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

Department of Biotechnology

A lot of research has been focused upon the use of nanoparticles for various consumer applications. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TNPs) are now gaining importance to be used in food, environment and drug delivery vehicles. To explore the full potential of TNPs, a complete toxicity analysis is crucial before their commercialization. In the present study, we have evaluated the acute and sub chronic toxicity of TNPs on Wistar rats. In acute toxicity study, the LD50 value was found to be more than 2000 mg/kg bw as no mortality was observed. However, in sub-chronic toxicity, there was alteration in liver and kidney enzymes which indicated inflammation in these major organs. There was also accumulation of TNPs in liver and lungs of Wistar rats indicating the inefficient clearance of TNPs from rat bodies. A long term toxicity analysis should be done to evaluate the stability and potential use of TNPs for consumer products. © 2020 Scientific Publishers. All rights reserved.

World University root node

School of Bio Sciences and Technology

Vellore Campus

Journal of the Indian Chemical Society

Acute and sub-chronic toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles synthesized by microwave-irradiation-assisted hybrid chemical approach

Human body is a perfectly designed and the most effectively functioning biomachine. When there is no proper care microbes enter our body and lead to septicemia and makes us asthenic. Much of the pathogens gain entry into our body by contaminated food, water and physical contact with the affected person or material. Pathogens are biological fluids which disrupts homeostasis. The pathogens could be viral, bacterial, nematodal, prional or fungal. The impact of the infection depends on the pathogenicity of the infected pathogen. We are always concerned about the places that we see regularly and we hear frequently. We rarely thimk of certain sites that may cause us an infection. Not only drainages or an unclean surrounding is a place where pathogens grow; even nosocomial sites like catheters, ICU’s or operation theaters can be a site of infection. We never even think of these sites but we need to be cautious about such sites. Our own unclean habits lead us to various opportunistic infections from unnoticed sites like toothbrushes, currency notes etc. Our daily usage things like toiletries must be kept moisture free and clean. Moisture content in such things readily promote microbial growth. The reviewed article gives a brief outline of such unnoticed sites of infection. © 2020 All rights reserved.

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Un-noticed infections that affects public health: A brief study

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is resulting in millions of infected individuals with several hundred thousands dead throughout the world. Amidst all the havoc, one interesting observation in the present COVID-19 pandemic is the negligible symptoms in the young; particularly children below 10 years of age. We assume the extensive pediatric vaccination with MMR vaccines followed globally could have resulted in innate immune responses, e.g., induction of interferons (IFNs) and activated natural killer (NK) cells, thereby offering natural immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in the young population. Possible cross-protective innate immunity offered by MMR vaccination prompted us to suggest repurposing MMR vaccination for immuno-prophylaxis against COVID-19. © 2020 Taylor &amp; Francis Group, LLC.

Department of Bio-Sciences

Fulltext

Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics

Vaccine repurposing approach for preventing COVID 19: can MMR vaccines reduce morbidity and mortality?

Objectives: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inimical disorder associated with overall mortality rates between 10-15%. It is a disorder of the exocrine pancreas which is characterized by local and systemic inflammatory responses primarily driven by oxidative stress and death of pancreatic acinar cells. The severity of AP ranges from mild pancreatic edema with complete recuperative possibilities to serious systemic inflammatory response resulting in peripancreatic/pancreatic necrosis, multiple organ failure, and death. Key findings: We have retrieved the potential alternative approaches that are developed lately for efficacious treatment of AP from the currently available literature and recently reported experimental studies. This review summarizes the need for alternative approaches and combinatorial treatment strategies to deal with AP based on literature search using specific key words in PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. Summary: Since AP results from perturbations of multiple signaling pathways, the so called “monotargeted smart drugs” of the past decade is highly unlikely to be effective. Also, the conventional treatment approaches were mainly involved in providing palliative care instead of curing the disease. Hence, many researchers are beginning to focus on developing alternate therapies to treat AP effectively. This review also summarizes the recent trends in the combinatorial approaches available for AP treatment. © 2020 Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

Current trends in pharmacological approaches for treatment and management of acute pancreatitis – a review

Melianone, the protolimonoid (24, 25-epoxyflindissone), was isolated from the medicinal tree species, Swietenia mahagoni (L.) JACQ (Meliaceae). The compound isolated from petroleum ether leaf extracts (5.39%) was quantified using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method. In antimicrobial assays melianone inhibited Salmonella ser. Typhi with an MIC of 0.053 µM. Induced Fit Docking (IFD) of the ligand, melianone, with proteins involved in anaerobic virulence of the pathogen, revealed that it binds with FocA (a transport protein of formate ions) at its “periplasmic opening” with a glide energy of − 51.8576 kcal mol−1. Melianone altered the overall conformation of the protein (protomer A) by 0.347 Å RMSD. It induced a notable protein topology (Ω loop region) shift in the channel from an intermediate-open to a closed-state conformation and was supported by molecular dynamic simulations performed. FocA, a protein that contributes to its survival under anaerobic conditions, was further evaluated experimentally, after exposure of Salmonella ser. Typhi to melianone, resulting in the altered homeostasis of formate. © 2020, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.

