The antihyperglycemic effect of ethanolic extract of flowers of Musa sapientum (Musaceae), a herb (used in Indian folklore medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus) in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Oral administration of the ethanolic extract showed significant (p < 0.001) blood glucose lowering effect at 200 mg/kg in alloxan induced diabetic rats (120 mg/kg, i.p.) and the extract was also found to significantly (p < 0.001) scavenge oxygen free radicals, viz., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and also protein, malondialdehyde and ascorbic acid in vivo. Musa sapientum induced blood sugar reduction may be due to possible inhibition of free radicals and subsequent inhibition of tissue damage induced by alloxan. The antidiabetic activity observed in this plant may be attributed to the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, steroid and glycoside principles.

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The antihyperglycemic effect of ethanolic extract of flowers of Musa sapientum (Musaceae), a herb (used in Indian folklore medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus) in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Oral administration of the ethanolic extract showed significant (p < 0.001) blood glucose lowering effect at 200 mg/kg in alloxan induced diabetic rats (120 mg/kg, i.p.) and the extract was also found to significantly (p < 0.001) scavenge oxygen free radicals, viz., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and also protein, malondialdehyde and ascorbic acid in vivo. Musa sapientum induced blood sugar reduction may be due to possible inhibition of free radicals and subsequent inhibition of tissue damage induced by alloxan. The antidiabetic activity observed in this plant may be attributed to the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, steroid and glycoside principles.

The present study is aimed to determine the phytochemical screening and anti-bacterial activity of the extracts (acetone, ethyl acetate and ethanol) of medicinal plant, Aerva lanata leaves against bacterial strains. Acetone, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts of A. lanata leaves were prepared using Soxhlet apparatus. These extracts of A. lanata leaves were checked for their anti-bacterial activity by well diffusion, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) techniques against bacterial strains. Preliminary phytochemical screening and gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of phytochemical constituents of A. lanata leaves were performed. Preliminary phytochemical screening of different extracts of A. lanata revealed the presence of alkaloids, proteins, amino acids, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, saponins, quinone, terpenes and coumarins. Among the three different extracts tested, acetone extract of A. lanata leaves showed maximum anti-bacterial activity. The bioactive components of acetone fraction of A. lanata leaves were evaluated by GC-MS analysis which showed the presence of sixteen chemical compounds. The extracts of A. lanata leaves have a broad spectrum of anti-bacterial activity and support the traditional use of these plants as medicines.

Abstract:The abuse of antibiotics in the modern era, lead the microorganisms to develop resistance. Antibiotic resistance becomes the part of natural selection in bacteria which allows them to survive in different environments. Bacteria like Aeromonas are able to adapt to changes in the environment such as an increase in antibiotic concentration, which often results in the development of mutations allowing them to survive in unfavourable conditions. The origin of antibiotic resistance in the environment is relevant to human health and there is an urgent need for predicting emerging resistant pathogenic microorganisms. As Aeromonas sp. has been reported as emerging pathogen, the multi-drug resistance was screened for the Aeromonas isolates obtained from fish intestine, clinical and environmental sources, against commercially available antibiotics and it was found that 95% of the isolates developed resistance towards atleast one antibiotic. The emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations is a relevant field of study in molecular and evolutionary biology as well as in medical practice. The minimum inhibitory concentration of metals were performed for the isolates and it revealed that silver nitrate at 250 µM and copper sulphate at 8 mM concentration inhibited the growth of isolates. Further the metal resistance encoding genes, silP and copA were screened and it was found to be positive in 70% and 43% of the isolates, respectively.