Multiple Potential Roles of Spirulina in Human Health: A Critical Review

Spirulina is a freshwater blue-green microalgae which has been used as a food supplement for centuries. It is a rich source of several macro- and micro-nutrients. Several studies have demonstrated the potential nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and health benefits of Spirulina. The focus of this article is to highlight the multiple potential roles of Spirulina in human health. Studies have demonstrated Spirulina's roles in boosting immunity through increasing resistance to various infections. Potential health benefits of Spirulina in association with its antioxidant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties have also been reported. Owing to its nutrient profiles and nutraceutical properties, Spirulina has been shown to have potential therapeutic roles in metabolic diseases, hypertension, anaemia, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Understanding the Role of Heat Shock Protein Isoforms in Male Fertility, Aging and Apoptosis

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play a role in the homeostasis, apoptosis regulation and the maintenance of the various other physiological processes. Aging is accompanied by a decrease in the resistance to environmental stress, while mitochondria are primary targets in the process of aging, their expression decreasing with age. Mitochondrion also plays a significant role in the process of spermatogenesis. HSPs have been shown to be involved in apoptosis with some of acting as apoptotic inhibitors and are involved in cytoprotection. In this review we discuss the roles of Hsp 27, 60, 70, and 90 in aging and male infertility and have concluded that these particular HSPs can be used as a molecular markers for mitochondrially- mediated apoptosis, aging and male infertility.

Use of plant diversity in household and rituals by tribal people of Dhenkanal district, Odisha, India.

This study documents traditional knowledge of plants used as household appliances and rituals by tribal’s of Dhenkanal district, Odisha, India. It is primarily based on field surveys carried out in villages, where dwellers provided information on plant species used as household materials and rituals. The plant parts, viz. leaf, bark, stem wood and whole plant were used for above purpose. The species used as comprise 21 families for household and 11 families for rituals. The most important families were Arecaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Poaceae and Fabaceae. These plant resources were used for preparation of broom, mat, basket, measuring device of grains, insecticide to store grains etc. and rituals like marriage, worshiping different trees, Sun God, mother Earth, Goddess Banadurga, Daluani Devata and Jangal Devata.

Studies on effect of variables by response surface methodology for losartan microspheres.

Microspheres of Losartan potassium were formulated using combination of Ethyl cellulose and Acycoat L30D polymer by solvent evaporation method. A 32 factorial design was used to elucidate the effect of variables viz. the amount of drug and the amount of polymer. Discrete spherical microspheres in the range of 40-50 μm were produced with the encapsulation efficiency of more than 80 %. Polynomial equations and response surface plots were generated for all dependent variables. It was observed that both the factors had significant influence on all dependent variables studied. It was observed that as the amount of polymer increases, the rate of release decreases. So t50 increases and the amount of drug released in 2 h (X120) decreases. Drug polymer interaction study was absent as evidenced by HPLC and FT-IR studies.