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Byline: M. Bagul, H. Srinivasa, N. Kanaki, M. Rajani In the traditional systems of medicine, many polyherbal formulations are being prescribed for inflammatory conditions.[1] Although these preparations have been claimed [...]

This study aimed to construct a measurement system with the same performance as a measurement system using an automated analyzer and immunoturbidimetric reagents (comparative method) using a flow-type immunosensor (FIS) based on the fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay technology. In the FIS constructed in this study, all control samples were within the indicated values. The coefficient of variation of repeatability and intermediate precision were less than 2.4% and less than 4.4%, respectively. The lower limit of quantification in this measurement system was 3.9 mg/L, and linearity was confirmed for quantification values, ranging from 3.9 to 465 mg/L. Canine plasma samples (N = 39) were used to measure C-reactive protein (CRP) levels using the comparative method (x) and FIS (y). The regression equation between the measurements was y = 1.035 × - 0.002, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9809, indicating a significantly high correlation. Although the Brandt-Altman analysis suggested the possibility of a proportional systematic error between the two measurements, 38 of the 39 canine plasma samples measured fell within the acceptable range of error, indicating that the measurements are highly consistent. These results suggest that the analytical accuracy of the FIS constructed in this study and the quantitative value of canine CRP are equivalent to those of measurement systems using automated analyzers and immunoturbidimetric reagents., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry.)

Objectives: Since ancient times Acacia arabica ( Lam. ) Willd. (AA) consumed for the bone and muscle related disorder like the bone fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, and bone loss. To study the effects of the aqueous (AAA) and ethanolic extract (AAE) of AA on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, osteoclastic activity and bone matrix mineralization using in vitro primary bone-marrow cultures., Methods: Effect of AAA and AAE was estimated using four in vitro assays. Primary bone marrow cell culture, isolated from rat femur bone, was used for all the assays. Cell growth and viability were assessed by standard colorimetric assays like MTT assay. The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblastic lineage was evaluated by the measuring the levels of the osteoblast-specific marker, alkaline phosphatase. Antiosteoclastic action and matrix mineralization were measured using TRAP assay and Alizarin red-s staining assay, respectively., Results: It indicates that AAA causes more increase in osteoblast differentiation and a reduction in osteoclast activity as compared to AAE. In osteoblast proliferation assay, AAA was found to promote more cell proliferation as compared to AAE. Higher concentrations of AAA significantly increased mineralization of bone-like matrix., Conclusions: The extracts of AA have a significant positive influence on osteogenesis and they inhibit osteoclastogenesis. Hence, these extracts have the potential to be developed as a therapy for osteoporosis., (© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Objectives: In ancient times Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) Wight & Arn. (TA) was used for fast healing of fracture and to strengthen the bone. However, no scientific study has been done to validate its usefulness in the alleviation of osteoporosis. To investigate the efficacy of stem bark TA against post-menopausal osteoporosis using bilateral ovariectomized rat model., Methods: Aqueous (TAA) and methanolic (TAM) extracts of TA was evaluated for its anti-osteoporotic activity. Sham control rats were allotted as Group I (Normal control); Group II animals acted as OVX control (Disease control); Group III OVX rats were treated with estrogen (Standard group - 2 mg/kg) Group IV and V OVX rats give treatment to TAA (250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.), respectively. This treatment is continue for the four weeks and at the end, serum biochemical parameters such as serum calcium and alkaline phosphate were evaluated. Femoral bone parameters (Compression of vertebrae, femoral neck load testing, Three point bending of tibia, Femur length and weight), histology, body weight, and fifth lumbar vertebra breaking strength were also assessed after the sacrificing the animal., Results: In OVX rats, atrophy of uterus and descent of BMD were suppressed by treatment with TAA and TAM. In addition, TAM 500 completely corrected the decreased serum concentration of Calcium, Phosphorus, ALP and TRAP observed in OVX rats. TAA and TAM both increased biomechanical strength significantly in comparison to the sham group. Histological results also revealed its protective action through elevation of bone formation. TAM significantly increase the uterine and femoral bone weight The TAM showed maximum anti-osteoporotic activity in in vivo study as compare to TAA., Conclusions: The results, evaluated on the basis of biochemical, bone mineral density, biomechanical, and histopathological parameters, presented that TAA and TAM has a definite antiosteoporotic effect, like to estrogen, especially effective for inhibition bone fracture induced by estrogen deficiency., (© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

