• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2005

Polysaccharide hydrogels constitute a structurally diverse class of biological macromolecules with a wide range of physicochemical properties. They also constitute important members of the family of industrial water-soluble polymers. They find application in Pharmacy as binders, disintegrants, suspending, emulsifying and sustaining agents. According to the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council (IPEC), an excipient must have an established safety profile. Hence, in the present study, in vitro cytotoxicity on Vero and HEp-2 cell lines, and in vivo acute toxicity in rats were carried out to establish the safety of polysaccharide hydrogels from the seeds of Plantago ovata and Ocimum basilicum. The in vitro cytotoxicity was determined by MTT and SRB assays. In the in vivo acute toxicity, the effects of three different doses of hydrogels (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) on food and water intake, body weight, biochemical and hematological parameters were studied. The results of in vitro did not show any cytotoxicity on both the cell lines used. In the in vivo acute toxicity, the hydrogels did not show any toxic symptoms in all three dose levels. This establishes the safety of the selected hydrogels. Hence, they can be used as excipients in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.367-377
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• 2018

In this study, baked rice donuts with added psyllium seed husk were manufactured and their quality and retrogradation characteristics were investigated. Control (Con) was made only with wheat flour; Psyllium seed husk in the amount of 8, 12, 16 and 20 grams was added to make rice donuts (P8, P12, P16 and P20). Higher amounts of psyllium seed husk reduced the moisture loss and baking loss, and increased the moisture content and water holding capacity of the donuts. The specific volume of Con was the highest of all the groups. As the amount of psyllium seed husk increased, the lightness and yellowness of the crumb decreased, and the redness of the crumb increased. Hardness also increased as the amount of psyllium seed husk increased. The hardness of P16 was the most similar to that of Con. The scanning electron microscopy images also identified that the structure of the donuts got denser as the amount of psyllium seed husk increased. Rate constant (k) of the rice donuts with psyllium seed husk were lower than that of Con. In conclusion, it is considered that P16 is the sample that is the most similar to Con in terms of texture, but the retrogradation was more retarded in P16 than Con.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.674-683
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• 2012

A new strain, SD12, was isolated from tannery waste polluted soil and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the basis of phenotypic traits and by comparison of 16S rRNA sequences. This bacterium exhibited broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The strain produced phosphatases, cellulases, proteases, pectinases, and HCN and also retained its ability to produce hydroxamate-type siderophore. A bioactive metabolite was isolated from P. aeruginosa SD12 and was characterized as 1-hydroxyphenazine ((1-OH-PHZ) by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral analysis. The strain was used as a biocontrol agent against root rot and wilt disease of pyrethrum caused by Rhizoctonia solani. The stain is also reported to increase the growth and biomass of Plantago ovata. The purified compound, 1-hydroxyphenazine, also showed broad-spectrum antagonistic activity towards a range of phytopathogenic fungi, which is the first report of its kind.