Digestive Activity of Pancha Harithakadi Churna

The traditional systems of medicine are really effective but the problem with them is they lack in quality assurance. Standardization is the need of the hour in ayurvedic system of medicine. PanchaHarithakadi Churna (PHC) is a traditional polyherbal formulation which consists of five household ingredients used for indigestion. It is mainly used for Constipation and Bloating. Churna’s will play a major role in gastro intestinal problems and they have greater bioavailability because of smaller particle size. It consists of fine powder (sieve 100 size) of ginger rhizomes, fennel fruits, myrobalan fruits, senna leaflets and pink rock salt in equal proportions (1:1:1:1:1) are mixed well. PHC was formulated by standard procedures and evaluated by microscopic characterization, inorganic analysis and digestive studies. Microscopical characters indicate the presence of genuine crude drugs used in the formulation. Inorganic analysis shows the presence of calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride and phosphate. The PHC showed pronounced amylolytic activity and trypsin activity whereas moderate lipolytic activity, proteolytic activity and pepsin activity, mild chymotrypsin activity in treating indigestion. In future we will carry out in vivo digestive studies.

Effects of eliminating interactions in multi-layer culture on survival, food utilization and growth of small sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius at high temperatures

Poor growth and disease transmission of small sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius in summer greatly hamper the production efficiency of the longline culture. Reducing the adverse effects of high stocking density while maintaining high biomass is essential to address these problems. Here, we conducted a laboratory experiment to simulate the multi-layer culture for sea urchins at ambient high temperatures (from 22.2 to 24.5 °C) in summer for ~ 7 weeks. Survival, body size, lantern growth, gut weight, food consumption, Aristotle's lantern reflex, 5-hydroxytryptamine concentration, pepsin activity and gut morphology were subsequently evaluated. The present study found that multi-layer culture led to significantly larger body size than those without multi-layer culture (the control group). This was probably because of the greater feeding capacity (indicated by lantern growth and Aristotle's lantern reflex) and food digestion (indicated by morphology and pepsin activity of gut) in the multi-layer cultured sea urchins. These results indicate that multi-layer is an effective approach to improving the growth efficiency of sea urchins at high temperatures. We assessed whether eliminating interaction further improve these commercially important traits of sea urchins in multi-layer culture. This study found that eliminating interactions displayed greater body size and Aristotle's lantern reflex than those not separated in the multi-layer culture. This approach also significantly reduced the morbidity compared with the control group. These novel findings indicate that eliminating interactions in multi-layer culture greatly contributes to the growth and disease prevention of sea urchins at high temperatures. The present study establishes a new technique for the longline culture of sea urchins in summer and provides valuable information into the longline culture management of other commercially important species (e.g. scallops, abalones and oysters).

Effects of temperature and diet on pepsin enzyme activity of TGGG hybrid grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ x E. lanceolatus ♂

Aim: This study explores the influence of temperature and diet on pepsin enzyme activity in TGGG hybrid groupers. Methodology: Two hundred TGGG groupers (body weight 200±10 g; total length 22.5±1 cm) were equally distributed in three rearing tanks (1500 l capacity). After three weeks of acclimatization, the groupers were kept in 40 tanks (5 fish per tank, 20 tanks with pelleted diet and 20 with shrimp diets) for 30 days. All treatments were replicated five times. Results: Pepsin activity increased with increased temperature, from 22°C (2.10 U mg protein−1) to 30°C (5.64 U mg protein−1) when the groupers were given either pellet or shrimp as diet. The shrimp-fed group showed significantly increased pepsin activity compared to pellet-fed fish. Interpretation: The pepsin enzyme activities in TGGG hybrid groupers were significantly influenced by temperature and diet, but the interaction of these two factors was insignificant. The results suggest that shrimp-diets given at 30°C water was ideal for rearing TGGG hybrid groupers. This suggests that combination proliferates enzymatic activity, which may lead to faster digestion and faster growth rates compared to other combinations.

Onset of acid-neutralizing action of a calcium/magnesium carbonate-based antacid using an artificial stomach model: an in vitro evaluation

Background Calcium carbonate antacids are potent over-the-counter antacids, made more effective by adding magnesium carbonate (as in Rennie, Bayer). However, published studies on their onset of action are scarce. Therefore, we carried out an in vitro study comparing Rennie and placebo under simulated conditions of the human stomach (artificial stomach model) to reconfirm the onset of action of Rennie. Methods The validated Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem apparatus (SHIME, ProDigest, Belgium) was used, comprising five reactors simulating different parts of the human gastrointestinal tract. Both Rennie and placebo were dosed at two tablets per incubation over six independent, 2-h stomach incubations each. Primary objectives: to evaluate the time required to achieve pH 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5, as well as the maximum pH reached. Secondary objective: to evaluate pepsin activity over the entire 2-h gastric incubation. Results After addition of Rennie, the gastric medium reached a pH of 3.0 within 40 s. The maximum pH of 5.24 was maintained for almost 10 min. In contrast, the maximum pH with placebo was 1.28 during the entire gastric simulation. Furthermore, Rennie strongly reduced the activity of mucosa-damaging pepsin during the period of increased pH. With placebo, the lower pH resulted in consistently high loads of digested peptides, reflecting the high cumulative and instantaneous pepsin activity. Conclusions New data is a critical component in informed decision making. Our data confirm the high efficacy and fast onset of acid-neutralizing action of Rennie, which begins to work within seconds.

