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Abstract Scorpion venom contains a variety of neurotoxins which interact with ion channels and affect their activities. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential of scorpion venom as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor by using Aedes aegypti as model organism. Venoms of two species, Hottentota tamulus (Fabricus, 1798) and Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) were selected for this study. Two peptides (36 kDa from H. tamulus and 54 kDa from A. finitimus) were separated from scorpion venom by using HPLC. Selected peptides caused significantly higher mortality in larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti than control (no mortalities were observed in control groups). Significant acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potential of both peptides was recorded by spectrophotometer. The peptide of A. finitimus caused significantly higher mortality (95±1.53% in larvae and 100% in adults) than the peptide of H. tamulus (84.33±2.33% in larvae and 95.37±1.45% in adults). While H. tamulus peptide was more efficient in reducing AChE activity (0.029±0.012 in larvae and 0.03±0.003 in adults) than the peptide of A. finitimus (0.049±0.005 in larvae and 0.047±0.001 in adults). It was concluded that H. tamulus venom peptide was more efficiently reducing AChE activity, thus it could be a potential bio-insecticide which can be synthesized at industrial scale for the control of harmful insects.
Heavy metals pollution is a major concern on a global scale.The present work evaluated the cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) concentrations in water, soil, forages (Avena sativa, Brassica campestris, Medicago sativa, Pennisetum glaucum and Trifolium alexandrinum), milk and hair samples of cows.The samples taken according to trophic levels of the food chain were collected from selected arid regions of Khushab, Punjab, Pakistan and analyzed by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.The concentrations of Cd and Cu were found in the range of 0.041-0.065mg/L, 0.585-1.341mg/L in water; 0.223-2.600mg/kg, 11.550-15.853mg/kg in soil; 0.0037-0.682mg/kg, 3.0917-8.208mg/kg in fodder; 0.0457-0.137mg/kg, 0.0167-0.690mg/L in milk and 0.043-0.112mg/kg, 0.0427-0.497mg/kg in hair, respectively.The Cd and Cu concentrations in water, soil, forage, milk and hair were safer compared to standard limits.Bioconcentration factor (BCF), Enrichment factor (EF), Daily Intake of Metal (DIM), and Health Risk Index (HRI) were found less than 1 in Cd and Cu whereas PLI<1 in Cd and PLI>1 in Cu that indicates copper pollution in soil.So, regular monitoring of heavy metals was required to appraise contamination levels in the environment.
Concentration of heavy metals in serum samples of RA patients and healthy control individuals differ significantly, which shows that heavy metals may contributes towards development of RA.
This chapter aims to investigate the association of some heavy metals with rheumatoid arthritis. The metal concentration was observed in serum of RA patients, both in sex and two age groups of below 35 years and 35 years and above. The metals studied were zinc, cobalt, lead, nickel and copper. The findings revealed that concentration of Cu was significantly lower in the serum of RA +ve patients compared to RA -ve individuals but no significant relationship with sex and age groups was found. There was no significant relationship found between concentration of Zn, Co, Pb, and Ni with RA +ve patients. Similarly, there was no significant relationship between these metal concentrations and the gender or age of RA +ve patients.
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte Antigen 4 (CTLA-4), similar to co-stimulatory molecule CD28, plays an important role in down regulation of T cell activation. CLTA-4 binds to B7 with much greater affinity as compared to CD28, thus limiting the enhanced activation of T cells and preventing autoimmune diseases. CTLA-4 gene has an important variation rs231775 which interferes with the functioning of CTLA-4 causing uncontrolled activation of T cells. rs231775 may prone individuals to development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a severe autoimmune disease. This study aims to find the possible role of rs231775 polymorphism and the risk factors smoking, hypertension and diabetes in conferring susceptibility to RA in Pakistani population. Allele specific PCR based strategy was used to amplify rs231775 in samples of 100 RA patients and 100 age and sex matched healthy individuals. GG genotype of rs231775 polymorphism was found to increase the risk of RA development by 3.0186 times (OR 3.0186; 95% CI 1.6774-5.4322). Smoking increased the risk of RA development by 3.1672 times (OR or 3.1672; 95% CI 1.7766- 5.6462). Diabetes was found to increase the risk of RA development by 2.172 times (OR 2.172; 95% CI 1.1897- 3.9669). Hypertension also increased the risk of RA development by 2.280 times (OR 2.280; 95% CI 1.2676-4.1021). It can be concluded that smoking, diabetes, hypertension and rs231775 play an important role in development of RA in Pakistani population.
