Evaluating Toxicity and Pharmacognostic Standards for Laxative Properties of Nigerian Cassia sieberiana and Senna obtusifolia Roots | Chapter 13 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

Objectives: Research on the sourcing of laxative crude drugs among species of Nigerian Cassia/Senna has continued. Pharmacognostic and toxicity studies have been carried out on the roots of Cassia sieberiana and Senna obtusifolia, identified as mild laxatives, in order to form part of their monographs. Study Design: This is an experimental laboratory report on toxicological and pharmacognostic studies which will provide for these two plants developing in Nigeria with some specific pharmacopoeial standards. Place and length of the study: Obafemi Awolowo University Department of Pharmacognosy, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, between August 2010 and January 2013. Methodology: The Cassia sieberiana DC roots. Irwin and Bernaby (Caesalpiniaceae) and Senna obtusifolia Irwin and Bernaby (Caesalpiniaceae) were collected during the rainy season from the eastern (Nsukka), western (Ile-Ife and Iree) and northern (Jos) parts of Nigeria. Organoleptic, morphological, phytochemical, physico-chemical, and toxicity tests were conducted on the plant materials. The data was evaluated at 95% confidence level through one-way Study of Variance. The Senna alexandrina (Herb Tea) reference was acquired from a pharmacy. Outcomes: The micro-morphological review of C. Sieberian, S. As useful diagnostic characteristics for identification, obtusifolia roots showed porous vessels, apotracheal parenchyma cells, etc. Anthraquinones, free and mixed, were found. For the hot infusion of each plant material, the toxic oral dose (LD50) was found to be > 5000 mg/kg in rats. The histo-pathological analysis of C. At 500 and 1000 mg/kg, sieberiana exhibited reversible proliferation of messenchymal kidney cells, mild periportal liver infiltration, and mild to severe testicular atrophy in rats and S. No detectable histopathological changes were observed for obtusifolia at 500 mg/kg, except at 1000 mg/kg, which showed mild periportal liver infiltration, as was also observed with the reference senna infusion. Finding: C. At lower doses, sieberiana root was generally non-toxic, while its high-dose toxicity in the kidney, liver and testis was reversible following drug withdrawal. Therefore, the results provided some of the useful data needed for the identification, assessment, quality assurance and protection of the two plants to qualify them for inclusion in the 2nd Nigerian Herbal Pharmacopoeia (NHP) and West African Herbal Pharmacopoeia editions (WAHP).

Author(s) Details

Clement Olusoji Ajayi
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

Anthony A. Elujoba
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

Ronald A. Bejide
Department of Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

Johnson A. Akinloye
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

Abidemi E. Omonisi

Department of Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, OAU Teaching Hospital Complex, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

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Study on Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism in India– Is Overdue | Chapter 12 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

Neonatal screening is an important public health prevention service, and is the world's standard care procedure. Despite having been developed in many countries for more than 50 years, India has yet to launch any publicly funded programme. The aim of neonatal screening is to decrease newborn morbidity and mortality. In contrast to the cost associated with delayed care, diagnosis must provide a direct advantage for the baby and be cost effective. The screening of a baby at birth for congenital hypothyroidism specifically follows these criteria (CHT). Though systematic neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism was introduced in several countries in the early 1970s, an estimated 10,000 babies are born each year in India with congenital hypothyroidism, but there is no screening programme for this. We present the details of our report, which shows that CHT has a high incidence in India and is an urgent public screening priority.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Prof. R. Kishore Kumar
Cloudnine Hospitals, Bangalore, India and Department of Neonatology & Paediatrics, Notre Dame University, Perth, Australia.

Enzo Ranieri
South Australian Newborn Screening, SA Pathology at Womens and Children’s Hospital Adelaide, Australia.

Janice Fletcher
Department of Genetics and Molecular Pathology, Adelaide, Australia.

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Single Step Aqueous Two-Phase System (ATPS), for Purification of Glucose Oxidase (GOx) | Chapter 11 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

 Glucose oxidase is an intracellular and extracellular enzyme of the genus Aspergillus and Penicillium, developed on an industrial scale. The purpose of this research was to study the isolation of Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase (GOx) in an aqueous two-phase system consisting of PEG 7500 (150 g l-1), potassium phosphate (175 g l-1, K2HPO4 +KH2PO4) and glucose (10 gl-1), divided into polymer phase enzymes. GOx (69.2 percent) was recovered by sequential extraction by 11.8 fold purification in the polymer process, giving a yield of 129U mg protein-1.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Jagdish Singh
Department of Biotechnology, Mata Gujri College Sri Fatehgarh Sahib - 140406 Punjab, India.

Ms. Surbhi Goyal

Department of Biotechnology, Mata Gujri College Sri Fatehgarh Sahib - 140406 Punjab, India.

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Statistical Optimization of Cellulase Production from Bacillus sp. JS14 by Solid Substrate Fermentation (SSF) | Chapter 10 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

The purpose of this work was to isolate the potent strains of bacteria for the development of the enzyme cellulase. The enzymes hydrolyze glucose from cellulose, which can be used to produce ethanol, organic acids and other chemicals. A total of 30 bacterial isolates showed positive results for the development of cellulase, but isolate JS 14 showed the highest enzyme activity. The isolate was classified as Bacillus sp. based on morphological and biochemical reactions. Development of cellulase was examined by this strain using the methodology of response surface (RSM). In order to explain the parameters that significantly affected enzyme output in solid substrate fermentation, a central composite design (CCD) quadratic response surface was applied to explain (SSF). Important factors for enzyme development were the wheat bran concentration and incubation time. The optimised process parameters with enzyme output response surface methodology were wheat bran concentration of 400 g/L; pH, 6.5; temperature, 40 ° C and incubation time of 5 days when 10 percent (1x107 cells/ml) of inoculum was used. The enzyme production was preferred by supplementation of lactose and CMC to the wheat bran medium.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Jagdish Singh
Department of Biotechnology, Mata Gujri College Sri Fatehgarh Sahib - 140406 Punjab, India.

