Indian Journal of Experimental Biology - NISCAIR · Web viewIndian Journal of Experimental Biology Internet (Web address : http :// / bioline / ie ) ... Therapeutic drug monitoring

Indian J Exp BiolAUGUST 2000

CODEN: IJEB (A6) 38(8) 733-848 (2000)ISSN: 0019-5189

Indian Journal of Experimental BiologyInternet (Web address : http :// www.bdt.org.br / bioline / ie )

VOLUME 38 NUMBER 8 AUGUST 2000

CONTENTS

Review Articles

Gene targeting in immunology 733 Satish M Totey & Ashok B Kulkarni

Poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) based delivery systems for vaccines and drugs 746 Neelam Dhiman, Manisha Dutta & G K Khuller

Signal transduction by xenobiotics in fish 753 Shelley Bhattacharya

Papers

Intestinal cholesterol synthesis and mobilisation to blood in sucrose-feeding and alcohol-intake 762 K V Pugalendi & S Ramakrishnan

On speed and aerodynamic forces of mosquito 766 Adeel Ahmad, V Rama Rao & P Radha Krishna

Electrophysiological studies with repeated episodes of ischaemia on isolated rat heart 772 Jayashree K, Mohammed Nayeem & K M Cherian

Effect of excessive intake of thermally oxidized sesame oil on lipids, lipid peroxidation and antioxidants' status in rats 777

K N Srinivasan & K V Pugalendi

Hypoglycemic effect of aqueous extract of Enicostemma littorale Blume (chhota chirayata) on alloxan induced diabetes mellitus in rats 781 Ravi Vijayavargia, Monika Kumar & Sarita Gupta

Comparative effectiveness of Tiron (4,5-dihydroxy benzene 1,3-disulphonic acid disodium salt) and CaNa2EDTA with time after beyllium poisoning 785 Pragya Sharma & Sangeeta Shukla

Seroreactivity of purified Brugia malayi microfilarial soluble and excretory-secretory antigens in different clinical presentations of bancroftian filariasis 791

R Alli, Y P Bhandari, M V R Reddy & B C Harinath

Variability of morphological traits in Drosophila bipectinata complex 797 S N Hegde, M K Naseerulla & M S Krishna

Blue light-sensitive plasma membrane bound exogenous NADH oxidase in Cuscuta reflexa 807 Neerja Masih & Prakash C Misra

Accumulation of lead and cadmium in upper parts of mustard (Brassica juncea) seedlings in response to putrescine 814 S N Mishra & D B Singh

Influence of cadmium on growth and development of Vicia faba Linn. 819 Neelu, Manoj Kumar, Manju Tomar & A K Bhatnagar

Notes

Suitability of limited sampling strategy to cyclosporine A oral formulation 824 Sanjay Singh, Deepika R Sharma & Amarjit Singh

Effect of Abana an ayurvedic formulation, on lipid peroxidation in experimental myocardial infarction in rats 827 C Sheela Sasikumar & C S Shyamala Devi

Effect of cold pressor test on visual reaction time and auditory reaction time 831 Lily Walia & G K Ahuja

Effect of tonic pain on schedule specific feeding behaviour 834 Suman Jain, Rashmi Mathur, Ratna Sharma & Usha Nayar

Influence of ethanolic extract of Tephrosia purpurea Linn. on mast cells and erythrocytes membrane integrity 837 A B Gokhale, V J Dikshit, A S Damre, K R Kulkarni & M N Saraf

Photosynthesis and kinetic characteristics of rubisco in Hibiscus cannabinus L. 841 A Ramachandra Reddy & V S Rama Das

Biotransformation of banana waste into protein by Pleurotus sajor-caju 845 G V Reddy, I L Kothari, Akhilesh Mishra & C R Patel

