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Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat

Assam Agricultural University is the first institution of its kind in the whole of North-Eastern Region of India. The main goal of this institution is to produce globally competitive human resources in farm sectorand to carry out research in both conventional and frontier areas for production optimization as well as to disseminate the generated technologies as public good for benefitting the food growers/produces and traders involved in the sector while emphasizing on sustainability, equity and overall food security at household level. Genesis of AAU - The embryo of the agricultural research in the state of Assam was formed as early as 1897 with the establishment of the Upper Shillong Experimental Farm (now in Meghalaya) just after about a decade of creation of the agricultural department in 1882. However, the seeds of agricultural research in today’s Assam were sown in the dawn of the twentieth century with the establishment of two Rice Experimental Stations, one at Karimganj in Barak valley in 1913 and the other at Titabor in Brahmaputra valley in 1923. Subsequent to these research stations, a number of research stations were established to conduct research on important crops, more specifically, jute, pulses, oilseeds etc. The Assam Agricultural University was established on April 1, 1969 under The Assam Agricultural University Act, 1968’ with the mandate of imparting farm education, conduct research in agriculture and allied sciences and to effectively disseminate technologies so generated. Before establishment of the University, there were altogether 17 research schemes/projects in the state under the Department of Agriculture. By July 1973, all the research projects and 10 experimental farms were transferred by the Government of Assam to the AAU which already inherited the College of Agriculture and its farm at Barbheta, Jorhat and College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara, Guwahati. Subsequently, College of Community Science at Jorhat (1969), College of Fisheries at Raha (1988), Biswanath College of Agriculture at Biswanath Chariali (1988) and Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur (1988) were established. Presently, the University has three more colleges under its jurisdiction, viz., Sarat Chandra Singha College of Agriculture, Chapar, College of Horticulture, Nalbari & College of Sericulture, Titabar. Similarly, few more regional research stations at Shillongani, Diphu, Gossaigaon, Lakhimpur; and commodity research stations at Kahikuchi, Buralikson, Tinsukia, Kharua, Burnihat and Mandira were added to generate location and crop specific agricultural production packages.

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20161
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Subject: Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology × Author: Borthakur, Anurag ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    EVALUATION OF HEPATOPROTECTIVE AND HYPERLIPIDEMIC PROPERTIES OF ALTERNANTHERA SESSILIS
    (Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, 2016-07) Borthakur, Anurag; Mohan, P.
    The aqueous and methanolic extracts of Alternanthera sessilis were evaluated for hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic activities in rats. The effects of the extracts were also observed in guinea pig ileum and rat ileum. The Botanical Survey of India, Shillong had identified and authenticated the plant as Alternanthera sessilis (A. sessilis). The dried and pulverized fine powder of A. sessilis leaves which was subjected to cold aqueous and cold methanolic extract treatment yielded 11.45 and 5.98 grams per 100 grams of dry powder, respectively. The extracts of A. sessilis were found to be positive for phlobatannin, saponin, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids when subjected to qualitative phytochemical analysis. The calculated LD50 was found to be greater than 2500 mg.kg -1 body weight as per OECD guidelines. For evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of A. sessilis in rats, hepatotoxicty was induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 + Liquid Paraffin 50% v/v) 2ml/kg body weight subcutaneously twice a week for 3 weeks in all the groups except group I (control). Group I served as normal control, whereas group II as treated control with only CCl4, Group III as standard and group IV, V and VI were treated with varying doses of aqueous extract at 100, 300 and, 900 mg.kg -1 body weight respectively. Similarly in another experiment, group IV, V and VI were treated with varying doses of methanolic extract at 100, 300 and 900 mg.kg-1 respectively. The treatment for group I (control), Group II (treated control) and group III (silymarin treated) was done exactly the same way as in the previous setting. The parameters studied were aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatise, total bilirubin. The effects of both aqueous and methanolic extracts of A. sessilis in CCl4 induced hepatic damage , in a dose dependent manner was found to lower, the cellular enzymes, viz. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and serum alkaline phosphatise(ALP). The efficacy in lowering the various cellular enzymes leaking into the serum after hepatic damage was not significantly different between the methanolic and the aqueous extract. The hepatoprotective activity of extracts of A. sessilis, as depicted by reduction in the plasma level of some cellular enzymes viz. AST, ALT, and ALP, including drop in total bilirubin level, may be due to its free radical scavenging activity of certain plant constituents like flavonoids, terpenoids etc. For evaluation of hypolipidemic activity of A. sessilis in rats, the animals were placed in six different groups with each group consisting of 6 rats. The group I was kept as control with normal feeding and ad libitum water. The group II was kept as treated control with high fed diet (20% coconut oil in feed) being fed to induce hypercholesterolemia. The group III was treated with atorvastatin @ 10 mg.kg-1 body weight. The group IV, V and VI were treated with varying doses of aqueous extact @ 100 mg.kg-1. 300 mg.kg-1, 900mg.kg-1 body weight respectively. The hypolipidemic effect in the groups treated with the aqueous extract was discernable from the 2nd weeks onwards with the highest dose of A. sessilis showing comparable effect with the group subjected to atorvastatin treatment. The possible mechanism via which it produces its hypolipidemic effect may be due to increased functioning of the hepatocytes thereby facilitating the excretion of cholesterol through bile. The extracts of A. sessilis did not produce any effect when subjected to guinea pig ileum neither could it block the histaminic effect when treated in the presence of extract. The extracts also did not show any effect when it was subjected to rat ileum. Neither could it block the effect of acetylcholine when treated in presence of the extracts.