio (1.11 - 1.30), Carr's index (9.99 - 18.44%), angles of repose (38.26 - 40.02°) and flow rate (2.68 - 3.25 g/sec). Their moisture content ranged from 10 - 16%. Results of the study has shown that the snail, bovine and porcine mucin powders are comparable in quality and thus may be considered equivalent when being used as an adjuvant in mucoadhesive drug delivery systems.

4 tables, 21 ref

006586   Devi T;Bordoloi P;Lankar M (Pharmacology Dep, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, Email: drtaralidevi@gmail.com) : Evaluation of antidiabetic activity of leaf extract of ocimum sanctum linn in alloxan-induced non-insulin dependent diabetic rats. J Evolution med dent Sci 2016, 5(86), 6425-8.

3 tables, 27 ref

006585   Devgan M;Karar P K;Agarwal G;Mohan A;Gangwar P (Faculty of Pharmacy, R P Educational Trust Group of Institutions, Bastara, Karnal-132 114, Email: manishdevgan12@gmail.com) : In silico designing of drugs for the inhibition of AMF-HER2 complex in trastuzumab resistant breast cancer. Indian J Biotechnol 2016, 15(3), 292-8.

About 20 to 25% of human metastatic breast cancer over-expresses the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). With the introduction of HER2-targeted therapies, in particular trastuzumab, HER2 status has become more important. The autocrine motility factor (AMF) is a protein factor expressed and secreted by cancer cells. The interaction of AMF with HER2 triggers HER2 phosphorylation, which leads to the development of resistance against trastuzumab. In this work, a theoretical model of AMF was generated using the concepts of homology modeling and loop modeling. The resulting model was validated by Procheck with Ramachandran plot analysis. The ligands generated with the help of Drug bank were docked against AMF using AutoDock Vina in PyRx 0.8. The structure of compound (DB04493) with least binding energy (-15.5 kcal/mol) was varied by using ACD/ChemSketch 8.0 and the docking was done for the resulting 20 new ligands. The study revealed that the compound fructose-6-phosphate (DB04493) has the maximum probability to bind with AMF. The combination of AMF inhibitor with trastuzumab can potentiate the growth inhibitory and anti-invasive actions of trastuzumab in breast cancer cells.

3 illus, 5 tables, 24 ref

006584   Dev S N C;De K;Khan M W (Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Biological Science Dep, Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Email: prof.ksde@gmail.com) : Antifungal activity and phytochemical screening of Lawsonia inermis leaves extracts. Int J Pharm Life Sci 2016, 7(5), 5030-3.

In the study hexane, acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts obtained from Lawsonia inermis leaves were studied for their antifungal properties by using agar well diffusion assayagainst skin diseases causing fungi viz.Candida parapsilosis, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Trichophytonrubrum, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus niger. Methanol extract showed broad spectrum antifungal activityagainst all the tested pathogens. The phytochemical analysis of the methanolic extracts revealed the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, glycosides, sterols and coumarins. TLC analysis exhibit best separation of different phytocostituents with the solvent system i.e. choloroform: ethanol.

2 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

006583   Desai K;Braganza V (Biochemistry Dep, St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad-380 009, Email: desai.kinjal01@gmail.com) : Cytotoxic activity and phytochemical investigation of Phyllanthus emblica L. leaves. Int J pharm Sci Res 2016, 7(5), 2015-19.

The aim of this study is to investigate the cytotoxic effect of various extracts from Phyllanthus emblica L. According to Ayurveda this plant has potent anticancer activity and hence, this study is targeted at screening potential cytotoxic extracts using a yeast system. Yeast has been used as a model organism for many preclinical drug screens. In this study phytochemical extraction has been done by three methods (sonication, low and elevated temperature systems) using six different solvent systems (aqueous, methanol, ethyl acetate, petroleum ether, chloroform: methanol and water: methanol). The viability studies have been done using Methyl Thiazole Tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Aqueous extract at elevated temperature and water: methanol extract showed viability less than vinblastine. Further phytochemical analysis was done to identify major group of compounds present in each extract. It was concluded that flavonoids are present in extracts by doing TLC. HPTLC using standards was carried out and showed that at least two chemotherapeutic agents kaempferol and rutin were present. The data further indicates that kaempferol is major constituent in the extracts.

16 ref

006582   Dash P R;Rana S;Sohrab H (Pharmacy Dep, Jahangirnagar Univ, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Email: profdr.sohelrana.ju@gmail.com) : Biological activities of Polygonum flaccidum. Int J Pharmac 2016, 3(5), 217-20.

Polygonum flaccidum (Polygonaceae) is an annual herb widely distributed in Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Agfhanistan. Objectives of the present study were to determine antioxidant, anthelmintic, cytotoxic, insecticidal and antibacterial activities of methanol extract of P. flaccidum. Antioxidant activity in terms of free radical scavenging ability was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Cytotoxic activity was performed by brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality bioassay. Anthelmintic efficacy was determined using adult Bangladeshi earthworm. Insecticidal activity was tested against rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae. Antibacterial activity was tested by disc diffusion method. The extract exhibited significant antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH free radical. The IC₅₀ value of the extract displayed 4.91 μg/ml while standard ascorbic acid showed 2.69μg/ml. The extract exhibited potent anthelmintic activity by causing paralysis (30 min) and death (45 min) of worms and the effect was found to be dose dependent. In insecticidal study, the lethal effect of methanol extract on Sitophilus oryzae was found to be dose dependent manner. In cytotoxicity study, LC₅₀ value of the methanol extract was 1.5 μg/ml while the LC₅₀ value of vincristine sulphate was 0.52 μg/ml. On the other hand, the methanol extract also showed remarkable antibacterial activity against both the gram positive and negative bacteria but inactive against fungi. Further studies on isolation of constituents and their bio-efficacies in vitro and in vivo are under investigation.

5 tables, 12 ref

006581   Das M;Chhetri S;Arora M;George A;Das J;Priya V (Biotechnology Dep, Christ Univ, Bangalore, Karnataka) : In vitro evaluation of Piper betle L. methanol extract and its fractions against Rhizoctonia solani. Int J herb Med 2017, 5(2), 35-7.

The antifugal activity of methanol extracts of Piper betle (leaves) and its fractions was evaluated against Rhizoctonia Solani by agar well diffusion method. Phytochemical analysis of the extract, revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, tannins, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. In antifungal assay the methanol extract and its four fractions (Fractions 6, 7, 9 and 10) displayed activity against R. solani. Fraction 6 exhibited the highest zone of inhibition (33- 45 mm at 5-20%) with MIC value of 0.78 mg/ml. Fraction 6 and 7 showed maximum inhibition up to 10% concentration, showing no further increase in activity upon increasing the concentration. Fraction 9 and 10 displayed zone of inhibition 10-17 mm, while fraction 12 was not effective. Better antifungal activity displayed by fraction 6 highlighted further research on identification of the active compounds, which could be useful in developing antifungal agent for controlling R. solani.

