Larvicidal, nematicidal, antifeedant and antifungal, antioxidant activities of Mentha spicata (Lamiaceae) root extracts

Purpose: To evaluate the larvicidal, nematicidal, antifeedant, and antifungal effects of 10 solvent extracts of Mentha spicata root.Methods: Ten solvent extracts were investigated for their total flavonoid and phenolic content and screened for larvicidal, nematicidal, antifeedant, and antifungal activities. The total phenolic content of the extracts was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method, while total flavonoid content was determined by aluminium chloride (AlCl3) colorimetric assay. Four solvents extracts were screened for antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, recultured Cryptococcus neoformans, and Microsporum audouinii using the agar diffusion method. The nematicidal activity of the compounds was evaluated against the juvenile Meloidogyne javanica organism, while larvicidal properties were evaluated against the urban mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus using a standard bioassay protocol. The antifeedant activity of marine acclimated Oreochromis mossambicus was used for evaluating ichthyotoxic potential.Results: The total flavonoid content in the extracts ranged from 18.5 to 83.4 mg/g, and the amount of free phenolic compounds ranged from 14.7 to 91.9 mg/g of extract powder. The water extract of these plants exhibited significant antioxidant activity and significant levels of phenolics and flavonoids. The water extract exhibited higher larvicidal (LD50 = 11.77 μg/mL), nematicidal (LD50 = 11.78 μg/mL), antifeedant (LD50 > 40 μg/mL), and antifungal activities (minimum inhibitory concentration: 16 μg/mL) against M. audouinii compared with the other extracts.Conclusion: These results show that the water extract of Mentha spicata may be used as a potential natural alternative source of nutritional and pharmaceutical ingredients.Keywords: Mentha spicata, Larvicidal, Nematicidal, Antifeedant and Antifungal activities, Nutritional supplement, Pharmaceutical ingredient

Autolysis of rice bran phytate in long-term study on batch fermentor

Microorganisms especially bacteria produce a diverse of phytate-degrading enzymes. Rice bran is excellent media for bacterial growth and enzymes secretion. The aim of the study was autolysis of rice bran phytate (6%) in long-term on batch fermentor (with constant agitator speed (300 rpm) and fixed air flow rate (0.5kg/cm2). The phytase production in the fermentor was with gradual color change from initial light green to dense green during the fermentation processes. The pH and temperature changes during production of phytase in the rice bran media over 10 weeks were observed. Initial 3 weeks, a reduction in pH from pH 6 to pH 4.2. After the middle of 4thweek and 5thweek considerable increase in pH towards the neutral range was observed i.e. from pH 6.2 to pH 6.99. In the 5thand6thweeks the pH range was found to be pH 7 to pH 7.9. Starting from the beginning of 8thweek to 10thweek pH was in the near alkaline range pH 8-pH 8.2. The temperature of the media during the initial stages of fermentation for first 3 weeks was 22-25°C. Increase in temperature was noticed after the end of the third week. The remaining weeks from 3 to 10 the temperature range was 25°C-29°C. The temperature of the media inside the fermentor was in between 22°C and 29°C throughout the study (environment temperature 20-40°C). Enzymatic partitional hydrolyzed of rice bran phytate into lower myoinsitolphosophates will have many health benefits applications

Comparative evaluation of PCR success with universal primers of maturase K (matK) and ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase large subunit (rbcL) for barcoding of some arid plants

