Evaluation of Antidepressant Activity of Capsaicin Nanoemulsion in Nicotine Withdrawal-Induced Depression in Mice.

Depression is a low-energy condition that has an impact on a person's thoughts, actions, propensities, emotional state, and sense of wellbeing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5% of adults are depressed. Individuals who are depressed are commonly prescribed antidepressants, and sometimes, individuals may have other psychiatric conditions that share overlapping symptoms with depression. These cooccurring conditions can complicate the diagnostic process, leading to a misdiagnosis and the prescription of antidepressants. Capsaicin (CAP) is a known antidepressant. Hence, this study aimed to assess the antidepressant activity of CAP nanoemulsion in nicotine (NC) withdrawal-induced depression in mice. Mice treated with CAP (3 mg/kg) showed reduced immobility in the forced swimming test (FST), tail-suspension test (TST), and open field test (OFT). During the OFT, the animals treated with nanoemulsion (CAP 3 mg/kg) spent less time in the corners than the control animals. Biochemical parameters, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), were observed in reduced quantities in the NC withdrawal model (NWM), where they were slightly increased in the high-dose nanoemulsion (CAP 3 mg/kg) compared to the low-dose nanoemulsion (CAP 1 mg/kg). These results suggest that CAP caused antidepressant activity in the NWM via the nanoemulsion.

Nanoemulsion-based piperine to enhance bioavailability for the treatment of LPS-induced depression-like behaviour in mice.

In the present study, the objective was to encapsulate piperine in nanoform by solvent evaporation method and to investigate the antidepressant-like activity of nanopiperine in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced depression in mice. LPS-induced depression in mice was reversed by repeated treatment of nanopiperine at dosages of 5 and 10 mg/kg body weight for 14 days. After 24 h of LPS injection, the animals were exposed to a (TST) tail suspension test and (FST) forced swim test. A sequence of behaviours was measured on days 0, 7, and 14. On day 14, the animals were euthanized, and the blood was collected; biochemical analysis was performed for the measurement of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Within the same period, nanopiperine improved hippocampal progenitor cell proliferation and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampus of mice subjected to LPS-induced stress. In addition, the neurotransmitter estimation by the HPLC method showed that nanopiperine increased the levels of neurotransmitters. In summary, the nanopiperine showed potent neuroprotective and antidepressant activity, and stability relating to the elevated level of hippocampal BDNF level and as compared to pure piperine, the nanopiperine showed better oral bioavailability and stability.

Probiotic Bacillus licheniformis MCC2514 and Bifidobacterium breve NCIM 5671 Regulates GATA3 and Foxp3 Expression in the Elevated Disease Condition.

TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis was evaluated using Bacillus licheniformis MCC 2514 (B. licheniformis) and Bifidobacterium breve NCIM 5671 (Bf. breve) as immune modulators. The study aims to analyze probiotic efficiency of ulcerative colitis induced by TNBS in Wistar rats. The tumor-like structure was found in the colon of TNBS inflammation-induced rats. Nitric oxide production was inhibited by about 65.2% fed with combination of bacteria and C-reactive protein, and decreased by 12% and 10.8% upon supplementing B. licheniformis and Bf. breve against the TNBS-treated rats, respectively. Liver damage was observed in the TNBS-treated rats; addition of probiotic bacteria reduced SGPT (75.4%) and SGOT (42.5%). On TNBS treatment, the transcriptional factor responsible for Th2 cell immune response (GATA3) was analyzed, and the elevation in gene expression (5.31-fold) was found. The FOXP-3 responsible for T-regulatory cells was expressed about 0.91-fold upon the treatment with a combination of bacteria. The expression of antioxidant genes such as iNOS (1.11-fold), GPx (1.29-fold), and PON1 (1.48-fold) has been increased when compared with that of the TNBS-treated group. The cytokines specific to Th2-driven immune response, such as IL-4, IL-5, and TNF-α, were reduced upon feeding the bacteria. It is observed that the B. licheniformis and Bf. breve used in the study have reduced Th2-driven immune response.

Prophylactic effect of pectic oligosaccharides against poly I: C- induced virus-like infection in BALB/c mice.