AUTHOR INDEX

Ahmad Adeel 766Ahuja G K 831Alli R 791

Bhandari Y P 791Bhatnagar A K 819Bhattacharya Shelly 753

Cherian K M 772

Damre A S 837Dhiman Neelam 746Dikshit V J 837Dutta Manisha 746

Gokhale A B 837Gupta Sarita 781

Harinath B C 791Hegde S N 797

Jain Suman 834Jayashree K 772Khuller G K 746Kothari I L 845Krishna M S 797Kulkarni Ashok B 733Kulkarni K R 837

Manoj Kumar 819Masih Neerja 807Mathur Rashmi 834Mishra Akhilesh 845Mishra S N 814Misra Prakash C 807Monika Kumar 781

Naseerulla M K 797Nayar Usha 834Nayeem Mohammed 772Neelu 819

Patel C R 845Pugalendi K V 762, 777

Radha Krishna P 766Rama Das V S 841Rama Rao V 766Ramakrishnan S 762Reddy A Ramachandra 841Reddy G V 845Reddy M V R 791

Saraf M N 837Sasikumar C Sheela 827Sharma Deepika R 824Sharma Pragya 785Sharma Ratna 834Shukla Sangeeta 785Shyamala Devi C S 827Singh Amarjit 824Singh D B 814Singh Sanjay 824Srinivasan K N 777

Tomar Manju 819Totey Satish M 733

Vijayavargia Ravi 781

Walia Lily 831

Indian Journal of Experimental BiologyVol. 38, August 2000, pp. 733-745

Review ArticleGene targeting in immunology

Satish M Totey & Ashok B Kulkarni*

Functional Genomics Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health,

Bethesda, MD 20892, USATransgenics and gene targeting by homologous recombination provide an ideal opportunity to delineate

immune functions of specific genes. These gene knockout mice are powerful tools to understand complex mechanism of immune system and molecular processes underlying autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiencies. Availability of an increased pool of genetically manipulated mice will provide a basic foundation for developing of novel strategies to treat immunological diseases.


Review Article

Poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) based delivery systems for vaccines and drugs

Neelam Dhiman, Manisha Dutt & G K Khuller*Department of Biochemistry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh 160 012,

India

Current vaccination and drug delivery strategies emphasize on the development of controlled release techniques for persistent and sustained effects. In the recent years, polymer based systems for the delivery of bioactive agents have gained considerable attention due to their marked adjuvanticity, established biodegradability and biocompatibility, excellent mechanical strength and controlled release profiles. This review deals with the potential applications of synthetic polymers mainly PLG polymers in delivery of vaccines and drugs.


Review Article

Signal transduction by xenobiotics in fish

Shelley Bhattacharya Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan 731235,

India

Signal transduction by xenobiotics in fish has recently gained much attention. The better known transduction mechanisms are those elicited by organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and heavy metals. Organochlorines specifically bind to the membrane bound ouabain sensitive Na +-K+-ATPase affecting neural transmission while the organophosphates and carbamates bind specifically to the membrane bound enzyme acetylcholinesterase again affecting neural transmission. Since the nervous system is one of the important integrative and interactive physiological systems in animals, hypofunction of the nervous system leads to secondary effects in the endocrine system including thyroidal, gonadal, interrenal, pituitary and hypothalamic functions. Even low levels of xenobiotics are efficient enough to bring about remarkable changes in the functional physiology of the non target animals. Heavy metals such as cadmium or mercury belonging to the same group II B in the periodic table probably have a similar mechanism of action. Avidity of these metals to SH-radicals allow them to bind indiscriminately to SH groups in proteins. One pathway of interaction by inorganic mercury with the membrane bound ouabain sensitive Na+-K+-ATPase has been clearly established in fish liver and ovary. Binding of inorganic mercury to the membrane bound enzyme is through sulfhydryl group which inactivates the sodium pump leading to accumulation of the cation in the cytosol. The inorganic mercury is next conjugated by the cytosolar nucleophile, glutathione, and is transported to the nucleus where dissociation occurs and the free metal binds to the metal regulatory element to initiate gene expression. The inducible proteins are 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the oocyte and metallothionein and C-reactive protein in the liver. The present review deals with the role of xenobiotic as a stress factor.


