The aim of this work is estimation of effects and its mechanisms of gaseous nitric oxide and dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) on catalytic activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase. We estimated the influence of different doses of free (NO concentration in gas flow – 20, 50, 100 and 800 ppm) and bounded (3 mM of DNIC) nitric oxide on aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and erythrocyte level of malone aldehyde in vitro. It was observed that blood processing with gaseous nitric oxide from different NO-generators caused the moderate inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and minimal levation of malonic dialdehyde level. Use of DNIC low doses (lesser than 0,3 mcmol) led to dose-dependent stimulation of enzyme catalytic. Increasing of DNIC dose activated aldehyde dehydrogenase lesser clear, than its low doses. It was stated that erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase is very sensitive to exogenic nitric oxide in gaseous phase and DNIC water solutions. We fixed that modification of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity by nitric oxide is dose dependent.
Exposure to nature and plants can be both physically and psychologically healing and is an effective means of combating stress in our daily lives. The Stress Recovery or Reduction Theory proposed by Roger Ulrich in 1991 can be applied in both micro and macro environments - i.e. at home or office and also to towns and cities. Adding trees, indoor plants, green spaces can significantly contribute to city or town planning and is necessary for urban planning. Attention Restoration theory emphasizes the fact that exposure to nature can actually remove fatigue and restore attention thus enabling better focus on work. Plants release chemicals called phytoncides stimulating the production of mood-boosting or happy hormones in humans – serotonin and endorphins. Plants release these volatile organic compounds phytoncides which are inhaled by humans causing a sense of ‘happiness’ and ‘well-being.’ Thus besides emitting oxygen as by-product plants actually trigger a sense of ‘happiness’ in humans. Merely by gazing at plants and greens, there is reduction in stress hormone -cortisol levels. Thus being in the presence of nature can be mentally stimulating and advantageous for overall health and wellness.
Globally glyphosate is the most widely used broad-spectrum herbicide due to its efficacy and low cost but, with such wide spread use on crops it has contaminated our freshwater systems and represents a substantial threat to aquatic life due to adverse glyphosate exposure. Fish are very susceptible to glyphosate exposure through agricultural runoff into water bodies as well as from contaminated water. It’s worth noting, that bony fish, such as Clarias gariepinus, have shown great susceptibility to glyphosate exposure. The gastrointestinal tract, being involved in digestion/microbiota- host interactions, nutrient absorption, and immune function, is of special concern regarding glyphosate-induced effects in fish. Numerous studies have shown that glyphosate produces histopathological changes, oxidative stress, digestive enzyme inhibition, and microbiota dysbiosis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, in fish and other vertebrates. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of glyphosate on bony fish (teleosts) gut health, emphasising histopathological damage, enzyme disruption, oxidative stress mechanisms, and microbiota alteration(s). These data will be invaluable for assessing ecological risks and promote sustainability within aquaculture practices.
Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a widely used alkylating chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive drug for treating malignancies, autoimmune disorders, and renal diseases. However, its clinical use is limited by nephrotoxicity caused by toxic metabolites such as phosphoramide mustard and acrolein. These metabolites induce oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis in renal tissues. CP administration results in elevated renal biomarkers including serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, cystatin-C, KIM-1, and NGAL, along with severe histopathological damage. Activation of inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB pathways further aggravates renal injury. Various antioxidants and pharmacological agents have shown potential renoprotective effects.
In dry areas, plant productivity is limited by the scarcity of water. This research aims to evaluate the suitability of certain legume plants in the dry laterite soil of Purulia and nearby districts in West Bengal, India. Seedlings, 25 days old, Adenanthera pavonina L., Albizia procera (Roxb.), Pongamia pinnata (L.), and Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) Backer ex K. Heyne from the Leguminosae (Fabaceae) family were subjected to PEG-induced water stress (-0.5 and -1.0 MPa) to measure their relative water content and the levels of chlorophyll, protein, soluble sugars, and proline in their leaves, as well as the activities of the enzymes catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In all species, chlorophyll and protein levels in the leaves decreased with higher PEG-induced water stress, while soluble sugar and proline levels increased. The activity of the enzyme catalase, peroxidase, and SOD also decreased with increased water stress, with the smallest decline observed in P. pterocarpum. This suggests that P. pterocarpum is potentially the most water stress-tolerant among the studied plants.
