Modulatory potential of Bacopa monnieri against aflatoxin B1 induced biochemical, molecular and histological alterations in rats.

Oxidative injury is concerned with the pathogenesis of several liver injuries, including those from acute liver failure to cirrhosis. This study was designed to explore the antioxidant activity of Bacopa monnieri (BM) on Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induced oxidative damage in Wistar albino rats. Aflatoxin B1 treatment (200 µg/kg/day, p.o.) for 28 days induced oxidative injury by a significant alteration in serum liver function test marker enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, albumin and bilirubin), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with reduction of antioxidant enzymes (GSH, SOD, CAT), GSH cycle enzymes and drug-metabolizing enzymes (AH and AND). Treatment of rats with B. monnieri (20, 30 and 40 mg/kg for 5 days, p.o.) after 28 days of AFB1 intoxication significantly restored these parameters near control in a dose-dependent way. Histopathological examination disclosed extensive hepatic injuries, characterized by cellular necrosis, infiltration, congestion and sinusoidal dilatation in the AFB1-treated group. Treatment with B. monnieri significantly reduced these toxic effects resulting from AFB1. B. monnieriper se group (40 mg/kg) did not show any significant change and proved safe. The cytotoxic activity of B. monnieri was also evaluated on HepG2 cells and showed a good percentage of cytotoxic activity. This finding suggests that B. monnieri protects the liver against oxidative damage caused by AFB1, which aids in the evaluation of the traditional usage of this medicinal plant.

Pressure driven polymorphic transitions in nanocrystalline Lu2O3, Tm2O3 and Eu2O3.

The crystallite size of the materials considerably influences the material properties, including their compressibility and resistance to external forces and the stability of the crystalline structure; a corresponding study for which, so far, has been limited for the important class of nanocrystalline Rare Earth Sesquioxides (REOs). In the present study, we report the crystallographic structural transitions in nanocrystalline Rare Earth Oxides (REOs) under the influence of pressure, investigated via high-energy X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements. The study has been carried out on three of the REOs, namely Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3), Thulium oxide (Tm2O3) and Europium oxide (Eu2O3) up to the pressures of 33, 22 and 11 GPa, respectively. The diffraction data of Lu2O3 and Tm2O3 suggests the occurrence of irreversible structural transitions from cubic to monoclinic phase, while Eu2O3 showed a transition from the cubic to hexagonal phase. The transitions were found to be accompanied by a collapse in the volume and the resulting Pressure-Volume (P-V) graphs are fitted with the 3rd order Birch-Murnaghan (BM) equation of state (EOS) to estimate the bulk moduli and their pressure derivatives. Our study establishes a qualitative relationship between the crystallite size and various material properties such as the lattice parameters, transition pressure, bulk modulus etc., and strengthens the knowledge regarding the behaviour of this technologically important class of materials.

Grafting, characterization and enhancement of therapeutic activity of berberine loaded PEGylated PAMAM dendrimer for cancerous cell.

Berberine is an anticancer medication that generates side effects due to its hydrophobicity and low cellular promiscuity as well as high dose requirement. Thus, have to prepare PEGylated dendrimer conjugates which increases the targeting and release of chemotherapeutic drugs at the tumor site although falling the adverse side effects. The circulation time of drug is enhanced by PEGylation. It is the covalent attachment of PEG to therapeutic protein or any molecule. PEGylated berberine dendrimer was prepared by biotinylation cross linking method and characterized by particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, in vitro release and stability study. The Structure validation of berberine before and after grafting was confirmed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. Further prepared PEGylated complex were proceeded for the cellular uptake study in AMJ-13, and BT-20 cells line by fluorescent microscopy study and MTT assay cytotoxicity study in MCF-7 cell line. The prepared PEGylated formulation showed nanometric size, desired zeta potential, and 69.56 ± 23% entrapment efficiency. The prepared PEGylated particle showed 70.23% release at 72 h with good stability at 90 days. The cellular uptake of formulation was highly appreciable which is clearly observed in AMJ-13 and BT-20 cells line. In comparison to pure drug, developed formulation has 10.8 M high efficiency for breast cancer cell line. PEGylation is easy and reasonable way, as it requires lesser time and is proved to be superior technique for treatment of cancer.

Defensive role of Nigella sativa against antituberculosis drugs induced renal toxicity.