Intestinal cholesterol synthesis and mobilisation to blood in sucrose-feeding and alcohol-intake

K V Pugalendi† & S Ramakrishnan*†Department of Biochemistry, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar 608 002

*Biochemistry Research Department, Vision Research Foundation, Sanakara Nethralaya, Chennai 600 006Received 25 August 1999; revised 4 January 2000

Small intestines synthesize cholesterol to a greater extent than liver. Between starch-fed and sucrose-fed rats, using (14C) glucose, it was found that the synthesis of cholesterol by the jejunum of small intestines was greater in the sucrose-fed group than starch-fed group. By a novel experimental technique and using (14C) glucose, it was found that the contribution towards buffer representing lymph was greater in the sucrose-fed group (13.3 %) than the controls(11%). Hypercholesterolemia on sucrose feeding may be at least partly due to contribution by the small intestines. Regarding alcohol, using (14C) glucose it was found that total synthesis of cholesterol by the small intestines was decreased in alcohol-fed rats. There was no difference in the cholesterol retained by the intestinal tissue between the controls and alcohol-fed animals while, the secretion towards buffer (lymph) was 9 % as against 11. This indicates that there is contribution of cholesterol to blood from small intestines in alcohol-intake also but due to overall decrease in the intestinal synthesis of cholesterol, contribution of intestines to hypercholesterolemia may not be substantial as in the case of sucrose feeding. This is because in sucrose-feeding there is increased cholesterol synthesis.


On speed and aerodynamic forces of mosquito

Adeel Ahmad, V Rama Rao & P Radha KrishnaBiophysics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Nizam College, Hyderabad 500 001, India

Received 29 April 1999; revised 23March 2000

In the present investigation, speed of mosquitoes A. aegyptii (Linnè) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) is measured by designing and constructing a low speed wind tunnel in the laboratory. The velocity of mosquitoes is less than the other myogenic and neurogenic insects. Lift, one of the important aerodynamic forces that a flier has to develop for its efficient flight, is studied in mosquitoes by developing a simple technique using digital single pan balance. Lift, drag and their coefficients of hovering mosquito are calculated from the knowledge of body parameters by considering the wings of mosquito as harmonic oscillator. The calculated value of lift is verified with the experimental. The study throws light on morpho-physiological adaptation of mosquitoes for the generation of aerodynamic forces in hovering, tethered and forward flights.


Electrophysiological studies with repeated episodes of ischaemia onisolated rat heart

Jayashree. K.1* , Mohammed Nayeem2 & K.M. Cherian1

1MMM-BITS Training Centre, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, 7th Floor, 4-A, J. Jayalalitha Nagar, Mogappair, Chennai 600 050, India

2Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Madras Veterinary College,Chennai 600 007, India.

Received 25 November 1999; revised 23 March 2000

In order to know the beneficial effect of preconditioning electrocardiography recording were used as tool to assess myocardial malfunction and for this perfusion apparatus was setup.Electrophysiological changes for each heart were recorded during perfusion at 1,2,3,5,10,20,30 and 60 min of global ischaemia and also during the equal period of reperfusion. Recordings demonstrate that the normal rate was about 240 beats/min with an "R" amplitude of 4mV. During the first ischaemic episode of 1 min the rate was 180 ± 15 beats/min (counted as per `R' wave deflection), at 2 mins it was 60 ± 6 beats/min, at 3 min the rate was 40 ± 2 beats/min, at 5 mins of ischaemia it was 90 ± 6 beats/min, at 10 min 20 ± 2 beats/min, at 20 min the rate was 60 ± 4 beats/min, and at 30 mins there were nil beats/min. The recovery during all the periods of reperfusion was restored to between 120 and 180 beats/min in all episodes . Further after a 60 min of ischaemia the heart stopped to elicit any mechanical response. It is concluded that short term ischaemia can induce a resilient effect on the beating of the heart after a few episodes as seen subsequent to 1 and 2 min of ischaemia. Further, preconditioning was beneficial up to 30 min, beyond which the heart showed signs of fatigue and irreversible injury.


