Archana Mehta’s research while affiliated with Dr. Hari Singh Gour University and other places

In today’s time, the only demand for the consumer is disease-free, health-promoting foods without any chemical preservatives or biological contamination. To fulfill these demands, many researchers are trying to identify novel approaches to preserve the food by using bacteriocin as a biological preservative. Bacteriocins are heat-stable peptide, are synthesized ribosomally, have antimicrobial properties, are produced by one bacterium, and prevent the growth of other bacteria. Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria and food poisoning bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp., Listeria spp., Bacillus spp., and Clostridium spp. Spoilage of food includes some alteration which reduces food quality, and these foods are unacceptable for consumption. The disease that occurs in human after consumption of spoiled food is called foodborne disease. Bacteriocins are best-known examples used for biopreservation, because of their safety parameter in foods as well as in low amounts, they inhibit microbial growth. This book chapter aims to discuss the application of bacteriocins in food preservation as a biological agent to maintain the quality of food.

Microbes possess a wealth of metabolic equipment that brings about diverse chemical transformations. This characteristic of microbes could be exploited in obtaining some valuable products of daily use. The cheap raw materials available in nature as a waste may be converted into useful commercial products by the activity of microbes. Antibiotics are commonly used drugs that are diverse in their actions and side effects. The large number of antibiotics available makes it challenging to understand the characteristics of each of these antimicrobial agents, including important information such as toxicities and indications. Some antibiotics have been employed clinically for their anti-tumour and immuno-suppressive properties, while others for their effectiveness in infections of bacterial or viral origin. Although, certain antibiotics work only on prokaryotes, while others are toxic only to eukaryotes or to both types of organisms. All such studies including antibiotic resistance and emergence of new pathogenic organism pointing towards the need of development of new antibiotics and search for new sources.

Adiantum capillus-veneris, commonly known as maidenhair fern, belongs to family Pteridaceae, has traditionally been used in various medicinal preparations as demulcent, expectorant, emmenagogue, diuretic, etc., in the form of oil, paste, decoction, and powder. It also has prominent role in hair growth and has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-nociceptive, and antioxidant properties of therapeutic interest. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro cytotoxic activity of fractions of ethanolic extract isolated from the aerial part of A. capillus-veneris against some human cancer cell lines such as colon (HCT-116), lung (A549), breast (MCF-7), and pancreatic (MIA PaCa-2) and tumor cell proliferation/ inhibition was assessed using MTT assay. The in vivo anti-cancer activity of hexane fraction was also evaluated against murine Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) model. The results confirmed that all the fractions of ethanolic extract exhibited promising in vitro inhibition of tumor cell proliferation when tested against different human cancer cell lines. Among all, hexane fraction proved to be more effective, having IC50 values 21.72, 22.67, 26.25 μg/mL, for HCT-116, A-549, MCF-7, respectively, but chloroform fraction revealed to be more cytotoxic against Mia-PACA-2 having IC50 value 14.72 μg/mL. Higher cytotoxic activity is found to be associated with lower IC50 values. The findings showed that all five fractions exhibited dose-dependent killing capabilities in various human-derived cancer cell lines at 48 hours of treatment. Hexane fraction was found to inhibit tumor growth development by 16.95, 41.12, and 82.07% at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Additionally, this fraction was predicted to be non-toxic at the tested doses. The findings indicate that A. capillus-veneris herb is an antineoplastic agent and suggests that further studies evaluating the isolation of active antitumor compounds from A. capillus-veneris and their mechanism(s) of action are necessary

