Lifestyle interventions for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multi-factorial disease and the most common of chronicliver diseases worldwide. The four clinical-pathological entities which are usually followed by NAFLDcourse include non-alcoholic steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis, andhepatocellular carcinoma. The cornerstones of NAFLD management and treatment, however, are healthylifestyles such as dietary modifications, regular physical activity, and gradual weight loss. At present, nodrugs or pharmacological agents have been approved for long-term treatment of NAFLD. Therefore, life-style modification is considered the main clinical recommendation and an initial step for the manage-ment of NAFL

In-vitro anti-microbial and brine-shrimp lethality potential of the leaves extract of nahar (Mesua ferrea) plant

The growing interest in human health and increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics among other reasons have resulted into an increasing need for the exploration of both the essential oils and other plant extracts in the food and pharmaceutical industries. This work, as part of on-going work on the leaves of Nahar (Mesua ferrea) plant, was aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration as well as the cytotoxicity of the leaves extract. The dry leaves were grinded and extracted in an oven shaker set at 37°C and 200rpm for 24 hours using ethanol and methanol as solvents. The agar disc diffusion method was used for the evaluation of antibacterial property of the leaves extract, micro broth dilution was employed for the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), while Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality bioassay was made use of for the cytotoxicity assay. Ethanol gave higher extract’s yield (6.20%) than methanol. The extract showed a remarkable antibacterial property against all the selected microbes (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) with the inhibition zones ranging from 16.0±0.5mm to 18.0±0.5mm for all the tested bacteria. The MIC range of 2.5- 0.625 mg/ml with MBC value of 5mg/ml was obtained for the gram-negative bacteria while MIC rangeof 1.3- 0.313mg/ml with MBC value of 2.5mg/ml was obtained for the gram-positive bacteria. The leaves extract was found to be toxic to the Brine shrimps with LC50 of 500ppm (μg/ml) suggesting that the extracts may contain bioactive compounds of potential the therapeutic and prophylactic significance

Physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics of Baccaurea angulata fruit juice extract

The purpose of this study was to explore the physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics of Baccaurea angulata fruit juice extract. Freeze-dried whole fruit (FDWF), freeze-dried berry (FDB), and freeze-dried skin (FDS) of B. angulata were analyzed for total phenolic, total flavonoid, total anthocyanin, and antioxidant activities. FDS recorded the highest moisture and ash content, protein, total fat, and water activity, compared to FDWF and FDB. FDS also contained the highest total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin, while FDWF recorded the highest in scavenging xanthine oxidase (35.9%) and ferric reducing activity (44.9 μM TE/g). FDS, however, showed the highest DPPH (102.66 mg AA/100 g) and TEAC (847.46 mg TE/100 g) values. DPPH, TEAC and FRAP were strongly correlated with total phenol (r = 0.979; 0.948; 0.997) and total flavonoid (r = 0.987; 0.960; 0.992). Total anthocyanin had no correlation with DPPH and TEAC, but moderately with FRAP (r = 0.734). Physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics of B. angulata may indicate that this fruit may impart health benefits when consumed and can be suggested as a good source for nutraceutical beverages.Keywords: Antioxidant properties, Baccaurea angulata, freeze-dried fruit, nutritional composition, physicochemical.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(34), pp. 5333-533

Seeds' oil as biolubricant

The increasing demands for oils both for human consumption and for other industrial applications has culminated into an increasing need to search for oils from nonconventional sources to augment the available ones and also to meet specific applications. Environmental concerns about synthetic non-biodegradable polymers have also encouraged efforts towards their substitution with fully or partially biodegradable polymers of semi-synthetic or bio-origin. The physic-chemical properties of vegetable oils and their structures were discussed in terms of their potentially future use as base oils biolubricants and additives

Toxicity Assessment of Lactococcus lactis IO-1 Used in Coconut Beverages against Artemia salina using Brine Shrimp Lethality Test

