Development of bactericides and fungicides in terms of isolation and identification of substances is an important area of research. Presently, under the concept of integrated pest management, all possible plant pest and disease control methods are integrated to minimize the excessive use of synthetic chemicals and also the incidence of disease. The potential of various essential oils against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi is being actively investigated in various laboratories across the world. Rice the most important crop, suffers from huge yield losses due to blast and blight diseases. Most of the labs have focussed to use transgenic approaches, the use of environmentally friendly natural products, as disease control strategies. In this context, we propose to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of essential oils and their ability to control diseases of rice. Seven Essential oils from seven different plants were selected for the study. The antimicrobial activity was assessed in terms of their antibacterial activity towards non-pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic drug resistant bacteria by means of their ability to sensitize the drug resistant bacteria in plasmid curing and, ß-lactamase inhibition and as antifungal agents. In conclusion, out of the seven essential oils used, lemongrass, palm rosa and eucalyptus were found to be good antimicrobial agents.
Zinc is an essential micronutrient involved in various biological processes, including growth, maintenance, proliferation and immune functions. It is also argued that tumors need zinc for maintenance and proliferation, although excess zinc may induce tumor cell apoptosis. Thus, the role of zinc merits attention in the carcinogenic process. Scanty literature is available on the mechanisms underlying the alterations in tissue zinc in colon cancer and how the altered zinc levels contribute to the preneoplastic lesions and progression to cancer. Zinc homeostasis is regulated by the gastrointestinal tract and involves interplay of host, dietary, environmental and social factors such as alcohol consumption. The DNA alkylation agent azoxymethane (AOM), which is primarily activated in the liver, induces a high incidence of initiation and promotion steps of precancerous lesions in the colon of rats. The altered expression of hepatic zinc transporters by AOM may lead to zinc dyshomeostasis in liver. Earlier reports showed that ZIP14 was located on the inner lane of plasma membrane of hepatocytes, and increased level of ZIP14 could sequester zinc from plasma into liver under infection or in response to cancer. Decreased serum zinc concentration, despite increased liver zinc also indicates altered liver zinc mobilization and failure to regulate zinc homeostasis. During the transformation from normal colonic mucosa to colonic epithelial hyperplasia and aberrant crypt formation, a reduction in zinc concentration is observed. It will be interesting to study further if the same trend continues throughout tumor progression towards adenocarcinomas. Lowered local zinc concentrations in the colon epithelium may not just reflect a bystander effect, but may induce cell proliferation and compromise DNA integrity due to impairment of zinc-containing proteins. In congruence with the tissue zinc concentrations, metallothionein levels were found to be less induced in AOM—administered colon compared to normal healthy colon, indicating less accumulation and sequestration of zinc. Lowered tissue zinc levels in small and large intestine were also associated with increased expression of mRNA and protein ZnT1, known to transport cytosolic zinc to extracellular space. In this regard, the mode of zinc responsiveness to ZnT1 mimics that of metallothionein, albeit at a lower level for ZnT1.
BK channels, or voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, are essential regulators of neuronal excitability and muscular contractions, all of which are abnormal in epilepsy, a chronic neuronal disease. The form, frequency, and transmission of action potentials (APs), as well as neurotransmitter release from presynaptic terminals, are all influenced by BK channels found in the plasma membrane of neurons. Over the last two decades, several naturally occurring BK channel modulators have attracted a lot of attention. The structural and pharmacological properties of BK channel blockers are discussed in this article. The properties of various venom peptide toxins from scorpions and snakes are first identified, with a focus on their distinctive structural motifs, such as their disulfide bond formation pattern, the binding interface between the toxin and the BK channel, and the functional consequences of the toxins' blockage of BK channels. Then, several non-peptide BK channel blockers are discussed, along with their molecular formula and pharmacological impact on BK channels. The precise categorization and explanations of these BK channel blockers are hoped to provide mechanistic insights into BK channel blockade. The structures of peptide toxins and non-peptide compounds may serve as models for the development of new channel blockers, as well as aid in the optimization of lead compounds for use in neurological disorders.
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