Screening and characterization of selected drugs having antibacterial potential

Due to ever increasing antibiotic resistance offered by pathogenic bacterial strains and side effects of synthetic antibiotics, thereof, there is a need to explore the effective phytochemicals from natural resources. In order to help overcoming the problem of effective natural drug and the side effects posed by the use of the synthetic drugs, five different plants namely Thymus vulgaris, Lavandula angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Cymbopogon citratus and Achillea millefolium were selected to study their antibacterial potential. Antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] checked against the selected bacterial strains. As compared to other test plants, ethanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis leaves showed the most promising inhibitory effect i.e: inhibition zone [18.17+/- 0.44mm] against Klebsiella pneumoniae and the lowest inhibition [15.5+/-0.29mm] against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli [p<0.05]. The MIC values were recorded in the range of 1 to 20mg/ml. Screening of the selected extracts for the test plants additionally indicate some unique variations. Results were further confirmed through TLC for alkaloids and terpenoids [15% sulphuric acid and Dragedroff's reagent] in ethanolic extract. Characterization of Rosmarinus officinalis of ethanolic extract was carried out using column chromatography. The appearance of orange crystals may indicate the presence of alkaloidal bioactive compounds which need to be further investigated. The tested plants may have a potential for fighting against some infectious diseases caused by selected human pathogenic bacterial strains. This knowledge may incite a gateway to effective drug search and so on

Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer according to tumor subtypes

Objective: To compare the pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer

Study Design: Prospective cohort study

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Oncology Liaquat National Hospital Karachi from Jan 2013 to Dec 2014

Material and Methods: A total of 119 patients received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer followed by definitive surgery. Demographic, clinical and pathological data of 101 patients were available for analysis. Tumors were divided into different molecular subtypes, luminal A, luminal B human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER 2] was negative, luminal B [HER 2 positive], HER 2 over expressed and triple negative. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was given for total of eight cycles. Primary end point was pathological response [pathological complete response [PCR] versus no PCR] after surgery

Results: A total of 101 patients data were analyzed. Seventeen [16.8%] were luminal A, thirty eight [37.6%] were luminal B, out of 38 luminal B patients, twenty one [55.2%] were HER 2 + and seventeen [44.7%] were HER 2 -ve. Sixteen [15.8%] patients were HER 2 over expressed and thirty [29.7%] were triple negative. Out of 101 patients, twenty eight [27.72%] achieved PCR. A total of 5.9% achieved PCR in luminal A, 4.8% had PCR in luminal B [HER 2 -ve type], 23.5% had in luminal B [HER 2 +ve type], 50% achieved PCR in HER-2 over expressed type and 46.7% had PCR in triple negative subtype, [p=0.001]. There was no significant association of PCR with age, tumor size, lymph node status, histology or grade

Conclusion: Molecular subtypes of breast cancer were found to be statistically significant predictor of PCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

N-acetyl cysteine inhibits endothelin-1-induced ROS dependent cardiac hypertrophy through superoxide dismutase regulation

Oxidative stress down regulates antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase [SOD] and contributes to the development of cardiac hypertrophy. N-Acetyl cysteine [NAC] can enhance the SOD activity, so the aim of this study is to highlight the inhibitory role of NAC against endothelin-1 [ET-1]-induced cardiac hypertrophy. In this experimental study at QAU from January, 2013 to March, 2013. ET-1 [50 microg/kg] and NAC [50 mg/kg] were given intraperitoneally to 6-day old neonatal rats in combination or alone. All rats were sacrificed 15 days after the final injection. Histological analysis was carried out to observe the effects caused by both drugs. Reactive oxygen species [ROS] analysis and SOD assay were also carried out. Expression level of hypertrophic marker, brain natriuretic peptide [BNP], was detected by western blotting. Our findings showed that ET-1-induced cardiac hypertrophy leading towards heart failure was due to the imbalance of different parameters including free radical-induced oxidative stress and antioxidative enzymes such as SOD. Furthermore NAC acted as an antioxidant and played inhibitory role against ROS-dependent hypertrophy via regulatory role of SOD as a result of oxidative response associated with hypertrophy. ET-1-induced hypertrophic response is associated with increased ROS production and decreased SOD level, while NAC plays a role against free radicals-induced oxidative stress via SOD regulation

Comparative phytochemical, hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of various samples of Swertia chirayita collected from various cities of Pakistan

Medicinal plants are crucial for about 80% of the world population in developing and developed countries for their primary and basic health care needs owing to better tolerability, superior compatibility with human body and having lesser side effects. The present study was conducted on various solvent extracts of three plant samples of Indian and Nepali origin Swertia Chirayita [Roxb.] Buch-ham [Chiratia] collected from various places to establish their comparative phytochemical analysis, chromatographic profile, hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities. Nepali Swertia Chirayita was found to have finest Chromatographic profile [TLC]. Phytochemical analysis revealed Alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, ascorbic acid, glycosides, steroids and triterpenoids in all samples. Different solvent fractions of the methanolic plant extracts of Swertia chirayita were assessed for hepatoprotective activity by carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats. The grade of protection was measured by using biochemical parameters such as serum glutamate oxalate transaminase [SGOT/AST], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT/ALT] and total bilirubin. The in-vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts was also evaluated by the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] free radical scavenging assay. The methanolic and aqueous extracts, at a dose of 200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg, produced significant [P<0.05] hepatoprotection by decreasing the activities of the serum enzymes and bilirubin while there were marked scavenging of the DPPH free radicals by the fractions. Decreased observed in the biochemical parameters suggests that the plant extracts possesses hepatoprotective as well as antioxidant activities without any significant variation amongst them. These activities reside mainly in the methanolic extract of whole plant

Solanaceae: [the potato family]

In this article nomenclature, economic, ornamental, medicinal, food and nutritional importance of the family Solanaceae is described. Family composition in general, morphology and chemical composition are also discussed. Supporting literature with the help of which this information has been compiled is also given at the end