Effect of excessive intake of thermally oxidized sesame oil on lipids,lipid peroxidation and antioxidants’ status in rats

K N Srinivasan & K V Pugalendi*Department of Biochemistry, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamilnadu 608 002, India.

Received 18 December 1998,revised 6 April 2000

Fresh and thermally oxidized sesame, groundnut and coconut oils were fed to different groups of rats, as high fat diet (20%). Feeding fresh and thermally oxidized oils increased the levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and phospholipids but high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased in all the experimental animals. The levels of very low density lipoproteincholesterol (VLDL-C) and triacylglycerol increased only in groundnut and coconut oils-fed groups and decreased in sesame oil-fed group when compared with the control. When fresh and the corresponding thermally oxidized oils-fed groups were compared with the control, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol alone increased while triacylgly cerol, VLDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, HDL/LDL ratio and phospholipids decreased. Thiobarbituric acid reacting substances increased in all the experimental animals and more so in corresponding thermally oxidized oils. It was less pronounced in sesame oil-fed groups when compared with the corresponding other oils-fed groups. Feeding of thermally oxidized oils decreased the levels of vitamin E, vitamin C and reduced glutathione when compared with fresh oils. Among the three thermally oxidized edible oils, sesame oil exhibited lesser risk for hyperlipidemic disorders.


Hypoglycemic effect of aqueous extract of Enicostemma littorale Blume(chhota chirayata) on alloxan induced diabetes mellitus in rats

Ravi Vijayvargia**, Monika Kumar & Sarita Gupta*Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda, Baroda 390 002, India

Received 21 April 1999; revised 9 March 2000

The whole plant aqueous extract of E. littorale was tested for its hypoglycemic activity on normoglycemic, hyperglycemic and alloxan induced diabetic rats. Blood sugar lowering activity was not observed in normoglycemic and glucose loaded hyperglycemic rats in the short time experiment. But in case of diabetic rats, the fall of blood sugar after 30 days treatment with the aqueous extract was found to be significant (P0.001). The decrease in the plasma glucose level was accompanied with decrease in the level of glycosylated haemoglobin and glucose-6-phosphatase activity in liver. The potent anti-diabetic properties of E. littorale has been reported for the first time.

Indian Journal of Experimental BiologyVol. 38, August 2000, pp.785-790

Comparative effectiveness of Tiron (4,5-Dihydroxy benzene 1,3-disulphonic acid disodium salt) and CaNa2EDTA with time after beryllium

poisoning

Pragya Sharma & Sangeeta ShuklaSchool of Studies in Zoology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474002, India

Received 28 May 1999; revised 6 April 2000

The efficacy of two chelating agents (Tiron and calcium disodium EDTA) in the treatment of beryllium induced blood biochemistry and hepatic histopathological alteration was investigated at different duration in female albino rats. Single administration of beryllium nitrate at a dose of 50 mg/kg (im) showed significant decrease in haemoglobin percentage, blood sugar level, protein contents and activity of alkaline phosphatase. On the contrary significant elevation was found in the activity of transaminases (AST and ALT). Tiron was found to be more effective than CaNa2EDTA in reducing the beryllium induced haematological alterations and histopathological lesions in liver. These findings were further confirmed by AAS thus, in which reduced beryllium body burden was seen in liver and blood with Tiron.


Seroreactivity of purified Brugia malayi microfilarial soluble and excretory-secretory antigens in different clinical presentations of

bancroftian filariasis

R Alli, Y P Bhandari, M V R Reddy* & B C HarinathDepartment of Biochemistry & JB Tropical Disease Research Centre, MGIMS, Sevagram (Wardha) 442 102,