1 table, 25 ref

006580   Dabhi B;Mistry K N (Ashok and Rita Patel Institute Study and Research in Biotechnology and, New Vallabh Vidhyanagar, Anand-388 121, Email: kinnarimistry@yahoo.com) : Identification of functional SNPs in VEGF gene and in silico analysis of damaging SNPs based on data procured from dbSNP database. Indian J Biotechnol 2016, 15(3), 299-305.

VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) gene is known to cause angiogenesis and participate in many diseases like prostate cancer and diabetic retinopathy. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been described in the VEGF gene, some of which have been reported to be associated with differential expression of VEGF in vitro. In the present study, polymorphism of VEGF gene was studied in relation to damaging mutations. Of total SNPs in VEGF gene, 38 were non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs), 47 were synonymous SNPs, 66 were in non-coding regions, which comprised of 13 SNPs in 5'UTR region and 53 SNPs were in 3'UTR region. The rest were in the intronic region. SIFT (Sorting Intolerant from Tolerant) analysis showed that L163P, H200W, P312T, R288W and G365V mutations were damaging, whereas PolyPhen predicted P163L and H200W nsSNPs as damaging. Among the predicted nsSNPs, rs4645843, rs1800620 were identified as deleterious and damaging by the SIFT and PolyPhen programs. Protein structural analysis with these amino acid variants was performed by using I-Mutant, Swiss PDB viewer, ANOLEA (Atomic Non-Local Environment Assessment), MUSTER (MUlti-Sources ThreadER) and NOMAD-Ref servers to check their molecular dynamics and energy minimization calculations. This in silico analysis suggested that mutations in VEGF, such as, G365V, P312T and R288W, could directly or indirectly destabilize the amino acid interactions and hydrogen bond networks, thus explaining the functional deviations of protein to some extent. Thus screening for VEGF G365V, P312T and R288W variants in the population-based study may be useful to check disease susceptibility.

2 illus, 4 tables, 26 ref

006579   Chaudhari K;Dei L;Harisha C R;Shukla V J (SRPT Dep, I.P.G.T.&R.A., Jamnagar Gujarat) : Pharmacognostical and preliminary physico-chemical evaluation of Rasayanakalpa vati. Int J herb Med 2016, 4(6), 41-5.

Menopause is an inevitable physiological stage in women's life comes between late forties and early fifties when characterized with multisystem assortment known as menopausal syndrome. Women are suffering more from menopausal syndrome due to sedentary modern lifestyle and seeking for its remedies. The present study had been planned to evaluate a standard pharmacognostical and pharmaceutical profile of Rasayanakalpa Vati. Study included preparation of Rasayanakalpa Vati following all SOPs using raw drugs which were previously authenticated and then Rasayanakalpa Vati was subjected for pharmacognostical, physicochemical and high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) as per standard protocols. Pharmacognostical findings were matched with that of individual raw drugs with no major changes in the microscopic structures of the raw drugs during preparation of Vati. The quality of Rasayanakalpa Vati can be tested by series of pharmacognostical and physicochemical screening for the observation of the present study.

16 illus, 5 tables, 10 ref

006578   Chandra H (NO, High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre, H. N. B., Garhwal Univ, Srinagar, Garhwal, Uttarakhand, Email: hreesh5@gmail.com) : Effect of essential oil of Cymbopogan caseius and Cymbopogan nardus against aflatoxin producing Aspergillus flavus. Envir Conserv J 2016, 17(3), 109-14.

Effect of individual and combined essential oils of Cymhopogan caesius and C. nardus on growth of aflaloxin producing fungus Aspergillus Jlavus and aflatoxin production was investigated in vitro. Different concentrations (50 ppm, 100 ppm. 200 ppm and 300 ppm) of essential oils significantly inhibited fungal growth and total aflatoxin content in Mycological broth as compared to that of control. Combinations of essential oils had synergistic inhibition of fungal growth and uflaloxin production as compared to their individual oil. Inhibition of fungal growth in combined essential oils ranged from 37.4% to 100% with an average of 75.7%, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that the synergistic effect of plant extracts can be used for control of fungal growth and aflatoxin production.

2 illus, 1 table, 31 ref

006577   Chandel G;Dubey M;Rao A R;Gupta S;Patil A (Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Dep, College of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur-492 012, Email: ghchandel@gmail.com) : Identification and characterization of rice ortholog of ferric chelate reductase (FRO2) gene in little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem.& Shult.). Indian J Biotechnol 2016, 15(3), 433-6.

In this study, a rice ortholog of ferric chelate reductase (FRO2) gene, involved in plant metal uptake phenomenon, has been identified and characterized in high iron containing small millet. The work has been accomplished in little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem. & Shult.) using PCR based amplification and next generation sequencing technology. The genotype RLM-37 was used to amplify FRO2 gene, followed by its sequencing on Ion Torrent's sequencing technology. Gene specific primers designed from rice genome, to amplify full-length gene fragment of 2.8 Kb in rice, generated an amplicon of 2.7 Kb in RLM-37 and its sequencing generated a sequence of 2691 bp. The sequenced amplicon showed high-level sequence similarity with OsFRO2 gene at nucleotide level, whereas low-level sequence homology and structural similarity was observed at protein level in the database. The predicted structure of the gene showed the presence of 6 exons and 5 introns in the little millet gene. The predicted protein sequence domain search showed the presence of ferric reductase domain and NOX_Duox_Like_FAD_NADP domain. The NOX_Duox_Like_FAD_NADP domain is unique to this protein, covering 36% of the millet protein. The 3D structure of this domain was elucidated by homology modelling method and the catalytic domain part was characterized. Thus, the study provides the start point for gene discovery in underexplored millet crops for improving grain nutritive traits.

^ssc4 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

006576   Brijwal M;Dimri D C;Mishra D S (Horticulture Dep, G.B. Pant Univ of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar-263 145, Email: manoj.brijwal@gmail.com) : Effect of different pollination methods on physical and chemicakl characteristics of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.). Res Crop 2016, 17(2), 291-7.

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of pollen source in four litchi cultivars i. e. 'Rose Scented', 'Calcuttia', 'Early Seedless' and 'Late Seedless' as a result of self, cross and open pollination methods during two successive years 2013 and 2014. The two years' pooled data showed that the cross pollination methods significantly improved the physical and chemical characteristics of fruit such as fruit weight (24.33 g) in Late Seedless x Early Seedless, fruit volume (23.75 ml) in Late Seedless x Early Seedless, total soluble solids (21.91°Brix)in Rose Scented x Early Seedless and minimum titratable acidity (0.45%) in Late Seedless x Rose Scented, while the maximum aril seed ratio (22.41) in Late Seedless x Late Seedless and titratable acidity (0.59%) in Calcuttia were estimated in self and open pollination methods, respectively, during both the years. The minimum fruit weight (18.39 g) in Calcuttia x Calcuttia, fruit volume (17.65 ml) in Calcuttia x Calcuttia and total soluble solids (18.40°Brix) in Early Seedless x Early Seedless were recorded in self pollination methods during both the years. The total sugar, reducing sugar and nonreducing sugar content did not differ significantly among the different pollination methods. Overall, increased fruit physical and chemical characteristics under the cross pollination suggest that the inclusion of cross-pollinators in litchi orchards may be beneficial for improving the fruit quality characteristics.

