Influence of Light Intensity on the Photosynthesis and Phenolic Contents of Mangifera Indica

Light is an important environmental factor that have an influence on a plants photosynthesis and production of secondary metabolites like phenolic compounds and flavonoid. Mangifera indica from the family Anacardiaceae is known to have bioactivity due to its phenolic and flavonoid contents. The objective of the study is to determine the influence of light on the photosynthesis and phenolic contents of M. indica. Photosynthesis of the plant was measured using a portable photosynthesis system referred to as LICOR- 6400. Photosynthetic pigments as well as phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The outcome derived from the study shows that sun exposed leaves of the studied plant were having the maximum photosynthesis, saturation and compensation points (P < 0.05).  Moreover, sun exposed leaves were having higher carotenoid, phenolic and flavonoid contents but lower chlorophyll contents. This leads to a conclusion that sun leaves of M. indica contribute the highest photosynthesis and phenolic contents to the plant

MALAYSIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS' POTENTIAL FOR BREAST CANCER THERAPY

Objective: This review focused on Malaysian medicinal plants that have been evaluated and pose potentials to treat breast cancer.Methods: Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Biomed, ResearchGate, academia.edu, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, and Ingenta databases were searched for this review and studies reported between January 1st, 2010 and June 30th, 2016.Results: A total of 105 plants species representing 54 different families and 79 genera were reviewed. 97% of the plants were tested using MCF-7 and MDA-231 breast cancer cell lines and exhibited most significant in vitro anticancer activity, and 3% were tested using another type of breast cancer cell lines. Most of the bioactive compounds of the medicinal plants that exhibited good activity (IC50 values <120 μg/mL) are a group of phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and saponins. Induction of apoptosis was found to be the significant cell death pathway.Conclusion: This article reviews the available literature concerning research on anti-breast cancer plants. Furthermore, identification and characterization of active components and toxicology evaluation also need to be studied in details and also point out their clinical trials

Occurrence of volatile organic compounds and extrafloral nectaries in tropical rainforest species in Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia

Plants synthesize numerous classes of secondary metabolites that are crucial in plant defense. Two of the common but non-ubiquitous defenses are the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and production of extrafloral nectaries (EFN). This study investigates the occurrence of emission of VOC and production of EFN in forest species in Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia. From the 165 species screened, 131 species were found to emit VOC while 41 species were EFN-bearing plants. There are 34 species that are both emitting VOC and producing EFN, while 97 species were found to be emitting VOC with no EFN observed. On the other hand, there are 7 species that were EFN bearing but non-VOC emitter, while 27 species were neither emitting VOC nor producing EFN. All 12 dipterocarp species were observed to emit VOC, of these 3 are non-EFN bearing. VOC emissions were further classified into isoprene (C5) and monoterpene (C10) compounds. There are 46 species that were detected to emit both isoprene and monoterpenes, while there are more exclusive monoterpene emitters (62 species) than isoprene-only emitters (23 species). This study showcased the ability of plants to produce a wide array of secondary metabolites as plant defense making them successfully adapt to the complexities of tropical rainforest ecosystem

Effect of Light Quality and Quantity on the Accumulation of Flavonoid in Plant Species

Light effects including its intensity, wavelength, and duration are important environmental factors that affects flavonoid accumulation. Ultraviolet (UV) light can induce flavonoid biosynthesis. Under normal condition, flavonoids are produced in response to stress, and they function as UV filters. In this paper, we review how light quality and quantity affect the accumulation of flavonoid in plant species. High light intensity can influence flavonoid accumulation, but in heliophytes, the opposite is true. Some medicinal plants require shady environment for flavonoid accumulation. In monocots, the flavonoid is situated in both epidermis and mesophyll while in dicot, it is found only in the epidermis. This review leads to a conclusion that high variation in flavonoids accumulation in response to light can occur within and between plant species

Application of statistically simplex-centroid mixture design to optimize the TPC and TFC on the proportion of polyherbal formulation used by jakun women

The objectives of this study were to model the extraction of Total Phenolic (TPC) and Flavonoid Content (TFC) from mixtures of Cnestis palala, Urceola micrantha, Labisia pumila and Microporus xanthopus and to determine the optimal formulation of the herbal mixture. The dried plant materials were extracted using hot boiling water extraction procedure. Samples (0.1 g) were infused in 200 mL boiling distilled water (100°C), stirred for 3 min using a magnetic stirrer, left to cool for 5 min and filtered using filter paper. Folin-Ciocalteu method and aluminium colorimetric method were used for measurement of TPC and TFC. About 24 formulations of herbal mixture were generated by using Design-Expert 9.0 Software. Quadratic and linear model were found to be the best model for describing the relationship between the proportion of polyherbs with the TPC and TFC. The optimal formulations were validate experimentally. The highest TPC and TFC were shown by single formulation of C. palala. The experiments reported in current study demonstrated that the application of statistical mixture design is an efficient tool to analyse the optimal formulation of herbal mixture

Effect of Light Intensity on the Total Flavonoid and Total Phenolic Contents of Mikania Micrantha and Tridax Procumbens

Flavonoid and phenolics are secondary metabolites produced by plants in response to harsh environmental conditions. Light is one of the most important factor that affects their production. Mikania micrantha and Tridax procumbens are plants belonging to Asteraceae family, and they have bioactivity due to their flavonoid and phenolic contents. The objective of the research is to determine the effect of varying light intensities on the total flavonoid and total phenolic contents of M. micrantha and T. procumbens using three solvents (ethanol, methanol and water). Total flavonoid contents was determined based on the aluminium chloride colorimetry method while total phenolic contents was determined based on the folin-chiocalteau reagent. The results obtained in the study shows that ethanol recovers more flavonoid and phenolic than the other solvents (P < 0.05). Besides, T. procumbens had more flavonoid and phenolic content compared to M. micrantha (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, the flavonoid and phenolic contents recovered from sun exposed plants was more than that recovered from shaded plants (P < 0.05). This leads to a conclusion that high light intensity can increase the concentration of flavonoid and phenolic of M. micrantha and T. procumbens

