Abstract In the present study, antifungal activity of essential oils of P. barberi fruits was assessed by disc diffusion method and brine shrimp lethality test (BST) was carried out to determine 24hr mortality of Artemia salina. In total, 13 compounds were identified by GC/MS method accounting for 99.99% of the constituents. 1,8 ceneole (39.65%), α-pinene (11.87%) and eugenol isomer (9.40%) and camphor (7.49%) were the main constituents. Maximum percentage of inhibition of essential oils activity against Aspergillus foetidus, A. fumigates, A. ochraceus, A. flavus and Penicillium notatum. Brine shrimp lethality test was carried out to determine LC50 value of 88μl/ml was observed the toxic level at 24hr.

Keywords: Piperaceae, Piper barberi, fruits, essential oil, 1,8 ceneole, α-pinene, antifungal activity, cytotoxic activity

Abstract

A simple micropropagation method from shoot tip explants was reported here for Clitoria ternatea L., an economically important medicinal plant. High frequency of micro shoots were obtained from this explants on MS medium supplemented with various concentrations of Indole Acetic acid (IAA) (0.5 - 2.0 mg/l-1) and KN (0.5 -2.0 mg/l-1). Maximum number of shoots was obtained from shoot tip explants in the medium containing 0.5 mg/l IAA and 1.0 mg/l-1 Kinetin (KN). The regenerated shoots were further elongated on MS medium supplemented with IAA (0.1- 0.6 mg/l-1) and 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0.1 - 0.6 mg/l-1). Among these concentrations, high length of shoot elongation was achieved in the medium containing BAP (0.5 mg/l) and IAA (0.5 mg/l).

Key words: Clitoria ternatea L, Tissue culture, Explants, BAP, IAA

Abstract

The antimicrobial activities of ethanol, chloroform and acetone extracts of three plant species were studied. The extracts of Asparagus racemosus, Withania somnifera and Mucuna pruriens were tested in vitro against four fish pathogens by well diffusion method. Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Vibrio cholera and Klebsiella pneumoniae were used in the present investigation. Acetone extracts of A. racemosus, W. somnifera and M. pruriens were active against A. hydrophila, P.fluorescens and K. pneumonia. The ethanol extract M. pruriens showed various antibacterial activities (1.3-1.6 cm/200µl) against the entire tested microorganism. Acetone and chloroform extract of A. racemosus and M .pruriens showed minimum inhibitory zone (0.6 cm/200µl). The maximum inhibitory zone was exhibited in the ethanol extract of M. pruriens (1.7cm/200µl) against A.hydrophila, and chloroform extract of A.racemosus showed higher inhibition (1.9cm/200µl) against. K.pneumonia.

Keywords: Asparagus racemosus, Withania somnifera, Mucuna pruriens, Extracts, Fish pathogen, Antibacterial activity

Abstract

Recalcitrant seeds are desiccation and chilling sensitive and are viable for a very short period. Seeds of Embelia ribes being recalcitrant in nature pose storage problems. The present study was taken up to identify methods to prolong seed viability of the species. Seeds were stored at four different temperatures: Ambient (25 ± 2°C), 20°C, 10°C and 0 ± 2°C and subjected to germination tests at the end of 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks of storage. Seeds stored at 10°C retained viability for 3 weeks with 12% germination. The viability of seeds can be prolonged to 4 weeks (with 7% germination) when stored at 10°C.

Keywords: seed viability, Embelia ribes, climbing shrub, storage, recalcitrant

Abstract

Today the transportation sectors and Indian government have been forced to give attention on the climate change threat along with the increasing oil prices and to consider the alternative fuels in order to eliminate the vulnerability of energy sector on their sustainability. Biofuels presents itself as a suitable replacement and has received much attention over recent years. Macroalgae-based secondgeneration bioethanol (a liquid fuel replacement for petrol) provides a possible solution for this energy issue. The present study was, bioethanol recovery from seaweed biomass using integrated biomass fractionation using hydrolysis which converts ‘toughest’ biomass to ‘soft’ biomass. In this study we used common species of Hypnea and Eucheuma to compare the amount of bioethanol production. Algal polysaccharides and bioethanol production was higher in Eucheuma than Hypnea sp. However, biomass (after ethanol extraction) was higher in Hypnea than Eucheuma sp. These results indicate that bioethanol can be produced from both species and Eucheuma is better source than Hypnea sp.

