Association between relative peripheral refraction and corresponding electro-retinal signals.

PURPOSE: Considering the potential role of the peripheral retina in refractive development and given that peripheral refraction varies significantly with increasing eccentricity from the fovea, we investigated the association between relative peripheral refraction (RPR) and corresponding relative peripheral multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) responses (electro-retinal signals) from the central to the peripheral retina in young adults. METHODS: Central and peripheral refraction using an open-field autorefractor and mfERG responses using an electrophysiology stimulator were recorded from the right eyes of 17 non-myopes and 24 myopes aged 20-27 years. The relative mfERG N1, P1 and N2 components (amplitude density and implicit time) of a mfERG waveform were compared with the corresponding RPR measurements at the best-matched eccentricities along the principal meridians, that is at the fovea (0°), horizontal (±5°, ±10° and ± 25°) and vertical meridians (±10° and ± 15°). RESULTS: The mean absolute mfERG N1, P1 and N2 amplitude densities (nV/deg2 ) were maximum at the fovea in both non-myopes (N1: 57.29 ± 14.70 nV/deg2 , P1: 106.29 ± 24.46 nV/deg2 , N2: 116.41 ± 27.96 nV/deg2 ) and myopes (N1: 56.25 ± 15.79 nV/deg2 , P1: 100.79 ± 30.81 nV/deg2 , N2: 105.75 ± 37.91 nV/deg2 ), which significantly reduced with increasing retinal eccentricity (p < 0.01). No significant association was reported between the RPR and corresponding relative mfERG amplitudes at each retinal eccentricity (overall Pearson's correlation, r = -0.25 to 0.26, p ≥ 0.09). In addition, the presence of relative peripheral myopia or hyperopia at extreme peripheral retinal eccentricities did not differentially influence the corresponding relative peripheral mfERG amplitudes (p ≥ 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Relative peripheral mfERG signals are not associated with corresponding RPR in young adults. It is plausible that the electro-retinal signals may respond to the presence of absolute hyperopia (and not relative peripheral hyperopia), which requires further investigation.

Electroretinogram responses in myopia: a review.

The stretching of a myopic eye is associated with several structural and functional changes in the retina and posterior segment of the eye. Recent research highlights the role of retinal signaling in ocular growth. Evidence from studies conducted on animal models and humans suggests that visual mechanisms regulating refractive development are primarily localized at the retina and that the visual signals from the retinal periphery are also critical for visually guided eye growth. Therefore, it is important to study the structural and functional changes in the retina in relation to refractive errors. This review will specifically focus on electroretinogram (ERG) changes in myopia and their implications in understanding the nature of retinal functioning in myopic eyes. Based on the available literature, we will discuss the fundamentals of retinal neurophysiology in the regulation of vision-dependent ocular growth, findings from various studies that investigated global and localized retinal functions in myopia using various types of ERGs.

Helical nanofiber yarn enabling highly stretchable engineered microtissue.

Development of microtissues that possess mechanical properties mimicking those of native stretchable tissues, such as muscle and tendon, is in high demand for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, regardless of the significant advances in synthetic biomaterials, it remains challenging to fabricate living microtissue with high stretchability because application of large strains to microtissues can damage the cells by rupturing their structures. Inspired by the hierarchical helical structure of native fibrous tissues and its behavior of nonaffine deformation, we develop a highly stretchable and tough microtissue fiber made up of a hierarchical helix yarn scaffold, scaling from nanometers to millimeters, that can overcome this limitation. This microtissue can be stretched up to 15 times its initial length and has a toughness of 57 GJ m-3 More importantly, cells grown on this scaffold maintain high viability, even under severe cyclic strains (up to 600%) that can be attributed to the nonaffine deformation under large strains, mimicking native biopolymer scaffolds. Furthermore, as proof of principle, we demonstrate that the nanotopography of the helical nanofiber yarn is able to induce cytoskeletal alignment and nuclear elongation, which promote myogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by triggering nuclear translocation of transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). The highly stretchable microtissues we develop here will facilitate a variety of tissue engineering applications and the development of engineered living systems.

Buckeye Rot of Tomato in India: Present Status, Challenges, and Future Research Perspectives.

