Recent Patents on Biotechnology - Volume 17, Issue 2, 2023

Background: This review highlights the folklore, ethnomedicinal uses and conservation status of Caesalpinioideae in Uttar Pradesh (India). Aims: It aims at compiling available data on traditional medicine, biological activity, phytochemical information and assessing the regional red list status of Caesalpinioideae in Uttar Pradesh. The information provided would help in formulating new drugs and medicines and addressing global conservation issues of such medicinally exploited species. Methods: The current study included an extensive and systematic review of available literature, the study of previous collections of herbarium specimens, random interviews with locals and tribals, field surveys, and GeoCAT tool-based assessment during 2016-2020. The study reports that the majority of species of Caesalpinioideae are used for curing digestive problems (about 20 species) and skin diseases (19 species). Results: Almost all the species have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. These pharmacological activities can be attributed to the presence of various types of anthraquinones in plants. Conclusion: The regional conservation status reveals that eight species qualified for the status of regionally threatened category while two species fall under the near threatened category.

Background: Lippia adoensis Hoechst var. adoensis (wild variety) and variety koseret (cultivated variety) have been used as traditional medicine, condiments, and endemic to Ethiopia. Objective: This study aimed to assess the physicochemical properties and biological activities of oil extracts from seed and leaves of koseret (L. adoensis var. koseret). Methodology: Soxhlet apparatus was used for oil extraction using hexane as a solvent. The oil quality assessment was based on oil yield, acid value, percent free fatty acid, and peroxide value, while the biological activities were investigated based on antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The antimicrobial experiment was arranged as 2 x1x4 in a completely randomized factorial design with three replications. Results: The result indicated that significantly higher oil yield (2.25%), acid value (2.66%) and free fatty acid (1.34%) were recorded for seed oil using the solvent extraction method. Leaf oil was recorded to have significantly higher values of DPPH (2,2- diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl), ascorbic acid and total carotenoid contents, but a lower value of hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity indicated that leaf oil presented higher antioxidant activity than seed oil in koseret. The koseret leaf oil demonstrated stronger antibacterial activity with a maximum zone of inhibition (14.50±0.21 mm), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, 0.25 μg/ml) and corresponding minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC, 0.25 μg/ml) against S. aureus. Furthermore, leaf oil has also presented stronger antifungal activity with a maximum zone of inhibition (14.83 mm), MIC (0.25 μg/ml), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC, 0.50 μg/ml) against Aspergillus versicolor. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the results of this study that leaf oil extract has demonstrated better biological activities, including both antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials, than seed oil in koseret.

Background: Kidney disease is a universal public health problem, and epidemiological studies demonstrated that the incidences of chronic kidney disease are increasing day by day. However, the efficiency of currently available drugs on the progression of nephropathy is limited. Therefore, the current research was designed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of captopril and BQ123 against hyperlipidemia-induced nephropathy in rats. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the implication of Endothelin-1 in experimentally induced hyperlipidemic nephropathy in rats. Methods: Animals were divided into various groups, and the administration of a high-fat diet for six weeks induced hyperlipidemia. After confirmation of hyperlipidemia, treatment was started for the next 14 days. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were sacrificed, and various biochemical parameters and histopathological studies were performed. Results: Treatment of both the agents in combination effectively decreased BUN levels, serum creatinine, serum nitrite, and proinflammatory markers and ameliorated the pathological injuries to kidneys. Conclusion: Furthermore, both treatments also inhibited oxidative stress and restored the hyperlipidemia-induced reduction in the level of antioxidant enzymes.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 has been responsible for infecting more than 613,615,658 people in 222 countries by September 11, 2022, of which 6,516,076 have died. COVID-19 was introduced by World Health Organization as a global concern and a pandemic disease due to its prevalence. Objective: Developing preventive or therapeutic medications against 2019-nCoV is an urgent need, and has been deemed as a high priority among scientific societies; in this regard, the production of effective vaccines is one of the most significant and high-priority requirements. Because of costly and time-consuming process of vaccine design, different immunoinformatics methods have been developed. Methods: At the beginning of vaccine design, the proteome study is essential. In this investigation, the whole human coronavirus proteome was evaluated using the proteome subtraction strategy. Out of 5945 human coronavirus proteins, five new antigenic proteins were selected by analyzing the hierarchical proteome subtraction, and then their various physicochemical and immunological properties were investigated bioinformatically. Results: All five protein sequences are antigenic and non-allergenic proteins; moreover, the spike protein group, including spike glycoprotein (E2) (Peplomer protein), spike fragment and spike glycoprotein fragment, showed acceptable stability, which can be used to design new vaccines against human coronaviruses. Conclusion: The selected peptides and the other proteins introduced in this study (HE, orf7a, SARS_X4 domain-containing protein and protein 8) can be employed as a suitable candidate for developing a novel prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine against human coronaviruses.

Background: There is a potential for longitudinal and horizontal transfer of the cytotoxic effects of cypermethrin, and evidence suggests that date fruit extracts can ameliorate these cytotoxic effects. Thus, the current study evaluated female Wister rats’ fertility and pup parameters after mating males treated with cypermethrin and date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) extract. Methods: Adult Wistar rats (n = 74; 140 – 207 g) were used to conduct this experiment in two phases: The first phase was a single dose toxicity study (n = 18), while the second phase (n = 56) evaluated female Wister rats’ reproductive and pup development parameters after mating with male Wistar rats exposed to date fruit extract and cypermethrin. Male rats were distributed randomly into four groups (n = 7 per group) and administered distilled water (Group I); 60 mg/kg cypermethrin (Group II) to simulate infertility; 250 mg/kg date fruit extract alone (Group III); and date fruit extracts plus 60 mg/kg cypermethrin (Group IV). Treated males were then mated with healthy female rats at a ratio of 1:1. Successfully mated females were appraised for conception and pregnancy rates, gestation length, litter size, and weights at birth, and on days 5, 10, 15, and 21 post-partum, an anogenital distance at day-20, sex ratio, and age of pup when hair growth was evident. Results: Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in litter size and male anogenital distance but not in reproductive performance. Also, the study demonstrated that date fruit extract skewed the sex ratio of offspring to more female than male pups when female Wister rats were mated with males that received date fruit extracts alone or cypermethrin and date fruit extracts. The body weight gain did not differ significantly between the control and cypermethrin-treated groups. Conclusion: This evidence suggested a longitudinal transfer of the protective effects of date fruit extracts following a weekly exposure of male rats to cypermethrin at 60 mg/kg.

Background: Nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology have emerged as novel technologies for the production and application of nanoscale materials in different pharmaceutical, medical, and biological fields. Besides, there are a bunch of recently published patents in this field. Although Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have various advantages and can be applied for a wide variety of purposes, their toxicity on humans is a matter of concern. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate six different types of CNTs, including pristine, carboxylated, and hydroxylated single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) and multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) on three human cell lines. Methods: MTT assay was employed to assess the cytotoxicity of six types of CNTs, including pristine, carboxylated, and hydroxylated forms of SWCNTs and MWCNTs on three different human cell lines. Results: The findings of the MTT assay showed that the six different types of CNTs (100- 600 μg/mL) exhibited different levels of cytotoxicity on the three human cell lines. The observed trend presented dose-dependent cytotoxicity on the three studied cell lines, including pulmonary, skin, and gastrointestinal cell lines. SWCNT-COOH and MWCNTs accounted for the lowest cell viability in the three human cell lines. Conclusion: In conclusion, researchers and industrial workers are recommended to be cautious while working with different types of CNT because all their toxicity dimensions have not been determined yet.