Evaluation of morphological traits, biochemical parameters and seeding availability pattern among Citrus limon 'Assam lemon' accessions across Assam.

The Assam lemon is a highly valued Citrus cultivar known for its unique aroma, flavor, and appearance. This study aimed to investigate the morphological, seeding pattern and biochemical variations within 132 populations of Assam lemon from across 22 districts of Assam along with the control samples, with the objective to offer comprehensive understanding that could facilitate the improvement of breeding programs and further improvement of this important cultivar. Clustering based on UPGMA algorithm for morphological and seeding pattern data were analysed at population level, revealed two major clusters, where all the populations of Upper Assam districts were in the same cluster with the original stock (control population). The populations from Tinsukia and Dhemaji districts displayed more close similarities with the control population in comparison to populations of Upper Assam districts. Another interesting observation was regarding flowering patterns, while populations from Upper Assam districts excluding Golaghat district displayed both bisexual and unisexual flowers with less concentration of unisexual flowers, other remaining districts had bisexual and unisexual flowers of almost equal concentration. Unisexual flowers contained only the male reproductive organs with 40 anthers, while bisexual flowers had 36 anthers. Seeding patterns were examined across the districts, and it was found that populations from Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and the control population exhibited seedless characteristic while populations from other selected districts displayed a combination of seedless and seeded traits. Interestingly, Golaghat district appears as the linking district and showed availability of both seeded and seedless Assam lemon fruit, connecting the regions of Barak valley, Central, Lower, North and Upper Assam. Biochemical analysis showed significant variations across districts, however, the populations from Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat districts displayed similarity with the control population. The study also investigated variability in soil nutrient content revealing substantial variation among the populations studied. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into the morphological, seeding pattern, and biochemical diversity within the Assam lemon cultivar. These findings can be instrumental in breeding programs to enhance the cultivar, particularly in producing high-quality seedless fruits to meet consumer demands.

Genome-wide investigation of Cytochrome P450 superfamily of Aquilaria agallocha: Association with terpenoids and phenylpropanoids biosynthesis.

Agarwood is a dark resinous wood, produced when Aquilaria tree responds to wounding and microbial infection resulting in the accumulation of fragrant metabolites. Sesquiterpenoids and 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromones are the major phytochemicals in agarwood and Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are one of the important enzymes in the biosynthesis of these fragrant chemicals. Thus, understanding the repertoire of CYP superfamily in Aquilaria can not only give insights into the fundamentals of agarwood formation, but can also provide a tool for the overproduction of the aroma chemicals. Therefore, current study was designed to investigate CYPs of an agarwood producing plant, Aquilaria agallocha. We identified 136 CYP genes from A. agallocha genome (AaCYPs) and classified them into 8 clans and 38 families. The promoter regions had stress and hormone-related cis-regulatory elements which indicate their participation in the stress response. Duplication and synteny analysis revealed segmental and tandem duplicated and evolutionary related CYP members in other plants. Potential members involved in the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenoids and phenylpropanoids were identified and found to be upregulated in methyl jasmonate-induced callus and infected Aquilaria trees by real-time quantitative PCR analyses. This study highlights the possible involvement of AaCYPs in agarwood resin development and their complex regulation during stress exposure.

Genome-wide analysis of respiratory burst oxidase homolog (Rboh) genes in Aquilaria species and insight into ROS-mediated metabolites biosynthesis and resin deposition.

