Search

Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women may result in abortion and foetal abnormalities, and may be life-threatening in immunocompromised hosts. To identify the potential infection markers of this disease, 2-DE and Western blot methods were employed to study the parasite circulating antigens and host-specific proteins in the sera of T. gondii-infected individuals. The comparisons were made between serum protein profiles of infected (n = 31) and normal (n = 10) subjects. Antigenic proteins were identified by immunoblotting using pooled sera and monoclonal anti-human IgM-HRP. Selected protein spots were characterised using mass spectrometry. Prominent differences were observed when serum samples of T. gondii-infected individuals and normal controls were compared. A significant up-regulation of host-specific proteins, alpha(2)-HS glycoprotein and alpha(1)-B glycoprotein, was also observed in the silver-stained gels of both active and chronic infections. However, only alpha(2)-HS glycoprotein and alpha(1)-B glycoprotein in the active infection showed immunoreactivity in Western blots. In addition, three spots of T. gondii proteins were detected, namely (i) hypothetical protein chrXII: 3984434-3 TGME 49, (ii) dual specificity protein phosphatase, catalytic domain TGME 49 and (iii) NADPH-cytochrome p450 reductase TGME 49. Thus, 2-DE approach followed by Western blotting has enabled the identification of five potential infection markers for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis: three are parasite-specific proteins and two are host-specific proteins. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down.

Plants play important roles in human life not only as suppliers of oxygen but also as a fundamental resource to sustain the human race on this earthly plane. Plants also play a major role in our nutrition by converting energy from the sun during photosynthesis. In addition, plants have been used extensively in traditional medicine since time immemorial. Information in the biomedical literature has indicated that many natural herbs have been investigated for their efficacy against lethal irradiation. Pharmacological studies by various groups of investigators have shown that natural herbs possess significant radioprotective activity. In view of the immense medicinal importance of natural product based radioprotective agents, this review aims at compiling all currently available information on radioprotective agents from medicinal plants and herbs, especially the evaluation methods and mechanisms of action. In this review we particularly emphasize on ethnomedicinal uses, botany, phytochemistry, mechanisms of action and toxicology. We also describe modern techniques for evaluating herbal samples as radioprotective agents. The usage of herbal remedies for combating lethal irradiation is a green anti- irradiation approach for the betterment of human beings without high cost, side effects and toxicity.

Medicinal plants, such as Polyalthia longifolia (Indian mast tree), are important therapeutic sources for curing human diseases. In this work P. longifolia leaf extract was characterized by chromatographic and spectral fingerprinting techniques, phytochemical and heavy metal analyses, and microscopy. Light microscopy of a transverse section of the leaf of P. longifolia revealed the presence of various plant cells. Phytochemical screening results revealed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids, tannins, saponin, anthraquinones, and glycosides in the extract. The concentrations of heavy metals determined in the extract were well below the permissible limit. Nine peaks observed in the HPLC spectra showed the presence of various compounds in the extract. The GCMS method used for quantification of (3 beta,4 alpha,5 alpha,9 beta)-4,14-dimethyl-9,19-cycloergost-24(28)-en-3-yl acetate (i.e., cycloeucalenol acetate) in the extract was rapid, accurate, precise, linear (R-2 = 0.8752), and robust. The HPTLC analysis showed ten specific peaks for the methanolic extract of P. longifolia leaf. Twelve major peaks in the range of 4,000 to 500 cm(-1) were observed in the FTIR spectra, which represented various specific functional groups in the extract.