Keywords: Biofuels, Bioethanol, Biomass, Eucheuma, Hypnea

Abstract

Protein structure prediction is one of high importance problem in biomedicine and biotechnology. In past years there has seen consolidation of protein secondary structure prediction have been suggested using different computational methods such as neural networks, machine learning and discriminate analysis. In the present paper, we have proposed a combination of secondary structure prediction method by combining four state of the art secondary structure prediction methods namely PHD, PREDATOR, HNN and SOPMA by a simple majority wins method. This simple consensus prediction gives an average Q3 prediction accuracy of 71.2%. This is a 0.9% improvement over PHD, which was the best single method reported to date. Further, the Segment Overlap Accuracy (SOV) is 72.4% for the consensus method. Presumably, the success of this simple consensus method is mainly due to the use of four best single methods and the noise-filtering properties of a consensus approach, which helps to ignore the training errors of single methods.

Keywords: Secondary Structure Prediction, Consensus prediction, Neural Networks, Machine learning.

Abstract

The present study highlights the diversity of lithophytic species in rocky habitats of Madukkari hills situated in Western Ghats of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. A total of 121 species were documented in which 116 are Angiosperms while the remaining 4 are Pteridophytes and one Bryophytic species. The Euphorbiaceae and Poaceae are the dominant families of in the Angiospermic flora of this region. The life forms are observed that, 14- species of trees, 19- shrubs, 16- climbers and 72- herbs which display a variety of habitat diversity like epilithic, hypolithic and chasmo-endolithic.

Keywords: Diversity, Lithophytes, Madukkarai Hills, Southern Western Ghats.

Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the Paniyars are one among the three tribal groups confined to Nilambur forest division of Malappuram district of Western Ghats in Kerala. The survey identified 30- plants used in their ethno veterinary practices to maintain their live stock population. It is observed that the plant utilized in ethnoveterinary practices varies with the availability of plants and with diseases prevalent in the area and are still in use by the Paniyars tribe and they have a strong propensity of keeping their traditional knowledge and techniques secret.

Key words: Ethnoveterinary medicine, 30 plants, Paniyars, Nilambur, Kerala

Abstract The lectin of seed of Acacia melanoxylon was isolated by gel filtration on SephadexG-75. The molecular mass of the lectin was approximately 205kDa. Hemolytic activity of lectin increased upon addition of trypsin an d ca lcium ions. The le ctin spec ifically i nhibited by N-ac etyl D galactosamine, N-ac etyl galactopyrenosamine and mannose. The hemolytic activity was stable up to 1000 C and optimal at pH 6- 10. The lectin was exhibited a strong cytotoxic effect in a brine s hrimp and insecticidal activities on mosquito larva. It also exerted antibacterial activity against Klebsilla pneumonia and Escherichia coli.

Keywords: Acacia melanoxylan, SephadexG-75, Trypsin, N-Acetyl D galactosamine, Brine shrimp

Abstract

The prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was evaluated in two hundred diabetic patients attending Vandavasi, Tamil Nadu, India. The overall prevalence of UTI was 37%, female preponderance was higher 43% and male was 30%. The urinary tract infections were found to be common in age group between 41-50 yrs. The most predominant bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. Invitro antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that Nalidixic acid; Ofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin were more effective against E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P. mirabilis respectively. Ampicillin, Carbenicillin and Gentamicin were poorly effective, with urinary isolates.

Key words: UTI, diabetes, bacteria, antibiotic susceptibility.

