Escherichia albertii and Escherichia fergusonii are recognized as emerging pathogens with zoonotic potential. Despite their increasing importance, there is a paucity of data on the cytotoxicity of these two pathogens. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the cytotoxic potentials of the cell-free supernatants from 10 E. albertii and 15 E. fergusonii isolates for their cytotoxic effects on four different cell lines (CHO, Vero, HeLa, and MDCK). All E. albertii isolates (100%) and all but one E. fergusonii (93.33%) were cytotoxic. E. albertii isolates produced similar cytotoxicity titres across the cell lines, whereas the Vero cell was found to be the most sensitive to toxins produced by E. fergusonii (p < 0.05), followed by HeLa and CHO cells. MDCK was the least sensitive cell line to E. fergusonii toxins (p < 0.05). PCR detection of cytotoxicity-associated genes (cdtB, stx1, and stx2) indicated uniform possession of cdtB gene by all E. albertii isolates, while stx1 and stx2 genes were harboured neither by E. albertii, nor E. fergusonii. Taken together, our results provided experimental evidence of the cytotoxic effects of these two emerging pathogens, and Vero cells were identified as an optimal candidate to study the cytotoxic effects of E. albertii and E. fergusonii.

Potentilla fulgens Wall ex Sims., a local medicinal plant used by the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, India, has been reported to be rich in tannins, polyphenols, triterpenoids, and flavonoids. Although several studies have been conducted on its antidiabetic and anti-oxidant properties, most reports were done with crude polar extracts. In this study, we report the inhibitory effect of the non-polar chloroform extract of P. fulgens (NPFE) on α- amylase and α- glucosidase. The extract exhibited a potent antioxidant effect comparable to the reference standard as reflected by the IC50 values in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Further, the antihyperglycemic action of NPFE was observed in alloxan-induced diabetic mice from the Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test (IPGTT). Spectral and chromatographic analysis using FTIR and GC-MS/MS showed the presence of important functional groups and bioactive compounds. In silico molecular docking of the identified bioactive compounds carried out against α-amylase and α-glucosidase provided more insights into its antihyperglycemic properties.

Natural resources have been used for food and medicine since the beginning of human civilization, and they have always been a low-cost, easily accessible source for individuals. Northeast region of India (NER) represents a significant portion of India's flora and fauna. Marginality, fragility, inaccessibility, ethnicity, and cultural diversity thrived in the region, resulting in the richest reservoir of genetic variation of bioresources. Several bitter plants are used by the locals as both food and medicine to treat a variety of diseases. These medicinal plants are an excellent source of chemically diverse biologically active phytometabolites. There have been few efforts to raise awareness about health benefits of bitter plant resources abound in this region that may provides opportunities for their sustainable utilization. Understanding the structural features of plant derived bitterants in relationship with specific bitter receptor will provide research prospects to identify biomolecules with health benefits. In this context the present review is intended to deliver phyto-pharmacological aspects of bitter plant resources of NER together with detailed understanding of possible association between plant derived phytometabolites as bitter agonists with extraoral bitter receptors.