A
Study on Antibacterial Effect of Secondary Metabolites of
Some Indian Medicinal Plants
-- Bharat
V Gami, Farzin M Parabia and I L Kothari
Comparative
studies on the antibacterial properties of extracts obtained
from medicinal plants were carried out by two different
methods. The plants selected were Emblica officinalis
Gaertn. (fruit-Euphorbiaceae), Glycyrrhiza glabra
Linn. (rhizome-Papilionaceae), Eclipta alba (L.)
Hassk. (whole plant-Compositae), Tinospora cordifolia
(Willd.) Micrs (stem-Meninspermaceae), Asparagus racemosus
Willd. (root-Liliaceae) and Centella asiatica (L.)
Urb. (whole plant, Apiaceae). The solvents used were petroleum
ether, chloroform, methanol and water. The antibacterial
screening was conducted by agar-well diffusion method against
nine bacterial strains. The most active extracts were compared
by Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) and their chemical
constituents were separated through High Performance Thin
Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). The separated plant metabolites
on HPTLC plate were again evaluated for antibacterial property
through bioautography. The results obtained indicated that
the chloroform extracts were most active against tested
bacterial strains. Chemical nature of the separated active
antibacterial compounds through HPTLC was detected by various
detecting reagents and marked by corresponding Rf values.
The qualitative phytochemical analysis was carried out for
active extracts for the presence of falvonoids, terpenes,
steroids, and alkaloids.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Sex
Ratio, Fecundity, Maturity and Spawning Details of Glossogobius
giuris (Hamilton) from Gosthani Estuary Near Visakhapatnam
-- P
Sankara Rao and L M Rao
The
sex ratio of Glossogobius giuris studied for over
one year period, shows the male to female ratio as 1: 0.59.
Seven maturity stages have been recognized and the size
at first maturity is observed at 103 mm in females and at
114 mm in males. GSI values and ova diameter polygons suggest
prolonged breeding season from August to January with its
peak in the month of September. The logarithmic relationship
between fecundity and total length, body weight and ovary
weight have also been established. Fecundity varies from
9,380 to 293,664, and the mean fecundity is 113,030 in fish
of 76 mm to 273 mm total length.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Some
Specific Aspects of Leaf Physiology of the Unique Inland
Mangrove Avicennia officinalis L. Vegetation
of Kachchh Dist., India
-- Hitesh
A Solanki
This
paper studies the ecophysiology of the inland grove, Avicennia
officinalis L. and presents data of its leaf physiology.
Leaf is the most plastic part of the plant, and its chemical
composition is affected by both hereditary, physiological
and environmental factors. Leaf analysis affords an indicator
for edaphic and other conditions, which is, therefore, used
to assess soil conditions, fertilizer requirements, hunger
signs, and such other points in the physiology and ecology
of plants. As revealed by CO2 (¶13C
-24.1%) values, the plant exhibits Calvin cycle, i.e., it
is a C3 plant.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Impairment
of Immunoadhesion of Molluscan Hemocytes Exposed to Azadirachtin
-- Suman
Mukherje, Mitali Ray and Sajal Ray
Lamellidens
marginalis (Bivalvia: Eulamellibranchiata) is a freshwater
edible mollusc distributed in the wetland of different districts
of West Bengal. The natural habitat of this species is under
risk of contamination by multineem, a newly introduced azadirachtin-based
(limonoid) pesticide. The hemocyte of Lamellidens marginalis
is an immunoeffector cell of hemolymph, capable of discriminating
self and nonself surface by immunoadhesion. Glass surface
adhesion of hemocytes were screened against 0.03 ppm, 0.06
ppm, and 0.09 ppm of azadirachtin for different spans of
exposure. The surface adhesion property of hemocytes decreased
against all the concentrations tested. The data is indicative
of impairment in immunological response of Lamellidens
marginalis in its natural habitat, leading to a decrease
in the population size.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Trace
Metal (Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu) Accumulation in Green and Brown Algae
-- Palpandi
C, K Kesavan and A Shanmugam
This
paper studies the levels of trace metals (Fe, Mg, Zn and
Cu) in Sargassam wightii, and Ulva reticulata
from Kanniyakumari and Vellar estuary. The accumulation
of trace metals was in the order of Mg > Fe > Zn >
Cu in both species of algae. For both the species, Mg recorded
a maximum value, whereas Ca recorded the minimum. In S.