This study examines the impact of autumn moisture deficit on the winter hardiness of semi-cultivated apple trees depending on the rootstock and the possible relationship between resistance and peroxidase activity. Observations were conducted at the SIFIBR experimental site in the Irkutsk District of the Irkutsk Region from 2024 to 2026. In the field experiments, the dwarf rootstock 62-396, bred by MichSAU, was used as the primary rootstock, while a clone of the Siberian berry apple (semi-dwarf) served as the control. Semi-cultivated apple trees with high winter hardiness were selected as scions: Krasa Buryatii, Alenushka, and Raiskoye. The following rootstock varieties were selected for experiments studying peroxidase activity: 62-396, 70-20-20, E56, Volga18, Ural, OB-3-14, SA-14-1, and a clone of the Siberian berry apple (CSBA). In all rootstock x cultivar combinations studied, irrigation resulted in a decrease in the average damage score compared to the unirrigated control. Comparison of the rootstocks revealed that CSBA (a clone of the Siberian berry apple) exhibited higher winter hardiness under all conditions compared to the 62-396 rootstock. The highest peroxidase activity was found in the leaves of the Siberian berry apple clone, while the lowest was found in the leaves of the new rootstocks OB-3-14 and SA-14-1, bred by the Federal Scientific Center of Horticulture and the State Budgetary Institution of the Samara Region "Research Institute of Horticulture and Medicinal Plants "Zhigulevskie Gardens". A study of peroxidase isoforms using native electrophoresis showed that the highest number of isoforms was observed in the CSBA sample, while the lowest number of peroxidase isoforms was found in the 62-396 clonal rootstock sample.
To investigate the protective function of additional soil application of hydrogel on the soil and foliar application of chitosan on wheat under non-irrigated water stress condition an experiment was conducted at the research field of Crop Physiology and Ecology Department, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Five growing conditions (well water, water stress, soil application of hydrogel (5 kg ha-1), foliar application (90 ppm) of chitosan and combined application of hydrogel and chitosan under water stress, respectively) were set up as the main plot treatment and two wheat varieties (Shatabdi and BARI Gom-28) were set up as sub plot treatment. Interaction effect of growing conditions and wheat varieties significantly influenced the grain yield and yield attributes of wheat. But thier effect on the phenological stages was not significant except physiological maturity. Maximum plant height, number of spikes plant-1,spike length, number of spikelets spike-1, number of grains spike-1, thousand grain weight, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index were observed under well water condition. Non-irrigated water stress significantly reduced grain yield and yield attributes, whereas application of hydrogel and chitosan improved these traits under water stress condition. But the combined application of hydrogel and chitosan was found more effective and BARI Gom-28 responded better in these regard. Exogenous application of hydrogel and chitosan separately had a positive effect on different studied traits of wheat under drought condition. Exogenous application of both hydrogel and chitosan helped both the wheat varieties to perform better and to give higher yield (4.40 and 4.96 tha-1 in Shatabdi and BARI Gom-28, respectively) under non-irrigated water stress condition.
The aim of this work is estimation of action of dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) on rats’ blood energy metabolism at combined thermal trauma. We studied 30 Wistar rats, divided into 3 groups: intact (n=10), control (n=10) and main (n=10) group. We modeled combined thermal trauma (skin burn + thermoinhalation injury) in animals of control and main groups. Rats of control group got a infusions of sodium chloride solution (n=10) every day. Rats of main group got infusions of DNIC in sodium chloride solution. In blood samples we studied activity of lactate dehydrogenase in direct and reverse reaction, lactate level and coefficients of substrate provision and energy reactions balance. It was stated that DNIC clearly normalized erythrocytes energy metabolism from third day after trauma.
