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

Two edible seaweeds, Sargassum polycystum and Sargassum wightii, were investigated for their antidiabetic potential using in vitro enzyme inhibitory assays. Among the various extracts, petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of S. wightii showed significant inhibitory effects against α-amylase (IC50 378.3 µg/ml) and α-glucosidase (IC50 314.8 µg/ml). Methanol extract of S. wightii showed the highest inhibition against dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) (IC50 38.27 µg/ml) and moderate antioxidant activity was observed in acetone extract of S. wightii (44%). Similarly, ethyl acetate extract of S. polycystum showed the highest inhibition against α-amylase (IC50 438.5 µg/ml) and methanol extract of S. polycystum showed maximum inhibition against α-glucosidase (IC50 289.7 µg/ml) and DPP-IV (36.94 µg/ml). The antioxidant activity was poor (22%). The extracts were investigated for in vitro cytotoxicity, DNA fragmentation in macrophages and haemolytic activity against erythrocytes, but no notable toxicity was observed with any of the tested extracts. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed the presence of the antidiabetic compound fucosterol and other major bioactive compounds, giving an insight into the antidiabetic and antioxidant properties of these algae. This study reveals the possible mechanisms of antidiabetic action in vitro, and these two seaweeds may also have an antidiabetic action in vivo. © 2015, © 2015 Taylor &amp; Francis.

VIT Unitversity

Department of Bio-Medical Sciences

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Frontiers in Life Science

Antidiabetic potential of marine algae by inhibiting key metabolic enzymes

The present work describes the method of construction and evaluation of prototype wetland system (root zone method) and the removal of various contaminants from the synthetic greywater by root zone treatment process using Heliconia angusta. The various waste water parameters such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) (27.63%), Biological oxygen demand (BOD5) (48.62%), residual chlorine (47.5%), Total suspended solids (TSS) (81.95), Total dissolved solids (TDS) (36%), turbidity (97.21%), pH (43.13%), alkalinity (38.89%), indole producing fecal coliforms count (12.5%) showed a significant reduction as compared with the BSI and CPCB standards. There was also a considerable decrease observed in heavy metal concentration. Furthermore, bacterial of rhizosphere of H. angusta was isolated and the synthetic greywater was treated using isolated bacterial consortium under laboratory conditions. There was reduction in all the parameters; 39.72% in COD, 70% in BOD, 25% in residual chlorine, 61.65% in TSS, 18.66% in TDS, 46.15% in Total solids (TS), 92.12 in turbidity, 41.56% in pH, 41.52% in alkalinity. Reduction in metals concentration under in&nbsp;vitro conditions was also observed to be 97.82% in sodium, 69.48% in potassium, 58.72% in calcium, 94.88% in lead, 94.19% in chromium, 93.65% in magnesium and 93.69% in iron. Further research can be initiated for the treatment of blackwater and also for sludge treatment (sludge disintegration) and nutrient removal (phosphorus recycling from waste water treatment). Also, construction of in situ wetlands, various types, use of raw materials for energy efficiency and reduction in operational cost will be noteworthy for environmental applications.

Journal of Cleaner Production

Construction and evaluation of prototype subsurface flow wetland planted with Heliconia angusta for the treatment of synthetic greywater

In the course of systematic screening program for bioactive actinomycetes, an alkaline protease producing halophilic strain Actinopolyspora sp. VITSDK2 was isolated from marine saltern, Southern India. The strain was identified as Actinopolyspora based on its phenotypic and phylogenetic characters. The protease was partially purified using ammonium sulfate precipitation and subsequently by DEAE cellulose column chromatography. The enzyme was further purified using HPLC and the molecular weight was found to be 22kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE analysis. The purified protease exhibited pH stability in a wide range of 4-12 with optimum at 10.0. The enzyme was found to be stable between 25 and 80°C and displayed a maximum activity at 60°C. The enzyme activity was increased marginally in presence of Mn2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ and decreased in presence of Cu2+. PMSF and DFP completely inhibited the activity suggesting it belongs to serine protease. Further, the proteolytic activity was abolished in presence of N-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone suggesting this might be chymotrypsin-like serine protease. The protease was 96% active when kept for 10 days at room temperature. The results indicate that the enzyme belong to chymotrypsin-like serine protease exhibiting both pH and thermostability, which can be used for various applications in industries. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co.

