An effective protocol for the plant regeneration via direct and indirect organogenesis has been developed from leaf explants of Asystasia gangetica (L.), cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with various concentrations and combinations of auxin and cytokinins. Approximately 86% of explants produced direct shoots on MS medium containing 0.5 mg L −1 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 10 μg L −1 Triacontanol (TRIA) with a maximum of 4.82 ± 0.29 shoots per leaf segment. For production of callus-mediated plantlets (indirect), primarily callus was induced on MS medium containing 2 mg L −1 2,4dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), which was then subcultured on medium with 0.1 mg L −1 naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 0.5 mg L −1 BA, and 1 to 8 mg L −1 2-isopentenyl adenine (2iP) in order to develop organogenic callus and subsequent shoot induction. A maximum of 6.84 ± 0.05 shoots per callus clump was obtained on MS media supplemented with 4 mg L −1 2iP, 0.5 mg L −1 BA, and 0.1 mg L −1 NAA. The shootlets produced roots when cultured on half-strength MS media supplemented with 2 mg L −1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). In vitro propagated plantlets were hardened on soil rite and acclimatized to field condition with 85% survivability. The chlorophyll content of acclimatized plants was comparable with that of the mother plant, while stomatal micromorphology of regenerated plants exhibited no abnormalities. The radical scavenging and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of leaves were measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and phosphomolybdenum test. In all experiments, regenerated plants exhibited enhanced antioxidant potential indicating micropropagated plants could be exploited for isolation of novel biomolecules. Further, the genetic homogeneity of acclimatized plants was confirmed by PCR-based start codon targeted (SCoT) markers and ycf1b DNA barcoding primers which exhibited monomorphic bands identical to the normal mother plant and no variations were observed.

Objective: Neuropathic pain arises from demage, or pathological changes in the peripheral or central nervous system. The pain is difficult to treat as standard treatment with conventional analgesics doesn`t typically provide effective relief of pain. Methods: It was a one year study of utilization and analysis of prescriptions for PNDs (Painful neuropathic disorders). The parameters evaluated were demographic profile of the patient (age and gender), type and etiology of PNDs, drug data (name of the group of drugs with individual drugs, mono or polytherapy, number of drugs per prescription, formulation) and associated adverse drug reactions (ADR) with the prescribed drug. Results: Maximum number of patients of PNDs resides in the age group of 18 – 35 y (41.2%) & more common in females. The most common PND encountered was painful diabetic neuropathy (43.9%) followed by cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, postherpetic neuralgia. 2942 drugs were prescribed in 1020 prescriptions, out of which 96.8% were oral and 3.2% were topical formulations. Most frequently prescribed group of the drug was tricyclic antidepressants (27.3%) followed by anticonvulsants (25.3%). Polypharmacy was seen 89.7% as compared to monotherapy (10.3%). Only 132 ADRs of various types were seen. The most common organ system affected was central nervous system followed by gastrointestinal systems. The most common drugs implicated for ADRs were TCAs (24.4%), anticonvulsants (16.6%), and Pregabeline (9.8%). There were no fatal adverse events. Mild to moderate ADRs included constipation, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dryness of mouth. Conclusion: The choice of drug depends on etiology of neuropathic pain, drug efficacy and availability and also on ADR profile.

No abstract