Adventitious rooting in shoot cuttings of Azadirachta indica and Pongamia pinnata

Adventitious rooting in shoot cuttings of neem (Azadirachta indica) and karanj (Pongamia pinnata) was investigated in different seasons. The influence of auxins and B-vitamins (neem only) was evaluated. Maximum rhizogenesis coincided with the emergence of new sprouts i.e. February (neem) and March (karanj). Considering both rooting percentage and root biomass, IBA was the most effective auxin tested. Compared to auxin free controls, IBA (1000 ppm in neem and 800 ppm in karanj) significantly increased adventitious rooting percentage (80 to 100 % respectively), the numbers of roots and root biomass for both species. In neem, B-vitamin treatment yielded 40–50% rooting for cuttings. This was significantly greater than rooting for controls but equivalent to IAA treatments. In neem, some of the cuttings treated with 2000–3000 ppm IBA had well developed root systems without any sprouts. In karanj, all auxin treatments promoted sprouting. The level of total soluble sugars in the rooting zone of neem and karanj was higher in non-rooted than rooted cuttings.     

Differential regulation of pro- and antiapoptotic proteins in fish adipocytes during hypoxic conditions

Worldwide, the frequencies and magnitudes of hypoxic events in estuarine waters have increased considerably over the past two decades. Fish populations are suitable indicators for the assessment of quality of aquatic ecosystems and often comprise a variety of adaptation systems by triggering oxidants, antioxidants and hypoxia-responsive signaling proteins. Signaling pathway may lead to cell survival or cell death which is fine-tuned by both positive and negative factors, which includes hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α), heat-shock protein-70 (HSP70), phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2 (p-JNK1/2) and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK1). In the present study, we attempt to determine stress-mediated signaling changes and molecular mechanism behind the cell survival by comparing adipocytes of fish from field hypoxic condition and laboratory-induced hypoxic condition (in vitro hypoxia). Comparison of field and laboratory studies in fish adipocytes showed differential expression of HIF1α, HSP70, p-JNK1/2 and ASK1 with altered oxidants and antioxidants. Further, the results also suggest that in vitro hypoxic conditions mimic field hypoxic conditions. Trends of hypoxia response were same in in vitro hypoxia of control adipocytes as in Ennore estuary, and hypoxia response was more pronounced in the test adipocytes under in vitro hypoxic condition. Results of the present work suggest that hypoxia is the major crusade of water pollutants affecting fish by differential regulation of pro- and antiapoptotic proteins probably through HSP70. This may play a vital role by providing cytoprotection in pollutant-induced stressed fish adipocytes substantiated by the in vitro hypoxic studies.     

Evaluation of polyherbal feed supplement (Ban-V) on the enhancement of growth and non-specific immune responses in shrimp Penaeus vannamei

Owing to the growing need for eco-friendly aquaculture, usage of herbal feed supplement receives higher attention. A commercial shrimp feed supplement known as Ban-V is a unique blend of polyherbal extracts that act synergistically with each other to help in improving the immune system, protects hepatopancreas and activates several metabolic pathways for better growth and disease resistance. For that, four supplemental concentrations such as 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 % of Ban-V were used along with commercial shrimp feed, and feed with no supplement (control) were evaluated for 60 days. Results revealed that 2.0% of Ban-V diet fed group showed significantly increased biological performance like (average body weight, average daily growth, feed conversion ratio and survival rate) than control. The tested immunological parameters such as total haemocyte count, oxyhaemocyanin level, phenoloxidase (PO) activity, respiratory burst activity (RB), superoxide dismutase (SOD), lysozyme activity, plasma protein content (PPC) and bactericidal activity were higher in 2.0% test diet fed P. vannamei, when compared to other test and control diet fed shrimp. It is therefore suggested that Ban-V supplementation at a concentration of 2.0% was efficient in stimulating the growth and immunity in shrimp.

