Background: Microalgae due to an array of its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory bioactives have been changing the cosmeceutical market. One such bioactive power pack is Chlorella emersonii KJ725233, a novel, non-fastidious... more
Background: Microalgae due to an array of its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory bioactives have been changing the cosmeceutical market. One such bioactive power pack is Chlorella emersonii KJ725233, a novel, non-fastidious freshwater microalga with an inherently higher anti-oxidant potential. Objective: The present study evaluates its potential use as a cosmeceutical ingredient with arrays of biochemical assays, toxicity studies and GC-HRMS profiling. Materials and Methods: In vitro protein-ase inhibition activity of the methanolic extract of C.emersonii KJ725233 was evaluated using SAAANA, sodium hyaluronate and bovine collagen as substrates respectively. The radical scavenging potential was determined by DPPH assay and was correlated to the total flavonoid content evaluated by aluminium trichloride method. The bioactive composition was evaluated by GC – HRMS analysis. Eye irritation potential and sulforhodamine B assay were carried out using 3T3 fibroblasts cells to ascertain its non-toxic nature. Results: The methanolic extract of C.emersonii KJ725233 exhibited a potent elastase inhibition of 92.04±2.27% at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL. This was qualitatively established by the presence of phytol, its
Epigenetic events are due to altered gene expression without any changes in the genetic material and characteristic of heritability via cell division. The impact of epigenetic control over cancer is one among the thrust area of research... more
Epigenetic events are due to altered gene expression without any changes in the genetic material and characteristic of heritability via cell division. The impact of epigenetic control over cancer is one among the thrust area of research in cancer biology. The present study deals about the virtual screening of plant derived natural bioactives directed against the key molecular regulators of the epigenetic events viz. DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT2 and DNMT3B), Histone acetyltransferase (HAT), Histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8), Histone H3 lysine 27 methyl transferase (H3K27MT) and Histone H3 specific lysine 4 demethylase (H3K4DM). This computational screening identified the most efficient binders with respect to individual targets in terms of ligand binding energy. We hope that structure optimization of the best scored docked conformations will reveal new insights and development of natural bioactives to combat cancer. Keywords: Epigenetics, Virtual screening, Natural bioactives, Ligand binding energy
Helminth infection is regarded as one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Although the disease is common in rural areas, information on the pharmacology of South African medicinal plants used against this disease is limited. We... more
Helminth infection is regarded as one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Although the disease is common in rural areas, information on the pharmacology of South African medicinal plants used against this disease is limited. We investigated the efficacy of ten South African medicinal plants against Caenorhabditis elegans. Because of the increased susceptibility of a host to microbial infections and other inflammatory responses associated with helminth infections, the antimicrobial and cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitory activities of the plants were also investigated. Phenolics including flavonoids, condensed tannins and gallotannins have been linked to many pharmacological activities. Thus, the phenolic content of the plant extracts were quantitatively evaluated. In the three bioassays, organic solvent extracts from Cyathea dregei (roots and leaves), Felicia erigeroides (leaves and stems), Hypoxis colchicifolia (leaves) and Senna petersiana (leaves) exhibited noteworthy pharmacological activities while Acokanthera oppositifolia (leaves) had good COX inhibitory activity. The concentration of phenolics ranged from 56.7 to 1.7 mg GAE/g dry matter in Ocimum basilicum and Cotyledon orbiculata var. dactylopsis, respectively. Flavonoids, condensed tannin and gallotannin content also varied greatly among the plant extracts investigated.
