Comparative study on phenolic, flavonoids and in vitro antioxidant activity of wild edible plants from Loktak Lake wetland ecosystem under North East Indian Himalayan Region.

The present study investigates the antioxidant activity of 28 wild edible plants (WEPs) resources of Loktak Lake wetland ecosystem of Manipur, North East Indian Himalayan Region and their correlation with phenolics and flavonoids. Antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assay. The antioxidant capacity was found to wide ranges of 1.71 to 263.7 µM TEAC/g fresh weight. In three assays, maximum antioxidant capacity is in same order Jussiaea repens L. > Gynura cusimbua (D. Don) Moore > Polygonum sagitattum L. ranging from 99.5 to 263.7 µM TEAC/g fresh weight. The correlation study established that all the three antioxidant assays are positively correlated and phenolics have contributed more in antioxidant activity than flavonoids. Among 28 WEPs, Jussiaea repens L. and Gynura cusimbua (D. Don) Moore were found to be most promising. These plants can be used as source of natural antioxidant additives, nutritional supplements or ingredients of functional foods.

Role of nutraceutical starch and proanthocyanidins of pigmented rice in regulating hyperglycemia: Enzyme inhibition, enhanced glucose uptake and hepatic glucose homeostasis using in vitro model.

Dysregulation of glucose homeostasis result in hyperglycemia and pigmented rice, unique combination of high quality starch and phenolics has the potential in regulating it. In this study, pigmented rice was characterized in terms of nutraceutical starch (NS) and phenolic content. Further the effect of rice phenolics on carbolytic enzyme inhibition, glucose uptake, hepatic glucose homeostasis and anti-glycation ability was analyzed in vitro. The most relevant effect on enzyme inhibition (α-amylase: IC50-42.34 µg/mL; α-glucosidase: IC50:63.89 µg/mL), basal uptake of glucose (>39.5%) and anti-glycation ability (92%) was found in red rice (RR), than black rice (BR). The role of RR phenolics in regulating glucose homeostasis was deciphered using hepatic cell line system, which found up-regulation of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) and glycogen synthase 2 (GYS2); while expression of gluconeogenic genes were found down regulated. To our knowledge this study is the first report validating the role of starch-phenolic quality towards anti-hyperglycemic effect of RR.

Genetic diversity of Chilli veinal mottle virus infecting different chilli landraces in North East India indicates the possibility of transboundary movement of virus.

Diverse chilli genetic resources of North East India occupy a unique niche in the Nation's chilli gene pool. Widely cultivated chilli landraces (King chilli: Capsicum chinense, bird eye chilli: Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum annuum) of North East India in general and Manipur in particular suffer from decline complex due to high incidence of viral diseases. With this background and the known prominent distribution of Chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV) in Asian region, we studied its prevalence and association with diverse symptoms of chilli landraces. Molecular indexing of samples from 40 chilli plantation groves of Manipur using reverse transcription (RT)-PCR targeting the coat protein (CP) region of ChiVMV genome revealed a high incidence and wide prevalence. Out of a total of 127 chilli samples collected from different groves of Manipur, 81 chilli samples (63.78%) were positive for ChiVMV. Interestingly, ChiVMV infection rate was comparatively higher in the hilly groves (69.23% samples positive) compared to the valley groves (60% samples positive). Present study through the extensive surveys and molecular indexing work, conclusively reported the association of ChiVMV with diverse symptoms like cupping of leaf lamina with mottling, vein banding and puckering in different chilli landraces. Further, five representative ChiVMV isolates sampled from different groves of Manipur upon mechanical inoculation showed significant variation in symptom expression, indicating wide pathogenic diversity among them. Partial coat protein (CP) sequence analysis of five ChiVMV isolates from Manipur although indicated genetic homogeneity among them, but distinctiveness from ChiVMV isolates reported from the other parts of India. Phylogenetic clustering of ChiVMV isolates from Manipur near Chinese isolates rather than other Indian isolates suggested the possibility of transboundary movement.