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Background Cancer incidence is rising across the globe. The incidence and patterns of various cancers among Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans is not known. We did the analysis of registry data maintained at our hospital. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of all patients registered at our hospital cancer registry between 01st January 2017 and 31st December 2019. Patients were registered with unique identification number. Baseline demographics and cancer subtype data were retrieved. Patients with histopathologically proven diagnosis and age ≥18 years were studied. Armed Forces Personnel (AFP) were defined as those who are in active service, and Veterans as those who had retired from service at the time of registration. Patients with Acute and Chronic Leukemias were excluded. Results New cases registered were 2023, 2856 and 3057 in year 2017, 2018, 2019 respectively. AFP, Veterans and dependents among them were 9.6%, 17.8%, and 72.6% respectively. Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan represented 55% of all cases with male to female ratio 1.14:1 and median age was 59 years. The median age among AFP was 39 years. Among AFP as well as veterans, Head and Neck cancer was the most common malignancy. Cancer incidence was significantly higher in adults >40 years as compared to Conclusion Seven percent rise per year of new cases in this cohort is alarming. Tobacco-related cancers were the most common. There is an unmet need to establish a prospective centralized Cancer Registry to better understand the risk factors, outcomes of treatment and strengthen the policy matters.

The different varieties of melons (Cucumis melo L.) have been used in various traditional systems of medicine for decades to treat different ailments, including inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, edema, etc. The present study was designed for the quantification of cucurbitacin E in five different varieties of melon fruit through a validated RP-HPLC method. A solvent system is being optimized with a 70:30 (v/v) ratio of acetonitrile: water (1% glacial acetic acid) at a 1 mL/min flow rate and scanning spectrum (λmax) of 230 nm. A calibration curve for standard cucurbitacin E was generated and found to be linear (1–100 µg/mL). The variation of cucurbitacin E content among five different varieties of melon fruits is 0.0129% w/w– 0.231% w/w. This precise and reproducible method may be beneficial in addressing the quality-related aspects of medicinal food plants of Cucurbitaceae and its derived products or formulations.

Andrographis paniculata (family Acanthaceae) is known as Kalmegh, one of the traditionally used important medicinal plant contains several biologically active phytochemical including andrographolide. A. paniculata is broadly used by healthcare practitioners in India and also used in different traditional medicinal system. In this study, the leaves of A. paniculata were collected from West Medinipur, East Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Purulia and Hooghly district of West Bengal, India. This study aiming towards validation and development of a simple, precise and reproducible reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) methods for quantification of andrographolide in A. paniculata extracts. The validated RP-HPLC and HPTLC study confirmed that different concentrations of andrographolide content present in the plant samples, which are collected from above different districts of West Bengal, India. The amounts of andrographolide were found to be 2.71% (w/w), 3.19% (w/w), 1.83% (w/w), 1.73% (w/w) and 2.94% (w/w) in RP-HPLC study and 2.13% (w/w), 2.51% (w/w), 1.01% (w/w), 1.25% (w/w) and 2.15% (w/w) in HPTLC study. This precise, reproducible, accurate and specific method can be used for the quantification of andrographolide in kalmegh, as per the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines recommendations.

Ginger constitutes the rhizome part of the plant Zingiber officinale from the Zingiberaceae family. A large number of ginger varieties with high sensorial and functional quality are found in Northeast India. Hence, phytopharmacological screening of different ginger varieties is essential that will serve as a guideline in applied research to develop high-end products and improve economical margins.To determine the variation in total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and antioxidant activities and correlate that with 6-gingerol contents of different ginger varieties collected from Northeast India using Pearson's correlation analysis.The TPC and TFC values were determined using standard methods. Antioxidant activities were measured using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays, while reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis was utilised for quantitative determination of 6-gingerol content.The result revealed that ginger variety 6 (GV6) contains the highest 6-gingerol content and TPC value showing maximum antioxidant activity, followed by GV5, GV4, GV9, GV3, GV2, GV8, GV1, and GV7. The findings also suggested that the antioxidant activity has much better correlations with TPC as compared with TFC values. Pearson's correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between 6-gingerol contents and TPC values.This work underlines the importance of ginger varieties from Northeast India as a source of natural antioxidants with health benefits.

