Pratap Chandran R.

Environmental Resources Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

Water is one of the nature's most important gifts to mankind. Groundwater supposed to be the safest source of water can also be a carrier of many diseases. Its quality depends on the goodness of recharged water, atmospheric precipitation, inland surface water and sub-surface geochemical processes. In the present study, a comparative analysis were c...

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds produced usually within the cell surfaces of microbes or excreted extracellularly. It contains hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts that reduce surface tension and interfacial tension between individual molecules at the surface and interface respectively. The primary aim of the study was to isolate biosurfactan...

Background Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system because there is no effective screening and most women are diagnosed at advanced stages. The probability of survival at 5 years is less than 30%, and the limitation is that it will not respond to chemotherapy protocol and surgery as well. Moreover,...

Isolation of pathogens from leaf, root and rhizosphere water samples of aquatic weeds, Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes present in the backwaters of YMCA canal, Abstract The presence of pathogenic microorganisms in backwaters is of a great concern and the unsafe water is responsible for 1.2 million deaths each year. In the present study,...

Water bodies provide a large amount of easily accessible fresh water which stabilizes any population. Kuttanchaal is a beautiful island surrounded by Vembanad Lake, in Thycattusserry, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. The major livelihood of the people living in this island is fishing and coir industry. For the study of the fish, swabs from the...

Ardisia solanacea is a large evergreen shrub growing up to a height of 1.5 to 4 meter tall and native to Bangladesh, China, India, Malaya, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. A. solanacea is a one of the important herb reported to contain an array of phytochemicals and is widely used as food and in traditional medicine. The objective of this study was t...

Wine is one of the most ancient beverages and it consists of a complex mixture of alcohol, sugars, aldehydes, tannins, pectins, vitamins, minerals, and organic acids formed by the action of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on fruit juices. Papaya (Carica papaya) is a common plant originally from South America and grown mainly in Asian and African countries...

The microbial flora of water plays a key role in defining the quality of water. The present study focused on the physicochemical and microbiological analysis of water sample collected from Ooty Lake, Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India. The organoleptic characters of water sample showed a tolerable value. The physiochemical parameter of the water sample was no...

Amylase is an industrially important enzyme used for the hydrolysis of dietary starch into disaccharides and trisaccharides and ultimately to glucose. Plants, animals and certain microorganisms produce this amylase and are used for various biochemical reactions. The most stable and reliable source of amylase is obtained from microbes when compared...

Pyrrosia heterophylla (L.) M.G. Price, an epiphytic fern which is commonly known as Dragon Scales and its leaf is traditionally used in treating eczema, headache, breast cancer, small pox and also as styptic for coagulating blood and arresting capillary hemorrhages. The study was extended to determine the phytochemical, antibacterial, antioxidant a...

The Ithikkara lake in Kollam District of Kerala State, India has been studied over a decade (2005-2015) in the context of biogeochemical cycling of iron and sulphur. The study includes the analyses of water and mud samples from the lake on a monthly basis. The parameters measured include pH and electrical conductivity of water and physicochemical a...

Wine production is a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the backbone of wine industry. Pomelo (Citrus maxima), considered as a citrus fruit provides number of surprising health benefits. It is native to South and South East Asia. The taste of pomelo is quite pleasant with the consistency of gra...

Microbial pollution in aquatic environments is one of the crucial issues with regards to the cleanliness of water. Among them the pathogenic microorganisms forms a major threat to the living beings. The present study focus on the identification of pathogenic microorganisms present in water and sediment samples in backwaters of Alappuzha district. P...

Cantaloupe is a round melon enclosing moderately sweet orange flesh with good nutritional attributes. Production of wine from this fruit using baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerviseae) increases a wine variety and also reduces its post harvest losses. Different parameters of wine were studied in comparison with control for analysis of quality and eff...

Wine is a traditional fermented alcoholic beverage made using yeast. Coconut sprout is a big spongy cotton candy mass that is sweet and juicy, found inside coconut during germination produced as an endosperm to nourish the developing embryo. It is well known for its nutritional qualities and is of great medicinal value. The present study involves t...