A controlled pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of graded concentrations of zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄·7H₂O) on the antioxidant defense system of soybean (Glycine max L.). Soil was amended with zinc at 0 (control), 250, 500, 750, 1000, and 1250 mg kg⁻¹, and enzymatic responses were assessed at pre-flowering (30 days), peak-flowering (45 days), and post-flowering (60 days) stages under triplicate conditions. A significant enhancement in antioxidant enzyme activities was observed with increasing zinc concentration up to 1000 mg kg⁻¹. Maximum activities of catalase (4.945, 5.467, 6.189 mM), peroxidase (2.328, 3.282, 3.778 mM), superoxide dismutase (2.65, 3.20, 4.89 U g⁻¹), glutathione reductase (2.4568, 4.0234, 5.6712 mM), and ascorbate peroxidase (5.9636, 7.1428, 7.9636 mM) were recorded at pre-, peak-, and post-flowering stages, respectively, at 1000 mg kg⁻¹. However, a further increase to 1250 mg kg⁻¹ resulted in a decline in enzyme activities, indicating the onset of zinc-induced toxicity. The results highlight that moderate zinc enrichment stimulates the plant antioxidant machinery, enhancing tolerance against oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase plays a pivotal role in dismutating superoxide radicals into H₂O₂, which is subsequently detoxified by catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase, thereby maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. Overall, the study demonstrates a dose-dependent dual role of zinc, acting as both a micronutrient and a potential toxicant at higher concentrations. These findings emphasize the need for careful management of zinc levels in agricultural soils to prevent toxicity while optimizing soybean productivity.
Cyclophosphamide is a chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive agent, widely used all over the world. However, it causes severe splenic toxicity. This review is a summary of experiments which show that cyclophosphamide can lead to spleen weight loss, decreased splenic cellularity, lower number of lymphocyte population, and disorganizing of red and white pulp areas of the spleen. Moreover, lymphoid depletion, loss of pulp demarcation, sinusoidal dilation, congestion, and hemosiderin deposition as histopathological changes are frequently reported by authors. Besides, this review points out the immunological impacts, such as a decrease in the humoral as well as cellular immune responses. Most importantly, a number of natural products and antioxidants have demonstrated the ability to protect and restore the immunity when used in the treatment of cyclophosphamide-induced splenic damage. In general, the results of the studies show that the spleen is one of the main organs affected by cyclophosphamide, and encourage the use of protective therapies alongside treatments.
A surge in antibiotic resistance has emerged as a significant global problem. An antibiotic is being rampantly administered in poultry farms to promote growth by minimizing infection. Development of Antibiotic Resistant Microflora (ARM) in poultry has been emerging as a major public-health threat in India. In this cross-sectional study, isolated bacteria from poultry litter sample from four different farm located in South 24 Parganas reveal the fact that, out of a total of 56 isolates, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Aeromonas sobria, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Escherichia coli, and Acinetobacter lwoffii were predominate. Among them, 4 percent of isolated bacterial population exhibits MDR phenotype, that is resistance to more than 2 different classes of antibiotics. Majority of the resistance phenotype were shown against β-Lactam antibiotics (Benzylpenicillin, Oxacillin, Cefadroxil, Ceftriaxone, Cefepime, Amoxicillin), Trimethoprim, Rifampicin, Tetracycline, and Streptomycin. Among different isolates, highest Multiple Antibiotics Resistance Index value (0.18) was exhibited by E. coli. This epidemiological study highlights the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in poultry farm environments within the selected region of South 24 Parganas, emphasizing the potential risk to public health.
