Anti-Migraine Activity of Freeze Dried-Latex Obtained From Calotropis Gigantea Linn.

Migraine which is characterized by a pulsating headache affected an estimated population of 12% worldwide. Herbal products like latex derived from Calotropis gigantea R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae) are a representative intervention to treat migraine traditionally. However, post harvesting stability issues of latex affects its biological potential. Freeze drying has been successfully employed for the encapsulation of herbal bioactive compounds resulting in stable dried preparations. Latex derived from Calotropis gigantea (C. gigantea) was microencapsulated using chitosan by freeze-drying (FDCG) method and compared with sun rays dried latex (ADCG). Current investigation was aimed to improve the shelf life of latex by freeze drying microencapsulation technique and evaluation of its antimigraine potential. Dried latex powders (ADCG and FDCG) were evaluated in terms of phenolic content, coloring strength, first-order kinetic, color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C* and E*), moisture, water activity, solubility and hygroscopicity. Additionally, apomorphine -induced climbing behavior, l-5-HTP induced syndrome and MK 801 induced hyperactivity were used to evaluate the antimigraine potential of powdered latex. FDCG showed good physico-chemical properties due to its higher concentration of phenolic and flavonoid content. Moreover, FDCG significantly reduced the apomorphine -induced climbing behavior, l-5-HTP -induced syndrome and MK 801 -induced hyperactivity in a dose dependent manner through dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors interaction. In conclusion, method developed for shelf-life improvement of latex offered maximum protection over a period of 10 weeks with retaining its natural biological potential, thus it can be effectively utilized in the treatment or management of migraine.

Summary and synthesis

This chapter summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. To our knowledge, this volume represents the first source presenting all these fossils together in one collection. The chapters in this book provide photographs, measurements, and basic descriptions of each postcranial fossil. They present comparative observations and analyses and statistical analysis of taxonomically and functionally relevant aspects of morphology, and in some cases they provide reconstructions of the bones. Each of the chapters in this volume addresses key questions surrounding the Sterkfontein hominins. The Sterkfontein specimens share with other hominins features of the vertebral column, thorax, hip, knee, ankle, and foot indicating fully upright, human-like posture. Among many anatomical regions, though, the A. africanus fossils appear distinct from those attributed to A. afarensis, yet the variation between these samples often does not exceed that observed within single species of extant hominoids. Still, there may be evidence of more climbing behavior but also improved manual manipulatory behaviors, and perhaps a slightly different gait than typical of other hominins. Each chapter in this volume comes to a similar conclusion, that although variation in size or morphology may exceed that found in other australopith species, or even among mixed samples of other fossil hominins, the hypothesis that only one species is represented by the Sterkfontein Member 4 hominins cannot be falsified. The australopith species that “started it all” back in 1925 still has more to teach us, and we all look forward to learning what the future holds for Australopithecus africanus.

Climbing behavior of Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824) (Anura, Bufonidae): A typically terrestrial toad being scansorial

Toads of the Family Bufonidae do present diversified life histories, most of them are terrestrial, but there are aquatic and arboreal species. Rhinella icterica (Spix, 1824) (Anura, Bufonidae) is a ground dweller bufonid that use the habitat mainly horizontally. Here, we report the occurrence of climbing behavior in R. icterica, adding knowledge with respect to its types of locomotion. The individual was found on the ground and when perceived the presence of the observer it jumped to a wall, hit it, fell back to the ground, and then started to climb the wall. The toad climbed slowly, but apparently without difficulty, since it went up without slipping until the top of the ravine. Performing a given locomotor behavior even rarely confer additional ability to evade from threats and to access otherwise inaccessible food and spatial resources. Whether this behavior is common or rare in the genus is still obscure, nevertheless, at least some typically terrestrial species of Rhinella are capable of climbing and, as R. icterica, use the habitat vertically.

Prey-tracking behavior and prey preferences in a tree-climbing firefly

Prey-tracking behavior is common in snail-killing predators, but in the family Lampyridae, this behavior has been validated in only a single species even though this Coleopteran family includes many specialist snail predators. The endemic firefly Pyrocoelia atripennis is a major snail-killing predator in the Yaeyama Islands of Japan, and the larvae often climb on the trees and grasses at night. This tree-climbing behavior is relevant to larval food choices and anti-predatory defenses of land snails. This study examined whether lampyrid larvae can track snail mucus trails and examined larval prey preferences using alternative choice experiments. In addition, predation trials were conducted to evaluate which snail species are potential prey. P. atripennis larvae significantly selected mucous trails over distilled water or control (no-trail) treatments. In addition, a semi-arboreal species was preferred over a ground-dwelling species. In predation trials, the larvae preyed on five out of 10 endemic snail species, all of which were semi-arboreal or arboreal species. Ground-dwelling Cyclophoridae and Aegista species have effective anti-predatory defenses consisting of an operculum or “foamy-lid” that fills the shell aperture. Whether the prey has a lid affects the predation success of lampyrid larvae, and larval tree-climbing behavior may be an adaptation used to search for semi-arboreal and arboreal land snails that lack defensive lids. Furthermore, snail mucus left on the plant stem may help the lampyrid larvae to locate their prey.

A locomotor assay reveals deficits in heterozygous Parkinson’s disease model and proprioceptive mutants in adult Drosophila

Severe locomotor impairment is a common phenotype of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Drosophila models of PD, studied for more than a decade, have helped in understanding the interaction between various genetic factors, such as parkin and PINK1, in this disease. To characterize locomotor behavioral phenotypes for these genes, fly climbing assays have been widely used. While these simple current assays for locomotor defects in Drosophila mutants measure some locomotor phenotypes well, it is possible that detection of subtle changes in behavior is important to understand the manifestation of locomotor disorders. We introduce a climbing behavior assay which provides such fine-scale behavioral data and tests this proposition for the Drosophila model. We use this inexpensive, fully automated assay to quantitatively characterize the climbing behavior at high parametric resolution in 3 contexts. First, we characterize wild-type flies and uncover a hitherto unknown sexual dimorphism in climbing behavior. Second, we study climbing behavior of heterozygous mutants of genes implicated in the fly PD model and reveal previously unreported prominent locomotor defects in some of these heterozygous fly lines. Finally, we study locomotor defects in a homozygous proprioceptory mutation (Trp-γ1) known to affect fine motor control in Drosophila. Moreover, we identify aberrant geotactic behavior in Trp-γ1 mutants, thereby opening up a finer assay for geotaxis and its genetic basis. Our assay is therefore a cost-effective, general tool for measuring locomotor behaviors of wild-type and mutant flies in fine detail and can reveal subtle motor defects.