Molecular Identification of Fungal Endophytes of Medicinal Plant Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad as a Medicinal Plant: Role of Tissue Type and Sampling Location on the Diversity.

Endophytic fungi are an important group of organisms in association with plants which are able to colonize all plant internal tissues and improve their fitness. The present research aims to isolate and identify endophytic fungi of Citrullus colocynthis plant and then investigate the effects of sampling location and tissue type on the fungal endophyte diversity of this plant. To do so, a sampling program was done in 11 geographically isolated C. colocynthis growing areas of Hormozgan province, Iran. For molecular identification of endophytic fungi of C. colocynthis, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS4), as a universal DNA barcode marker for fungi, was amplified using primer sets. Totally, 12 taxa (Alternaria solani, Cladosporium halotolerans, Setosphaeria rostrata, Aspergillus niger, A. allahabadii, A. terreus, A. occultus, A. cristatus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Talaromyces purpureogenus, Fusarium sp., and Pseudozyma flocculosa) were isolated. Our findings also showed that the diversity of fungal endophytes isolated from C. colocynthis was affected by the tissue type and sampling site. Accordingly, the leaves and seeds were found to have the highest and lowest rates of endophyte colonization and richness in all sampling seasons, respectively. Simpson's diversity index of 0.8165 in root tissue indicated the high diversity of endophytes in this organ. In addition, Shannon's diversity index in the root (1.846) was higher than that in the other organs. The highest Shannon's and Simpson's indices were observed in Khoon Sorkh and Minab regions. Generally, at least two factors (region and type of tissue) played the most important roles in determining the composition of fungal endophytes in C. colocynthis.

Phosphite-imidazole catalyzed N-formylation and N-acylation of amines.

A novel and convenient method for the N-formylation reaction of amines with DMF as a formylating agent has been developed, utilizing a catalytic amount of diethyl phosphite/imidazole. Diethyl phosphite, as a nucleophilic catalyst, plays a significant role in this conversion. The presented method has a broad substrate scope, and various N-formyl products were obtained in good to excellent yields. Moreover, by using DMA instead of DMF, the N-acetylation reaction was also successful. The reaction of o-phenylenediamines with DMF afforded the corresponding benzimidazoles. Furthermore, N-sulfonyl amidines were obtained in good to excellent yields by the reaction of sulfonamides with DMF under similar conditions.

The Relationship between Health Literacy and Hypertension Control: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Uncontrolled hypertension is a major public health problem among patients in developed and developing countries. The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and causes of uncontrolled hypertension to facilitate the design of more effective methods of hypertension control. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 303 adults with hypertension. The Standard Health Literacy Questionnaire was used to collect data. Uncontrolled hypertension was ascertained based on the WHO definition. A multiple logistic regression model was used at a 95% confidence level. Variables considered were confounders including age, sex, marital status, family size, income (monthly mean), smoking (past or current), education level, and physical activity (times in a week). Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants (n=303) was 59.3(12.7) years, and 57.4% were men. The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was 50.5%. The mean score of health literacy among patients with controlled hypertension was higher than that among patients with uncontrolled hypertension (64.83±23.72 vs 46.28±22.19; P<0.001). The odds of uncontrolled hypertension decreased by 3% in the patients (OR: 0.97; P=0.06). Adherence to treatment (OR: 0.13; P<0.001), salt consumption per package purchased per month (OR: 4.40; P=0.001), increased physical activity per hour per week (OR: 0.56; P<0.001), current or passive cigarette smoking (OR: 4.59; P=0.010), a positive history of chronic diseases (OR: 2.62; P=0.027), and increased family size (per 1 child) (OR: 0.57; P<0.001) were associated with uncontrolled hypertension. Conclusion: The results showed a borderline association between increased health literacy and hypertension control. Additionally, increased salt consumption, reduced physical activity, small family size, and underlying diseases (eg, diabetes, chronic heart disease, and renal disease) could increase the odds of uncontrolled hypertension in Iranian society.

Curcumin nanoparticles containing poloxamer or soluplus tailored by high pressure homogenization using antisolvent crystallization.

Curcumin is a natural active constituent of Curcuma longa from Zingiberaceae family that shows many different pharmacological effects such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral effect. However, its bioavailability is profoundly limited by its poor water solubility. In this study antisolvent crystallization followed by freeze drying was used for the preparation of curcumin nanoparticles. The presence of different ratios of hydrophilic polymers (poloxamer 188 & soluplus) on physicochemical properties of curcumin nanoparticles was also investigated. In addition, the effect of high pressure homogenization (HPH) on solubility and dissolution properties of curcumin was investigated. All nanoparticle formulations were examined to determine their particle size distribution, saturation solubility, morphology (SEM), solid state (DSC, XRPD and FT-IR) and dissolution behavior. It was observed that curcumin crystallized in the presence of polymers exhibited better solubility and dissolution rate in comparison with original curcumin. The results showed that the concentration of the stabilizer and the method used to prepare nanoparticles can control the dissolution of curcumin. The crystallized nanoparticles showed polymorph 2 curcumin with lower crystallinity and higher dissolution rate. Curcumin nanoparticles containing 50% soluplus prepared via HPH method presented 16-fold higher solubility than its original form. In conclusion, samples crystalized and proceed with HPH technique showed smaller particle size, better re-dispersibility, higher solubility and dissolution rate in water compared with a sample prepared using a simple antisolvent crystallization process.

Effect of high pressure homogenization on physicochemical properties of curcumin nanoparticles prepared by antisolvent crystallization using HPMC or PVP.

Dissolution enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs is a major challenge in pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this study is to fabricate curcumin nanoparticles by antisolvent crystallization in the presence of PVP-K30 or HPMC with various concentrations as a stabilizer. The effect of high pressure homogenization on properties of curcumin particles is also investigated in this study. The antisolvent crystallization method followed by freeze drying (CRS-FD) and also antisolvent crystallization and high pressure homogenization followed by freeze drying (HPH-FD) were employed to modify curcumin particles. Physical mixtures of the drug and additives were also prepared for comparison purposes. The solid state analysis (DSC, XRPD and FT-IR studies), particle size measurement, morphological analysis, saturation solubility and dissolution behavior of the samples were investigated. The curcumin crystallized without using stabilizer produced polymorph 2 curcumin with lower crystallinity and higher solubility. The samples obtained in the presence of stabilizers showed higher solubility compared to its physical mixtures counterpart. It was found that the stabilizers used in the current study were capable of inhibiting the crystal growth of particles during crystallization. High pressure homogenizer method generated smaller particles compared to those samples that were not subjected to high pressure homogenizer (for example, 2748 nm for 5% PVP CRS-FD sample and 706 nm for 5% PVP HPH-FD sample). Particles obtained via HPH showed better solubility and dissolution rate compared to those samples that HPH was not employed (for example, the saturated solubility of 25% PVP CRS-FD sample was near 2 µg/ml while this amount was approximately 4.3 µg/ml for 25% HPH-FD sample. The effect of high pressure homogenization on dissolution rate is more pronounced for samples with lower stabilizer ratio. The samples prepared with high pressure homogenizer using 50% PVP showed 25-fold higher solubility compared to untreated curcumin. Generally, it can be concluded that the method of preparation, selection of suitable stabilizer and concentration of stabilizer play a critical role on particle size and dissolution rate of curcumin.