3 Biotech

Bioactivity of melianone against Salmonella and in silico prediction of a membrane protein target

Oxidative stress induced changes in conformational properties of proteins are potential causes of functional impairment in protein system. This phenomenon becomes an important study area when the affected proteins present a role in disease aetiology. The current study was aimed at studying seminal plasma protein conformation changes under higher Reactive oxygen species levels. A total of 100 semen samples (control: n = 50 and infertile n = 50) were used after routine semen parameter analysis. Samples were analysed for their total protein content, ROS levels, total antioxidant capacity and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed under native conditions. A protein band of molecular weight less than 14 KDa was seen differentially in infertile sample presented with higher ROS levels(&gt;72.6 μg formazan/107 sperm cells). MALDI analysis identified the protein to be Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha super family 18 (TNFα-18) ligand. Further analysis of biophysical properties of the protein showed a significant increase in surface hydrophobicity. Binding of seminal plasma TNFα-18 with ANS dye resulted in an increased fluorescence and broadening of emission curves in infertile samples. Changes in structural properties of TNFα-18ligand prevented it from forming stable oligomeric structures which are essential for effective functioning of the protein. © 2020

Journal of Molecular Liquids

Oxidation driven surface hydrophobicity in human seminal plasma results in protein structural changes

Microorganisms that survive in the high salt environment have been shown to be a potential source for metabolites with pharmaceutical importance. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of 5 and 10% (w/v) NaCl on growth, biochemical changes, and metabolite production in seven moderately halophilic bacteria isolated from the salterns/mangrove area of South India. Metabolite production by Bacillus VITPS3 increased by 3.18-fold in the presence of 10% (w/v) NaCl concentration. Total phenolic and flavonoid content increased in Bacillus VITPS5 (11.3-fold) and Planococcus maritimus VITP21 (5.99-fold) whereas β-carotene content was less at higher NaCl concentrations. VITP21 and VITPS5, in response to NaCl, produced metabolites with higher (6.72- and 4.91-fold) DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity. UV/visible spectrophotometry of the extracts confirmed the presence of flavonoids, phenolics, and related compounds. 1H-NMR spectra indicated substantial changes in the metabolite production in response to salt concentration. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that VITP21 extracts exhibited the highest antioxidant activity compared with other extracts. The present study presents the first report on the comparative analysis of pigment production by moderate halophilic bacteria, in response to the effect of salt and their relation to radical scavenging property. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology

Differential Production of Pigments by Halophilic Bacteria Under the Effect of Salt and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Activity

Oral Oncology

Clinical comments on prognostic and clinicopathological significance of PD-L1 overexpression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)

New phenyl and thiophene dispiro indeno quinoxaline pyrrolidine quinolone analogues were synthesized by a one-pot four-component [3+2] cycloaddition reaction between (E)-3-arylidene-2,3-dihydro-8-nitro-4-quinolones,o-phenylenediamine, ninhydrin, and benzylamine/thiophenemethylamine. The structure and regio- and stereochemistry of the compounds have been confirmed by various spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction analyses. The observed regio- and stereoselectivity of the compounds were further enlightened by DFT calculations. Further, thein vitrocytotoxic effects of the compounds were evaluated by MTT assay. The compounds exhibited significant inhibition activity towards the tested cancer cells HeLa and MCF-7. Among the synthesized compounds compound9eshowed the highest inhibitory potency against MCF-7 cells. Mechanistic cell death studies revealed that cell death was induced by9eagainst MCF-7 cells by ROS mediated G1/S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest apoptosis. The apoptotic cell death was quantified by the annexin V-FITC/PI staining method. The binding mode of compound9ewas further examined byin silicomolecular docking studies. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 2020.

New Journal of Chemistry

Novel phenyl and thiophene dispiro indenoquinoxaline pyrrolidine quinolones induced apoptosisviaG1/S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells

Causes of diabetes could be associated with many dysfunctions regarding the regulation of insulin and progression of pancreatic beta cells. Phytonanotherapy provides a symbiotic properties of metal nanoparticles and plants as they exhibit medicinal benefits which may be biologically equivalent for synthetic drugs. The present study focused on rapid and ecofriendly biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using Eclipta alba (EA-AuNPs) and evaluated its pharmacological efficacy against pathogenic bacteria and streptozotocin (STZ) induced apoptosis in RIN-5F cell line. The bioreduction of auric chloride was attained through capping or stabilizing molecules offered by the phytoconstituents present in Eclipta alba. The green synthesized EA-AuNPs was characterized by spectrometric studies, such as UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) study, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and by microscopic studies such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The synthesized EA-AuNPs showed surface plasmon resonance band at 536 nm and the particle was spherical about 26 nm with a good zeta potential value of −12mv. The anti-apoptotic potential of EA-AuNPs was proved by evaluating the NF-κB mediated apoptotic pathway in STZ-induced diabetes in RIN-5F cell line. We further showed the free radical scavenging potential of EA-AuNPs and stabilized EA-AuNPs demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against human pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, we conclude that Eclipta alba has a good potential to synthesize AuNPs and the synthesized EA-AuNPs are promising for biomedical applications in the field of nanomedicine. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.