2 tables, 23 ref

006575   Bhattacharjee M;Maji P (Biotechnology Dep, Heritage Institute of Technology, Anandapur, Kolkata-700 107) : Effect of microbial dietary supplements probiotics in human health. J scient lett 2016, 1(3 sppl), 134-42.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for health, especially for digestive system. These are "good" or "helpful" because they help to keep human intestine healthy. Probiotics are naturally found in our body as well as in some foods and supplements.The most common probiotic is Lactobacillus. It is found in different fermented foods that may help the people suffering from different types of diarrhea and those who cannot digest lactose, a type of sugar present in milk. The other most helpful probiotic Bifidobacterium is found in some dietary products that may help people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Some researchers showed that Probiotics are also helpful to cure skin disease like eczema, allergy, colds as well as urinary and vaginal tract infections. In this review, the authors have highlighted the positive roles and mechanistic actions of beneficial Probiotics on some aspects of human health.

1 illus, 1 table, 41 ref

006574   Benluvankar V;Evelyne Priya S;Gnanadoss J J (Microbial and Environmental Biotechnology Research Unit, Plant Biology and Biotechnology Dep, Loyola College (Autonomous), Chennai-600 034) : Medium formulation and its optimization for increased protease production by Penicillium spp. LCJ228 and its potential in blood stain removal. J appl Biol Biotechnol 2016, 4(1), 20-6.

The production of protease by Penicillium sp. LCJ228 was optimized under submerged fermentation. Nutritional and physical factors that influence protease production were optimized by one factor at a time (OFAT) method in order to achieve high yield of protease. Maximum protease production was obtained on the 4th day in a liquid medium containing glucose (15 g/L), yeast extract (15 g/L), black gram husk (10 g/L) with an initial pH of 10 and an inoculum size of 2 g/L of fungal mycelium. About 2.4 fold increase in protease production was observed in the optimized medium. The maximally yielded crude protease was then precipitated and characterized by SDS-PAGE and native-PAGE. The molecular weight of the ammonium sulphate precipitated protease was <126>66 to 70 kDa and native-PAGE showed three isoenzymes. The crude and precipitated protease had the ability to completely remove blood stains on cotton fabric indicating its potential to be used as a stain remover in detergents.

4 illus, 5 tables, 54 ref

006573   Behera A;Sanjeet Kumar;Jena P K (Botany Dep, Ravenshaw Univ, Cuttack-753 003, Email: padan_jena@rediffmail.com) : Nutritional and pharmacological importances of genus costus. Int J pharm Sci Res 2016, 7(5), 1866-73.

The Genus Costus (Linn.) is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Costaceae. The Genus as a whole is often called Spiral Ginger. The genus is represented by about 175 species distributed throughout the world. The aerial parts of the plant and the rhizomes are edible, the rhizome being good source of carbohydrate, starch, amylase, protein and lipid. Moreover the rhizome is an alternative source of diosgenin and generally used to control diabetes. Rhizome of Costus is also used for curing many other ailments. In Ayurveda, the rhizomes are ascribed to be astringent, acrid, cooling, aphrodisiac, purgative, anthelmintic, depurative and expectorant. The present study focuses on the nutritional and pharmacological importances of Costus species.

^iia50 ref

006572   Bashir S;Fan M;Huang S;Zhang C;Lin F (Biotechnology and Bioscience College, Shenyang Agricultural Univ, Shenyang-110 866, Email: fenglinsn@126.com) : Proteomic analysis of serine/threonine kinase gene family in maize. Indian J Biotechnol 2016, 15(3), 352-6.

The proteomic analysis of serine/threonine kinase (STK) genes was conducted using various bioinformatics tools. Eight members of STK gene family were obtained from NCBI having more than 80% similarity with STK1 and STK2. The results of analysis revealed that their domains and conserved motifs has similar positions on the sequence and possibly perform similar functions. The results of expansion mode of STK showed that it belongs to tandem repeat mode. The phylogenetic tree revealed that STKs in maize existed before the species differentiation. The STKs in maize belong to paralog relationship, which shows that they might have common ancestral genes, representing that USP domain in STKs was already present before species differentiation. Thus the present study would be helpful in better understanding of genetic evolutionary relationship of homological sequences of STK1 and STK2 with its other members, and the similarities as well as differences between the structure and function of each member of the STK gene family.

4 illus, 19 ref

006571   Baishya B P;Bardoloi S;Bharali R (Biotechnology Dep, Gauhati Univ, Guwahati, Assam) : Morphological changes in the hemocytes of Antheraea assama (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) upon bacterial infection. J Ent Zool Stud 2016, 4(6), 46-9.

Giemsa stained hemocytes of bacteria-infected 5th instar larvae of Antheraea assama were studied under 100X magnification by light microscopy. Bacterial infection was observed to induce distinct morphological changes in the various hemocyte types, including enlarged or swollen cells, highly vacuolated cytoplasm, severe nuclear fragmentation, loss of cytoplasmic compactness or cytoplasmic lysis, blebbing of plasma membrane or completely lysed plasma membrane, and sometimes aggregation of hemocytes to one another leading to encapsulation of the bacterial products.

1 illus, 15 ref

006570   Ayogu E E;Ugwuowo O;Amorha K C;Okonta J M (Clinical Pharmacokinetic Research Unit, Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmac, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nigeria Nsukka Univ, Nigeria, Email: ebere.ayogu@unn.edu.ng) : Evaluation of ciprofloxacin effect on the antimalarial activity of some antimalarial drugs in Plasmodium berghei infcted mice. Int J pharm Sci Res 2016, 7(5), 1896-1903.

This study evaluates the effect of ciprofloxacin (CIP) on the antimalarial activity of artesunate (AS), artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and artesunate-amodiaquine using animal model. Some 120 albino mice infected with chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei NK65 strain were used. The study was carried out in three phases. Phase 1 consisted of eleven groups treated with different doses of either AS, AL, ASAQ or CIP alone. Phase 2 consisted of nine groups treated with 7 mg/kg of CIP (CIP1) combined with different doses of AS, AL, ASAQ. Phase 3 consist of ten groups treated with 14 mg/kg of CIP (CIP2) with different doses of AS, AL, ASAQ. Thin blood films were used to assess parasitemia level daily after administration of drugs for 72 h. Results were analyzed using student t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). CIP alone showed antimalarial activity with 63 % parasitemia reduction. Antimalarial activities of AS and AL were significantly enhanced by both 7 and 14 mg/kg of CIP. The antimalarial effect of ASAQ was enhanced but not statistically significant. Low dose ciprofloxacin significantly enhanced the antimalarial activities of Artesunate, Artemether-Lumefanthrine and Artesunate-Amodiaquine This combination may be beneficial in the management of Plasmodium falciparum infection or co-infection with salmonellosis.

31 ref

006569   Ayitso A S;Onyango D M (School of Biological and Physical Science, Maseno Univ, P.O. Box-333 40105 Maseno, Kenya, Email: aswanisusan@yahoo.com) : Isolation and identification by morphological and biochemical methods of antibiotic producing microorganisms from the gut of Macrotermes michaelseni in maseno, Kenya. J appl Biol Biotechnol 2016, 4(1), 27-33.