Pectin oligosaccharides (POS) are pectin-derived prebiotics that exerts anti-inflammatory effects on the host and stimulates an innate immune response. The role of POS in protective immunity against viral infections is not very obvious. Therefore, the prophylactic effect of POS in the mouse model induced by Poly I: C mimicking viral infection was examined. Mice fed POS showed a significant (p ≤ .05) increase in IgG, sIgA, IgA, IL-12, and a significant (p ≤ .05) decrease in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-5, IL-6, IL-13 and IL-17 in lung and blood serum after Poly I: C stimulation. However, the control group could not inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines. POS also promoted the growth of the Lactobacillus, Prevotella, Rilenellaceae, and Lachanospiraceae groups. Therefore, this study demonstrate that POS has the potiential to protect against viral inflammation by altering gut microbiota and activating mucosal immunity. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: POS is 2-10 mer oligomers of pectin. The human gastrointestinal tract lacks the enzyme to break down POS. They are fermented by gut bacteria in the colon and stimulate the proliferation of specific gut bacteria that are positively correlated with the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and SCFA. POS also stimulates the secretion of IgA, which inhibits bacterial and viral adhesion and protects the host. Therefore, POS can be used as a functional food ingredient in food to stimulate a specific group of gut bacteria and enhance preventive immunity.

Phytochemical and Functional Characterization of Different Parts of the Garcinia xanthochymus Fruit.

The fruit of Garcinia xanthochymus is consumed traditionally and is known to possess health-promoting effects. However, studies involving the characterization of phytochemicals of different parts of the fruit, and their biological activity were limited and hence warranted a comprehensive study. The proximate analyses reveal that fruit peel was rich in crude fiber. The levels of essential minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, carotenoids, organic acids, and polyphenols were significantly higher in the peel, followed by the rind, seed, and pulp. The in vitro antioxidant assays revealed that the polyphenolic extract of the peel possesses a high antioxidant effect compared to the extracts from other parts of theG. xanthochymus fruit. Furthermore, the in vitro assays reveal the antidiabetic potential of the methanol extract. This is the first comprehensive report involving the characterization and biological properties of different parts of the G. xanthochymus fruit. Hence, our study implicates the potential use of this fruit for the development of functional foods for diabetes.

Dual Mode of Action of Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 Pigment to Ameliorate Alcohol Induced Liver Toxicity in Rats.

Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment exhibited antioxidant activity by scavenging free radicals. The alcohol feeding leads to free radical generation causing pathophysiological processes of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and alcoholic hepatitis. T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment administered to rats ameliorated the ALD by scavenging ROS. The haematological analysis revealed the increased neutrophil circulation. The neutrophil infiltration was observed in the hepatocytes of the rats fed with pigment (600 mg/kg body weight). The increase in the number of neutrophils helps in liver regeneration caused by alcoholic hepatitis. The dual mechanism of action of pigment, antioxidant and liver regeneration through neutrophil production is attributed to alleviate the ALD. These results suggested that T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment represents the protective and therapeutic strategy against ALD.

A machine learning-based approach to determine infection status in recipients of BBV152 (Covaxin) whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for serological surveys.

Data science has been an invaluable part of the COVID-19 pandemic response with multiple applications, ranging from tracking viral evolution to understanding the vaccine effectiveness. Asymptomatic breakthrough infections have been a major problem in assessing vaccine effectiveness in populations globally. Serological discrimination of vaccine response from infection has so far been limited to Spike protein vaccines since whole virion vaccines generate antibodies against all the viral proteins. Here, we show how a statistical and machine learning (ML) based approach can be used to discriminate between SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune response to an inactivated whole virion vaccine (BBV152, Covaxin). For this, we assessed serial data on antibodies against Spike and Nucleocapsid antigens, along with age, sex, number of doses taken, and days since last dose, for 1823 Covaxin recipients. An ensemble ML model, incorporating a consensus clustering approach alongside the support vector machine model, was built on 1063 samples where reliable qualifying data existed, and then applied to the entire dataset. Of 1448 self-reported negative subjects, our ensemble ML model classified 724 to be infected. For method validation, we determined the relative ability of a random subset of samples to neutralize Delta versus wild-type strain using a surrogate neutralization assay. We worked on the premise that antibodies generated by a whole virion vaccine would neutralize wild type more efficiently than delta strain. In 100 of 156 samples, where ML prediction differed from self-reported uninfected status, neutralization against Delta strain was more effective, indicating infection. We found 71.8% subjects predicted to be infected during the surge, which is concordant with the percentage of sequences classified as Delta (75.6%-80.2%) over the same period. Our approach will help in real-world vaccine effectiveness assessments where whole virion vaccines are commonly used.

