Profiling nutraceuticals in bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa] at various stages of fruit development

Bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa], a medicinally important fruit tree grown on the Indian sub-continent, contains two bio-active furanocoumarins, marmelosin and psoralen, with pharmacological properties, plus two powerful groups of natural anti-oxidants, polyphenols and tannins. The present investigation aimed to measure the levels of these nutraceuticals at various stages of fruit development [150–345 days after fruit set (DAFS)] in two promising selections of bael from the Institute, CISH B-1 and CISH B-2, using a simple high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. Marmelosin and psoralen were extracted from 5 g of homogenised fruit mesocarp using benzene, while tannins were extracted as tannic acid with 80% (v/v) methanol in water. Polyphenol concentrations were measured spectrophotometrically at 760 nm using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The concentrations of marmelosin declined from 1,660 and 726 µg g^?1 at 150 DAFS, to 523 and 170 µg g^?1 at 345 DAFS in CISH B-1 and CISH B-2, respectively, whereas psoralen concentrations decreased from 216 and 41 µg g^?1 to 102 and 9 µg g^?1 during the same growth period in CISH B-1 and CISH B-2, respectively. Tannic acid concentrations decreased from 1.65 and 2.02 g 100 g^?1 at 150 DAFS, to 1.52 and 1.54 g 100 g^?1 at 345 DAFS in CISH B-1 and CISH B-2, respectively. The concentrations of total polyphenols did not show any significant changes in either bael selection over the same growth period. The concentrations of marmelosin and psoralen in CISH B-1 were highest in October (150 DAFS), while these values peaked in November (190 DAFS) in CISH B-2. The results suggest that fruit harvested at an early stage of growth (October–November) contained higher concentrations of nutraceuticals, increasing their suitability for fruit processing and use in the phyto-pharmaceutical industries.     

Amelioration of oxidative stress using N‐acetylcysteine in canine parvoviral enteritis

Previously, antioxidants have not been evaluated for treatment of parvoviral diarrhea in dogs. In this study, antioxidant potential of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) in dogs infected with canine parvovirus with a nonblinded randomized clinical trial has been carried out. A total 18 parvo‐infected dogs were randomly divided into two groups: nine parvo‐infected dogs were treated with supportive treatment and nine parvo‐infected dogs were treated with NAC along with supportive treatment. Simultaneously, nine healthy dogs were kept as healthy control. In parvo‐infected dogs, marked hemoconcentration, leucopenia, neutropenia and oxidative stress were noticed compared to healthy dogs. The NAC treatment progressively improved the leukocyte, neutrophil, monocyte, and eosinophil counts over the time in parvovirus‐infected dogs compared to dogs that received only supportive treatment. In addition, NAC treatment significantly improved glutathione S‐transferase (GST) activity and decreased nitrite plus nitrate (NOx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations on day 3 and 5 compared to supportive treatment in parvo‐infected dogs. However, supportive treatment alone failed to ameliorate oxidative stress in the infected dogs till day 5. The results of this study suggest that NAC represents a potential additional treatment option that could be considered to improve the health condition and minimize the duration of hospitalization in case of canine parvoviral diarrhea.     

Ultrastructural characteristics of the blood cells of chickens commonly reared under backyard poultry farming in Mizoram,India

The present study was undertaken to characterize the ultrastructural morphology of the blood cells of commonly reared chickens in the state of Mizoram, India under backyard poultry farming. For this study, 2 ml of whole blood was aseptically collected from the wings veins of 12 chickens of three different breeds namely the Zoar, Aseel and Rhode Island Red and processed for ultrastructural imaging under standard protocols. Under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the matured erythrocytes of Zoar, Aseel and Rhode Island Red appeared elliptical in shape while the leukocytes and thrombocytes appeared round in shape with variable surface modifications. Under transmission electron microscopy (TEM) the granules of the heterophils of Zoar, Aseel and Rhode Island Red appeared predominantly fusiform in shape, the granules of the eosinophils appeared round in shape and that of the basophils appeared pleomorphic in shape. The cytoplasm of the monocytes, medium-to-large lymphocytes and thrombocytes of Zoar, Aseel and Rhode Island Red under TEM appeared to be vacuolated and granular while that of the small lymphocytes appeared to be granular but non-vacuolated. The study concluded that the ultrastructural characteristics of the blood cells of the three breeds of chicken studied were almost similar to the blood cells of other birds reported earlier.     

Haemato-biochemical alterations and oxidative stress associated with naturally occurring porcine circovirus2 infection in pigs

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Porcine circovirus2 (PCV2) infection in pigs is one of the major causes of economic loss to the farmers in terms of low production, slow growth and increase...     

Differential expression of endometrial toll-like receptors (TLRs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) with endometritis

Veterinary Research Communications - Toll like receptors (TLRs) and β-defensins expressed in the endometrium are part of the innate uterine defense mechanism (UDM). In the present study,...     

IFN‐τ Acts in a Dose‐Dependent Manner on Prostaglandin Production by Buffalo Endometrial Stromal Cells Cultured in vitro

Interferon‐τ (IFN‐τ) has been recognized as the primary embryonic signal responsible for maternal recognition of pregnancy. Uterine endometrium produces both prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂). PGF_2α is responsible for the luteolysis; however, PGE₂ favours establishment of pregnancy by its luteoprotective action. In this study, the dose‐response effect of recombinant bovine IFN‐τ (rbIFN‐τ) on prostaglandin (PG) production by buffalo endometrial stromal cells cultured in vitro was studied. Buffalo endometrial stromal cells were isolated by double enzymatic digestion, initially with trypsin III followed by a cocktail of trypsin III, collagenase type II and DNase I and subsequently cultured till confluence. Further, cells were treated with different doses of rbIFN‐τ (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 10 μg/ml) and keeping a separate set of control. Culture supernatant was collected after 6, 12 and 24 h of treatment. PG levels in the culture supernatant were measured by enzyme immune assay (EIA) and total cellular protein estimated by Bradford method. Results indicated that buffalo endometrial stromal cells following rbIFN‐τ treatment enhanced the secretion of both PGE₂ and PGF_2α, and also its ratio in a strict dose‐dependent manner with a significant increase (p < 0.01) in PGE₂ production at 1 μg/ml dose of rbIFN‐τ and maximal stimulation for both PG was observed at 10 μg/ml. Further, both PG production and its ratio were increased significantly (p < 0.01) in a time‐dependent fashion in all the groups at 6, 12 and 24 h post‐treatment with highest level achieved at 24 h as compared with control. Absolute levels of PGE₂ remained higher than PGF_2α indicating PGE₂ as the major PG produced by endometrial stromal cells. The dose‐dependent response of rbIFN‐τ signifies the importance of optimum concentration of IFN‐τ for the embryonic development especially during the critical period to establish successful pregnancy.     

Immunomodulating dose of levamisole stimulates innate immune response and prevents intestinal damage in porcine rotavirus diarrhea: a restricted-randomized,single-blinded,and placebo-controlled clinical trial

Tropical Animal Health and Production - A restricted-randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to examine whether immunomodulating dose of levamisole (LMS) can...