Development of an environmental-friendly durable self-compacting concrete.

In this experimental study on self-compacting concrete (SCC), the Manufactured sand (M-sand) and Fly ash (FA) were utilised for partial replacement of Natural sand (N-sand) and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), respectively. N-sand was partially replaced by M-sand at various percentage levels, after the dose of FA in the mix was optimised. In terms of compressive strength, the optimum replacement level of OPC by FA was 20%, whilst for replacement of N-sand by M-sand it was 50%. Two types of mixes were prepared to compare the macro and micro level properties of SCC, i.e., SCC-I (100%OPC + 100%N-sand) and SCC-II (80%OPC + 20%FA + 50%N-sand + 50%M-sand). The characteristics of fresh concrete mixes were determined using Slump flow, T50 time, V-funnel, L-box, U-box, and J-ring tests. After 28 days of curing in tap water, both types of specimens were exposed to a solution of ammonium sulphate [(NH4)2SO4] containing sulphate salt concentration of 2.0 g/l for 360 days to test their durability. Loss in compressive strength, weight change, sorptivity, and micro-structural changes (XRD, SEM, and EDS) all were evaluated for up to 360 days. It was found that the use of FA and M-sand in concrete makes it more environmental-friendly and durable, as well as have better performance in a sulphate environment.

Evaluation of antiproliferative and hepatoprotective effects of wheat grass (Triticum aestivum).

This study was aimed to evaluate the pharmacological potential of various extracts (hexane, chloroform, methanol and aqueous) of dried shoots of Triticum aestivum (wheat grass) in terms of antiproliferative and hepatoprotective potential of T. aestivum. The total chlorophyll content in dried shoots of T. aestivum was 0.54 ± 0.016 g/L (chlorophyll-a: 0.288 ± 0.05 g/L; and chlorophyll-b; 0.305 ± 0.05 g/L), while total carotene content was 0.42 ± 0.066 g/L. In addition, the chloroform extract of dried shoots of T. aestivum (250 µg/mL) exhibited 87.23% inhibitory effect with potent cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cancer cell line. Moreover, chloroform and methanol extracts significantly reduced the levels of SGOT, and SGPT enzymes, as well as total bilirubin content, while raised the level of total protein in a concentration-gradient manner, confirming the potent hepatoprotective effect of T. aestivum. A possible mechanism of apoptosis of the chloroform extract of dried shoots of T. aestivum in terms of its potent antiproliferative activity against HepG2 cancer cell line can also be proposed in this study. Our findings clearly demonstrate that T. aestivum has a significant pharmacological potential that night be used for antiproliferative and hepatoprotective purposes.

Phytochemical analysis and estimation of major bioactive compounds from Triticum aestivum L. grass with antimicrobial potential.

The aim of the present study was to investigate phytochemical analysis, and qualitative and quantitative determination of major bioactive compound present in various organic extracts of T. aestivum L. grass. Soxhlet apparatus was used for the extraction purpose using hexane, chloroform, methanol and distilled water as a solvent system. All the extracts derived from T. aestivum showed qualitative presence of major phytochemicals including alkaloids, steroids and cardiac glycosides tannins, flavonoids carbohydrates. Further, HPLC analysis revealed the presence of major bioactive compounds such as rutin, chlorogenic acid, tocopherol, chlorogenic acid, and gallic acid in various organic extracts responsible for the reported maximum antimicrobial activity of T. aestivum grass against pathogenic bacteria including Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio cholerae. These findings confirm that T. aestivum grass containing medicinally important bioactive compounds may have significant potential to be used in traditional medicine system for the treatment of various diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.

Antioxidant ability and total phenolic content of aqueous leaf extract of Stevia rebaudiana Bert.

