The vasodilator effect of Eugenol on uterine artery - potential therapeutic applications in pregnancy-associated hypertension.

Preeclampsia, a gestational associated hypertension, has been reported in 6-8% of pregnant women worldwide leading to premature delivery and low birth weight of newborn due to reduced blood flow to placenta. Although several vasodilators (Methyl dopa, hydralazine, β-blockers and diuretics) are currently in use to treat preeclampsia, still there is a search for safer drugs with better efficacy. Lately, antihypertensive vasodilators from natural sources are gaining importance in treating preeclampsia.

Trophic transfer patterns of arsenic in freshwater ecosystem layers in arsenic-endemic Ganges Delta and its potential human health risk.

Arsenic (As) is a toxic environmental contaminant with global public health concern. In aquatic ecosystems, the quantification of total As is restricted chiefly to the individual organisms. The present study has quantified the total As in different trophic layers (sediment-water-phytoplankton-periphyton-zooplankton-fish-gastropod-hydrophytes) of lentic freshwater ecosystems.

Brewer's spent yeast replacement in carp diet leads to muscle biomass production, recycling, waste management and resource conservation.

Brewer's spent yeast (BSY) is among the most voluminous by-products generated in brewery industry that adds to the waste; however, smart utilization of BSY could lead to edible biomass production besides waste management. To utilize it for biomass production, it is being used in fish feeds; however, its effect on the fish physiology has been scantily studied. The present study investigated the proteomic changes in muscle tissues of carp Labeo rohita fed with BSY-based diet, to understand its impact on muscle physiology and biomass.

Proteomic Profiling and Pathway Analysis of Acid Stress-Induced Vasorelaxation of Mesenteric Arteries In Vitro.

Although metabolic acidosis is associated with numerous pathophysiological conditions and its vasorelaxation effects have been well described in different animal and culture models, the molecular mechanisms of acidosis-induced vasorelaxation are not fully understood. Mesenteric artery models have been used extensively to examine the vascular response to various pathophysiological conditions. Our previous studies and several other reports have suggested the vascular responses of goat mesenteric arteries and human arteries to various stimuli, including acidic stress, are highly similar.

Culture-dependent study of arsenic-reducing bacteria in deep aquatic sediments of Bengal Delta.

Biogeochemical release of soil-bound arsenic (As) governs mobilization of the toxic metalloid into the groundwater. The present study has examined As-reduction ability of bacteria from anoxic aquatic sediments that might contribute to arsenic mobilization in the Bengal Delta. Arsenic-reducing bacteria from deep layers of pond sediment were enriched and isolated in anaerobic environments and As reduction was assessed in culture medium.

Arsenic Bioaccumulation and Identification of Low-Arsenic-Accumulating Food Fishes for Aquaculture in Arsenic-Contaminated Ponds and Associated Aquatic Ecosystems.

Arsenic-contaminated food including farmed fish is one of the main routes of human exposure. Fish farmed in contaminated environment accumulates arsenic in different tissues with great variability. Thus, it is utmost important to quantify the risk associated with different farmed fish species in arsenic-contaminated aquaculture systems.

Curcumin Has Protective Effect on the Eye Lens Against Arsenic Toxicity.

Arsenic is a highly carcinogenic environmental contaminant. Curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric, exhibits therapeutic efficacy against several chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases. The present study was carried out to investigate the impact of arsenic on eye lens and evaluate the ameliorative potential of curcumin against arsenic toxicity.

Transcriptomic responses to pollution in natural riverine environment in Rita rita.

Aquatic pollution is one of the most common threats to the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems and its biota. Fish as lower vertebrates are excellent model to study the impact and responses of aquatic pollution. In fish, gill is the main organ indicator of whole animal health as it comes in contact with the surrounding water and absorbs many pollutants and contaminants; therefore, investigations on alterations in fish gill at transcriptome level could provide newer insights to the stress response mechanism(s) and pathways.

A comparative metabolomics study on anadromous clupeid Tenualosa ilisha for better understanding the influence of habitat on nutritional composition.

