Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Marigold (Tagets erecta L.), being an ornamental plant, posses medicinal properties like antimicrobial, insecticidal, wound healing and blood coagulation properties. Our recent works mainly focus on blood clotting activity of marigold leaf extracts. Blood clotting activity of leaf extract was examined using prothrombin time (PT) test by Owren method. The optimization of marigold leaf coagulating activity at different concentration of leaf extract and blood was done with Response surface method (RSM). Experiments showed that there was decrease in coagulation time with increase in extract concentration. Marigold leaves extract has shown very good blood coagulation property in lesser quantity i.e., in the range of μl. Also, phenolic compounds (like gallic acid, scopoletin, ferulic acid, quercecetin) were identified and quantified, which shows that because of presence of them, marigold leaf extract shows coagulation property. Antifungal, antibacterial and antioxidant activity are also analyzed. From the above findings, it can be concluded that along with antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties, marigold leave extracts are also having very good coagulation property; so, in further research it can be developed as an antiseptic with coagulation property and can be developed as a potent product in the field of medicine and ointment.

VIT Unitversity

Department of Biotechnology

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine

Blood coagulating effect of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) leaf and its bioactive compounds

To screen the phytochemicals and investigate the antioxidant potential of Acorus calamus rhizomes by in vitro methods. Ethyl acetate extract of Acorus calamus rhizomes were initially screened for phytochemicals , further total phenolic content , total antioxidant activity, reducing power assay, free radical scavenging assays such as DPPH, Superoxide anion, Hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The qualitative phytochemical analysis reveals the presence of phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, tannins, terpenoids and proteins. The total phenolic and flavonoid content were found to be 52.62 ± 0.32 mg/g Gallic acid equivalents, 54.2 ± 0.15 mg Quercetin /grams equivalents respectively. The extract has shown the maximum antioxidant and scavenging activity against free radicals as DPPH, superoxide anion, and hydroxyl radicals at 1000µg/ml. The ethyl acetate extract of A. calamus has shown the dose dependent antioxidant and scavenging activities against free radicals. © 2015 By IYPF All rights reserved.

World University root node

International Journal of Drug Development and Research

Screening of phytochemicals and in vitro antioxidant activity of acorus calamus

Marigold (Tagetes erecta), besides being an ornamental plant, has various medicinal properties—it is nematocidal, fungicidal, antibacterial and insecticidal and aids in wound healing. Our work is focused on the blood clotting activity of its leaf extracts. Extraction was done by conventional as well as the Soxhlet method, which was found to be much more efficient using a 1:1 ratio of ethanol to water as solvent. Blood clotting activity of the leaf extract was examined using prothrombin time test using the Owren method. For both extraction methods, the yield percentage and coagulation activity in terms of coagulation time were analysed. Marigold leaf extract obtained using the Soxhlet method has shown very good blood coagulation properties in lower quantities—in the range of microlitres. Further research is needed for identification and quantification of its bioactive compounds, which could be purified further and encapsulated. Since marigold leaf has antibacterial properties too, therefore, it might be possible in the future to develop an antiseptic with blood coagulation activity.

Comparative Clinical Pathology

Extraction-based blood coagulation activity of marigold leaf: a comparative study

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide next to cellulose occurring in nature. It consists of a linear (1-4) linked 2 amino 2 deoxy D glucan. It can be chemically prepared from chitin by treatment with alkali at elevated temperature. Chitosan is non toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible polymer. Chitosan is widely existing in nature and has antibacterial effect, heavy metal adsorption effect, anti-oxidation effect and film formability. Chitosan forms viscous solution in various organic acids. These viscous solutions have been used to make functional films. They were readily biodegradable. The main objective of the present research is to develop and a nanocomposite of chitosan films in terms of surface morphology. The effect of plasticizer was also studied. The plasticizer increased the smoothness of surface. The smoothness was confirmed by SEM EDX, AFM studies. The interaction of chitosan and plasticizer was confirmed by FTIR studies and XRD.

International Journal of ChemTech Research

FTIR spectroscopy XRD, SEM EDX and AFM studies on natural biomaterial

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters naturally synthesized by numerous bacteria as intracellular energy storage materials during unbalanced growth. These polyesters find many applications in medicine, veterinary practice, tissue engineering, food packaging, etc. In the present study, spent wash and oil mill soil samples were screened for the isolation of bacteria producing polyhydroxyalkanoates. Different bacterial isolates were screened by PCR using primers designed for Bacillus megaterium. Isolate-4 reacted positively giving amplicons similar in size to that of Bacillus megaterium. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, isolate-4 was identified as Paenibacillus durus. Nitrogen limited mineral salt medium with fructose as chief carbon source was used for production of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in shake flask studies. The effect of various carbon and nitrogen sources on PHB production was evaluated, with respect to yield and PHB content. The study revealed that fructose and peptone gave better PHB accumulation and growth rates for the isolate and the reference strain, and hence, were the best among the carbon and nitrogen sources used. Further studiesare needed to optimize the production conditions. © 2013 Hungund B, et al.

Fulltext

Journal of Microbial and Biochemical Technology

Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate from paenibacillus durus BV-1 isolated from oil mill soil

Arthrospira is a photosynthetic, filamentous, spiral-shaped, multicellular and blue-green micro alga. Cell division occurs by binary fission. As it contains chlorophyll a, like higher plants, botanists classify it as a micro alga belonging to Cyanophyceae class; but according to bacteriologists it is a bacterium due to its prokaryotic structure. Mexicans (Aztecs) started using this microorganism as human food. Its chemical composition includes proteins (55%-70%), carbohydrates (15%-25%), essential fatty acids (18%) vitamins, minerals and pigments like carotenes, chlorophyll a and phycocyanin. Pigments are used in food and cosmetic industries. Spirulina is considered as an excellent food, lacking toxicity and have anticancer, antiviral, immunological properties and it also acts as a potent antioxidant. There has been a significant change in Spirulina functions under stress conditions.