The active principle in a methanolic extract of the laboratory-grown cyanobacterium, Fischerella sp. isolated from Neem (Azadirachta indica) tree bark was active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli as well as three multi-drug resistant E. coli strains in in vitro assays. Based on MS, UV, IR 1 H NMR analyses the active principle is proposed to be Hapalindole T having the empirical formula C 21 H 23 N 2 ClSO and a molecular weight of 386 with the melting point range 179-182 • C. The estimated production of Hapalindole T from the cyanobacterium is 1.25 mg g −1 lyophilized biomass. It is suggested that cyanobacteria colonizing specialized niches such as tree bark could be an antibacterial drug resource.

The present study was aimed at the isolation, purification and structural elucidation of an antibacterial entity/lead molecule from the Antarctic cyanobacterium Nostoc CCC 537. A methanolic extract of the cyanobacterium was bioassayed with Enterobacter aerogenes as a target. The extract was purified by TLC, and the most active band was subjected to HPLC. The fraction (retention time 15.7 min) designated as the active principle was antibacterial towards Gram positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Gram negative Salmonella typhi MTCC 3216, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25992, Enterobacter aerogenes MTCC 2822 and multi-drug resistant strains of Escherichia coli GS 2003/01, 02, 03.

A comprehensive germplasm evaluation study of wheat accessions conserved in the Indian National Genebank was conducted to identify sources of rust and spot blotch resistance. Genebank accessions comprising three species of wheat–Triticum aestivum, T. durum and T. dicoccum were screened sequentially at multiple disease hotspots, during the 2011–14 crop seasons, carrying only resistant accessions to the next step of evaluation. Wheat accessions which were found to be resistant in the field were then assayed for seedling resistance and profiled using molecular markers. In the primary evaluation, 19,460 accessions were screened at Wellington (Tamil Nadu), a hotspot for wheat rusts. We identified 4925 accessions to be resistant and these were further evaluated at Gurdaspur (Punjab), a hotspot for stripe rust and at Cooch Behar (West Bengal), a hotspot for spot blotch. The second round evaluation identified 498 accessions potentially resistant to multiple rusts and 868 accessions potentially resistant to spot blotch. Evaluation of rust resistant accessions for seedling resistance against seven virulent pathotypes of three rusts under artificial epiphytotic conditions identified 137 accessions potentially resistant to multiple rusts. Molecular analysis to identify different combinations of genetic loci imparting resistance to leaf rust, stem rust, stripe rust and spot blotch using linked molecular markers, identified 45 wheat accessions containing known resistance genes against all three rusts as well as a QTL for spot blotch resistance. The resistant germplasm accessions, particularly against stripe rust, identified in this study can be excellent potential candidates to be employed for breeding resistance into the background of high yielding wheat cultivars through conventional or molecular breeding approaches, and are expected to contribute toward food security at national and global levels.

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Background: Solubility/dissolution is said to be the key factor that influences the oral bioavailability of drug and is also the rate limiting step in formulation development. Objective: Hydrochlorothiazide (HCZ) is a BCS Class IV drug with low solubility and low permeability. The present work aimed to increase the solubility of hydrochlorothiazide using blends of natural and synthetic hydrotropes. Methods: Two hydrotropes one from natural (piperazine) and other from synthetic origin (sodium benzoate) were selected for the formulation of solid dispersion (SD) of HCZ. Preliminary trial batches were prepared by considering the safe dose of both the selected hydrotropes i.e. sodium benzoate (SB) and piperazine (PP). A 32 full factorial design was opted for preparing the optimized solid dispersion of hydrochlorothiazide. Results: The quadratic models were found to be best fitted for the studied responses, which were percent solubility and invitro drug release. The results showed increased solubility and in-vitro drug release of HCZ solid dispersions as a function of increasing levels of both hydrotropes. Conclusion: In this work, it was concluded that the use of natural hydrotropes along with synthetic hydrotropes gave an effective and safe approach for the solubility enhancement of the HCZ.