Annamalai Pandurangan

The constant development made in the recent science of gene transfer with innovative methodologies has yielded positive results, with significant advancements in the development, modification, and protection of crops and an overall enhancement in boosting agricultural productivity. The technology of genetic engineering, which has brought a revolution in improving the genetic makeup of crops, follows a sequence of steps in the identification, transfer, and acquisition of original genes and alleles. For this modification, a variety of methods have been designed to transfer this selected foreign gene into crop plants for the creation of new genetically modified species. Variation in traits, which may include disease resistance, protection from insect, and stress alleviation, has been easily transferred to crops. This technology has become a versatile platform in the decades since to improve agriculturally important species. The gene transfer approaches employed can be both direct and indirect, with their own advantages and limitations. Constant efforts are made to remove drawbacks and to design comparatively easy-to-perform, selective, and environmentally compatible methods for gene transfer. More recently, amongst all methods, Agrobacterium-mediated transfer has proven fruitful yielding results. The concerned procedure, and as well as its various methodologies, merits, and disadvantages, is discussed briefly.

The lectotypification of Lagerstroemia intermedia is discussed, and its new status as a subspecies under L. speciosa is proposed.

Benzimidazole is the heterocyclic compound formed from benzene and imidazole ring containing nitrogen, oxygen sulphor and its derivatives are of wide interest because of their diverse biological activity and clinical applications, they are remarkably effective compounds both with respect to their inhibitory activity and their favourable selectivity ratio. Reported nucleus is a constituent of vitamin-B12. Benzimidazoles are regarded as a promising class of bioactive heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a range of biological activities like anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer activity, numerous anti-oxidant, anti-parasitic, anti-helmintics, anti-proliferative, anti-HIV, anti-convulsant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-neoplastic, proton pump inhibitor and anti-trichinellosis. Benzimidazoles exhibit significant activity as potential antitumor agents, smooth muscle cell proliferation inhibitors, a treatment for intestinal cystitis, and in diverse area of chemistry. Some of the important benzimidazole derivatives have been reported as thyroid receptor agonist gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor antagonists, non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors and interestingly alkynylbenzimidazoles as modulators of metabotropic glutamate receptors. The imidazole core is a common moiety in a large number of natural products and pharmacologically active compounds. The synthesis of novel benzimidazole derivatives remains a main focus of medicinal research. This comprehensive overview summarizes the chemistry of different derivative of substituted benzimidazole along with their anti-microbial activity containing anti-malarial anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral activities.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icpj.v1i5.10284International Current Pharmaceutical Journal 2012, 1(5): 119-127

The solasodine isolated from Solanum trilobatum has been examined for possible anti-inflammatory activity in acute and chronic inflammatory animal models. Solasodine (5, 30 and 75 mg kg⁻¹) exerted statistically significant and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema, which was similar to that of indomethacin (10 mg kg⁻¹), a known anti-inflammatory agent. At the dose of 75 mg kg⁻¹, solasodine inhibited the arachidonic acid-elicited rat paw oedema 1 h after arachidonic acid challenge. Topical application of solasodine significantly inhibited the ear inflammation induced by multiple applications of tetradecanoyl-phorbol 13-acetate. It also suppressed the volume of exudates, total leucocytes and amount of neutrophil migration into the rat pleural cavity. Administration of solasodine at a dose of 75 mg kg⁻¹ significantly inhibited the adjuvant-induced rat paw oedema. These results suggest that solasodine exerts anti-inflammatory activity, at least partly through the inhibition of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase pathways.

Solasodine (1) was isolated for the first time from the roots of Solanum trilobatum Linn., a member of the Solanaceae, and assessed for its presumed antinociceptive activity using several experimental murine models, viz. the writhing, formalin, and hot plate tests. When used at doses of 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg, this steroidal alkaloid caused a significant and dose-dependent decrease in the nociception induced by an intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid (p < 0.001). It also led to a significant reduction of the painful sensation caused by formalin in both phases of the formalin test (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the alkaloid produced a significant increase in the reaction time in the hot plate test (p < 0.001). These results suggest that solasodine elicited antinociceptive activity through both central and peripheral mechanisms.

The antidiarrheal potential of the methanol extract of the fruit of Emblica officinalis. Gaertn. Euphorbiaceae was evaluated using several experimental models of diarrhea in Wistar albino rats. The methanol extract showed a significant inhibitory effect on rats with diarrhea induced by castor oil and magnesium sulfate. The methanol extract produced a significant reduction in gastrointestinal motility in charcoal meal tests in rats. It also significantly inhibited PGE2-induced enteropooling as compared to control animals. The results obtained establish the efficacy and substantiate the use of this herbal remedy as a nonspecific treatment for diarrhea in folk medicine.