On a new species of Neoechinorhynchus Hamann, 1892 (Neoechinorhynchinae Travassos, 1926) from Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804) from Digha coast, West Bengal, India.

Neoechinorhynchus (Neoechinorhynchus) dighaensis n. sp. is described from the intestine of the fourfinger threadfin fish Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804) from the Digha coast, West Bengal, India. Females were larger than males. In the male dorso-ventral lacunar canals well developed. Middle hooks in perfect circle, smaller than anterior hooks. Posterior hooks slightly smaller than middle hooks. Lateral anterior proboscis hooks larger than the others in same circles. Lateral posterior proboscis hooks equal to others in same circles. Lemnisci equal, longer reaching to testes in male. Male reproductive system usually occupies half of the total body length. Eggs were elliptical in shape with concentric membrane. Cement gland long, containing seven giant nuclei.

An overview of Indian novel traditional medicinal plants with anti-diabetic potentials.

Diabetes mellitus is a global metabolic epidemic affecting essential biochemical activities in almost every age group. Indian literatures like Ayurveda have already mentioned herbal remediation for a number of human ailments. Among Indian traditional medicinal plants several potential anti-diabetic plants and herbs are being used as part of our diet since prehistoric time. India has a long list of native medicinal plants with confirmed blood sugar lowering property. Some of these have proved remarkable for cure of diabetes and its complications. The current paper is aimed at providing a review on clinical and experimental studies carried out on the most effective and commonly used hypoglycemic plants and herbs species from traditional Indian flora. This write-up includes hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic activities of plants, active hypoglycemic compounds and constituents along with their available toxicity status.

Direct evidence for modified solvent structure within the hydration shell of a hydrophobic amino acid.

Neutron scattering experiments are used to determine scattering profiles for aqueous solutions of hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acid analogs. Solutions of hydrophobic solutes show a shift in the main diffraction peak to smaller angle as compared with pure water, whereas solutions of hydrophilic solutes do not. The same difference for solutions of hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains is also predicted by molecular dynamics simulations. The neutron scattering curves of aqueous solutions of hydrophobic amino acids at room temperature are qualitatively similar to differences between the liquid molecular structure functions measured for ambient and supercooled water. The nonpolar solute-induced expansion of water structure reported here is also complementary to recent neutron experiments where compression of aqueous solvent structure has been observed at high salt concentration.

Mode of action of three structurally different hypoglycemic agents: a comparative study.

The mechanism of dose-dependent hypoglycemic effect, the margin of safety and ED50 of three structurally unrelated compounds, tolbutamide (TB), centpiperalone (CP) and a swerchirin-containing fraction (SWI) from the plant Swertia chirayita, were investigated in experimental models. After a single oral administration of TB, CP and SWI to groups of normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced mild and severe diabetic rats, the blood sugar lowering effect and ED50 of the agents were determined. Plasma Immuno Reactive Insulin (IRI) levels and the degree of islet beta cell degranulation were assayed using RIA and histochemical staining, respectively, in normal rats treated with the agents. The percent blood sugar lowering, increase in IRI levels and beta cell degranulation were highest in CP treated normal rats (69, 124 and 75%, respectively). In addition, CP was the only agent found active in STZ-induced severely diabetic rats (P < 0.01). In STZ-mild diabetic rats, however, TB was more effective than CP and SWI. By analysis of data using Anova method, it is concluded that CP is more effective than SWI (P < 0.01) and TB. However, SWI an impure natural product showed better blood sugar lowering than tolbutamide which is a drug in use.

Neutron diffraction studies of amphipathic helices in phospholipid bilayers.