Mimosa pudica L. commonly known as touch me not plant is semi erect sub shrub of tropical America, Australia and also found in In-dia. The focus of the study was to evaluate the allelopathic activity of aqueous leaf extract of M. pudica against different germination parameters of Brassica juncea seeds. The experiment was carried out in petridishes...

Mimosa pudica L. is commonly called as touch me not plant, a prostrate or semi-erect sub shrub of tropical America and Australia, also found in India. The phytochemical screening of the crude extract showed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, coumarin glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, phytosterols, phenols and tannins, pro...

Mimosa pudica L. is commonly called as touch me not plant, a prostrate or semi-erect sub shrub of tropical America and Australia, also found in India. The phytochemical screening of the crude extract showed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, coumarin glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, phytosterols, phenols and tannins, pro...

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented fruit juice. The study about wine production is known as Oenology. Wine making or vinification begins with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. In the present study, Musa acuminata and Ananas comosus were used for the wine production und...

The present study reports the fluorescence properties, phytochemical constituents, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities of fruit flour and fruit extracts of A. heterophyllus in various solvents. The fluorescence properties or colours of fruit powder recorded through this study could be used as a standard to identify and authenticate the extrac...

Objective: The present study was aimed to evaluate the phytochemical, anthelmintic and insecticidal properties of leaf extracts Hyptis suaveolens. Materials & Methods: Phytochemical constituents present in H. suaveolens were studied by analysis of different solvent extracts using standard methods. Anthelminthic assay was carried out for aqueous and...

Andrographis paniculata is an annual herb distributed in tropical countries and it is widely used in traditional medicines. The present study was aimed to investigate the presence of phytochemical constituents, anthelmintic and insecticidal properties of leaf extracts of A. paniculata. The highest percentage of extractive of 24.6% was observed for...

Four blackberry cultivars (Rubus sp.) were evaluated for the presence of bioactive compounds, antibacterial and antifungal activities. The ash values (total ash (4.03-4.96% w/w), water soluble ash (0.96-2.51% w/w acid insoluble ash (0.25-0.61% w/w and sulphated ash (5.99-9.36% w/w)and percentage extractives of ethanol leaf extract of R. ellipticus,...

Alternanthera brasiliana is a medicinal plant which is reported to have many health benefits. In the present study, the qualitative phytochemical analysis of three solvent (hexane, chloroform and methanol) extracts of A. brasiliana leaf revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, saponins, flavanoids, phytosterols and phenols, tannins and pr...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimycobaterial activity of Aloe vera leaf, extracted in different solvents in increasing order of polarity and tested against Mycobacterium smegmatis (MTCC 994). Antimycobacterial activity was determined by agar well-diffusion method. Hot methanol extract showed the highest antimycobacterial activi...

Hyptis suaveolens L. Poit., is an aromatic herb which is reported to have high medicinal value. This plant is widely seen in Kerala, India. In the present study the fluorescence analysis was performed and the plant powder was found pure. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenols, tannins, flavanoids etc. in chloroform, ethyl aceta...

Phytochemical constituents of two plants, Thespesia populnea and Hygrophila schulli were extracted (cold extraction) using different solvents based on polarity (hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol and water) and the percentages of extractives were calculated. These extracts were tested for cytotoxic activities agai...

Nutritional and antinutritional properties of the leaf of Ardisia solanacea Roxb., a common shrub found in Kuttanad wetlands, Kerala, India, were analysed to find out its utility as a cattle food additive. The results of proximate analysis revealed the presence of high moisture (67%) and ash (25.31%) contents. This plant is a good source of protein...

The present study was aimed to investigate the fluorescent and antimycobacterial properties of cold and hot extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra against Mycobacterium smegmatis. Upon fluorescence analysis under visible light, G. glabra powder showed brown, green and brown colour under short and long UV light respectively and different colours were observ...

Lichens have been used medicinally across the globe and the medicinal property is related to the presence of secondary metabolites present in them. In the present study, the phenolic and flavanoid contents, percentage extractives, fluorescence analysis of extracts, in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial potential of Parmotrema stuppeum were evaluat...