     

Larval and pupal toxicity effects of Plectranthus amboinicus, Bacillus sphaericus and predatory copepods for the control of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti

The efficacy of copepod Mesocyclops aspericornis (Daday) combined with the larvicide Bacillus sphaericus (Bs) and a plant extract of Plectranthus amboinicus leaf abstract (PALE), used jointly and singly, was studied against Aedes aegypti in the laboratory. P. amboinicus leaf extract of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 ppm caused significant mortality against Ae. aegypti larvae. The LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values for I to IV instars larvae and pupae were 26.12, 35.36, 45.76, 52.32 and 63.82 ppm, respectively. The LC₉₀ values for I to IV instars larvae and pupae were 82.53, 92.65, 108.06, 119.47 and 131.71 ppm, respectively. Under laboratory conditions, copepods treatment produced 7.9% predatory efficiency against 1st instar larvae of Ae. aegypti, at a copepod:larvae ratio of 1:10. When copepod treatment was combined with PALE this was increased to 8.7. The treatment of copepods combined with Bs and PALE yielded a better and more sustainable result (9.6%) than the agents used individually. This predation efficiency may be caused by detrimental effects of the P. amboinicus active principle compound (carvacrol) on the mosquito larvae. Our results suggest that the combined application of microbial insecticide (Bs), copepods and P. amboinicus leaf extract may be used to control Aedes populations.     

Synthesis,characterization and aggregation and fluorescence properties of novel highly soluble zinc phthalocyanines bearing tetrakis-4-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)phenoxy) with tetra and dodecachloro substituents

The synthesis of two new phthalocyanine precursors 4-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)phenoxy) with mono (2) and trichloro (3) substituents were carried out in this work. Cyclotetramerization of these precursors with zinc acetate gave novel tetrakis-4-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)phenoxy) with tetra (4) and dodecachloro (5) substituted zinc phthalocyanines. The synthesized new compounds were characterized using FT-IR, ¹H NMR, electronic absorption spectroscopy, mass spectra and elemental analysis. The aggregation behavior of zinc phthalocyanines 4 and 5 was investigated in different concentrations of dichloromethane (DCM). Zinc phthalocyanines 4 and 5 showed good solubility in different organic solvents such as DCM, CHCl₃, THF, benzene and toluene. Further, the aggregation behavior of zinc phthalocyanines 4 and 5 was studied before and after the addition of Triton X100. Further, the fluorescence quantum yields of zinc phthalocyanines 4 and 5 were calculated in the presence and absence of Triton X100.     

Detection of occurrence of a recent genetic bottleneck event in Indian hill cattle breed Bargur using microsatellite markers

The effective number of breedable individuals is a crucial determinant for maintaining genetic variability within a population. The population of Bargur, the hill cattle of South India, has gone down drastically by more than 93 % in the past three decades, and only a few thousand animals are available at present. The present study was undertaken to evaluate Bargur cattle for mutation drift equilibrium and to detect the occurrence of recent genetic bottleneck event, if any, in this population. About 50 unrelated animals, true to the type, were sampled and genotyped at 25 microsatellite loci. The mean observed heterozygosity (0.808?±?0.023) was higher than the mean expected heterozygosity (0.762?±?0.008) with 15 out of 25 microsatellite loci exhibiting heterozygosity excess when assumed under Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. To evaluate Bargur cattle for mutation drift equilibrium, three tests were performed under three different mutation models, viz., infinite allele model (IAM), stepwise mutation model (SMM) and two-phase model (TPM). The observed gene diversity (H _e) and expected equilibrium gene diversity (H _eq) were estimated under different models of microsatellite evolution. All the 25 loci were found to exhibit gene diversity excess under IAM and TPM, while 22 loci were having gene diversity excess under SMM. All the three statistical tests, viz., sign test, standardized differences test, and Wilcoxon sign rank test, revealed significant (P?<?0.01) deviation of Bargur cattle population from mutation-drift equilibrium under all the three models of mutation. Furthermore, the qualitative test of allele frequency distribution in Bargur cattle population revealed a strong mode shift from the normal L-shaped form suggesting that the population had experienced genetic bottleneck in the recent past. The occurrence of genetic bottleneck might have led to the loss of several rare alleles in the population, which point towards the need for efforts to conserve this important cattle germplasm. The present study is the first report in demonstrating the genetic basis of demographic bottleneck in an Indian cattle population.     