The present study evaluated AChE inhibitory effect of three plants (Calotropis procera, Eucalyptus globulus and Mentha spicata) extract using Aedes aegypti and Musca domestica as model insects. The effect caused by plants was also compared with commonly used insecticides i.e., Chlorpyrifos. The WHO-recommended protocol was used for conducting bioassay tests against selected insects. Three different doses of plants extract were used. The mortality rate was assessed after 24 hours post-treatment. Using Ellman's assay, the AChE activity was determined by spectrophotometry at 412nm wavelength. There was a marked decline in the enzyme activity of treated groups compared to the control group. M. spicata treated groups proved to have high AChE inhibition power among three plants extract. While C. procera extract effectively control both Ae. aegypti and M. domestica. It is concluded that plants extract not only inhibits the AChE activity of insects but also controls them very proficiently.
Now a days, DNA barcoding using COI gene (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) has gained more attention, because of these barcodes validity and simplicity for identification of bird species has increased a lot.In present study, 650bp region of COI gene of two bird species, Chukar patridge (Alectoris chukar) and Sand patridge (Ammoperdix heyi) are sequenced.Total 6 birds (03 birds from each species) were selected.Each sample was aligned with its reference sequence of COI gene available on NCBI and every nucleotide position which did not align with reference sequence was studied to identify SNPs.Our results demonstrated that A. chukar formed a single cluster with Alectoris philbyi while Alectoris rufa and Alectoris melanocephala were a bit distant relatives of A. chukar.The study clearly suggesting efficacy and accuracy of DNA barcodes for molecular identification and characterization of species.Further, barcoding technique used for analysis of molecular diversity and genetic identification of partridges provide a valuable information about population structure, phylogenetic history, molecular conservation and species identification.
Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance necessitates the development of more potent natural product that has no adverse effects on human health. Purpose of this study is to verify the medicinal efficacy of selected plant extract (Cassia fistula) against selected bacterial strains. For this purpose the methanolic extract of Cassia fistula (Amaltas) was employed at different concentration, temperature and pH conditions to study its antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus. Results revealed that Cassia fistula showed maximum zone of inhibition (2.6mm±1.1) at 250mg/ml against Bacillus subtilis, while minimum zone (0.6mm±0.00) was observed against Staphylococcus aureus at 150mg/ml. The results for varying pH conditions reveled that Cassia fistula exhibits maximum inhibition (1.5mm±0.2) of Bacillus subtilis at pH-9 (concentration: 150mg/ml). In comparison, at 250mg/ml the observed zone measurement was maximum against Staphylococcus aureus at pH-9. The results at different temperature ranges depict that Cassia fistula effectively controls the growth of Bacillus subtilis at 120 o C (250mg/ml, zone of inhibition: 1.7mm±0.2). All the zones of inhibition were found significant according to the One way ANOVA. This results of current study strengthens the fact regarding antibacterial potential of plant extracts and proves that increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance can be reduced by introducing more natural antibacterial agents other than chemicals.