IndiaReceived 30 November 1999; revised 27 April 2000

Brugia malayi microfilarial excretory-secretory (mf ES) and phosphate buffer saline soluble (mf S) antigens were fractionated by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on superdex 200 HR 10/30 gel filtration column. The active antigen fractions were identified and explored in comparison with whole

mf ES and mf S antigens to detect filarial IgG antibodies in different groups viz microfilaraemics, acute, chronic and occult filarial cases of Wuchereria bancrofti infection and endemic and non-endemic normals. One of the fractions of mf ES antigen (ESF-6) and two fractions of mf S antigen (SF-2 & 3) were identified to be useful to detect filarial antibodies. A pooled preparation of these antigen fractions gave a sensitivity of 86.6% (for microfilaraemic cases) and a specificity of 95% to detect filarial IgG antibodies by indirect ELISA. The pooled FPLC purified mf antigens also showed 55-88% of cases of different grades of clinical filariasis and 65% of tropical pulmonary eosinophilia cases as positive for filarial antibodies. The pooled FPLC purified B. malayi mf antigens with higher specificity are preferable to whole mf ES and mf S antigens to detect active filarial infection in microfilaraemia and as well in different clinical entities of bancroftian filariasis.


Variability of morphological traits in Drosophila bipectinata complex

S N Hegde, M K Naseerulla & M S Krishna

Drosophila Stock Centre, Department of Studies in Zoology, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysore 570 006, India

Received 13 October 1999; revised 10 February 2000

Phenotypic or morphological differences among different populations and sexual dimorphism in certain metric traits were analysed in D. bipectinata complex. It was noticed that different populations of D.bipectinata species group harbour large amount of variation for these characters. In all the populations, morphometric characters such as lengths of femur, tibia and wing length, wing width, number of sternopleural bristles and bristles on epandrium varied significantly among populations. The study indicates that the morphological variations are due to the interplay of genetic and environmental endowments. Further, females had significantly larger values, for lengths of femur, tibia and wing length, wing width and sternopleural bristles.


Blue light-sensitive plasma membrane bound exogenous NADH oxidase inCuscuta reflexa

Neerja Masih & Prakash C Misra*Department of Biochemistry, Lucknow University, Lucknow 226 007, India

Received 24 September1999; revised 27 April 2000

Protoplasts isolated from Cuscuta reflexa exhibited a higher rate of exogenous NADH oxidation as compared to NADPH in the dark. NAD(P)H oxidation was monitored by measuring the rate of oxygen consumption and this oxidase system was sensitive to blue light. Both NADH oxidase and its blue light sensitivity were inhibited by -SH group reacting agents. The corresponding changes occurring in H+-extrusion activity and intracellular ATP levels were also monitored. Stimulation of NADH oxidation under blue light corresponded to increased rate of H+- extrusion and intracellular ATP level, the converse was also true under NADH oxidase inhibitory conditions. These observations suggested a close functional association between blue light-sensitive plasma membrane bound redox activity and H+-ATPase in this tissue. Further, concanavalin A binding of protoplasts resulted in a loss in NADH oxidase activity and its blue light sensitivity suggesting apoplastic location and glycoprotein nature of the blue light sensitive NADH oxidase system in Cuscuta.


Accumulation of lead and cadmium in upper parts of mustard (Brassica juncea) seedlings in response to putrescine

S N Mishra & D B SinghDepartment of Biosciences, M. D. University, Rohtak 124001, India

Received 8 March 1999; revised 1 March 2000

Lead and cadmium accumulation examined in shoot and leaf tissues of seedlings of mustard (Brassica juncea cv RH-30), at 7th day, treated with either putrescine (1 mM), or ammonium nitrate (10 mM) or IAA (10 µM). These were included in the nutrient medium, containing Pb or Cd (0.1 mM and 2 mM). Metal accumulation was more in shoot than in leaf tissues, which was increased manifold under saline conditions. However, Cd accumulation in tissues was higher than Pb. Chemical (putrescine, ammonium nitrate or IAA) treatment of the seedlings, decreased metal accumulation in leaf (10-20%) and in shoot (40 to 60%) tissues, depending upon external metal levels. Putrescine significantly decreased the metal accumulation and translocation under saline conditions.


Influence of cadmium on growth and development of Vicia faba Linn.

