Decayed wood of &lt;emph type="2"&gt;Syzygium cumini&lt;/emph&gt; and &lt;emph type="2"&gt;Ficus religiosa&lt;/emph&gt; living trees in Delhi/New Delhi metropolitan area as natural habitat of &lt;emph type="2"&gt;Cryptococcus neoformans&lt;/emph&gt;

The material medica has over 25000 plant species having therapeutic value, and more than 500 are used in indigenous systems of medicine. Sariva is one such drug having multifaceted activities widely used as coolant, blood purifier. In Ayurvedic classics two varieties have been mentioned, Shweta and Krishna. Regarding the botanical identity of both the varieties, Shweta Sariva is unanimously accepted as Hemidesmus indicus, where as for Krishna Sariva is accepted as both Ichnocarpus frutescens, Cryptolepis buchnani. In the market, by the name of Sariva Decalepis hamiltonii is usually sold. Hence all the four sources were collected from their natural habitat, subjected for phytochemical analysis, including its morphological features and HPTLC was carried out. In this research work it was found that the four sources of Sariva have match with standards mentioned in quality standards of Indian medicinal plants, published by ICMR, New Delhi. Further these sources should be subjected for pharmacological evaluations pertaining Sariva as to confirm the genuine source and best substitute.

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Cryptococcus neoformans Evades Pulmonary Immunity by Modulating Xylose Precursor Transport

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00288-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 (8) ◽

Author(s):

Lucy X. Li ◽

Camaron R. Hole ◽

Javier Rangel-Moreno ◽

Shabaana A. Khader ◽

Tamara L. Doering

Keyword(s):

Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽

Mutant Strain ◽

Fungal Pathogen ◽

Wild Type ◽

Content Type ◽

Helper Cell Type ◽

Lymphoid Structures ◽

Type Infection

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that kills almost 200,000 people each year and is distinguished by abundant and unique surface glycan structures that are rich in xylose. A mutant strain of C. neoformans that cannot transport xylose precursors into the secretory compartment is severely attenuated in virulence in mice yet surprisingly is not cleared. We found that this strain failed to induce the nonprotective T helper cell type 2 (Th2) responses characteristic of wild-type infection, instead promoting sustained interleukin 12p40 (IL-12p40) induction and increased IL-17A (IL-17) production. It also stimulated dendritic cells to release high levels of proinflammatory cytokines, a behavior we linked to xylose expression. We further discovered that inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT) forms in response to infection with either wild-type cryptococci or the mutant strain with reduced surface xylose; although iBALT formation is slowed in the latter case, the tissue is better organized. Finally, our temporal studies suggest that lymphoid structures in the lung restrict the spread of mutant fungi for at least 18 weeks after infection, which is in contrast to ineffective control of the pathogen after infection with wild-type cells. These studies demonstrate the role of xylose in modulation of host response to a fungal pathogen and show that cryptococcal infection triggers iBALT formation.

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Establishment of long-term high-fat diet and low dose streptozotocin-induced experimental type-2 diabetes mellitus model of insulin resistance and evaluation of seed extracts of Syzygium cumini

Journal of Herbmed Pharmacology ◽

10.34172/jhp.2021.38 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 331-338

Author(s):

Pratibha Nadig ◽

Meharban Asanaliyar ◽

Kevin Manohar Salis

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Insulin Resistance ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

High Fat Diet ◽

Low Dose ◽

Syzygium Cumini ◽

High Fat ◽

Glut 4 ◽

Seed Extracts

Introduction: The principal mechanism responsible for reducing blood glucose is through insulin-stimulated glucose transport into skeletal muscle. The transporter protein that mediates this uptake is GLUT-4. A defect in this step is associated with reduced glucose utilization in muscle and adipose tissue, as observed in insulin-resistant type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. This study aimed to develop an experimental T2DM model and evaluate altered glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4) levels as a biomarker of insulin resistance. Antidiabetic activities of Syzygium cumini hydro-ethanolic seed extracts (SCE) were also evaluated. Methods: Adult male Wistar albino rats were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks and dosed intraperitoneally with streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). After treatment for 21 days, all investigations were done. The homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA) was used for the calculation of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-B) index. Diaphragm muscle and retroperitoneal fat were collected for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) studies. Results: A significant increase in fasting blood glucose, HOMA-IR, and serum lipids, and a decrease in serum insulin and HOMA-B were observed in the diabetic group, effects that reversed following pioglitazone and SCE treatment. The diabetic group showed a downregulation of GLUT-4 expression in skeletal muscle while an increase was observed in adipose tissue. Conclusion: A high-fat diet and low dose streptozotocin-induced experimental T2DM model of insulin resistance was developed to screen novel insulin sensitizers. Data generated demonstrated that altered GLUT-4 levels could be used as a biomarker of insulin resistance. Antidiabetic activity of S. cumini hydro-ethanolic seed extract was also confirmed in this study.

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