Respiratory burst oxidase homolog (Rboh) generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a defense response during biotic and abiotic stress. In Aquilaria plants, wounding and fungal infection result in biosynthesis and deposition of secondary metabolites as defense responses, which later form constituents of fragrant resinous agarwood. During injury and fungal invasion, Aquilaria tree generates ROS species via the Rboh enzymes. Despite the implication of Rboh genes in agarwood formation, no comprehensive genomic-level study of the Rboh gene family in Aquilaria is present. A systematic illustration of their role during stress and involvement in initiating signal cascades for agarwood metabolite biosynthesis is missing. In this study, 14 Rboh genes were retrieved from genomes of two Aquilaria species, A. agallocha and A. sinensis, and were classified into five groups. The promoter regions of the genes had abundant of stress-responsive elements. Protein-protein network and in silico expression analysis suggested their functional association with MAPK proteins and transcription factors such as WRKY and MYC2. The study further explored the expression profiles of Rboh genes and found them to be differentially regulated in stress-induced callus and stem tissue, suggesting their involvement in ROS generation during stress in Aquilaria. Overall, the study provides in-depth insight into two Rboh genes, AaRbohC and AaRbohA, highlighting their role in defense against fungal and abiotic stress, and likely during initiation of agarwood formation through modulation of genes involved in secondary metabolites biosynthesis. The findings presented here offer valuable information about Rboh family members, which can be leveraged for further investigations into ROS-mediated regulation of agarwood formation in Aquilaria species.

Clinical outcomes in individuals hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) who had been vaccinated with Covishield (ChAdOx1) and Covaxin (BBV-152).

Background: Covishield (ChAdOx) and Covaxin (BBV-152) are the mainstream vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) used in India and a few other countries. Objective: To assess the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who had been vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin. Methods: This prospective, single-centre, observational cohort study of 1160 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was conducted between April and June 2021. Severity of disease at admission and during hospitalization, requirement for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and ventilatory support, inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer), neutralizing antibody levels and mortality were assessed in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. Results: More than 90% of patients in this study harboured the Delta variant (Pango lineage B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2. Severity of disease at admission and during hospitalization (3.44% vs 7.51%; P=0.0032) and requirement for ICU admission and ventilatory support (2.83% vs 5.86%; P=0.0154) were significantly lower in vaccinated patients compared with unvaccinated patients. Vaccinated patients also had significantly (P<0.0001) higher antibody levels and lower inflammatory marker levels compared with unvaccinated patients. A subset of vaccinated, deceased patients mounted minimal antibody response ['non-responders': 4.53 (standard deviation 1.40) AU/mL]. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the effectiveness of Covishield and Covaxin against severe disease in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with breakthrough infections caused by the Delta variant. Strategies targeting non-responders are desirable to minimize morbidity and mortality.

Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria and Fungi Associated with Agarwood Fermentation.

Agarwood oil, often called attar, is a valuable perfume retainer derived from Aquilaria malaccensis. It is obtained through a process of fermentation followed by distillation. The microbes involved in fermentation during agarwood processing have neither been documented nor their role in the process deciphered yet. The present study characterizes the fungi and bacteria engaged in the agarwood fermentation and assesses their colony forming units (CFU) in three categories of agarwood fermentation broth (AFB) collected from three small-scale industries of Hojai, Assam at varying time points. It was interesting to note that grade-A AFB contained the highest CFU count for both bacteria and fungi; the metabolite profile also revealed that the oil obtained from grade-A agarwood comprised of the highest number of compounds. The CFU count increased from 0 to 21 days during fermentation. A total of 105 bacteria and 9 fungi were isolated from 3 different grades of AFB. Shannon index (H' = 0.81) was observed maximum in grade-C AFB and fisher index (α = 2.6) observed maximum for grade-A AFB. The genus Bacillus with a Pi value of 0.61 exhibited dominance among isolated bacteria, while the genus Galactomyces was dominant among fungi with a Pi value of 0.43. The metabolite profiles of three grades of oil obtained after fermentation and one solvent extracted (S.E.) grade agarwood oil analyzed using GC-MS, which showed distinct differences among the oil. The outcomes of this study are expected to create new opportunities for improving oil production methods by modulating biochemical processes involved in fermentation.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of intra-host variability in SARS-CoV-2 genomes.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, large-scale genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 has been useful in tracking its spread and in identifying variants of concern (VOC). Viral and host factors could contribute to variability within a host that can be captured in next-generation sequencing reads as intra-host single nucleotide variations (iSNVs). Analysing 1347 samples collected till June 2020, we recorded 16 410 iSNV sites throughout the SARS-CoV-2 genome. We found ∼42% of the iSNV sites to be reported as SNVs by 30 September 2020 in consensus sequences submitted to GISAID, which increased to ∼80% by 30th June 2021. Following this, analysis of another set of 1774 samples sequenced in India between November 2020 and May 2021 revealed that majority of the Delta (B.1.617.2) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) lineage-defining variations appeared as iSNVs before getting fixed in the population. Besides, mutations in RdRp as well as RNA-editing by APOBEC and ADAR deaminases seem to contribute to the differential prevalence of iSNVs in hosts. We also observe hyper-variability at functionally critical residues in Spike protein that could alter the antigenicity and may contribute to immune escape. Thus, tracking and functional annotation of iSNVs in ongoing genome surveillance programs could be important for early identification of potential variants of concern and actionable interventions.