Abstract

Leaf and internodal segments of Bacopa monnieri was cultured on MS medium supplemented with eighteen combinations of growth regulators involving BAP, KN, 2,4-D, NAA and IAA to optimize suitable culture condition for callus induction and plant regeneration. MS medium supplemented with KN and IAA (0.5 mg/l each) induced the highest number of shoots per explant with significant quantity of callus to become the suitable medium for callus induction and shoot regeneration. Pretreatment of leaf and internodal explants with colchicine (0.1%) for different durations (1h, 3h, 6h, 12h and 24h), followed by initiation of primary culture on MS medium supplemented with KN and IAA (0.5 mg/l each) for 45 days resulted in optimization of requisite conditions for polyploidization. Pretreatment of explants with colchicine for shorter duration (1 – 3h) did not affect callus proliferation and subsequent regeneration of shoots. However, further increase in duration of colchicine pretreatment from 6 – 24h reduced the callus proliferation significantly and high incidence of browning coupled with development of weaker shoots was observed. In vitro response of leaf and internodal stem explants against different duration of colchicine pretreatment was studied and found that leaf tissues are more tolerant to colchicine than internodes as evidenced by high incidence of browning with failure of shoot regeneration in internodes than leaf explant. The utility of present findings in genetic improvement of B. monnieri is discussed.

Keywords: shoot regeneration, anti mitotic agent, polyploidization, genetic improvement.

Abstract

Petroleum spill is a major concern for the environment and affects the native microorganism’s survival by generating extreme stress. In this study, pigmented bacteria was isolated from contaminated soil and characterized by 16S rRNA & biochemical tests. The bacteria were screened for the secretion of exopolysaccharides (EPS) and bioemulsifiers. Partially purified EPS were subjected to chemical analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of sugars and proteins in EPS. FTIR analysis revealed that the EPS is a heteropolymeric polysaccharide with hydroxyl, carboxylic and aryl alkyl functional groups. The ability of bacterial isolate to emanate bioemulsifier was analyzed by drop collapse, emulsification index and oil displacement test. All the tests have considerably showed that the isolate can secrete bioemulsifier. The results of the study contribute significantly towards the applications of EPS in the bioremediation of hydrocarbon impacted soil.

Keywords: Petroleum, Exopolysaccharides, FTIR, Emulsification, Biodegradation

Detection of Exopolysaccharides/Bioemulsifier Producing Bacterial Isolates from Petroleum Contaminated Soil

A. Edward, G. Melchias, J. Antony Prabhu, A. Wilson, V. Anbananthan, K. Sivaperumal

MS No.ijbtaug1511020201

New distributional records of two little-known orchids of Himachal Pradesh from Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary, Sirmaur district, India

S.P. Subramani and K.S. Kapoor

MS No.ijbtaug1511020202

Induction of somatic embryogenesis in mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Ravindra B. Malabadi, Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, K. Nataraja, S.Vijaykumar, Gangadhar S. Mulgund

Molecular analysis of sponge associated bacteria in Gulf of Mannar Coast and their antibacterial activity against fish pathogens

R. Saravanakumar, J. Ronald, U. Ramesh and K. Maheswari

Optimization of protocol for in vitro polyploidization in genetic improvement of Bacopa monnieri L.

N. Sangeetha and D. Ganesh

In vitro seed germination of an epiphytic orchid Xenikophyton smeeanum (Reichb. f.) by using smoke-saturated-water as a natural growth promoter

Ravindra B. Malabadi, S. Vijaykumar, Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, Gangadhar S. Mulgund1, K. Nataraja

Prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) among Diabetics patients in Vandavasi, Tamil Nadu, India.

B.Pargavi, T.Mekala, A.Thamarai Selvi, K.Moorthy

Purification and Characterization of Protease from Rhizopus oligosporus

P. Rama Devi, P. Vijaya Raghavan, I. Vasudheven , Lizy Joshua, and M. VijayaKumar

Influence of genotype on regeneration of adventitious roots from leaf derived callus of Centella asiatica

S. Mercy, Rahul R Nair  and D. Ganesh

Antibacterial Activities of three medicinal plant extract against Fish Pathogens

M.Sithi Jameela, Ajaz Haja Mohideen, K.S.Sunitha and M.Narayanan

In vitro direct plant regeneration from shoot tip explants of Clitoria ternatea – An important medicinal plant

S. P. Anand, V. Nandagopalan and A. Doss

Role of inoculation of Heterodera cajani and Rhizobium on productivity of cowpea

Sonali Pandey

Ethnoveterinary medicines of tribe Paniyars in Kerala, India

Binu Thomas, A., Rajendran, V., Aravindhan and R. Sivalingam

Biodiversity of Lithophytes in Madukkarai Hills of Southern Western Ghats of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India

