Synthesis of Some Benzofuran Derivatives Containing Pyrimidine Moiety as Potent Antimicrobial Agents.

In this investigation, the synthesis of 2-substituted pyrimidines by the reaction of benzofuran chalcones (3a-d) with urea, thiourea and guanidine hydrochloride was reported. The structures of title compounds (4a-d), (5a-d) and (6a-d) were established on the basis of analytical and spectral data. The synthesized compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity and molecular docking studies.

Assessment of Nutritional Quality and Global Antioxidant Response of Banana ( sp. CV. Nanjangud Rasa Bale) Pseudostem and Flower.

Background: The assessment of the nutritional composition and phytochemical screening of banana pseudostem (PB) and flower (FB) advocate this nonconventional food source for routine consumption, considering its various health benefits.

Objectives: The aim is to assess the proximate nutrient composition, fatty acids, minerals, amino acid profile, and global antioxidant response (GAR) of PB and FB.

Methods: Standard analytical procedures were used to determine the nutritional quality and GAR of PB and FB.

Investigation of Antihyperglycaemic Activity of Banana ( sp. Var. Nanjangud rasa bale) Flower in Normal and Diabetic Rats.

Background: The vital enzymes of starch digestion and absorption are intestinal α-glucosidases and their inhibition improves postprandial hyperglycaemia, constituting an effective mode of therapy in diabetes.

Objectives: The present study was designed to assess the inhibitory potential of ethanol extract of banana flower (EF) on mammalian α-glucosidases and its pharmacological effects on postprandial hyperglycaemia in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Materials And Methods: EF was evaluated for its inhibitory potential and mode of inhibition on mammalian α-glucosidases.

A facile and green strategy for the synthesis of Au, Ag and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles using aerial parts of R. hypocrateriformis extract and their biological evaluation.

A facile and green strategy is reported here to synthesize gold (Au), silver (Ag) and gold-silver (Au-Ag) alloy nanoparticles (NPs) through bio-reduction reactions of aqueous corresponding metal precursors mediated by extracts of aerial parts of R. hypocrateriformis, which act as both reducing and stabilizing agents, under microwave irradiation. UV-vis spectrophotometer, XRD, FT-IR, FESEM/TEM, TGA and EDAX analysis were used to characterize the obtained NPs.

Development and validation of reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography for citral analysis from essential oils.

Citral is a widely used monoterpene aldehyde in aromatherapy, food and pesticide industries. A new validated reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP - HPLC) procedure for the detection and quantification of cis-trans isomers of citral was developed. The RP-HPLC analysis was carried out using Enable C - 18G column (250×4.

Multi-targeting Andrographolide and its Natural Analogs as Potential Therapeutic Agents.

Andrographis paniculata (A. paniculata) is a medicinal plant used in the Indian and Chinese traditional medicinal systems for its various beneficial properties of therapeutics. This is due to the presence of a diterpene lactone called 'andrographolide'.

Clinical Profile and Laboratory Parameters in 1051 Victims of Snakebite from a Single Centre in Kerala, South India.

Introduction: Snakebite is an occupational hazard causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly so in tropical countries like India.

Objective: The aim of this study is to (i) review the demographic, clinical and laboratory findings in patients (1051) admitted with venomous snakebite (ii) to correlate mortality, morbidity and duration of hospital stay with clinical signs, symptoms and laboratory parameters.

Methods: A retrospective study of 1051 patients treated for snakebite over 10 years (2000 - 2009) in Little Flower Hospital, Angamaly, Kerala.

The effect of a plant extract enriched in stigmasterol and β-sitosterol on glycaemic status and glucose metabolism in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Banana is an extensively cultivated plant worldwide, mainly for its fruit, while its ancillary product, the banana pseudostem, is consumed as a vegetable and is highly recommended for diabetics in the traditional Indian medicine system. The present study was aimed at elucidating the mechanism of antihyperglycaemia exerted by the ethanol extract of banana pseudostem (EE) and its isolated compounds viz., stigmasterol (C1) and β-sitosterol (C2), in an alloxan-induced diabetic rat model.

