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Urbanization has increased drastically in recent years, endangering the biodiversity of wetlands. Wetland health is directly influenced by the type of development in its catchment area and zone of influence (ZOI). To understand the type of development in the ZOI, research was carried out at the Bhoj wetland, India. The aim of the current study is (1) to identify the flood risk zones in Bhoj wetland catchment area and (2) to study the sporadic growth of settlements in the ZOI of the Bhoj wetland catchment. In the current study, flood-prone areas in the ZOI of the Bhoj wetland have been identified by using hydrological tools in ArcGIS. The CARTOSAT-1 and CARTOSAT-2E images were utilized to analyze the growth pattern of permanent settlements in the ZOI for the years 2011 to 2021 that fall under high flood-prone areas. The result shows that the number of permanent settlements has nearly doubled in the ZOI area in past 10 years and a major part of these settlements come under a very high flood risk zone. A land fragmentation analysis has been performed to identify the temporal changes in patch density within a 5 km buffer area of the Upper Lake. The outcomes show that the core area has decreased by 31.33%, while the patch and edge areas have increased by 51.99% and 5.89%, respectively. The outcome of this study will help policymakers to control the unplanned growth within the ZOI, which not only induces adverse changes in the wetland ecosystem but also endangers human lives and assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chagas disease has grown into a serious public health threat, with a high morbidity rate, major social impact, and global neglect. Therapeutic adhesion, unwanted side-effects, and resistance make its present therapy ineffective. Discovery of more effective drugs is hence needed. Using natural compounds conjointly with computational methods helps better to find promising compounds, speeding up drug discovery process and reducing its cost. In the present study, a docking protocol against cruzipain (PDB: 3l06), an important druggable target, was applied to a library of 50 sorted natural compounds. Compounds were further analysed for binding mode and interactions with cruzipain active site, conformational alignment studies and in-silico pharmacokinetic studies so as to predict their plausible anti-cruzipain mechanism. The results provided computational insights into the molecular interaction of naturals against T. cruzi cruzipain. Study also lead to identification of Hinokiflavone; BA = −10.2 kcal mol−1 as reasonably promising potential natural cruzipain inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory diseases present a significant burden to global health, often requiring targeted and specific therapeutic agents for effective management. Ziziphus nummularia (Aubrev.), a traditional medicinal plant, offers a potential source for these agents. This article aims to explore the anti-inflammatory potential of a novel cyclic alkaloid compound isolated from the root bark of Ziziphus nummularia. The cyclic alkaloid compound, [(16-methoxy-10-(3-methyl-butyl)-2-oxa-6, 9, 12-triaza-tricyclo [13.3.1.03, 7] nonadeca-1(18), 13, 15(19), 16- tetraene-8, 11-Dione], exhibited promising anti-inflammatory properties. The potential of this isolated compound (IC) was evaluated in vitro by measuring the levels of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Additionally, Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME) simulations and molecular docking to the TNF-α receptor were carried out for IC. In vivo evaluations of both the IC and its ethanolic extract (EE) were performed using carrageenan-induced paw oedema and arachidonic acid/xylene-induced ear oedema tests. The IC showed a higher inhibition of TNF-α compared to other compounds, reaching a maximum inhibition of 88.00% at a concentration of 50.11 μM. In silico analysis revealed that IC formed hydrogen bonds with residues, aspartate at position 45 (ASP 45) and glutamine at position 47 (GLN 47). The IC significantly attenuated oedema induced by carrageenan, xylene, and arachidonic acid. Hence, this compound may offer a potential therapeutic approach for treating inflammation in future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the current work is to develop a new co-processed excipient based on cellulose nanocrystals and investigate its pharmaceutical excipient properties. Cellulose nanocrystals were isolated from the pseudostem of Musa balbisiana, following TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy)-mediated oxidation, and then co-processed with potato starch by the wet granulation method. Physicochemical properties, including the flow property, consolidation characteristics and rate of consolidation, were investigated, and a Kawakita plot was also generated. The compressibility, compactibility and tabletability of the novel excipient were determined. The equivalent circle diameter of the excipient particle was calculated as 4.09±0.90 μm, exhibiting a fair to passable flow property. The mean yield pressure from the Heckel plot was found to be 82.64 MPa, indicating its ability to undergo plastic deformation at relatively lower compression pressures. When compared to sodium starch glycolate, a standard tablet disintegrant, the cellulose nanocrystal-based co-processed excipient produced better dissolution of the model drug paracetamol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]