Heat-stress during grain filling period in wheat has pronounced effect on yield in major wheat growing agro-ecological zones. The effect of heat-stress on chlorophyll fluorescence in hybrid wheat genotypes was studied. Twelve wheat genotypes including 9 hybrids [F1(2), F1(3), F1(4), F1(5), F1(6), F1(7), F1(8), F1(9), F1(10)] and 3 commercial cultivars (Suntop, Sunmate and Spitfire) were grown in pots under controlled-environment greenhouse [22/15 ºC (day/night)]. Heat stress [35/22 ºC (day/night)] was applied in growth chamber for three days at anthesis. Suntop is the male parent of F1(6) hybrid. The main objective in the present study was to examine the genetic variation for heat tolerance among studied wheat hybrids and commercial cultivars by evaluating differences in their chlorophyll florescence and their derived parameters. Results showed that genetic variations in chlorophyll fluorescence’s parameters were very prominent among studied wheat genotypes under heat treatments. Most of the wheat genotypes showed decreased chlorophyll fluorescences (Fv/Fm and Fv’/Fm’) and non-photochemical quenching (qN) at heat stress compared to control and post-heat conditions. But in PSII efficiency (PhiS2) and electron transport rate (ETR) maximum wheat genotypes showed increased values of these parameters at heat stress condition compared to control and post-heat conditions. Hybrid varieties exhibited better performance in most of the chlorophyll fluorescence’s parameters compared to commercial cultivars. Hybrid variety F1(6) was found to be superior in maximum studied characteristics than its male parent Suntop.
Previous studies on the functioning of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt under hypoxic conditions have demonstrated the activation of catalytic activity in enzymes that bypass two reactions of the citric acid cycle. However, the mechanism responsible for transmitting the signal of the onset of hypoxic stress into the cell remains unclear. It is known that calcium ions can act as messengers of intracellular signals. In this study, we analyzed changes in calcium ion content in maize leaves under hypoxia. It was found that under oxygen deficiency, the level of the target cation in the total cellular fraction increases 3,8-fold compared to the control. At 3 hours of incubation, the calcium content in the cytosolic fraction increases slightly, reaching its maximum value by 24 hours. In the mitochondrial fraction of the treated samples, a decrease in the concentration of free calcium was observed, reaching 2,2 times lower than the control. The rise in cytosolic Ca2+ levels, along with the rapid reestablishment of ionic homeostasis, is thought to act as a hypoxic stress signal. The obtained results will expand our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the primary stress response in plant cells to oxygen deficiency in the environment, which may ultimately contribute to the development of more resilient agricultural crops.
Introduction: The study of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is intricate and its complete understanding is yet to be achieved. The hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone have a permissive and important role in male fertility. Growth factors and other hormones like estrogens and factors that may contribute to the development of BPH. Objective: This study investigated the ameliorating potential of polyherbal leave extract of Stinging nesttle, Vernonia amygdalina, Milk thistle and roots of Musa Paradisiaca on Testosterone Propionate-Induced Benign prostatic hyperplasia in male wistar rats. Methods: A total of 36 male rats were used in this study. They were grouped into 6 groups of 6 rats each. Benign prostate hyperplasia was induced in the rats using the intraperitoneal administration of 5 mg/kg testosterone propionate injection subcutaneously and 1 hour later treated with polyherbal extract for 28 consecutive days. Semen sample was collected for spermatozoa quality, morphology and gonadosomatic indices using standard protocols. Results: The study showed that the induction of BPH brought about some adverse effect on spermatozoa proportion, quality, normal spermatozoa and testicular and prostate weight relative to normal control. Sperm abnormalities like those with bent mid-piece were seen. The findings showed that the administration of SVMM extract had a significant positive impact on the sperm cell abnormalities, significant reduction in testicular and prostate weight thus, leading to the restoration of the sperm cell morphology and potentially improving fertility. Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that the use of SVMM can reduce the harmful effects of Testosterone Propionate-Induced Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and enhance fertility by restoring the quality semen and sperm morphology to their normal state in rats.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized as a chronic metabolic syndrome, resulting from high levels of hyperglycemia due to decreased insulin production, or even its resistance. Disease has a high prevalence and morbidity, which constitutes a major public health problem with a high economic impact. This review aims to promote utilization of medicinal plants and herbs from South America for treatment of diabetic diseases according to their medicinal properties, lastly, future challenges and research directions are discussed. Due to this scenario, the increase in the use of medicinal plants is a reality observed for historical, therapeutic, and economic reasons. Research on plants with hypoglycemic properties has been accentuated in the sense of finding compounds with hypoglycemic activity, considering that the prolonged use of many available drugs can produce undesirable side effects. The application of medicinal herbs and plants have been proved to lower fasting blood sugar level in people with diabetes, promote wound healing as well as improve blood circulation and reduce complications related to diabetes. The authorization and validations are not only show the importance and significance of medicinal plants from South America in treating diabetes, but also clarify its important and uniqueness.