The major gut microflora colonizing the hind gut of higher termites, include morphologically diverse microorganisms. The objective of this study was to identify by morphological and biochemical methods of the antibiotic producing microorganisms in the gut of Macrotermes michaelseni. Macrotermes michaelseni harbor dense population of actinobacteria, which are known to produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites including many commercially important enzymes and antibiotics. In this study the Macrotermes michaelseni were collected from actively growing mound in Maseno University compound. Hind gut homogenates were serially diluted in sterile basal salt solution (104, 105 and 106) then pasteurized in a hot water bath at a temperature of 63 °C for 30 minutes and finally transferred onto plates containing the solid media MM7 and MM7 + glucose + Asparagine. The isolates obtained were different morphologically. Gram stain determination showed that majority of the isolates had gram negative bacteria. Indole, Citrate utilization and Triple sugar iron tests were carried out on the nine out of the seventeen isolates that showed particularly strong inhibition patterns. Biochemical tests carried out confirmed that termite gut harbour different additional indigenous microorganisms where Salmonella paratyphi, Shigella species and Shigella flexneri were identified.

6 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

006568   Auwal M S;Uvu S U;Shuaibu A;Ibrahim A; Mustapha M;Kumar N (Veterinary Physiology Dep, Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Mohamet Lawan College of Agriculture, Nigeria, Email: auwal1971@gmail.com) : Phytochemical and antibacterial properties of ethanolic leaves extract of Euphorbia hirta (Euphorbiaceae). Haryana Vet 2016, 55(1), 62-5.

Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of ethanolic leaves extract of Euphorbia hirta on some bacterial organisms was studied. Tannins, saponins, alkaloids, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides and flavonoids were present in E. hirta in low to moderate concentration. Its ethanolic extract inhibited growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis at 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg though K. pneumoniae exhibited resistance to the initial dose of 200 mg/kg, while Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium pyogenes, Salmonella typhi and Psendomonas aeruginosa exhibited resistance to the ethanolic leaves extract. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration of the extract was assayed as 50 mg/ml for K. pneumoniae and P. mirabilis. Tetracycline at 250 mg/ml, used as a standard drug, inhibited all the experimental microorganisms.

3 tables, 24 ref

006567   Ashwani Kumar;Anand V;Dubey R C;Goel K K (Pharmaceutical Sciences Dep, , GurukulKangri, Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar, Email: ashwanipharma03@gmail.com) : Toxicological evaluation of Bauhinia variegata Linn. for estimating the neurological, hematological and physical alterations in the albino mice. Envir Conserv J 2016, 17(3), 97-102.

The objective of present study is to establish the safety standards and the evaluation of potential toxicity of Bauhinia variegata Linn. Driedstem bark extract of Bauhinia variegata were evaluated for toxicity studies. For acute toxicity study healthy Swiss albino mice, divided in various groups, were administered the sample extract orally in increasing dose. For the sub- acute toxicity studies, the animals of the acute toxicity studies were administered daily for a period of 15 days. The parameters of the acute toxicity studies were tabulated after 48 and 72 hrs of the dose administration and those of the sub acute study were tabulated after 15 days of the dose administration. The toxicity studies did not show any mortality lip to a dose of 3000 mg/kg and no significant changes were observed. As no toxicity was observed, Bauhinia variegata Linn. extract could be continued to use in folk medicines.

3 illus, 2 tables, 12 ref

006566   Arya P;Mehta J P;Sanjay Kumar (Botany and Microbiology Dep, H.N.B. Garhwal Univ, Srinagar, Uttarakhand, Email: prashantarya09@gmail.com) : Evaluation of antibacterial and phytochemical analysis of root extracts of Altsicarpus vaginalis DC. against respiratory tract pathogens. Envir Conserv J 2016, 17(3), 145-51.

The study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity and phytochemical analysis of various roots extracts of Alysicarpus vaginalis (Chukalai) against selected common respiratory tract pathogens i.e. Staphylococctis auretis, Streptocticcux pneumoniae. Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results showed that methanol extract was more efficient in comparison to other extracts. The zone of inmibition ranged between 10 ± 0.57 to 13 ± 0.32 mm examined at 200 mg/ml, respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentration was recorded for MeOH extracts between 3.12 mg/ml to 25 mg/ml for all the organisms. The Phytochemical analysis of extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, glvcosides, alkaloids, steroids, terpenes. saponins and tannins. This investigation supports a good response to the use of A. vaginalix in herbal medicine and as a base for the development of new drugs and phytoinedicine in foundation for its use in treatment of respiratory infectious diseases.

1 illus, 2 tables, 27 ref

006565   Ansari J A;Ahmad M K;Khan A R;Fatima N;Khan H J;Rastogi N;Mishra D P;Mahdi A A (Natural Products Research Lab, Biochemistry Dep, King George's Medical Univ, Lucknow-226 003, Email: abbasalimahdi@gmail.com) : Anticancer and antioxidant activity of Zingiber officinale Roscoe rhizome. Indian J expl Biol 2016, 54(11), 267-73.

Dietary components present in foods, spices and herbs are source of natural compounds viz. phenols, flavonoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid and carotenoids with potential benefits. Ginger is one such herb commonly used throughout the world as a spice for dietary as well as medicinal purpose since ancient period. Here, we investigated the methanolic extract of Zingiber officinale rhizome (ZOME) for anticancer activity against human cervical cancer HeLa cells and breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) cation decolorization test. Antiproliferative activity was substantiated by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assay for cell viability and cell proliferation, Hoechst staining was performed to examine apoptosis. Our results demonstrated that ZOME inhibited the proliferation and colony formation in HeLa and MDA-MB-231 cells, in a dose- and time-dependent manner and induced typical changes in nuclear morphology, chromatin condensation and fragmentation, membrane shrinkage and blebbing in both cells indicated apoptotic property of Z. officinale. ZOME exhibited potent antiradical activity against DPPH and ABTS. On the basis of the results of the present study, it may be suggested that Z. officinale has promising anticancer and antioxidant properties. Since, Z officinale has been commonly used throughout the world as a spice for dietary as well as for medicinal purposes since prehistoric times. Therefore, enriched use of Z. officinale as dietary material could be recommended in ethno-medicine for the management of cervical and breast cancers. Moreover, further studies are needed to isolate and characterize the potent compounds for further adjuvant therapy against such malignancies.

4 illus, 32 ref

006564   Angelo A F B;Augustin A K;Parfait K B G; Anthelme N B S (Nutritiona and Pharmacology Dep, Univ Felix Houphouet Boigny, 22 Bp 582 Abidjan 22, Ivory Coast) : Acute toxicity of the aqueous extract of roasted and ground beans of Coffea canephora robusta in the wistar rat. Pharma Innovation 2016, 5(12), 1-5.

The present study was conducted to assess the acute toxicity of the aqueous extract of roasted and ground beans of Coffea canephora robusta (aergbCcr) in the rats. The HPLC study of caffeine in the aqueous extract showed a proportion of 7.5%. The evaluation of acute toxicity was done according to the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 423 for testing chemicals. This study showed that the lethal dose 50 (LD50) of this extract would be between 2000 and 5000 mg/kg of body weight (b.w). The relative weights of organs (kidneys, liver and heart) taken from rats at the end of the experiment did not change significantly. The biochemical and hematological parameters showed no significant variation. The aqueous extract of roasted and ground beans of Coffea canephora robusta has a relatively low acute toxicity.

