Secondary metabolites of alchemilla persica growing in Iran (East Azarbaijan)

Phytochemical investigations of Alchemilla persica Rothm. growing in Iran were performed taking into account both the volatile and polar constituents. The hydrodistilled essential oil was analysed by GC-MS that revealed the presence of diterpenoids (19.6 %) and sesquiterpenes (17.1%) as the major constituents, while tannins and flavonol glycosides were identified as the most abundant constituents of the methanol extract by HPLC-MS. A. persica can be a valuable source of ellagitannins and polyphenols

Instructional Strategies for Motivating and Engraining Generation Z Students in Their Own Learning Process

In the last few years, a number of significant research studies were conducted focusing on identifying and determining the root cause and also factors that critically contribute to students failure and success in higher education. These studies have enabled educators to evaluate the underlying causes by analyzing different perspectives presented by students, faculty and academic leaders. Various studies were conducted and published in the past that have addressed the same issue. For example, in three related studies conducted and presented at the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) conference in Chicago, Illinois, the surveyed participants (students, faculty, and academic leaders) provided concrete root-cause factors for student’s failure at college and university level. Student’s academic readiness, self-motivation, study habits, and students attitude towards education were the most mentioned root-causes by both, faculty and academic leaders (Appendix 1). During the studies, all participants agreed upon the fact that in order to succeed, students should have clear mindsets and should be aware of the reasons and requirements they will need to meet in order to enroll in a specific course. They should be thoroughly aware of their purpose for attending a school beyond just getting passing grades and a degree to get jobs.   However, all three surveyed groups strongly believe that it is not only the student’s responsibility, but also the responsibility of instructors and college administration to keep students motivated after admitting them to their colleges, programs, and courses (Cherif, Movahedzadeh, Adams, Martyn 2013; 2014; 2015).  In this paper, we explore the implementation of some proposed recommendations from various research studies for improving students learning and instructors teaching in a classroom setting. Keywords: Modern students, Motivations; Student academic performance and retention, Student success. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-3-0

Essential Oil from Flowers and Leaves of Elaeagnus Angustifolia (Elaeagnaceae): Composition, Radical Scavenging and General Toxicity Activities

Purpose: The aim of this work was to identify the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the flowers and leaves of Elaeagnus angostifolia (Elaeagnaceae) along with evaluate the radical scavenging and general toxicity activities. Methods: A combination of GC-MS and GC-FID were utilized for analyzing the chemical profile of the essential oils extracted by hydro-distillation from the leaves and flowers of E. angustifolia. The essential oils were subjected to general toxicity and radical scavenging assays using brine shrimp lethality test and DPPH method, respectively. Results: In total, 53 and 25 components were identified and quantified in the essential oils of flowers and leaves, accounting for 96.59% and 98.97% of the oil, respectively. The both oils were observed to be rich in ester compounds. The most abundant components of the oil from flowers were E-ethyl cinnamate (60.00%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (9.99%), palmitic acid (5.20%) and phytol (3.29%). The major constituents of the oil from leaves were E-ethyl cinnamate (37.27%), phytol (12.08%), nonanal (10.74%) and Z-3-hexenyl benzoate (7.65%). Both oils showed moderate activity in DPPH assay; however, they exhibited potent tocixity in brine shrimp lethality test. Conclusion: The remarkable toxicity effects of the oils are worthy to further investigation to find the probable mechanisms of action accountable for the noticeable toxic effect of these essential oils

Secondary Metabolites of Alchemilla persica Growing in Iran (East Azarbaijan)

Phytochemical investigations of Alchemilla persica Rothm. growing in Iran were performed taking into account both the volatile and polar constituents. The hydrodistilled essential oil was analysed by GC-MS that revealed the presence of alkanes (27.8%), diterpenoids (19.6%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (17.1%) as the major constituents, while tannins and flavonol glycosides were identified as the most abundant constituents of the methanol extract by HPLC-MS. A. persica can be a valuable source of ellagitannins and polyphenols

In vitro antimalarial activity of different extracts of Eremostachys macrophylla Montbr. & Auch.

Introduction: The risk of drug resistance and the use of medicinal plants in malaria prevention and treatment have led to the search for new antimalarial compounds with natural origin. Methods: In the current study, six extracts with different polarity from aerial parts and rhizomes of Eremostachys macrophylla Montbr. & Auch., were screened for their antimalarial properties by cell-free beta-hematin formation assay. Results: Dichloromethane (DCM) extracts of both parts of plant showed significant antimalarial activities with IC50 values of 0.797 ± 0.016 mg/mL in aerial parts and 0.324 ± 0.039 mg/mL in rhizomes compared to positive control (Chloroqui​ne, IC50 = 0.014 ± 0.003 mg/mL, IC90 = 0.163 ± 0.004 mg/mL). Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the most potent part (DCM extract of rhizomes) by vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) afforded seven fractions. Sixty percent ethyl acetate/n-hexane fraction showed considerable antimalarial activity with IC50 value of 0.047 ± 0.0003 mg/mL. Conclusion: From 6 extracts with different polarity of E. macrophylla's aerial parts and rhizomes, the DCM extract of both parts were the most active extract in this assay. The preliminary phytochemical study on the VLC fractions of the most potent part persuades us to focus on purifying the active components of these extracts and to conduct further investigation towards in vivo evaluation

Detecting the Aspergillus Spp. In(BAL) Fluid Samples by Nested PCR, Culture and Direct Smear

