Variations in fatty acid composition during maturation of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seeds

Changes in fatty acids were studied during maturation of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seeds cultivated in the North-Eastern region of Tunisia (Menzel Temim). The fruits matured in 49 Days after flowering (DAF). The first results show a rapid oil accumulation started in newly formed fruits (8.2%) and continued until their full maturity (16.9%). During fruit maturation, fatty acid profiles varied significantly among the three stages of maturity. Fruits development resulted mainly in an increase of petroselinic acid and a decrease of palmitic acid (C16:0). At full maturity, the main fatty acids were petroselinic acid (55.9%), followed by palmitic (23.82%), linoleic (12.40%) and pamitoleic (2.12%) acids. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids increased significantly; however, saturated fatty acids decreased during ripening of cumin seed. Results of this study indicate that the variation in the fatty acid composition of cumin seeds during maturation may be useful in understanding the source of nutritionally and industrially important fatty acids in this fruit. Cumin seed is potentially an important source of petroselinic acid which has numerous industrial applications.Keywords: Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.), Apiaceae, seed, fatty acids composition, petroselinic acid, maturation.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(34), pp. 5303-530

Upshot of the ripening time on biological activities, phenol content and fatty acid composition of Tunisian Opuntia ficus-indica fruit

Total phenol content and the antioxidant activities of three cultivars of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. were evaluated. The results show that the ecotypes were significantly different according to their fatty acid composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activity, as well as their polyphenol profiles. Rossa fruit collected in August exhibited the higher phenolic content (15.48 mg GAE g−1 DW) with a stronger antioxidant activity. Bianca fruit collected in August exhibited a lower phenolic content (3.13 mg GAE g−1 DW) together with the stronger antiradical activity (96.14%). The advantage of this ecotype was more discernible as compared to positive controls butylated  hydroxytoluene (BHT, 79.75%). Likewise, CpG chromatogram identification revealed also an important difference between the ecotypes on oleic and linoleic acids.Keywords: Opuntia ficus-indica, variability, phenol content, fatty acid, antioxidant activity.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(40), pp. 5875-588

Draft genome sequence of Streptomyces tunisialbus DSM 105760T.

Ayed A, Wibberg D, Zendah El Euch I, Frese M, Limam F, Sewald N. Draft genome sequence of Streptomyces tunisialbus DSM 105760T. Archives of microbiology. 2020;202:2013-2017.Streptomyces strains are well known as promising source of bioactive secondary metabolites, important in ecology, biotechnology and medicine. In this study, we present the draft genome of the new type strain Streptomyces tunisialbus DSM 105760T (=JCM 32165T), a rhizospheric bacterium with antimicrobial activity. The genome is 6,880,753bp in size (average GC content, 71.85%) and encodes 5802 protein-coding genes. Preliminary analysis with antiSMASH 5.1.2. reveals 34 predicted gene clusters for the synthesis of potential secondary metabolites, which was compared with those of Streptomyces varsoviensis NRRL ISP-5346

Effect of drought on safflower natural dyes and their biological activities

Drought is the main abiotic constraint that affects crop species behaviour regarding biochemical responses. The current study was conducted to examine the effect of water deficit on growth, phenolic and carotenoid contents as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two Carthamus tinctorius varieties (Jawhara and 104) flowers. Hence, plants were treated with different levels of water deficit: control (100 %), moderate water deficit (50 %) and severe water deficit (25 %). Obtained results showed that plant growth was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced under 50 %. Drought increased flower phenolic acids contents especially gallic acid where they increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 2.73 fold (104) and by 2.87 fold (Jawhara) with respect to controls under 50 %. However, the amounts of this major compound were reduced at 25 % by 9.66 % (104) and 3.83 % (Jawhara). Similar to phenolic compounds, total carotenoid content was at its highest level especially for Jawhar a with an increase by 35.19 % at 50 %. On the other hands, C. tinctorius flowers extracts exhibited high antiradical activity as compared to BHT. A gradual increase by 35.29 % (Jawhara) and 33.33 % (104) especially under 25 % was observed. Moreover, under 50 %, the antimicrobial activity increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 30 % and 10.05 % against Aspergillus carbonarus and Pseudomonas aerogenosa, respectively. Taken together, our findings suggest that C. tinctorius could be a raw material for production of natural dyes under moderate salinity conditions

Gut Pathogens

Obesity is a worldwide health problem and a significant risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Gut microbiota (GM) plays an essential role in obesity, and prebiotics such as polyphenols could be one way to improve microbial dysbiosis-induced obesity