The structural feature which is thought to facilitate the interaction of many peptides with phospholipid bilayers is the ability to fold into an amphipathic helix. In most cases the exact location and orientation of this helix with respect to the membrane is not known, and may vary with factors such as pH and phospholipid content of the bilayer. The growing interest in this area is stimulated by indications that similar interactions can contribute to the binding of certain hormones to their cell-surface receptors. We have been using the techniques of neutron diffraction from stacked phospholipid bilayers in an attempt to investigate this phenomenon with a number of membrane-active peptides. Here we report some of our findings with three of these: the bee venom melittin; the hormone calcitonin; and a synthetic peptide representing the ion channel fragment of influenza A M2 protein.

Neutron diffraction reveals the site of amantadine blockade in the influenza A M2 ion channel.

The influenza A M2 protein forms proton channels which are blocked by the anti-influenza drug amantadine. Using the technique of neutron diffraction with both deuterium-labeled amantadine and influenza A M2 peptides, this study has directly located the position of interaction between the drug and the transmembrane domain of M2. Amantadine is found 0.5 nm from the center of the bilayer in an area between Val 27 and Ser 31, a location consistent with the formation of a steric block within the ion channel. Similar experiments with amantadine and an amantadine-resistant mutant peptide showed no such interaction.

Mechanism of blood sugar lowering by a swerchirin-containing hexane fraction (SWI) of Swertia chirayita.

Mechanism of blood sugar lowering by the crude/impure swerchirin (SWI) isolated from the hexane fraction of Swertia chirayita was investigated. Single oral administration of SWI (50 mg/kg, body wt) to fed CF rats induced about 60% (max.) fall in blood glucose by 7 hr post-treatment. This was associated with marked depletion of aldehyde-fuchsin stained beta-granules and immunostained insulin in the pancreatic islets. In vitro, glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis by muscle (diaphragm) was significantly enhanced by the serum of SWI-treated rat. At 100, 10 and 1 microM final concentration, SWI greatly enhanced glucose (16.7 mM)-stimulated insulin release from isolated islets. It is therefore concluded that SWI lowers blood glucose level by stimulating insulin release from islets of Langerhans.

Swerchirin induced blood sugar lowering of streptozotocin treated hyperglycemic rats.

Effect of Swerchirin (1:8 dihydroxy 3:5 dimethoxy xanthone) isolated from hexane fraction of Swertia chirayita on the blood sugar level of healthy and streptozotocin treated rats was studied. Streptozotocin was administered in citrate buffer (pH-4.5) intravenously / 35 and 65 mg/kg body wt to Charles Foster strain albino rats. Swerchirin (50 mg/kg, po) suspended in gum acacia was fed through cannula to the above rats and to a group of healthy rats. Blood sugar estimated at 0, 1, 3 and 7 hr after, indicated a very significant lowering in healthy and streptozotocin (35 mg/kg iv) but not in streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) treated rats.

Phycocyanin aggregation. A small angle neutron scattering and size exclusion chromatographic study.

The influence of environmental factors on the aggregation properties of phycocyanin from Synechocystis 6701 was studied by small angle neutron scattering and high-pressure size-exclusion liquid chromatography. Phycocyanin was found to exist in a reversible equilibrium between the monomer, trimer and hexamer forms. The distribution of the protein between these oligomers is determined by the pH, buffer composition and ionic strength of the medium, and protein concentration. Phycocyanin was in a stable hexameric state at pH 5.0 to 6.0 at a concentration of 1 to 10 mg/ml, and was primarily in a trimeric state at pH 8.0 at a concentration of about 5 mg/ml. Comparison of the small angle scattering data with the computed scattering curve for a hollow cylinder was used to determine the dimensions of the best-fit model by a least-squares fitting procedure. The outer radius, inner radius and height of the phycocyanin hexamer were found to be 54.1, 12.0 and 61.4 A (1 A = 0.1 nm), respectively, and the corresponding dimensions for the trimer were 54.5, 14.0 and 33.0 A. The molecular weight ratio for phycocyanin hexamer was determined to be 217,000. The dimensions and molecular weight ratios of phycocyanin from Synechocystis 6701 obtained by solution scattering are similar to the values for Mastigocladus laminosus obtained by X-ray crystallography.