Identification of pH tolerant Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains and their symbiotic effectiveness in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in low nutrient soil

Eight strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum were isolated from the root nodules of soybean cultivar PK 472 collected from Adaptive Trial Centre, Bundi, India. All the isolates were authenticated through plant assay test in germination pouches. Growth of the isolated strains on different pH levels was observed and three strains namely Bj-3, Bj-5 and Bj-8 were found to be able to grow up to pH 8.5. Symbiotic efficiency of these isolates was determined under the mist house conditions in the sterilized sandy soil (pH 8.4). Maximum and minimum nodulation and vegetative growth were observed in Bj-3 and Bj-2 inoculated soybean plants, respectively. Three pH tolerant strains could also pose better results in the efficiency determination experiment. Considerable variability in terms of the symbiotic effectiveness was found in the tested strains.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 663-666,200

Evaluating the toxic effects of Ficus infectoria Roxb. and Emblica officinalis Gaertn. leaf extracts on cell division and chromosomal morphology of Cicer arietinum L.

In the present study, the aqueous extracts of Ficus infectoria and Emblica officinalis leaves were evaluated for their toxic effect on cell division and chromosomal morphology of Cicer arietinum root apical meristem. The extracts were prepared by dissolving 15 gm, 30 gm and 45 gm of dry leaf powder in 1000 ml of double distilled water. The experiment was conducted in sterilized petri dishes. The results revealed that the different concentrations of aqueous extract of F. infectoria and E. officinalis caused cytotoxic and mitodepressive effects on chromosome of Cicer arietinum. The dose–dependent and statistically significant (

In Vitro and Sensory Evaluation of Capsaicin-Loaded Nanoformulations

Capsaicin has known health beneficial and therapeutic properties. It is also able to enhance the permeability of drugs across epithelial tissues. Unfortunately, due to its pungency the oral administration of capsaicin is limited. To this end, we assessed the effect of nanoencapsulation of capsaicin, under the hypothesis that this would reduce its pungency. Core-shell nanocapsules with an oily core and stabilized with phospholipids were used. This system was used with or without chitosan coating. In this work, we investigated the in vitro release behavior of capsaicin-loaded formulations in different physiological media (including simulated saliva fluid). We also evaluated the influence of encapsulation of capsaicin on the cell viability of buccal cells (TR146). To study the changes in pungency after encapsulation we carried out a sensory analysis with a trained panel of 24 students. The in vitro release study showed that the systems discharged capsaicin slowly in a monotonic manner and that the chitosan coating had an effect on the release profile. The cytotoxic response of TR146 cells to capsaicin at a concentration of 500 μM, which was evident for the free compound, was reduced following its encapsulation. The sensory study revealed that a chitosan coating results in a lower threshold of perception of the formulation. The nanoencapsulation of capsaicin resulted in attenuation of the sensation of pungency significantly. However, the presence of a chitosan shell around the nanoformulations did not mask the pungency, when compared with uncoated systems

Chitosan encapsulation modulates the effect of capsaicin on the tight junctions of MDCK cells

Capsaicin has known pharmacological effects including the ability to reversibly open cellular tight junctions, among others. The aim of this study was to develop a strategy to enhance the paracellular transport of a substance with low permeability (FITC-dextran) across an epithelial cell monolayer via reversible opening of cellular tight junctions using a nanosystem comprised by capsaicin and of chitosan. We compared the biophysical properties of free capsaicin and capsaicin-loaded chitosan nanocapsules, including their cytotoxicity towards epithelial MDCK-C7 cells and their effect on the integrity of tight junctions, membrane permeability and cellular uptake. The cytotoxic response of MDCK-C7 cells to capsaicin at a concentration of 500 μM, which was evident for the free compound, is not observable following its encapsulation. The interaction between nanocapsules and the tight junctions of MDCK-C7 cells was investigated by impedance spectroscopy, digital holographic microscopy and structured illumination fluorescence microscopy. The nanocapsules modulated the interaction between capsaicin and tight junctions as shown by the different time profile of trans-epithelial electrical resistance and the enhanced permeability of monolayers incubated with FITC-dextran. Structured illumination fluorescence microscopy showed that the nanocapsules were internalized by MDCK-C7 cells. The capsaicin-loaded nanocapsules could be further developed as drug nanocarriers with enhanced epithelial permeability