Genome-wide detection and classification of terpene synthase genes in Aquilaria agallochum.

Agarwood, one of the precious woods in the globe, is produced by Aquilaria plant species during an upshot of wounding and infection. Produced as a defence response, the dark, fragrant resin gets secreted in the plant's duramen, which is impregnated with fragrant molecules with the due course. Agarwood has gained worldwide popularity due to its high aromatic oil, fragrance, and pharmaceutical value, which makes it highly solicited by numerous industries. Predominant chemical constituents of agarwood, sesquiterpenoids, and 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromones have been scrutinized to comprehend the scientific nature of the fragrant wood and develop novel products. However, the genes involved in the biosynthesis of these aromatic compounds are still not comprehensively studied in Aquilaria. In this study, publicly available genomic and transcriptomics data of Aquilaria agallochum were integrated to identify putative functional terpene synthase genes (TPSs). The in silico study enabled us to identify ninety-six TPSs, of which thirty-nine full-length genes were systematically classified into TPS-a, TPS-b, TPS-c, TPS-e, TPS-f, and TPS-g subfamilies based on their gene structure, conserve motif, and phylogenetic comparison with TPSs from other plant species. Analysis of the cis-regulatory elements present upstream of AaTPSs revealed their association with hormone, stress and light responses. In silico expression studies detected their up-regulation in stress induced tissue. This study provides a basic understanding of terpene synthase gene repertoire in Aquilaria agallochum and unlatches opportunities for the biochemical characterization and biotechnological exploration of these genes. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01040-z.

In-house reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for detection of SARS-CoV-2 with increased sensitivity.

As the COVID-19 infection continues to ravage the world, the advent of an efficient as well as the economization of the existing RT-PCR based detection assay essentially can become a blessing in these testing times and significantly help in the management of the pandemic. This study demonstrated an innovative and rapid corroboration of COVID-19 test based on innovative multiplex PCR. An assessment of optimal PCR conditions to simultaneously amplify the SARS-CoV-2 genes E, S and RdRp has been made by fast-conventional and HRM coupled multiplex real-time PCR using the same sets of primers. All variables of practical value were studied by amplifying known target-sequences from ten-fold dilutions of archived positive samples of COVID-19 disease. The multiplexing with newly designed E, S and RdRp primers have shown an efficient amplification of the target region of SARS-CoV-2. A distinct amplification was observed in 37 min using thermal cycler while it took 96 min in HRM coupled real time detection using SYBR green over a wide range of template concentrations. Our findings revealed decent concordance with other commercially available detection kits. This fast HRM coupled multiplex real-time PCR with SYBR green approach offers rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a cost-effective manner apart from the added advantage of primer compatibility for use in conventional multiplex PCR. The highly reproducible novel approach can propel extended applicability for developing sustainable commercial product besides providing relief to a resource limited setting.

An overview of basic molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2 and current COVID-19 prevention strategies.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifests as extreme acute respiratory conditions caused by a novel beta coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is reported to be the seventh coronavirus to infect humans. Like other SARS-CoVs it has a large positive-stranded RNA genome. But, specific furin site in the spike protein, mutation prone and phylogenetically mess open reading frame1ab (Orf1ab) separates SARS-CoV-2 from other RNA viruses. Since the outbreak (February-March 2020), researchers, scientists, and medical professionals are inspecting all possible facts and aspects including its replication, detection, and prevention strategies. This led to the prompt identification of its basic biology, genome characterization, structural and expression based functional information of proteins, and utilization of this information in optimizing strategies to prevent its spread. This review summarizes the recent updates on the basic molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2 and prevention strategies undertaken worldwide to tackle COVID-19. This recent information can be implemented for the development and designing of therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 genomics: An Indian perspective on sequencing viral variants.

