November 2012

Antioxidant activities of crude extracts from medicinal plants used by diabetic patients in Eastern Botswana

The antioxidant activities of water extracts of Myrothamnus flabellifolius (shoot) and Ozoroa paniculosa (roots) and their combinations called “Danzoria”(equal proportion of extracts from the two plants) were evaluated  spectrophotometrically  using  the DPPH  free radical scavenging  assay. At 25 µg/ml the free radical scavenging power of the extracts...

Author(s): Motlhanka D. M. T. and Mathapa G.

November 2012

Screening of phytochemical from ethnomedicinal plants in Malaysia for use against toxigenic Aspergillus flavus

Medicinal plants have been used as traditional treatments for numerous diseases for thousands of years.  Antifungal activity of phytochemicals extracted from nine plant species in Malaysia traditionally used for treatment of skin infections were tested against growth of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus isolated from rice grains. The results, evaluated by measuring the diameter of inhibitory zone in...

Author(s): Yazdani, D., , Zainal Abidin, M. A., Tan, Y. H., Kamaruzaman, S. and Jaganath, I. B.

November 2012

Cloning and characterization of chalcone synthase gene from Pueraria candollei var. mirifica

The full-length open reading frame of chalcone synthase (CHS) gene, designated asPcCHS, was obtained from Pueraria candollei var. mirifica using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). It was 1170 bp in length, encoded for 389 amino acid residues with the relative molecular mass of 42.6 kDa. The predicted isoelectric point of the gene product was 5.10. Southern blot...

Author(s): Piyachat Wiriyaampaiwong, Sudarat Thanonkeo and Pornthap Thanonkeo,

November 2012

Comparative study of antimicrobial activities of some mangrove plants from Sundarban Estuarine Regions of India

The study investigated antimicrobial activities in different tissues of four mangrove plants:Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh (Avicenniaceae), Avicennia alba Blume (Avicenniaceae),Clerodendrum inerme Gaertn (Verbenaceae) and Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco (Myrsinaceae) found in the Sundarban delta regions of West Bengal State, India. Organic solvent extracts obtained from different...

Author(s): Vinod Kumar Gupta and Amit Roy

November 2012

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of different organs of three Artemisia species from Iran

In this study, the chemical composition of essential oils isolated from dried stems, leaves, and fruits of three wild sages from Northern Iran (Artemisia absinthium L., Artemisia annuaL., and Artemisia tschernieviana B) were investigated by a combination of gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS). A total of 83 components were identified accounting for 93.51 to...

Author(s): Mohammad Bagher Pasha Zanousi, Parviz Aberoomand Azar and Mahdi Raeesi  

November 2012

Analysis of essential oil from nine distinct genotypes of Iranian Damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill)

The chemical compositions of essential oil from nine distinct genotypes of Iranian Rosa damascena (Fars1, Fars2, Tehran, Mazandaran, Gilan, East Azar, Ardabi, Kermanshah and Qom) were determined following gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. The main essential oil components identified in the different genotypes were citronellol, geraniol,...

Author(s): Akbar Karami, Parviz Zandi, Morteza Khosh-Khui, Hassan Salehi and M. Jamal Saharkhiz

November 2012

Antioxidant effects of Zamzam water in normal rats and those under induced-oxidative stress

Alkaline water have been claimed to boost antioxidant mechanisms. Thus, this study aimed to investigate if Zamzam water that is similarly alkaline, can promote antioxidant mechanisms in normal rats and those stressed with the high dose of gentamicin. In one experiment, the effects of Zamzam water were compared to those of ordinary bottled water in normal rats. In the second experiment, the effects of Zamzam water were...

Author(s): Al Meheithif Abdullah, Elnour Abdelsalam, Bamosa Abdullah and Aleissa Khaled

November 2012

Phytochemical screening, antibacterial and antifungal activity of Garuleum woodii Schinz. root extracts against human pathogenic microbes

The antimicrobial potential of Garuleum woodii root extracts were investigated using 96 wells microplate and agar dilution methods, against selected human pathogenic bacteria and fungi strains. The qualitative phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids and glycosides. The extracts exhibited varied degrees of inhibitions, but the water...

Author(s): Ashafa A. O. T. and Umebese C.

November 2012

Antioxidant activity of Flaveria trinervi (Sprengel) C. Mohr

Considering the important role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, and the growing evidence of the presence of compounds with antioxidant properties in plant extracts, the aim of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant capacity of Flaveria trinervia. Leaves of F. trinervia were subjected to cold extration with petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol...

Author(s): Mallappa Malathi, Mysore Shankar Singh Sudarshana and Mallappa Hanumanthu Niranjan

November 2012

Insulin resistance and oxidative stress in diabetic rats treated with flaxseed oil

Hyperglycemia is a metabolic disorder that results in excessive production of free radicals which leads to severe oxidative damage of cell components like lipids, proteins and DNA. Supplementation with flaxseed oil has been reported to reduce oxidative stress. Eighty male albino rats were used in this study, and were divided randomly into four groups: control, flaxseed, diabetic and treated groups. Blood glucose and...

Author(s): Jihan Hussein, Zakaria El-Khayat, Mamdouh Taha, Safaa Morsy, Ehab Dreesand Sahar Khateeb