Introduction The major chemical marker of black pepper (Piper nigrum L) is piperine and its estimation is extremely important for quality assessment of black pepper. The methods for piperine quantification, to date, are laboratory based and use high end instruments like chromatographs, which require tedious sample processing and cause sample destruction. Objectives In this article, we present a simple, rapid and green analytical method based on Raman spectroscopy for the quantitative assessment of piperine. Material and methods To assess the potential of the technique, we report the complete vibrational characterisation of the piperine with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Results The theoretical peaks were obtained at 1097 cm-1 , 1388 cm-1 , 1528 cm-1 , 1578 cm-1 , and at 1627 cm-1 , and this result was verified in a Raman spectrometer followed by a preliminary experiment. Twenty black pepper samples were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and used as reference data for Raman analysis. The Raman shift spectra were analysed using partial least squares (PLS) and good prediction accuracy with correlation coefficient of prediction (Rp2 ) = 0.93, root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) = 0.13 and residual prediction deviation (RPD) = 3.9 obtained. Conclusions The results demonstrate the efficacy of the Raman technique for the estimation of piperine in the dry fruit of Piper nigrum.

Cucumis sativus L. of the Cucurbitaceae family, commonly known as cucumber, is commercially cultivated worldwide. The major phytoconstituents present in the Cucurbitaceae family are different curcurbitacins, principally cucurbitacin E. The content of cucurbitacin E differs within the species or cultivars due to factors like genetic variation and geographical location. The present study reports a simple and rapid quantitative analysis of cucurbitacin E in 5 different C. sativus cultivars by a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method. The mobile phase contained petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and formic acid in the ratio of 40:60:0.5 (V/V). Cucurbitacin E was analyzed densitometrically and the absorbance wavelength was 254 nm. The method showed RF spot = 0.79 ± 0.06, corresponding to cucurbitacin E in various samples. The calibration curve of standard cucurbitacin E showed good linear relationship in the concentration range of 2‒10 µg/spot with a correlation coefficient (r) > 0.99. The HPTLC method was validated in terms of sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and specificity as per the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The present study revealed that the content of cucurbitacin E differs among the C. sativus cultivars. This method may be beneficial for addressing the quality-related aspects of C. sativus for food and pharmaceutical preparation.

Translation of traditional medicine is moving away from the reductionist approach towards harnessing the synergy of poly-pharmacological phyto-combinations that modulate the activity of target networks of underlying disease phenotypes. Metabolomics enabled the profiling of herbal extracts and formulations in high resolution through LC-MS/MS, GC-MS and NMR providing the possibility of multi-component drug discovery. Phytopharmaceuticals are multi-molecular combinations which follow a combinatory treatment module which minimizes off-target toxicity by synergistic potency and improve outcomes by synergistic efficacy. Combination synergy is a multi-dimensional concept where synergy can be observed from a network pharmacology perspective. Network pharmacology uses systems-level drug–response phenotypes originating from various ‘omics’ platforms. This network pharmacology with metabolomics has been proven to be effective in elucidating the mechanisms of action of medicinal plants and complex traditional formulations. LC-MS/MS of medicinal plants along with network pharmacology unveil synergistic molecular combinations which interact with neighbouring targets in a combination synergy network. Case studies on some traditional herbs mentioned in Ayurveda, has been reported based on the combination of network-based methods and metabolomics for establishing the mechanism for their therapeutic potentials. The synergistic combination of molecules interacts with target-disease networks which provide novel, mechanistic insights towards understanding their therapeutic potentials. This review along with case-studies illustrates various strategies to explore the mechanism of action for different synergistic natural products combinations through neighbourhood-based network pharmacology approach.

Introduction Immunity boosting has emerged as a global strategy to fight the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic situation. In India, AYUSH systems of medicine have been promoted as an immune-protection strategy. Andrographis paniculata (Burm. F) Nees (AP) mentioned in Ayurveda has been widely used for treating sore throat, flu, and upper respiratory tract infections which may provide possible novel therapeutic approaches, exclusively targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its pathways. Objectives The present work uses liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics and combination synergy analysis based on network pharmacology to mine multimode evidence to understand the possible mechanism of action, diseases association, protein-protein interaction and major pathways involved therein. Material and methods Metabolite profiling was performed by Agilent QTOF LC-MS/MS system. Network pharmacology analysis was performed by using functional annotation analysis based on databases like Binding DB, STRING, DAVID and KEGG for further data mining. Further combination synergy was evaluated using "neighbourhood approach" and networks were constructed through Cytoscape 3.2.1. Results The molecules from kalmegh provides immune-protection and anti-viral response via involving different pathways, like toll-like receptor pathway, PI3/AKT pathway and MAP kinase pathways against COVID-19 infection. The KEGG analysis showed that in a vast majority of the most enriched pathways, AP were associated with viral infections and upper respiratory tract infections. Conclusions The results suggest a synergy between andrographolide and other molecules identified as safe and efficacious anti-inflammatory agent having effects on upper respiratory tract infections and can significantly decrease the production of cytokines and pro-inflammatory factors in viral infections.