Drug-induced nephrotoxicity is a common problem in clinical medicine and the frequency of drug-related acute and chronic kidney dysfunction worldwide. One of them is anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs that cause renal function impairment during TB treatment. Medicinal plants contain bioactive compounds that are capable for treating drug or toxin-induced renal disorders. The aim of the present study was to assess the protective effect of the ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa seeds (NS) against anti-TB drugs (ATDs) induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar albino rats. Rats were treated with ATDs for 12weeks (3 alternative days in a week). Supplementation with 125mg NS/kg, p.o. was administered to the experimental rats for 12weeks (3 alternative days in a week considering next day of ATDs treatment). The results demonstrated that NS treatment protected against renal damage induced by ATDs, as evidenced by the reduction in serum urea, creatinine, uric acid, urea nitrogen levels, pro-inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-6), whereas improvement in histological tubular and glomerular damage. In addition, NS enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and decreased the lipid peroxidation and glutathione level in the kidney. In conclusion, NS could reduce chronic nephritis in ATDs treated group through suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress. It suggests that NS can be used as supplementary preventive and protective drug against kidney injury during anti-TB treatment.

Protective efficacy of rutin against acrylamide-induced oxidative stress, biochemical alterations and histopathological lesions in rats.

Acrylamide is a well-known neurotoxicant and carcinogen. Apart from industrial exposure, acrylamide is also found in different food products. The present study deals with in vivo experiment to test the protective effect of rutin against acrylamide induced toxicity in rats. The study was carried out on female rats with exposure of acrylamide at the dose of 38.27 mg/kg body weight, orally for 10 days followed by the therapy of rutin (05, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg orally), for three consecutive days. All animals were sacrificed after 24 h of last treatment and various biochemical parameters in blood and tissue were investigated. Histopathology of liver, kidney and brain was also done. On administration of acrylamide for 10 days, neurotoxicity was observed in terms of decreased acetylcholinesterase activity and oxidative stress was observed in terms of increased lipid peroxidation, declined level of reduced glutathione, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) in liver, kidney and brain. Acrylamide exposure increased the activities of serum transaminases, lipid profile, bilirubin, urea, uric acid and creatinine in serum indicating damage. Our experimental results conclude that rutin showed remarkable protection against oxidative DNA damage induced by acrylamide, which may be due to its antioxidant potential.

PEGYLATION: an important approach for novel drug delivery system.

PEGylation is the covalent addition of PEG to one more molecule. PEGylation can improve the maintenance time of the therapeutics similar to proteins, liposomes, and nanoparticle through shielding them beside different debasing mechanisms dynamic in a body that improve beneficial properties. This skill is used to get better half-life and other pharmaceutical properties of a protein, peptide, or non-peptide molecule. Polyethylene glycol is harmless, non-immunogenic, non-antigenic, and extremely soluble in water and FDA accepted polymer. It shows a significant role in drug delivery. A variety of PEG-based formulations are available in the market. This paper represents the benefits of PEGylation over non-PEGylated products. Now a day, PEGylation plays an important role in the drug delivery system. PEGylation increases the therapeutic potential of drugs.

Evaluation of push-out bond strength of BioRoot RCS and AH Plus after using different irrigants: An in vitro study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare push-out bond strength of root canal spaces filled with AH-Plus and BioRoot RCS after using different irrigants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty single-rooted teeth were decoronated and endodontically treated by crown-down technique using ProTaper Universal rotary files progressively till F4 (40/0.06). Samples were divided into two groups according to the sealer (n = 40): Group A = BioRoot RCS, Group B = AH Plus, further subdivided into four subgroups according to irrigation protocol (n = 10): Group 1A, 1B - 0.9% saline, Group 2A, 2B - 5.25% NaOCl + 17% EDTA, Group 3A, 3B- 17% EDTA +2% chlorhexidine, and Group 4A, 4B - 17% EDTA + 3% green tea extract. Samples were obturated with sealers and prepared for push-out test with root slices of 2 mm thickness using universal testing machine. Data were statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA, Bonferroni's post hoc analysis, and independent Student's t-test. RESULTS: BioRoot RCS exhibited significantly higher push-out bond strength (n < 0.001). The interaction between irrigants and sealer showed higher bond strength for BioRoot RCS when 17% EDTA+ green tea was used. CONCLUSION: Within the limitation of the study, it was concluded that bond strength of a sealer was influenced by the irrigants used.

Acetaminophen-induced renal toxicity: preventive effect of silver nanoparticles.

