Linu Mathew

BACKGROUND: Studying the pleiotropic effects of medicines can reveal their unexplored therapeutic advantages. It promotes repurposing established drugs or identifying compounds that affect multiple targets. The widely prescribed antihypertensive agents, ramipril and olmesartan, because of their ability to reduce C-reactive protein activity, may also modulate the immune system. AIM: The study aims to demonstrate the potential immunomodulatory effects of ramipril and olmesartan, which would be beneficial for the management of inflammation in patients with coexisting hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anti-inflammatory properties of the drugs were studied in acute and chronic models of inflammation. The immunomodulatory action was evaluated using a neutrophil adhesion test, proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine assay, and hemagglutination antibody titer assay. Histopathological analyses of rat paw edema were also performed. RESULTS: Both drugs demonstrated enhanced neutrophil adhesion, increased hemagglutination antibody titers, reduced paw edema, and improvement in cellular and structural changes associated with inflammation. Drug treatment also inhibited proinflammatory cytokine production while promoting anti-inflammatory cytokine production. CONCLUSION: The results indicate the immunomodulatory potential of ramipril and olmesartan at equipotent antihypertensive doses, compared with the standard drugs, in Wistar albino rats. The results reveal that olmesartan exhibits superior immunomodulatory properties compared with Ramipril.

Dioscorea bulbifera (air potato), a climbing perennial of the Dioscoreaceae family, is widely distributed in tropical regions and valued in Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and African ethnomedicine for managing inflammatory, infectious, metabolic, and neoplastic disorders. This systematic review critically evaluates its phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology. Primary metabolites contribute to its nutritional value, whereas secondary metabolites–predominantly steroidal saponins, flavonoids, and diterpenoids from bulbils and tubers–underlie its wide range of reported bioactivities. African accessions are rich in clerodane diterpenoids, while Asian ones are rich in saponins and flavonoids, underscoring the need for comparative metabolomic and chemotaxonomic studies. Preclinical studies confirm antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective effects. However, furanoid diterpenoids, particularly diosbulbin B and 8-epidiosbulbin E acetate, have been shown to induce hepatotoxicity, with additional risks of nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, gastrointestinal irritation, and thyroid dysfunction. Traditional processing methods, such as boiling and roasting, as well as co-administration with protective herbs, mitigate toxicity. Despite promising activity, clinical translation remains hindered by phytochemical variability, non-standardised preparations, and the complete absence of human trials. Future research should therefore focus on developing detoxified, standardised extracts supported by pharmacokinetic studies and well-designed randomised controlled trials to establish D. bulbifera as a safe and effective phytotherapeutic agent.

Endophytic microorganisms (EMs) residing in medicinal plants form a promising resource of anticancer compounds such as camptothecin (CPT). Given the increasing therapeutic demand for CPT, its sustainable production is of high significance. This study has investigated the EMs isolated from different parts of Ophiorrhiza mungos for the CPT biosynthetic potential. Preliminary screening of EMs for the CPT synthesis was carried out by HPLC analysis of culture extracts, and the HPLC‐positive extracts were further confirmed via LC–MS/MS. From a total of 175 EMs screened in the study, 17 strains (14 bacterial and 3 fungal) were found to be CPT producing, with most of them being sourced from the root tissues. Among the bacterial strains, Alcaligenes faecalis subsp. phenolicus S18 exhibited the highest CPT yield (1294.52 μg/L) followed by Bacillus tequilensis (309.02 μg/L). From the fungal strains, Aspergillus sp., S109, S42, and S111 yielded CPT of 22.07, 18.98, and 13.26 μg/L, respectively. Overall, CPT yield among the bacterial producers ranged from 1294.52 to 5.16 μg/L, predominantly from the Bacillus , Acinetobacter , Alcaligenes , and Pseudomonas genera. This study provides the first report on the CPT production by A. faecalis and Aspergillus sp. isolated from O. mungos , and also the first documentation of CPT synthesis in Stenotrophomonas , Fictibacillus , Acinetobacter , and Pseudomonas genera. These findings highlight the potential of novel microbial sources as high‐yielding, reliable, and cost‐effective alternatives to support commercial CPT production.

This study realized a high and sustained yield of apigenin and apigetrin in Justicia gendarussa cell suspension cultures by using elicitors: methyl jasmonate (MeJA), jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and sodium chloride (NaCl). We cultured the leaf segments on MS basal medium with 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) at 2 mg L^− 1 and Benzyl Adenine (BA) at 0.2 mg L^− 1 for friable callus induction. We transferred the best-responding calli to liquid MS medium with 2,4-D at 1 mg L^− 1 and elicited the 40th -day-old culture with varying doses of elicitors. Cultures treated with 200 µM MeJA recorded the highest accumulation of apigenin (123.98 µg g⁻¹ DW) and apigetrin (342.87 µg g⁻¹ DW) by the 2nd day of elicitation. Also, both compounds showed a significant increase upon JA elicitation, with the maximum accumulation (apigetrin 114.68 µg g⁻¹ DW; apigenin 73.93 µg g¹ DW) occurring at 100 µM JA by the 6th day. Likewise, SA at 100 µM boosted compound production (apigenin 106.57 µg g⁻¹ DW and apigetrin 231.43µg g⁻¹ DW) on day 4. Salt stress also promoted the accumulation of apigenin (107.13 µg g⁻¹ DW) and apigetrin (245.31 µg g⁻¹ DW), with the highest accumulation at 200 mM of NaCl. The elicitation capability of these four elicitors was in the order MeJA > NaCl > SA > JA. All elicitors produced higher concentrations of compounds than found in leaf extracts of field-grown plants (29.69 µg g⁻¹ DW of apigenin and 122.42 µg g⁻¹ DW of apigetrin).

Earthworms from various land uses in the Kottayam district of Kerala, part of the Western Ghats hotspot in India, were studied using an integrative approach that involved morphoanatomical methods and cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcoding techniques for the first time here. The study unveiled the presence of nine earthworm species: Drawida ghatensis Michaelsen, 1910; Moniligaster julkai Narayanan and Paliwal, 2022; Glyphidrilus annandalei Michaelsen, 1910; Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857); Eukerria kuekenthali (Michaelsen, 1908); Dichogaster bolaui (Michaelsen, 1891); Megascolex cochinensis Stephenson, 1915; M. konkanensis Fedarb, 1898; and Lampito mauritii Kinberg, 1867, belonging to eight genera. The COI sequences of all nine species were deposited in GenBank. Notably, M. julkai and E. kuekenthali are novel additions to the GenBank barcode database. The Bayesian phylogram and maximum-likelihood indicated that the species M. julkai in this study exhibited a closer relationship to D. ghatensis than to other Moniligaster species. This study provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of all nine species, supplemented by their DNA barcodes, to facilitate future species identification.