Introduction: Fish inhabiting different aquatic habitats adapts to the environment by metabolomic readjustments. Understanding the combined activities of all the metabolic pathways (metabolome) helps in better understanding the complex interactions between gene and environment.

Objectives: The anadromous migratory Tenualosa ilisha is a high value food fish comprising the dominant fishery of the rivers Padma and Hooghly.

Proteomic and transcriptomic changes in rat liver following oral feeding of formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde (FA), a ubiquitous volatile organic compound present in a wide range of resources, is a hazardous chemical and human carcinogen. Contamination of FA in food, especially perishable commodities like fish and meat, is a major source of exposure, although it is not recommended for use in food and food products owing to its carcinogenicity. Effects of oral feeding of FA have been studied by evaluating general health, haematology and clinical chemistry in rat.

Impact assessment of barge trafficking on phytoplankton abundance and Chl a concentration, in River Ganga, India.

Impact of barge movement on phytoplankton abundance and biomass was assessed in the lower stretch of river Ganga, popularly known as Bhagirathi-Hooghly river, during April 2016 to March, 2017. Based on the magnitude of tide, intensity of shipping and boating activities, the stretch from Baranagar to Lalbag (278 km), located at latitude (22°38'33.41"N to 24°10'59.

Nutritional composition of food fishes and their importance in providing food and nutritional security.

Fish is a healthy food, rich in quality animal proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids especially the (ω)-3 eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and micronutrients. In addition, fish are more available and affordable than other sources of animal proteins in tropical countries. Aquaculture, which is one of the fastest growing food production sectors, could play a big role in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and nutrient-deprivation globally.

Heat stress-induced alterations in the expression of genes associated with gonadal integrity of the teleost Puntius sophore.

Temperature plays an important role on reproductive physiology of vertebrates including mammals, fish, and birds. It has varying effects on fish reproduction depending on the species; higher temperatures favor the spring-spawning species, while lower temperatures stimulate reproduction in autumn spawners. To evaluate the impact of high temperature on the reproductive physiology of minnow Puntius sophore, we carried out expression analysis of selected genes associated with gamete quality (hsp60, hsp70, hsp90, hsf1, vtg), pleuripotency (sox2, oct4, nanog), and sex determination (dmrt1) in gonads (ovary and testis) of P.

Expression patterns of heat shock protein genes in Rita rita from natural riverine habitat as biomarker response against environmental pollution.

River pollution is one of the principal environmental concerns and biomonitoring tools can play an important role in pollution assessment in the riverine environment. Heat shock proteins (Hsps) have been found to be suitable tools for monitoring stress response. In the present study, expression analyses of hsp genes (hsp27, hsp47, hsp60, hsp70, hsc70, and hsp90) and selected hsp-regulatory genes (hsf1, hyou1, ask1, jnk) were carried out by RT-qPCR in catfish Rita rita collected from selected stretches of river Ganga to investigate changes in their expression patterns as biomarker response.

Expression patterns and mutation analysis of p53 in fish Rita rita from polluted riverine environment.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the alterations in gene expression patterns and for mutation analysis of p53 in the riverine catfish Rita rita collected from polluted riverine habitat. The partial p53 gene sequence of Rita rita generated showed a high degree of similarities with the DNA binding domains of fishes, mice and human. Transcriptomic analysis, carried out by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), showed significant down-regulation of p53 in fishes collected from most of the polluted stretches.

Nutrigenomic studies on hilsa to evaluate flesh quality attributes and genes associated with fatty acid metabolism from the rivers Hooghly and Padma.

The Indian shad hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), a commercially important food fish rich in oils, enjoys high consumer preference in the South Asian countries owing to its unique flavour and culinary properties. The present study was undertaken with the primary objective of determining the flesh quality attributes of hilsa in terms of nutritive value (gross chemical composition, amino acid, fatty acid and mineral composition), pH, water holding capacity (WHC) and expression of genes associated with fatty acid metabolism and flesh quality. Additionally, comparative studies on the flesh quality attributes in hilsa from two distributaries of river Ganga i.

Suitable reference gene for quantitative real-time PCR analysis of gene expression in gonadal tissues of minnow Puntius sophore under high-temperature stress.

