Tamarind

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Neeraj Dilbaghi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide as a mucoadhesive polymer.
    Carbohydrate polymers, 2012
    Co-Authors: Harmanmeet Kaur, Shikha Yadav, Munish Ahuja, Neeraj Dilbaghi
    Abstract:

    Abstract In the present study, thiol-functionalization of Tamarind seed polysaccharide was carried out by esterification with thioglycolic acid. Thiol-functionalization was confirmed by SH stretch in Fourier-transformed infra-red spectra at 2586 cm −1 . It was found to possess 104.5 mM of thiol groups per gram. The results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction study indicate increase in crystallinity. Polymer compacts of thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide required 6.85-fold greater force to detach from the mucin coated membrane than that of Tamarind seed polysaccharide. Comparative evaluation of Carbopol-based metronidazole gels containing thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide with gels containing Tamarind seed polysaccharide for mucoadhesive strength using chicken ileum by modified balance method revealed higher mucoadhesion of gels containing thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide. Further, the gels containing Tamarind seed polysaccharide and thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide released the drug by Fickian-diffusion following the first-order and Higuchi's-square root release kinetics, respectively.

Paul A. Garber - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Why Do Tamarins Swallow Such Large Seeds? A Response to Heymann’s Commentary
    International Journal of Primatology, 2013
    Co-Authors: Paul A. Garber, Uriel Kitron
    Abstract:

    In a manuscript published several years ago in the International Journal of Primatology we (Garber and Kitron International Journal of Primatology, 18, 523–538, 1997 ) offered two hypotheses —a feeding efficiency hypothesis and a curative function hypothesis— to account for the fact that several, if not all, species of tamarin monkeys ( Saguinus ) commonly swallow very large seeds (mean seed length 1.12–1.47 cm depending on the tamarin species) that pass through their digestive tract intact. Recently, Heymann ( 2013 ), using data from Knogge and Heymann (Folia Primatologica, 74, 33–47, 2003 ), Müller ( 2007 ), and Wenz et al. (Parasitology, 137, 675–684, 2010 ), attempted to test the curative function hypothesis and argued that there was no support for the contention that seeds passing through the tamarin gut acted to dislodge or expel intestinal parasites. Here we respond to Heymann’s commentary. Although we acknowledge the difficulties of testing self-medication hypotheses on wild primates, we also point out that using data sets not originally designed to test such hypotheses directly limits the strength of Heymann’s analyses. Moreover, we postulated that the mechanical advantage provided by seeds in expelling parasites was based on the number of large seeds present in the tamarin gut and the volume of seeds present in the tamarin gut, and not simply on whether fecal samples did or did not contain seeds. Finally we question why Heymann ( 2013 ) set a threshold for seed length in his analyses at ≥0.5 cm when based on his own data (Knogge and Heymann Folia Primatologica, 74, 33–47, 2003 ) the mean length of seeds voided by his tamarin study groups exceeded 1.7 cm. We commend Heymann for advancing this discussion; however, we feel that given our current state of knowledge the curative function hypothesis remains a viable explanation to account for seed swallowing in wild tamarins.

  • Foraging and Spatial Memory in Wild Weddell’s Saddleback Tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli) When Moving Between Distant and Out-of-Sight Goals
    International Journal of Primatology, 2013
    Co-Authors: Leila M. Porter, Paul A. Garber
    Abstract:

    Two main types of cognitive maps, route-based and coordinate-based, have been proposed to explain how animals navigate through their environments. We examined patterns of feeding and ranging in Weddell’s saddleback tamarins ( Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli ) in northern Bolivia to assess which type of cognitive map best explains the tamarins’ movement patterns in large-scale space, e.g., when moving between distant and out-of-sight goals. We observed the tamarins for 236 h over the course of 32 d and used a GPS unit to record the location of nighttime sleeping sites and feeding trees and the locations of individuals at 10-min intervals. Based on an evaluation of 109 travel segments of >20 m in which the monkeys traveled from the tree of one major feeding species to another without stopping to rest, forage for insects, or interact with neighbors, we calculated a circuity index (actual distance traveled divided by the straight-line distance) of 1.43. We also plotted the monkeys’ daily movement patterns using GIS software. These analyses showed that tamarin travel was not random, that a limited set of route segments ( N  = 29) was reused on multiple occasions, and that certain areas of the forest appeared to serve as switch points ( N  = 9) where the monkeys reoriented travel. These results support the contention that the tamarins encoded the spatial relationships among many feeding and sleeping sites in their home range, and navigated in large-scale space using a route-based spatial representation. These results are consistent with those reported for a variety of primate taxa, suggesting that many primate species reuse a familiar set of travel routes and switch points to orient in large-scale space.