Neelu, Manoj Kumar, Manju Tomar & A K Bhatnagar*Environmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India

Received 5 August 1999; revised 24 January 2000

Influence of cadmium (Cd) on growth and development of broad bean (V. faba) was assessed in pot cultures with cadmium iodide (CdI2) in different concentrations ranging from 15 to 500 mg per kg of soil. There was a decline in plant height and total dry weight. Root size decreased most significantly with a corresponding reduction in the frequency of root nodules. Total soluble protein in leaf, stem and root suffered a pronounced loss with increasing concentration of cadmium. Chlorophyll a was the most sensitive pigment followed by chlorophyll b and carotenoids. Nitrate reductase activity too was adversely affected. Cadmium contamination induced abnormalities in stomata and trichomes.

Indian Journal of Experimental Biology

Vol. 38, August 2000, pp.824-826

Suitability of limited sampling strategy to cyclosporine A oral formulation

Sanjay Singh, Deepika R. Sharma* & Amarjit SinghDepartment of Medical Research, Panacea Biotec Ltd., B-1 Ext./A-27, Mohan Co-op Industrial Estate,

Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044, IndiaReceived 28 July 1999; revised 19 April 2000

Therapeutic drug monitoring of cyclosporine A in renal transplant patients is normally performed by measuring predose trough levels or doing area under the curve profiles from all possible sampling points. On the basis of good correlation between predicted area under the curve from limited sampling points and actual area under the curve (literature survey), a limited sampling strategy at 1,3 and 5 hr was used and extended this strategy as a criteria for pilot evaluation of modified cyclosporine A formulations. Hemodialysis patients served as subjects for the study. Panimun Bioral was used as a test formulation while Sandimmun Neoral as standard reference. The study revealed that both formulations had similar restricted AUC0-5h profiles.


Effect of Abana an ayurvedic formulation, on lipid peroxidation in experimental myocardial infarction in rats

C Sheela Sasikumar & C S Shyamala DeviDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025,

IndiaReceived 26 October 1999; revised 23 March 2000

The present study was conducted to elucidate the antioxidant role of an ayurvedic formulation Abana in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in rats. In myocardial necrosis induced by isoproterenol, a significant increase in serum iron content with a significant decrease in plasma iron binding capacity, ceruloplasmin activity and glutathione level were observed. There was also a significant increase in lipid peroxides levels on isoproterenol administration. Activities of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-s-transferase, glutathione reductase were decreased significantly in heart with isoproterenol - induced myocardial necrosis. Abana, produced a marked reversal of these metabolic changes related to myocardial infarction induced by isoproterenol. In conclusion ayurvedic formulation Abana exerts its effect by modulating lipid peroxidation and enhancing antioxidant and detoxifying enzyme systems.


Effect of cold pressor test on visual reaction time and auditory reaction time

Lily Walia & G.K. AhujaDepartment of Physiology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana 141 001, India.

Received 3 March 2000; revised 4 May 2000

Influence of stress (cold) on visual reaction time (VRT) for red, green and yellow colours and auditory reaction time (ART) for high and low pitched sounds was studied in 60 healthy subjects (17-19 years) by digital display response time apparatus.Pain threshold and pain tolerance time were 23.02 + 8.11 and 249.35 + 64.88 sec. respectively.During the standard cold pressor test (CPT), there was significant increase (P<0.01) in VRT for all the three colours, the increase being the least for the red colour.There was significant increase ( P<0.01) in ART for both high and low pitched sounds.There was increase in heart rate and respiratory rate as compared to controls.This increase in VRT and ART with CPT was probably due to decreased conduction velocity of nerves, which could be due to vasoconstriction attributed to increased sympathetic activity caused by cold and pain.