Background and Aim: Aspergillosis are the most prevalent cause of the respiratory infections. These fungi show invasive aspergillosis(IA) in immunocompromised patients. The number of immunocompromised patients are increasing due to immunodisorder illnesses, grafts and immunosuppressor drugs, so, rapid identification methods are very important. The aim of this study was to detect the Aspergillus spp. In fluid samples by nested PCR, and compare with culture and direct smear. Materials and Methods: Conventional detection methods such as culture and direct smear are unsensitive and time consuming. Some methods such as immunodetecting methods have high false positive and are unreliable. Nowadays, molecular methos and PCR are very helpful. These methods are both sensitive and reliable and very rapid. In this study, we used Nested PCR, culture and direct smear to detect Aspergillus spp in BAL fluid samples. Results: This research is a descriptive-comparative study and has been done for rapid identification of fungi related to Aspergillosis such as culture, direct smear and nested- PCR. Findings of this study show that positive results by nested-PCR were more effective and sensitive than culture and direct smear.Conclusions: We found that positive results by PCR were more effective and sensitive than two other methods

Antibacterial Activity of Different Extracts of Aerial Parts of Chondrilla juncea L, Ajuga comata Stapf, Nepeta ucrainica L, and Delphinium speciosum M.B

Background and purpose: Herbal drug derivatives have been commonly used in management and treatment and of some infections.  This study aimed at evaluating the antibacterial effects of Chondrilla juncea L, Ajuga comata Stapf, Nepeta ucrainica L, and Delphinium speciosum M.B extracts. Materials and methods: Antibacterial activity of different extracts (n-hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol) of the aerial parts of Chondrilla juncea L, Ajuga comata Stapf, Nepeta ucrainica L, and Delphinium speciosum M.B were assessed against gram positive, gram negative and fungi strains using agar diffusion method. Potent extracts were subjected to fractionation using Vacuum Liquid Chromatography (VLC). Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of all samples were also investigated. Results: Staphylococus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were found to be the most sensitive bacteria. In agar diffusion assays, the n-hexane extract of D.speciosum and dichloromethane extract of C.juncea were the most active extracts against  S. aureus (35 and 30mm, respectively) and B. subtilis (30 and 20mm, respectively). Other extracts showed no anti-microbial activity against different bacteria. In current study, 10 and 20% VLC fractions of n-hexane extract of D. speciosum exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against S. aureus and B. subtilis. MIC of both potent fractions were 500µg/ml and 250µg/ml against S. ureus and B. subtilis, respectively. Conclusion: Among the plant extracts studied, n-hexane extracts and 10 and 20% VLC fractions of the n-hexane extract of Delphinium speciosum showed higher antimicrobial effects

In-vitro Bioactivity and Phytochemical Screening of Extracts from Rhizomes of Eremostachys azerbaijanica rech. f. Growing in Iran

Abstract The current study evaluated the general toxicity, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity of extracts obtained from the rhizomes of Eremostachys azerbaijanica (Labiatae) as well as analyzed the potent extracts using GC-MS. Extracts of E. azerbaijanica in n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH) were prepared using a Soxhlet apparatus. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated for free radical scavenging activity by DPPH assay. The antimicrobial activity of samples was determined by disc diffusion and brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) was used to assess general toxicity. The cytotoxicity of each extract was determined by MTT assay against human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT29), human lung carcinoma (A549) and a normal cell line (human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVEC). The MeOH extract showed significant antioxidant activity and the n-hexane and DCM extracts showed promising activity against gram-positive species when compared with amikacin as a standard. Moreover, the n-hexane extract displayed the most potent activity in general toxicity assay. The results showed that all three extracts have cytotoxic effects against the A549 cell line. In the case of HT29 cell lines, only the DCM extract exhibited cytotoxicity. Interestingly, none of the extracts showed significant cytotoxic activity against the HUVEC cell line. The bioassay-guided identification of constituents showed the presence of fatty acids and steroids as the compounds responsible for bioactivity in the non-polar extracts

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oil of Zosimia absinthifolia Growing in East Azarbaijan (Iran)

Background: Z. absinthifolia, with local name of "Zarak-e-Kuhi" has been consumed as a spice in some regions of Iran. Methods: In this study, the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Zosimia absinthifolia (Apiaceae) (ZaeM) was analyzed by GC-MS. Also, the chemical profile of the oil was compared with the same species collected from different localities. Moreover, the essential oil was investigated for its antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion method. Results: Analysis of ZaeM by GC-MS resulted nineteen components consisting 98.22% of the total oil. The essential oil was predominantly made up of esters (68.48%) and alcohols (26.04%). The most abundant components of the oil were octyl acetate (47.29%), n-octanol (25.79%), octyl butyrate (10.15%) and octanoic acid octyl ester (7.9%). The relative amounts of the main compounds of Z. absinthifolia essential oils growing in different places were comparable with each other. Both qualitative and quantitative variability of chemical composition of Z. absinthifolia essential oils were possibly related to the individual genotypes or geographical origin. Disc diffusion method was employed for the determination of antimicrobial activity of ZaeM. The results showed that the essential oil just had inhibitory activity against B. subtilis, a gram positive strain. The inhibitory activity could be attributed to the long chain alcohol, octanol (25.79%), which had previously shown antimicrobial activity. Conclusion: As a conclusion, ZaeM could have antimicrobial potentials on B. subtilis. Further investigations are needed to isolate and identify antimicrobial compounds from this volatile oi