Correction: Assessment of In Vivo Antidiabetic Properties of Umbelliferone and Lupeol Constituents of Banana (Musa sp. var. Nanjangud Rasa Bale) Flower in Hyperglycaemic Rodent Model.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Inhibition of Group IIA Secretory Phospholipase A2 and its Inflammatory Reactions in Mice by Ethanolic Extract of Andrographis paniculata, a Well-known Medicinal Food.

Unlabelled: Andrographis paniculata Nees is an important medicinal plant found in the tropical regions of the world, which has been traditionally used in Indian and Chinese medicinal systems. It is also used as medicinal food. A.

Evaluating the Anticancer Potential of Ethanolic Gall Extract of Terminalia chebula (Gaertn.) Retz. (Combretaceae).

Unlabelled: Plants have been an important source for discovery of anticancer compounds. With the current decline in the number of new molecular entities from the pharmaceutical industry, novel anticancer agents are being sought from traditional medicines; therefore the anticancer efficacy of many plants that are used in traditional medicine is yet to be verified. The objective of the study was to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of ethanolic leaf gall extract of Terminalia chebula are evaluated against buffalo rat liver 3A, MCF-7 (Human mammary gland adenocarcinoma) and A-549 (Human lung cancer) cell lines.

In vivo Toxicity Studies on Gall Extracts of Terminalia chebula (Gaertn.) Retz. (Combretaceae).

Unlabelled: The galls of Terminala chebula (Gaertn.) Retz. (Combretaceae) are used for the treatment of various diseases in folk medicine and has been found to posses anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-helmintic, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-aging activities.

Viper venom hyaluronidase and its potential inhibitor analysis: a multipronged computational investigation.

Viper venom hyaluronidase (VV-HYA) inhibitors have long been used as therapeutic agents for arresting the local and systemic effects caused during its envenomation. Henceforth, to understand its structural features and also to identify the best potential inhibitor against it the present computational study was undertaken. Structure-based homology modeling of VV-HYA followed by its docking and free energy-based ranking analysis of ligand, the MD simulations of the lead complex was also performed.

Evaluation of adhesive and anti-adhesive properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and their inhibition by herbal plants.

Background And Objectives: Adhesion and colonization are prerequisites for the establishment of bacterial pathogenesis. The biofilm development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was assessed on adhesive surfaces like dialysis membrane, stainless steel, glass and polystyrene.

Materials And Methods: Microtiter plate biofilm assay was performed to assess the effect of nutrient medium and growth parameters of P.

The standard aqueous stem bark extract of Mangifera indica L. inhibits toxic PLA2 - NN-XIb-PLA2 of Indian cobra venom.

The aqueous extract of Mangifera indica is known to possess diverse medicinal properties, which also includes anti-snake venom activities. However, its inhibitory potency and mechanism of action on multi-toxic snake venom phospholipases A2s are still unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the modulatory effect of standard aqueous bark extract of M.

Wasp Venom Toxins as a Potential Therapeutic Agent.

It is high time now to discover novel drugs due to the increasing rate of drug resistance by the pathogen organisms and target cells as well as the dependence or tolerance of the body towards the drug. As it is obvious that significant numbers of the modern day pharmaceuticals are derived from natural products, it is equally astonishing to accept that venoms of various origins have therapeutic potentials. Wasp venoms are also a rich source of therapeutically important toxins which includes short cationic peptides, kinins, polyamines and polyDNA viruses, to name a few indentified.

Therapeutic Potentials of Triterpenes in Diabetes and its Associated Complications.

Diabetes is a major chronic metabolic disorder globally and around of 285 million people are affected by the disease and the number is expected to double in the next two decades. The major focus of anti-diabetic therapies is to enhance insulin production, sensitivity and/or reduce the blood glucose level. Although several synthetic drugs have been developed as antidiabetic agents but their utility has been hampered due to their side effects and poor efficacy.

