Effect of dietary rosemary extract on cell-mediated immunity of young rats

The impact of rosemary extract on splenic mononuclear cell proliferation was determined. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 0, 100, 200 or 400 ppm rosemary extract or 400 ppm butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in combinatiion with 10 or 20% casein enriched diets for 8 weeks. Splenic mononuclear cells were isolated from these animals and mitogenic response to Concanavalin A (Con A), Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and lipopolysaccharide was determined. Con A and PHA-stimulated proliferation of spleen cells from rats fed 10% casein and 200 ppm rosemary extract was significantly higher than that of cells from the corresponding control animals. However, other levels of rosemary at 10% dietary casein or rosemary at any concentration fed along with 20% dietary casein had no impact on the mitogenic stimulation of splenic mononuclear cells. Thus, these results suggest that the use of rosemary might not have a generalized immunoenhancing effect, and will probably be effective in some stressed conditions, such as protein or antioxidant deficiency.     

Antitussive effect of Asparagus racemosus root against sulfur dioxide-induced cough in mice

The methanol extract of Asparagus racemosus root (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) showed significant antitussive activity on sulfur dioxide-induced cough in mice, the cough inhibition (40.0 and 58.5%, respectively) being comparable to that of 10–20 mg/kg of codeine phosphate (36.0 and 55.4%, respectively).     

Nutritional potential ofVigna minima (Roxb.) Ohwi and Ohashi:

Quantitative variation in different fractions of seed proteins and their amino acid levels in populations ofVigna minima (Roxb.) Ohwi and Ohashi and inV. umbellata cv. IC 1568 — the rice bean — were investigated. Globulin I fraction, together with globulin II, constitutes 38 to 54 per cent of the total seed protein. The alkali soluble (glutelin) fraction is the second largest fraction. Both these fractions show broad range of variation, suggesting a broad genetic base. The profiles are population specific; the coastal population, which contains higher seed protein also possesses maximum levels of globulin I and glutelin fraction suggesting its potentiality for breeding lines with high protein content, high nutritive value, and salt tolerance. Protein content is positively correlated with globulin I and glutelin fractions, which are in turn positively correlated with each other. The amino acid profiles are specific not only to the fractions but also to the populations. The range of variation in the levels of all amino acids in different fractions is broad suggesting substantial genetic diversity. The average levels of lysine and sulphur amino acids are high in globulin I and glutelin fractions.     

Vegetative growth and nutritional status as influenced by auxins and gibberellic acid,and their effect on fruit yield in lemon

Application of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T at concentrations ranging from 5 to 20 mg l^?1 to 5-year-old ‘Pant Lemon-1’ (Citrus limon Burm) trees reduced the vegetative growth in terms of height, spread, shoot length, number and size of the leaves in the autumn flush. Various NAA treatments (5–20 mg l^?1), however, enhanced growth, but not to the extent that was observed after GA₃ treatments. Application of GA₃ at 10–40 mg l^?1 significantly enhanced all aspects of growth, and the effects were most pronounced at 20 and 40 mg l^?1. Nutritional status of the leaves showed a slight variation in relation to vegetative growth under various treatments.Some 2,4-D- and 2,4,5-T-treatments increased the fruit yield over the control, which could suggest mobilization of foods even at the expense of reduced vegetative growth. On the other hand, NAA, particularly at 10 mg l^?1, increased both vegetative growth and yield, suggesting that the transport of the photosynthates from the leaves to the fruits was not at the expense of new growth extension. Due to excessive growth enhancement under higher concentrations of GA₃ (20 and 40 mg l^?1), comparatively fewer nutrients were translocated to the fruit “sinks”, thereby resulting in a non-significant decrease in yield.     

Characterization of a phytotoxic glycoprotein produced byPhoma eupyrena — A pathogen on water lettuce

Phoma eupyrena, the causal agent of leaf blight disease of water lettuce, when purified by affinity and ion exchange chromatography produced an extracellular glycoprotein (Pe 65) in concentrations of ∼ 8 μg ml⁻¹ in the stationary culture. Coomassie-blue stained SDS-PAGE analysis of culture filtrates and purified Pe 65 showed its molecular mass to be 65 kDa. The blighting and necrosis of leaf tissues were observed within 4–6 days when 1–5 μg of Pe 65 was injected into the mesophyll of water lettuce. These symptoms closely resembled those caused by foliar inoculation with the pathogen. Recognition of Pe 65 by N-glycosidase F treatment and by polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbit against the whole glycoprotein, indicated that the protein is a highly glycosylated protein (50% carbohydrate) and that it is strongly enclosed by the antigenic glycosidic moiety. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting May 6, 2003.     

Monoclonal antibody-based immunodot for evaluating serum immunoglobulin levels in rohu (Labeo rohita)

Immune response in rohu treated with an immunomodulator is usually evaluated employing either non-specific immune parameters or traditional antibody-based tools. In the present study, a monoclonal antibody-based immunodot has been developed for evaluating antibody titre in rohu as a preliminary tool to ensure antibody response due to the effect of an immunomodulator, which can be used for routine field level analysis. The immunodot was sensitive enough to determine rohu immunoglobulin up to 15 μg/ml. Application of the immunodot for evaluating enhancement in immune response could be successfully demonstrated in probiotic fed rohu.     