<title>Abstract</title> Contamination of fodder species with elevated levels of metallic compounds holds significant epidemiological relevance, as it serves as the primary gateway for the introduction of these elements into the food chain. This investigation was directed to ascertain the ecological and health hazard of nickel contamination through various indices in food chain resulting from the dietary consumption of commonly ingested fodder crops cultivated on contaminated sites in the proximity of Sahiwal (Sargodha) and Soone Valley (Khushab), Punjab, Pakistan. Samples of water, soil, forages, ruminant’s blood, feces, and milk were collected from two sites; Soone Valley (Site_1) and Sahiwal (Site_2) in summer (Season_1) and winter (Season_2) during 2022-23, and were analyzed for nickel concentrations employing atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean concentrations of nickel were varied from 0.0125–0.0579 mg L<sup>− 1</sup>, 0.386–2.123 mg kg<sup>− 1</sup>, 0.00853–0.5784 mg kg<sup>− 1</sup>, 0.1085–0.5918 mg L<sup>− 1</sup>, 0.04664–0.2122 mg kg<sup>− 1</sup>, and 0.00820–0.2147 mg L<sup>− 1</sup> in water, soil, forages, blood, feces, and milk, correspondingly. Highly significantly a negative correlation was observed among the soil vs fodder of Site_1 and Site_2 during both seasons. In animals, the highest nickel concentration was detected in blood of buffaloes at Site_1, while lowest in milk of cows at Site_2. Nickel concentrations were detected under standard permissible limits described by FAO/WHO. Except to BCF and EF, all the computed indices (PLI, Igeo, Eri, DIM, EDI, HRI, THQ, EDD, ECR, and ILTCR) were < 1, indicating low concentrations of nickel in soil and fodder, thus ensuring the safety of local ruminants upon ingestion during both seasons at both sites. Henceforth, strongly advocate the regular surveillance of heavy metal concentrations in the pasture grass surrounding contaminated locations is necessary. Furthermore, we suggest implementing precautionary measures to mitigate unintentional exposures of both livestock and, consequently, human beings to the deleterious effects of metal toxicity.
Introduction: Food poisoning is one of the major illnesses around the world.Eating spoiled food is the leading cause of food poisoning.The reason behind is that spoiled food has a huge number of diseasecausing bacteria, which include Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus.Medicinal plants are equipped with phytochemicals like tannins and flavonoids etc.More than 70% of the people in poor nations relies on traditional drugs made from plants.As a result, people are looking for such herbal plants more often.Above 500 medicinal plants have been identified and used in Asia, and about 800 medicinal plants have been used in the traditional medical practices of the region (Oladeji et al., 2020).Hippocrates, approximately 2500 years ago supported the maxim, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," and it is currently gaining popularity.Nutrition and healthcare are closely related in traditional societies, and many plants have been used both as food and medicine (Singh, 2018).Objective: The current study aim to authenticate the antibacterial potential of Cinnamomum cassia (Cinnamon) and Moringaoleifera (Sohanjna), using their ethanolic extract.The test strains include Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus.
<title>Abstract</title> Heavy metal pollution of soil is a growing environmental issue due to irrigation with untreated municipal and industrial waste-water, vehicle emissions, and other activities in Pakistan. Agricultural and urban soil, being the prime part of the environment, acts as a chief reservoir or sink of pollutants, including heavy metals, in the food chain. Interest in using urban waste composts as amendments in urban agriculture is growing nowadays. Concerns about the potential transference of pollutants present in urban waste to the food chain are very relevant when they are recycled for food or animal feed production. To carry out the present study, soil and plant samples were collected from the site. Then, to measure the iron (Fe) contents in the edible portion of vegetables along with selected soil physicochemical parameters, wet acid digestion with a nitric acid/perchloric acid mixture was performed. The digested samples and all the supernatants were analyzed for heavy metals using the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). Heavy metal (Fe) shows a significant build-up in the vegetables as when grown on the municipal solid waste amended soil. Various indices such as PLI, BCF, DIM, HRI were calculated, and results showed that PLI was above 1, indicating that metal was causing pollution in selected samples, while the values of BCF, DIM, and HRI were within the permissible range.
Heavy metal contaminated food crops are one of the major public health concerns these days. The present study evaluates the Cd uptake in some promising wheat varieties subjected to soils amended with different types of organic fertilizers/matter. For this purpose, both pot and field experiments were conducted at the same time in Sargodha, Pakistan. Cadmium uptake in soil and different wheat plant parts were higher in the pot experiment than that in the field experiment. In both experiments, Cd ranged from 0.075 to 0.030 mg/kg in soil, 0.64 to 1.01 mg/kg in root, 0.63 to1.00 mg/kg in shoot and 0.65 to 1.01 mg/kg in grains. Among all soil amendments, farm-yard manure was found to be very effective in mitigating the uptake of Cd in wheat plants. Of all wheat varieties, Gold-16 and Ihsan-16 showed maximum Cd uptake, whereas the minimum Cd uptake was displayed by cv. DHharabi-11. In both experiments, all different indices showed values lower than 1 except the bio-concentration factor. Overall, Cd absorption observed in the present soil-wheat system was lower than the standard Cd absorption values. This study recommends that farmers may use organic soil amendments in this area to increase the fertility of soil. But regular examination practices must be carried out in this area, to limit the exposure to Cd hazards of public being provided Cd contaminated grains.
