Journal of Coastal Life Medicine

191-201

Authors: Quratulan Ahmed, Qadeer Mohammad Ali, Levent Bat

Objective: To determine heavy metal concentrations in holothurians (Holothuria arenicola, Holothuria pardalis, Holothuria verrucosa, Holothuria atra, Ohshimella ehrenbergii, Holothuria cinerascens, Stolus buccalis and Holothuria leucospilota), sediments and sea water samples from both Buleji and Sunehri coasts bordering Northern Arabian Sea during January to December 2014 and to assess the level of bioaccumulation using bioaccumulation factors. Methods: Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb levels were determined by Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 700 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Biota concentration factor (BCF) and biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) were also calculated. Results: The mean concentrations of heavy metals in body wall of sea cucumber ranged from 0.11 to 2.67, 0.43 to 8.93, 14 to 73, 0.76 to 7.12, 0.52 to 3.02 and 11 to 46 µg/g dry wright for Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn, respectively. The greatest biota-sediment bioaccumulation factor (BSAF) value for Zn (3.29) was observed in H. leucospilota at Buleji during pre-monsoon, indicating the species as microconcentrator. The BSAF values for Cd in sea cucumber ranged from 0.042 to 1.492. Conclusions: The results suggested that the studied sea cucumber species ranged from being microconcentrators to deconcentrators. The BSAF values of Cu, Fe, Mn and Pb were low, indicating the species as deconcentrators. Zn in all species from Sunehri coast is “very bioaccumulative” (BCF > 5 000) during all sampling periods. Cu, Fe, Mn and Pb can be considered “bioaccumulative” (BCF < 5 000).

206-211

Authors: Kulsoom Zahara*, Yamin Bibi, Sadaf Laraib, Maryam Ajmal, Huma Mehreen Sadaf, Fatima Bibi, Nadia Sardar

In 2014, the World Health Organization was notified of an outbreak of a communicable disease characterized by fever, severe diarrhea, vomiting, and a high fatality rate in Guinea. Virologic investigation identified Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) as the causative agent. Approximately 30 years after the first epidemic, there is no vaccine or therapeutic medication approved to counter the Ebola virus. In this review, it emphasized that plant based antibodies can be an effective cure to Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Genetically modified Nicotiana benthamiana is used to manufacture ZMapp drug by Kentucky BioProcessing. ZMapp three-antibody cocktail binds to the Ebola virus to deactivate it and provides simulated immune response against sugar-tagged proteins on the outside of the Ebola virus, which had verified efficacy against Ebola infection in nonhuman primates and also successfully treated two American medical workers infected with Ebola virus disease.

216-218

Authors: Bhagwan Mariba Waghmare*, Rahul Khushalrao Dhabale

Objective: To study the antibacterial screening of corm of Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) (A. campanulatus). Methods: Antibacterial activities of methanolic, petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of corm of A. campanulatus were studied by agar diffusion technique to determine in vitro antibacterial activities. The antibacterial activity was measured with respect to the standard antibacterial drug. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration was also determined by using serial dilution method to determine and evaluate antibacterial potency of test corm extracts of A. campanulatus. Results: The results showed significant antibacterial activities against four pathogenic bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration values against test bacteria were found to be remarkable range in bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at concentration 0.25 mg/ well, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 0.5 mg/well concentration, in Vibrio cholerae was 2 mg/ well, Streptococcus pyogenes at concentration of 0.5 mg/well and Proteus mirabilis was at concentration of 2 mg/well. Conclusions: The methanolic and petroleum ether extracts are capable to maximum inhibition of the tested pathogenic bacteria.

224-232

Authors: Pritt Verma, Shravan Kumar Paswan, Abhisek Raj, Virendra Nath, Ramesh Kumar Gupta, Shikhar Verma, Sajal Srivastava, Chandana Venketshwara Rao

Objective: To investigated the hematological, antioxidant and protective performance of Usnea longissima (U. longissima) on CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in experimental animals. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by CCl4 (1 mL/kg body weigt 1:1 CCl4 i.p.), ethanolic U. longissima extracts at a doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weigt) were administered to and compared with Silymarin (25 mg/kg body weigt) and hematological, antioxidant and enzymatic, non-enzymatic parameters were assessed through the liver functions test. All the observation was also supplemented with histopathological examination of liver sections. Results: Phytochemical investigation showed that ethanolic extract contains poly phenolic compounds tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins and acute toxicity study shows that ethanolic extract was safe up to 2 000 mg/kg body weight. The toxicant induced a rise in the plasma enzyme levels of ALT, AST, ALP and total bilirubin level. This increased level was significantly decreased by the extract at 400 mg/kg body weight than 200 mg/kg body weight. The animals were prevented (partly or fully) which was showed in the histopathological changes using ethonolic U. longissima extract. Conclusions: The outcome of this study reveals that, there is a powerful antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of U. longissima. It is believed that the present constituents are responsible for courting the hepatic disease and alternative components have the power to act as free radical scavenging properties.