  • Phylogenetic approach to the study of tamarin and marmoset social systems
    American Journal of Primatology, 2005
    Co-Authors: Paul A. Garber
    Abstract:

    Tamarins and marmosets (subfamily: Callitrichinae) are members of an ecologically and behaviorally diverse radiation of small-bodied New World monkeys characterized by the production of twin offspring, intense female reproductive competition, reproductive suppression, cooperative infant care and evidence of what has been described as a highly flexible system of mating. In this review, I offer a phylogenetic approach to the study of callitrichine reproduction and mating systems. Beginning with the assumption that Callimico most closely resembles the ancestral tamarin and marmoset condition, I identify a set of primitive callitrichine behavioral and reproductive character states and reconstruct the sequence of derived behavioral and reproductive changes that define the basic social systems of Saguinus, Leontopithecus, Callithrix, and Cebuella. It is proposed that ancestral callitrichines lived in small multimale multifemale groups characterized by 1 or more reproductively active females, a single offspring at birth, rapid postnatal growth, delayed nonmaternal caregiving, and a polygynous mating pattern. The evolution of twinning in the common ancestor of all extant tamarins and marmosets increased the overall costs of infant care, resulting in enhanced female reproductive competition and a greater role for group members in providing for the young. Specialized mechanisms of female reproductive competition appear to have evolved twice in callitrichine evolution. In the lineage leading to Leontopithecus, high levels of female intrasexual aggression and ovulatory synchrony play a primary role in the social control of fertility. In Saguinus, Callithrix, and Cebuella, female reproductive suppression has a stronger physiological basis, resulting in hormonally mediated infertility in subordinate adult females. In addition to having important implications for understanding differences in callitrichine breeding systems, these data suggest that Leontopithecus separated from the callitrichin line prior to the radiation of other tamarin and marmoset taxa. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  • A comparative study of positional behavior in three species of tamarin monkeys
    Primates, 1991
    Co-Authors: Paul A. Garber
    Abstract:

    Tamarins of the genus Saguinus are small-bodied New World monkeys that exhibit clawlike or modified nails. Patterns of positional behavior and habitat utilization are presented for three species, Saguinus fuscicollis, S. geoffroy , and S. mystax . These data were collected on free-ranging tamarin populations in Panama and Peru. Despite considerable differences in body weight, all three species exhibited very similar patterns of positional behavior, with quadrupedal bounding and running accounting for 43 – 52% of travel time. Leaping was the second most common locomotor activity and accounted for 31 – 41% of travel. Although each species leaped principally on small supports in the perimeter of the tree crown, approximately 20% of all leaps in S. fuscicollis involved moderate to large sized vertical trunks located in the undercanopy. Leaping between trunks was rare in the two larger tamarin species. Measurements taken on live wild-trapped adults reveal that compared to Saguinus geoffroyi and S. mystax, S. fuscicollis is characterized by a long legspan and an especially long armspan. It is proposed that in S. fuscicollis , elongated forelimbs play an important role in maneuvering and rotating the body during the in-air phase of trunk-to-trunk leaping, and increase the breaking distance needed to decelerate the body upon impact. Additional relationships between body size, substrate preference, and positional behavior in callitrichines are discussed.

Christian R Vogl - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Tamarind (#Tamarindus indica L.#) in the traditional West African diet: not just a famine food
    Fruits, 2011
    Co-Authors: Chrisitine Van Der Stege, Sarah Prehsler, Anna Hartl, Christian R Vogl
    Abstract:

    Introduction . Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is a multipurpose, tropical fruit tree originating in Africa. Although the main commercial production of Tamarind fruits takes place in Asia and America, Tamarind plays an essential subsistence role in rural West Africa. This study highlights the importance of Tamarind in traditional diets of rural communities in Benin, Mali and Senegal. Methods . Ethnobotanical field data was gathered through structured individual interviews, semi-structured group discussions, agricultural calendars and participatory mapping with 220 informants of eleven ethnic groups across four agroecological zones. Data was processed by quantitative and qualitative analytical methods. Results . Tamarind adds vitamins and minerals, as well as the traditionally appreciated sour taste, to drinks and meals. It is consumed daily and year-round by many rural West Africans. Ethnic similarities and differences in food use patterns of Tamarind highlight the importance of Tamarind in West African subsistence. The results include detailed descriptions of Tamarind processing and traditional meal preparations of Tamarind fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves. Conclusions . Documentation of local knowledge on Tamarind processing and uses is needed to assist local and regional promotion and domestication efforts of Tamarind to prevent a further decline in Tamarind tree populations. High local use and demand for Tamarind fruits and leaves in subsistence should stimulate the development of sustainable production as well as conservation efforts, in order to secure a continued harvest and satisfy local demand for this important traditional food in the future

