Sultana Rajia - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sultana Rajia

Molecules

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of death worldwide, affecting approximate... more Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of death worldwide, affecting approximately 1.9 million individuals in 2020. Therapeutics of the disease are not yet available and discovering a novel anticancer drug candidate against the disease is an urgent need. Thymidylate synthase (TS) is an important enzyme and prime precursor for DNA biosynthesis that catalyzes the methylation of deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP) that has emerged as a novel drug target against the disease. Elevated expression of TS in proliferating cells promotes oncogenesis as well as CRC. Therefore, this study aimed to identify potential natural anticancer agents that can inhibit the activity of the TS protein, subsequently blocking the progression of colorectal cancer. Initially, molecular docking was implied on 63 natural compounds identified from Catharanthus roseus and Avicennia marina to evaluate their binding affinity to the desired protein. Subsequently, m...

To investigate and compare the resistance and sensitivity of Salmonella typhi samples to commonly... more To investigate and compare the resistance and sensitivity of Salmonella typhi samples to commonly used antibiotics in three major divisions of Bangladesh and to evaluate the gradually developing resistance pattern. Methods: The antibiotic susceptibility of 70 clinical isolates collected from blood, sputum, urine and pus samples were identified by specific antisera and with standard biochemical tests. The patients were divided into 5 age groups. Susceptibility and resistance was also tested by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method using 12 regularly used antibiotics. Results: Antibiotic susceptibility test demonstrated that 64.28% isolates of Salmonella typhi were multidrug resistant. Present study suggests that the clinical samples were mostly resistant against nalidixic acid with all age groups and in all three divisions with similar resistance pattern. Resistance is more common among adult people (30-40 years) and children (0-10 years). Salmonella typhi was mostly sensitive against gentamycin, chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin. Conclusions: Although the population density of Dhaka region is markedly higher than Rajshahi and Chittagong regions, no significant difference in resistance pattern was found. The rate of multidrug resistance is a matter of concern. Physicians should reconsider before prescribing nalidixic acid and cefixime. Further molecular study is needed to reveal the genomic and proteomic basis of resistance.

Marine Drugs, 2021

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in lectins from marine invertebrates. In th... more In recent years, there has been considerable interest in lectins from marine invertebrates. In this study, the biological activities of a lectin protein isolated from the eggs of Sea hare (Aplysia kurodai) were evaluated. The 40 kDa Aplysia kurodai egg lectin (or AKL-40) binds to D-galacturonic acid and D-galactose sugars similar to previously purified isotypes with various molecular weights (32/30 and 16 kDa). The N-terminal sequence of AKL-40 was similar to other sea hare egg lectins. The lectin was shown to be moderately toxic to brine shrimp nauplii, with an LC50 value of 63.63 µg/mL. It agglutinated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells and reduced their growth, up to 58.3% in vivo when injected into Swiss albino mice at a rate of 2 mg/kg/day. The morphology of these cells apparently changed due to AKL-40, while the expression of apoptosis-related genes (p53, Bax, and Bcl-XL) suggested a possible apoptotic pathway of cell death. AKL-40 also inhibited the growth of human erythroleukem...

Glycan expression pattern in the tissue of marine organisms can provide useful information about ... more Glycan expression pattern in the tissue of marine organisms can provide useful information about glycobiology from different angles. The diversity of oligosaccharide structures present in the annelid from the Pacific Ocean, Perinereis nuntia ver. vallata (polychaeta), was surveyed by using fluorescent labelled lectins to elucidate their glycan-binding properties. Histochemical analyses showed the diversity of glycan patterns in the annelid. Mannose at the non-reducing terminus of glycans was found specifically at the periphery of the intestinal wall in addition to the whole tissue. The response of glycans with non-reducing terminal N-acetylglucosamine detected by Wheat germ agglutinin was weak on the tissue section. Contrastively, glycans with fucose detected by Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1 were present in limited parts of the notopodia. At the same time, Galβ1-3GalNAc/GlcNAc and β-galactoside appeared at the circular muscles surrounding the body and were detected by Agaricus bisporu...

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Objectives: Piper chaba, native to South and Southeast Asia, has been traditionally used as a med... more Objectives: Piper chaba, native to South and Southeast Asia, has been traditionally used as a medicinal plant. Aim of this study was to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of P. chaba root extracts (RE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats along with its antimicrobial activity. Methods: Diabetes was induced in Wister rats through the intraperitoneal administration of STZ (50 mg/kg b.w.). Antidiabetic and antilipidemic activities of the RE (in methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate and distilled water) were evaluated by administering oral dose (200 mg/kg b.w.) for 21 days. Metformin (12.1 mg/kg b.w.) was used as a positive control. Blood samples of rats were drawn by tail vein puncture and cardiac puncture to determine the fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum level of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), respectively. Standard protocols were followed to determine the antimicrobi...

