Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2020 in |
The outburst of new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, firstly appeared in Wuhan in 2019, has massively expanded to the whole world. At the end of March 2020, the rapid spread of the infection happened in about 206 countries around the globe. At the moment, the statistics of WHO on coronavirus pandemic revealed total infected cases of 21,770,000 and more than 77,000 deaths all over the world, with no proven antiviral agent available yet to control COVID-19 infection. The world is currently in desperate need of finding potent therapeutic agents. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) represent one of the most promising viral targets. Importantly, HDACs are critical factors involved in the control of viral replication. The molecular mechanisms associated with underlying the role of HDACs in viral latency, viral reactivation, and carcinogenesis are progressively disclosed. Till now, six HDACIs anticancer drugs have been approved by the FDA. Herein, in the in-silico structure-based drug design approach was utilized to identify novel structural characteristics for the potential repurposed activity of HDACIs as antivirals for COVID-19....
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Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2020 in |
Centella asiatica (CA; family Apiaceae) is extensively used in traditional medicine. A regular supply of this plant is required by the herbal drug industry. Hence, the cultivation of this plant is required. The emphasis of the available cultivation practices is on biomass yield. The activity of the plant, however, depends on the amount of bioactive constituents. The production of these secondary metabolites is influenced by biotic as well as abiotic factors. This study was carried out to determine the abiotic factors that enhance the production of secondary metabolites in CA. CA plants were grown in two seasons (i.e., season 1: August to December and season 2: February to June) on different soil types (Clay loamy, Red, Black), and various stresses were applied to the plants. At the end of each season, plant yield, extract yield, asiatic acid content, antioxidant, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activities were determined. Asiatic acid content was determined by an HPLC method. The results show the varied response of CA plants to seasons, soil, and stresses. CA...
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Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2020 in |
For the drugs possessing stomach and upper intestine as the absorption window, it has become high practical importance to improve their gastric residence time. The in vitro performance of the drug delivery being highly variable is ascertaining as gastric emptying is one of the complex mechanisms. Intense researches are being carried out for the development of multiparticulate systems, which are of greater importance than the single unit dosage forms in oral drug delivery. Floating microballoons offer more reproducible drug absorption, reduce the risk of local irritation, and improve the bioavailability of the drug. In the current research work, Dipyridamole, a BCS class – II drug was formulated as controlled release microballoons using ethyl cellulose as polymer and span 80 as the surfactant to improve the gastric retention of the drug. Preformulation studies viz. solubility, partition coefficient, micromeritics, and the drug excipient compatibility studies using Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and Differential Scanning Calorimeter were carried out. The emulsion solvent evaporation method was employed to develop controlled release dipyridamole floating microballoons....
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Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2020 in |
Jerusalem artichoke is one of the underutilized tuber crops distributed worldwide in temperate areas. It is considered healthy and functional food due to its chemical composition as it contains proteins, mono or poly-unsaturated fatty acids, dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals. In this present research work, the effect of processing on the proximate and mineral composition of Jerusalem artichoke tuber flour (JATF) was studied. The proximate analysis was determined in accordance with AOAC, while mineral estimation was done by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The result of the proximate analysis revealed that blanching with sun drying registered a significant increase in fiber content and insignificant reduction (p<0.05) in ash and protein content while it caused a substantial decrease in fat and carbohydrates values when compared with unprocessed-JATF samples. However, autoclaving with sun drying showed insignificant reduction only in ash content and a significant decrease (p<0.05) in fat, protein, and carbohydrates values when compared to unprocessed-JATF samples. The mineral analysis results showed that blanching and autoclaving with sun and oven drying caused...
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Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2020 in |
Ethanol extract of kerehau leaves is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities with the potential to prevent atherosclerosis. This study aims to determine the ability of kerehau ethanol extract in reducing the lipid levels, the lipid ratios, and the number of foam cells in the blood vessel walls. This study employed in-vivo and ex-vivo experiments on male rats of Wistar strain induced with high-fat feed and 25% fructose for 45 days. The rats were divided into 6 groups (n=3), namely negative control (0.5% CMC-Na), positive control (induction), simvastatin (0.9 mg/kg bw), and 3 groups of test extracts with a dose of 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg bw, respectively. Administration of CMC-Na, simvastatin, and kerehau ethanol extract was carried out orally along with the inducer. The parameters measured were the levels of triglycerides, TC, and serum HDL at before and after 45 days of treatment. Rat aortic arches were taken for histopathological examination at the end of the study. The results showed that kerehau ethanol extract at a dose...
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