Background and objective: Plant-based fermented foods containing favorable micro-organisms have been used to improve diets. Starter microorganisms may produce toxic compounds that are hazardous to consumers. Brine shrimp lethality test is a convenient and appropriate assay to check toxicity of samples. The aim of this study was to investigate toxicity of pasteurized coconut beverages at 70°C, 80°C and 90°C for 25, 15 and 5 min, respectively, and unpasteurized coconut beverages fermented by Lactococcus lactis against Artemia salina nauplii. Material and methods: After extraction of coconut beverages fermented by Lactococcus lactis using methanol, cytotoxicity was assessed using (lethality concentration). Newly 10 hatched Artemia salina nauplii were transferred into various concentrations (in replicates) of the fermented sample extracts. After 24 h, survived Artemia salina nauplii were counted and lethality concentration was assessed. The brine shrimp lethality test was used to investigate sample toxicity at various doses from 1 to 500 µg ml-1 at various time intervals. Results and conclusion: The fermented extracts included low larvicidal potential against Artemia salina nauplii. Correlations were reported between the extract doses and percentage mortality of nauplli brine shrimp. The pasteurized fermented extracts were less toxic and cheaper. Interestingly, starter culture, fermentation, thermal treatment and time contributed to breaking down of hydrolysable tannins and larger polyphenolic compounds, producing smaller compounds with lower toxicity responses in brine shrimp lethality test. The four probiotics beverage extracts included non-cytotoxic activity as presented by low mortalities in brine shrimp lethality test. In conclusion, these extracts can be used to justify probiotic production of beverages. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Solvent Effect on the Phenolic Compounds and Biological Activity of Difference Morinda citrifolia Root Extract

Cancer and antimicrobial resistance have become a threat to global health and development. This work aimed to identify the biological activities and phenolic compounds content of different Morinda citrifolia L. root extracts. The relationship between biological activities and phenolic content was also discussed. All extracts were screened for antioxidant activity using anti-oxidant assays (FRAP, DPPH, TAOC, ABTS, and BCB) and quantitative phytochemical analyses (TPC). Antimicrobial activity against four bacterial and two fungal strains as well as cytotoxic activities on stomach cancer (SNU-1), colon cancer (LS-174T and HT29), leukemia (K562), and breast cancer (MDA-MB-361) cell lines were also performed. With a value of 122.789 g of gallic acid equivalent/mg extract, the dichloromethane extract had the highest total phenolic content (TPC). The extract also showed high antioxidant activities in all the antioxidant assays and antimicrobial activity. The FRAP (r2 = 0.962) as well as antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (r2 = 0.708), Bacillus subtilis (r2 = 0.890) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (r2 = 0.870) were strongly correlated with the total phenolic content. The LS-174T, K562, HT-29, and MDA-MB-361 cytotoxic activities were also strongly correlated with the total phenolic content with r2 = -0.899, -0.845, -0.981, and -0.978, respectively. The results obtained suggested that the dichloromethane extract of Morinda citrifolia has high biological activity compared to other extracts

Optimisation of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of Trigona honey and propolis using response surface methodology from fermented food products

Honey and propolis are honeybee products that are becoming increasingly common as a result of their ability to improve human health. The optimal combination of honey and propolis for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant capacity were analysed for Trigona honey and propolis aqueous extracts using response surface methodology and a central composite design. The effect of honey (X1: 15 - 16.5 g) and propolis (X2: 13.5 - 15 g) on the total phenolic content (TPC, Y1), total flavonoid content (TFC, Y2), antioxidant capacity (DPPH, Y3; ABTS, Y4), and FRAP (Y5) were tested. The experimental outcomes were adequately fitted into a second-order polynomial model regarding TPC (R2 = 0.9539, p = 0.0002), TFC (R2 = 0.9209, p = 0.0010), antioxidant activity (DPPH, R2 = 0.9529, p = 0.0002; ABTS, R2 = 0.9817, p < 0.0001), and FRAP (R2 = 0.9363, p = 0.0005). The optimal percentage compositions of honey and propolis were 15.26 g (50.43%) and 15 g (49.57%), respectively. The predicted results for TPC, TFC, DPPH (IC50), ABTS, and FRAP were 162.46 mg GAE/100 g, 2.29 mgQE/g, 14.52 mg/mL, 564.27 µMTE/g, and 3.56 mMTE/g, respectively. The experimental outcomes were close to the predicted results: 152.06 ± 0.55 mg GAE/100 g, 2.21 ± 0.05 mg QE/g, 13.85 ± 0.34 mg/mL, 555.22 ± 36.84 µMTE/g, and 3.71 ± 0.02 mMTE/g, respectively. It was observed that the optimal combination of honey and propolis provided the highest antioxidant yield and can be used as functional foods, cosmetics, and medical and pharmacological ingredients

