Modular characteristics and mechanism of action of herbs for vascular calcification treatment in Chinese medicine: a data mining and network pharmacology-based identification.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the modular characteristics and mechanism of action of Chinese herbs for vascular calcification (VC) treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Network pharmacology coupled with literature data mining was utilized to assess the Chinese herbal clinical performance as well as its similarity, characteristics, ingredient, target, and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment, and network construction. RESULTS: The top 15 medications from the literature, according to the usage, and 190 active chemicals, 183 common targets between medication and VC-related targets were weeded out. Analysis of the relationships between the active ingredients, pharmacological targets, and signaling pathways helped to clearly define the therapeutic effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Importantly, we discovered seven most hub proteins (AKT1, CTNNB1, TNF, EGFR, TP53, JUN and IL-6) and two of the herbs' most fundamental ingredients (Formononetin and Luteolin) in TCM-mediated VC suppression. Mechanistically, the metabolic pathways [AGE-RAGE pathway, interleukin-17 (IL-17) pathway, and p53 pathway] as well as smooth muscle adaptation (functional remodeling) and oxidoreductase activity (redox homeostasis modulating) are also crucially implicated. CONCLUSIONS: Our work, accomplished by network pharmacology and data mining, increases our understanding of TCM in VC therapy and may offer insightful information for future drug discovery investigations.

Value Addition and Fortification in Non-Centrifugal Sugar (Jaggery): A Potential Source of Functional and Nutraceutical Foods.

Nutraceutical, functional or fortified food not only supplements the diet but also assists in developing immunity and preventing diseases. Therefore, it also provides medical benefits apart from nutrition. Individual health and diet are receiving a lot of attention these days. Food products that are healthy, safe, and easy to use are in high demand. A lot of emphases has been directed toward food products with added health benefits. Jaggery (non-centrifugal sugar), made from sugarcane juice, is one of them. It is known to mankind for the last 3000 years and is an essential part of the diet in the rural part of many countries. Jaggery is recognized as a nutraceutical due to the presence of a variety of essential amino acids, antioxidants, phenolics, minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins. Jaggery has a better natural source and nutrients for health benefits and could be used as a healthier dietary substitute to white sugar. The nutraceutical value of jaggery can be enhanced with value addition and fortification of medicinally important herbs and spices. This would not only enhance the quality of nutritive jaggery but will also offer value-added products with exciting flavors for daily use sweeteners with several nutritional health benefits.

In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Three Tropical Plant Extracts on Haemonchus contortus.

AIM: To evaluate the anthelmintic activity of Anacardium occidentale shell, Illicium verum fruit, and Artocarpus heterophyllus seed to substantiate their traditional use against helminths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro anthelmintic activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of three plants was evaluated against eggs, infective larvae (L3), adult, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of Haemonchus contortus of naturally infected sheep. RESULTS: The three extracts exhibited significant (P < 0.001) dose-dependent anthelmintic responses by inhibiting egg hatching and causing paralysis of larvae and mortality of worms. The extracts were most effective on egg and adult stage of H. contortus than on L3 stage at a higher concentration of 6 mg/mL. Anacardium occidentale shell exhibited maximum activity with 100% paralysis of L3 larvae. Probit analysis revealed that the extracts of A. Occidentale shell induced 50% egg hatch inhibition (LD50 = 0.0255 mg/mL), larval paralysis (LD50 = 0.196 mg/mL), and adult worm mortality (LD50 = 1.0365 mg/mL) at a lower concentration (LD50) compared with those of I. verum fruit and A. heterophyllus seed extracts. Further, all extracts significantly (P < 0.01) inhibited the LDH activity catalyzing the oxidation of lactate in adult H. contortus, with maximum level of inhibition caused by A. occidentale shell extract. CONCLUSION: Phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and amino acids that could be responsible for the anthelmintic effects noticed. The results warrant further in vivo evaluation of these plants for potential use as anthelmintic agents.