To evaluate drought stress's morphological, physiological, biochemical responses on the vegetative stage of rice cultivars, a pot experiment was carried out using a complete randomized design (CRD) with three replications during the rice growing season of three experimental years (2021 to 2023). Five rice cultivars, namely Chakhao poireiton, Chakhao angangba, Chakhao angouba, and Heitup phou, collected from Wangbal rice research Centre, Thoubal, Manipur, and drought drought-tolerant check variety, namely Sahbhagi Dhan, for comparison of tolerance to drought stress was used as a positive control, collected from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Odisha. The five rice cultivars were subjected to four different levels (0, 10, 15, and 20 days) of drought stress treatments. Our studies revealed that under drought stress treatment, out of the five rice cultivars, R002 and R003 cultivars were found to be significantly reduced in plant height, tiller number per hill, chlorophyll accumulation, and RWC %, whereas R001 and R004 were least affected as compared to the tolerant check cultivars(R005). Drought stress induced significant accumulation of osmolytes and antioxidant activity, while out of the five rice cultivars, maximum accumulation was observed in R001 and R004 compared to R005 cultivars. The overall conclusion from this study, in comparison to the drought-tolerant cultivar, R004 and R001cultivars possessed maximum degree of drought tolerance and showed more triggered activity antioxidant enzyme, proline content, total soluble sugar, total phenolic content, total soluble protein content, and free amino acid content, while cultivars R002 and R003 found to be more sensitive to drought stress.
Aluminum (Al³⁺) toxicity in acidic soils severely limits chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) productivity by impairing root growth and suppressing defence responses. Chitinases are well studied for antifungal activity, but their role under aluminum stress is largely unknown. We present the first structural and functional characterization of chickpea Chitinase 10 (XP_004494478.1) under Al³⁺ stress using in silico approaches. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed strong conservation and close relatedness to legumes such as Medicago truncatula and Cajanus cajan. Conserved domain mapping and 3D modeling confirmed a stable GH19 catalytic fold. The protein–protein interaction analysis demonstrated that Chitinase 10 is acting as a central hub in the stress responses, while the molecular docking analysis demonstrated that Fe³⁺ attaches strongly to a distant site, while Al³⁺ attached comparatively weakly but destructively to the catalytic site near Lys46, Glu228 and Asp231, inhibiting the activity of the enzyme. Our findings reveal that aluminum disrupts the function of Chitinase 10 by disrupting the catalytic site, disrupting its antifungal mode of action. This mechanistic connection indicates that aluminum toxicity disrupts plant defence and provides structural basis to inform breeding or biotechnological applications to improve aluminum tolerance in chickpea.