Since its emergence as a pneumonia-like outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 has spread widely to become a global pandemic. The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on 30 January 2020 and since then it has affected more than ten million people and resulted in around 150,000 deaths in the country. Over time, the viral genome has accumulated mutations as it passes through its human hosts, a common evolutionary mechanism found in all microorganisms. This has implications for disease surveillance and management, vaccines and therapeutics, and the emergence of reinfections. Sequencing the viral genome can help monitor these changes and provides an extraordinary opportunity to understand the genetic epidemiology and evolution of the virus as well as tracking its spread in a population. Here we review the past year in the context of the phylogenetic analysis of variants isolated over the course of the pandemic in India and highlight the importance of continued sequencing-based surveillance in the country.

Drosophila Hox genes induce melanized pseudo-tumors when misexpressed in hemocytes.

Hox genes are early determinants of cell identity along the anterior-posterior body axis across bilaterians. Several late non-homeotic functions of Hox genes have emerged in a variety of processes involved in organogenesis in several organisms, including mammals. Several studies have reported the misexpression of Hox genes in a variety of malignancies including acute myeloid leukemia. The Hox genes Dfd, Ubx, abd-A and Abd-B were overexpressed via the UAS-Gal4 system using Cg-Gal4, Lsp2-Gal4, He-Gal4 and HmlD3-Gal4 as specific drivers. Genetic interaction was tested by bringing overexpression lines in heterozygous mutant backgrounds of Polycomb and trithorax group factors. Larvae were visually scored for melanized bodies. Circulating hemocytes were quantified and tested for differentiation. Pupal lethality was assessed. Expression of Dfd, Ubx and abd-A, but not Abd-B in the hematopoietic compartment of Drosophila led to the appearance of circulating melanized bodies, an increase in cell number, cell-autonomous proliferation, and differentiation of hemocytes. Pupal lethality and melanized pseudo-tumors were suppressed in Psc1 and esc2 backgrounds while polycomb group member mutations Pc1 and Su(z)123 and trithorax group member mutation TrlR85 enhanced the phenotype. Dfd, Ubx and abd-A are leukemogenic. Mutations in Polycomb and trithorax group members modulate the leukemogenic phenotype. Our RNAseq of Cg-Gal4 > UAS-abd-A hemocytes may contain genes important to Hox gene induced leukemias.

Tissue-specific transcriptome recovery on withdrawal from chronic alcohol exposure in zebrafish.

Alcohol consumption can lead to a wide range of systemic disorders brought about by transcriptional changes. Recent studies have documented altered behavior and physiology in zebrafish exposed to alcohol. In this work, we have identified the changes in the zebrafish transcriptome in response to chronic alcohol exposure. We have further followed the extent of transcriptional recovery upon withdrawal from alcohol and found evidence of tissue-specific responses. Our results indicate a greater extent of recovery of the brain transcriptome compared to the liver. We identify two distinct classes of genes in response to withdrawal from alcohol exposure - those that recover their pre-alcohol expression profile versus those that retain altered expression even after the fish are removed from the alcohol environment. Finally, we have examined gender-specific responses to alcohol exposure in zebrafish and find evidence for distinct alcohol tolerance levels. Upon chronic alcohol exposure, a higher percentage of genes show perturbation in expression profile in males compared to females. Female fish also recover better with more genes regaining the control expression level upon withdrawal from alcohol. Overall, our work identifies genes and pathways perturbed by exposure to alcohol, and demonstrates the extent of gender- and tissue-specific transcriptional changes associated with chronic alcoholism and withdrawal.

Transcriptomic dataset of zebrafish tissues following chronic alcohol exposure and withdrawal.

