Determination of major and trace elements in the indigenous medicinal plant Withania somnifera and their possible correlation with therapeutic activity

Withania somnifera (family Solanaceae) has been studied to determine major and trace elements and their possible correlation with therapeutic value of the plant. Nine trace elements were determined in Withania somnifera. This important medicinal plant was found to be rich in Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, and Zn. These trace elements are well known for curing diseases. The plant contains nutrient elements, which are best sources for fodder.     

A new and facile synthesis of 3-(2-aryl-6-nitro-1H-indol-3-yl)quinoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones by sodium alginate as biopolymeric catalyst

Research on Chemical Intermediates - New 3-(2-aryl-6-nitro-1H-indol-3-yl)quinoline-2,4(1H,3H)-diones were synthesized, and good-to-excellent yields were achieved through one-pot, three-component...     

Rapid preparative isolation of erythrocentaurin from Enicostemma littorale by medium‐pressure liquid chromatography,its estimation by high‐pressure thin‐layer chromatography,and its α‐amylase inhibitory activity

Erythrocentaurin is a relatively simple natural product present among the members of Gentianaceae. A preparative method for the isolation of erythrocentaurin from the ethyl acetate fraction of Enicostemma littorale using medium‐pressure liquid chromatography has been reported. The method consisted of a simple step gradient from 10 to 20% ethyl acetate in n‐hexane. Using a 70 × 460 mm Si60 column, this method is capable of processing 20 g of material in <3 h (purity ≈ 97%). The recovery of erythrocentaurin was 87.77%. Estimation of erythrocentaurin in extracts and fractions based on high‐pressure thin‐layer chromatography was carried out on silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ plates with toluene/ethyl acetate/formic acid (80:18:2 v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The densitometric analysis was performed at 230 nm. A well‐separated compact band of erythrocentaurin appeared at R_f 0.54 ± 0.04. The analytical method showed good linearity in the concentration range of 200–1500 ng/band with a correlation coefficient of 0.99417. The limits of detection and quantification were found to be ≈60 and ≈180 ng/band, respectively. Erythrocentaurin exhibited a concentration‐dependent α‐amylase inhibition (IC₅₀ 1.67 ± 0.28 mg/mL). The outcome of the study should be considered for pharmacokinetic and biotransformation studies involving E. littorale.     

A convenient and mild synthesis of new 2-aryl-3-hydroxy-6,7-dihydro-1H-indol-4(5H)-ones via a one-pot,three-component reaction in water

A simple and convenient synthesis of 2-aryl-3-hydroxy-6,7-dihydro-1H-indol-4(5H)-ones is achieved in high yields via the one-pot, three-component reaction of arylglyoxals, 1,3-cyclohexanedione, and ammonium acetate in water under reflux conditions.     

Transfer of radioactivity from soil to vegetation in Rechna Doab,Pakistan

In Rechna Doab, samples of the most common vegetation, perennial grass Desmostachya bipinnata (dab), were collected along with soil samples from 29 sites. Natural radioactivity of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th/²²⁸Ac and ⁴⁰K was measured by using high purity germanium-based gamma ray spectrometer. Activity concentration levels of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th/²²⁸Ac and ⁴⁰K in soil were found to be 46.8±6.2 (36.0–57.6), 61.4±5.9 (48.2–73.2) and 644.8±73.9 (537.7–868.4) Bq kg^?1 (dry mass), respectively, and those in vegetation were 2.74±1.70 (1.00–6.39), 2.24±0.59 (1.56–2.61) and 172.72±113.37 (53.14–469.24) Bq kg^?1 (dry mass), respectively. The measured values of the activity concentration in vegetation are comparable with some other international data. Calculated soil to vegetation transfer factors of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ac and ⁴⁰K were 0.06±0.03 (0.02–0.14), 0.04±0.01 (0.03–0.04) and 0.26±0.16 (0.09–0.69). The mean outdoor absorbed dose rate in air for the area under study was determined as 8.22 nGy h^?1 and the mean indoor absorbed dose rate in air was 11.52 nGy h^?1. The total annual effective dose to the general public from the vegetation was found to be (0.02–0.16) mSv, which is below the recommended limit value of 1 mSv y^?1 for the general public. The dab vegetation under study was found to be radiologically safe for the population and environment.     

Practical High-Throughput Method to Screen Compounds for Anthelmintic Activity against Caenorhabditis elegans

In the present study, we established a practical and cost-effective high throughput screening assay, which relies on the measurement of the motility of Caenorhabditis elegans by infrared light-interference. Using this assay, we screened 14,400 small molecules from the “HitFinder” library (Maybridge), achieving a hit rate of 0.3%. We identified small molecules that reproducibly inhibited the motility of C. elegans (young adults) and assessed dose relationships for a subset of compounds. Future work will critically evaluate the potential of some of these hits as candidates for subsequent optimisation or repurposing as nematocides or nematostats. This high throughput screening assay has the advantage over many previous assays in that it is cost- and time-effective to carry out and achieves a markedly higher throughput (~10,000 compounds per week); therefore, it is suited to the screening of libraries of tens to hundreds of thousands of compounds for subsequent evaluation and development. The present phenotypic whole-worm assay should be readily adaptable to a range of socioeconomically important parasitic nematodes of humans and animals, depending on their dimensions and motility characteristics in vitro, for the discovery of new anthelmintic candidates. This focus is particularly important, given the widespread problems associated with drug resistance in many parasitic worms of livestock animals globally.     

Biocatalysis for C–S bond formation: Porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) catalysed thiolysis/hydrothiolation reactions in sole water

In this paper, a biocatalytic route is described wherein PPL, lipase from porcine pancreas, in conjunction with water on reaction with different thiophenols and styrene oxides undergo thiolysis with C-S bond formation without the use of any metal catalysts, oxidants, bases, additives or organic solvents towards formation of β-hydroxysulfides in good to excellent yields with high regioselectivity at room temperature. Furthermore, PPL also facilitates thiophenols to undergo hydrothiolation with styrenes or phenylacetylenes in sole water and thus forming linear thioethers or vinylsulfides respectively via C–S bond formation. In addition to the straightforward and atom-efficient protocol, a gram-scale synthesis of β-hydroxysulfide and recyclability for three consecutive cycles without decrease in efficiency of PPL make our biocatalytic protocol for constructing C–S bond highly valuable from both environmental and economic viewpoints than traditional chemical practices.     

Estimation of background radiation levels and associated health risks in mineral rich district Chiniot,Pakistan

The mineral extraction activities may disturb the natural radioactivity, therefore current study aims to generate baseline data of natural radionuclides and anthropogenic ¹³⁷Cs before the start of industrial activities. Gamma spectrometry and gross alpha and beta counting systems were used for activity measurement in environmental samples. In soil, the mean activity of ²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs were determined as 79 (66–117), 47 (34–80), 823 (602–1159) and 1.3 (1.1–4.5) Bq kg^?1, respectively. The average annual effective dose rate (128.7 µSv h^?1) in the study area was twice higher than world’s average value. Indoor hazard index was greater than unity at two places; therefore, proper ventilation is proposed during construction.