Effect of acetone fraction of Ottelia alismoides on the G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in the human carcinoma cell lines.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The North-eastern parts of India have immense therapeutic floras, Ottelia alismoides is an aquatic plant that has been in use for a long time in traditional medicine for treating diseases like cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, febrifuge, hemorrhoids, and rubefacient. In lung and skin carcinoma cells with a high rate of proliferation and metastasis including drug resistance and non-specific target activity, generates important challenges towards their treatment strategy. Thus, finding novel therapeutic targets to treat lung and skin cancer progression is essential to enhance the patients' survival with treatment. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the apoptotic potential of acetone extract of O. alismoides (L.) Pers. (OA-AC) and to identify the compounds responsible for this effect, HRLC-MS-QTOF analysis of the extract has been undertaken along with in-silico molecular docking analysis of the identified compounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A549 and A431 cells were treated with acetone extract of O. alismoides (OA-AC) at 24 h and 48 h exposure and cell cycle phase distribution was evaluated and also apoptosis induction activity was evaluated by OA-EtBr staining and Mitochondrial outer membrane potential assay. Western blotting was performed for the evaluation of apoptotic protein expression. At last, the HR-LCMS of OA-AC was analyzed to identify the compounds responsible for the apoptotic activity of the extract. RESULTS: The cell cycle phase distribution analysis in A549 and A431 cells at 24hrs exposure with 10 µg/mL and 25 µg/mL of OA-AC showed a potent arrest or blockage at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle with reduced expression of cyclin B and p-Cdc2. At 48 h exposure, apoptosis was observed in these cancer cells with elevated expression of Bax, p21 and cleaved caspase 3 and reduced expression of the Bcl2. CONCLUSION: AO-EtBr staining of these cancer cells reveals that the death induced by OA-AC was apoptotic in nature with depolarization of mitochondrial membrane due to loss or damage of the mitochondrial membrane. The HRLC-MS-QTOF analysis of OA-AC depicted 14 major isolable compounds and molecular docking analysis displayed 4 compounds that might act as an inhibitor of cyclin B for G2/M phase arrest that leads to apoptotic induction in the cells.

Clinical Potential of Himalayan Herb Bergenia ligulata: An Evidence-Based Study.

Herbal products have been used in traditional systems of medicine and by ethnic healers for ages to treat various diseases. Currently, it is estimated that about 80% of people worldwide use herbal traditional medicines against various ailments, partly due to easy accessibility and low cost, and the lower side effects they pose. Bergenia ligulata, a herb ranging from the Himalayas to the foothills, including the north-eastern states of India, has traditionally been used as a remedy against various diseases, most prominently kidney stones. The medicinal properties of B. ligulata have been attributed to bergenin, its most potent bioactive component. Apart from bergenin, the other compounds available in B. ligulata are arbutin, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, catechin, ferulic acid, afzelechin, paashaanolactone, caryophyllene, 1,8-cineole, ß-eudesmol, stigmasterol, ß-sitosterol, parasorbic acid, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, phytol, terpinen-4-ol, tannic acid, isovalaric acid, avicularin, quercetin, reynoutrin, and sitoinoside I. This review summarizes various medicinal properties of the herb, along with providing deep insight into its bioactive molecules and their potential roles in the amelioration of human ailments. Additionally, the possible mechanism(s) of action of the herb's anti-urolithiatic, antioxidative, antipyretic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties are discussed. This comprehensive documentation will help researchers to better understand the medicinal uses of the herb. Further studies on B. ligulata can lead to the discovery of new drug(s) and therapeutics for various ailments.

Assessment of utilization potential of biomass volatiles and biochar as a reducing agent for iron ore pellets.

ABSTRACTIndia is an agricultural country and near about 500 MT of agricultural wastes are generated each year. India has huge reserves of low-grade iron ore fines. Therefore, considering the availability of these two, the present study mainly focuses on utilization of solid waste in iron and steel industry; also, biomass being carbon-neutral fuel, promotes mitigation of environmental issues. To carry out this study, agricultural wastes like groundnut shell and corn cob which contain more than 70% of volatile matter were considered. Hence, an attempt has been taken to utilize this volatiles as well as char (prepared at 350°C) of corn cob and groundnut shell as a reducing agent for reduction of iron ore pellets. Maximum reduction percentage was achieved at 1000°C and 75 min using corn cob as a reductant, i.e. 78.38% with its volatile and 92.01% using its char. Higher intensity of elemental iron is also reflected by X-ray Diffraction analysis of reduced pellets. Further, cost estimation of reduction of iron ore pellets was also done using both the reducing agents, which signifies that the reduction process using biomass volatiles is much more economical than biochar. The total cost of producing DRI from corn cob volatiles is 56% less than coal followed by groundnut shell volatiles 53.36% and minimum in the case of groundnut shell char 36.17%.Highlights Effects of biomass volatiles and char on iron ore pellets reduction @ 1000°C at different time interval of 15, 30, 45, 60 & 75 min.Comparative assessment of iron ore pellets reduction through XRD and FESEM analysis.Economic evaluation of iron ore reduction using volatiles and char of biomass.

A novel method of synthesis of small band gap SnS nanorods and its efficient photocatalytic dye degradation.

A facile one pot method has been developed for synthesis of stable (ξ=-37.5 mV), orthorhombic structured SnS nanorods capped with mercaptoacetic acid by precipitation method. The SnS nanorods were measured to be about 45 nm long with a diameter of 20 nm, as studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The band gap of the MAA capped SnS nanorods was 1.81 eV, measured by diffused reflectance spectroscopy and was larger than the bulk SnS. The relative positions of highest valence band and lowest conduction band were determined from theoretical band structure calculation as 1.58 eV and -0.23 eV, respectively. The UV-Visible-NIR fluorescence emission spectrum of the SnS nanorods revealed intense emission peak at 1000 nm (1.239 eV) and weaker peaks at 935 nm, 1080 nm, 1160 nm which is likely to be due to Sn(2+) vacancies. The as-synthesized SnS nanorods exhibited more than 95% sunlight induced photocatalytic degradation of trypan blue in 4 h, following first order kinetics with high rate of degradation (k) (0.0124 min(-1)). The observed dye degradation is attributable to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), confirmed from terephthalic acid assay. The ROS generation has been explained on the basis of interaction between photoexcited electrons from conduction band with molecular oxygen adhered to the surface of nanorods owing to favourable redox potentials of O2/O2(-) (-0.20 eV) in normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) scale.