3 illus, 5 tables, 31 ref

006563   Amutha K;Sahmini S (Biotechnology Dep, Vels Univ, Pallavaram, Chennai, Email: amutharavi40@gmail.com) : Protein profile of different species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. J advd scient Res 2016, 7(1), 25-7.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protein profile of four different species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi namely, Gigaspora margarita, Glomus mosseae, Glomus fasciculatum and Glomus leptoticum. The mycorrhizal spores were isolated from different location in Chennai and multiplied by trap culture. Allium cepa was used as host plant in trap culture. The Proteins were extracted from AMF associated Allium cepa roots at the time interval of 15 days, 30 days and 45 days. Proteins were estimated using Bradford method and subjected to Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate- Polyacrylamide Gel (SDS PAGE) analysis. Protein profile of mycorrhizal plants reported more number of SDS PAGE bands when compared with non mycorrhizal control plant.

4 illus, 4 tables, 15 ref

006562   Alex A;Nair N K;Tomy S;Elango K;Achuthan C R (Pharmacology Dep, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, Email: koshy_alex_punthala777@hotmail.com) : Study on the effect of virgin coconut oil on benzo(A) pyrene induced gastric neoplasia in mice. Int J pharm Sci Res 2016, 7(5), 1948-55.

The present investigation is focused on detecting anti-carcinogenic potential of virgin coconut oil. The virgin coconut oil (VCO) from coconut endosperm was prepared by cold compression method. It was examined then for cytotoxicity by cell exclusion studies using trypan blue dye. Chemical carcinogenesis method using benzopyrene was used to study the anticarcinogenecity of VCO. Curcumin was taken as standard. The low dose and high dose VCO was compared with normal, vehicle and standard treatments. Biomarker studies and histopathological evaluation was also performed. The VCO upto 9μl showed no significant cytotoxicity. The low dose (4ml/kg body wt) and high dose (8ml/kg body wt) of VCO had significant reduction in gastric Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, which is a biomarker for gastric cancer. Histopathological reports also showed very less infiltrations and absence of hyperplasia compared to control. The present study showed that, the virgin coconut oil have anti-carcinogenicity property, thus it prevent hyperplasia in the stomach of mice, induced by benzopyrene.

15 ref

006561   Al-Farotosy A J M;Awad N A;Aali N A A (Chemistry Dep, College of Science, Univ of Basrash, Iraq) : Study the effect of β-sitosterol (from Passiflora incarnata L. seeds) and chitosan (from shrimp shell) on plasma lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic and cholecystectomy in male rabbits. Pharma Innovation 2017, 6(1), 26-33.

Beta-Sitosterol (of Passiflora incarnata L. seeds) and chitosan (of shrimp shell) have been isolated and characterized by several techniques such as FT-IR,^{1H-NMR,13C-NMR, CHN, GC-MS and HPTLC for β-Sitosterol and FT-IR and X-Ray for chitosan. This study was conducted to determine the effect of β-Sitosterol and chitosan on plasma lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic and cholecystectomy in male rabbits. Results show that β-Sitosterol significantly decrease total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and triglyceride (TG) levels with increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) compared with chitosan. The same effect in the second experiment (cholecystectomy in male rabbits).}

8 illus, 12 tables, 25 ref

006560   Ajay Kumar;Gahlawat S K;Naresh Kumar (Biotechnology Dep, Chaudhary Devi Lal Univ, Sirsa-125 055, Haryana, Email: ajaychahal21@gmail.com) : Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Bifidobacterium bifidum NCDC 229 and evaluation of synergistic effect with penicillin against pathogenic bacteria. Int J Sci Nat 2016, 7(3), 614-21.

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Bifidobacterium bifidum NCDC 229 by an economical and environment friendly process. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by change in color of supernatant from pale yellow to brown. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy at 200-600 nm. FTIR spectrum showed broad O-H stretching vibration, -C=CH stretching vibration, C=C stretching vibration, C-H deformation vibration which confirmed different functional groups involved in reduction of Ag^{+ to Ag0 nanoparticles. X-Ray diffractogram confirmed the crystalline nature of silver nanoparticles with face centered cubic structure. Scanning electron microscopy showed rough, spherical shaped and agglomerated silver nanoparticles. Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles, penicillin and silver nanoparticles with penicillin has been tested against pathogenic bacteria i.e Gram Positive Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 6908), Staphylococcus epidermidis (MTCC 3382), Bacillus cereus (MTCC 6728) and Gram negative Escherichia coli (MTCC 41), Vibrio cholerae (MTCC 3906), Klebsiella pneumoniae (MTCC 3384). Results showed that silver nanoparticles have antibacterial activity but lower than penicillin. When silver nanoparticles were used in combination with penicillin, antibacterial activity increased as compared to peniciliin. So synergistic effect of silver nanoparticles with penicillin against pathogenic bacteria can be used to treat harmful bacteria, difficult to treat with penicillin.}

26 ref

006559   Ahmad I;Jafar T;Mahdi F;Arshad M;Das S K; Waliullah S;Rizv I;Ali Mahdi A (Biochemistry Dep, King George's Medical Univ, Lucknow-226 003, Email: abbasalimahdi@gmail.com) : Osteocalcin hindIII gene polymorphism not associated with bone mineral density - a study in North Indian postmenppausal osteoporotic women. Indian J expl Biol 2016, 54(11), 788-93.

Osteoporosis is an important health problem in India owing to the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency across all ages, low level of awareness and higher risk of complications. This disease is characterized by decreased bone mass, bone strength and higher risk of bone fracture. Here, we investigated association between osteocalcin HindIII gene polymorphism and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal osteoporotic and postmenopausal healthy North Indian women, possibly the first study of this kind in the aforesaid population. We investigated Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) of osteocalcin HindIII in 254 postmenopausal osteoporotic (56.12±7.004 years) and 254 postmenopausal healthy (55.27±5.93 years) North Indian women. BMD at lumbar spine (L₁-L₄), femoral neck, hip and forearm was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The results showed no significant correlation between osteocalcin HindIII gene polymorphism and BMD and we conclude that osteocalcin HindIII gene polymorphism may not have major effects on BMD variation in postmenopausal North Indian women.

3 tables, 27 ref

006558   Ahikari U K;Rahman F;Ahmmed M M;Chowdhury M R;Rahman S;Rahman M M (Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Dep, Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, Islamic Univ, Kushtia, Bangladesh, Email: mmrahmanbtg79@hotmail.com) : Homology modeling and structural assessment of CuNiR of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp Aureofaciens nirk. J biol Engng Res Rev 2016, 3(1), 6-15.