N-linked glycosylation of proteins is the most common post-translational modification of proteins. The enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-dolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase (DPAGT1) catalyses the first step of N-glycosylation, and DPAGT1 knockout is embryonic lethal in mice. In this study, we identified the sole orthologue (algn-7) of the human DPAGT1 in the nematode C. elegans. The gene activity was disrupted by RNAi and deletion mutagenesis, which resulted in larval lethality, defects in oogenesis and oocyte-to-embryo transition. Endomitotic oocytes, abnormal fusion of pronuclei, abnormal AB cell rotation, disruption of permeation barriers of eggs, and abnormal expression of chitin and chitin synthase in oocytes and eggs were the typical phenotypes observed. The results indicate that N-glycosylation is indispensable for these processes. We further screened an N-glycosylated protein database of C. elegans, and identified 456 germline-expressed genes coding N-glycosylated proteins. By examining RNAi phenotypes, we identified five germline-expressed genes showing similar phenotypes to the algn-7 (RNAi) animals. They were ribo-1, stt-3, ptc-1, ptc-2, and vha-19. We identified known congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) genes (ribo-1 and stt-3) and a recently found CDG gene (vha-19). The results show that phenotype analyses using the nematode could be a powerful tool to detect new CDG candidate genes and their associated gene networks.

Chondroitin sulfate (CS)/chondroitin (Chn) chains are indispensable for embryonic cell division and cytokinesis in the early developmental stages in Caenorhabditis elegans and mice, whereas heparan sulfate (HS) is essential for axon guidance during nervous system development. These data indicate that the fundamental functions of CS and HS are conserved from worms to mammals and that the function of CS/Chn differs from that of HS. Although previous studies have shown that C. elegans produces HS and non-sulfated Chn, whether the organism produces CS remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that C. elegans produces a small amount of 4-O-sulfated Chn and report the identification of C41C4.1, an orthologue of the human chondroitin 4-O-sulfotransferase gene. Loss of C41C4.1 in C. elegans resulted in a decline in 4-O-sulfation of CS and an increase in the number of sulfated units in HS. C41C4.1 deletion mutants exhibited reduced survival rates after synchronization with sodium hypochlorite. Collectively, these results show for the first time that CS glycans are present in C. elegans and that the Chn 4-O-sulfotransferase responsible for the sulfation plays an important role in protecting nematodes from oxidative stress., (© 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)

In this study, we selected 181 nematode glycogenes that are orthologous to human glycogenes and examined their RNAi phenotypes. The results are deposited in the Caenorhabditis elegans Glycogene Database (CGGDB) at AIST, Tsukuba, Japan. The most prominent RNAi phenotypes observed are disruptions of cell cycle progression in germline mitosis/meiosis and in early embryonic cell mitosis. Along with the previously reported roles of chondroitin proteoglycans, glycosphingolipids and GPI-anchored proteins in cell cycle progression, we show for the first time that the inhibition of the functions of N-glycan synthesis genes (cytoplasmic alg genes) resulted in abnormal germline formation, ER stress and small body size phenotypes. The results provide additional information on the roles of glycoconjugates in the cell cycle progression mechanisms of germline and embryonic cells., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A simple, rapid and efficient method has been developed for the isolation of piperine from the fruits of Piper nigrum. The method involves extraction of the fruit powder with glacial acetic acid, from which piperine is partitioned into chloroform and subsequently crystallized. The identity of the compound was confirmed by its melting point, comparison of UV, IR, and mass spectral data with those from a reference standard, and co-chromatography with the reference standard using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The purity of the compound was ascertained by TLC, by recording UV absorption spectra at the start, middle, and end positions of the spot on the plate, and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).