Efficacy evaluation of ethanolic extract of Tamarindus indica L. leaves as possible alternate therapy in septic arthritis model of rabbit.

BACKGROUND: Our previous study exhibited free radicals scavenging and antioxidant activities of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Tamarindus indica L. leaves in chronic sodium fluoride poisoning in rats. Tamarindus indica L. seed extract was also reported to have anti-arthritic efficacy by inhibiting cartilage and bone degrading factors. Therefore, an attempt was made to evaluate the effects of ethanolic extract of Tamarindus indica L. leaves in septic arthritis. METHODS: The safety study was performed by oral dosing of ethanolic extract of the plant leaves at 2 g kg- 1 for consecutive 28 days in rabbits. Septic arthritis was induced in rabbits by single intra-articular inoculation of 104 c.f.u. of Staphylococcus aureus to the left stifle joint and was monitored by bacterial colony count, some relevant biochemical parameters and histopathological interpretation of the affected joint. For efficacy evaluation in septic arthritis, linezolid at 75 mg kg- 1 twice daily for 10 days and the ethanolic extract of Tamarindus indica L. at 500 and 1000 mg kg- 1 for consecutive 14 days were administered orally to the rabbits after 48 h of induction of arthritis. RESULTS: In sub-acute toxicity study of Tamarindus indica L. leaves ethanolic extract, no significant change between days was found for aspertate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine compared to day 0 values of the same group. The bacterial colony count of synovial fluid following Staphylococcus aureus inoculation to left stifle joint was found to be 1.08 ± 0.47 and 1.19 ± 0.29 c.f.u. mL- 1 in ethanolic extract low dose and high dose groups respectively, on day 2 which was reduced to 0.057 ± 0.036 c.f.u. mL- 1 and nil on day 16. The test extract was also found to markedly reduce simultaneous glucose difference, total protein ratio of serum and synovial fluid, joint radius and joint narrowing. CONCLUSION: Ethanolic extract of Tamarindus indica L. leaves at 500 mg kg- 1 and 1000 mg kg- 1 produced anti-arthritic effects against S. aureus induced septic arthritis in rabbits. However, the ethanolic extract at 1000 mg kg- 1 orally for consecutive 14 days showed better effects in septic arthritis.

Preparation and in vivo biocompatibility studies of different mesoporous bioactive glasses.

A new generation of nanostructured glasses called mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) exhibit superior surface texture, porosity and bioactive characteristics. The present study is carried out to develop and detailed characterize of ternary SiO2-CaO-P2O5 MBG structure, fabricated by three different variations using different surfactants, e.g., hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), poly-ethylene glycol,(PEG) and Pluronic P123. After thorough physico-chemical characterization, MBG granules were investigated for in vivo bone regeneration in animal bone defect model (rabbit) where standard S53P4 bioactive glass was used as control. All the synthesized MBG powders showed nano-range median particle size of 80-120 nm (MBG-CTAB), 50-70 nm (MBG-PEG and MBG-P123) while their specific surface area as 473.2, 52.2 and 169.3 m2/g respectively. All MBGs showed mesoporous nature corroborating transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation as well. Bone regeneration property was measured after 45 and 90 days post-implantation at distal epiphysis of rabbit femur by radiography, histology, fluorochrome labeling, micro computed tomography (micro-CT) and vital organ histology. Results from in vivo studies indicated that the MBG materials produce minimal toxicity to the body. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the implant makes them more suitable for application in bone tissue engineering. Among various implants, MBG fabricated using suitable surfactant (CTAB) shown the best result compared to other implants. Nonetheless, all the materials are suitable for application in bone tissue engineering and have potential for bone regeneration and healing.

Potential of growth factor incorporated mesoporous bioactive glass for in vivo bone regeneration.

Mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) has drawn much attention due to its superior surface texture, porosity and bioactive characteristics. Aim of the present study is to synthesize MBG using different surfactants, viz., hexadecyltrimethylamonium(CTAB) (M1), poly-ethylene glycol (PEG) (M2) and pluronic P123 (M3); bioactivity study; and to understand their bone regeneration efficacy in combination with insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1) in animal bone defect model. SBF study revealed the formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) phase over 14 days. Formation of apatite layer was further confirmed by FTIR, FESEM and EDX analysis. M1 and M2 showed improved crystallinity, while M3 showed slightly decrease in crystalline peak of CaCO3 and enhanced HAp phase. More Ca-P layer formed in M1 and M2 supported the in vivo experiments subsequently. Degree of new bone formation for all MBGs were high, i.e., M1 (80.7 ±â€¯2.9%), M2 (74.4 ±â€¯2.4%) and M3 (70.1 ±â€¯1.9%) compared to BG (66.9 ±â€¯1.8%). In vivo results indicated that the materials were non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible, and is suitable as bone replacement materials. Thus, we concluded that growth factor loaded MBG is a promising candidate for bone tissue engineering application.

Efficacy evaluation of Bauhinia variegata L. stem bark powder as adjunct therapy in chronic Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in goat.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the effect of Bauhinia variegata L. stem bark powder as adjunct therapy in chronic Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in goat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mastitis was induced by intracisternal inoculation of coagulase positive S. aureus (J638) at the concentration of 2000 colony forming units. Group I animals were treated with repeated dose of ceftriaxone at 20 mg/kg intravenously, and Group II animals were treated with once daily oral administration of B. variegata L. stem bark powder at 6 g/kg for 7 days followed by maintenance dose at 3 g/kg for next 7 days along with repeated dose of the antibiotic at 20 mg/kg intravenously at 4 days interval. RESULTS: No significant improvement in the clinical condition of the udder was noticed in the group treated with repeated dose of ceftriaxone alone. However, in the group treated with B. variegata L. stem bark powder along with repeated dose of ceftriaxone, no S. aureus colony was seen at 96 h and onwards in milk samples with a marked decrease in somatic cell count and milk alkaline phosphatase activity and increased lactoperoxidase activity. Further, plasma and milk concentration of ceftriaxone/ceftizoxime was increased, which indicated antibacterial, bioenhancing and antiinflammatory properties of the bark powder. The Group II animals also exhibited marked reduction in polymorphonuclear cells and fibrous tissue indicating antifibrotic property of B. variegata L. CONCLUSION: B. variegata L. stem bark powder can be considered as an effective adjunct therapy to intravenous ceftriaxone in S. aureus chronic mastitis in goat.