Effect of Silymarin and Quercetin in a Miniaturized Scaffold in Wistar Rats against Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Silymarin and quercetin (SQ) are known antioxidants with substantial free radical scavenging activities. The efficacy of SQ activity is restricted due to poor absorption and availability. This study aims to increase the hepatoprotective activity of SQ by a newer delivery technique. We have optimized a technique, miniaturized scaffold (MS), for the delivery of active compounds of SQ. SQ molecules were embedded in MS and characterized by morphology, particle size, miniaturization efficiency, and functional group. Further, the hepatoprotective effects of MSQ were investigated through in vitro and in vivo methods. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), and subsequently, hepatotoxic rats were treated with the miniaturized scaffold of SQ (MSQ) for 8 weeks. The body weight were significantly high in groups fed with MSQ. A substantial decrease in triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase activities were observed in rats treated with MSQ. Similarly, rats treated with MSQ exhibited lower lipid accumulation in the hepatocytes. The experiments clearly demonstrated the efficacy of MSQ as a superior hepatoprotective agent against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease simulated through toxicity induced by CCl4.

Insights from a Pan India Sero-Epidemiological survey (Phenome-India Cohort) for SARS-CoV2.

To understand the spread of SARS-CoV2, in August and September 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India) conducted a serosurvey across its constituent laboratories and centers across India. Of 10,427 volunteers, 1058 (10.14%) tested positive for SARS-CoV2 anti-nucleocapsid (anti-NC) antibodies, 95% of which had surrogate neutralization activity. Three-fourth of these recalled no symptoms. Repeat serology tests at 3 (n = 607) and 6 (n = 175) months showed stable anti-NC antibodies but declining neutralization activity. Local seropositivity was higher in densely populated cities and was inversely correlated with a 30-day change in regional test positivity rates (TPRs). Regional seropositivity above 10% was associated with declining TPR. Personal factors associated with higher odds of seropositivity were high-exposure work (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p value: 2.23, 1.92-2.59, <0.0001), use of public transport (1.79, 1.43-2.24, <0.0001), not smoking (1.52, 1.16-1.99, 0.0257), non-vegetarian diet (1.67, 1.41-1.99, <0.0001), and B blood group (1.36, 1.15-1.61, 0.001).

The antioxidant effect of mulberry and jamun fruit wines by ameliorating oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats.

Polyphenols act by scavenging reactive oxygen species during oxidative stress and hence are useful in the treatment of metabolic disorders including diabetes. This study describes the effect of polyphenol rich mulberry and jamun wines fed to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. To male adult Wistar rats, divided into groups (n = 10 per group) intraperitoneal injection was administered with streptozotocin at 38 mg per kg body weight for inducing diabetes. After confirmation of diabetes, rats divided into groups were fed each day with 5.7 milliliter per kg body weight of mulberry, jamun, white and red grape wines for 6 weeks. One group of animals received resveratrol at 20 mg per kg body weight. After six weeks of treatment, blood glucose, urinary profile, lipid profile, plasma, liver, kidney, brain and eye antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and hepatic glutathione (GSH) content were determined. Though wine and resveratrol feeding did not improve the glycemic status of diabetic rats, increases in antioxidant enzymes and GSH content accompanied by reduced NEFA and lipid peroxidation were observed. The kidneys and brains of resveratrol fed rats showed significant reduction in malondialdehyde equivalents, exhibited an improved antioxidant status of tissues and an increased glutathione content. The findings suggested that the wines can ameliorate the consequences of diabetes due to their antioxidants.

A short-term toxicity study of Aspergillus carbonarius carotenoid.

In a pharmacokinetic study, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of blood samples of Wistar female rats fed with partially saturated canthaxanthin (PSC) of Aspergillus carbonarius showed the presence of the carotenoid in the plasma within 6 hours of feeding. In another study for safety assessment of PSC fed to rats over a period of 28 days at 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.25%, the rats showed no changes in food intake. There were no significant differences observed in body weight, hematological parameters, or serum clinical enzymes compared to the control group not fed with PSC. Deposition of PSC in the eyes of the rats was also not observed. The results showed that PSC-fed rats were not adversely affected as far as toxicological studies were concerned.