The Nirk gene encoding the copper containing nitrite reductase (CuNiR) is essential for the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide and considered the key step in the denitrification process. In spite of opening wide scope of research by homology modeling, little is known about molecular model of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens CuNiR. Therefore, we intended to predict its structure and structural properties by using various bioinformatics tools. The selected protein is stable, weakly acidic, high temperature sensitive and also contains disordered regions. Three common residues namely Ser2, Pro106 and Ser305 were found as the DNA and RNA binding site in the protein molecule which can be upcoming research prospect. The protein model was predicted by modeler 9v14 program and checked by PDBsum, Verify3D, ProSA, and QMEAN server and ensured the good quality of the model. The predicted model was checked by PROCHECK and showed that 99.0% of the amino acid residues were in favored and allowed region of Ramachandran plot. The predicted protein model contains Cu as ligand and the residue Cys154 is involved in the binding of this ligand. The protein showed the copper ion binding and NO-forming activity as the molecular function with significant score which confirms its actual function. This study provides an evaluated protein model and the structural information of it that will be helpful for further research on the denitrification mechanism of the selected species in the wet laboratory.

6 illus, 6 tables, 10 ref

006557   Adhikari U K;Rahman M M (Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Dep, Faculty of Applied Science and Technology Islamic Univ, Kushtia-7003) : In silico identification and comparative analyses of active sites of copper containing nitrite reductase (CuNiR) in fungal and bacterial Spp.. J biol Engng Res Rev 2016, 3(2), 8-18.

The NirK gene encoding the copper-containing nitrite reductase (CuNiR) has a key regulatory role in the global denitrification process. In this study, a comparative analysis between fungal and bacterial species have been done to understand the comparison and identification of common amino acid residues of the active sites which may be involved in the denitrification mechanism in both fungal and bacterial species. The sequences were retrieved from NCBI database and further analyzed using different Bioinformatics tools and servers. The amino acid composition, physico-chemical properties and subcellular localization showed a distinctive result for fungal and bacterial species. There was no significant sequence similarity found among these species, but the phylogenetic tree showed that they have come from a common ancestor gene. The active site analyses showed that the amino acid residues namely Valine, Leucine, Threonine, Arginine, Glycine, Tyrosine, Serine, Proline, Asparagine and Glutamine were conserved in both the fungal and bacterial species, but the dissimilarity of amino acid composition (%) exists among these most conserved amino acid residues. It is expected that this information will be helpful for further research on the molecular mechanism of the denitrification process in the wet laboratory.

3 illus, 7 tables, 59 ref

006556   Abbasi T;Anuradha J;Abbasi S A (Centre for Pollution Control and Environmental Engineering, Pondicherry Univ, Puducherry-605 014, Email: prof.s.a.abbasi@gmail.com) : Utilization of the pernicious aquatic weed salvinia (Salvinia molesta D S Mitchell) in generating gold nanoparticles. Indian J Biotechnol 2016, 15(3), 382-91.

A biomimetic method of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis utilizing the highly invasive aquatic weed salvinia (Salvinia molesta D S Mitchell) is presented. In an attempt to utilize the entire plant for the synthesis, the extracts of all its parts - aerial as well as submerged - were employed in various proportions with the gold (III) solution. The formation of AuNPs was tracked using UV-Visible spectrophotometry. The electron micrographs revealed the presence of AuNPs of monodispersed spherical and polydispersed triangular, pentagonal and nanoflowershapes in sizes ranging 7-25 nm, 20-50 nm and 75-175 nm, respectively. The presence of gold atoms was confirmed from the EDAX and X-Ray diffraction studies. The FTIR spectral study indicated that the proteins and polyols in the plant extract could have been responsible for the reduction of the gold ions to gold nanoparticles and their subsequent stabilization.

16 illus, 3 tables, 24 ref

006555   Aba P E;Eneasato C P;Onah J A (Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology Dep, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Univ of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, Email: patrick.aba@unn.edu.ng) : Effect of quail egg pretreatment on the lipid profile and histomorphology of the liver of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. J appl Biol Biotechnol 2016, 4(1), 34-8.

Quail eggs contain lots of vitamins and minerals that help fight some diseases in the body. Overdose of paracetamolr (acetaminophen) is considered one of the major causes of damages to liver cells. This study was conducted to assess the effect of graded doses of quail egg pretreatment on lipid profile and liver histomorphology of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Thirty (30) albino rats were assigned into 5 groups of 6 rats per group. Rats in groups 2-4 were pretreated with 30 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg respectively of quail egg solution for 7 days before intoxication with 2000 mg/kg paracetamolr orally. Rats in group 5 were intoxicated but pretreated with distilled water (DW) at 10 ml/kg to serve as negative control while rats in group 1 were not intoxicated but pretreated with DW (10 ml/kg) (positive control). Fourty eight (48 h) hours post intoxication, blood was collected for lipid profile analysis. Thereafter, 2 rats per group were humanely sacrificed and the liver collected for histomorphological examination. The results obtained showed that 30 mg/kg quail egg-pretreated rats (Group 2 rats) had significantly (P< 0.05) lower levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoproten, triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein when compared with that of the negative control. Hepatic histomorphometric results indicate that the vacuolar degeneration observed in all the acetaminophen-induced liver damaged rats were less severe in the liver of group 2 rats. It was concluded that the quail egg pretreatment at the dose of 30 mg/kg was hypolipidemic and posses hepatoprotective properties.

3 illus, 2 tables, 24 ref

005453   Varughese L R;Beniwal V (Biotechnology Dep, Maharishi Markandeshwar Univ, Mullana, Ambala-133 207, Email: beniwalvikash@gmail.com) : High quinolone resistance pattern among enteric pathogens isolated from patients with urinary tract infection. Indian J Biotechnol 2015, 14(2), 167-71.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections that exists in all age groups. It is predominantly caused by members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, such as, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Proteus. Quinolones have been routinely prescribed for the treatment of UTIs and this has led to a dramatic increase in antibiotic resistance by these uropathogens. The aim of the present study was to determine the quinolone resistance pattern in enteric pathogens isolated from UTI patients in Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU), Mullana, Haryana. Clinical samples were obtained from MMU Medical College. A total of 70 samples were screened, 60 isolates (41 and 19 from female and male, respectively) were confirmed as those belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. About 63.41% of the female patients belonged to the age group 21-40 yr, while men in the age group of 41-80 yr, were found to be more prone to UTI infections (68.4%). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the isolates against ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin and levofloxacin was determined. About 93% of the isolates were resistant to all the antibiotics. Further, 16% of the isolates exhibited MICs higher than 1000 mg/L against ciprofloxacin and 59% against norfloxacin.

1 illus, 1 table, 23 ref

005452   Une H D;Doshi G M (Pharmacology Dep, YB Chavan College of Pharmacy, Rouzabagh, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Email: hemantdune@rediffmail.com) : Carissa congesta wight and Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. as budding immunomodulatory agents. Indian J expl Biol 2016, 54(10), 650-8.