Journal of Basic Microbiology

Screening and characterization of protease producing actinomycetes from marine saltern

Biomineralization-inspired preparation of nanoparticles by marine microorganisms is in the limelight of modern nanotechnology. In recent years, the use of marine microorganisms for the synthesis of nanoparticles has been gaining importance due to the simplicity and eco-friendliness of the approach. Here we describe the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using halotolerant Bacillus sp. isolated from the southern coastal waters of India. Our selective and enriched isolation technique resulted in the isolation of a silver nitrate-resistant novel marine Bacillus sp. isolated from sediments collected at Ennore Port, Chennai, India. The strain was characterized by the polyphasic taxonomic approach, and phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis identified the strain as Bacillus sp. VITSSN01. The resistant strain was further assayed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles and its biological activity evaluated. Nanoparticles were synthesized under optimized nutritional and cultural conditions with shaking and the production continuously monitored. The nanoparticles thus produced were then characterized by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared spectrophotometer and transmission electron microscopy. The mean particle size was 46 nm. Hemotological toxicity of nanoparticles is very severe form and less studied. We therefore checked the synthesized silver nanoparticles for toxicity against erythrocytes and found that the silver nanoparticles exhibited moderate hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes, with a half maximal effective concentration (EC 50) value of 60 μg/ml. Microscopic studies of the treated erythrocytes showed slight structural perturbations. The results of our study strongly suggest that marine microorganisms could be a potential source for the rapid and eco-friendly synthesis of nanoparticles. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and the University of Milan.

Department of Computational Intelligence

School of Computer Science and Engineering

VIT Business School

Annals of Microbiology

Morphological alterations in erythrocytes treated with silver nanoparticles biomineralized by marine sediment-derived Bacillus sp. VITSSN01

Araucaria cookie is an ornamental plant, which are evergreen conifer found in India and in many other European countries. Similarly Brassaia actinophylla is also an ornamental plant with its native from Java, Australia and in U. S. Though these plants are used for various purposes, the medicinal properties of the plants were not investigated. In our study, the two ornamental plants were chosen for screening both antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The Leaves of the plants were used for preparing crude extract and was prepared by Soxhlet extraction method. For the extraction of the leave extracts, different solvents viz., methanol, chloroform and petroleum ether were used based on our preliminary data. The obtained extracts were condensed and stored. For the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, the extractions were prepared into various concentrations. For the antioxidant activity DPPH was used as scavenger of the free radicals which showed the inhibition of percentage for Araucaria cookie was 63% and the inhibition percentage for Brassaia actinophylla 41 %. For the antimicrobial activity the extracts were checked against two bacterial and two fungal pathogens. The phytochemical analysis assists in the study of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity as to the probable compounds responsible for the activity. The result thus obtained provides a report of Brassaia actinophylla as a possible source of antioxidants and also the use of both extracts as a probable antimicrobial agent. © 2014 Asian Network for Scientific Information.

Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Araucaria cookii and Brassaia actinophyla

One of the therapeutic approaches in treating diabetes is to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting major carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes. In the present study, crude extracts of marine seaweed,Turbinaria ornata, were tested for their antidiabetic potential using enzyme inhibitory assays (α-amylase,α-glucosidase, and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV). Among the tested extracts, methanol and acetone extracts showed significant inhibitory effects onα-amylase (IC50250.9μg/mL),α-glucosidase (535.6μg/mL), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (55.2μg/mL), respectively. Free radical scavenging activity of these extracts was analyzed using DPPH assay (65%). Extracts were tested forin vitrotoxicity using DNA fragmentation assay, haemolytic assay, and MTT assay. None of the extracts showed toxicity in tested models. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis of lead extracts showed the presence of major compounds, hentriacontane, z, z-6, 28-heptatriactontadien-2-one, 8-heptadecene, and 1-heptacosanol. Our findings suggest thatTurbinaria ornatacan be used as a potential source for furtherin vivostudies in controlling hyperglycemia.

