Background and Objectives: Fragaria nubicola has never been evaluated scientifically for its anti-arthritic potential despite its use in folkloric systems of medicine. The research was conducted to assess the potential of F. nubicola against rheumatoid arthritis. Materials and Methods: The current study provided scientific evidence by evaluating the effects of plants using an in vivo CFA-induced model of arthritic rats and subsequent microscopic histopathological evaluation of ankle joints along with the determination of paw edema using a digital water displacement plethysmometer. The study also gave insight by determining levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase enzymes (MMPs), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and biochemical and hematological parameters. GCMS analysis was also conducted for the identification of possible anti-inflammatory plant constituents. Results: The data showed that F. nubicola-treated groups attenuated the progression of arthritis and paw edema. Microscopic histopathological evaluation validated the anti-arthritic potential by showing amelioration of bone erosion, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and pannus formation. RT-PCR analysis displayed that treatment with F. nubicola down-regulated IL1ß, IL6, TNFα, NF-κB, VEGF, MMP2, MMP3, and MMP9 levels. Moreover, ELISA exhibited a reduction in levels of PGE2 levels in treatment groups. The levels of RBCs, platelets, WBCs, and Hb content were found to be nearly similar to negative control in the treated group. Statistically, a non-significant difference was found when all groups were compared for urea, creatinine, ALT, and AST analysis, indicating the safety of plant extract and fractions at test doses. GCMS analysis of extract and fractions showed the existence of many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytochemicals. Conclusion: In conclusion, F. nubicola possessed anti-arthritic properties that might be attributed to the amelioration of MMPs and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Arthritis, Experimental , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Fragaria , Rats , Animals , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Fragaria/metabolism , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Inflammation Mediators , NF-kappa B , Dinoprostone/therapeutic use , Arthritis, Experimental/drug therapy , Arthritis, Experimental/pathology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Cytokines/metabolism , Edema/drug therapy , Matrix Metalloproteinases
Photoacoustic Computed Tomography (PACT) is a major configuration of photoacoustic imaging, a hybrid noninvasive modality for both functional and molecular imaging. PACT has rapidly gained importance in the field of biomedical imaging due to superior performance as compared to conventional optical imaging counterparts. However, the overall cost of developing a PACT system is one of the challenges towards clinical translation of this novel technique. The cost of a typical commercial PACT system originates from optical source, ultrasound detector, and data acquisition unit. With growing applications of photoacoustic imaging, there is a tremendous demand towards reducing its cost. In this review article, we have discussed various approaches to reduce the overall cost of a PACT system, and provided a cost estimation to build a low-cost PACT system.
In this research, we present results of simulated annealing (SA), a heuristic optimization algorithm, for focusing light through a turbid medium. Performance of the algorithm on phase and amplitude modulations has been evaluated. A number of tips to tune the optimization parameters are provided. The effect of measurement noise on the performance of the SA algorithm is explored. Additionally, SA performance is compared with continuous sequential and briefly with other optimization algorithms.
Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 5 million people in the United States. During the progression of Alzheimer disease, a particular protein begins to accumulate in the brain and also in extensions of the brain, ie, the retina. This protein, amyloid-ß (Aß), exhibits fluorescent properties. The purpose of this research article is to explore the implications of designing a fluorescent imaging system able to detect Aß proteins in the retina. We designed and implemented a fluorescent imaging system with a range of applications that can be reconfigured on a fluorophore to fluorophore basis and tested its feasibility and capabilities using Cy5 and CRANAD-2 imaging probes. The results indicate a promising potential for the imaging system to be used to study the Aß biomarker. A performance evaluation involving ex vivo and in vivo experiments is planned for future study.
With the growing application of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in medical fields, there is a need to make them more compact, portable, and affordable. Therefore, we designed very low-cost PAI systems by replacing the expensive and sophisticated laser with a very low-energy laser diode. We implemented photoacoustic (PA) microscopy, both reflection and transmission modes, as well as PA computed tomography systems. The images obtained from tissue-mimicking phantoms and biological samples determine the feasibility of using a very low-energy laser diode in these configurations.
Lasers, Semiconductor , Photoacoustic Techniques/instrumentation , Microscopy , Phantoms, Imaging , Photoacoustic Techniques/economics
BACKGROUND: The genus Withania (Family: Solanaceae) holds an important position in Ayurveda, the Indian traditional system of medicine. Withania somnifera Dunal and Withania coagulans Dunal have been documented in folklore as panaceas for various ailments since time immemorial. W. coagulans (WC), commonly called as Indian cheese maker is used for fermenting milk for cheese production in various parts of India. OBJECTIVES: In the study, in vitro cytotoxicity of methanolic extract of dried fruits (berries) of WC was evaluated in a dose dependent manner using trypan blue dye exclusion method against human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and normal kidney epithelial cell line Vero in the range 20-200 µg/ml. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The percentage viability of the cell lines was determined by using MTT assay and cytometry. RESULTS: Methanolic extract of WC showed significant anticancer activity against MDA-MB-231 cell line. Cell viability was reduced to about 50% at 40 µg/ml of methanolic extract in 50% DMSO. Cytotoxicity of the extract was lower in 10% and 1% DMSO. On the other hand, methanolic extract of WC did not exhibit any significant in vitro activity against Vero cells at 170 and 200 µg/ml. AGE of isolated DNA from treated cancer cells revealed characteristic ladder like fragmentation, a hallmark of apoptosis. HPLC profiling was carried out for identification of the active components, which demonstrated the presence of Withaferin A in the methanolic extract. CONCLUSION: Methanolic extract of WC possesses apoptotic activity against human breast cancer cells in vitro albeit lower in comparison to W. somnifera and warrants further investigation.
Fullerenes have attracted considerable attention due to their unique chemical structure and potential applications which has opened wide venues for possible human exposure to various fullerene types. Therefore, in depth knowledge of how fullerene may interfere with various cellular processes becomes quite imperative. The present study was designed to investigate how the presence of fullerene affect the binding of DNA with different enzymes involved in replication process. Different fullerenes were first docked with DNA and then binding scores of different enzymes was analyzed with fullerene docked DNA. C30, C40 & C50 once docked with DNA, reduced the binding score of primase, whereas no significant change in the binding score was observed with the helicase, ssb protein, dna pol δ, dna pol ε, ligase, DNA clamp, and topoisomerases. On the contrast, the binding score of RPA14 decreases in fluctuating manner while interacting with increasing molecular weight of fullerene bound single-stranded DNA complex. The study revealed the affect of fullerene family interacting with DNA on the binding pattern of enzymes involved in replication process. Study suggests that the presence of most of fullerenes may not affect the activity of these enzymes necessary for replication process whereas C30, C40 & C50 may disrupt the activity of primase, (strating point for DNA polymerase) its docking score decreases from 13820 to 10702.
