ABSTRACT
Chitin and chitosan from silkworm pupae and egg shells show distinct properties with excellent antimicrobial properties and cytocompatiblity. Spent silkworm pupae and hatched egg shells are discarded as waste but contain valuable carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. Chitosan has excellent antimicrobial properties and is widely used for food, medical and biotechnological applications. In this paper, we report the properties of chitin and chitosan from silkworm pupae and egg shells in comparison to commercially available chitosan. Defatted and deproteinated pupae and shells were demineralized and later deacetylated to form chitosan. Thermal behavior, physical structure, antimicrobial activity and ability to support the attachment and growth of NIH3T3 cells were studied. Chitin and chitosan from both pupae and shells had similar structure and composition. Crystallinity of the pupae chitosan was 48% compared to 38% for egg shell chitosan. Silkworm chitosan showed considerably higher antibacterial and antifungal activity compared to standard. Cells were viable in the presence of pupae and egg shell chitosan in all the concentrations tested. Based on these observations, it can be inferred that silkworm pupae and shells provide a renewable and sustainable source for chitosan with properties suitable for food and medical applications.
Subject(s)
Bombyx/chemistry , Chitin/chemistry , Chitin/pharmacology , Chitosan/chemistry , Chitosan/pharmacology , Egg Shell/chemistry , Pupa/chemistry , Acetylation , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents/isolation & purification , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Cell Survival/drug effects , Chemical Phenomena , Chitin/isolation & purification , Chitosan/isolation & purification , Mice , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Molecular Structure , NIH 3T3 Cells , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared , X-Ray DiffractionABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of halquinol, an antimicrobial used as a growth promotor in poultry, on the fresh water fish Catla catla in terms of growth promotion, protein profile, and physiology as the rate of oxygen consumption. A synergic increment in the free amino acid level and total protein concentration suggested enhanced anabolic metabolism resulting in weight gain. When compared with an untreated control group, fishes treated with 0.1% halquinol (T1) showed a higher weight gain than those treated with 0.2% halquinol (T2). Variations in the rate of oxygen consumption among the three groups (control, T1, T2) expressed the physiological response of the animals toward the chemical along the time factor. After 7 days of treatment, the absence of halquinol revealed by post-withdrawal residual HPLC studies suggests its biosafety.
Subject(s)
Carps/metabolism , Chloroquinolinols/pharmacology , Oxygen Consumption/drug effects , Weight Gain/drug effects , Amino Acids/drug effects , Amino Acids/metabolism , Animals , Carps/growth & development , Chloroquinolinols/administration & dosage , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Residues/analysis , Drug Residues/metabolism , Fish Proteins/drug effects , Fish Proteins/metabolism , India , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Extraction is the key step in the analysis of food samples, from either plant or animal sources for residues of veterinary drugs and pesticides. Such residues pose an unacceptable risk to the consumer and information is insufficient to allow a full assessment. This paper presents a method for extracting and determining Halquinol, a veterinary drug in liver of chicken. The first step of the study was to establish and validate a method for determination of Halquinol, which was achieved using HPLC equipped with a C18 reversed-phase, monomeric column and a MWD-UV detector. In the second step, we extracted and purified the liver samples. Liver samples were homogenized in buffer, extracted with ethyl acetate, and cleaned up using a solid-phase extraction column. The limit of quantification of the method was 0.1 microg/l mL, and detection limit was 0.01 microg/l mL. Mean recoveries in chicken liver ranged from 57% to 91%.
Subject(s)
Anti-Infective Agents/metabolism , Chickens/metabolism , Chloroquinolinols/metabolism , Drug Residues/analysis , Liver/chemistry , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Anti-Infective Agents/isolation & purification , Chloroquinolinols/isolation & purification , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
The effective utilization of potato peel, a waste generated in large quantities by the food industry, as an antioxidant was investigated. Potato peel extract (PPE) exhibited high phenolic content (70.82 mg of catechin equivalent/100 g), chlorogenic acid (27.56 mg/100 g of sample) being the major component. The yield of total phenolics and chlorogenic acid increased by 26 and 60%, respectively, when the extract was prepared from gamma irradiated (150 Gy) potatoes. PPE showed excellent antioxidant activity as determined by beta-carotene bleaching and radical scavenging activity of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The suitability of PPE for controlling lipid oxidation of radiation processed lamb meat was also investigated. PPE (0.04%) when added to meat before radiation processing was found to retard lipid peroxidation of irradiated meat as measured by TBA number and carbonyl content. The antioxidant activity of PPE was found to be comparable to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/pharmacology , Food Irradiation , Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects , Meat/analysis , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Solanum tuberosum/chemistry , Animals , Phenols/analysis , Plant Extracts/chemistry , SheepABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension prophylactic portasystemic shunts have been found to be ineffective as deaths from post-shunt liver failure exceed those from bleeding. However, in patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, variceal bleeding rather than liver failure is the common cause of death. In developing countries shortage of tertiary health-care facilities and blood banks further increases mortality due to variceal bleed. AIM: To study the results of prophylactic operations to prevent variceal bleeding in patients with portal hypertension due to non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF). METHODS: Between 1976 and 2001, we performed 45 prophylactic operations in patients with NCPF, if the patients had high-risk esophagogastric varices or symptomatic splenomegaly and hypersplenism. Proximal lienorenal shunt was done in 41 patients and the remaining underwent splenectomy with (2 patients) or without (2 patients) devascularization. RESULTS: There was no operative mortality. Thirty-eight patients were followed up for a mean 49 (range, 12-236) months. Three patients bled - one was variceal and two due to duodenal ulcers; none died of bleeding. There were 2 late deaths (6 weeks and 10 years after surgery), one from an unknown cause and one due to chronic renal failure. The delayed morbidity was 47%. This included 7 patients who developed portasystemic encephalopathy, 4 glomerulonephritis, 2 pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae and 5 ascites requiring treatment with diuretics. Thus only 20 (53%) patients were symptom-free on follow up. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic surgery is safe and effective in preventing variceal bleeding in NCPF but at the cost of high delayed morbidity.