Fulltext

BioMed Research International

Inhibitory Potential ofTurbinaria ornataagainst Key Metabolic Enzymes Linked to Diabetes

Araucaria cookii, Bauhinia blakeana and Brassaia actinophylla are ornamental plants. The presence of various phytochemicals and pharmacologically important compounds in these plants can be exploited for their medicinal use. But there are no reports on the phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of these plants and this study aims at investigating these. The plant extracts were prepared in different solvents like methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, hexane, water and chloroform. Qualitative analysis of phytochemicals were assessed. The anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity was determined for all three plant extracts. Anti-bacterial activity against three gram negative bacteria, E. coli, Pseudomonas and Klebsiella was done and Araucaria cooki showed highest antibacterial activity among the three plants. Maximum antioxidant activity was seen in methanol extract of Brassaia actinophyla with 81% inhibition. The order of the antioxidant activity of the three plants are in the order B.actinophylla&gt;A cookie&gt;B.blakeana. The results of phytochemical analysis suggest that phytosteroids are present in all the three plants. Maximum inhibition against the tested enzymes was exhibited by hexane and chloroform extracts of A.cookii. Hemolytic activity was done and the hexane extract showed maximum haemolysis where as aqueous extracts showed minimum activity. From the results it is clear that the three plant extracts has pharmacological applications. This is the first report of antimicrobial, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of these three plant extracts. Further studies are needed to exploit the actual mechanism and active compounds of these plants.

American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SELECTED PLANTS

Marine actinomycetes are potential source for the discovery of novel compounds and enzymes. Though extensive research on marine actinomycetes is underway globally, the actinomycetes research from Indian marine ecosystem is unexplored and understudied. Hence, the present research is focussed on the screening of bioactive compounds from marine actinomycetes isolated from Indian coastal region. This study is designed to determine the antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential of Streptomyces sp. VITMSS05 strain, isolated from Marakkanam, southern coast of India. An actinomycetes strain designated as VITMSS05 was isolated. This strain was cultivated in Starch Caesin Agar medium (SCA) supplemented with sea water. The cultural, morphological and molecular characterization was determined for the isolate. The crude extract of the isolate was extracted with ethyl acetate. Antioxidant activity of the crude extract was determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay. Alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase inhibitory potential of the extract was determined. Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis the strain was identified as Streptomyces sp. Significant antioxidant activity of the extract was observed with an IC50 value of 92.49 μg mL-1. The extract shows 64.1% inhibition on α-amylase and 91.5% inhibition on α-glucosidase at 100 μg mL-1 with an IC50 value of 385.97 and 42.89 μg mL-1. From the results it is evident that the ethyl acetate extract of Streptomyces sp. VITMSS05 has potent antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity in vitro. The combined effect of free radical scavenging and enzyme inhibition makes it a potent anti diabetic drug. ©2013 Science Publication.