Tomato in India is commonly exposed to various diseases of fungal, bacterial, and viral origin, resulting in substantial yield losses (≥50%). Buckeye rot (caused by Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica) is among the major constraints in the successful cultivation of tomato crops in various parts of the world, including the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh state, India. The fruit rot becomes more devastating under high humidity and wet soils. Symptoms generally appear on green fruit as alternate dark- and light-brown concentric rings. The genome size of P. nicotianae var. parasitica is 82 Mb with >23,000 predicted genes. High humidity (>60%) and optimal temperatures (20 to 25°C), along with rainfall (≥10 mm), help to disperse the pathogen because the inoculum reaches the fruit through splashing rain. Sporangia germinate indirectly by producing zoospores at 20 to 25°C or directly via germ tubes at >25°C. In the absence of suitable resistant varieties, no single management practice is sufficient to keep the disease below the economic threshold level; therefore, integration of cultural and chemical methods is preferable. This article aims to focus on the etiology and management challenges of buckeye rot. We recommend innovative disease management strategies such as identification and deployment of resistant cultivars as well as spraying of synthetic chemical fungicides, biocontrol agents, and use of abiotic chemicals that induce resistance for developing sustainable crop production practices.

Role of STAT signaling and autocrine action of chemokines during H2 O 2 induced HTR-8/SVneo trophoblastic cells invasion.

During pregnancy, regulated generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is important for activation of signaling pathways and placentation. In the current study, the effect of H2 O2 on invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells, a human extravillous trophoblast cell line, is investigated. Treatment of HTR-8/SVneo cells for 24 hr with H 2 O2 (25 µM) leads to a significant increase in invasion without affecting cell proliferation, viability, and apoptosis. Concomitantly, a significant increase in the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) ratio is observed. Further, significant increase in phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT-1) and STAT-3 (both at ser727 residue) is observed on treating HTR-8/SVneo cells with 25 µM of H2 O2 accompanied by an increase in the secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1ß (MIP-1ß). A significant decrease in H2 O2 -mediated invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells and reduced expression of IL-8 and MIP-1ß accompanied by decrease in MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio are observed on inhibiting STAT-1 and STAT-3 by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Inhibition of STAT-1 activity by fludarabine and STAT-3 activity by Stattic also leads to a decrease in H2 O2 -mediated increase in HTR-8/SVneo cell invasion. Inhibition of IL-8 and MIP-1ß by siRNA also leads to a significant decrease in both basal and H2 O2 -mediated invasion. Interestingly, inhibition of MIP-1ß by siRNA leads to a significant reduction in H2 O2 -mediated increase in IL-8. However, no significant effect of IL-8 silencing on H2 O2 -mediated MIP-1ß expression was observed. From the above results, it can be concluded that H2 O2 activates STAT signaling, MIP-1ß & IL-8 secretion and increases MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio leading to an increased invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells without affecting their viability.

HGF promotes HTR-8/SVneo cell migration through activation of MAPK/PKA signaling leading to up-regulation of WNT ligands and integrins that target ß-catenin.

Inadequate migration and invasion of the trophoblast cells during embryo implantation is one of the reasons for pregnancy-related complications such as intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia. In the present study, relevance of WNT ligands and integrins associated with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-mediated migration of HTR-8/SVneo trophoblastic cells has been investigated. Treatment of HTR-8/SVneo cells with HGF led to a dose-dependent increase in their migration. RT-PCR studies revealed a significant increase in the transcripts of WNT4, WNT11, ITGA2, and ITGAV, which was further confirmed at protein level by Western blotting. HGF treatment also led to increased expression of integrin α2ß1 and αVß5 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Silencing of WNT4, WNT11, ITGA2, and ITGAV by siRNA led to a significant decrease in HGF-mediated migration of cells. Treatment of cells with HGF led to activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathways. Inhibition of MAPK/PKA, by selective inhibitors, led to decrease in the expression of above WNT ligands and integrins. Silencing of WNT4/WNT11 led to concomitant decrease in the expression of ITGA2 and ITGAV and vice versa. HGF treatment also led to significant increase in ß-catenin expression, a downstream target of both WNT ligands and integrins. Silencing of ß-catenin led to decrease in HGF-mediated migration. ß-catenin expression was also down-regulated in WNT4/WNT11/ITGA2/ITGAV silenced cells suggesting a possible cross-communication of WNT ligands and integrins via ß-catenin. These studies have established the significance of WNT4/WNT11 as well as ITGA2/ITGAV during HGF-mediated migration of HTR-8/SVneo trophoblastic cells.