Adaptogens comprise a category of herbal medicinal and nutritional products promoting adaptability, resilience, and survival of living organisms in stress. The aim of this review was to summarize the growing knowledge about common adaptogenic plants used in various traditional medical systems (TMS) and conventional medicine and to provide a modern rationale for their use in the treatment of stress‐induced and aging‐related disorders. Adaptogens have pharmacologically pleiotropic effects on the neuroendocrine‐immune system, which explain their traditional use for the treatment of a wide range of conditions. They exhibit a biphasic dose‐effect response: at low doses they function as mild stress‐mimetics, which activate the adaptive stress‐response signaling pathways to cope with severe stress. That is in line with their traditional use for preventing premature aging and to maintain good health and vitality. However, the potential of adaptogens remains poorly explored. Treatment of stress and aging‐related diseases require novel approaches. Some combinations of adaptogenic plants provide unique effects due to their synergistic interactions in organisms not obtainable by any ingredient independently. Further progress in this field needs to focus on discovering new combinations of adaptogens based on traditional medical concepts. Robust and rigorous approaches including network pharmacology and systems pharmacology could help in analyzing potential synergistic effects and, more broadly, future uses of adaptogens. In conclusion, the evolution of the adaptogenic concept has led back to basics of TMS and a new level of understanding of holistic approach. It provides a rationale for their use in stress‐induced and aging‐related diseases.

Medicinal plants of the Cucurbitaceae family are widely consumed as foods in human diet. In the present study, a simple, rapid, quantitative, and validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for the estimation of chlorogenic acid (CA) in the hydroalcoholic fruit extracts of Luffa acutangula (sponge gourd), Sechium edule (chayote squash), Trichosanthes cucumerina (snake gourd) and Trichosanthes dioica (pointed gourd) belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. Densitometric analysis of CA was carried out in the absorbance mode at 254 nm. The method gave spot at RF = 0.55 ± 0.04, corresponding to CA in different samples. The limit of detection and limit of quantification per spot were confirmed with the mobile phase ethyl acetate‒chloroform‒formic acid (6:4:0.5, V/V). Linear regression analysis data for the calibration plot for CA showed a good linear relationship with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9997 in the concentration range of 200–1000 ng per spot. The method was validated for sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision and specificity as per the international conference on harmonization guidelines. The proposed validated HPTLC method provides a novel approach for the quality control and standardization of some selected medicinal food plants of the Cucurbitaceae family.

Background The consumption of the fruits of cucurbitaceae plants is widely popular among Indians due to their various nutritional and medicinal purposes. Some of these plants are well reported in Ayurveda due to their potential therapeutic importance. In particular, the plants of this family are well-characterized by the presence of its bitter principle, Cucurbitacin E which differs within the species due to its genetic variations. Objectives The objective of the study was to develop a validated RP-HPLC method for standardization in some widely consumed cucurbits with cucurbitacin E as a marker compound. Materials and methods The RP-HPLC method was developed with a reverse phase C18 column, using acetonitrile and water (1% glacial acetic acid) as mobile phase (70:30 v/v). The flow rate and λmax were optimized at 1 mL/min and 230 nm respectively. The HPLC method was validated in terms of accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability as per ICH guideline. Results The calibration curve was found linear in the concentration range of 1–100 μg/mL. The % RSD of precision and recovery was found to be, Graphical abstract Image 1