Abstract DNA barcoding is the use of short DNA sequences (~650 bp) of the standard segment of the genome for large scale species identification. The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) plant-working group recommended the 2-locus combination of rbcL and matK as the standard plant barcode. These two regions of chloroplast DNA were chosen due to efficient recovery of quality sequences and high levels of species discrimination. We evaluated the success rates of universal primers for amplification of matK and rbcL loci in 26 different plant species (covering 14 families) from Saudi Arabia. Success rate in PCR was higher for rbcL (88%) compared with matK (69%). The universal primers of both matK and rbcL failed to amplify the DNA form 3 plant species belonging to the family Asteraceae (Anthemis deserti, Pulicaria undulate, and Sonchus oleraceus). Two plant species Malva parviflora (Malvaceae) and Salsola imbricate (Chenopodiaceae) indicated different primer binding site (matK) as the amplified PCR products were of lower size than expected for these species. These findings indicate that although currently used universal primers of rbcL and matK are able to amplify many of the plant species they may fail in certain cases due to primer mismatch at the annealing site. Further studies are therefore needed for protocol development, particularly designing of novel universal primers, to extend the barcoding for a broader coverage of plant species

A Simple Method for DNA Extraction from Mature Date Palm Leaves: Impact of Sand Grinding and Composition of Lysis Buffer

Molecular marker techniques have been widely used for cultivar identification of inbred date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.; Arecaceae) and biodiversity conservation. Isolation of highly pure DNA is the prerequisite for PCR amplification and subsequent use such as DNA fingerprinting and sequencing of genes that have recently been developed for barcoding. To avoid problems related to the preservation and use of liquid nitrogen, we examined sterile sand for grinding the date palm leaves. Individual and combined effects of sodium chloride (NaCl), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and lithium chloride (LiCl) with the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method for a DNA yield of sufficient purity and PCR amplification were evaluated in this study. Presence of LiCl and PVP alone or together in the lysis buffer did not significantly improve the DNA yield and purity compared with the addition of NaCl. Our study suggested that grinding of date palm leaf with sterile sand and inclusion of NaCl (1.4 M) in the lysis buffer without the costly use of liquid nitrogen, PVP and LiCl, provides a DNA yield of sufficient purity, suitable for PCR amplification

Antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities of cimemoxin derivatives and their molecular docking studies

Purpose: The cimemoxin derivatives and their biological importance in antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities were the main focus of this study. By using a one-step reaction and green chemistry method, this study was able to synthesise derivatives of cimemoxin-related Mannich base compounds. Methods: Green chemistry can be used to prepare new, one-pot syntheses of cimemoxin derivatives (1a-i) Mannich base derivatives. FTIR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and 1H and 13C NMR were used to analyse the newly synthesised compounds. The cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities of synthesized compounds (1a-i) were investigated. To test all synthesised compounds (1a–i) for cytotoxicity against normal Vero cell lines and MCF-7, the antioxidant activities were studied using DPPH, NO, H2O2, and ABTS•+ assays. The synthesised compounds were screened for anti-tyrosinase and antibacterial activities. Highly active compounds were investigated using molecular docking studies. Results: The compound 1h showed considerable activity in H2O2 (IC50: 13.79 µg/mL) and DPPH-scavenging was significantly active (IC50: 19.62 µg/mL) compared to the standard BHT (IC50: 27.16 and 33.88 µg/mL). Compound 1f was more effective than trolox (85.28 %) against ABTS and AAPH antioxidants. The most potent inhibitory activity was observed for compound 1h (IC50 = 15.16 µg/mL) which was more potent than kojic acid (IC50 = 17.79 ± 0.95 µg/mL). All synthetic substances were tested for their cytotoxic potential. Compound 1f (IC50 = 0.12 µg/mL) was extremely active compared to doxorubicin (IC50 = 0.74 µg/ml) and other compounds were lowly active compared to the MCF-7 cell line. In terms of anti-tyrosinase activity, compound 1h was highly active compared with the standard, and compound 1d was highly active against K. pneumonia. Conclusion: In this study, strong antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities were reported for all the compounds. In molecular docking studies, compounds 1d and 1h had higher binding affinities than the other compounds. Compounds 1d and 1h performed well in all tests. Additionally, this investigation successfully identified a number of intriguing compounds with cytotoxic and antioxidant properties

Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of novel pyrazole analogues

A new sequence of pyrazole derivatives (1–6) was synthesized from condensation technique under utilizing ultrasound irradiation. Synthesized compounds were characterized from IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, Mass and elemental analysis. Synthesized compounds (1–6) were screened for antimicrobial activity. Among the compounds 3 (MIC: 0.25 μg/mL) was exceedingly antibacterially active against gram negative bacteria of Escherichia coli and compound 4 (MIC: 0.25 μg/mL) was highly active against gram positive bacteria of Streptococcus epidermidis compared with standard Ciprofloxacin. Compound 2 (MIC: 1 μg/mL) was highly antifungal active against Aspergillus niger proportionate to Clotrimazole. Synthesized compounds (1–6) were screened for anti-inflammatory activity and the compound 2-((5-hydroxy-3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)(4-nitrophenyl)methyl)hydrazinecarboxamide (4) was better activity against anti-inflammatory when compared with standard drugs (Diclofenac sodium). Compounds (2, 3 and 4) are the most important molecules and hence the need to develop new drugs of antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory agents

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of pyrano[3,2-g]chromene-4,6-dione derivatives and their molecular docking and DFT calculation studies

Pyran-4-one and chromenone are well known bioactive compounds, particularly antimicrobial activity. Present study investigation antibacterial activity of pyranone connected chromenone derivatives. New synthesis of pyrano[3,2-g]chromene-4,6-dione derivatives were synthesized via catalysis free eco-friendly method. Synthesized compounds were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectral analysis. An entirely new synthesis of pyrano[3,2-g]chromene-4,6-dione derivatives (1a–o) were studied for their in vitro antibacterial properties. The gram-positive bacterium B. cereus was thought to be the most sensitive of the studied microorganisms, and compounds 1f, 1 g, 1 k, 1 l, and 1o demonstrated the best antibacterial action. The results of the antibacterial activities would suggest that 1 g was more effective against B. cereus (MIC: 0.5 μg/mL) than other compounds and Ciprofloxacin (MIC: 2 μg/mL). Against B. cereus bacterial pathogens, compound 1 g demonstrated exceptional antibacterial activity. The compound 1 g and Ciprofloxacin docked with 5V8E protein action of compound 1 g (-7.2 kcal/mol) and ciprofloxacin (-3.2 kcal/mol) is quite potent, and it also showed greater binding affinity. DFT calculation was well support the performance of energy gap between low and highly active compounds for 1 k (ΔE gap = 0.15 eV) and 1 g (ΔE gap = 0.16 eV), respectively. The lead molecules were used for antibacterial agent

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of novel pyrimidine-2,4-dione connected with 2H-thiopyran derivatives

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to develop a new pyrimidine-2,4-dione hybrid with 2H-thiopyran molecules as a potential antibacterial and antifungal agents against clinical pathogens that cause infectious diseases, in addition to conducting the cytotoxic screening. Methods: The synthesis of 2H-thiopyran connecting pyrimidine-2,4-dionederivatives was carried out in a medium consisting of water with an Mg(II) acetate catalyst. The antimicrobial activity of all synthesized compounds was tested against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC-25923), Enterococcus faecalis (clinical isolate), and Gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae (clinical isolate), Escherichia coli (ATCC-2522), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. Antifungal activity was examined in vitro using Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Microsporum audouinii, and Cryptococcus neoformans as test organisms (clinical isolates). Cytotoxic assay was also performed in vitro at various concentrations. Results: The highly active compound in this study was 3-((2,6-di(furan-2-yl)dihydro-2H-thiopyran-4(3H)-ylidene)amino)dihydropyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione which exhibited the lowest MIC value (8 µg/mL) with broad activity against one Gram-positive and three Gram-negative. The compound, 3-((2,6-di(furan-2-yl)dihydro-2H-thiopyran-4(3H)-ylidene)amino)dihydropyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione showed least MIC value (MIC: 0.25 µg/mL) against C. albicans. The compound 3-((2,6-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)dihydro-2H-thiopyran-4(3H)-ylidene)amino)dihydro pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione was highly active (GI50 0.03 µm) against HeLa cancer cell lines. Conclusions: The overall results indicated that a successful preparation of a few of the promising molecules, which are antimicrobials well as cytotoxicity has been achieved

