May 2010
New progress in biocatalysis and biotransformation of flavonoids
Flavonoids have many beneficial health effects, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antiplatelet, anti-ischemic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, estrogenic, and radical-scavenging activity. However, their practical applications are often strongly limited due to low solubility and stability in hydrophilic media. Biocatalysis and biotransformation of flavonoids have been introduced to modify their...
May 2010
Determination of the vegetative and reproductive characteristics of valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) under sowing dates and planting densities in Iran
This study was conducted as split-plot field experiment in a randomized complete block design with four replications for one year planting. The main factors were the sowing dates (10th August, 1st September and 20th September) and sub factors were the planting densities (4, 8 and 12 plants/m2). The results showed that sowing date and planting density significantly affected grain yield, essential oil...
May 2010
Pollen morphological diversity in selected species of Persicaria Mill. (Family; Polygonaceae)
Fifteen species of the genus Persicaria Mill. were subjected to palynological studies using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Aperture number and exine sculpturing were found to be most reliable characters for the distinction of investigated taxa. On the basis of aperture number two main types of pollen were distinguished viz; tricolpate Capitata type and pantoporate Persicaria...
May 2010
Chemical composition and biological activities of a new essential oil chemotype of Tunisian Artemisia herba alba Asso
The aim of the present study was to investigate the chemical composition,antioxidant, angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory, antibacterial and antifungal activities of the essential oil of Artemisia herba alba Asso (Aha), a traditional medicinal plant widely growing in Tunisia. The essential oil from the air dried leaves and flowers of Aha were extracted by...
May 2010
Antioxidant activities, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and phenolic content of Malaysian vegetables
Vegetable extracts of nine Malaysian vegetables; Curcuma domestica, Kaempferia galanga, Piper betel, Piper sarmentosum, Polygonum minus, Cosmos caudatus, Centella asiatica, Hydrocotyle bonariensis and Barringtonia racemosa were screened for their antioxidant properties. Total antioxidant activities of leaf or rhizome extract were assayed using different methods; ferric reducing...
May 2010
Anticancer activity of guava (Psidium guajava L.) branch extracts against HT-29 human colon cancer cells
Natural products have recently become the focus of increased research interest due to their potential pharmacological activities. Therefore, we established a program to screen natural products for cytotoxic activity using the MTT reduction assay system to test HT-29 human colon cancer cells. During the course of screening, we found that the acetone extracts of guava (Psidium guajava L.) branch (GBA) had...
May 2010
Response of ginsenoside Rb1 production in Panax ginseng cells to Amaranthus tricolor cells
Ginsenoside Rb1 is one of the principal pharmacological ingredients of ginseng. The effects of Amaranthus tricolor suspension cells, containing high level of squalene, on ginsenoside Rb1 production by Panax ginseng suspension cells were investigated. The maximum Rb1 content (51.5 ± 3.1 mg/L) reached during the next 4 d after A. tricolor cells (16 g...
May 2010
Optimization of DNA isolation, ISSR-PCR system and primers screening of genuine species of rhubarb, an important herbal medicine in China
To estimate genetic diversity and to authenticate the three endangered and official genuine species, Rheum officinale, Rheum palmatum and Rheum tanguticum, of herbal medicine of rhubarb, the optimization of DNA isolation methods including modified CTAB and isolation kit, PCR system of inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) and primers screening were investigated in the present work. Modified CTAB was...
May 2010
Evaluation of anti-inflammatory effect of Zosima absinthifolia and deltoin
In this study, n-Hexane extracts prepared from aerial part of Zosima absinthifolia(ZAA) and the root of Z. absinthifolia (ZAR) (Umbelliferae) as well as deltoin were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity using the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema test. The anti-inflammatory activity of Z. absinthifolia was not found to be significantly different at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg. However,...
May 2010
The HDR gene involved in the TIA pathway from Rauvolfia verticillata: Cloning, characterization and functional identification
1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl 4-diphosphate reductase (HDR, EC 1.17.1.2) catalyzes the last reaction of the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. The full-length cDNA sequence of HDR was cloned and characterized from terpenoid-indole-alkaloid-producing Rauvolfia verticillata. The new cDNA was named as RvHDR and submitted to GenBank® to be assigned with an accession number: EU034699. The...