In the present study, we carried out a systematic research on relative antioxidant activity of aqueous leaf extract of Stevia rebaudiana. The DPPH activity of aqueous leaf extract (20, 40, 50, 100 and 200 µg/ml) was increased in a dose dependent manner, which was found in the range of 40.00-72.37% as compared to ascorbic acid 64.26-82.58%. The IC(50) values of aqueous extract and ascorbic acid in DPPH radical scavenging assay were obtained to be 83.45 and 26.75 µg/ml, respectively. Measurement of total phenolic content of the aqueous leaf extract of S. rebaudiana was achieved using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent containing 56.73 mg/g of phenolic content, which was found significantly potent when compared to reference standard gallic acid. The aqueous extract also inhibited the hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide and superoxide anions with IC(50) values of 100.86, 98.73 and 100.86 µg/ml, respectively. The greater amount of phenolic compounds leads to more potent radical scavenging effects as shown by the aqueous leaf extract of S. rebaudiana.

In vivo immunomodulatory activities of the aqueous extract of bonduc nut Caesalpinia bonducella seeds.

This study evaluated the in vivo immunomodulatory activities of the aqueous extract of Caesalpinia bonducella Fleming (Caesalpiniaceae) seeds. C. bonducella is a plant widely used in the traditional medicinal systems of India. In the present investigation, the aqueous extract of C. bonducella seeds was tested for its effect on cell mediated and humoral components of the immune system in rats. Administration of C. bonducella seed extract produced an increase of 93.03 +/- 4 mean hemagglutinating antibody (HA) titer and a change of 0.56 +/- 0.058 mm in delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) as compared to control at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight. Thus, the results of this study indicate that C. bonducella extract could be a promising immunostimulatory agent.

Studies on anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic properties of Caesalpinia bonducella F. seed oil in experimental animal models.

Caesalpinia bonducella FLEMING (Caesalpiniaceae) plant is well known for its medicinal and therapeutic values in Indian Ayurveda. However, to be clinically useful, more scientific data are needed. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of C. bonducella seed oil on acute and chronic inflammation. To assess the anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities, varied concentrations of the seed oil of C. bonducella (100, 200 and 400mg/kg orally) were tested in carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema, brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia, acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate reaction time in experimental rats. The paw volumes, pyrexia and writhes in experimental rats were reduced significantly (p<0.05) as compared to that of control, and hot plate test showed significant licking effect in rats. These results clearly indicate that the oil of C. bonducella seeds could be a potential source for using as anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic agent.

Immunomodulatory activities of the ethanolic extract of Caesalpinia bonducella seeds.

UNLABELLED: Caesalpinia bonducella FLEMING (Caesalpiniaceae) is a plant well known for its medicinal value in Indian Ayurveda. However, to prove its efficiency for the clinical utilization, more experimental data will be beneficial. AIMS OF THE STUDY: The present study involved the investigation of immunomodulatory activities of ethanolic extract of Caesalpinia bonducella seeds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Neutrophil adhesion test, haemagglutinating antibody (HA) titre, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, phagocytic activity and cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression were determined by in vivo experiments. RESULTS: The evaluation of immunomodulatory potential by oral administration of ethanolic seed extract of Caesalpinia bonducella (200-500 mg/kg) evoked a significant increase in percent neutrophil adhesion to nylon fibers as well as a dose-dependent increase in antibody titre values, and potentiated the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction induced by sheep red blood cells. Also it prevented myelosuppression in cyclophosphamide drug treated rats and good response towards phagocytosis in carbon clearance assay. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in this study indicate that Caesalpinia bonducella possesses potential immunomodulatory activity and has therapeutic potential for the prevention of autoimmune diseases.

Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of ethanolic extract of Caesalpinia bonducella seeds.