Effect of tonic pain on schedule specific feeding behaviour

Suman Jain, Rashmi Mathur, Ratna Sharma* & Usha Nayar**Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India

Received 18 September 1999; revised 2 May 2000

Food deprivation produces analgesia. This response is reversed i.e. pain sensitivity is lowered, when the food deprived rats are fed. In the present study the effect of chronic pain on the motivation to get food, in food deprived rats, was observed. In ten rats the effect of formalin and morphine plus formalin on the motivation to get food was studied. Injection of formalin significantly (P < 0.01) decreased the number of lever presses from 450 + 30 to 225 + 25. However, after injecting morphine the effect was reversed. The present study shows reduced internal drive to procure food by the food deprived animals, when they were under chronic pain. The effect was blocked by morphine, suggesting the role of opioids in modulating the motivation for getting food.


Influence of ethanolic extract of Tephrosia purpurea Linn. on mastcells and erythrocytes membrane integrity

A B Gokhale, V J Dikshit, A S Damre, K R Kulkarni & M N Saraf*Department of Pharmacology, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Kalina, Mumbai 400 098, India

Received 21 September 1999; revised 29 March 2000

The ethanolic extract of T. purpurea Linn. was studied for its in vitro effect on rat mast cell degranulation and erythrocyte membrane integrity in vitro. The extract in concentration of 25-200 g/ml showed a dose-dependant inhibition of rat mast cell degranulation induced by compound 48/80 and egg albumin. T. purpurea extract was found to inhibit haemolysis of erythrocytes induced by hypotonic solution but accelerated haemolysis induced by heat at a concentration of 100 g/ml. The studies reveal that the ethanolic extract of T. purpurea may inhibit degranulation of mast cells by a mechanism other than membrane stabilization.

Indian Journal of Experimental Biology

Vol. 38, August 2000, pp. 841-844

Photosynthesis and kinetic characteristics of rubisco in Hibiscus cannabinus L.

A Ramachandra Reddy1 & V S Rama Das2

1 School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605014, India2 School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500 046, India

Received 18 January 1999; revised 2 May 2000Photosynthetic characteristics in kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), a C3 plant, were compared with

Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, another member of Malvaceae. Kenaf leaves exhibited significantly higher rate of photosynthesis (40 mg CO2 dm-2 hr-1) which was 24.6 mg dm-2 hr-1 in A. esculentus. Rate of photo and dark respiration was similar in both the species. Kenaf leaf photosynthesis had a higher optimum temperature (320C) than that of A.esculentus (260C). Photosynthesis in kenaf leaves required higher saturation irradiance (1600 µmole m-2 sec-1). There was a significant correlation between photosynthetic rate and biomass yield in these species. The primary product of photosynthesis after 5 seconds of 14C- assimilation was 3-PGA in both the species. The kinetic properties of RuBP carboxylase/ oxygenase were determined in the leaf extracts. Higher carboxylase activities were recorded with kenaf leaf extracts (245 µmole mg chl -1 hr-1). Km (CO2) for kenaf leaf carboxylase was significantly lower (7.8µM) than A. esculentus (13.5 µM) and corresponding difference in Vmax values of carboxylase was recorded between the two species. The kinetic characteristics of oxygenase were similar in both the extracts. These results indicated the variation in carboxylase activity and its kinetic characteristics reflected a significant difference in CO 2 assimilation in C3

plants.


Biotransformation of banana waste into protein by Pleurotus sajor-caju

G V Reddy, I L Kothari*, Akhilesh Mishra & C R PatelDepartment of Biosciences, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar 388 120, India

Received 11 November 1999; revised 25 April 2000

Pseudostems and leaves from banana waste were used for biotransformation into protein by using P.sajor- caju, an oyster mushroom. Treatment of formalin (500 ppm) + carbendazim (12.5 ppm) of these substrates was found to favour relatively high percentage biological efficiency (BE) of P. sajor-caju.. Steam sterilization also exhibited comparable yield performance by P. sajor-caju. Fruiting bodies harvested from all the treatments had relatively higher protein contents. The spent substrate (steam sterilized) was found to be suitable as an ideal animal feed because of its rich nutritive composition.

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Indian Journal of Experimental Biology - NISCAIR · Web viewIndian Journal of Experimental Biology Internet (Web address : http :// / bioline / ie ) ... Therapeutic drug monitoring