Anisotropic mechanics and dynamics of a living mammalian cytoplasm.

During physiological processes, cells can undergo morphological changes that can result in a significant redistribution of the cytoskeleton causing anisotropic behavior. Evidence of anisotropy in cells under mechanical stimuli exists; however, the role of cytoskeletal restructuring resulting from changes in cell shape in mechanical anisotropy and its effects remain unclear. In the present study, we examine the role of cell morphology in inducing anisotropy in both intracellular mechanics and dynamics. We change the aspect ratio of cells by confining the cell width and measuring the mechanical properties of the cytoplasm using optical tweezers in both the longitudinal and transverse directions to quantify the degree of mechanical anisotropy. These active microrheology measurements are then combined with intracellular movement to calculate the intracellular force spectrum using force spectrum microscopy (FSM), from which the degree of anisotropy in dynamics and force can be quantified. We find that unrestricted cells with aspect ratio (AR) ∼1 are isotropic; however, when cells break symmetry, they exhibit significant anisotropy in cytoplasmic mechanics and dynamics.

Relevance of the NR4A sub-family of nuclear orphan receptors in trophoblastic BeWo cell differentiation.

Nur-77, a member of the NR4A sub-family of nuclear orphan receptors, is downregulated in the placentae of pre-eclamptic women. Here, we investigate the relevance of Nor-1, Nurr-1 and Nur-77 in trophoblastic cell differentiation. Their transcript levels were found to be significantly upregulated in BeWo cells treated with forskolin. The maximum increase was observed after 2 h, with a second peak in the expression levels after 48 h. The expression of NR4A sub-family members was also found to be upregulated in BeWo cells after treatment with hCG and GnRH. A similar significant increase was observed at the respective protein levels after 2 and 48 h of treatment with forskolin, hCG or GnRH. Silencing Nor-1, Nurr-1 or Nur-77 individually did not show any effect on forskolin-, hCG- and/or GnRH-mediated BeWo cell fusion and/or hCG secretion. After silencing any one member of the NR4A sub-family, an increase in the transcript levels of the other sub-family members was observed, indicating a compensatory effect due to their functional redundancy. Simultaneously silencing all three NR4A sub-family members significantly downregulated forskolin- and hCG-mediated BeWo cell fusion and/or hCG secretion. However, a considerable amount of cell death occurred after forskolin or hCG treatment as compared to the control siRNA-transfected cells. These results suggest that the NR4A sub-family of nuclear orphan receptors has a role in trophoblastic cell differentiation.

Anti-HSV-2 activity of Terminalia chebula Retz extract and its constituents, chebulagic and chebulinic acids.

BACKGROUND: Development of new and effective therapeutics for sexually transmitted herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) infection is important from public health perspective. With an aim to identify natural products from medicinal plants, in the present study, the potential of Terminalia chebula Retz was investigated for its activity against HSV-2. METHODS: Fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz were used to prepare 50% ethanolic extract. In addition, chebulagic acid and chebulinic acid both purified from T. chebula were also used. The extract as well as purified compounds were first used to determine their in vitro cytotoxicity on Vero cells by MTT assay. T. chebula extract, chebulagic acid, chebulinic acid along with acyclovir were subsequently assessed for direct anti-viral activity, and their ability to inhibit attachment and penetration of HSV-2 to the Vero cells. In addition, their anti-HSV-2 activity was also determined by in vitro post-infection plaque reduction assay. RESULTS: Cytotoxicity assay using Vero cells revealed CC50 = 409.71 ± 47.70 µg/ml for the extract whereas chebulagic acid and chebulinic acid showed more than 95% cell viability up to 200 µg/ml. The extract from T. chebula (IC50 = 0.01 ± 0.0002 µg/ml), chebulagic (IC50 = 1.41 ± 0.51 µg/ml) and chebulinic acids (IC50 = 0.06 ± 0.002 µg/ml) showed dose dependent potent in vitro direct anti-viral activity against HSV-2. These also effectively prevented the attachment as well as penetration of the HSV-2 to Vero cells. In comparison, acyclovir showed poor direct anti-viral activity and failed to significantly (p > 0.05) prevent the attachment as well as penetration of HSV-2 to Vero cells when tested upto 50 µg/ml. However, in post-infection plaque reduction assay, T. chebula extract, chebulagic and chebulinic acids showed IC50 values of 50.06 ± 6.12, 31.84 ± 2.64, and 8.69 ± 2.09 µg/ml, respectively, which were much lower than acyclovir (71.80 ± 19.95 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: The results presented herein suggest that T. chebula extract, chebulagic and chebulinic acids have higher direct antiviral activity against HSV-2 and efficacy to inhibit virus attachment and penetration to the host cells as compared to acyclovir. However, acyclovir is more potent to inhibit post-infection virus replication. Hence, T. chebula may be a useful candidate for developing alternative therapy for prevention of sexually transmitted HSV-2 infection. ᅟ.