Present study was planned to investigate the ameliorative effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on acetaminophen-induced nephrotoxicity. Our results demonstrate that therapy of AgNPs at three different doses (50, 100 and 150 µg/kg once only) prevented the acetaminophen (2 g/kg once only) induced acute renal toxicity. AgNPs treated animals also show less intensity in the histological alterations in kidneys and corroborating the results of analysis of serum urea and creatinine. In addition, AgNPs therapy prevented the acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress, which was confirmed by the alleviated lipid peroxidation, enhanced renal reduced glutathione content and restored enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and adenosine triphosphatase in kidney. Thus, our results demonstrate a possible protective potential of AgNPs on renal toxicity induced by acetaminophen. This study will definitely lead to the development of therapeutic drug against nephrotoxicity, after further clinical and preclinical studies.

Silver nanoparticles protect acetaminophen induced acute hepatotoxicity: A biochemical and histopathological approach.

The present study was premeditated to demonstrate the hepatoprotective effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Rats were treated with three different doses of AgNPs (50, 100 and 150 µg/kg, p.o.) after Acetaminophen (APAP; 2 g/kg, p.o. once only) intoxication. Treatment with AgNPs recouped the levels of serum aspartate amino transaminase (AST), alanine amino transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol in dose dependent manner. Significant reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and restoration of reduced glutathione (GSH) was found in liver in AgNPs treated animals. Alleviated activities of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), glucose-6- phosphatase (G6Pase) and antioxidant enzymes viz. superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) due to APAP induced toxicity in liver were recovered by the treatment of AgNPs. Improvement in histoarchitecture of liver was also consistent with biochemical observations. The results revealed that AgNPs showed significant dose-dependent protection against APAP induced hepatocellular injury.

Botanical and Chemical Fingerprinting of Medicinal Roots of Justicia gendarussa Burm f.

BACKGROUND: Justicia gendarussa Burm f. of family Acanthaceae is medicinally important herb used in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, asthma, hepatic injuries, pathogenic infection and also shows antiproliferative activity against various cancer cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pharmacognostical evaluation (macro-microscopy, physicochemical analysis and preliminary phytochemical analysis), high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting and chemical profiling by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) of dried roots of J. gendarussa were done according to quality standard procedures. RESULTS: Microscopic analysis revealed the compact arrangement of cells in cork region and thin-walled cortex beneath epidermis. Parenchymatous cells with xylem vessel were observed in the roots of J. gendarussa. Physicochemical studies revealed loss on drying (10.474%), total ash (2.990%), acid-insoluble ash (0.099%), water-soluble ash (1.528%), alcohol-soluble extractive value (0.564%) and water-soluble extractive value (4.11%) of the raw drug. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of ethanolic extract of J. gendarussa showed the presence of alkaloid, steroid, flavonoid, phenol, carbohydrate, saponin and quinone. Rf, color of the spots and densitometric scan were recorded by HPTLC fingerprinting using toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid (5.0:4.0:1.0). On photodocumentation, six spots were visualized under 254 nm, nine spots under 360 nm and six spots at 620 nm. Identification of components in ethanolic extract of J. gendarussa was done by GC-MS. GC-MS results in the presence of oleic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, 6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid and estra-1, 3,5 (10)-trein-17-ß-ol in ethanolic extract of J. gendarussa. CONCLUSION: These specific identities will be useful in identification and authentication of the raw drug in dried form. SUMMARY: Transverse section and powder of dried roots of Justicia gendarussa were examined microscopically. Microscopic observations showed the presence of well-developed cork and cortex. Presence of xylem vessels and parenchymatic rays were observed in transverse section. Parenchymatous cell and sclereids with vessel elements were found in powder microscopyPhysicochemical studies revealed loss on drying (10.474%), total ash (2.990%), acid-insoluble ash (0.099%), water-soluble ash (1.528%), alcohol-soluble extract (0.564%) and water-soluble extract (4.11%)Preliminary phytochemical analysis of ethanolic extract of J. gendarussa showed the presence of alkaloid, steroid, flavonoid, phenol, carbohydrate, saponin and quinoneHigh-performance thin layer chromatography fingerprinting showed different peaks at different wavelengthChemical profiling of medicinal roots of J. gendarussa by gas chromatography. mass spectrometry revealed the presence of oleic acid, 9,12.octadecadienoic acid, 6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid and estra-1,3,5 (10)-trein-17-ß-ol as bioactive compound. Abbreviations Used: TLC: Thin layer chromatography; HPTLC: High performance thin layer chromatography; GCMS: Gas chromatography-mass specrtometry; QSIMP: Quality standard of indian medicinal plant; LOD: Loss on drying; TA: Total ash; AIA: Acid insoluble ash; WSA: Water soluble ash; ASE: Alcohol soluble extractive; WSE: Water soluble extractive.