Carissa congesta and Benincasa hispida are well-known medicinally important plants associated with diabetes, inflammation, protozal infections and cancer. Here, we emphasized up on the immunomodulatory potential of these plants as the source of lupeol, β-sitosterol and ursolic acid. Petroleum ether extracts of C. congesta roots and B. hispida seeds were subjected to acute toxicity studies. They were screened for its immunomodulatory prospective in rats by Haemagglutination Antibody (HA) titre and Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) response using Sheep Red Blood Cells (SRBCs of-0.5x10<^>9) as antigens. Carbon Clearance test (Phagocytic Index) was estimated by Indian ink suspension. Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis model interpretation was done by paw edema, kene joint erosion (transverse section), body weights, arthritic index and biochemical levels (RBC, WBC and Hb levels). Both the extracts were found to be therapeutically safe up to 5000 mg/kg. Dosage of 100 mg/kg was not satisfactory; and 500 and 250 mg/kg showed significant immunostimmulation (HA Titre) and immunosuppression (DTH response, 48 h). Benincasa hispida seed and Carissa congesta root extracts showed phagocytic Index of 0.0163±0.003, 0.0145±0.003 and 0.0183±0.003, 0.0176±0.003 at 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg, respectively. CFA model revealed that the B. hispida seed and C. congesta root extracts decreased paw volume, knee joint erosion, increased body weights and biochemical parameters with an arthritic index of 1.31±0.12, 1.44±0.15 and 1. 16±0.09, 1.36±0.13 at 250 mg/kg and 500 mg, respectively. The results were interpreted by One-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett test. Extracts showed relevance as promising immunostimulators as compared to control.

1 illus, 6 tables, 33 ref

005451   Tripathi A;Mishra K (Div of Applied Science and Indo-Russian Center for Biotechnology (IRCB, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad-211 012) : Role of tetracycine and cAMP analogues in pancreatic β stem cell differentiation/proliferation process via modulation of epac2 protein. Indian J Biotechnol 2015, 14(2), 172-8.

For effective treatment of diabetes, appropriate pancreatic á stem cell proliferation enhancers and differentiation deactivators have to be designed and developed. The aim of the present work was to understand the nature and affinity of epac2 protein against analogues of tetracycline as deactivators and cAMP as activator for the pancreatic á cells. The peculiarity of this epac2 protein lies in the activation of proliferating activity of pancreatic á cells via stimulating glucagon like peptide1 (GLP1). This in turns induces Ca<^>2+ signalling and insulin secretion. In the present work, docking simulation and pharmacophore study was carried out on cAMP and tetracycline analogues to predict the potential activator as well as deactivator of the proliferation and differentiation of pancreatic á stem cells. It was observed that some analogues of cAMP better contribute to the proliferative activities in comparison with cAMP itself. Moreover, some tetracycline analogues are likely to be more effective for the deactivation of proliferation and differentiation process of pancreatic á stem cells. The present study is likely to lead to the discovery of significant potential therapy for diabetes.

2 illus, 7 tables, 21 ref

005450   Torres R C;Garbo A G;Walde R Z M L (NO, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Philippines-1631, Email: lindactorres@yahoo.com) : Ovicidal, larvicidal, and adulticidal activities of Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck against dengue vector, Aedes aegypti (L.). Indian J nat Prod Resour 2016, 7(3), 252-5.

Recent studies regarding the harmful effects of synthetic larvicides initiated the need to investigate for unconventional measures that are environmentally-safe and target-specific against Aedes aegypti larvae. Thus, the main objective of the study was to evaluate the ovicidal, larvicidal, and adulticidal toxicity of the hexane extract of Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeckpeels against dengue vector, A. aegypti. Results revealed that the hexane extract of C. grandis peel from Davao exhibited the highest lethal concentration against 3rd and 4th instar larvae with an LC50 and LC90 of 1.11 mg/L and 3.32 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, the knockdown effect of the hexane extract of C. grandis peels on adult female A. aegypti produced 50% knockdown within 11.50 min and 90% knockdown within 28.79 min. The test mosquitoes' mortality was 100% after 24 h. Lastly, the ovicidal activity of the hexane extract against the eggs of A. aegypti exhibited an LC50 of 13.84 mg/L and LC90 of 25.30 mg/L. The remarkable effects exhibited by C. grandis peels indicate its great potential to be a more sustainable and environmentally-safe plant-based control for the proliferation of the dengue vector, A. aegypti.

1 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

005449   Thenmozhi R;Rathinamoorthy R;Thilagavathi G (Fashion Technology Dep, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, Email: r.rathinamoorthy@gmail.com) : Optimisation of chitosan-honey composite film for wound dressing application. Indian J chem Technol 2016, 23(4), 279-88.

This research aims to develop honey loaded chitosan composite film based dressing for wound care application. The composite films have been prepared with different combination of chitosan, honey and cross-linking agent as per box and benhken design. The result analyses the effect of process parameters like chitosan percentage, crosslinking agent and honey percentage on the physical properties of the developed film. The findings indicate that increment in crosslinking agent percentage increases the brittleness of the film, the increment in honey and chitosan percentage helps to improve the important parameters like fluid absorption capacity, folding endurance and degradation of the film. The numerical optimization result shows that 1.5% of chitosan, 1.2% of acetic acid and 7.9% of honey as best combination for film development with respect to the selected responses. The developed wound dressing are characterised for their physical properties and also the biological evaluation. The antibacterial test and liquid culture test results confirm that the developed film dressing possess higher resistant against gram positive and negative bacterial strains.

6 illus, 7 tables, 31 ref

005448   Then C;Wai O K;Elsayed E A;Mustapha W Z W; Othman N Z;Aziz R;Wadaan M;ElEnshsay H A (Institute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Univ Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Malaysia, Email: henshasy@ibd.utm.my) : Comparison between classical and statistical medium optimization approaches for high cell mass production of Azotobacter vinelandii. J scient ind Res 2016, 75(4), 231-8.

Azotobacter vinelandii is a model free-living diazotroph, which converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. During the last decades, extensive work has been carried out to study the genetic and metabolic properties of free living nitrogen fixing bacteria. However, there is still little information regarding biomass production of these types of microorganisms for fertilizer applications. The present work aims to develop an optimum medium for cell mass production of A. vinelandii. At first, several medium formulations, surveyed from previous published literature, were tested for their potency to support cell growth. The highest cell mass concentration obtained in shake flask cultures was only 3.94 g.L<^>-1. This medium was optimized using both one factor at time (OFAT) and statistical approaches. Using OFAT design, glucose, yeast extract, phosphate salt and ammonium sulfate concentrations were optimized individually. The maximum cell mass obtained using the OFAT approach was 7.71 g.L<^>-1. The Box-Behnken design on the other hand resulted in the production of a maximal cell mass corresponding to 8.82 g.L<^>-1. Although the maximal cell growth resulted using statistical design medium optimization was higher, the medium optimized using the classical design showed a 35.5% higher cell yield on glucose and was thus concluded as the more economical choice for scale-up experiments.

3 illus, 4 tables, 37 ref

005447   Thakur D;Abhilasha;Jain A;Ghoshal G (Dr S S Bhatnagar Univ Institute of Chemical Engineering Technology, Punjab Univ, Chandigarh, Email: gargighoshal@yahoo.co.in) : Evaluation of phytochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of glycyrrhizin extracted from roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra. J scient ind Res 2016, 75(8), 487-94.

