Browsing by Author "Himanshu Ranjan"

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Characterization and potential novel applications of zinc-based traditional medicine, Yashad Bhasma
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Guruprasad C. Nille; Monisha Bhuyan; Laxmi Narayan Gupta; Mohd Ali; Chandra Shekhar Pati Tripathi; Omkar S. Nille; Shardendu K. Mishra; Anuja A. Vibhute; Pranoti Anil Kamble; Himanshu Ranjan; Amaresh Kumar Singh; Arpita P-Tiwari; Anand Kumar Chaudhary
Background: Yashad Bhasma (YB), the incinerated metal ash of zinc, has been used for centuries in Ayurveda to address a variety of conditions, including eye diseases, diabetes mellitus, anemia, respiratory illnesses, etc. Objective: This research aimed to synthesize and characterize YB and to evaluate its potential antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-angiogenic activities. Materials and methods: In this study, YB is synthesized by optimizing the traditional method. Morphological and physicochemical characterization are performed using XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, EDAX, DLS, TGA-DSC, and FTIR. The antimicrobial activity of YB is assessed using the well diffusion technique against the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). The antioxidant potential is evaluated using the 1,1-Diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and Nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging assay. A chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay is performed on fertilized chick eggs to study the anti-angiogenesis potential of YB. Results: The XRD patterns of YB showed the presence of cubic and hexagonal phases of ZnS having average crystallite size of 32.66 nm. XPS data supports the formation of ZnS phase of YB. SEM and TEM data confirmed the size of YB NPs in a range of 250–350 nm. The EDAX analysis confirmed the presence of Zn (37.2 %) and S (21.18 %). The mean particle diameter was 361 nm in DLS. TGA-DSC findings verified that the synthesized material is stable up to 435.80 °C. The FTIR confirms the presence of organic moieties in YB along with ZnS phase. YB effectively inhibited the growth of S. aureus and E. coli. The ability of YB to scavenge DPPH and NO radicals is found to be concentration dependent (50–250 μg/mL). The study also demonstrated that YB has notable antioxidant activity. The disappearance of blood vessels beneath the sample-loaded disk after 7 days indicated the effective anti-angiogenic properties of YB. Conclusion: Altogether, YB exhibited significant antimicrobial, noteworthy antioxidant, and anti-angiogenic activities, indicating its potential as a promising therapeutic agent. © 2025 The Authors
Oviduct contractility in non-pregnant rats: changes in estrous cycle and effects of estrogen and progesterone antagonists
(BioScientifica Ltd., 2025) Richa S. Singh; Parul Sharma; Shristi Modanwal; Himanshu Ranjan; Amaresh Kumar Singh; Sakshi Agarwal; Sanjeev Kumar Mahto
This study aimed to systematically characterize oviduct contractility across the estrous cycle and to examine the regulatory roles of estradiol and progesterone using receptor antagonists and molecular docking to explore both receptor-mediated and ion channel pathways. Female Wistar rats (n = 48) were used for this purpose. Oviducts were collected during proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus, and spontaneous contractions were recorded using an isometric force transducer. Serum levels of estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prolactin were measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To understand hormonal regulation, tamoxifen (10 mg/kg) was administered during proestrus, and mifepristone (5 mg/kg) was administered during metestrus. Immunofluorescence (IF) study was performed to evaluate expression of the estrogen, progesterone, and glucocorticoid receptors (ER, PR, and GR). Molecular docking analysis assessed interactions of the antagonists with estrogen and progesterone receptors and ion channels. Oviduct contractility was observed noticeably highest during proestrus (high estradiol) and lowest in metestrus and diestrus phases (high progesterone). Tamoxifen significantly reduced contraction parameters (P < 0.001) and estradiol levels, while mifepristone notably increased contraction force (P < 0.01), elevated estradiol levels (P < 0.001), and decreased the proportion of progesterone hormone. The IF study indicated suppression of ER, PR, and GR expression following treatment with mifepristone. Docking analysis revealed that tamoxifen interacted with potassium channels and ERβ, while mifepristone showed high affinity for PR, GR, and calcium channels. These findings highlight that oviduct contractility is dynamically regulated across the estrous cycle through both receptor-mediated and potential non-receptor and non-genomic pathways involving ion channels. © 2025 the author(s)