Background: High ambient temperature is known to affect fish gonadal development and physiology in a variety of ways depending on the severity and duration of exposure; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Gonadal gene expression influence the gonadal development, physiology and the quality of egg/sperm produced in teleosts and the mechanistic understanding of spatio-temporal changes in the gonadal gene expression could be instrumental in controlling the fate of egg/sperm and the quality of seed produced. Real time-quantititative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qCR), is a high throughput, sensitive and reproducible methodology used for understanding gene expression patterns by measuring the relative abundance of mRNA transcripts.

Identification of potential biomarkers of hepatotoxicity by plasma proteome analysis of arsenic-exposed carp Labeo rohita.

Arsenic (As) is a toxic environmental contaminant and potential human carcinogen. Chronic intake of arsenic-contaminated water and food leads to arsenicosis, a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Early detection of arsenic toxicity would greatly benefit patients; however, the detection of arsenicosis needs to be done early before onset of severe symptoms in which case the tools used for detection have to be both sensitive and reliable.

Multi-gel casting apparatus for vertical polyacrylamide gels with in-built solution flow system and liquid level detectors.

PAGE is the most widely used technique for the separation and biochemical analysis of biomolecules. The ever growing field of proteomics and genomics necessitates the analysis of many proteins and nucleic acid samples to understand further about the structure and function of cells. Simultaneous analysis of multiple protein samples often requires casting of many PAGE gels.

Dietary supplementation of curcumin augments heat stress tolerance through upregulation of nrf-2-mediated antioxidative enzymes and hsps in Puntius sophore.

Heat stress is one of the major environmental concerns in global warming regime and rising temperature has resulted in mass mortalities of animals including fishes. Therefore, strategies for high temperature stress tolerance and ameliorating the effects of heat stress are being looked for. In an earlier study, we reported that Nrf-2 (nuclear factor E2-related factor 2) mediated upregulation of antioxidative enzymes and heat shock proteins (Hsps) provide survivability to fish under heat stress.

Micronutrient Composition of 35 Food Fishes from India and Their Significance in Human Nutrition.

The micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are required in small amounts but are essential for health, development, and growth. Micronutrient deficiencies, which affect over two billion people around the globe, are the leading cause of many ailments including mental retardation, preventable blindness, and death during childbirth. Fish is an important dietary source of micronutrients and plays important role in human nutrition.

DHA and EPA Content and Fatty Acid Profile of 39 Food Fishes from India.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the principal constituent of a variety of cells especially the brain neurons and retinal cells and plays important role in fetal brain development, development of motor skills, and visual acuity in infants, lipid metabolism, and cognitive support and along with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) it plays important role in preventing atherosclerosis, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and so forth. Being an essential nutrient, it is to be obtained through diet and therefore searching for affordable sources of these ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is important for consumer guidance and dietary counseling. Fish is an important source of PUFA and has unique advantage that there are many food fish species available and consumers have a wide choice owing to availability and affordability.

hsp90 and hsp47 appear to play an important role in minnow Puntius sophore for surviving in the hot spring run-off aquatic ecosystem.

Changes in the expression of a number of hsp genes in minnow Puntius sophore collected from a hot spring run-off (Atri hot spring in Odisha, India; 2009'N 8518'E, 36-38 °C) were investigated to study the upper thermal acclimation response under heat stress, using same species from aquaculture ponds (water temperature 27 °C) as control. Expression of hsp genes was analyzed in both groups using RT-qPCR, which showed up-regulation of hsp90 (2.1-fold) and hsp47 (2.

Proteomic changes in the liver of Channa striatus in response to high temperature stress.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the proteomic changes in the liver of murrel Channa striatus exposed to high temperature stress. Fishes were exposed to 36°C for 4 days and liver proteome changes were analyzed using gel- based proteomics, i.e.

Vasorelaxation of goat mesenteric artery is mediated by endothelial Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase.

Objective: To examine the role of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and K(+) channels in mediating vasorelaxation in the superior mesenteric artery of Capra hircus.

Materials And Methods: Goat superior mesenteric artery (GSMA) was cut into 1.5-2 mm circular rings and mounted in a thermostatically controlled (37°C ± 0.