Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2014 in |
Our ecosystem is laden with hazardous and non-hazardous wastes that pose a serious threat to bio-existence. Most pharmaceutical formulations contain chemically-synthesized surfactants. The purpose of this work is to suggest an alternative source of surfactant which would also aid in ridding our environment of harmful wastes. Bacillus licheniformis B-4 strain isolated from a hydrocarbon dump site produces biosurfactant with excellent interfacial properties utilizing unconventional substrates (kerosene and diesel) as carbon sources, and glucose as an energy source. Acid precipitation and foam separation methods were used for biosurfactant recovery and its physicochemical properties evaluated which include the effect of the biosurfactant on the surface tension of water, critical micelle concentration (CMC), emulsification stability (ES) of kerosene and diesel, emulsification index, hemolytic activity, and antimicrobial activity. The results showed that the biosurfactant reduced the surface tension of water from 70.2 to 14.7 Nm-1, CMC was estimated to be 50 mg/l, emulsification stability of kerosene and diesel were obtained as 0.06 and 0.02 min-1, while the emulsification indices were 72.2 and 50...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2014 in |
Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae) are widely distributed aromatic herbs used in ethnomedicinal management of a range of inflammatory disorders. In the present work, we evaluated the topical anti-inflammatory effects of the volatile constituents extracted from the fresh leaves of these plant species. Fresh leaves of the plants were subjected to hydro distillation to obtain the volatile oils OBV and OGV from O. basilicum and O. gratissimum respectively. The fresh leaves were also extracted with n-hexane to obtain OBHE and OGHE respectively. OBV, OGV, OBHE, and OGHE were screened for anti-inflammatory effect using xylene-induced ear edema as a model of inflammation. Their chemical constituents were also analyzed using GC/MS apparatus. At 50 µg/ear OBV, OGV, OBHE and OGHE exhibited significant (P<0.05) topical anti-inflammatory effect with edema inhibitions of 50.0, 63.3, 62.7 and 80 % respectively. The effects were comparable (P<0.05) with that of 100 µg/ear hydrocortisone (% edema inhibition of 54.8). 11 of the compounds from OGV are monoterpenes while 4 are sesquiterpenes. 8 of the...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2014 in |
Aim of the Study: This study aimed to investigate the effect of ethanolic extract of fruits Coccinia indica Wight & Arn. (Cucurbitaceae) on urolithiasis in rats. Materials & methods: Thirty-six male rats were randomly divided into six groups (n = 6). Ethylene glycol (EG) 0.75% in drinking water were fed to all groups (Groups II-VI) except normal control (Group I) rats for 15-28th days to induce urolithiasis. Group III-VI rats were treated with ethanolic extract Coccinia indica of at doses 100, 200, 300 mg/kg, respectively, for 28 days. Positive control (Group II) rats were treated with EG alone. Group, I rats was administered drinking water and distilled water (6 μl/g) by gavage. After 15-28th days, blood samples were collected and analyzed for serum concentrations of calcium, Inorganic phosphorus, Blood urea, and creatinine. The kidneys were removed and sectioned for histopathological examination. The data were presented as mean ± standard error of the mean and analyzed using one-way analysis of variance P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the present...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2014 in |
Kidney stone is one of the most prevalent disease worldwide calcium oxalate has been shown to be the main components of the majority of stones formed in the urinary system of patients with urolithiasis. The main objective is to study the inhibition effect of coleus Aromaticu benth. On the calcium oxalate crystal. The antilithiatic activity of Coleus Aromaticus was investigated on nucleation growth of calcium oxalate crystal. The effect of the extract on antilithiatic activity formed by Turbidity method at 620nm by mean of the spectrophotometer. The methanol extract of Coleus Aromaticus as shown significant activity on comparison to synthetic drug Cystone and Neeri. The maximum Percentage inhibition of calcium oxalate nucleation was found 62.48% in methanol extract. We concluded that the Methanol extract of Coleus Aromaticus Benth. act on nucleation crystal...
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Posted by admin on Jan 1, 2014 in |
Emergence of new strains of Escherichia coli with the ability of resistance to a wide range of antibiotics necessitates the efforts to search alternatives for better treatments to deal with these infections. Chamomile is one of the most widely used herbs in the world. In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic effects of chamomile chloroform extract on E. coli intraperitoneal (IP) infection of BALB/c mice. Female BALB/c with an average weight of 20 to 25 g, were divided into 8 groups. The lethal dose of the E. coli for mice has injected IP in test groups and treated with 5.25, 10.5 and 21 mg/mL of chamomile chloroform extract. The combined effect of the extract (50 µg/mg) with amikacin and amikacin alone were also examined. The highest number of survived mice at the dose of 10.5 mg/mL of extract and the highest death rate with 5.25 mg/mL of extract was observed. In the amikacin group, all infected animals were survived. The mortality rate in chamomile extract combination with amikacin...
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