ORCID Profile
0000-0001-5304-7812
Current Organisations
Tribhuvan University
,
Kyushu University
,
University Grants Commission- Nepal
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Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 19-07-2022
DOI: 10.1155/2022/9675041
Abstract: Arsenic contamination in soil and water is one of the major environmental problems in multiple countries including Nepal imposing a serious threat to the ecosystem and public health. Many soil bacteria can detoxify arsenic, including genus Bacillus. With an objective to gauge the plant growth-promoting activities of arsenic-resistant Bacillus species, 36 s les (soil, rice, cauliflower, and beans) were collected from the Terai region of Nepal. For selective isolation of Bacillus species, each s le was heated at 80°C for 15 min before the inoculation into nutrient agar (NA). Following the standard protocol, arsenic-resistant Bacillus species were screened using NA supplemented with 100 ppm sodium arsenate and sodium arsenite. Among 158 randomly selected isolates, only five isolates were able to tolerate sodium arsenite concentration up to 600 ppm. Notably, all five isolates were able to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), a plant hormone, and solubilize phosphate. Based on biochemical analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, isolates N4-1, RW, KR7-12, Bhw1-4, and BW2-2 were identified as B. subtilis subsp. stercosis, B. flexus, B. licheniformis, B. cereus, and B. flexus, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing the presence of arsenic-resistant B. flexus in Nepalese soil with plant growth-promoting traits. Possible utilization of these Bacillus strains could facilitate the novel bioremediation pathway to reduce the toxic effect of arsenic from the soil and water in the Terai region of Nepal.
Publisher: Biotechnology Society of Nepal
Date: 31-07-2021
Abstract: Medicinal plants are important reservoirs of bioactive compounds that need to be explored systematically. Because of their chemical ersity, natural products provide limitless possibilities for new drug discovery. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical properties of crude extracts from fifteen Nepalese medicinal plants. The total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and antioxidant activity were evaluated through a colorimetric approach while the antibacterial activities were studied through the measurement of the zone of inhibition (ZoI) by agar well diffusion method along with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) by broth dilution method. The methanolic extracts of Acacia catechu and Eupoterium adenophorum showed the highest TPC (55.21 ± 11.09 mg GAE/gm) and TFC (10.23 ± 1.07 mg QE/gm) among the studied plant extracts. Acacia catechu showed effective antioxidant properties with an IC50 value of 1.3 μg/mL, followed by extracts of Myrica esculenta, Syzygium cumini, and Mangifera indica. Morus australis exhibited antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ZoI: 25mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (ZoI: 22 mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZoI 20 mm, MIC: 0.05 mg/mL), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ZoI: 19 mm, MIC: 0.19 mg/mL). Morus australis extract showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, followed by Eclipta prostrata, and Hypericum cordifolium. Future study is recommended to explore secondary metabolites of those medicinal plants to uncover further clinical efficacy.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 29-10-2021
DOI: 10.1155/2021/4120697
Abstract: The multidrug- or extensively drug-resistant (MDR/XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa carrying some virulence genes has become a global public health threat. However, in Nepal, there is no existing report showing the prevalence of oprL and toxA virulence genes among the clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. Therefore, this study was conducted for the first time in the country to detect the virulence genes (oprL and toxA) and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of P. aeruginosa. A total of 7,898 clinical specimens were investigated following the standard microbiological procedures. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was examined by the modified disc diffusion method, and virulence genes oprL and toxA of P. aeruginosa were assessed using multiplex PCR. Among the analyzed specimens, 87 isolates were identified to be P. aeruginosa of which 38 (43.68%) isolates were reported as MDR. A higher ratio of P. aeruginosa was detected from urine s les 40 (45.98%), outpatients’ specimens 63 (72.4%), and in patients of the age group of 60–79 years 36 (41.37%). P. aeruginosa was more prevalent in males 56 (64.36%) than in female patients 31 (35.63%). Polymyxin (83.90%) was the most effective antibiotic. P. aeruginosa (100%) isolates harboured the oprL gene, while 95.4% of isolates were positive for the toxA gene. Identification of virulence genes such as oprL and toxA carrying isolates along with the multidrug resistance warrants the need for strategic interventions to prevent the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The findings could assist in increasing awareness about antibiotic resistance and suggest the judicious prescription of antibiotics to treat the patients in clinical settings of Nepal.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 09-07-2022
DOI: 10.1155/2022/5398239
Abstract: Medicinal plants have been used from the beginning of human civilization against various health complications. Dengue virus (DENV) has emerged as one of the most widespread viruses in tropical and subtropical countries. Yet no clinically approved antiviral drug is available to combat DENV infection. Consequently, the search for novel antidengue agents from medicinal plants has assumed more insistence than in previous days. This study has focused on 31 potential antidengue molecules from secondary metabolites to examine their inhibitory activity against DENV nonstructural proteins through molecular docking and pharmacokinetics studies. In this research, the wet lab experiments were tested on a computational platform. Agathisflavone and pectolinarin are the top-scored inhibitors of DENV NS2B/NS3 protease and NS5 polymerase, respectively. Epigallocatechin gallate, Pinostrobin, Panduratin A, and Pectolinarin could be potential lead compounds against NS2B/NS3 protease, while acacetin-7-O-rutinoside against NS5 polymerase. Moreover, agathisflavone (LD50= 1430 mg/kg) and pectolinarin (LD50= 5000 mg/kg) exhibited less toxicity than nelfinavir (LD50= 600 mg/kg) and balapiravir (LD50 = 824 mg/kg), and the reference drugs. Further research on clinical trials is required to analyze the therapeutic efficacy of these metabolites to develop new potential drug candidates against different serotypes of DENV.
No related grants have been discovered for Pramod Poudel.