Abstract Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is the primary challenge for health worldwide. The widespread of food poisoning due to use of stored food items increasing day by day. The present study was designed to research the protective effect of Eucalyptus camaldulensis methanolic extract again selected strains of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus). The treatment was used for several concentrations and then characterized on the basis of temperature and pH variations. Results were observed by MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) against these strains. It was noted that maximum inhibition of E. camaldulensis against E.coli (5.6mm) was observed at 250 mg/mL while it was 3.6mm against B. cereus at 200 mg/mL, Staph. aureus showed maximum (3.1mm) zone at 250 mg/mL. at variable temperature of E. camaldulensis extract, it was observed that MIC of B. cereus was 6.4mm at 80 °C. For other strains the results revealed that the maximum zone against B. subtilis was 5.7mm at 121 °C and for Staph. aureus it was 6.6mm at 80 °C. By observing the results by changing pH it was observed that MIC produced against B. cereus was 6.2mm at 7pH, against B. subtilis zone of inhibition was 7.2mm at 5pH, for E.coli it was 5.4mm at 3pH. Means of all the variable results of different (concentration, pH and temperature) were compared by using one way ANOVA. The current study suggested that the methanolic extract of E. camaldulensis was found effective in control of antibiotic resistant strains and this study strengthens the fact of using herbal solutions for control of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.
Plant extracts are now being used to improve animals’ hematological activity, biochemistry, and immunology. This study aimed to assess the antimicrobial activity of Ziziphus nummularia against E. coli bacteria, which causes bovine mastitis in cattle. In this study, the experimental animals were divided into four groups. The control group (Group 0) was fed a normal diet throughout the experiment. In contrast, Groups 1, 2, and 3 received 100 g, 200 g, and 300 g of Ziziphus nummularia with their normal diet, respectively. At the end of the experiment, hematological parameters showed significant differences in the experimental groups. Biochemical parameters had significant differences in creatinine, ALT, and bilirubin; however, albumin values were moderately significant. The antimicrobial activity of Ziziphus nummularia extract was also assessed at different dilutions (0.6 ml, 0.8 ml, and 1 ml), with the 1 ml dilution showing a larger zone of inhibition compared to the others. Analysis of somatic cell count in milk revealed that Groups 2 and 3 showed a significant decrease compared to the control and Group 1. Therefore, incorporating Ziziphus nummularia into the regular diet of dairy animals is recommended to boost immunity against diseases like bovine mastitis, enabling farmers to manage mastitis effectively and enhance milk production in dairy cattle.
Abstract Objective The current study examined the antibacterial properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) against infectious strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and aimed to find a natural way to treat microbial diseases. The antibacterial substances such as bacteriocin have been produced by lactic acid bacteria. Lactobacillus served as probiotics and reduce the antibiotic resistance pressure. Methods L. acidophilus was isolated from a natural source (Yogurt) and grow on de Man Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar media. The extraction of bacteriocin from MRS broth culture of one week incubation of L. acidophilus was done via ammounium sulphate precipitation method. Agar well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of bacteriocin against these infectious strains. The values of zone of inhibition confirmed the potential of L. acidophilus as natural antibiotic agent. These test strains were characterized by Sanger sequence 16S ribotyping method. Key results In terms of temperature, pH and concentrations, the results demonstrated that bacteriocin expressed significant antibiotic activity. Bacteriocin showed maximum antibacterial effect against E.coli at 80 °C and against S. aureus at 100mg/mL and against E.coli at pH 5. The bacteriocin’s efficacy was compared with antibiotic amoxil (500mg) as a positive control. One-way ANOVA analysis showed statistically significant variations in mean zone of inhibition. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the bacteriocin produced by L. acidophilus has the ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. This antibacterial property of bacteriocin allows for potential treatments of various human and animal diseases, particularly against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Additionally, the findings indicate that the bacteriocin isolated from L. acidophilus becomes inactive at high pH levels and does not exhibit any bacteriostatic effects.
I have an accepted MS in open acces journal, but the APC is about 2400 euro. We are now 4 authors and we need help to pay fees. Thank you.