Cytogenetic changes induced by sodium azide (NaN3) on Trigonella foenum-graecum L. seeds

AbstractSodium azide (NaN3) still remains a popular plant mutagen. In the present investigation, its effects on the cytogenetic changes were studied in root tip cells of Trigonella foenum-graecum, which is an economically and medicinally important crop of India. Trigonella seeds were germinated after treating with various concentrations of sodium azide (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5%) at 24±1 °C for 72 h and the cytogenetic changes evaluated. The study revealed that sodium azide decreased the percentage seed germination, radicle length (at higher dose), mitotic index, and caused an increase in the chromosomal aberrations in a dose-dependent manner. Altogether, the root tip cells of the sodium azide-treated Trigonella seeds exhibited an increased incidence of chromosome stickiness, bridge formation, precocious separation and lagging chromosomes

Symbiotic potential, competitiveness and compatibility of indigenous Bradyrhizobium japonicum isolates to three soybean genotypes of two distinct agro-climatic regions of Rajasthan, India

AbstractIn the current study, we recovered sixteen bradyrhizobial isolates from root nodules of two soybean genotypes (JS 335 and PK 472) grown in two distinct agro-climatic conditions (Bundi and Udaipur) of Rajasthan, India. Symbiotic effectiveness of these isolates was evaluated under greenhouse conditions. On the basis of statistical analysis of data (ANOVA followed by LSD P⩽0.05), four effective isolates namely BJ335-1, BPK-3, BPK-5 and UJ335-1 were screened out from the greenhouse experiment. The compatibility to three soybean genotypes, and the competitive ability with other field population of rhizobia, of these four isolates was further determined by conducting field trial. Results demonstrated significant variation in the symbiotic potential of tested isolates with respect to different soybean genotypes. Response of soybean genotype JS 335 towards inoculation was relatively better suggesting its suitability in the Haroti region of Rajasthan. Moreover, BJ 335-1 and BPK-3 isolates were found to be highly efficient as they significantly improved the nodulation, plant growth and seed yield. Possible factors responsible for variable response of bradyrhizobial isolates towards inoculation in three soybean genotypes are discussed. Further, the inoculants production of effective isolates at large scale and their multilocational trials are required to check their suitability for the other agro-climatic conditions

Short-term temporal variation in sporulation dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and physico-chemical edaphic properties of wheat rhizosphere

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the pattern of short-term temporal variation in the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and physico-chemical edaphic properties of some wheat growing areas of the Bundelkhand region, Central India. Rhizospheric soil samples were collected every month from December 2007 to May 2008 from four wheat growing sites around Jhansi (Bundelkhand region). AM fungal root colonization, sporulation and physico-chemical edaphic properties during this period were determined and compared to evaluate the dynamics of response of wheat towards the AMF along crop maturation. Maximum AMF root colonization recorded was 54.3% indicating that AMF, particularly in low phosphorus (P) soils, can be important even in case of less responsive crop like wheat. In the two out of four sites studied, the AMF spore density increased with the increase in soil temperature. Absence of this type of pattern in remaining two sites indicated that site-specific environmental and agricultural conditions may affect the degree of wheat response to AMF. It also suggested that AMF communities inhabiting agroecosystems may exhibit considerable temporal sporulation patterns. The maximum AMF colonization was observed during February–March 2008, whereas maximum AMF sporulation was noticed during March–April 2008. Statistically significant negative correlation of AMF spore density with pH, organic carbon (OC) and available P was observed in the one of the sites studied. Overall assessment of the data indicated that season and location significantly affected the interaction of AM fungi with winter wheat necessitating the further need to understand the ecology of AMF populations with reference to specific host species under different micro-climatic conditions of Bundelkhand region

EDITORIAL: Special Issue on “Recent Advances in Biodegradation, Sanitation, and Bioremediation”