Trends in Glycoscience and Glycotechnology

A novel lectin, termed "MytiLec," was isolated and characterized from the mussel Mytilus gallopro... more A novel lectin, termed "MytiLec," was isolated and characterized from the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, an important food and environmental indicator species found in marine coastal areas worldwide. MytiLec binds to the sugar moiety of globotriose (Gb3), an α-galactoside, leading to apoptosis of Gb3-expressing Burkitt's lymphoma cells. The amino acid sequence of MytiLec is unusual, but 3-dimensional structural analysis reveals the presence of β-trefoil fold, a well-known feature in "R-type" lectins, a family of galactose-binding proteins found in many types of organisms. To date, MytiLec has been found only in a few species of the mollusk family Mytilidae and the phylum Brachiopoda, which also express typical R-type lectins. In this minireview, we discuss: (i) possible reasons for the unusual coexistence of two distinct lectin families in the same animal family; (ii) structural models of MytiLec that are useful for design of lectins with improved anti-cancer properties; (iii) construction of "Mitsuba," an artificial lectin based on MytiLec that has similar carbohydrate-binding activity but a more stable monomeric form; (iv) regulation of cell growth by MytiLec and related lectins through binding to glycans.

Marine Drugs, 2016

MytiLec is an α-D-galactose-binding lectin with a unique primary structure isolated from the Medi... more MytiLec is an α-D-galactose-binding lectin with a unique primary structure isolated from the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The lectin adopts a β-trefoil fold that is also found in the B-sub-unit of ricin and other ricin-type (R-type) lectins. We are introducing MytiLec(-1) and its two variants (MytiLec-2 and-3), which both possess an additional pore-forming aerolysin-like domain, as members of a novel multi-genic "mytilectin family" in bivalve mollusks. Based on the full length mRNA sequence (911 bps), it was possible to elucidate the coding sequence of MytiLec-1, which displays an extended open reading frame (ORF) at the 5 1 end of the sequence, confirmed both at the mRNA and at the genomic DNA sequence level. While this extension could potentially produce a polypeptide significantly longer than previously reported, this has not been confirmed yet at the protein level. MytiLec-1 was revealed to be encoded by a gene consisting of two exons and a single intron. The first exon comprised the 5 1 UTR and the initial ATG codon and it was possible to detect a putative promoter region immediately ahead of the transcription start site in the MytiLec-1 genomic locus. The remaining part of the MytiLec-1 coding sequence (including the three sub-domains, the 3 1 UTR and the poly-A signal) was included in the second exon. The bacteriostatic activity of MytiLec-1 was determined by the agglutination of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which was reversed by the co-presence of α-galactoside. Altogether, these data support the classification of MytiLec-1 as a member of the novel mytilectin family and suggest that this lectin may play an important role as a pattern recognition receptor in the innate immunity of mussels.

Marine Drugs, 2015

MytiLec; a novel lectin isolated from the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis); shows... more MytiLec; a novel lectin isolated from the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis); shows strong binding affinity to globotriose (Gb3: Galα1-4Galβ1-4Glc). MytiLec revealed β-trefoil folding as also found in the ricin B-subunit type (R-type) lectin family, although the amino acid sequences were quite different. Classification of R-type lectin family members therefore needs to be based on conformation as well as on primary structure. MytiLec specifically killed Burkitt's lymphoma Ramos cells, which express Gb3. Fluorescein-labeling assay revealed that MytiLec was incorporated inside the cells. MytiLec treatment of Ramos cells resulted in activation of both classical MAPK/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK-ERK) and stress-activated (p38 kinase and JNK) Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathways. In the cells, MytiLec treatment triggered expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (a ligand of death receptor-dependent apoptosis) and activation of mitochondria-controlling caspase-9 (initiator caspase) and caspase-3 (activator caspase). Experiments using the specific MEK inhibitor U0126 showed that MytiLec-induced phosphorylation of the MEK-ERK pathway up-regulated expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21, leading to cell cycle arrest and TNF-α production. Activation of caspase-3 by MytiLec appeared to be regulated by multiple different

Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2014

Russian Journal of Marine Biology

A 17 kDa MytiLec isolated from the Mediterranean mussel was found to have a novel triple tandem p... more A 17 kDa MytiLec isolated from the Mediterranean mussel was found to have a novel triple tandem primary structure and affinity to an alpha-galactoside, Gb3 (Gala1-4Galb1-4Glc-Cer). The lectin specifically killed Gb3-expressing Burkitt lymphoma Raji cells dose- and glycan-dependently [1]. A crystallographic study showed that MytiLec had beta-trefoil conformation which is a characteristic of Ricin B-chain type (R-type) family lectins, however, the amino acid sequence was not similar. Analogous to Ricin, which killed cultured cells expressing Galb1-4GlcNAc as the ligand, we administered MytiLec to four cultured cell lines that expressed Gb3 glycans and each cell line showed different degrees of dose-sensitivity against MytiLec. FITC-labeled MytiLec was administrated to these cells and its incorporation was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Despite expression of Gb3 on the cell surface, some cell lines incorporated the lectin into the cytosol whereas others did not. Our re...

Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, 2015

This study was done to evaluate the antibacterial activity of chloramphenicol eye drops after exp... more This study was done to evaluate the antibacterial activity of chloramphenicol eye drops after exposure to sunlight as well as to measure the percentage of drug content. Chloramphenicol eye drops manufactured by four different companies were collected from local market and exposed to sunlight and their antimicrobial activity was determined against Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. Each product was exposed to sunlight for fourteen hours in three different ways with or without of their packaging. The percentage of chloramphenicol contents in eye drop samples was also measured by UV-spectrophotometric method. Significant differences in the inhibitory zones were observed among different set of samples. An inverse correlation between percentage of chloramphenicol content and their antibacterial activity was observed. The results indicate that the UVspectrophotometric method cannot distinguish between chloramphenicol and its degraded products and thus gives incorrect high values ...

Toxicology and industrial health, Jan 12, 2014

This study presents an overview of the existence and effects of six heavy metals, chromium (Cr), ... more This study presents an overview of the existence and effects of six heavy metals, chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al), in tannery effluents released to the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The pollutants were found in three different sources, such as effluents from tanneries, contaminated river water and three species of fish-climbing perch (Anabas testudineus), spotted snakehead (Channa punctata), and Black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) caught from the river. Tannery effluents, water, and fish samples were collected from three different factories, five sample stations, and three different harvesting points, respectively. Effluents from all three factories contained significant amounts of heavy metals, especially Cr (374.19 ppm in average), whereas lesser amounts were found in the tissues of the three fish species studied. The trends in tissue elemental concentrations of fish were Cr > Pb > Al > Hg > Mn > Cd...

Molecules, 2014

A specific galactose-binding lectin was shown to inhibit the hemolytic effect of streptolysin O (... more A specific galactose-binding lectin was shown to inhibit the hemolytic effect of streptolysin O (SLO), an exotoxin produced by Streptococcus pyogenes. Commercially available lectins that recognize N-acetyllactosamine (ECA), T-antigen (PNA), and Tn-antigen (ABA) agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes, but had no effect on SLO-induced hemolysis. In contrast, SLO-induced hemolysis was inhibited by AKL, a lectin purified from sea hare (Aplysia kurodai) eggs that recognizes α-galactoside oligosaccharides. This inhibitory effect was blocked by the co-presence of D-galactose, which binds to AKL. A possible explanation for these findings is that cholesterol-enriched microdomains containing glycosphingolipids in the erythrocyte membrane become occupied by tightly stacked lectin molecules, blocking the interaction between cholesterol and SLO that would otherwise result in penetration of the membrane. Growth of S. pyogenes was inhibited by lectins from a marine invertebrate (AKL) and a mushroom (ABA), but was promoted by a plant lectin (ECA). Both these inhibitory and promoting effects were blocked by co-presence of galactose in the culture medium. Our findings demonstrate the importance of glycans and lectins in regulating mechanisms of toxicity, creation of pores in the target cell membrane, and bacterial growth.

Global Journal of Environmental Research, 2009

Water of Buriganga River, beside Dhaka and of a rural river Panguchi was studied and compared for... more Water of Buriganga River, beside Dhaka and of a rural river Panguchi was studied and compared for pollution by determining various water quality parameters for one year. The river Buriganga is subjected to severe pollution whereas Panguchi is considered a less polluted river. The pH range is 6.69 to 8.14 for the river Buriganga and 6.90 to 8.80 for the river Panguchi. The organic pollution in river Buriganga is much more severe as indicated by DO (4.22 to 6.84) and BOD (0.97 to 3.12) than river Panguchi as the values are 7.16 to 8.66 and 5.43 to 5.73 respectively. The overall study shows that the degree of river pollution is quite alarming for the urban population.