ANTICHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY OF ENDEMIC PLANT EXTRACTS FROM SOQOTRA

A total of 30 chloroform and methanol extracts from the following endemic Soqotran plants Acridocarpus socotranus Olive, Boswellia socotranao Balf.fil, Boswellia elongata Balf. fil., Caralluma socotrana N. Br, Cephalocroton socotranus Balf.f, Croton socotranus Balf. fil.., Dendrosicycos socotrana Balf.f., Dorstenia gigas Schweinf. ex Balf. fil., Eureiandra balfourii Cogn. & Balf. fil., Kalanchoe farinaceae Balf.f, Limonium sokotranum (Vierh) Radcl. Sm), Oldenlandia pulvinata, Pulicaria diversifolia( Balf. and Pulicaria stephanocarpa Balf. were screened for their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity by using in vitro Ellman method at 50 and 200 µg/ml concentrations. Chloroform extracts of Croton socotranus, Boswellia socotrana, Dorstenia gigas, and Pulicaria stephanocarpa as well as methanol extracts of Eureiandra balfourii exhibited inhibitory activities higher than 50 % at concentration of 200 ï­g. At a concentrations of 50 ï­g, the chloroform extract of Croton socotranus exhibited an inhibition of 40.6 %

Antioxidant, anti-cholinesterase, anti-α-glucosidase and prebiotic properties of beta-glucan extracted from Algerian barley

Beta-glucan, such as barley-derived beta-glucan (BBG), are homopolysaccharides that have attracted attention by their nutritional and therapeutic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant power of BBG extracted from local Algerian variety of barley (SAIDA 183), and its acetylcholinesterase, alpha glucosidase inhibitory activity as well as its prebiotic potential by fermentation with lactic acid bacteria isolated from camel’s milk, namely lactococcuslactisssplactis (Lc.l.l) and leuconostocmesenteroidesspmesenteroides (Ln.m.m). The results revealed that BBG exhibited low activity against DPPH and ferric-reducing power (IC50 4018.61 ± 656.69 and A0.5 at 359.88 ±63.64 µg/mL respectively), in contrast to other antioxidant tests (ABTS, Beta-carotene and CUPRAC) where BBG demonstrated a moderate activity (IC50 529.91 ±26.37, IC50 161.013±13.322, A0.5 529.79 ± 48.65 µg/mL). The scavenging ability of hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical by BBG with an IC50 at 2268.38±101.57 µg/mL and IC50 345.26± 62.32 µg/mL, respectively, while enzymatic inhibition by  BBG exhibited for AChE at IC50 859.164 ±64.46 μg/mL , BChE at IC50 at 725.470 ±30.95 , α-Amylase inhibitory activity at IC50 2986.785 ± 37.046  . The bacterial growth of the two strains used in this study is favorably affected by the use of BBG as the only carbon source, in comparison with glucose as a control. In light of these findings, it can be concluded that BBG have shown moderate antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities and can be used as a prebiotic by acting synergistically with probiotics in functional food matrices

Turning Waste into Value: Nanosized Natural Plant Materials of Solanum incanum L. and Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir with Promising Antimicrobial Activities

Numerous plants are known to exhibit considerable biological activities in the fields of medicine and agriculture, yet access to their active ingredients is often complicated, cumbersome and expensive. As a consequence, many plants harbouring potential drugs or green phyto-protectants go largely unnoticed, especially in poorer countries which, at the same time, are in desperate need of antimicrobial agents. As in the case of plants such as the Jericho tomato, Solanum incanum, and the common African tree Pterocarpus erinaceus, nanosizing of original plant materials may provide an interesting alternative to extensive extraction and isolation procedures. Indeed, it is straightforward to obtain considerable amounts of such common, often weed-like plants, and to mill the dried material to more or less uniform particles of microscopic and nanoscopic size. These particles exhibit activity against Steinernema feltiae or Escherichia coli, which is comparable to the ones seen for processed extracts of the same, respective plants. As S. feltiae is used as a model nematode indicative of possible phyto-protective uses in the agricultural arena, these findings also showcase the potential of nanosizing of crude “waste” plant materials for specific practical applications, especially—but not exclusively—in developing countries lacking a more sophisticated industrial infrastructure

Screening of Traditionally Used Endemic Soqotraen Plants for Cytotoxic Activity

Thirty extracts obtained from 10 endemic plant species belonging to 8 plant families used in the traditional medicine in Socotra have been tested for cytotoxic activity against FL-cells. Extracts of Eureiandra balfourii and Commiphora ornifolia showed the strongest activity against FL-cells with IC50 < 10 µg/ml and 39.3 µg/ml respectively

Short Communication - Screening Of Traditionally Used Endemic Soqotraen Plants For Cytoto-Xic Activity

Thirty extracts obtained from 10 endemic plant species belonging to 8 plant families used in the traditional medicine in Socotra have been tested for cytotoxic activity against FL-cells. Extracts of Eureiandra balfourii and Commiphora ornifolia showed the strongest activity against FL-cells with IC50 < 10 μg/ml and 39.3 μg/ml respectively

