Volume10,Issue12

Background: Onychomycosis is a fungal infection that affects toenails or fingernails and may involve any component of the nail unit.  Tea tree oil (TTO), or Melaleuca oil, is a pale yellow to nearly colorless, clear oil with a fresh camphoraceous odor that has antifungal effect if used from 5-100% concentration according to site of fungal affection. Aim: This study aimed to provide a new line for treatment of onychomycosis. Patients and methods: A randomized double blind interventional cohort prospective effectiveness trial, in which 66 patients with onychomycosis were recruited after their written consent was obtained. Patients on local or systemic treatment or with coexisting inflammatory skin disease were excluded. TTO efficacy in treatment of onychomycosis was evaluated by application of 100% TTO for 6 months with pre and post treatment nail culturing. Results: After 6 months treatment with TTO, 27% of patients were completely cured, 65% were partially cured and 8% had no response according to appearance of the index nail (the nail with the greatest fungal burden at the time of entry into the study). Calculation of P value by Chi-Square test, it equal 0.001 which is highly significant. Conclusion: TTO may play a role in treatment of onychomycosis without side effects of medications or surgical hazards caused by surgery.

Rice bran, a co-product of milling process is highly nutritious with promising antioxidant properties that can be used as a food supplement. Therefore, characterization of biochemical and antioxidant potential of bran from 16 rice genotypes was carried out to help the breeders’ to identify rice varieties possessing improved nutritional value. Significant genotypic variations in the content of phytochemicals and their antioxidant potential in the bran of different rice genotypes grown in replicate trial during Kharif 2016 were observed.  The bound phenolic content was higher than free phenolic content, while significant variation was seen in total phenolics, flavonoids, o- dihydroxyphenols, proanthocyanidins, and phytate content. Bran from rice genotypes under evaluation showed a high positive correlation between total phenolics and DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Wide variations in reducing power, metal chelating power, free radical ABTS^.+ scavenging activity and ferric reducing ability power of  rice bran extracts was observed. Significant differences in the content of flavonoids, phytate, phenolics and proanthocyanidins in the bran from different rice genotypes significantly effects antioxidant potential which could have applications in the food industries. It would also enable the breeders’ to breed for new genotypes with high nutrient level.

Terminalia bellirica is an important medicinal plant. The present work deals with phytochemical screening, UV and FT-IR spectroscopy of ethanolic seed extract of this plant. In phytochemical screening the extract shows the presence of flavonoids, glycosides, phytosterols, terpenoids, phenolic compound, carbohydrates, proteins, tannins, gum and mucilage, alkaloids, saponins, anthoquinone, fixed oil and fats. The UV and FT- IR spectroscopy of ethanolic seed extract of this plant  shows the presence of carbonyl group (ketone), α–β unsaturated amide and lactam, aromatic nature of compound, sulfur compound, nitro compound, flavones, fistin, quercetin, NaQSA (Sodium Salts of Quercetin 5’ Sulfonic Acid), myricetin, chalcones and anthocyanin types of flavonoids. The above mention bioactive compound are mainly contributed in medicinal utility of the plant.

In the present study, attempts are made to develop suitable method(s) for extraction of L-DOPA from the powdered seeds of 3 species of Mucuna using different solvents and conditions. The seed powder of both plants was subjected to 6 different extraction methods, with different solvent ratios. All the extracts were analyzed using RP-HPLC and was validated according to The International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use guidelines. The L-DOPA extraction was best with Methanol Water mixture in a cold maceration technique and overall gives good extraction efficiency in all the three plants giving concentrations of 5.03%, 13.36 % and 16.78% of L-DOPA in Mucuna gigantea, Mucuna pruriens and Mucuna monosperma, respectively. The present investigation was done to study the extraction efficiency of various extraction methods of L-DOPA content in seed extracts of Mucuna and compare it.