May 2010
The investigation of phenolic compounds and technological properties of Leonurus, Crataegus and Ginkgo extracts
The aim of this study was to prepare the formulation of herbal extract mixture in ratio - Ginkgo:Leonuri:Crataegi extracts (1:5:6) with excellent technological properties and identify the phenolic compounds, flavones and flavonols. The flowability study showed that excipients (Prosolv HD90, mannitol+colloidal silicon dioxide and microcrystalline cellulose+colloidal silicon dioxide) reduced powder dustiness and...
May 2010
Analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of Oxyanthus unilocularis
Oxyanthus unilocularis is a Rubiaceae used in traditional medicine for the treatment of arthritis and pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of O. unilocularis.Antinociceptive properties of both the leaf and stem bark extracts of this plant were studied using the pressure-induced pain, writhing, tail flick and formalin test methods....
May 2010
Caffeic acid and its derivatives as heme oxygenase 1 inducer in Hep G2 cell line
Effect of 10, 50 and 100 µg/ml caffeic acid and its esters and amides derivatives on heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) activity induction in Hep G2 cell line was studied. It was found that caffeic acid ester derivatives could induce HO-1 activity more than amide derivatives. The longer side chain and aromatic side chain affected HO-1 activity. At 10 µg/ml concentration, phenylmethyl 1-(3’,...
May 2010
Antioxidant and toxicity activities of Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb. heartwood extract
The antioxidant activity of Artocarpus lakoocha heartwood extract was investigated from ethanol extraction by 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) decolorization, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and H2O2 scavenging assay. Polyphenolic; total phenolic, flavonoids and tannins were measured. Anti-oxidative stress was studied in AAPH-oxidized blood and...
May 2010
The effect of propolis on microbial vitality and oxygen consumption
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different concentrations of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) on oxygen consumption and vitality of gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, and yeast. Our investigations showed that EEP at the concentration of 65 - 1,300 mg ml-1 of phenolic compounds (PC) inhibited oxygen consumption rate of Bacillus subtilis by 26 - 81%, and ofCandida albicans...
May 2010
Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils isolated from Algerian Juniperus phoenicea L. and Cupressus sempervirens L.
The chemical composition of essential oils isolated from the leaves by steam-distillation of Algerian Juniperus phoenicea L. and Cupressus sempervirens L. were analyzed by GC-MS. The oils were predominantly composed of monoterpene hydrocarbons (72.9 and 75.7%), with α-pinene as major constituent (34.5 and 60.5%). β-phellandrene (22.4%) and α-Terpinyl acetate (14.7%) were the second...
May 2010
Phytochemical and chemical composition of Combretum zenkeri leaves
Studies on the phytochemical, mineral, proximate and vitamin content of the leaves of Combretum zenkeri were carried out. The quantitative phytochemical composition shows that it contains 10.5 ± 1.31 mg/100 g saponin, 7.90 ± 0.10 mg/100 g alkaloid, 4.2 ± 0.10 mg/100 g flavonoid, 31.86 ± 2.10 mg/100 g tannin and 20.088 ± 0.91 mg/100 g cyanogenic glycosides. It contains...
May 2010
Acute and subchronic toxicity evaluation of the hydroethanolic extract of mangosteen pericarp
In this study, we examined the effects of a hydroethanolic extract from the fruit pericarp of mangosteen, that contained epicathechin based tannins as a major constituent, upon acute and subchronic treatments to experimental animals. Intragastric administration of this extract to Swiss albino mice at a single dose of 2 and 5 g/kg body weight produced no toxicity signs during 14 days of observation. For the...
May 2010
Evaluation of superoxide radical scavenging capacity and reducing power of areca flower extracts
Areca is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant used to treat a variety of diseases. The antioxidant capacities of areca flower extracts were evaluated by using superoxide radical scavenging activity and reducing power, total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were also detected. In all the tested models, the areca flower extracts showed their ability to scavenge superoxide radical and reducing power in a...
May 2010
Effects on exercise endurance capacity and antioxidant properties of astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides (APS)
Astragalus membranaceus is a famous Chinese medicinal herb. Polysaccharides are the most important functional constituent in Astragalus membranaceus. In the present study, the effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides (APS) on exercise endurance capacity were evaluated in mice using swimming exercise. The antioxidant properties of APS were also investigated through the 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)...
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