Efficacy of enteral glutamine supplementation in patients with severe and predicted severe acute pancreatitis- A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In severe acute pancreatitis (AP), intravenous glutamine has been shown to reduce the rate of complications, hospital stay, and mortality. In the present randomized trial, we aimed to evaluate the effect of enteral glutamine supplementation on clinical outcomes, gut permeability, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and plasma glutamine levels in patients with severe and predicted severe AP. METHODS: Patients with AP admitted within 72 h of onset of symptoms were included. The primary outcome measure was development of infected pancreatic and peri-pancreatic necrosis and in-hospital mortality. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated as markers of inflammation; plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and activities of serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were determined to evaluate oxidative stress; serum polyethylene glycol (PEG) was tested for intestinal permeability; subjective global assessment (SGA) was used for nutritional assessment, and an improvement in organ function was measured by the Modified Marshall score. Intention-to-treat analysis was used. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: After power calculation, we enrolled 18 patients in the glutamine and 22 in the control arm. There was no significant improvement in the development of infected necrosis and in-hospital mortality between the groups. Improvement in Modified Marshall score was observed in a higher proportion of patients receiving glutamine (15 [83.3%] vs. 12 [54.5%]; p = 0.05). Plasma glutamine levels improved more in glutamine-treated group (432.72 ± 307.83 vs. 618.06 ± 543.29 µM/L; p = 0.004), while it was lower in controls (576.90 ± 477.97 vs. 528.20 ± 410.45 µM/L; p = 0.003). PEG level was lower after glutamine supplementation (39.91 ± 11.97 vs. 32.30 ± 7.39 ng/mL; p = 0.02). Statistically significant reduction in IL-6 concentration was observed in the glutamine group at the end of treatment (87.44 ± 7.1 vs. 63.42 ± 33.7 µM/L; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Despite absence of improvement in infected necrosis and in-hospital mortality, enteral glutamine supplementation showed improvement in gut permeability, oxidative stress, and a trend towards improvement in organ function as depicted by improvement in the Modified Marshall score. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01503320.

Antiparasitic activity of menadione (vitamin K3) against Schistosoma mansoni in BABL/c mice.

Schistosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases affecting nearly quarter of a billion people in economically challenged tropical and subtropical countries of the world. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug currently available to treat this parasitic disease in spite being ineffective against juvenile worms and concerns about developing resistance to treat reinfections. Our earlier in vitro viability studies demonstrated significant antiparasitic activity of menadione (MEN) (vitamin K3) against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms. To gain insight into plausible mechanism of antischistosomal activity of MEN, its effect on superoxide anion levels in adult worms were studied in vitro which showed significant increases in both female and male worms. Further confirmation of the deleterious morphological changes in their teguments and organelles were obtained by ultrastructural analysis. Genotoxic and cytotoxic studies in male Swiss mice indicated that MEN was well tolerated at the oral dose of 500mg/kg using the criteria of MNPCE frequency and PCE/RBC ratio in the bone marrow of infected animals. The in vivo antiparasitic activity of MEN was conducted in female BALB/c mice infected with S. mansoni and significant reductions (P<0.001) in total worm burden were observed at single oral doses of 40 and 400mg/kg (48.57 and 61.90%, respectively). Additionally, MEN significantly reduced (P<0.001) the number of eggs in the liver of infected mice by 53.57 and 58.76%, respectively. Similarly, histological analysis of the livers showed a significant reduction (P<0.001) in the diameter of the granulomas. Since MEN is already in use globally as an over-the-counter drug for a variety of common ailments and a dietary supplement with a safety record in par with similar products when used in recommended doses, the above antiparasitic results which compare reasonably well with PZQ, make a compelling case for considering MEN to treat S. mansoni infection in humans.

Pharmaco-Phylogenetic Investigation of Methyl Gallate Isolated from Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile and Its Cytotoxic Effect on NIH3T3 Mouse Fibroblast.

Present exploration deals with the therapeutic perspective of methyl gallate isolated from the leaf extract of Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile in contrast to food-borne bacterial pathogen's viz., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus with their evolutionary succession. The extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis and isolated compound was identified as methyl gallate using UV-vis, IR and NMR spectra. It was found most potent against K. pneumoniae with its minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 0.32 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at 0.62 mg/ml. The correlation of MIC values with an evolutionary succession assists the relationship between their genetic and toxic properties. The cytotoxic pursuit of methyl gallate was additionally assessed over NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast by Neutral red (NR) uptake, MTT cell proliferation assay and did not disclose any relevant influence on cell viability as well as cell proliferation. As such, the methyl gallate extracted from the leaf of A. nilotica holds massive antibacterial aptitude and hands out towards a new paradigm for food and pharmaceutical industries.

