Curcumin, an important constituent of turmeric, is known for various biological activities, primarily due to its antioxidant mechanism. The present study focused on the antibacterial activity of curcumin I, a significant component of commercial curcumin, against four genera of bacteria, including those that are Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). These represent prominent human pathogens, particularly in hospital settings. Our study shows the strong antibacterial potential of curcumin I against all the tested bacteria from Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative groups. The integrity of the bacterial membrane was checked using two differential permeabilization indicating fluorescent probes, namely, propidium iodide and calcein. Both the membrane permeabilization assays confirmed membrane leakage in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria on exposure to curcumin I. In addition, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy were employed to confirm the membrane damages in bacterial cells on exposure to curcumin I. The present study confirms the broad-spectrum antibacterial nature of curcumin I, and its membrane damaging property. Findings from this study could provide impetus for further research on curcumin I regarding its antibiotic potential against rapidly emerging bacterial pathogens.

Background: Staphylococci species are the major constituents of infectious bioaerosols, particularly methicillinresistant Staphylococci (MRS) have serious health impacts. Here, the bacterial burden was quantified, especially

The prevalence of sickle cell disease in India is very high. Hb F is one of the most powerful modulators of disease severity in sickle cell disease patients. It was traditionally thought that the disease is milder in Indian sickle cell disease patients predominantly due to the Arab-Indian haplotype characterized by the HBG XmnI [rs7482144 (G>A)] variant, which is associated with increased Hb F levels. In the current study, we investigated the Hb F levels in individuals with the rs10128556 (C>T) variant and also determined its linkage with the HBG XmnI variant. The present study was conducted on a cohort of 275 individuals, which consisted of 221 patients with sickle cell disease and 54 patients with sickle cell trait. Analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) fractions and variants was done on the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. Genotyping for rs10128556 was done by direct sequencing of the products. Mean Hb F levels in the sickle cell disease patients was 19.36 ± 6.79. The genotypic frequencies for rs10128556 were 82.0% (TT), 16.7% (CT) and 1.3% (CC) for sickle cell disease patients. The minor C allele resulted in 52.0% decrease in Hb F levels when homozygous and 7.0% decrease when heterozygous. The rs10128556 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was in strong but not complete linkage with the HBG XmnI variant. In conclusion, the study determined for the first time the frequency and association of rs10128556 in Indian sickle cell disease patients with Hb F. It also established that it was not in complete linkage with the HBG XmnI variant in this high risk population.

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