The present study was aimed to investigate in vitro α-glucosidase inhibition, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimycobacterial activities of the ethyl acetate extract of A. tamilnadensis leaves. The extract recorded strong α-glucosidase inhibition with an IC50 value of 100 μg/ml. The antioxidant potential of the extract was evaluated by nitric oxide...

Objectives: The present study was to study the phytochemical and antibacterial properties of Alternanthera brasiliana leaf extracts using three different solvents (hexane, chloroform and methanol) against human pathogenic microorganism. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening of leaf extracts (in different solvents) of A. brasiliana were quali...

Acorus calamus, a medicinal herb occasionally planted in the home gardens and often found as garden escape in Kuttanad wetlands of Kerala, India and its rhizome was investigated for its nutritional and antinutritional properties. Proximate composition, mineral profiles, vitamins, total free amino acids, in vitro protein digestibility, calorific val...

Thespesia populnea (L.) Soland. ex Correa, commonly known as 'Portia tree' or 'Indian tulip tree', is widely used in traditional medicines, particularly in the Indian System of Medicine for its astringent, cooling, depurative, haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrhoeal properties. The present study examines the antibacterial and antifungal a...

Acorus calamus L., a medicinal herb occasionally planted in the home gardens, and Ardisia solanacea Roxb., a wild edible fruit plant, are frequently found in the Kuttanad wetlands of Kerala state. High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) technique was used to detect and quantify the amino acids present in the rhizome of Acorus calamus and...

Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by bees from the nectar or secretions of plants or from excretions of plant-sucking insects, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store, and leave in honeycombs to ripen and mature. The physical properties of honey make it versatile an...

Alappuzha district, Kerala state, India has a wide network of rivers, canals, backwaters and most of the water resources are highly contaminated due to the disposal of organic waste, fertilizer residues and run offs from agricultural fields into water bodies. As a result of this water bodies have become a congenial breeding ground for water borne v...

Hygrophila schulli is an important medicinal plant in Indian systems of medicine. The purpose of the present study was to examine the antibacterial and antifungal activities of H. schulli collected from Kuttand wetlands, Kerala state, India. Hot and cold extracts of leaf and root in seven solvent each (hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, ethyl ace...

The cell free culture filtrate of Bacillus cereus associated with an entomopathogenic nematode, Rhabditis (Oscheius) sp. exhibited strong antimicrobial activity. The ethyl acetate extract of the bacterial culture filtrate was purified by silica gel column chromatography to obtain four bioactive compounds. The structure and absolute stereochemistry...

Objective: The present study was aimed to find out antioxidant property of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Aegle tamilnadensis Abdul Kader (Rutaceae) leaf. Methods: The phenolic and flavanoid contents of methanolic and aqueous extract were determined. The antioxidant potential of the leaf samples was evaluated by using five in vitro assays such...

The quality of well waters, based on 23 parameters of water, at 12 stations of south-west coast of Kerala, India, was assessed during monsoon, 2009 and summer, 2010, to determine their suitability for drinking and other domestic purposes. The stations selected were grouped into four regions viz. least, slightly, moderately and severely affected one...

Objective: The study was aimed at evaluating the in vitro antioxidant potential of methanolic and aqueous extract of Ardisia solanacea leaves. Methods: The leaves were screened for possible antioxidant property by 2,2 diphenyl-1- picryl hydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH), superoxide radical and hydroxyl radical scavengings, reducing power, metal io...

Objective: The present study was aimed to carry out phytochemical screening and to assess the in vitro free radical scavenging ability of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Acorus calamus (Sweet flag) rhizome collected from Kuttanad wetlands, forming part of Vembanad-Kol wetland system, one of the Ramsar sites in Kerala, India. Methods: The antioxi...

This study aimed to determine the activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Vitex negundo L. against HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase (RT) and to identify and quantify the flavonoids present. The effects of ethanolic (85%) leaf extract of Vitex negundo L. on RT activity in vitro were evaluated with recombinant HIV-1 enzyme, using a non-radioactive HIV-RT co...

Alpha amylase (α-1, 4-glucan-glucanhydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1), an extracellular enzyme, degrades α, 1-4 glucosidic linkages of starch and related substrates in an endo-fashion producing oligosaccharides including maltose, glucose and alpha limit dextrin (7). The present study deals with the production and comparative study of production of α-amylase fr...