Impact of aflatoxin B1 on the pharmacokinetic disposition of enrofloxacin in broiler chickens.

The potential impact of subchronic exposure of aflatoxin B1 was investigated on the pharmacokinetic disposition of enrofloxacin in broiler chickens. Broiler chickens given either normal or aflatoxin B1 (750µg/kg diet) supplemented diet for 6 weeks received a single oral dose of enrofloxacin (10mg/kg body wt). Blood samples were drawn from the brachial vein at predetermined time intervals after drug administration. Enrofloxacin plasma concentrations analyzed by RP-HPLC were significantly lower in aflatoxin B1-exposed broiler chickens at 0.167, 0.5 and 1.0h after drug administration. In aflatoxin B1-exposed broiler chickens, the absorption rate constant (ka) of enrofloxacin (0.20±0.05h(-1)) was significantly decreased as compared to the unexposed birds (0.98±0.31h(-1)). The values of [Formula: see text] , tmax and AUC0-∞ of enrofloxacin were nonsignificantly increased by 17%, 26% and 17% in aflatoxin-exposed broiler chickens, respectively. Subchronic aflatoxin B1 exposure markedly decreased the initial absorption of enrofloxacin without significantly influencing other pharmacokinetic parameters in broiler chickens.

Emergency hospital admissions attributable to infective complications of prostate biopsy despite appropriate prophylaxis: need for additional infection prevention strategies?

PURPOSE: To report the incidence of emergency admissions attributable to infective complications of transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TGB) and evaluate appropriateness of antimicrobial prophylaxis. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study of patients undergoing TGB at the North West London Hospitals in 2009-2011. Demographic information of patients who had emergency admission within 30 days of TGB, length of hospital stay and microbiology results were obtained from the hospital's information system, medical records and laboratory information system. All patients received ciprofloxacin and amikacin prophylaxis. RESULTS: 1,419 TGB were performed in 1,276 patients. Forty-eight (3.3 %) patients had emergency admissions. Thirty-three (2.3 %) admissions were due to complications from TGB, while 15 (1 %) were for unrelated reasons. 30/33 (90 %, overall 2.1 %) of admissions from TGB complications were due to confirmed infections or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The rest were admitted with urinary retention. Admission rates due to TGB complications and infection/SIRS remained consistent over the 3 years (2009: TGB complications-2 %, TGB infection/SIRS-1.8 %; 2010: TGB complications-2.4 %, TGB infections/SIRS-2.2 %; 2011: TGB complications-2.6 %, TGB infection/SIRS-2.4 %; P > 0.05). All 11 cases with bacteraemia were caused by ciprofloxacin-resistant but amikacin-susceptible E. coli. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a consistent rate of emergency admissions for complications following TGB; 90 % of these were due to infections. Ciprofloxacin-resistant but amikacin-sensitive E. coli was isolated in all bacteriologically confirmed infections. These results suggest that infective complications of TGB cannot be altogether eliminated despite appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis. Therefore, additional strategies for reduction in biopsy-related admissions due to infections have to be considered.

Synergistic cytotoxicity of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extract with doxorubicin in human pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer cell lines.

Although a wide variety of cytotoxic plant extracts and phytochemicals are known to act synergistically with anticancer drug doxorubicin (D), their clinical application is hindered by safety concerns of such combination therapy. Our earlier studies showed that red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extract (B), approved by Food and Drug Administration and European Union as red food color E162, reduced multi-organ tumor formations in various animal models when administered in drinking water. This led us to postulate that a long-term daily exposure to low doses of B through diet might be safe and sufficient to produce cancer chemopreventive effect in humans. Further, our recent comparative cytotoxic investigation with B and D in several human cancer cell lines indicated their potential for synergistic activity. Since B is considered safe for human use with no known toxicity, we conducted the present study to evaluate its synergistic antiproliferative activity with D against pancreatic (PaCa), breast (MCF-7) and prostate (PC-3) tumor cells of human origin. Different concentrations of B and D (0.29-290 µg/ml) and in various combinations (B:D ratio = 1:0, 1:1, 5:1, 1:5 and 0:1) were tested for cytotoxic effects against the three cancer cells. The viability of cells was assessed after 72 h incubation with various combinations of B and D using the trypan-blue staining method. The cytotoxic data were analyzed by the combination index method of Chou and Talalay to establish synergy between B and D. The results indicated that an overall positive reduction in drug concentration was achieved by D when combined with B in its cytotoxicity profile in the three human cancer cells tested. The synergistic cytotoxicity was best when the B:D ratio of 1:5 was used in PaCa cells at IC50, IC75 and IC90 dose levels and in MCF-7 cells at IC90 dose level. These results warrant further studies on the potential of red beetroot extract-doxorubicin combination in treating human cancers.

