Volume12,Issue4

One year old budgerigar with the complained of anorexia, tail wagging and difficulties in perching following laid down of five eggs was diagnosed suffering with egg binding based on clinical and radiographic examinations. The bound egg was successfully removed manually after lubricating the vent with liquid paraffin.

This study is aimed in investigating various extraction processes, phytoconstituents, analytical techniques, therapeutic applications and formulations of the plant Mimosa pudica Linn. This study disseminates information of a highly useful plant which is capable of treating numerous aliments. Whole plant is a reservior of medicinal uses and can be easily cultivated and extracted, thus economical. In this literature review we are exploring recent research and giving a collective data of this mysterious plant, which will be easily accessible for future researches.

Boswellia serrata also known as Indian frankincense is known for its medical practice for thousands of years. B. serrata is recognized for its anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. Cinnamaldehyde is one of the common compounds derived from B. serrata from Methanolic extract (ME), Dichloromethanol extract (DME) and Hydrodistillate extracts. In this study, the effects of cinnamaldehyde on MCF-7 cell lines were investigated with hemolysis, cytotoxic effect, Antioxidant activity (Hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and Clonogenic Survival Assays. Cinnamaldehyde is a natural substance derived from B. serrata that plays an important role in the anti-proliferative activity. In this study, the anti-proliferative effect of cinnamaldehyde was investigated with its mechanisms of inhibition of proliferation growth at the morphological level. 100µM of ME was found to be more efficient to deliver the expected results while deriving less inhibition coefficient when compared with 100µM of DME. The study reveals the mechanisms of the anti-proliferative activities of cinnamaldehyde in MCF-7 breast cell lines, and further emphasizes that cinnamaldehyde could be a safe and effective natural agent to use in treating breast cancer. The study leads to the scope for further investigation of cinnamaldehyde in chemo therapy of breast cancer.

Proper laboratory technique is one of the most important parts in research for screening of bioactive potential agent from diverse sources. There are same common laboratory techniques are used for screening of bioactive agent against pathogenic microorganisms such as disc diffusion method, agar-well diffusion method, poisoning food method. In the present study we designed an innovative agar block method for screening of effective fungicides and bioactive agents on growth of Fusarium moniliformae (ITC NO. 11,208.19) causing stalk rot and ear rot in maize at Utttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India. Three potent fungicides- Taqat, SAAF and Policy showed highest percent of inhibition of radial growth (PIRG)- (88, 82.66 & 80)%  with inhibition zone of (19.5, 12.5 & 16.5)mm against F. moniliforme. Lowest PIRG- (41.33 & 40)% with the range of zone of inhibition- (0.5)mm were  observed when Dacotech and Dhanuka M-45 were used in vitro to control the growth of causal pathogen of stalk rot and ear rot disease of Zea mays. In a nutshell, this laboratory practice might be helpful for screening of effective bioactive agents against a large number of pathogenic microorganisms with a limited laboratory resource.

The present study deals with a widely available plant leaf, Cardiospermum halicacabum L. It is popularly known as “balloon vine”, tamil name “Mudakkathan”. It belongs to the family sapindaceae. Leaves are pubescent or nearly glabrous annular perennial with slender branches climbing by means of tendriller. 2-4cm in length, pale or light green, dentate irregularly deeply incised margin, acute apex, obtuse-truncate beneath base. Microscopic evaluation revealed that the presence of anamocytic stomata in both upper and lower epidermis, uniseriate or multicellular trichomes, xylem vessels, phloem, and fibers. SEM showed the uniseriate multicellular trichomes. Vein islet numbers, vein termination numbers, Stomatal number, stomatal index and other physicochemical tests like ash values, loss on drying, extractive values were determined. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, sterols, saponins, tannins, proteins and free amino acids, terpenoids, flavonoids and absence of volatile oil, fixed oil, and glycosides. Histological identification, microscopic constants and other physicochemical examinations of the leaves of Cardiospermum halicacabum L. can be used as rapid, inexpensive botanical identification technique and is useful in standardization, hence it would be of immense value in authentication of the leaf.