Biology subjects

Bhattacharyya, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Bhattacharyya, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Study on the interaction of Yohimbine with duplex oligonucleotide using spectroscopic and computational tools

DNA-interactions with multivalent ligand(s) have increasingly become the subject of substantial research. For several small-molecules with therapeutic-potential, nucleic-acids serve as their primary molecular-target. Such interaction has been shown to affect transcription, and replication, ultimately leading to apoptotic cell-death. Thus, researchers are becoming increasingly interested in understanding ligand-interaction with oligonucleotides making it possible to develop new, DNA-specific drugs. Yohimbe (Yh), a bioactive indole-alkaloid, has been thoroughly investigated for its pharmaceutical qualities, but the mechanism of DNA-binding is still ambiguous. This research adopted computational and multi-spectroscopic methods to investigate the molecular-mechanism between Yohimbine and hairpin-duplex oligonucleotide at physiological-conditions. The occurrence of slight hypochromic and bathochromic deviations in fluorescence intensity indicates that Yh interacts with hairpin-duplex. Employing the McGhee-von Hipple approach, the Scatchard-plot analyses indicated non-cooperative interaction with 105 M-1 binding affinities. The temperature-dependent fluorescence data suggested positive entropy and negative enthalpy supporting the exothermic binding. Salt-dependent fluorescence revealed that non-polyelectrolytic forces governed the DNA-ligand association. The findings of the urea-denaturation, dye-displacement, and molecular-docking analysis, iodide-quenching confirmed groove-binding. Therefore, biophysical tools and in silico modeling were utilized to identify the structural-alteration and energetic-profiling of Yhs interaction with oligonucleotides which can be employed for the development of DNA-targeted therapeutics.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2025

A pilot study on the biological applications of indole alkaloids derived from Nagaland biodiversity

The north-eastern Indian state, Nagaland with its rich biodiversity, is well known for traditional, natural medicines. However, the scientific basis of the working principle(s) of such drugs are yet to be explored. Plant alkaloids, the nitrogen-containing organic molecules, are traditionally been used for various medicinal purposes from ages. There is a need for drug discovery from natural sources to create a broader drug portfolio for human use. And, Nagaland medicinal plant based bioactive molecules have huge potential for the same. As a pilot study, this work aims to study the in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) properties, toxicity prediction and structural properties of the indole alkaloid molecules, Ajmalicine (AJM) and Serpentine (SER) and its docking interaction pattern with various forms of DNA. ADME analysis confirms that the alkaloids meet the criteria of a standard drug. The ProTox II prediction showed the probability of the toxicity profile of the input compounds. Density functional theory (DFT) revealed the HOMO-LUMO energy gap of the drug molecules along with the quantum chemical parameters from the optimized geometry of the ligands. Molecular docking (MD) analysis showed successful binding of the molecules into the groove region of the various forms of DNA structure for both the cases. The results of this theoretical pilot study provides information that will be helpful in the development of effective and modified drugs for medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes as well as in the planning of practical laboratory experiments.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2024

Influence of Incorporating Full-Fat Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal (BSFLM) in Meat Type Chicken Diets on the Lower Gut Short Chain Fatty Acids profile, Gut Morphology and Intestinal Lesion Score

Though protein demand is increasing day by day but the animal protein industry on a global scale is facing the biggest challenge of replacing antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) to raise broiler chickens. Using AGP is a long-standing practice to include in poultry diets for improving the intestinal health and subsequent performance of the broiler chicken. Due to increased restrictions and bans on the usage of antibiotics, the poultry-producing community is in search of a suitable and sustainable alternative to AGPs. The present study was aimed at to evaluate and analyte the potential impacts and consequences associated with the inclusion of black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) in a commercially available meat type chicken when compared to diets that either contained or lacked the presence of antibiotic growth promoters, specifically enramycin at a concentration of 8% and chlortetracycline at a concentration of 15%. Our study also assessed the influence of inclusion of BSFLM on cecal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and the gut health. 180 male day-old Vencobb430Y chicks (mean BW 42.52 g) (P > 0.05) were randomly allocated into isonitrogenous and isoenergetic dietary treatments in three equal groups. BSFLM group has exhibited significant higher concentration of short chain fatty acids in cecum like acetate, isobutyrate, butyrate, and total SCFAs compared to both the AGP and CONTROL groups (P<0.05). The villi height of duodenum and jejunum remained significantly higher in BSFLM supplemented birds as compared to the AGP group (P<0.05). From the analysis of frequency plots depicting the severity of intestinal lesions, it was observed that the presence of serosa and mucosa congestion in the anterior sections of the gastrointestinal tract was within the expected range for both the CONTROL and AGP groups, thus indicating that this particular physiological condition can be considered as normal in these experimental groups. In the duodenal part, incorporating BSFL meal showed significantly higher villi height and crypt depth compared with CONTROL and AGP (P<0.05). Inclusion of full-fat BSF has improved overall intestinal health and lower lesion scores compared to the CONTROL and AGP groups. The present investigation explored thepotential of incorporating full-fat black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal into the dietary regimens of broilers for sgnificantly bolstering the health and functionality of their gastrointestinal tract, particularly in instances where the inclusion of antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP) is deliberately omitted from said diets.

zoology↗