Novel Sperm and Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone-based Recombinant Fusion Protein: Achievement of 100% Contraceptive Efficacy by Co-immunization of Male and Female Mice.

Improvements in long-term female contraception can be achieved by vaccinating with sperm-derived proteins. Here, recombinant proteins comprising either (i) N- (amino acid residues 1-80) or C- (amino acid residues 76-126) terminal fragments of mouse sperm protein 17 (Sp17) fused to the promiscuous T non-B cell epitope of tetanus toxoid (TT), amino acid residues 830-844 followed by di-lysine linker (KK) (TT-KK-Sp17N or TT-KK-Sp17C , respectively) or (ii) mouse equatorin (amino acid residues 21-185) fused to the T non-B cell epitope of bovine RNase (amino acid residues 94-104) were expressed in Escherichia coli. Immunization of female FVB/J mice, using alum as an adjuvant, led to the generation of high antibody titers against the above proteins. Antibodies against both N- and C-terminal fragments of Sp17 reacted with the entire capacitated mouse spermatozoa, whereas those against equatorin reacted exclusively with the equatorial region. Despite the reactivity of all immune sera, only sera from mice immunized with TT-KK-Sp17N and TT-KK-Sp17C significantly reduced mouse in vitro fertilization. Mating studies of the immunized females with un-immunized male mice revealed the highest infertility in the TT-KK-Sp17C -immunized group. In an attempt to further boost the immune response, the C-terminal fragment of Sp17 was expressed as fusion protein with a tandem repeat of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (Sp17C -GnRH2 ). Immunization of both male and female mice with Sp17C -GnRH2 led to higher contraceptive efficacy compared to mice immunized with TT-KK-Sp17C . Interestingly, mating studies wherein partners were both immunized with Sp17C -GnRH2 showed a complete failure of female mice to conceive. Thus, immunization of both males and females with Sp17C -GnRH2 has the potential to increase contraceptive efficacy. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 1048-1059, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development and gamma-scintigraphy study of Hibiscus rosasinensis polysaccharide-based microspheres for nasal drug delivery.

OBJECTIVE: This work describes the application of natural plant polysaccharide as pharmaceutical mucoadhesive excipients in delivery systems to reduce the clearance rate through nasal cavity. METHODS: Novel natural polysaccharide (Hibiscus rosasinensis)-based mucoadhesive microspheres were prepared by using emulsion crosslinking method for the delivery of rizatriptan benzoate (RB) through nasal route. Mucoadhesive microspheres were characterized for different parameters and nasal clearance of technetium-99m ((99m)Tc)-radiolabeled microspheres was determined by using gamma-scintigraphy. RESULTS: Their Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that the drug was stable during preparation of microspheres. Aerodynamic diameter of microspheres was in the range 13.23 ± 1.83-33.57 ± 3.69 µm. Change in drug and polysaccharide ratio influenced the mucoadhesion, encapsulation efficiency and in-vitro release property. Scintigraphs taken at regular interval indicate that control solution was cleared rapidly from nasal cavity, whereas microspheres showed slower clearance (p < 0.005) with half-life of 160 min. CONCLUSION: Natural polysaccharide-based microspheres achieved extended residence by minimizing effect of mucociliary clearance with opportunity of sustained delivery for longer duration.

Biometry-Based Technique for Determining the Anterior Scleral Thickness: Validation Using Optical Coherence Tomography Landmarks.