  • Tamarind Tamarindus indica l in the traditional west african diet not just a famine food
    Fruits, 2011
    Co-Authors: Chrisitine Van Der Stege, Sarah Prehsler, Anna Hartl, Christian R Vogl
    Abstract:

    Introduction . Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is a multipurpose, tropical fruit tree originating in Africa. Although the main commercial production of Tamarind fruits takes place in Asia and America, Tamarind plays an essential subsistence role in rural West Africa. This study highlights the importance of Tamarind in traditional diets of rural communities in Benin, Mali and Senegal. Methods . Ethnobotanical field data was gathered through structured individual interviews, semi-structured group discussions, agricultural calendars and participatory mapping with 220 informants of eleven ethnic groups across four agroecological zones. Data was processed by quantitative and qualitative analytical methods. Results . Tamarind adds vitamins and minerals, as well as the traditionally appreciated sour taste, to drinks and meals. It is consumed daily and year-round by many rural West Africans. Ethnic similarities and differences in food use patterns of Tamarind highlight the importance of Tamarind in West African subsistence. The results include detailed descriptions of Tamarind processing and traditional meal preparations of Tamarind fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves. Conclusions . Documentation of local knowledge on Tamarind processing and uses is needed to assist local and regional promotion and domestication efforts of Tamarind to prevent a further decline in Tamarind tree populations. High local use and demand for Tamarind fruits and leaves in subsistence should stimulate the development of sustainable production as well as conservation efforts, in order to secure a continued harvest and satisfy local demand for this important traditional food in the future

David I. Watkins - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Three Different MHC Class I Molecules Bind the Same CTL Epitope of the Influenza Virus in a Primate Species with Limited MHC Class I Diversity
    Journal of Immunology, 1999
    Co-Authors: David T Evans, Peicheng Jing, Marian S. Piekarczyk, Leslie A Knapp, Virginia S. Hinshaw, David I. Watkins
    Abstract:

    One of the most remarkable features of the MHC class I loci of most outbred mammalian populations is their exceptional diversity, yet the functional importance of this diversity remains to be fully understood. The cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is unusual in having MHC class I loci that exhibit both limited polymorphism and sequence variation. To investigate the functional implications of limited MHC class I diversity in this outbred primate species, we infected five tamarins with influenza virus and defined the CTL epitopes recognized by each individual. In addition to an immunodominant epitope of the viral nucleoprotein (NP) that was recognized by all individuals, two tamarins also made a response to the same epitope of the matrix (M1) protein. Surprisingly, these two tamarins used different MHC class I molecules, Saoe-G*02 and -G*04, to present the M1 epitope. In addition, CTLs from one of the tamarins recognized target cells that expressed neither Saoe-G*02 nor -G*04, but, rather, a third MHC class I molecule, Saoe-G*12. Sequence analysis revealed that Saoe-G*12 differs from both Saoe-G*02 and -G*04 by only two nucleotides and was probably generated by recombination between these two alleles. These results demonstrate that at least three of the tamarin’s MHC class I molecules can present the same epitope to virus-specific CTLs. Thus, four of the tamarin’s 12 MHC class I molecules bound only two influenza virus CTL epitopes. Therefore, the functional diversity of cotton-top tamarin’s MHC class I loci may be even more limited than their genetic diversity suggests.

  • MHC class I genes in a New World primate, the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), have evolved by an active process of loci turnover.
    Immunogenetics, 1999
    Co-Authors: Luis F. Cadavid, Beatriz E. Mejía, David I. Watkins
    Abstract:

    Lymphocytes of a New World primate, the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), express classical G–related major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules with unusually limited polymorphism and variability. Three G-related loci, an F locus, an E locus, and two pseudogenes (So-N1 and So-N3) have been identified by cDNA library screening and extensive PCR analysis of both cDNA and genomic DNA from the cotton-top tamarin. Furthermore, each genus of the subfamily Callitrichinae (tamarins and marmosets) appears to express its own unique set of MHC class I genes, likely due to a rapid turnover of loci. The rapid emergence of unique MHC class I genes in the Callitrichinae genera, resulting from an active process of duplication and inactivation of loci, may account for the limited diversity of the MHC class I genes in the cotton-top tamarin. To determine the nature of the entire complement of MHC class I genes in the cotton-top tamarin, we synthesized a genomic DNA library and screened it with MHC class I-specific probes. We isolated nine new MHC class I pseudogenes from this library. These newly isolated tamarin G–related MHC class I pseudogenes are not closely related to any of their functional counterparts in the tamarin, suggesting that they do not share a recent common ancestral gene with the tamarin's currently expressed MHC class I loci. In addition, these tamarin sequences display a high rate of nonsynonymous substitutions in their putative peptide binding region. This indicates that the genes from which they have derived were likely subject to positive selection and, therefore, were once functional. Our data support the notion that an extremely high rate of loci turnover is largely responsible for the limited diversity of the MHC class I genes in the cotton-top tamarin.