Alpha amylase (α-1, 4-glucan-glucanhydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1), an extracellular enzyme, degrades α, 1-4 glucosidic linkages of starch and related substrates in an endo-fashion producing oligosaccharides including maltose, glucose and alpha limit dextrin (7). The present study deals with the production and comparative study of production of α-amylase fr...

Potty, V.P. (2011). Initiation of hairy roots from Canavalia sp. using Agrobacterium rhizogenes 15834 for the co-cultivation of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus microcarpum. Journal of Agricultural Technology 7(2): 235-245. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have symbiotic relationship with plants and which mainly helps the plants for the uptake...

An annular solar eclipse was observed in India on January 15, 2010, with a magnitude of 0.9190 and was most prominently seen in southern parts of Kerala. The effect of radiations especially UV light, produced during different phases of solar eclipse, on bacterial populations was investigated. The bacterial species, E. coli, identified from the norm...

The aim of the present investigation was to find the best Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain, which can induce hairy root initiation faster and the best inducer molecule which can potentiate hairy root induction in host plants. Four different wild strains of A. rhizogenes, namely A. rhizogenes 15834, A4, WS and WR were used for hairy root infection in...

Capsicum annuum L. varieties (Green and Red Chilly) were screened for the production of two antitumor enzymes; L-Asparaginase and L-Glutaminase. The crude protein concentration and the crude enzyme activities in both the varieties were determined. The enzymes were subjected to partial purification by anion exchange chromatography and the concentrat...

Alpha amylase (α-1, 4-glucan-glucanhydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1), an extracellular enzyme, degrades α, 1-4 glucosidic linkages of starch and related substrates in an endo-fashion producing oligosaccharides including maltose, glucose and alpha limit dextrin (7). The present study deals with the production and comparative study of production of α-amylase fr...

Microbial flora of water plays a major role in determining quality of potable water. In the present study a comparative analysis is carried out on the microbial population of drinking water samples from wells and municipal water collected from eight locations of Cherthala taluk, Kerala state, for the presence of coliforms, Vibrio choleiae and Salmo...

Hydrocarbons can be introduced into the environment through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, accidental discharge during transport, the disposal of petroleum products and various industrial processes. Microbial interactions with organic pollutants can be harnessed to help to prevent contamination and clean up of such sites. Microorganisms...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are obligate biotrophs and they cannot complete their life cycle in the absence of a host plant root. AM fungus, Glomus microcarpum was successfully co-cultivated in transgenic hairy roots of I. batatas (variety S1010) initiated through the mediation of Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC15834. Murashige and Skoog (MS) m...

The Government of India permitted patenting of microorganisms in India under the Patents (Second Amendment) Bill, 2002, which was passed by the Parliament on 14 May 2002. The Government has so far granted very few patents for microorganisms, mainly on directives from courts. With the law permitting patenting of microorganisms, several private secto...

The Government of India permitted patenting of microorganisms in India under the Patents (Second Amendment) Bill, 2002, which was passed by the Parliament on 14 May 2002. The Government has so far granted very few patents for microorganisms, mainly on directives from courts. With the law permitting patenting of microorganisms, several private secto...

Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungal association is found in 80% of the plant species and most plant families except Cruciferae, Chenopodiaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Cyperaceae. The obligate biotrophic nature of VAM fungi, limits in vitro culture and large-scale production of mycorrhizal inoculum. This reduced their potential for use as ino...

Infectious diseases are the major cause of health concern claiming a large number of precious lives worldwide every year. The influenza virus is one among them and it can infect both human beings and animals notably pigs, birds, horses etc. Swine flu is an infection caused by a virus, influenza A (H1N1), a subtype of influenza A virus and it is the...

Induction of hairy roots by four strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes- ATCC 15834, A4, WC and WR were studied in five plants, Ipomoea batatas, Solenostemon rotundifolius, Vigna vexillata, Pachyrrhizus erosus and Canavalia species. Among the five plants selected for transformation and induction of hairy roots, P. erosus was found resistant to all the...