Crop plants growing under natural conditions are exposed to several environmental stresses, all affecting plant growth and development, which consequently hampers the productivity of crops plants. Drought is considered the single most devastating environmental stress, which decreases crop productivity more than any other environmental stress. Water stress was given in the potted Vigna radiate plants (for control 1st set - 4 pots were given regular water, for the 2nd set -3 days kept without water in the pot, for the 3rd set -5 days kept without water and for the 4th set -7days kept without water). The plants were then uprooted and collected for experimental work on the 3rd, 5th and 7th day for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd sets respectively for further studies with drought stress. Total chlorophyll and carotenoid decreased under drought stress while protein, amino acid and proline contents increased under stress. Scavenging enzymes catalase and peroxidase were assayed and while catalase activity increased under stress peroxidase activity was found to decrease under stress.
The present study was aimed to establish the induction of embryogenic callus followed by plantlet regeneration under the drought stress conditions induced by Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Mannitol in Indian Black rice (Oryza sativa L, Co 57), a traditional Indian cereal food. Mature caryopsis was used as an explant for the induction of embryogenic callus cultured on Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium fortified with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0mg/L) either alone or in combination with various concentrations of mannitol (25mM, 50mM, 100mM, 150mM, and 200mM) and also on medium enriched with various concentrations of PEG (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.0%) in order to achieve the drought tolerant embryogenic callus. Moreover, plantlet regeneration could be possible from the sub-culture of embryogenic callus to MS-medium fortified with 2.0mg/L of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) in combination with 0.5mg/L of α- Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in presence of mannitol (25mM, 50mM, 100mM, and 150mM) and also on PEG (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, and 5.0%) supplemented regeneration medium. Results revealed that mannitol concentration was increased up to (200 mM) in presence of 2, 4-D (2.0mg/L) was proved to be lethal for the induction of somatic embryogenesis followed by plantlet regeneration. However, mature caryopsis explants cultured on high concentration of mannitol (150mM) fortified nutrient medium produces the low frequency (33.23±1.84a %) of somatic embryogenesis and also the minimum number (4.98 ± 0.28a) of somatic embryos per callus. Similarly, the high concentration of PEG (5.0 %) produces the low frequency (21.66±1.61a %) of somatic embryogenesis and minimum number (4.04 ±0.57a) of somatic embryos per callus. Significantly, the high concentration (150mM) of mannitol with BAP (2.0mg/L) and NAA (0.5mg/L) was observed to produce the low frequency of drought tolerant plantlet regeneration (10±0.57a %) and minimum number (1.80±0.21a) of plantlets per embryogenic callus whereas during PEG treatments, the lowest frequency (8.12 ±0.58a %) of plantlet regeneration and the minimum number (1.61 ±0.19a) of plantlet regeneration could be recorded. Furthermore, drought tolerant plantlets were transferred to plastic cup soil and gradually acclimatized under the greenhouse conditions. Present study thus establishes regeneration technique under drought conditions in black rice crops that could be useful for the improvement in rice crop in general and black rice in particular.
Medicinal plants have been utilized in the treatment of a number of disorders, considering they have potential pharmacological actions, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal and other activities. The existence of particular bioactive components in plants is linked to their medicinal efficiency. The current studies of Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karst. It is a halophytic salt-tolerant flowering plant, which belongs to the Tamaricaceae family, has significant medicinal uses, and is collected from Koddha, Gujarat, India. This plant is known for hypertension, stomach discomfort, hair loss, cough and asthma, paralysis, skin problems, swelling, wounds, jaundice, fever, and teeth infections. It is seen that not much research work is being carried out on phytochemical analysis of Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karst. from Gujarat state. The plant is mentioned in the Holy Quran, specifically in Surah Saba` (34:16), where it is referred to as “Athl’. The Quran describes how the people of Saba` (Sheba) were punished by Allah, and their gardens and trees, including Athl, were destroyed. This plant has been found to exhibit different pharmacological activities. The present study was to evaluate the preliminary phytochemical analysis of different extracts of Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karst. This study examines the phytochemical composition of a plant and identifies the presence of bioactive constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, glycosides, steroids and saponins in various solvents. These phytochemicals can be correlated to the plant’s medicinal properties.
