Prebiotic potential of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) in Wistar rats: effects of levels of supplementation on hindgut fermentation, intestinal morphology, blood metabolites and immune response.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have been conducted using purified prebiotics such as inulin or fructooligosaccharides (FOS) as nutraceuticals, but there is very little information available on the prebiotic potential of raw products rich in inulin and FOS, such as Jerusalem artichoke (JA; Helianthus tuberosus L.). The present experiment aimed to evaluate the prebiotic effects of JA tubers in rats. RESULTS: Seventy-two Wistar weanling rats divided into four groups were fed for 12 weeks on a basal diet fortified with pulverized JA tubers at 0 (control), 20, 40 and 60 g kg(-1) levels. Enhanced cell-mediated immunity in terms of skin indurations (P = 0.082) and CD4+ T-lymphocyte population (P = 0.002) was observed in the JA-supplemented groups compared with the control group. Blood haemoglobin (P = 0.017), glucose (P = 0.001), urea (P = 0.004) and calcium (P = 0.048) varied favourably upon inclusion of JA. An increasing trend (P = 0.059) in the length of large intestine was apparent in the JA-fed groups. The tissue mass of caecum (P = 0.069) and colon (P = 0.003) was increased in the JA-supplemented groups, accompanied by higher (P = 0.007) caecal crypt depth. The pH and ammonia concentrations of intestinal digesta decreased and those of lactate and total volatile fatty acids increased in the JA-fed groups. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that JA had beneficial effects on immunity, blood metabolites, intestinal morphometry and hindgut fermentation of rats.

Evaluation of toxicity & therapeutic efficacy of a new liposomal formulation of amphotericin B in a mouse model.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Current therapy for leishmaniasis is limited and unsatisfactory. Amphotericin B, a second-line treatment is gradually replacing antimonials, the first-line treatment and is used as the preferred treatments in some regions. Though, presently it is the only drug with highest cure rate, its use is severely restricted by its acute toxicity. In the present study novel lipid-amphotericin B formulations with lower toxicity than the parent drug were evaluated for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in a mouse model. METHODS: The toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of a new amphiphilic formulation of amphotericin B (Kalsome10) was compared to that of amphotericin B deoxycholate (Fungizone) in a mouse model of VL using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: The toxicity of amphotericin B was significantly less with liposomal formulation as compared to the deoxycholate form, evidenced by reduced nephrotoxicity and higher tolerated dose in BALB/c mice. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by quantitative real time (RT) PCR using primers highly specific for the ITS region of Leishmania donovani. There was reduction in parasite load by 2 log unit after 7 days of treatment and finally resulting in complete clearance of parasite from infected mice after 30 days of treatment with Kalsome10. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: This new formulation showed a favourable safety profile and better efficacy when compared to conventional amphotericin B. If production cost is kept low, it may prove to be a feasible alternative to conventional amphotericin B.

Pathological study of non-neoplastic urinary bladder lesions in cattle and buffaloes: a preliminary report.

A total of 236 urinary bladders (94 cattle and 142 buffaloes) collected from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India, were studied for spontaneous lesions. These adult animals belonged to Institute's organized dairy farm and rural areas in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Grossly, congestion, hemorrhages, and cystoliths in urinary bladders were diagnosed. Histopathologically, the major conditions diagnosed were acute cystitis, 44 (18.64%), including, congestion, hemorrhages, sub-acute cystitis; chronic cystitis, 74 (31.35%), including chronic cystitis un-complicated type, lymphocytic cystitis, plasmolymphocytic cystitis, follicular cystitis, hyperplasia, nodular/acinar hyperplasia, and cystolithiasis; and nothing unusual diagnosed, 118 (50.00%). Similar types of pathological conditions were diagnosed in both species of animals with exception of follicular cystitis and nodular/acinar hyperplasia which was diagnosed respectively only in buffaloes and cystoliths in cows. In addition, a good number of 17/25 (68%) urinary bladder samples tested were found positive for presence of bovine papillomavirus type-2 (BPV-2) by polymerase chain reaction. These included eight cases of acute cystitis, an equal number of cases of chronic cystitis, and one normal bladder. BPV-2 is known as potential source of enzootic bovine hematuria along with other co-factors in enzootic areas. Lesions of zoonotic significance, like tuberculosis, etc., were not diagnosed. None of the observed lesions represented conditions, which, by themselves, would warrant carcass condemnation in buffaloes.

Identification of bovine papilloma virus 10 in teat warts of cattle by DNase-SISPA.

Papilloma viruses are detected and identified by PCR with consensus primers designed from human papilloma virus sequences. These and other primers could not detect papilloma virus in bovine teat wart samples despite repeated attempts. DNase-SISPA, a metagenomic method for identifying viruses, could identify bovine papilloma virus type 10 in bovine teat warts. The sequence comparison between consensus primers and bovine papilloma virus type 10 sequences revealed many differences between consensus primers and BPV-10 sequences. We suggest, DNase-SISPA may be used as an alternate method for papilloma virus diagnosis, in cases where PCR fails to identify papilloma viruses.

SD-8, a novel therapeutic agent active against multidrug-resistant Gram positive cocci.

Anti-bacterial drug resistance is one of the most critical concerns among the scientist worldwide. The novel antimicrobial decapeptide SD-8 is designed and its minimal inhibitory concentration and therapeutic index (TI) was found in the range of 1-8 µg/ml and 45-360, respectively, against major group of Gram positive pathogens (GPP). The peptide was also found to be least hemolytic at a concentration of 180 µg/ml, i.e., nearly 77 times higher than its average effective concentration. The kinetics assay showed that the killing time is 120 min for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and 90 min for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Membrane permeabilization is the cause of peptide antimicrobial activity as shown by the transmission electron microscopy studies. The peptide showed the anti-inflammatory property by inhibiting COX-2 with a KD and Ki values of 2.36×10(-9) and 4.8×10(-8) M, respectively. The peptide was also found to be effective in vivo as derived from histopathological observations in a Staphylococcal skin infection rat model with MRSA as causative organism.