Purpose: Considering the potential role of anterior scleral thickness (AST) in myopia and the ubiquitous use of optical biometers, we applied and validated a biometry-based technique for estimating AST using optical coherence tomography (OCT) landmarks. Methods: The AST was determined across four meridians in 62 participants (aged 20-37 years) with a swept-source OCT and a noncontact optical biometer at a mean ± SD distance of 3.13 ± 0.88 mm from the limbus. The biometer's graticule was focused and aligned with the anterior scleral reflex, which led to the generation of four prominent A-scan peaks: P1 (anterior bulbar conjunctiva), P2 (anterior episclera), P3 (anterior margin of anterior sclera), and P4 (posterior margin of anterior sclera), which were analyzed and compared with the corresponding OCT landmarks to determine tissue thickness. Results: The AST measurements between biometer and OCT correlated for all meridians (r ≥ 0.70, overall r = 0.82; coefficient of variation [CV], 9%-12%; P < 0.01). The mean difference ± SD between two instruments for overall AST measures was 3 ± 2.8 µm (range, -18 to +16 µm; lower limits of agreement, -89 to +83 µm; P = 0.23) across all meridians. The mean ± SE AST with both instruments was found to be thickest at the inferior (562 ± 7 µm and 578 ± 7 µm) and thinnest at the superior (451 ± 7 µm and 433 ± 6 µm) meridian. The biometer demonstrated good intrasession (CV, 8.4%-9.6%) and intersession (CV, 7.9%-13.3%) repeatability for AST measurements across all meridians. Conclusions: The noncontact optical biometer, which is typically used to determine axial length, is capable of accurately estimating AST based on OCT landmarks. Translational Relevance: The high-resolution optical biometers can demonstrate wider application in the field of myopia research and practice to determine AST.

Infusion of active compound into sliced button mushrooms through vacuum impregnation to improve functionality: Comparing response surface methodology and artificial neural network.

The present study explores the infusion of active compounds (ascorbic acid and calcium lactate) into sliced button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) to increase the nutritional value and reduce the browning effect of sliced mushrooms using the vacuum impregnation (VI) technique. The aim was to functionalize the vacuum-infused sliced mushrooms and evaluate the physicochemical properties of button mushrooms for diversifying food use. The central composite design was implemented to determine the optimized condition for the process with four independent factors, that is, immersion time (IT) 30-90 min, solution temperature (ST) 35-55°C, solution concentration (SC) 4%-12%, and vacuum pressure (VP) 50-170 mbar. The optimum VI processes obtained were ST-40°C, SC-8%, VP-140 mbar, and IT-65 min with a desirability function of 0.77. Statistically, two models (response surface methodology [RSM] and artificial neural network [ANN]) were employed to compare the better performance for the prediction of VI operational process parameters. The RSM model showed a better prediction of VI process parameters than the ANN model, with a higher R2 value (0.9228 vs. 0.8160) and lower root mean square error value (1.4004 vs. 2.1751), χ2 (2.4491 vs. 5.2762), mean absolute error (1.1177 vs. 1.1611), and absolute average deviation (4.3532 vs. 5.6746) for water loss. A similar pattern was observed for solute gain, ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, color change, firmness, and pH. Therefore, the VI process was found to be an effective method for enhancing the nutritional properties of sliced mushrooms. These findings concluded that the RSM model is more efficient for better prediction with good accuracy of the VI process than the ANN model.

Extracts from Acacia catechu suppress HIV-1 replication by inhibiting the activities of the viral protease and Tat.

BACKGROUND: Acacia catechu (Mimosa family) stem bark extracts have been used traditionally as a dietary supplement as well as a folk medicine given its reported anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-tumor activities. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-HIV-1 activity of the extracts from stem bark of A. catechu. METHODS: The aqueous and 50% ethanolic extracts of A. catechu stem bark were prepared and 50% ethanolic extract was further fractioned by successively partitioning with petroleum ether, chloroform and n-butanol. All the extracts and fractions were evaluated for cytotoxicity and anti-HIV-1 activity using different in vitro assays. The active n-butanol fraction was evaluated for its inhibition against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, integrase, protease, pro-viral genome integration and viral Tat protein mediated transactivation. The effect of n-butanol fraction on the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in Vk2/E6E7 cells and transepithelial resistance in Caco-2 and HEC-1A cells was investigated. RESULTS: The aqueous and 50% ethanolic extracts of A. catechu showed IC50 values of 1.8 ± 0.18 µg/ml and 3.6 ± 0.31 µg/ml, respectively in cell-free virus based assay using TZM-bl cells and HIV-1NL4.3 (X-4 tropic). In the above assay, n-butanol fraction exhibited anti-HIV-1 activity with an IC50 of 1.7 ± 0.12 µg/ml. The n-butanol fraction showed a dose-dependent inhibition against HIV-1NL4.3 infection of the peripheral blood lymphocytes and against HIV-1BaL(R-5-tropic) as well as two different primary viral isolates of HIV-1 infection of TZM-bl cells. The n-butanol fraction demonstrates a potent inhibitory activity against the viral protease (IC50 = 12.9 µg/ml), but not reverse transcriptase or integrase. Further, in Alu-PCR no effect on viral integration was observed. The n-butanol fraction interfered with the Tat-mediated Long Terminal Repeat transactivation in TZM-bl cells, mRNA quantitation (qRT-PCR) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The n-butanol fraction did not cause an enhanced secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in Vk2/E6E7 cells. Additionally, no adverse effects were observed to the monolayer formed by the Caco-2 and HEC-1A epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here show a potential anti-HIV-1 activity of A. catechu mediated by the inhibition of the functions of the viral protein and Tat.