The anti-inflammatory activity of standard aqueous stem bark extract of Mangifera indica L. as evident in inhibition of Group IA sPLA2.

The standard aqueous stem bark extract is consumed as herbal drink and used in the pharmaceutical formulations to treat patients suffering from various disease conditions in Cuba. This study was carried out to evaluate the modulatory effect of standard aqueous bark extract of M. indica on Group IA sPLA2.

Anti-Lipoxygenase Activity of Leaf Gall Extracts of Terminalia chebula (Gaertn.) Retz. (Combretaceae).

Unlabelled: Lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors are the promising therapeutic target for treating a wide spectrum of inflammatory-related diseases such as cancer, asthma, lymphoma, leukemia, and autoimmune disorders. In the present study, the photochemical constituents and the anti-LOX potential of leaf galls of Terminalia chebula are evaluated to exemplify its further potential development as medicine. Extracts of T.

Synthesis of new secretory phospholipase A2-inhibitory indole containing isoxazole derivatives as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents.

Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) is an important enzyme that plays a key role in various inflammatory diseases including cancer and its inhibitors have been developed as preventive or therapeutic agents. In the present study, a series of new indole containing isoxazole derivatives (10a-10o) is synthesized and evaluated for their sPLA2 inhibitory activities. All compounds (10a-10o) showed significant sPLA2 inhibition activities both in vitro and in vivo studies which is substantiated in in silico studies.

Antibacterial activity of an acidic phospholipase A2 (NN-XIb-PLA2) from the venom of Naja naja (Indian cobra).

The resistance of bacteria against the use of conventional antibiotics has become a serious threat to public health and considering the associated side effect with antibiotics; new strategies to find and develop new molecules with novel modes of action has received grate attention in recent years. In this study, when the antibacterial potential of an acidic protein-NN-XIb-PLA2 (Naja naja venom phospholipase A2 fraction-XIb) of Naja naja venom was evaluated, it showed significant bactericidal action against the human pathogenic strains tested. It inhibited more effectively the gram positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, when compared to gram negative bacteria like Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiell pneumoniae and Salmonella paratyphi.

Targeting arachidonic acid pathway by natural products for cancer prevention and therapy.

Arachidonic acid (AA) pathway, a metabolic process, plays a key role in carcinogenesis. Hence, AA pathway metabolic enzymes phospholipase As (PLAs), cyclooxygenases (COXs) and lipoxygenases (LOXs) and their metabolic products, such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes, have been considered novel preventive and therapeutic targets in cancer. Bioactive natural products are a good source for development of novel cancer preventive and therapeutic drugs, which have been widely used in clinical practice due to their safety profiles.

Phytochemically Functionalized Cu and Ag Nanoparticles Embedded in MWCNTs for Enhanced Antimicrobial and Anticancer Properties.

Nanomedicine is an emerging field concerned with the use of precision engineered nanomaterials, which leads to the development of novel remedial and diagnostic modalities for human use. In this study, Cu(NO) and AgNO precursors were reduced to copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using bark extracts under microwave irradiation in the presence of well-dispersed multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in aqueous medium. The formation of CuNPs or AgNPs and their functionalization with MWCNTs via bioactive molecules of plant extract were evidenced from UV-Vis spectra, XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDX, and TEM images.

Evaluating the inhibitory potential of Withania somnifera on platelet aggregation and inflammation enzymes: An in vitro and in silico study.

Context Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is traditionally used for treating various ailments, but lacks scientific evaluation. Objective This study evaluates Withania somnifera (WS) for its effect on platelet activity and inflammatory enzymes.

Phytosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using Mappia foetida leaves extract and their conjugation with folic acid for delivery of doxorubicin to cancer cells.

Mappia foetida leaves extract is used as bioreductant for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their application in the efficient delivery of doxorubicin to human cancer cells is reported here. The formation of gold nanoparticles is evident from their characteristic optical absorption at ~560 nm. X-ray diffraction pattern of gold nanoparticles confirmed their fcc structure.