Jayanthi, P., Rajendran, A., Binu Thomas, Aravindhan, V. and R. Sivalingam

Consensus Approach for increasing Accuracy of Protein Secondary Structure Prediction

Thushara Antony, Sharmila Baburam and Gnanendra Shanmugam

Determination of Drug Resistant Patterns of Salmonella spp from clinical samples

S.Arjunan, T.Viswanathan, M.P.Aswathy and K.Moorthy

Bioethanol Production as Renewable Biofuel from Rhodopyhtes Feedstock

S.Karunakaran and R.Gurusamy

Composition, Antifungal and Cytotoxic activities of Essential oils of Piper barberi fruits

G.Raju and M. Maridass

Standardization of Storage Conditions to Prolong Viability of Seeds of Embelia ribes Burm.F. - A Medicinal climbing shrub

R. Sivalingam., D. Patric Raja, V. Irudayaraj  and  K.V. Latha

MS No.ijbtaug1511020203

MS No.ijbtaug1511020204

MS No.ijbtaug1511020205

MS No.ijbtaug1511020206

MS No.ijbtaug1511020207

MS No.ijbtaug1511020208

MS No.ijbtaug1511020209

MS No.ijbtaug1511020210

MS No.ijbtaug1511020211

MS No.ijbtaug1511020212

MS No.ijbtaug1511020213

MS No.ijbtaug1511020214

MS No.ijbtaug1511020215

MS No.ijbtaug1511020216

MS No.ijbtaug1511020217

MS No.ijbtaug1511020218

MS No.ijbtaug1511020219

MS No.ijbtaug1511020220

Volume No. 2(2)                                                                                                                      August, 2011

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Abstract

Marine bacteria are a rich source of potentially useful antibacterial substance producer. However, much of the microbial diversity in marine ecosystems with its potential for uncovering new antimicrobial compounds remains to be discovered. One hundred and nine bacterial strains associated with fourteen species of sponges were isolated from the Gulf of Mannar Coast, India. The double agar overlay methods was used to screen for antibiotic production by these strains against five fish pathogens, viz. Vibrio fischeri, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio harveyi, Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas sobria. Fifteen percent of the bacterial strains were found to be antibiotic producers and their activities ranged from broad spectral to species specific. A strain coded SAR11 was found to be highly potent against the target strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on comparative analysis of sequenced 16S rRNA of the active strains indicated a preponderance of bacteria belonging to Bacillus and Alteromonas genera with 90 – 95% sequence similarities. To our knowledge this is the first report on Phylogenetic identification of antibiotic production bacteria associated with fourteen species of sponges from Indian waters.

Keywords: Sponge associated bacteria, antibacterial activity, fish pathogens, Phylogenetic identification

Abstract

Wild collection of Centella asiatica from three different geographical locations in Southern part of India was characterized for their vegetative and reproductive features. In vitro response of these genotypes for callus induction and regeneration of adventitious roots was investigated for developing tissue culture system for production of adventitious roots enriched with asiaticoside, a potential bioactive compound having wide range of therapeutic values. Though, all the three genotypes of C. asiatica had produced profuse callus during primary culture on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (0.1mg/l) and BAP (1mg/l), only one genotype had responded for regeneration of adventitious roots when callus were cultured on MS medium augmented with NAA and KN (1mg/l each). Leaf derived callus of one of the genotypes produced adventitious roots continuously on MS semi solid medium. Phytochemical analysis of adventitious roots for the presences of asiaticoside using TLC followed by quantification of asiaticoside revealed the accumulation of significant quantity of asiaticoside in the adventitious roots. The possibility of utilizing this finding for production of asiaticoside by in vitro culture of adventitious roots is discussed.

Keywords: in vitro culture, adventitious roots, genotypes, asiaticoside

Biological Properties of Hemolytic lectin from Acacia Melanoxylon

P. Rama Devi, G.R. Learnal Sudhakar, I. Vasudhevan, and M. Vijaya Kumar