Screening and characterization of high lipid accumulating microalga Ankistrodesmus sp. from freshwater environment

Microalgae based biofuel is an attractive alternative energy source due to its rapid growth rate and high lipid accumulation efficiency. In this study, we screened high lipid content microalga with the favourable fatty acid composition suitable for biodiesel production. Totally twelve different microalgal species were isolated from freshwater habitats. The isolates were identified as Micractinium sp., Chlorella sorokiniana, Scenedesmus bajacalifornicus, Desmodesmus sp., Scenedesmus obliquus, Coelastrum proboscideum, Chlamydomonas moewusii, Chlamydomonas debaryana, Chlamydomonas dorsoventralis, Coelastrum sp., and Ankistrodesmus sp. based on morphological features and ITS region similarity. Among the isolates, highest lipid content (33±0.07%) and lipid productivity (0.27±0.06 g L-1) were obtained from Ankistrodesmus sp. Intracellular lipid droplets of Ankistrodesmus sp. were observed through Nile red staining. The lipid content was enhanced up to 45% under the nitrogen deficient (5 mg L-1) BG-11 medium. Ankistrodesmus sp. fatty acid profile shows the presence of palmitic (16.39%), stearic (15.67%), oleic (25.66%), linolenic (21.62%), and alpha-linoleic acids (14.34%). The oleic acid was the dominant fatty acid 25.66% in the nitrogen deficient condition.

In vitro Cytotoxicity and Glucose Uptake Activity of Fruits of Terminalia bellirica in Vero, L-6 and 3T3 cell lines.

Terminalia bellirica is a native plant of India belonging to the family Combrataceae. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the cytotoxicity and glucose uptake activity of ethanolic extract of fruits of Terminalia bellirica using Vero, L-6 and 3T3 cell lines. The results showed that the extracts did not confer any cytotoxicity and the ethanolic extract showed better glucose uptake potential. The results were compared with insulin and metformin, which were used as the standard antidiabetic drugs. Insulin (1IU/ml) and metformin (100 μg/ml) enhance the glucose uptake over control.

Niosomal methotrexate gel in the treatment of localized psoriasis: phase I and phase II studies.

BACKGROUND: Efficacy of topical methotrexate in psoriasis is limited by its penetration. AIMS: The study involved the preparation of niosomal methotrexate in chitosan gel and to test the same for irritation and sensitization on healthy human volunteers followed by assessing the efficacy of the gel through double-blind placebo-controlled study on psoriasis patients and also comparing its efficacy with a marketed methotrexate gel. METHODS: The methotrexate niosomes were prepared by lipid layer hydration method. The characterized niosomes were incorporated in chitosan gel. The gels were tested on 10 human volunteers to check for irritation and skin sensitivity by human repeated insult patch test (HRIPT). The formulations were assessed for efficacy by double-blind placebo-controlled study in 10 psoriasis patients for each formulation. The efficacy was calculated by psoriasis area and severity index scoring method. The global score was used to assess the progress of the disease. RESULTS: The HRIPT test did not produce any significant irritation or sensitization on healthy human volunteers. The placebo and marketed gels were compared with niosomal methotrexate gel. At Week 12, with niosomal methotrexate gel, there was reduction in total score from 6.2378+/-1.4857 to 2.0023+/-0.1371. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that niosomal methotrexate gel is more efficacious than placebo and marketed methotrexate gel.

Evaluation of ParaHITf strip test for diagnosis of malarial infection.

This study sought to determine whether dip stick strip test containing antibody for Plasmodium falciparum histidine rich protein-II (PfHRP-II) antigen could be used for identification of P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria in man. The results obtained were also compared with the results of standard microscopic examination. A total of 150 cases were included for the study. Fifty cases were non-febrile cases with no history of malaria acting as control group and the rest 100 cases were having fever and formed the test group. All the cases in the control group was found to be negative for both microscopic examination and strip test. In the test group, all samples that showed positive for P. falciparum by microscopy was also found to be positive for strip test. Whereas, all those samples that were positive for P. vivax in microscopic examination was found to be negative for strip test indicating species specificity of the strip test. In addition, two other cases that were negative for microscopic examination were found to be positive for the strip test. Statistical analysis was done to compare the validity of the results of strip test with that of the results of microscopic examination.