Chemoprevention of skin cancer: effect of Lawsonia inermis L. (Henna) leaf powder and its pigment artifact, lawsone in the Epstein- Barr virus early antigen activation assay and in two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis models.

In continuation of our studies with chemoprevention potential of plant-derived naphthoquinone derivatives, leaf powder of the medicinal plant Lawsonia inermis L, commonly known as 'henna', was evaluated by its inhibition of the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation induced by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in Raji cells. Lawsone (2-hydroxy- 1,4-naphthoquinone), the reddish orange pigment artifact formed during the extraction or preparation of the dye from henna leaves and believed to be the active component, was also assessed in this in vitro assay. Both showed a profound inhibition (>88%) of EBV-EA activation. In the in vivo two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis study using UV-B radiation for initiation and TPA for tumor promotion, oral feeding of henna (0.0025%) in drinking water ad libitum decreased tumor incidence by 66% and multiplicity by 40% when compared to the positive control at 10 weeks of treatment. Similarly, in the above mouse model, orally fed lawsone (0.0025%) decreased tumor incidence by 72% and multiplicity by 50%. The tumor inhibitory trend continued throughout the 20-week test period. Similar antitumor activities were observed when henna (0.5 mg/ml) was applied topically on the back skin in the UV-B initiated, TPA promoted and peroxynitrite initiated, TPA promoted mouse skin carcinogenesis models. Topically applied lawsone (0.015 mg/ml) also exhibited similar protection against tumor formation in the 7,12-dimtehylbenz(a)anthracene induced and TPA promoted skin cancer in mice. Also, there was a delay of 1 to 2 weeks in tumor appearance in both henna and lawsone treated groups compared to control in all three test models. This study ascertains the skin cancer chemopreventive activity of henna leaf powder and lawsone when administered by either oral (through drinking water) or topical (by application on the back skin) routes. Further, it emphasizes the need for the evaluation of these henna-derived green chemopreventive candidates in combination with currently used sunscreen agents for complementary anticancer potential against UV-induced skin carcinogenesis.

Chemical composition and functional properties of mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) egg protein concentrates and their application in pasta.

Protein concentrates were prepared from underutilized mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) roe to produce value added by-products for food applications. Chemical composition and physicochemical properties of protein concentrates prepared from mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) roes were determined. The effects of pH and salt concentration on protein solubility were investigated. The protein content of the concentrates was found to be 75, and 91%, respectively for dehydrated and defatted powders. The maximum protein solubility was observed at pH 12, while minimum protein solubility was observed at pH 5, for both dehydrated and defatted protein concentrates. Salt concentration (0.1 to 1 M Nacl) significantly affected the solubility of protein concentrates. The mineral analysis revealed substantial amounts of iron and phosphorus. The emulsifying capacities of dehydrated and defatted protein concentrates were noted as 5.9, and 7.1 ml/g protein, respectively. SDS-PAGE analysis of fresh, dehydrated and defatted roe proteins has revealed the presence of major protein with a molecular weight (MW) of 97 kDa. Addition of defatted fish egg protein concentrate to pasta preparations had improved taste and texture. The results indicated that protein concentrates from underutilized mrigal fish egg may be useful for preparing protein rich food supplements.

Revised structures of nardal and nardin: identity with valerenal and valerenic acid.

Structure 2 assigned presently to nardin is revised to that of valerenic acid (4), and structure 1 assigned presently to nardal is revised to that of valerenal (3). The names valerenic acid and valerenal have priority so the names nardin and nardal should no longer be used.