Anticholinesterase Activity Of Endemic Plant Extracts From Soqotra

A total of 30 chloroform and methanol extracts from the following endemic Soqotran plants Acridocarpus socotranus Olive, Boswellia socotranao Balf.fil, Boswellia elongata Balf. fil., Caralluma socotrana N. Br, Cephalocroton socotranus Balf.f, Croton socotranus Balf. fil.., Dendrosicycos socotrana Balf.f., Dorstenia gigas Schweinf. ex Balf. fil., Eureiandra balfourii Cogn. & Balf. fil., Kalanchoe farinaceae Balf.f, Limonium sokotranum (Vierh) Radcl. Sm), Oldenlandia pulvinata , Pulicaria diversifolia ( Balf. and Pulicaria stephanocarpa Balf. were screened for their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity by using in vitro Ellman method at 50 and 200 µg/ml concentrations. Chloroform extracts of Croton socotranus, Boswellia socotrana, Dorstenia gigas, and Pulicaria stephanocarpa as well as methanol extracts of Eureiandra balfourii exhibited inhibitory activities higher than 50 % at concentration of 200 ·g. At a concentrations of 50 ·g, the chloroform extract of Croton socotranus exhibited an inhibition of 40.6 %

Evaluation of Antileishmanial Activity of Albaha Medicinal Plants against Leishmania amazonensis

Sixteen methanolic extracts obtained from thirteen plant species, selected either from ethnobotanical or chemotaxonomical data, were screened for their antileishmanial activity against Leishmania amazonensis. The cytotoxic activity against normal peritoneal macrophages from normal BALB/c mice was also determined. Eight extracts had IC50 values ranging from <12.5 to 37.8 µg/mL against promastigotes. Achillea biebersteinii flower, Euphorbia helioscopia, and Solanum incanum leaf extracts showed antileishmanial activities with IC50 between <12.5–26.9 µg/mL and acceptable selectivity indices of 8–5. The other leishmanicidal plant extracts, with IC50 ranging from 18.0 to 29.5 µg/mL, exhibited low selectivity indices

In-vitro antioxidant, Xanthine oxidase-inhibitory and in-vivo Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic activity of Onopordum acanthium

Onopordum acanthium (Scotch thistle) belong to Asteraceae (Compositae). O. acanthium is a flowering biennial plant native to Europe and Western Asia with coarse spiny leaves 20-50 cm in width with conspicuous and spiny-winged stems. We have previously reported pro-apoptotic and cytotoxic effect of Onopordum acanthium crude extract against glioblastoma U-373 cells. The present study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxicity, antioxidant, xanthine oxidase inhibition, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic activity of butanolic extract of Onopordum acanthium. Cytotoxicity of different solvent (methanolic, butanol, chloroform and petroleum ether) extract studied by brine shrimp lethality bioassay, total flavonoid and phenolic, antioxidant, xanthine oxidase inhibition activity was studied by in-vitro whereas anti- inflammation studied by carrageenan-induced paw edema model, antipyretic with 20 % brew yeast injection induced pyretic model, analgesic with 1 % acetic acid induced analgesic model investigated in in-vivo in wistar rats. Good antioxidant activity was found with IC50 = 134.4 µg/ml with considerable amount of total phenolic and flavonoid content. Xanthine oxidase inhibition effect was weak with IC50 = 572.9 µg/ml. Oral administration of O. Acanthium butanolic extract (OA) showed minimum lethality of brine shrimp nauplii henceforth OA butanolic phases was selected for further in-vivo studies. OA 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight decreased the oedema by 37.78 % and 40.52 %, respectively; standard aspirin 100 mg/kg decreased 42.62 % at 5th hour of Carrageenan injection.  OA 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly decreased acetic acid-induced abdominal writhes when compared to standard aspirin. OA have shown dose and time dependent decrease in body temperature in yeast induced pyrexia, comparable to standard, aspirin. The present results demonstrate that OA has notable anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic activity related to presence of phenolic compounds as from literature it has been demonstrated that isolated compounds from aerial parts of Onopordum acanthium had strong activity in in-vitro assay. 

Essential oil composition of leaves of Stachys yemenensis obtained by supercritical CO2

This article reports the composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Stachys yemenensis. The essential oil was extracted by supercritical CO 2 (90 bar; 40°C) and its chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major components of the sample were α-phellandrene (13.9%), β-phellandrene (11.7%), elemol (12.0%), spathulenol (6.7%), β-eudesmol (5.0%), α-eudesmol (4.75%) and squalene (4.8%). On the exhausted matrix, deprived of the volatiles, we carried out a high-pressure (250 bar) treatment for the extraction of squalene (49.7%). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils has been assayed by using the broth dilution method on two American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains, Escherichia coli ATCC 35218 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, and two clinical strains, Candida albicans and Candida glabrata