DNA barcodes of Saudi Arabian birds: Implications for species identification and diversity analysis

Objectives: DNA barcoding using cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene is an effective tool for species identification with additional power of measuring molecular diversity and phylogenetic inference. In this study, we evaluated the performance of COI gene sequences for species identification and molecular diversity analysis of some Saudi Arabian birds. Methods: We sequenced the 694 base pair segment of COI gene from 5 samples of white cheeked bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys), 4 samples of black scrub robin (Cercotrichas podobe), and 2 samples of crested lark (Galerida cristata), all belonged to the same Order. We also included all the COI sequences available in the GenBank for these birds with the aim of studying molecular diversity across geographies. For species identification, we enriched our dataset by including COI barcodes of other Saudi Arabian bird species, including Arabian partridge (Alectoris melanocephala), houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii), green bee-eater (Merops orientalis), laughing dove (Streptopelia senegalensis), namaqua dove (Oena capensis) and collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto), representing different genera. Results: White-cheeked bulbul from Saudi Arabia showed more diversity than the same birds from Iraq. The mean nucleotide difference and nucleotide diversity were 5.20 and 0.009 respectively with as Tajima’s D score of 1.6549 indicating the scarcity of rare alleles. The specimens of black scrub robin from Saudi Arabia and Djibouti showed mixed phylogeny with only two segregating sties and a near zero Tajima’s D score indicating no major selection. Out of 18 samples of crested lark, 13 birds from 4 different geographical regions showed identical sequences, while 3 birds from Russia and 1 from Cyprus grouped in a separate cluster and 1 crusted lark from Djibouti differed from all. The mean nucleotide difference and nucleotide diversity were 0.6993 and 0.0014, while a negative Tajima’s D of −1.1956 indicated the presence of rare alleles. Phylogenetic analysis of 9 different species of Saudi Arabian birds showed the discriminatory power of COI barcodes as all the different species grouped separately in specific clusters. Conclusions: COI barcodes are not only indispensable tools for species identification but can also be used for analyzing molecular diversity and phylogenetic inference

Antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and cytotoxic evaluation of multidrug resistance of new 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives

A new series of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives (2a–h, 3a–e, and 4a–e) were systematically designed and synthesized via ultrasound irradiation methods with easy work-up and good yields. Compounds structures were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectra. The synthesized compounds were screened for both antimicrobial and anticoagulant activities. Compound 2e (MIC: 0.25 μg/mL) was highly active against Escherichia coli and compound 2c (MIC: 0.5 μg/mL) was also highly active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared with ciprofloxacin. (MIC: 1 μg/mL) The antifungal activity of 2c (MIC: 0.5 μg/mL) against Candida albicans was high relative to that of clotrimazole (MIC: 1 μg/mL). Anticoagulant activity was determined by activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) coagulation assays. Compound 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,6-dimethyl-N3,N5-bis(5-phenyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxamide 3d (>1000 s in APTT assays) was highly active in anticoagulant screening compared with the reference of heparin.Cytotoxicity was evaluated using HepG2 (liver), HeLa (cervical), and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell lines, with high toxicities observed for 2c (GI50 = 0.02 μm) against HeLa cell line and 2e (GI50 = 0.03 μm) equipotant against MCF-7 cell line. Therefore, the compounds 2e, 2c and 3d can serve as lead molecules for the development of new classes of antimicrobial and anticoagulant agent. Keywords: Ultrasound irradiation, 1,4-Dihydropyridine derivatives, Anticoagulant activity, Antimicrobial activity, Structure activity relationshi