The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro potential of ethanolic extract of Caesalpinia bonducella seeds as a natural antioxidant. The DPPH activity of the extract (20, 40, 50, 100 and 200 microg/ml) was increased in a dose dependent manner, which was found in the range of 38.93-74.77% as compared to ascorbic acid (64.26-82.58%). The IC(50) values of ethanolic extract and ascorbic acid in DPPH radical scavenging assay were obtained to be 74.73 and 26.68 microg/ml, respectively. The ethanolic extract was also found to scavenge the superoxide generated by EDTA/NBT system. Measurement of total phenolic content of the ethanolic extract of C. bonducella was achieved using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent containing 62.50mg/g of phenolic content, which was found significantly higher when compared to reference standard gallic acid. The ethanolic extract also inhibited the hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide, superoxide anions with IC(50) values of 109.85, 102.65 and 89.84 microg/ml, respectively. However, the IC(50) values for the standard ascorbic acid were noted to be 70.79, 65.98 and 36.68 microg/ml respectively. The results obtained in this study clearly indicate that C. bonducella has a significant potential to use as a natural antioxidant agent.

Hypoglycemic Effects of Exo-biopolymers Produced by Five Different Medicinal Mushrooms in STZ-induced Diabetic Rats.

Hypoglycemic effects of exo-biopolymers (EBP) produced by submerged mycelial cultures of Coriolus versicolor, Cordyceps sinensis, Paecilomyces japonica, Armillariella mellea, and Fomes fomentarius were investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The rats from each experimental group were orally administered with EBPs (100 mg/kg BW) daily for 2 weeks. Though the hypoglycemic effect was achieved in all the cases, however, C. versicolor EBP proved as the most potent one. The administration of the C. versicolor EBP substantially reduced (29.9%) the plasma glucose level as compared to the saline administered group (control). It also reduced the plasma total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels by 9.22, 23.83, 16.93, and 27.31%, respectively. The sugar and amino acid compositions of this EBP were also analyzed in detail.

Development of a rapid normal-phase LC-positive ion APCI-MS method for simultaneous detection and quantitation of cholesterol, androst-4-ene-3,1 7-dione, and androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione.

This paper describes the development of a normal-phase liquid chromatograph-UV-diode array detection-positive ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous identification and quantitation of cholesterol, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD), and androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD) in fermentation broths. The compounds detected under positive ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization on a mass spectrometer by selected ion monitoring are separated by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. [M+H]+ ions are taken into consideration for quantitation of AD and ADD, and [M-H2O+H]+ ions are considered for quantitation of cholesterol. The compounds are analyzed on a Si60 silica (5 microm, 125 x 4-mm i.d.) Merck column using a 2:3 isocratic mixture of isopropyl alcohol and hexane. The calibration curves resulting from the reference compounds in the concentration range of 100-5000 pg on column exhibit a good linear correlation (r2 > or = 0.996). The method is validated by analyzing six replicates of broth samples fortified with three compounds, namely, cholesterol, AD, and ADD, at 0.050 and 0.5 microg/g levels. The mean recoveries for the fortifications range from 90% to 98% with relative standard deviations in the range of 3.36% to 9.78%. The method is developed to study the qualitative as well as quantitative conversion of cholesterol to AD and ADD by a microorganism identified as Nocardia sp. These studies helped the investigation of the reaction kinetics, which showed that the molar biotransformation of cholesterol into AD and ADD was 21%, even when the reaction was prolonged for 96 h.

Hypolipidemic Effects of Biopolymers Extracted from Culture Broth, Mycelia, and Fruiting Bodies of Auricularia auricula-judae in Dietary-induced Hyperlipidemic Rats.

Hypolipidemic effect of biopolymers extracted from culture broth (CP), mycelia (MP), and fruiting bodies (FP) of Auricularia auricula-judae was investigated in dietary-induced hyperlipidemic rats. The experimental animals were administrated (100 mg/kg body weight) with different biopolymers, daily for 4 weeks. Hypolipidemic effects were achieved in all the experimental groups, however, FP was proved to be the most potent one. The administration of the FP reduced the plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and atherogenic index by 24.3, 28.5, 36.4, and 40.9%, respectively, while increased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (9.0%), when compared to the saline (control) administered group.