Antimicrobial property of date seed extract

Twelve extracts from four solvents (ethanol, methanol, acetone and distilled water) and three varieties of date palm seeds (Deglet Nour, Biruni and Mixture) were tested in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria species to establish whether or not they have antimicrobial activity. The central composite design was used to investigate the effects of three independent variables (extraction temperature, extraction time and agitation speed) on the dependent variable (inhibition zone). All the twelve extracts of date palm seeds inhibited all the test microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 10 to 42mg/ml and with minimum bactericidal concentration ranging from 21 to 167mg/ml. Extraction temperature, agitation, and extraction time significantly affected total antimicrobial contents extracted from date seeds

Chemical profile and antimicrobial activity of essential oil and methanol extract from peels of four Durio zibethinus L. varieties

Durio zibethinus L. (durian) belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is known as the “King of Tropical Fruit” because of its unique characteristics. The edible part of durian, however, is only about 33% of the fruit while the non-edible parts such as the seed and peels (rinds) are considered as fruit waste responsible for environmental pollution. Thus, the present study was carried out to compare the percentage yields and volatile components from methanol extract and essential oils of the peels of four varieties of durian (Raja Kunyit [D197], Hajah Hasmah [D168], Sultan [D24], and Golden Bun [D13]). The antimicrobial activity of all the extracts and their volatile chemical constituents were also evaluated. Cold maceration was used for the solvent (methanol) extraction. The essential oil extraction was carried out using hydro-distillation and solventfree microwave extraction (SFME) methods. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated against selected microbes using the well difusion method while the characterization of chemical constituents in the essential oils and crude methanolic extracts was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The highest yields of essential oils were obtained from D24 which were 0.030% and 0.014% from SFME and hydro-distillation extraction, respectively, while the highest and most signifcant (p<0.05) yield of methanol extract (8.79%) was obtained from D197. From the GC–MS analysis, butanoic acid was the major compound in the essential oil of durian peels in the four varieties of durians evaluated. Besides butanoic acid, 1-tridecene, 1-pentadecene, and 1-heptadecene were also present in the four varieties. The D168 possesses strong activity against three bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). More novel extraction techniques, bioactivity assays, and characterization are, however, recommended to further explore the potential benefts of durian peels

Comparison of the effects of three different Baccaurea angulata whole fruit juice doses on plasma, aorta and liver MDA levels, antioxidant enzymes and total antioxidant capacity

Purpose Baccaurea angulata (common names: belimbing dayak or belimbing hutan) is a Malaysian underutilized fruit. The preliminary work on B. angulata fruit juice showed that it possesses antioxidant properties. Therefore, further work is needed to confirm the efficacy and proper dosage of B. angulata as a potential natural antioxidant. The present study was thus carried out to compare the effects of three different B. angulata whole fruit (WF) juice doses administered at nutritional doses of 0.50, 1.00 and 1.50 ml/kg/day on plasma, aorta and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase) as well as total antioxidant capacity in rabbits fed high-cholesterol diet. Methods Thirty-five male rabbits of New Zealand strain were randomly assigned to seven groups. For 12 weeks, group CH was fed 1% cholesterol diet only; group C1 was fed 1% cholesterol diet and 0.50 ml/kg/day B. angulata WF juice; group C2 was fed 1% cholesterol diet and 1.00 ml/ kg/day B. angulata WF juice; group C3 was fed 1