Many novel techniques of extraction such as solvent extraction by soxhlet, ultrasonication and extraction by boiling of licorice have been well developed. But ultrasonication has been proved as the best and relevant method for extraction of the glycyrrhizin. To optimize the process conditions for the maximum yield of the glycyrrhizin and easier purification, three types of solvents were employed such as water; methanol and ethanol coded as G-1, G-2 and G-3 and extraction was carried out at different time (45, 60 and 120 min). Maximum amount of glycyrrhizin was recovered from licorice roots at 45 ±C for 45 min of extraction time, yielded good amount of glycyrrhizin 36.46 ± 1.29% using water as solvent. In the present work TLC method assessed the purity of the extracted dried sample compared to the licorice standard. The FTIR spectra of the present study indicated that the control/standard of glycyrrhizin was exactly in resemblance with G-1 spectra. The phytochemical screening of extracted glycyrrhizin was conducted which indicated the presence of saponins, flavonoids, steroids and absence of carbohydrate sugars, alkaloids, tannins and proteins in G-1. The glycyrrhizin extracted using different solvents has shown effective antibacterial action on all six microorganism. The antioxidant activity of each sample was determined using DPPH and ABTS scavenging assay. The presence of flavonoids in the plants is likely to be responsible for the free radical scavenging effects observed. Although, it was found that G-1 attained maximum free radical scavenging ability against reactive oxygen species (ROS).

4 illus, 4 tables, 22 ref

005446   Tara N;Tiwari R (NO, Guru Jambheshwar Univ of Science & Technology, Hisar-125-001) : Expression of cloned dapB gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in E. coli BL 21. Ann Biol 2016, 32(2), 134-6.

DapB codes.for enzyme dihydipodipiconilate reductase catalyze an essential step in synthesis of diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-an essential component in the cell wall of many bacteria including P. aeruginosa. In its absence, microbes get lysed eventually. Its absence in human system rhakes it an attractive target for targeting microbial pathogen. Owing to this, expression of coined dapB of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was done in E. coli BL 21.

1 illus, 14 ref

005445   Tara N;Devi A;Chaudhury A (Bio and Nano Technology Dep, Bio & Nano Technology Centre, Guru Jambheshwar Univ of Science & Techn, Hisar-125 001, Email: nayansheoran29@gmail.com) : Callus induction and efficient regeneration from recalcitrant of Indica rice varieties. Ann Biol 2016, 32(2), 121-6.

Conditions were optimized to determine high frequency callus induction and regeneration from four commercially important indica rice varieties belonging to Haryana. Four varieties included HKR-127, HKR-126, HKR-120 and HKR-47. Two varieties, namely, HKR-126 and HKR-120 were of medium duration (140-146 days), whereas HKR-47 and HKR-127 mid-early duration (135-139 days) and were known for their important agronomic traits like high yielding, long slender grains (super fine), stiff straw and disease resistant. Most of the indica rice varieties had good agronomic and nutritional traits but were more prone to biotic and abiotic stress yield loss. Indica rice varieties had inherent problem of recalcitrant regeneration system and were poorly amenable to in vitro culture which made difficult to undertake genetic transformation and crop improvement. Therefore, optimization of conditions for callus induction and regeneration from scutellum of mature seeds was of prime importance and in this direction MS basal media supplemented with 30 g/I maltose, 300 mg/l casein hydrolysate, 560 mg/lproline, 1 mg/lthiamine HC1, 250 mg/l myo inositol, 0.5 mg/l BAP and 8 g/l agar along with different 2, 4-D concentrations (1.5-5.0 mg/l) was employed for callus induction studies. HKR-126 showed maximum frequency (82%) for callus induction, while HKR-47 showed lowest callus induction potential (57%). Further HKR-126 and HKR-120 were used for regeneration study as they showed good callus induction potential. For complete plant regeneration, embryogenic callus of two varieties HKR-126 and HKR-120 were inoculated on MS basal medium supplemented 30 g/l maltose, 300 mg/l casein hydrolysate, 560 mg/l proline, 1 mg/l thiamine HC1 and 250 mg/l myo inositol along with NAA (0.5 mg/l) in combination with varying concentrations of Kinetin (1.0 mg/1-2.0 mg/l). The maximum regeneration frequency was observed on MS medium containing 0.5 mg/l NAA and 2.0 mg/l Kinetin for both HKR-126 and HKR-120. It took 28-30 days for complete plant regeneration. HKR-126 produced 1-6 plantlets/callus, while HKR-120 produced 1-4 plantlets per callus with regeneration frequencies of 76 and 69%, respectively.

1 illus, 2 tables, 61 ref

005444   Swapna T H;Papathoti N K;Khan M Y;Reddy G; Hameeda B (Microbiology Dep, Univ College of Science, Osmania Univ, Hyderabad-500 007, Email: drhami2009@gmail.com) : Bioreduction of Cr(VI) by biosurfactant producing marine bacterium Bacillus subtilis SHB 13. J scient ind Res 2016, 75(7), 432-8.

Heavy metal tolerant Bacillus subtilis SHB 13 was isolated from marine source and characterised for biosurfactant activity. Selected strain SHB 13 was able to tolerate 800 ppm nickel (Ni), 1000 ppm chromium (Cr), 3000 ppm lead (Pb). Biosurfactant produced by this strain was surfactin, as characterized by FT-IR spectrum and further confirmed by molecular characterization and gene length was found to be 675 base pairs. B. subtilis SHB 13 was able to reduce 98% of 100 ppm Cr within 72h at optimized conditions of pH 7, temperature 37°C and 4% NaCl concentration. Surfactin (10mg/ml) produced by SHB 13 was efficient in removing 74% Cr (VI) within 72h when analysed with AAS and its role in chelation was elucidated by FTIR, XRD and SEM equipped with EDS.

2 illus, 1 table, 37 ref

005443   Soni D K;Nath A;Dubey S K (Botany Dep, Faculty of Science, Mahila Maha Vidhyalaya Banaras Hindu Univ (BHU), Varanasi-221 005, Email: skdubey@bhu.ac.in) : Evaluation and use of in silico structure based epitope prediction for listeriolysin O of Listeria monocytogenes. Indian J Biotechnol 2015, 14(2), 160-6.

Listeria infection is major health problem causing listeriosis that manifests as abortion, stillbirth, septicemia, meningitis and meningoencephalitis. Listeriolysin O is the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin toxin involved in the escape of L. monocytogenes from primary and secondary intracellular vacuoles and, therefore, can serve as the vital target for vaccine development. Consequently, the present study was aimed to design epitope-based vaccine against Listeria. LLO, ILO, and SLO proteins from L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii and L. seeligeri, respectively were analyzed using various bioinformatics and immuonoinformatics tools, including sequence and structure-based ones. A total of 11 antigenic B-cell epitopes, and 4 and 3 allelic classes for MHC class I and MHC class II binding peptides, respectively were predicted for LLO protein. The unique peptide <^>363LGDLRD<^>368 was identified in the LLO protein. Further, we also observed that IgG class of B-cells were predominant in these proteins. The study revealed potential B-cell and T-cell epitope that can raise the desired immune response against these proteins. The present study would, therefore, be helpful in designing and predicting novel vaccine candidates, which in near future might offer the source for eradicating listeriosis.

3 illus, 3 tables, 31 ref