Ellagic acid & gallic acid from Lagerstroemia speciosa L. inhibit HIV-1 infection through inhibition of HIV-1 protease & reverse transcriptase activity.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa L.) extracts have been used as traditional medicines and are effective in controlling diabetes and obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-HIV property of the extracts prepared from the leaves and stems of banaba, and further purification and characterization of the active components. METHODS: Aqueous and 50 per cent ethanolic extracts were prepared from leaves and stems of banaba and were evaluated for cytotoxicity and anti-HIV activity using in vitro reporter gene based assays. Further, three compounds were isolated from the 50 per cent ethanolic extract of banaba leaves using silica gel column chromatography and characterization done by HPLC, NMR and MS analysis. To delineate the mode of action of the active compounds, reverse transcriptase assay and protease assay were performed using commercially available kits. RESULTS: All the extracts showed a dose dependent inhibition of HIV-1-infection in TZM-bl and CEM-GFP cell lines with a maximum from the 50 per cent ethanolic extract from leaves (IC 50 = 1 to 25 µg/ml). This observation was confirmed by the virus load (p24) estimation in infected CEM-GFP cells when treated with the extracts. Gallic acid showed an inhibition in reverse transcriptase whereas ellagic acid inhibited the HIV-1 protease activity. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows a novel anti-HIV activity of banaba. The active components responsible for anti-HIV activity were gallic acid and ellagic acid, through inhibition of reverse transcriptase and HIV protease, respectively and hence could be regarded as promising candidates for the development of topical anti-HIV-1 agents.

Rosin: a naturally derived excipient in drug delivery systems.

Natural polymers are primarily attractive because they are biodegradable, inexpensive, and readily available. The most important benefit of natural polymers is that they are capable for chemical modifications. One such biopolymer, rosin, and its derivatives have been pharmaceutically evaluated as microencapsulating materials, film forming agent and as binding agent in formulation of tablets. They are also employed in formulation of chewing gum bases and cosmetics. This review article provides an overview of pharmaceutical use of rosin and its derivatives as excipient in dosage forms as well as novel drug delivery systems.

In vitro determination of aceclofenac Mouth Dissolving Tablets.

In the present study, Mouth Dissolving Tablets (MDTs) of aceclofenac were formulated by direct compression technique. Sodium starch glycolate and crospovidone were employed as superdisintegrants in various concentrations like 2%, 3% and 4% w/w. All prepared tablets were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, drug content, friability, disintegration time, in vitro wetting time and percent drug release. MDTs containing 4% w/w concentration of crospovidone give best results and is therefore considered as the best formula. It has shown 30 s disintegration time, 25 s wetting time and 79.34% in vitro release of drug in 25 min.

Mango peel pectin as a carrier for solid dispersions.

OBJECTIVES: The present study describes the evaluation of pectin as a carrier for solid dispersion. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pectin was extracted from mango peel. Solid dispersions were prepared by using pectin to enhance the dissolution rate of the drug. Aceclofenac was used as the model drug. RESULTS: Solid dispersion containing pectin had comparatively less release of the drug as compared to lactose for a particular time period. CONCLUSIONS: The slower release may be due to the solubility of pectin in an aqueous fluid and it's swelling capacity. With that in mind, it can be used as a carrier to prepare solid dispersions.