Monday, November 06, 2006

Deodorant Damage:Lungs get affected

A CHEMICAL compound found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorising products may leave harmful effects on lungs, says a research team from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a part of the National Institutes of Health in the USA. The team found that exposure to a Volatile Organic Compound called 1, 4 dichlorobenzene (1, 4 DCB) causes reductions in lung function. “Even a small reduction indicates some harm to the lungs,” says Stephanie London who led the study.

“The best way to protect yourself, especially children who may have asthma or other respiratory illnesses, is to reduce the use of products and materials that contain these compounds,” she says.

In search of evidence, she and her team examined the relationship between blood concentrations of 11 common VOCs and lung function measures in 953 adults. VOCs are a diverse set of compounds emitted as gases from thousands of commonly used products, including tobacco smoke, pesticides, paints, cleaning products and also released through automotive exhaust. Of the common VOCs (benzene, styrene, toluene, and acetone), only the compound 1, 4 DCB was linked to reduced pulmonary function, according to the study.

This effect was seen even after careful adjustment for smoking. The researchers found that 96 per cent of the population samples had detectable 1, 4 DCB blood concentration levels. The findings were published in a recent issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

The VOC (1, 4 DCB) accused of causing damage to lungs is a white solid with distinctive aroma, similar to mothballs used as a space deodorant in products such as room deodorisers, urinal and toilet bowl blocks, and as an insecticide fumigant for moth control.

“Because people spend so much time indoors where these products are used, it is important that we understand the effects that even low levels might have on the respiratory system,” says Leslie Elliot, a researcher involved in the NIEHS study.

The above article was written by this blogger and originally published in the Sci & Tech section of The Statesman on 8th Day on 15 October, 2006.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Cure for Blood, Breast and Cervical Cancers

Researchers from Kolkata’s Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute have found two plants frequently used in Ayurvedic medicines effectively battle out four types of cancer in lab.

They discovered the root extract of Tiliacora racemosa (Tiliacoru) and the nut oil of Semecarpus anacardium (Dhobi nut) eliminated cultured human tumour cells from acute myeloblastic (myeloblast is a bone marrow cell) leukaemia, chronic myelogenic (associated with bone marrow) leukaemia, breast and cervical cancers.

“The herbal preparations from T racemosa and S anacardium selectively force cancer cells to commit suicide, sparing healthy neighbouring cells,” claims Madhumita Roy, who headed the team of researchers.

“The anti-cancer active compounds identified in the root extract of T racemosa are a number of bisbenzyl isoquinoline alkaloids, a type of organic compound and phenolic substances, also organic compounds, in the nut oil of S anacardium,” writes the researcher in a recent issue of the journal Phytotherapy Research (Vol 18, No 8).

“The findings of the research are indicative of a potential therapeutic role of these herbal preparations in human cancer,” says co-author Sutapa Chakraborty.

To study the anti-cancer effects of the plant extracts, the team produced an ethanol (alcohol) extract of T racemosa root (TA), an alkaloid-containing root extract of T racemosa (TR) and extracted the S anacardium nut oil (SO) using Ayurvedic principles. When tumour cells were exposed to these extracts, TA annihilated all the four types of cancer cells. TR and SO only caused the demise of leukaemic cells while breast cancer cells’ growth was partially inhibited by so and TR.

The above article was written by this blogger and originally published in ‘Down To Earth’, a science and environment fortnightly from New Delhi on 28 Feb’ 2005.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Herbal cure for snakebite

A TEAM from Kolkata-based Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and University of Calcutta have found that the seed extract of Strychnos nux vomica (SNV) — an Indian herb — could neutralise the toxins present in the venom of viper (Daboia russelii) and cobra (Naja kaouthia). The researchers isolated the active compound from the seed extract and found that it protected animals against the toxic effects of the venom. “The active compound, probably a organic compound, may lead to the development of a herbal drug more effective than snake venom antiserum (serum with antibodies against snake venom),” says Antony Gomes, the lead author. “We think that it works by inactivating the toxic enzymes of the venom,” he adds. The findings of their research are published in a recent issue of Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (Vol 42, No 5).

The venom contains a host of lethal enzymes that wreak havoc on healthy cells. Viper venom leads to excessive bleeding and build-up of abnormal body fluid. Cobra venom cripples cardiac muscles and nerve cells. After preparing the seed extract of SNV, Gomes and his colleagues measured the lethal dose (in other words that killed lab mice) by injecting the venom of viper and cobra into the tail vein of male mice. The lethal doses for viper and cobra venom were found to be 2.4 microgrammes and 3.09 microgrammes respectively. The extract even neutralised the adverse affects in guinea pigs and rats. The team also found that a combination of antiserum and seed extract was more potent against venom than antiserum alone.

The above article was written by this blogger and originally published in 'Down To Earth, a science and environment fortnightly published from New Delhi on 15 Nov'2004