Protective effect of Tribulus terrestris linn on liver and kidney in cadmium intoxicated rats.

Administration of cadmium (Cd) significantly increased the peroxidation markers such as malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls along with significant decrease in antioxidant markers such as super oxide dismutase and reduced glutathione in liver and kidney tissues. Cadmium also caused a significant alteration in hepatic and renal functional markers in serum viz. total protein, albumin, alanine transaminase, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. Prominent pathological changes observed in liver were severe vascular and sinusoidal congestion with diffuse degenerative changes and mononuclear infiltration into peripheral areas, while the kidney showed vascular and glomerular congestion, cloudy swelling of tubular epithelium. Coadministration of ethonolic extract of T. terrestris or vitamin E along with Cd significantly reversed the Cd induced changes along with significant reduction in Cd load.

Gas chromatographic separation of hydrogen isotopes on columns packed with alumina, modified alumina and sol-gel alumina.

The stationary phase of alumina adsorbents, prepared by different chemical processes, was used to study the separation behaviour of hydrogen isotopes. Three types of alumina, obtained by conventional hydroxide route alumina coated with silicon oxide and alumina prepared by internal gelation process (IGP), were used as packing material to study the separation of HT and T(2) in a mixture at various temperatures. The conventional alumina and silicon oxide coated alumina resolved HT and T(2) at 77K temperature with different retention times. The retention times on SiO(2) coated columns were found to be higher than those of other adsorbents. However, the column filled with IGP alumina was found to be ideal for the separation of HT and T(2) at 240 K. The peaks were well resolved in less than 5 min on this column.

Influence of organic acids on rheological and bread-making characteristics of fortified wheat flour.

Flour was fortified with premix containing ferrous fumarate and folic acid. Organic acids such as citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid, which are promoters of iron bioavailability, were added at three levels and their influence on rheological and bread-making characteristics was studied. Farinograph water absorption increased with fortificants, but with addition of organic acids there was a decrease. Maximum pressure was 77 mm in control, which increased to 78-88 mm with the addition of different acids to the fortified flour. Addition of organic acids to fortified flour brought about a decrease in peak viscosity, hot paste viscosity, cold paste viscosity and setback values. The L, a and b values of fortified breads were similar to that of control. Sensory analysis revealed marginal differences in the overall quality of breads prepared with fortified flour with the addition of organic acids.

Prevention of cadmium bioaccumulation by herbal adaptogens.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of various herbal adaptogens such as shade-dried powders of Withania somnifera, Ocimum sanctum, Asperagus recemosus, Andrographis paniculata, Asphaltum panjabinum (Shilajith), Gymnema sylvestre, Spirulina platensis, and Panex ginseng on cadmium (Cd)-induced oxidative stress and its accumulation in broiler chicken. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 80 male broiler chicks of day old age were randomly assigned to 10 equal groups. Group 1 birds were fed with basal diet throughout the experiment (1-42 days). Group 2-10 chicks were fed with basal diet containing cadmium at 100 ppm from day 1 to day 28 (4 weeks). From 29(th) to 42(nd) day (2 weeks), basal diet alone was fed to group 2 chicks which acted as toxic control and group 3-10 birds were fed with feed containing 0.1% powder of W. somnifera, O. sanctum, Aspe. recemosus, An. paniculata, Asph. panjabinum (Shilajith), G. sylvestre, S. platensis, and P. ginseng, respectively. Body weight gain, levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants such as reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation markers such as thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS), liver functional markers such as serum alanine transaminase (ALT), kidney functional markers such as blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine and concentration of cadmium in liver and kidney were investigated. RESULTS: Body weight gains were significantly decreased in birds of groups 2-10 compared to group 1 at the end of 4(th) week. Supplementation of various medicinal herbs in feed after 4(th) week significantly improved the body weight gain compared to that in group 2 chicks. The increase in TBARS and decrease in GSH concentrations of liver and kidney tissues in cadmium intoxicated birds were significantly reversed by the above-said herbs. The liver and kidney functional markers were also restored to normal levels. Highest concentration of cadmium was found accumulated in kidney, followed by liver in birds of group 2. Herbal supplementation in groups 3-10 prevented Cd bioaccumulation which was most evident in liver, followed by kidney. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of herbal adaptogens at the rate of 0.1% in feed significantly prevented the bioaccumulation of Cd and reversed the Cd-induced oxidative tissue damage.