  • Immunodominance of a single CTL epitope in a primate species with limited MHC class I polymorphism.
    Journal of Immunology, 1997
    Co-Authors: David T Evans, Marian S. Piekarczyk, Virginia S. Hinshaw, Austin L. Hughes, Todd M. Allen, Jon E. Boyson, Meredith Yeager, Frances M. Gotch, David I. Watkins
    Abstract:

    MHC class I molecules play a crucial role in immunity to viral infections by presenting viral peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. One of the hallmarks of MHC class I genes in outbred populations is their extraordinary polymorphism, yet the significance of this diversity is poorly understood. Certain species with reduced MHC class I diversity, such as the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), are more susceptible to fatal viral infections. To explore the relationship between this primate's limited MHC class I diversity and its susceptibility to viruses, we infected five cotton-top tamarins with influenza virus. Every tamarin recognized the same immunodominant CTL epitope of the influenza nucleoprotein. Surprisingly, this nucleoprotein peptide was bound by Saoe-G*08, an MHC class I molecule expressed by every cotton-top tamarin. Two tamarins also made a subdominant response to an epitope of the matrix (M1) protein. This peptide appeared to be bound by another common MHC class I molecule. With the exception of an additional subdominant response to the polymerase (PB2) protein in one individual, no other influenza-specific CTL responses were detected. In populations or species with limited MHC class I polymorphism like the cotton-top tamarin, a dependence on shared MHC class I molecules may enhance susceptibility to viral infection, since viruses that evade MHC class I-restricted recognition in one individual will likely evade recognition in the majority of individuals.

  • Unusually limited nucleotide sequence variation of the expressed major histocompatibility complex class I genes of a New World primate species (Saguinus oedipus)
    Immunogenetics, 1991
    Co-Authors: David I. Watkins, Theodore L. Garber, Zheng W. Chen, Gary Toukatly, Austin L. Hughes, Norman L. Letvin
    Abstract:

    Although major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules are, as a rule, highly polymorphic in mammalian species, those of the New World primate Saguinus oedipus (cotton-top tamarin) exhibit limited polymorphism. We have cloned and sequenced twelve MHC class I cDNAs from this species. Since cloned cotton-top tamarin cell lines express three to six MHC class I molecules, this species must have at least three functional MHC class I loci. There was, however, no evidence of locus-specific substitutions in the tamarin cDNAs. Unlike all other species studied, tamarin MHC class I cDNAs displayed limited nucleotide sequence variation. The sequence similarity between the two most divergent tamarin cDNAs was 95%. To ensure that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers employed in these studies had amplified all of the tamarins' expressed MHC class I genes, we used another set of primers to amplify only exons 2 and 3 from RNA and DNA. PCR of genomic DNA resulted in the amplification of six distinct clones, of which only three were well expressed. Two of these nonexpressed genes were pseudogenes and the other was a nonclassical gene. Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the tamarin has 8–11 MHC class I genes, suggesting we had indeed cloned the majority of these genes. Cotton-top tamarins are, therefore, unique among mammalian species studied to date in that they express MHC class I molecules with limited nucleotide sequence variation.

Harmanmeet Kaur - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide as a mucoadhesive polymer.
    Carbohydrate polymers, 2012
    Co-Authors: Harmanmeet Kaur, Shikha Yadav, Munish Ahuja, Neeraj Dilbaghi
    Abstract:

    Abstract In the present study, thiol-functionalization of Tamarind seed polysaccharide was carried out by esterification with thioglycolic acid. Thiol-functionalization was confirmed by SH stretch in Fourier-transformed infra-red spectra at 2586 cm −1 . It was found to possess 104.5 mM of thiol groups per gram. The results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction study indicate increase in crystallinity. Polymer compacts of thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide required 6.85-fold greater force to detach from the mucin coated membrane than that of Tamarind seed polysaccharide. Comparative evaluation of Carbopol-based metronidazole gels containing thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide with gels containing Tamarind seed polysaccharide for mucoadhesive strength using chicken ileum by modified balance method revealed higher mucoadhesion of gels containing thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide. Further, the gels containing Tamarind seed polysaccharide and thiolated Tamarind seed polysaccharide released the drug by Fickian-diffusion following the first-order and Higuchi's-square root release kinetics, respectively.