Pepsin activity as a function of pH and digestion time on caseins and egg white proteins in static in vitro conditions

The activity of pepsin, the gastric protease, is generally considered to be negligible for pH ≥ 4, based on results obtained with few purified globular proteins. The present study aimed...

Breakdown mechanisms of whey protein gels during dynamic in vitro gastric digestion

Particle geometry influenced the breakdown mechanisms impacting the pH, pepsin activity, and protein hydrolysis of whey protein gels during dynamic in vitro gastric digestion.

Carbon Nanotubes Inhibit the Pepsin Activity at High Ionic Strength

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common chronic gastrointestinal disorder in adults that occurs as the stomach contents reflux and come up into the esophagus due to a dysfunction in the lower oesophageal sphincter. One approach commonly used to treat GERD is inhibition of the activity of pepsin enzyme. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nanoparticles of carbon atoms that possess numerous interesting physical and chemical properties. CTNs functionalization expands the range of their properties to make them soluble in biological fluids and to confer the property of carrying drug or biological macromolecules which increase the scope of their applications in biomedical science. Objective: This study aims to utilize CNTs as a pepsin inhibitor and as a new medication for the treatment of GERD. Methods: The pepsin activity before and after the addition of an exact amount of the CNTs to the reaction mixture was measured colorimetrically. Results: The results showed that both Vmax and Km changed after the addition of CNTs to the pepsin solution indicating a mixed inhibition of pepsin activity. This finding pointed to the ability of CNTs to bind with the pepsin molecule and pepsin-protein complex, therefore inhibiting the enzyme activity. Conclusion: The findings also demonstrated a complete inhibition of pepsin activity by CNTs when increasing the ionic strength of the reaction mixture. It can be inferred that using CNTs at a high concentration of NaCl at 37°C is the optimal condition for pepsin inhibition.

Exploring the impact of Crohn’s disease on the intragastric environment of fasted adults

<p class="ADMETabstracttext">We explored the potential impact of Crohn’s disease on the intragastric environment of fasted adults with a view to potential effects on intragastric performance of orally administered drugs in the fasted state. Data were collected from 15 healthy individuals and 15 patients with Crohn’s disease. All subjects remained fasted for at least 12h prior to gastroscopy. Intragastric resting volume and pH were measured upon aspiration. Osmolality, surface tension, pepsin activity, and content of six bile acids were measured within 4 months upon sample collection. Unlike intragastric volumes, intragastric osmolality was significantly increased by Crohn’s disease. However, mean osmolality value in patients was only slightly higher than in healthy individuals (293 vs. 257 mOsmol/kg, respectively), therefore, unlikely to affect intragastric drug product performance. Primarily due to the high variability of data in healthy individuals, the potential effects on intragastric pH and surface activity could not be evaluated on a statistical basis. However, based on average (mean and median) values, even if they are statistically significant, it seems unlikely to be of clinical significance. Inter-subject variability of pepsin activity, and total bile acids content was high in both the healthy and the patients’ groups. Statistical investigation of the potential impact of Crohn’s disease on these parameters requires prior designation of the minimum differences to be detected; such differences will determine the minimum sample size required of relevant investigations.</p>

ANTIULCER ACTIVITY OF ELECTROHOMEOPATHIC DRUG (SPAGYRIC ESSENCE) CANCEROUS 15 - 3rd DILUTION AGAINST INDOMETHACIN-INDUCED GASTRIC ULCER IN RATS

Objective: To evaluate the curative protects activity of electrohomeopathic drug Cancerous15 (C15) against Indomethacin (IND)-induced gastric ulcer in albino rats. None of the data have been reported on antiulcer activity of C15 drug. Hence, the present study focuses on the scientific investigation of antiulcer activity of C15 against Indomethacin-induced peptic ulceration of rat models. Methods: A total number of 35 albino rats were divided into five groups equally. Pure water was given to Group 1 (normal). IND was given orally to Group 2 (ulcerated control). Cancerous15 third dilution was given to Group 3. IND was given to Group 4 and Group 5 animals, thereafter pretreatment with Esomeprazole (ESM) and C15-third dilution, respectively. The pretreatments were treated in each day’s interval for 21 days before IND administration. There was provision of food and water throughout the experimental period. On the 23rd day, the stomachs of the sacrificed rats were removed, and (1) ulcer index, (2) percentage of ulcer inhibition, (3) gastric volume, (4) pH, (5) pepsin activity, (6) mucin content, (7) malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, and (8) stearidonic acid activity were studied. Results: The pre-treated animals with ESM and C15 shown as significantly decreases in ulcer index, gastric volume, pepsin activity and MDA concentration, and significant increase in the percentage ulcer inhibition, pH value, mucin content, and superoxide dismutase activity concentration in comparison to ulcer-induced rats. Conclusion: The study shows the significant ulcer protective activity of the C15 drug against IND-induced peptic ulceration in rats.