The dyeing units at small scale levels in the textile city of Coimbatore are ever increasing. The effluents from dyeing units play a vital role in toxicating the groundwater quality. Hence the present study was undertaken to characterize the physicochemical nature (parameters) of groundwater in Telungupalayam village in Coimbatore city by taking water samples from five different stations. Evaluation of physicochemical parameters was carried out. To assess the quality of groundwater, each parameter was compared with the standard desirable limit of that parameter in drinking water as prescribed by different agencies. A systematic calculation was made to determine the correlation coefficient 'r' amongst the parameters and the significant values of the observed correlation coefficient between the parameters was worked out. Suitable suggestions were made to improve the quality of groundwater of Telungupalayam areas.

Marine bacterium, strain MB30 isolated from the deep sea sediment of Bay of Bengal, India, exhibited antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic bacteria. Based on the 16S rRNA sequence homology and subsequent phylogenetic tree analysis, the strain MB30 was identified as Staphylococcus sp. The bioactive metabolite produced by the strain MB30 was purified through silica gel column chromatography and preparative HPLC. Purified metabolite was further characterized by FT-IR, LC-MS and NMR analyses. On the basis of spectroscopic data, the metabolite was identified as pyrrole (1, 2, a) pyrazine 1, 4, dione, hexahydro 3-(2-methyl propyl) (PPDHMP). The PPDHMP exhibited in vitro anticancer potential against lung (A549) and cervical (HeLa) cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 concentration of 19.94 ± 1.23 and 16.73 ± 1.78 μg ml(-1) respectively. The acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI) staining of the IC50 concentration of PPDHMP-treated cancer cells exhibited an array of morphological changes such as nuclear condensation, cell shrinkage and formation of apoptotic bodies. The PPDHMP-treated cancer cells induced the progressive accumulation of fragmented DNA in a time-dependent manner. Based on the flow cytometric analysis, it has become evident that the compound was also effective in arresting the cell cycle at G1 phase. Further, the Western blotting analysis confirmed the down-regulation of cyclin-D1, cyclin dependent kinase (CDK-2), anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL), activation of caspase-9 and 3 with the cleavage of PARP. The PPDHMP-treated cancer cells also showed the inhibition of migration and invasive capacity of cancer cells. In the present investigation, for the first time, we have reported the extraction, purification and characterization of an anticancer metabolite, PPDHMP from a new marine bacterium, Staphylococcus sp. strain MB30.

Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (Waterhyacinth), an aquatic perennial herb present throughout the world, has a myriad of metabolites. Phenalenone compounds and sterols have been isolated from this plant. Extracts, as well as pure compounds isolated from this plant, have been demonstrated to possess pharmacological activities. An account of the phytochemistry, pharmacological activities and several applications of waterhyacinth are included in this review.

Petroleum ether, acetone, ethyl acetate, aqueous extract, methanol and ethanol fractionate of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms was tested for their larvicidal efficacy against the different instars (I, II, III and IV) and pupae of Culex quinquefasciatus Say. The larval mortality was observed after 24 h of the treatment. The extracts showed a dose-dependent toxicity to larvae. The toxicity of the extracts decreased with increase in larval stage. Ethanol fractionate of E. crassipes showed the highest larvicidal and pupicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus compared to other solvent extracts and fractionates with LC(50) 71.43, 94.68,120.42, 152.15 and 173.35 ppm for I, II, III, IV and pupae, respectively. Presence of metabolites like flavonoids, alkaloids, anthroquinones and anthocyanins in the tested extracts might be the reason for the larvicidal and pupicidal activity of the plant extracts and fractionates of waterhyacinth. Mosquito-repellent activity was not exhibited by these extracts at the tested concentrations. The results demonstrated the potential of the aquatic plant E. crassipes in the successful control of the filarial vector C. quinquefasciatus.

Mangrove ecosystem has many potential species that are traditionally used by the coastal communities for their traditional cure for health ailments as evidenced by their extensive uses to treat hepatic disorders, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, anti-inflammation, anticancer, and skin diseases, etc. In recent times, the diabetes mellitus (DM), a serious physiological disorder all over the world, occur due to the relative or complete deficiency of insulin in the body, characterized by an abnormally high blood glucose level. India has a rich traditional knowledge on plant-based drug formulations that are protective and curative for many health ailments. In this context, we aimed to compile the works done on the antidiabetic activities of mangrove species from Indian coastal regions especially on Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as some recent works reported from other countries. A total of 126 published articles and 31 mangrove species related pieces of information were gathered with reference to antidiabetic properties of mangroves. This review summarizes the chemical structures, molecular formula, molecular weight, and their biological activities with an aspiration that it might be helpful for the future bioprospecting industries who are interested in develop the natural drugs for DM.

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