Secondary metabolites, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of Dioscorea bulbifera Leaf Collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia

Breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women globally. Malaysia is a country that is rich in medicinal plant species. Hence, this research aims to explore the secondary metabolites, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of Dioscorea bulbifera leaf collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia. Antioxidant activity was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays, while the cytotoxicity of D. bulbifera on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines was tested using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis were assessed using flow cytometry analysis. Phytochemical profiling was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that methanol extract had the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, followed by ethyl acetate and hexane extracts. D. bulbifera tested against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines showed a pronounced cytotoxic effect with IC50 values of 8.96 μg/mL, 6.88 μg/mL, and 3.27 μg/mL in MCF-7 and 14.29 μg/mL, 11.86 μg/mL, and 7.23 μg/mL in MDA-MB-231, respectively. Cell cycle analysis also indicated that D. bulbifera prompted apoptosis at various stages, and a significant decrease in viable cells was detected within 24 h and substantially improved after 48 h and 72 h of treatment. Phytochemical profiling of methanol extract revealed the presence of 39 metabolites such as acetic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, acetin, hexadecanoate, 7-tetradecenal, phytol, octadecanoic acid, cholesterol, palmitic acid, and linolenate. Hence, these findings concluded that D. bulbifera extract has promising anticancer and natural antioxidant agents. However, further study is needed to isolate the bioactive compounds and validate the effectiveness of this extract in the In in vivo model

Inventory of Non-Timber Species in Ayer Hitam Utara Forest Reserve, Johor

Ayer Hitam Utara Forest Reserve (AHUFR) is one of the permanent reserved forests (PRFs) in Johor, which is consisted of lowland and peat swamp ecosystems. In AHUFR, there has been little progress in the study of non-timber species. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are forest products other than timber that are obtained from both plants and animals and are vital to all species, including people. Among the objectives of this research project were the creation of a checklist of non-timber species in the AHUFR, the identification of non-timber species in the forest reserve, and the measurement of the diversity of non-timber species in the forest reserve. Survey was conducted in 10m × 5m quadrats, in which three quadrats were established in two different ecosystems, namely site A (lowland forest) and site B (peat swamp). The preliminary study documented 92 individuals from 19 families and 33 species of non-timber plants. Melastomataceae was the most dominant family, whilst Clidemia hirta (L.) D.Don was the most dominant species. Based on the Shannon-Wiener and Margalef indices, lowland forest indicated higher diversity of non-timber species compared to peat swamp forest

Biogenic Volatile organic compounds Emission in Malaysian Landscapes and its implication to the Global Carbon cycle

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds from vegetation are recognized due to their importance in influencing the chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere. To date, very limited studies in tropical plants have been included in the regional and global inventories of emissions, albeit their role in the global carbon cycle; tropical rainforest is the major sink of carbon dioxide on Earth. This study aims to understand the carbon balance over tropical landscapes by determining how much carbon is being absorbed by vegetation and how much is being emitted back to the atmosphere in the form of biogenic volatile organic compounds in different vegetation landscapes, i.e. primary forest, secondary forest, and oil palm plantations. Results of this study showed that the primary and secondary forests of Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia have similar isoprene emission potentials of 2,164 g km-2 hr-1 and 2,012 g km-2 h(t, respectively, while the isoprene emission potential of oil palm plantation is 19,500 g km-2 h(l. Isoprene emissions from oil palms are highly dependent to temperature. In terms of species emission potentials, Dipterocarps that dominate the tropical rainforest are non-isoprene emitter but monoterpene emitters, while most of the pioneering plants (Euphorbiaceae, Zingiberaceae) are both isoprene and monoterpene emitters. The sources of isoprene emission from primary forest are from Moraceae, leguminosae, and Clusiaceae, among others. This study conclude that tropical rainforest of Danum Vally, Sabah, particularly the oil palm plantations are significant sources of biogenic volatile organic compounds and should be considered in regional and global carbon modeling. This study also highlights the need for more studies on the behavior of tropical plants as far as emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds, especially under stressed conditions

Foliar chemistry and standing folivory of early and late-successional species in a Bornean rainforest

Background: Few studies have investigated the chemical, morphological and physiological foliar traits and the intensity of standing folivory in a representative set of species of tropical rainforests including species of different successional stages. Aims: (i) To quantify leaf elemental composition, leaf phenolics and tannin concentrations, physical leaf traits and the intensity of standing folivory in a representative set of species of different successional stages in a Bornean tropical rainforest, and (ii) to investigate the relationships among leaf traits and between leaf traits and accumulated standing folivory. Methods: Analyses of leaf elemental concentrations, phenolics (Ph) and tannin (Tan) concentrations, leaf mass area (LMA), C assimilation rate and accumulated standing folivory in 88 common rainforest species of Borneo. Results and Conclusions: Accumulated standing folivory was correlated with the scores of the first axis of the elemental concentrations principal component analysis (mainly loaded by K and C:K and N:K ratios) with lower accumulated standing folivory at high leaf K concentrations (R = –0.33, P = 0.0016). The results show that consistent with growth rate hypothesis, fast-growing pioneer species have lower leaf N:P ratios than late-successional species, that species with higher leaf N concentration have lower LMA according with the ‘leaf economics spectrum’ hypothesis, and that species with lower leaf nutrient concentration allocate more C to leaf phenolics. This study also shows that species with different ecological roles have different biogeochemical ‘niches’ assessed as foliar elemental composition