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance which has detrimental health effects upon consumption. Transcriptome profiling can provide insights into the dynamic changes in global gene expression profiles induced by chronic alcohol exposure and withdrawal. Male and female zebrafish were continually exposed to 0.5% ethanol for a period of 9 weeks. Upon completion of alcohol treatment, the fish were subjected to a withdrawal program for 9 weeks. Brain and liver tissues of control, alcohol exposed and withdrawal fish were isolated and the extracted RNA was sequenced on Illumina HiSeq 2000. The resultant paired end reads were mapped to the zebrafish reference genome (danRer10). The mapped transcripts were quantified for their expression and subjected to differential expression analysis across the three conditions. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of the differentially regulated genes was carried out to identify affected biological processes. The data for this project is available as a GEO dataset under Accession number GSE143416. The gene expression data discussed here accompanies the research article entitled 'Tissue-specific transcriptome recovery on withdrawal from chronic alcohol exposure in zebrafish'.

A Distinct Phylogenetic Cluster of Indian Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Isolates.

BACKGROUND: From an isolated epidemic, coronavirus disease 2019 has now emerged as a global pandemic. The availability of genomes in the public domain after the epidemic provides a unique opportunity to understand the evolution and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus across the globe. METHODS: We performed whole-genome sequencing of 303 Indian isolates, and we analyzed them in the context of publicly available data from India. RESULTS: We describe a distinct phylogenetic cluster (Clade I/A3i) of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from India, which encompasses 22% of all genomes deposited in the public domain from India. Globally, approximately 2% of genomes, which to date could not be mapped to any distinct known cluster, fall within this clade. CONCLUSIONS: The cluster is characterized by a core set of 4 genetic variants and has a nucleotide substitution rate of 1.1 × 10-3 variants per site per year, which is lower than the prevalent A2a cluster. Epidemiological assessments suggest that the common ancestor emerged at the end of January 2020 and possibly resulted in an outbreak followed by countrywide spread. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study characterizing this cluster of SARS-CoV-2 in India.

Sperm methylome alterations following yoga-based lifestyle intervention in patients of primary male infertility: A pilot study.

A majority of the cases of primary male infertility are idiopathic with the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the pathophysiology as yet unknown. Effects of the environment can alter the sperm epigenome thereby impacting male reproductive health. Epigenetic mechanisms are crucial to understanding health and disease, and methylome alterations are now known to have far-reaching clinical implications. Here, we report the results from our pilot study, a first of its kind analysis of the effect of the traditional practice of yoga on human sperm quality. We find marked improvement in sperm characteristics in patients of idiopathic male infertility following a supervised 21-day yoga regimen. Furthermore, next-generation sequencing-based methylome analysis reveals alterations in the sperm epigenome of these patients. We find that the practice of yoga is associated with DNA methylation changes at nearly 400 genes, 147 of which were hypermethylated while 229 were hypomethylated. These included promoters of several genes linked to maintenance of fertility and genomic integrity. This novel piece of work draws a direct link between positive lifestyle practices and male reproductive health.

Determination of individual type 2 diabetes risk profile in the North East Indian population & its association with anthropometric parameters.

Background & objectives: Diabetes genomics research has illuminated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in several genes including, fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) (rs9939609 and rs9926289), potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily J member 11 (rs5219), SLC30A 8 (rs13266634) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (rs1805192). The present study was conducted to investigate the involvement of these polymorphisms in conferring susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the North East Indian population, and also to establish their association with anthropometric parameters. Methods: DNA was extracted from blood samples of 155 patients with T2D and 100 controls. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing. To confirm the association between the inheritance of SNP and T2D development, logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: For the rs9939609 variant (FTO), the dominant model AA/(AT+TT) revealed significant association with T2D [odds ratio (OR)=2.03, P=0.021], but was non-significant post correction for multiple testing (P=0.002). For the rs13266634 variant (SLC30A 8), there was considerable but non-significant difference in the distribution pattern of genotypic polymorphisms between the patients and the controls (P=0.004). Significant association was observed in case of the recessive model (CC+CT)/TT (OR=4.56 P=0.001), after adjusting for age, gender and body mass index. In addition, a significant association (P=0.001) of low-density lipoprotein (mg/dl) could be established with the FTO (rs9926289) polymorphism assuming dominant model. Interpretation & conclusions: The current study demonstrated a modest but significant effect of SLC30A8 (rs13266634) polymorphisms on T2D predisposition. Considering the burgeoning prevalence of T2D in the Indian population, the contribution of these genetic variants studied, to the ever-increasing number of T2D cases, appears to be relatively low. This study may serve as a foundation for performing future genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involving larger populations.