Ms. Surbhi Goyal

Department of Biotechnology, Mata Gujri College Sri Fatehgarh Sahib - 140406 Punjab, India.

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Advanced Study on the Biological Pigments in Plants Physiology | Chapter 9 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

Plant physiology has become a daunting obstacle. The mysteries remain, despite the best efforts, most of the processes found can not be played in vitro, and it can not be assumed to date that information about the complex biochemical processes of the plant is properly understood. The need to produce food is an emergency in the world, so it is necessary to have some information that will allow us to advance in this sense. A major advance in the understanding would be able to be here, is a sharp change of direction the re-direct the attention to the trunk of the plants rather than the leaves; but this will allow us to better understand the mysteries of plant physiology. Through the dissociation of water molecules such as chlorophyll in plants, our discovery of the intrinsic property of melanin converts light energy into chemical energy, marking a turning point in relation to the chemical reaction considered to be the most significant in the world to date: photosynthesis.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Arturo Solís Herrera

Human Photosynthesis® Study Center, Aguascalientes, Mexico.

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Association of Bacteria with Superficial Fungal Infections | Chapter 8 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

 Superficial fungal infections involving human hair, nails, epidermis, and mucosa are known as benign infections caused by pathogenic fungi. Because of their ability to cling and expand over and within the intact skin surface, fungal infections acquired this reputation, extracting nutrients from the skin as they are unable to produce their own food. Bacteria associated with superficial fungal infections were identified and determined by this research. In the Dermatophilosis Research Centre, National Veterinary Research Institute Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria, sample selection and analysis were conducted over a span of sixteen (16) months. From subjects referred to the Centre from various hospitals with evident skin infections, nine hundred and forty (940) human skin and nail scraping samples were obtained from different parts of the body. Normal microbiological methods including: wet mounting, tease mounting, culture and biochemical tests for isolation and identification of fungi and bacteria were used to perform sample analysis. Of the 940 samples, 892(94.9 percent) developed fungal species, including: Microsporum 45(4.8 percent), Trichophyton 176(18.7 percent), Aspergillus 216(22.9 percent), Epidermophyton 32(3.4 percent), Candida 72(7.7 percent), Mucor 141(15.0 percent), Rhizopus 52(5.5 percent), Fusarium 12(1.3 percent), Bipolaris 23(2.5 percent), Sporothrix 74(7.9 percent), Penicillium 32(3.4 percent) and Penicillium 32(3.4 percent) (1.8 percent ). All 940 (100 percent) samples yielded a variety of bacteria including: Staphylococcus aureus 125 (13.3 percent), Staphylococcus epidermidis 145 (15.8 percent), Micrococcus luteus 233 (24.8 percent), alpha-hemolytic Streptococci 89 (9.5 percent), Escherichia coli 59 (6.3 percent), Proteus mirabilis 113 (12 percent), Bacillus subtilis 78 (8.3 percent) and Klebsiella pneumonia 98 (8.3 percent) (10.4 percent ). From all sites of infection, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus were isolated, while Micrococcus luteus was isolated from all infections of moist ulcerous and dry scaly skin. This research clearly demonstrated that bacteria are associated with superficial fungal infections and noted that the most prevalent bacterial organism associated with superficial fungal infections was Micrococcus luteus. Any of the bacteria isolated can grow infections via broken skin under favourable conditions, thus complicating or prolonging the treatment of the skin infection.

Author(s) Details

Aleruchi Chuku
Microbiology Department, Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Obinna O. Nwankiti

Bacteriology Department, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria.

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Cone-Like Functional Properties of cGMP-Gated Channels in Rod-Like Retinal Photoreceptors of Nocturnal Geckoes | Chapter 7 | Recent Research Advances in Biology Vol. 4

 Nocturnal geckoes' retinas contain only scotopic photoreceptors with rod-shaped outer segments and light sensitivity close to that of retinal rods of other lower vertebrate organisms. These cells, however, are not rods, but are originally derived from cones of ancestral diurnal geckoes in cone-only retinas as a result of evolutionary pressure that forced adaptation to nocturnal behaviour. To date, several fascinating modifications of these rod-like cones have been studied; molecular biology and functional studies have reported that several phototransductive cascade proteins exhibit structural and functional properties suggesting their origin from cones rather than rods. In this paper, we examine the voltage rectification properties of photoreceptor cGMP-gated channels in three species, Gekko gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, and Hemidactylus frenatus, with whole cell voltage clamp in the detached outer segment preparation. In the physiological voltage spectrum, we show that the current-voltage properties are reminiscent of those of cGMP-gated channels from cones rather than from rods of other cold-blooded vertebrates. The sources and the importance of the examined processes are discussed. In conclusion, we provide novel, functional evidence in this paper of the existence of mechanisms in rod-shaped nocturnal gecko photoreceptors that remember their origin from ancestral cones. Recently performed in Gekko gecko, the molecular analysis of the retinal cGMP gated channel identified cone-like structural features, which agree with our observations.

Author(s) Details

Vittorio Vellani

Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Metabolismo e Neuroscienze, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy.

Chiara Giacomoni
Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino, via Consiglio dei Sessanta 99, 47891 Dogana, Repubblica di San Marino.

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