Genetic diversity fosters the quintessence of speciation and species acclimatization of plants in their in situ environment. Members of Cucurbitaceae, an edible and economically vital crop family, have spread across the world, dominating the tropical regions. Thus, a study of the genetic relationships among cucurbit cultivars would throw light onto the extent of diversification among these vegetal crops. The present study endeavours to understand the phylogenetic patterns and relatedness among selected species of cucurbits, using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers, which are quick, reliable and produce sufficient polymorphisms for large-scale DNA fingerprinting purposes. A total of 117 bands, of which 57 were polymorphic, were amplified by five primers. The phylogram generated on the basis of Jacquards' similarity coefficient revealed a close genetic relationship between C. maderaspatanus and C. melo, while C. sativus, a member of the same genus, was placed as a distant relative from both species, thereby demonstrating remarkable diversification among members of the same genus.

In the present study was to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of the bark and root of Myrica esculenta and their active phytoconstituents through in vitro and in silico studies. The bioactive phytoconstituent of Myrica esculenta was determined by GC-MS spectroscopy techniques. After that, total phenolic and flavonoid content of both bark and root extract was determined. Furthermore, in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was determined in both extracts. The molecular docking analysis determined the binding affinity of bioactive compounds against inflammatory proteins such as COX-1, COX-2, IL-10, and TNF-α. The present study revealed that bark extract of Myrica esculenta has the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content compared with root extract (553.44 ± 18.38 mg GAE/g equivalent and 336.02 ± 8.04 mg quercetin/g equivalent, respectively). Similarly, the bark extract showed good inhibitory activity with 5-LOX and HYA assay (IC₅₀ 11.26 ± 3.93 and 21.61 ± 8.27 µg/mL, respectively), but 15-Lox inhibitory assay root extract showed the highest inhibitory activity, IC₅₀ 16.95 ± 5.92 µg/mL. The docking result showed that myricetin, arjunolic acid, and myricanone have the highest binding affinity with all inflammatory proteins in respective order: myricetin > arjunolic acid > celecoxib > myricanone > myricitrin > 3-epi-ursonic acid. The MD simulation of COX-1 and myricetin showed the highest stability and low deviation at 310 K through RMSD values (1.07–2.3 Å) as compared with COX-1 and myricitrin (0.193–1.885 Å) and TNF-α and myricanone (1.377 to 3.457 Å), respectively, when analyzed at 100 ns time frame. The extracts and their active constituents showed good anti-inflammatory activity. Further study is essential to define their mechanism of action.

Mangrove is an opulent and untapped ecosystem with great phytochemical diversity, making it suitable for the discovery of novel antimicrobial compounds. The goal of the study was to explore the pharmaceutical antibacterial and antioxidant resources from Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora mucronata and Aegiceras corniculatum and gain insight into the diversity and novelty of compounds such as alkaloids, flavanol, polyphenols etc. A liquid extract was obtained by subjecting fresh mangrove leaves to maceration and Soxhlet extraction. Plant DNA barcoding was utilized to authenticate the identity of the samples under study. A few of the obtained sequences have been communicated to GenBank (OQ696049.1, OQ696050.1, OQ692575.1, OQ679419.1). The phytochemical profiling revealed the presence of polyphenols (TPC = 8.71, 8.51, 8.77 and 5.52 mg/gm of plant tissue, respectively); flavonoids (TFC = 12.42, 8.48, 5.26 and 13.903 mg/gm of plant tissue, respectively); and alkaloids (2.5, 3.81, 4.98 and 5.21 mg/gm of plant tissue, respectively). The antioxidant potential (radical scavenging activity) was scored to be 87.8%, 89.5%, 92.07% and 45.8% (DPPH assay was conducted), respectively. The antimicrobial analysis was performed on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis. The MIC revealed maximum activity in Klebsiella pneumonia, while negligible activity was scored for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The analysis thus reveals that the plants under study may have better medicinal activity against respiratory tract organisms. In vitro biochemical analysis of different molecules present in the plants was performed using the Swiss ADME database. The present study thus reveals the preliminary compounds from selected mangrove plants that can be promising future anti-microbial therapeutics.

Contemporary high-stress lifestyle combined with poor eating habits has led to an upsurge in hormonal imbalances in mankind; especially in women. The hormonal imbalance may lead to several changes in the body causing various diseases and disorders including numerous allergies, anxiety and depression, diabetes mellitus, fatigueness, facial hair growth, hair loss, PCOS, PMS, unhealthy skin, uterine fibroids, water retention, followed by several other pathological conditions. Conventional therapy for resolving hormonal imbalances often involves the use of synthetic hormones with vitamin supplements. However, these treatments are rostrum for contraindications and cytopathic effects. This has resulted in the development of complementary and alternative practices as adjuncts, namely the nutraceutical approach. Some popular nutraceuticals like: cod liver oil, Echinacea, folic acid, ginseng, glucosamine, green tea, lutein, Omega-3s, and many that possess multiple restorative benefits and have been implicated in hormonal imbalance treatment. Furthermore, natural supplements rich in selenium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, and a host of other trace minerals, nutrients, and vitamins are being amalgamated in a nutraceutical approach to ameliorate the symptoms and metabolic imbalances caused by fluxes of different hormones. The present chapter focuses on the types of hormonal imbalances and their related disorders, along with nutraceuticals effective in healing these imbalanced fluxes of hormones and different associated diseases. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->

Evaluation of molecular phylogeny employing barcode markers for a population analysis has revealed the association between character evolution and diversification. The present research study endeavors to estimate the molecular phylogeny and evolution amongst 30 geographically distant land races of Coccinia grandis using chloroplast barcode markers. On the basis of sequences of ­C. grandis landraces and sister genera’s of Cucurbits; phylogeny and evolutionary distances were estimated using bootstrap method of UPGMA and ML with MEGA and DAMBE software. The rbcL appear to be evolving marginally amongst land races studied, while matK loci exhibited several parsimonically insignificant variations. The ycf5 locus resolved efficiently the phylogeny at both intraspecies and intergeneric levels. The values of Tajima’s relative rate test, Nei’s genetic distance and gamma distribution, within C. grandis accessions and among Cucurbits denoted plausibility of occurrences of random population expansion, slow ontogenic transitions and high consanguinity percentage among core barcode regions.The present study thus lays a platform for researchers working with vegetatively propagated plants to plan strategies for exchange of varieties, their maintenance, utilization and enhancement for further crop development and propagation.