Effects of Resveratrol and Mangiferin on PPARγ and FALDH Gene Expressions in Adipose Tissue of Streptozotocin-Nicotinamide-Induced Diabetes in Rats.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by insufficient insulin secretion by the pancreatic beta cells and insulin resistance in liver, skeletal muscle, and white adipose tissue. Adipose tissue plays a major role in glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Dietary antioxidants such as resveratrol and mangiferin may offer some protection against the early stage of diabetes mellitus. Therefore, an attempt has been made to investigate the effects of resveratrol and mangiferin on biochemical parameters and molecular mechanism of PPARγ and FALDH gene expression in adipose tissue of streptozotocin- (STZ-) nicotinamide- (NA-) induced diabetic rats. Albino Wister rats were randomly divided into five groups: control rats (Group 1), diabetic control rats (Group 2), diabetic rats given resveratrol (40 mg/kg body weight per day; Group 3), diabetic rats given mangiferin (40 mg/kg body weight per day; Group 4), diabetic rats given glibenclamide (0.6 mg/kg body weight per day; Group 5). Serum biochemical parameters-total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), urea, and uric acid were analyzed. We found that the oral administration of resveratrol and mangiferin to STZ-NA-induced diabetic rats for 30 days showed the significant protective effect on all the biochemical parameters. A significant reduction in blood glucose and HbA1c levels was observed in rats treated with 40 mg/kg body weight per day of resveratrol or mangiferin. Moreover, both these antioxidants showed significant enhancement of PPARγ and FALDH gene expression in rat adipose tissue compared to control rats.

Modulatory effect of baicalein on gene expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats

Oxidative stress plays the central role in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic complications. The present study aims to investigate the beneficial effect of oral administration of flavone baicalein in streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ-NA) induced diabetic rats by measuring oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzyme activities and expression analysis of antioxidant genes. Experimental diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of STZ (55 mg /kg b.wt), 15 min after the i.p. administration of NA. At the end of the experimental period, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), activities of antioxidant enzymes and expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in diabetic rats along with serum biochemical parameters namely total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), aspartate transaminase (AST) alanine transaminase (ALT) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Oral administration of baicalein (40 mg/kg b.wt/day) demonstrated a significant ameliorative effect on all studied biochemical and oxidative stress parameters. Biochemical findings were corroborated by qPCR expression analysis which showed significant upregulation of antioxidant genes in diabetic rats. These results suggest that baicalein supplementation may reduce diabetes and its complications by suppressing oxidative stress and enhancing gene expression and antioxidant enzyme activities in diabetic rats.

Comparative analysis of different dietary antioxidants on oxidative stress pathway genes in L6 myotubes under oxidative stress.

Enhanced oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression and onset of diabetes and its complications. Strategies or efforts meant to reduce the oxidative stress are needed which may mitigate these pathogenic processes. The present study aims to investigate the in vitro ameliorative potential of nine antioxidant molecules in L6 myotubes under oxidative stress condition induced by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal and also to comprehend the gene expression patterns of oxidative stress genes upon the supplementation of different antioxidants in induced stress condition. The study results demonstrated a marked increase in the level of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl content with a subsequent increase in the free radicals that was reversed by the pretreatment of different dietary antioxidant. From the expression analysis of the oxidative stress genes, it is evident that the expression of these genes is modulated by the presence of antioxidants. The highest expression was found in the cells treated with Insulin in conjugation with an antioxidant. Resveratrol is the most potent modulator followed by Mangiferin, Estragole, and Capsaicin. This comparative analysis ascertains the potency of Resveratrol along with Insulin in scavenging the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated under induced stress conditions through antioxidant defense mechanism against excessive ROS production, contributing to the prevention of oxidative damage in L6 myotubes.