Breast cancer is regarded as the second leading cause of mortality in females after lung cancer which is most prevalent in males. Numerous species of pteridaceae family have been traditionally and pharmacologically used for the treatment of many disorders. Besides, from years, there are various studies of Adiantum species, revealed to be useful for humankind. In this study, we attempted to determine the phytochemical constituents and the evaluation of in vitro anticancer activity of various fractions (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water fraction) obtained from the ethanolic extract of Adiantum capillus-veneris aerial part against human breast cancer cell line. Preliminary phytochemical screening was done by using various tests for the presence or absence of phytochemical constituents like flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, tannins and carbohydrates. In vitro anticancer activity against human breast cancer cell line was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. The qualitative phytochemical analysis of various fractions exhibited the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolics, tannins and saponins. However cardiac glycosides and carbohydrates were absent. Hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water fractions reduced MDA MB-231 cell viability in a concentration dependent manner, with inhibitory concentration 23.25, 24.59, 30.22, 42.19 and 33.26μg/mL respectively. Among all fractions, hexane fraction showed more cytotoxic effect towards the tested cell line. From the above study, it can be concluded that the plant A. capillus-veneris contains a wide variety of secondary metabolites that holds strong anticancer activities based on experiment performed.

The World Health Organization reports that approximately 80% population from developing countries are facing complications from synthetic drugs used in maintaining their primary health-care needs. The chemotherapeutic strategies are very striking and have earned serious concern as potential means of controlling the incidence of this dreadful disease. However, the major problem in cancer is the long lasting toxicity of the well reputable chemical drugs. Since ancient times, medicinal plants have attracted enormous attention, to fight against various diseases with their broad-spectrum biological and therapeutic properties. Although plants, phytochemicals and their analogues have been confirmed to be safe and effective, having strong anticancer properties. A number of pharmaceutical agents with diverse chemical structures of natural origin from plants have been discovered as anticancer agents such as vincristine, vinblastine, podophyllotoxin, camptothecin, taxol, resveratrol, withaferin A, quercetin, and curcumin. Further modifications of these phytochemicals led to the development of numerous outstanding molecules such as drugs like topotecan, irinotecan, taxotere, etoposide, and teniposide. In this in-depth review, we meticulously investigated the selected medicinal plants for their anticancer properties. In particular, novel compounds from plants have beneficial effects on human health. Our observations suggest the preventive and therapeutic use of phytochemicals in managing various human malignancies.

All over the world, the recent scientific studies revealed the medicinal properties of plants, which have been examined, because of their effective pharmacological activities, economic viability, and their low toxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) enhancement by endogenous and exogenous stimuli can modify redox circumstances of normal cells. To balance ROS-mediated cellular damage, endogenous antioxidants’ protection system subsists; however, when oxidation surpasses the control mechanisms, oxidative stress increases. Detrimental alterations induced in a variety of biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, and DNA which causes chronic escalation of oxidative stresses, which ultimately causes tissue damage and results in numerous diseases. Antioxidants reduce the effects of ROS and help us in the prevention of such diseases. Antioxidants can either be natural or synthetic. Natural antioxidants can be obtained through diet in the form of fruits, spices, vegetables, etc. Synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole also diminish oxidation, but they have been proved to be dangerous to humankind; therefore, investigation for non-toxic antioxidants has increased in the recent years.

Probiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria are very useful antioxidants which have potential to reduce free radicals in human body. The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro antioxidant potential of cell free supernatant (CFS) of two probiotic bacteria i.e. Lactobacillus plantarum KP894100 and Lactobacillus acidophilus KP942831. The CFS of L. plantarum KP894100 and L. acidophilus KP942831 showed potent DPPH, superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity with concentration dependent manner when compared with ascorbic acids as standard drug. Protein contents present in CFS of L. plantarum KP894100 was 12 mg/ml and in L. acidophilus KP942831 was 8 mg/ml was determined by Lowry methods.

This study was aimed to determine the cholesterol lowering and maintaining lipid profile effects of Lactobacillus strains in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were treated with Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus (10 8 CFU/ml) orally for 2 h or 21 days followed by measuring body weight and serological biomarkers such as triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL, TC/HDLC ratio and LDLC/HDLC ratio. After the administration of Lactobacillus strains for 21 days TG, TC, VLDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly (P < 0.001) increased, whereas HDL cholesterol was decreased in diabetic rats compared to normal rats. Both the Lactobacillus strains exhibited significant reduction (P< 0.001) in all tested lipid and body weight parameters and restored them to nearly-normal values. The findings confirm anti-hypercholesterolemia and anti-hyperlipidemic efficacy of Lactobacillus spp.