A novel murrel Channa striatus mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase: gene silencing,SOD activity,superoxide anion production and expression

We have reported the molecular characterization including gene silencing, superoxide activity, superoxide anion production, gene expression and molecular characterization of a mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (mMnSOD) from striped murrel Channa striatus (named as CsmMnSOD). The CsmMnSOD polypeptide contains 225 amino acids with a molecular weight of 25 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.3. In the N-terminal region, CsmMnSOD carries a mitochondrial targeting sequence and a superoxide dismutases (SOD) Fe domain (28–109), and in C-terminal region, it carries another SOD Fe domain (114–220). The CsmMnSOD protein sequence shared significant similarity with its homolog of MnSOD from rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus (96 %). The phylogenetic analysis showed that the CsmMnSOD fell in the clade of fish mMnSOD group. The monomeric structure of CsmMnSOD possesses 9 α-helices (52.4 %), 3 β-sheets (8.8 %) and 38.8 % random coils. The highest gene expression was noticed in liver, and its expression was inducted with fungal (Aphanomyces invadans) and bacterial (Aeromonas hydrophila) infections. The gene silencing results show that the fish that received dsRNA exhibited significant (P < 0.05) changes in expression when compared to their non-injected and fish physiological saline-injected controls. The SOD activity shows that the activity increases with the spread of infection and decreases once the molecule controls the pathogen. The capacity of superoxide anion production was determined by calculating the granular blood cell count during infection in murrel. It shows that the infection influenced the superoxide radical production which plays a major role in killing the pathogens. Overall, this study indicated the defense potentiality of CsmMnSOD; however, further research is necessary to explore its capability at protein level.     

Anti-inflammatory,analgesic and antipyretic properties of Clitoria ternatea root

Clitoria ternatea roots methanol extract when given by oral route to rats was found to inhibit both the rat paw oedema caused by carrageenin and vascular permeability induced by acetic acid in rats. Moreover, the extract exhibited a significant inhibition in yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. In the acetic acid-induced writhing response, the extract markedly reduced the number of writhings at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg (p.o.) in mice.     

Physiological response of yellow vein mosaic virus-infected bhendi [Abelmoschus esculentus] leaves

The effect of okra yellow vein mosaic virus infection on PS II efficiency and thylakoid membrane protein changes in field-grown bhendi (Abelmoschus esculentus) leaves was studied. The degree of virus infection was determined by means of the ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence (F_v/F_m). Changes in photosynthetic pigments, soluble proteins, nitrate reductase, photosynthetic activities and thylakoid membrane proteins were investigated. Okra yellow vein mosaic virus infection resulted in the reduction of photosynthetic pigments, soluble proteins, ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity and nitrate reductase activity. Virus infection caused marked inhibition of PS II activity. The artificial electron donors, diphenyl carbazide and hydroxylamine significantly restored the loss of PS II activity in infected leaves. The marked loss of PS II activity in infected leaves may be due to the loss of 47, 33, 28–25, 17 and 15 kDa polypeptides. It is concluded that the yellow vein mosaic virus infection inactivates the donor side of PS II.     

7-O-(6-O-benzoyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-rutin from leaves of Canthium dicoccum

A new flavonol glycoside, characterized as 7-O-(6-O-benzoyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-rutin (1), has been isolated from the leaves of Canthium dicoccum. Detailed 1H COSY, HSQC, HMBC and TOCSY NMR as well as positive and negative electrospray MS and MS/MS data have been provided for the new compound.