ANTI-OXIDANT AND ENZYME-INHIBITORY POTENTIAL OF MARINE STREPTOMYCES

Plant-derived extracts have been used as folk remedies for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for many centuries, and offer the potential of cheap and readily available alternatives to conventional pharmaceuticals in developing countries. Extracts of Costus pictus (CP), a plant belonging to the Costaceae family, are reported to have antidiabetic activity in vivo. The exact molecular mode of action(s) of CP is unclear but the antihyperglycemic effect seen in animal studies was associated with dramatic increases in insulin secretion so in our study we have measured the effect of aqueous CP extract on insulin secretion in vitro from the MIN6 β-cell line and isolated mouse and human islets. Our data demonstrate that CP has a direct stimulatory effect on insulin secretion at basal but not stimulatory glucose concentrations which was not associated with compromised membrane integrity or decrease β-cell viability. Single cell calcium microfluorimetry measurements showed that CP caused elevations in β-cell intracellular Ca 2+ concentrations ([Ca 2+ ] i ), an effect which was completely abolished by the removal of extracellular Ca 2+ or blockade of voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels (VGCC). These in vitro observations suggest that one mode of action of CP is through stimulating insulin secretion which may be mediated, in part, by the ability of CP to increase [Ca 2+ ] i levels through VGCC. CP extracts may provide an affordable and inexpensive alternative for treating patients with T2DM. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

World University root node

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry

Costus Pictus Extracts Stimulate Insulin Secretion from Mouse and Human Islets of Langerhans In Vitro

Chennai Campus

2010 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 20 - June 23, 2010

Ethanol Production from Waste Potato Mash By Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An Actinomycete strain designated as VITSDK3 was isolated from marine sediment sample collected at Marakkanam, the southern coast of India. The strain was characterized using polyphasic taxonomy and identified as Micromonospora sp. The strain is Gram-positive, non-motile and aerial mycelium is absent. The cell wall type is meso-DAP, with xylose and arabinose as characteristic cell wall sugars, MK-10(H6) and MK-10(H4) as major menaquinones and contains branched iso and anteiso fatty acid profile. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicates that the strain is clustered within the genus Micromonospora. Similarly, based on comparative phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis the isolated strain is identified as a member of genus Micromonospora. The strain is able to grow between 6-22% NaCl concentrations. Maximal growth of the strain is seen on the ISP medium 9, supplemented with 50% sea water and 25% soil extract with a temperature of 28°C, pH of 7.4 and salt concentration of 10% (w/v). The media and cultural conditions for optimal growth have been optimized under shake-flask conditions by measuring the dry weight of the mycelium. The organic solvent extract of the strain is screened for the α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity and shows concentration dependent activity. The extract shows 74.43% inhibition on α-glucosidase and 74.32% inhibition on α-amylase at 100μg/ml. Our investigations indicate that the isolated strain is halophilic, which produces extra cellular metabolites found to be very effective in inhibiting the enzymes α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The results suggest that the strain produces the secondary metabolites which could be used for the treatment of glucose metabolism related disorders. ©IJIB, All rights reserved.

International Journal of Integrative Biology

α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activity of Micromonospora sp. VITSDK3 (EU551238)

Costus pictus D. Don,commonly known as 'insulin plant ' is a member of Zingiberacea family and is used as a munching dietary supplement for the treatment of diabetes in Southern India. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antidiabetic effect of Costus pictus leaves in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The oral feeding of aqueous leaf solution of this plant in diabetic rats for 28 days at a dosage of 2gm/kg body weight exhibited a significant (p&lt;0.001) reduction in fasting blood glucose level and a remarkable increase in serum insulin level. There was a significant reduction (p&lt;0.001) in serum parameters like SGOT, SGPT, lipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol, urea, TBARS, and albumin in diabetic rats treated with leaf solution. The body weight of diabetic rats was restored to normal state when treated with the C. pictus. Morphometric analysis of C. pictus-treated rat pancreatic islets showed a significant (p&lt;0.001) increase in the number and area of islets when compared with normal and diabetic control rats. Histopathology studies in liver and kidney of diabetic rats treated with aqueous solution did not show any marked difference from normal which revealed the non-toxic effect of this plant. Estimation of trace elements using particle induced X-ray emission analysis in the leaf was also determined to find the antidiabetic potential elements in this plant. Based on the above results it is evident that the leaves of C. pictus have antidiabetic effect and must be considered as a potential candidate for future studies on diabetes mellitus.