wightii the highest value recorded in Mg was (65.04
± 1.1 ppm) and the lowest in Cu was (1.448 ± 0.01
ppm) on dry weight basis. In U. reticulata, the maximum
accumulation of Mg was (135.3 ± 1.9 ppm) and minimum
of Cu was (0.446 ± 0.002 ppm). Comparing the two species
of algae, U. reticulata showed the accumulation of
higher concentrations because of the estuarine environment.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Sex
Determination Mechanisms Encountered in Invertebrates: A
Short Review Based on Three Model Organisms
-- Manolakou
Panagiota,
Angelopoulou Roxani and Lavranos Giagkos
Sex
determination in the animal kingdom is as complex and variable
as its many species. For invertebrate organisms, however,
three basic mechanisms draw most of our current scientific
interest, and are thus considered representative. For the
insect order of Hymenoptera, the choice lies between uniparental
haploid males and biparental diploid females, originating
from unfertilized and fertilized eggs accordingly, a mechanism
also known as single-locus Complementary Sex Determination
(sl-CSD). Relevant information has recently been obtained
by the extensive study of genetic sex determination in the
honeybee. On the other hand, for Dipterans and Drosophila
melanogaster, sex is determined by the ratio of X chromosomes
to autosomes and the sex switching gene, sxl. Another model
organism whose sex depends on the X:A ratio, Caenorhabditis
elegans, has furthermore to provide for the brief period
of spermatogenesis in hermaphrodites (XX) without the benefit
of the "male" genes of the sex determination pathway.
Thus, the nematodes are also an important tool for the study
of sex-specific genes, some of which are, at least partially,
homologous to genes also observed in vertebrates. Some of
the latter have been associated with sex determination and
differentiation in other species as well, which supports
the theory of a common evolution for the modern animal kingdom
and reservation of the qualities of some basic genetic domains.
This is a three-fold comparative review concerning the basic
molecular patterns of sex determination in invertebrate
species, according to the most recent research findings
in this field.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Impact
of Mangrove Leaves on Meiofaunal Density: An Experimental
Approach
-- G
Chinnadurai and O J Fernando
An
experiment was conducted at the Vellar estuary to investigate
the impact of mangrove leaves on meiofaunal density for
a period of 32 days. It was observed that immediately after
the next day of the experiment, meiofaunal abundance was
observed more in areas with Avicennia marina leaves
than the control, while in areas with Rhizophora apiculata
leaves, the density was always less than the control.
Increase in the meiofaunal density was observed at sites
with A. marina leaves, compared to R. apiculata
leaves due to a difference in leaf degradation wih respect
to time. Maximum density occurred in relation to the type
of leaf buried with a time lag. Thus, it appears that leaf
type affects the abundance and composition of the meiofauna
depending on the associated microfauna which may be their
food; or biochemical changes which may interfere with their
physiological functioning; or leachates ,which may themselves
act as toxins. The differences in the texture and quality
of the mangrove plant determine the composition and abundance
of the meiofaunal populations.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Research
Note
Antibacterial
Activity of the Crude Leaf and Stem Bark Extracts of Alstonia
venenata R. Br
-- Scott
J Williams and Thankamani V
Alstonia
venenata R. Br, a member of family Apocynaceae is known
for its medicinal value and considered as a powerful antidote
for poisonous snake bites. The antibacterial effect of the
crude leaf and stem bark extracts in solvent systems like
hexane, benzene, isopropanol, ethyl acetate, methanol, and
water were investigated. The isopropanol and methanol crude
leaf extracts and benzene stem bark extract showed significant
antibacterial activity against pathogens and Bacillus
sps. The crude leaf extracts, which showed biological activity
were fractionated and active compounds identified by thin
layer, and column chromatography and other qualitative methods.
They consisted of alkaloids, sterols, sterol glycosides
and other polyphenols. All were analyzed for antibacterial
properties.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Antibacterial
activity of Ethanol Extracts and Total Alkaloids of Datura
stramonium and Ruta graveolens
-- B
Bayoud, S E Djilani,
B Legseir, M R Ouahrani
and A Djilani
Researches
have established that the extracts of certain plants exhibit
antibacterial properties. The present work examines the
potential of two such plants growing in Algeria having natural
antibacterial properties. For the assessment of inhibitory
effects of the ethanolic extracts and total alkaloids of
aerial parts of Datura stramonium and Ruta graveolens
against four microbial species: Escherichia coli,
Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus,
and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the in vitro disc
diffusion method was used. The results obtained showed a
significant zone of lysis, and a good activity against the
selected strains of microorganisms, hence leading to the
conclusion that these plants would serve as sources of new
antibacterial agents.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
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