Cytotoxic effect of the red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extract compared to doxorubicin (Adriamycin) in the human prostate (PC-3) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines.

Previous cancer chemoprevention studies from our laboratories and by other investigators have demonstrated that the extract of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), the FDA approved red food color E162, can be effective in suppressing the development of multi-organ tumors in experimental animals. To further explore this finding, we have compared the cytotoxic effect of the red beetroot extract with anticancer drug, doxorubicin (adriamycin) in the androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) and in the well-established estrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells (MCF-7). This red colored anticancer antibiotic was selected for comparative cytotoxic study because its chemical structure with a planar configuration of an aromatic chromophore attached to a sugar molecule is remarkably similar to that of betanin, the beetroot extract constituent primarily responsible for its red color. Both doxorubicin and the beetroot extract exhibited a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect in the two cancer cell lines tested. Although the cytotoxicity of the beetroot extract was significantly lower when compared to doxorubicin, it continued to decrease the growth rate of the PC-3 cells (3.7% in 3 days vs. 12.5% in 7 days) when tested at the concentration of 29 µg/ml. In contrast, doxorubicin, at the same concentration level, completely inhibited the growth of the PC-3 cells in three days. Similarly, comparative studies in the normal human skin FC and liver HC cell lines showed that the beetroot extract had significantly lower cytotoxic effect than doxorubicin (8.6% vs. 100%, respectively, at 29 µg/ml concentration of each, three-day test period). The results suggest that betanin, the major betacyanin constituent, may play an important role in the cytotoxicity exhibited by the red beetroot extract. Further studies are needed to evaluate the chemopreventive potentials of the beetroot extract when used alone or in combination with doxorubicin to mitigate the toxic side-effects of the latter.

Influence of debittered, defatted fenugreek seed powder and flaxseed powder on the rheological characteristics of dough and quality of cookies.

A functional ingredient mix (FIM) comprising debittered and defatted fenugreek seed powder (70%) and flaxseed powder (30%) was used in cookies. Ash, fat and protein, dough development time, resistance to extension and peak viscosity values increased as the level of FIM increased from 10 to 30% in the blend. Beyond 20% of FIM substitution, the quality characteristics of cookies were adversely affected. Use of soya lecithin produced a significant improvement in the overall quality of the cookies with 20% FIM. Linolenic acid and total dietary fiber content of the cookies with 20% FIM and lecithin contained four times the amount of linolenic acid (2.3%) and double the amount of dietary fiber (13.04%) when compared with the control cookies (0.5% and 6.22%) respectively. Surface scanning electron microscopy of cookies with different levels of FIM from 10 to 30% showed that there was a disruption in the matrix.

Anti-microbial principles of selected remedial plants from Southern India.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the anti-bacterial activity of leaf extracts of Morus alba L. (Moraceae) and Piper betel L. (Piperaceae), and seed extracts of Bombax ceiba L. (Borabacaceae). METHODS: We have partially purified plant extracts by solvent extraction method, and evaluated the effect of individual fractions on bacterial growth using Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacterial strains. RESULTS: Compared with Morus and Bombax fractions, Piper fractions showed significant growth inhibition on all the three types of bacteria studied. The EtOAc-hexane fractions of Piper leaves exhibited significant anti-bacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 50 µg/mL culture against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The EtOAc-fractions I, II, and IV inhibited bacterial colony formation on soft agar in addition to growth inhibition. A combination treatment of piper fractions with ampicillin resulted in significant growth inhibition in E. coli and P. aeruginosa, and combination with anticancer drug geldanamycin (2µg/mL) showed selective growth inhibition against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Three major compounds, i.e., eugenol, 3-hexene-ol and stigmasterol, were primarily identified from Piper betel leaf extractions. Among the individual compounds, eugenol treatment showed improved growth inhibition compared with stigmasterol and 3-hexene-ol. CONCLUSIONS: We are reporting potential anti-bacterial compounds from Piper betel against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria either alone or in combination with drug treatment.