Background: In Ayurvedic and Unani texts, many herbs and formulations are mentioned as complexion promoters having skin brightening and whitening effects that downregulate melanin synthesis. However, with the assistance of chromatographic techniques, further validation of scientific standardization is required. Objective: To validate individual herbs and formulations in the ancient literature, some scientific aspects are to be focused on, including standardization of herbs or herbal products consisting of the active compounds. Methods: Out of many herbs having complexion promoting properties, three herbs (Myristica fragrans, Hemidesmus indicus, and Inula racemosa) were selected for the study. In the present study, validated reverse phase (RP)-HPLC and high-performance TLC (HPTLC) methods were developed for standardization of the herbs. Results: It was observed that the quercetin present in M. fragrans was 0.62% (w/w) with a retention time (Rt) of 6.23 min, the ferulic acid present in H. indicus was 1.39% (w/w) with an Rt of 8.083 min, and the chlorogenic acid present in I. racemosa was 1.03% (w/w) with an Rt of 3.19 min. The HPTLC method showed 1.23% (w/w) of quercetin present in M. fragrans with a retardation factor (Rf) of 0.48, ferulic acid in H. indicus was 1.52% (w/w) with an Rf of 0.44, and chlorogenic acid was 1.09% (w/w) in I. racemosa with an Rf of 0.52. Conclusions: This specific and precise validated method can be useful for the quality evaluation and quantitative determination of the constituents in complexion-promoting herbs from Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine. Highlights: The exploration of complexion promoters from Ayurveda and Unani; quality evaluation of complexion promoters herbs from Ayurveda and Unani; HPTLC and RP-HPLC analysis of herbal extracts used and their validation.

Lagenaria siceraria Stand. (Family: Cucurbitaceae), popularly known as bottle gourd, is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine as a food plant, especially in hypertension and obesity.Investigations were undertaken to assign novel lead combinations from this common food plant to multi-molecular modes of actions in the complex disease networks of obesity and hypertension. LC-MS/MS based metabolite screening, in-vivo high fat diet induced hyperlipidemia animal study and network pharmacology explorations of the mechanism of action for lipid lowering effects including a neighbourhood community approach for molecular combinations were performed.Major chemical constituents of the fruits of LS (LSFE) were analysed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS-QTOF. Wistar albino rats (n = 36), divided into 6 groups (n = 6) received either no treatment or a high-fat diet along with LSFE or Atorvastatin. Lipid profiles and biochemical parameters were evaluated. In silico cross-validated network analyses using different databases and Cytospace were applied.Profiling of LSFE revealed 18 major constituents: phenolic acids like p-Coumaric acid and Ferulic acid, the monolignolconferyl alcohol, the flavonoid glycosides hesperidin and apigenin-7-glucoside. Hyperlipidemic animals treated with LSFE (200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, 600 mg/kg) showed a significant improvement of their lipid profiles after 30 days of treatment. Network pharmacology analyses for the major 18 compounds revealed enrichment of the insulin and the ErbB signalling pathway. Novel target node combinations (e.g. AKR1C1, AGXT) including their connection to different pathways were identified in silico.The combined in vivo and bioinformatics analyses propose that lead compounds of LSFE act in combination on relevant targets of hyperlipidemia. Perturbations of the IRS→Akt→Foxo1 cascade are predicted which suggest further clinical investigation towards development of safe natural alternative to manage hyperlipidemia.

A simple, rapid, quantitative, and validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for the simultaneous estimation of quercetin (QU), rutin (RU), and gallic acid (GA) in the methanolic extract of Amaranthus tricolor L. aerial parts. Densitometric analysis of QU, RU, and GA were carried out in the absorbance mode at 254 nm. The method gave spot at RF 0.49, 0.14, and 0.28 corresponding to quercetin, rutin, and gallic acid, respectively. The limit of detection (22.31, 14.12, and 16.24 ng per spot) and limit of quantification (67.80, 55.32, and 52.54 ng per spot), respectively, were confirmed with the mobile phase toluene—ethyl acetate—formic acid in a ratio of 7:5:1 (v/v). Linear regression analysis data for the calibration plot for QU, RU, and GA showed a good linear relationship with a correlation coefficient r > 0.9955 in the concentration range of 200–800 ng per spot, 200–500 ng per spot, and 200–600 ng per spot, respectively. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, detection, and quantification limits, specificity, and robustness as per the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The proposed validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method provides a novel approach for the quality control and standardization of A. tricolor L.

Increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has posed a major health concern worldwide, and the addition of new antimicrobial agents is diminishing due to overexploitation of plants and microbial resources. Inevitably, alternative sources and new strategies are needed to find novel biomolecules to counter AMR and pandemic circumstances. The association of plants with microorganisms is one basic natural interaction that involves the exchange of biomolecules. Such a symbiotic relationship might affect the respective bio-chemical properties and production of secondary metabolites in the host and microbes. Furthermore, the discovery of taxol and taxane from an endophytic fungus, Taxomyces andreanae from Taxus wallachiana, has stimulated much research on endophytes from medicinal plants. A gram-positive endophytic bacterium, Paenibacillus peoriae IBSD35, was isolated from the stem of Millettia pachycarpa Benth. It is a rod-shaped, motile, gram-positive, and endospore-forming bacteria. It is neutralophilic as per Joint Genome Institute’s (JGI) IMG system analysis. The plant was selected based on its ethnobotany history of traditional uses and highly insecticidal properties. Bioactive molecules were purified from P. peoriae IBSD35 culture broth using 70% ammonium sulfate and column chromatography techniques. The biomolecule was enriched to 151.72-fold and the yield percentage was 0.05. Peoriaerin II, a highly potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 was isolated. LC-MS sequencing revealed that its N-terminal is methionine. It has four negatively charged residues (Asp + Glu) and a total number of two positively charged residues (Arg + Lys). Its molecular weight is 4,685.13 Da. It is linked to an LC-MS/MS inferred biosynthetic gene cluster with accession number A0A2S6P0H9, and blastp has shown it is 82.4% similar to fusaricidin synthetase of Paenibacillus polymyxa SC2. The 3D structure conformation of the BGC and AMP were predicted using SWISS MODEL homology modeling. Therefore, combining both genomic and proteomic results obtained from P. peoriae IBSD35, associated with M. pachycarpa Benth., will substantially increase the understanding of antimicrobial peptides and assist to uncover novel biological agents.

The Eastern Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan have more than 200 varieties of unsurpassed ethnic fermented foods and alcoholic beverages, which are lesser known outside the world. However, these ethnic foods are region- and community-specific, unique and some are exotic and rare, which include fermented vegetables, bamboo shoots, soybeans, cereals, milk (cow and yak), meats, fishes, and cereal-based alcoholic beverages and drinks. Ethnic communities living in the Eastern Himalayas have invented the indigenous knowledge of utilization of unseen microorganisms present in and around the environment for preservation and fermentation of perishable plant or animal substrates to obtain organoleptically desirable and culturally acceptable ethnic fermented food and alcoholic beverages. Some ethnic fermented products and traditionally prepared dry starters for production of alcoholic beverages of North Eastern states of India and Nepal were scientifically studied and reported till date, and however, limited publications are available on microbiological and nutritional aspects of ethnic fermented foods of Bhutan except on few products. Most of the beneficial microorganisms isolated from some ethnic fermented foods of the EH are listed in microbial food cultures (MFC) safe inventory. This study is aimed to review the updates on the beneficial importance of abundant microbiota and health-promoting benefits and functionalities of some ethnic fermented foods of the Eastern Himalayan regions of North East India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Photo-oxidative skin damage is mainly caused by the UV-A radiation of the sun. Synthetic sunscreens used to counter this acts mostly on the superficial skin layer and possess serious side effects. P-coumaric acid (PCA) is a UV-A protective plant phenolic having quick diffusion and distribution in superficial skin layers limiting its application as herbal sunscreen. The present study was designed to formulate an optimized phospholipid complex of PCA (PCAPC) through response surface methodology to enhance its skin permeation to deeper skin layers providing protection against photo-oxidative stress. PCAPC was characterized by FT-IR, DTA, PXRD, TEM, zeta potential etc. PCAPC was then incorporated into a gel formulation (PCAPC-GE) to facilitate its transdermal delivery. Physicochemical properties of the gel were assessed by pH, homogeneity, rheology, spreadability etc. In-vitro SPF and UVA-PF of the gel was evaluated and compared with conventional gel (PCA-GE). Ex-vivo skin permeation flux, permeability coefficient, skin deposition and dermatokinetic analysis were carried out to measure the rate and level of skin permeation. This was accompanied by in-vivo evaluation of PCAPC-GE and PCA-GE in the experimental rat model by measuring the various oxidative stress markers such as superoxide dismutase, catalase etc. PCAPC-GE provided high SPF and UVA-PF value compared to PCA-GE. The physicochemical parameters were suitable for transdermal application. PCAPC-GE enhanced the permeation rate of PCA by almost 6 fold compared to PCA-GE. Besides, a significant reduction of UV-A induced oxidative stress biomarkers were observed for PCAPC-GE. Thus, the PCAPC-GE may be an effective alternative of synthetic sunscreens due to its enhanced permeation and protection against UVA-induced oxidative stress.

Piper species is one of the most widely consumed spices for culinary purposes. Piperine (PIP) present in Piper species has a wide range of therapeutic activity including hepatoprotection. However, ...