Combined anti-ages and antioxidant activities of different solvent extracts of Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (Solanacea) fruits during ripening and related to their phytochemical compositions

Oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are known as key factors for the development of diabetic complications such as retinopathy, cataract as well as atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s diseases. In this context, natural products have been previously identified as promising sources for antioxidant and anti-glycation compounds. The current study focuses on the evaluation of antioxidant and glycation inhibitory activities of different solvent extracts of Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (Solanaceae) fruits at different ripening stages. The results showed that antioxidant and anti-AGEs activities were significantly influenced by solvents polarities and ripening stages of S. elaeagnifolium Cav. With one exception, methanolic extract of overripe S. elaeagnifolium Cav fruit showed important protective effects against cellular oxidative stress. The aqueous extract showed the highest ABTS+ scavenging ability. Principal component analysis showed that total phenolic and flavonoid contents correlated well with observed antioxidants and anti-glycation activities. These results bring attention to the possible use of S. elaeagnifolium Cav as a valuable source of bioactive compounds exhibiting antioxidant effects and potentially alleviating diabetic complications

EFFECT OF DROUGHT ON SAFFLOWER NATURAL DYES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

ABSTRACT Drought is the main abiotic constraint that affects crop species behaviour regarding biochemical responses. The current study was conducted to examine the effect of water deficit on growth, phenolic and carotenoid contents as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two Carthamus tinctorius varieties (Jawhara and 104) flowers. Hence, plants were treated with different levels of water deficit: control (100 %), moderate water deficit (50 %) and severe water deficit (25 %). Obtained results showed that plant growth was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) reduced under 50 %. Drought increased flower phenolic acids contents especially gallic acid where they increased significantly (p &lt; 0.05) by 2.73 fold (104) and by 2.87 fold (Jawhara) with respect to controls under 50 %. However, the amounts of this major compound were reduced at 25 % by 9.66 % (104) and 3.83 % (Jawhara). Similar to phenolic compounds, total carotenoid content was at its highest level especially for Jawhara with an increase by 35.19 % at 50 %. On the other hands, C. tinctorius flowers extracts exhibited high antiradical activity as compared to BHT. A gradual increase by 35.29 % (Jawhara) and 33.33 % (104) especially under 25 % was observed. Moreover, under 50 %, the antimicrobial activity increased significantly (p &lt; 0.05) by 30 % and 10.05 % against Aspergillus carbonarus and Pseudomonas aerogenosa, respectively. Taken together, our findings suggest that C. tinctorius could be a raw material for production of natural dyes under moderate salinity conditions

Acute effects of a partially purified fraction from garlic on plasma glucose and cholesterol levels in rats: Putative involvement of nitric oxide

386-390Garlic has been extensively used as a medicinal plant. Most of its numerous beneficial effects such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumoral involve sulfur-derived amino acids. In the present work, we reevaluated the acute effects of aqueous extract of garlic on plasma glucose and cholesterol levels in normal rats. Control (vehicle H2O) or garlic extract-treated group at 100-120 mg protein/kg body wt were intraperitoneally injected (IP) and glucose, cholesterol, insulin and nitric oxide metabolites levels were determined after a short-term duration of 6 h. We confirmed that garlic contained an active fraction, exerting both glucose and cholesterol-lowering activity. The glucose-lowering effect was triggered by an increase in insulinemia. Preliminary study indicated that the active agent was different from S-allyl-cysteine-sulfoxide, the active principle implicated in hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic effects of garlic or arginine. The mechanism of action seemed to involve nitric oxide (NO), which increased time and dose-dependently. The garlic effects were abolished by diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI = 1 mg/kg body wt), a specific inhibitor of NO production, suggesting the involvement of constitutive nitric oxide synthase

Identification of an antiviral compound isolated from Pistacia lentiscus

This study screened mastic gum (Pistacia lentiscus L.) for antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), coxsackievirus type B3, and adenovirus type 5. The organs of this plant (leaves, stem, and seed) were macerated sequentially using solvents of increasing polarity (hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol). Only the methanol extract of stem exhibited significant activity against HSV-2. This extract showed anti-HSV-2 activity with a selectivity index of 51 (50% cytotoxic concentration = 186 µg/mL; 50% inhibitory concentration = 3.63 µg/mL), and demonstrated direct inhibition against this virus with a virucidal selectivity index of 620 (50% virucidal concentration = 0.30 µg/mL). A bio-guided assay involving thin-layer chromatography led to the isolation of two active compounds, which have been identified as dammaradienone and dammaradienol using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. P. lentiscus has been widely studied for other biological activities. However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of P. lentiscus L. exhibiting antiviral activity