Endocrine disruption by Bisphenol A,polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ether,in zebra fish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Danio rerio</Emphasis>) model: an in silico approach

Endocrine disrupting chemicals may induce adverse health effects in humans and wildlife. Recent studies demonstrate that endocrine disrupting chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) affect the reproductive characters shared by wide range of creatures including fish. An attempt was made to evaluate the toxicity of these chemicals on the vitellogenin protein of zebra fish (Danio rerio) using in silico approach. The protein structure of zebra fish vitellogenin was predicted using homology modelling, and the stereochemical quality of the model was validated by Ramachandran plot. The 3-D structure of vitellogenin was docked with the aforementioned chemicals that have demonstrated endocrine-disrupting activity. The pair-wise alignments between vitellogenin with phosvitin, lipovitellin-2 and YGP40 obtained by CLUSTALW alignment suggest that the vitellogenin contained lipovitellin-2- phosvitin- and YGP40-related amino acid sequences. Based on the prediction of CASTp and CLUSTALW, BPA and PCB predominantly interacted with lipovitellin-2 site of the protein, while PBDE interacts predominantly with the YGP40 site of the vitellogenin protein. The results indicate that the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (BPA, PCB and PBDE) dock with the vitellogenin cleavage sites lipovitellin-2 and YGP40 that play a crucial role in lipid–protein complex formation in the egg yolk. We hypothesize that these chemicals could potentially impair the egg yolk formation and eventually impact the zebra fish population which occupies an important niche among testing models used in drug discovery and related toxicity studies.     

Development of a simple and rapid monoclonal antibody-based flow through immunogold assay (FIA) for detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aeromonas hydrophila</Emphasis>

In this study, we developed a simple, low-cost, and rapid flow through immunogold assay (FIA) for detection of Aeromonas hydrophila in fish tissues and validated. The developed assay relied on colloidal gold conjugated highly specific monoclonal antibody (B8E3) against 20 kDa protein of A. hydrophila. The assay can be completed within 5 min including antigen (sample) preparation and exhibited no cross-reaction with other major aquatic pathogens such as Vibrio anguillarum, V. parahaemolyticus, V. harveyi, white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), and Aphanomyces invadans. A wider range of Aeromonas species were tested including A. caviae, A. dhakensis, A. sobria, A. veronii, A. culicicola, A. sharmana, and A. schubertii and no cross-reactivity could be observed. The developed technique FIA could detect 10³ CFU/ml of aeromonad cells. In addition, the FIA is as sensitive as the first-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 1000 times sensitive than the immunodot blot method. The validation study revealed the accuracy of FIA by comparing with the standard first-step PCR. The proposed FIA is low-cost, easy-to-use, and compatible for field-level analysis of A. hydrophila in fish tissues. Our developed FIA could successfully detect A. hydrophila at early stage of the infection and could be easily availed by farmers, fish producers, non-technicians, and technicians in the aquaculture industry.     

Content, composition, and bioactivity of the essential oils of three basil genotypes as a function of harvesting

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cut on biomass productivity, oil content, composition, and bioactivity of Ocimum basilicum L. (cvs. German and Mesten) and Ocimum sanctum L. (syn. O. tenuiflorum L.) (cv. Local) in Mississippi. Yields of basil herbage and essential oil were high and comparable to those reported in the literature. Essential oil content of O. basilicum cv. German varied from 0.40 to 0.75%, the oil content of cv. Mesten varied from 0.50 to 0.72%, and the oil content of cv. Local (of O. sanctum) ranged from 0.17 to 0.50% in air-dried basil. Herbage and essential oil yields of cvs. German and Mesten of O. basilicum increased with the second and then again with the third cut, whereas herbage and oil yields of cv. Local of O. sanctum increased with the third cut relative to the previous cuts. Overall, essential oil yields were 115, 123, and 51 kg/ha for the cvs. German, Mesten, and Local, respectively. The major oil constituents of cvs. German and Mesten (of O. basilicum) were (-)-linalool (30-40%) and eugenol (8-30%), whereas the major oil constituents of cv. Local (of O. sanctum) were eugenol (8-43%) and methylchavicol (15-27%). Essential oils from both species grown in Mississippi showed in vitro activity against Leishmania donovani (IC50 = 37.3-49.6 microg/mL), which was comparable to the activity of commercial oil (IC50 = 40-50 microg/mL). Minor basil oil constituents (+)-delta-cadinene, 3-carene, alpha-humulene, citral, and (-)- trans-caryophyllene had antileishmanial activity, whereas other constituents were ineffective. None of the oil was cytotoxic to mammalian cells.     

Phosphorus skipping effect on productivity,profitability and sustainability of rice-wheat cropping systems in Indo-Gangetic plains of India

A field experiment was conducted for eight years at ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, India to study the skipping effect of P application on productivity, profitability and sustainability of rice-wheat cropping system. Rice yield and biomass were 8.35% and 6.6% higher where cowpea was grown after wheat compared to rice-vegetable pea-wheat crop sequence, respectively. Phosphorus application to rice or wheat or both crops exhibited at par rice grain yield, biomass, harvest index. Phosphorus application to both crops or only in rice crop produced maximum and significantly higher wheat yield (4.62 t ha^?1) as compared to P application only to wheat (4.48 t ha^?1). Eight years growing of green gram, cowpea and vegetable pea increased the organic carbon content 42.89, 16.38 and 4.57 %, respectively compared to the initial level. Skipping of P to either crop, by considering 13.5 million ha rice-wheat area, will save approximately Rs 40,500 million (Rs = Indian rupee) or US $ 623 million ($ = Rs 65) per year. Air pollution may be checked, due to saving on diesel in transportation of P fertilizer, to the tune of 60,383 tonnes of CO₂ per year by reducing emission of one of important global warming gas.