Currently, India is considered as one of the fastest developing countries with impressive macroeconomic statistics. Waste generation and its con-sequences is invariably linked with the develop-mental activities, health related issues and industrial progress. According to UNICEF, almost half the population of India (around 595 million people), defecate in the open. India accounts for 90 per cent of the people in South Asia and 59 per cent of the 1.1 billion people in the world who practise open defecation and thereby contributing nearly 65,000 tonnes of faeces into the environment each day (http://unicef.in/Whatwedo/11/Eliminate-Open-Defecation). Open defecation in India, poses a very serious threat to the health and hygiene issues, especially to the children.Keeping in view the need for looking into the scientific and technical advancements in the field of biodegrada-tion and sanitation, in 16-17 December 2014, DRL organized a national conference on “Recent Advances in Biodegradation of Human Wastes”. Sub-sequently, it was decided to bring some of the high quality technical papers presented during the conference, into a form of proceedings as a journal special issue. This issue contains a total of twelve articles.The editors take this opportunity to convey their sincere thanks to all the contributors for submitting their exciting research or review work for bringing the conference proceedings as special journal is-sue. The financial support provided by the DRDO and the DBT, Govt of India is also gratefully acknowledged. We sincerely believe that this syn-thesis of scientific information on biodegradation, sanitation and bioremediation shall be useful for the researchers and policy makers associated with solid waste management.</jats:p

Isolation, phenotypic characterization and comparative genomic analysis of 2019SD1, a polyvalent enterobacteria phage

AbstractShigella has the remarkable capability to acquire antibiotic resistance rapidly thereby posing a significant public health challenge for the effective treatment of dysentery (Shigellosis). The phage therapy has been proven as an effective alternative strategy for controlling Shigella infections. In this study, we illustrate the isolation and detailed characterization of a polyvalent phage 2019SD1, which demonstrates lytic activity against Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Enterococcus saccharolyticus and Enterococcus faecium. The newly isolated phage 2019SD1 shows adsorption time &lt; 6 min, a latent period of 20 min and burst size of 151 PFU per bacterial cell. 2019SD1 exhibits considerable stability in a wide pH range and survives an hour at 50 °C. Under transmission electron microscope, 2019SD1 shows an icosahedral capsid (60 nm dia) and a 140 nm long tail. Further, detailed bioinformatic analyses of whole genome sequence data obtained through Oxford Nanopore platform revealed that 2019SD1 belongs to genus Hanrivervirus of subfamily Tempevirinae under the family Drexlerviridae. The concatenated protein phylogeny of 2019SD1 with the members of Drexlerviridae taking four genes (DNA Primase, ATP Dependent DNA Helicase, Large Terminase Protein, and Portal Protein) using the maximum parsimony method also suggested that 2019SD1 formed a distinct clade with the closest match of the taxa belonging to the genus Hanrivervirus. The genome analysis data indicate the occurrence of putative tail fiber proteins and DNA methylation mechanism. In addition, 2019SD1 has a well-established anti-host defence system as suggested through identification of putative anti-CRISPR and anti-restriction endonuclease systems thereby also indicating its biocontrol potential.</jats:p

A Comparative Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Yastimadhu Ghrita and Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita in the Management of Sadhyo Vrana

Sadhyo Vrana (acute wounds) is a common clinical condition that requires prompt and effective management to promote faster healing and prevent complications. Ayurveda offers various formulations for wound healing, among which Yastimadhu Ghrita and Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita are known for their Vrana Ropana (wound-healing) properties. Objective: This study aims to compare the efficacy of Yastimadhu Ghrita and Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita in the management of Sadhyo Vrana based on clinical parameters such as pain, inflammation, wound contraction, and epithelialization time. Methodology: A randomized comparative clinical trial was conducted on patients presenting with Sadhyo Vrana. Participants were divided into two groups: Group A received Yastimadhu Ghrita, and Group B received Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita as local applications. The progress of wound healing was assessed using standard parameters, including pain reduction, exudate control, granulation tissue formation, and complete wound closure. Results: Both formulations showed significant improvement in wound healing. Yastimadhu Ghrita was more effective in reducing pain and inflammation due to its Shothahara (anti-inflammatory) and Vata-Pitta Shamaka properties. Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita, with its Ropana and Vrana Shodhana (wound cleansing) effects, demonstrated faster granulation tissue formation and wound contraction. Conclusion: Both Yastimadhu Ghrita and Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita are effective in the management of Sadhyo Vrana. However, Yastimadhu Ghrita is preferable for pain and inflammation, while Tila Kalka Madhu Ghrita promotes faster wound healing. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended