IN VITRO EFFICACY OF VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS EXTRACTS AGAINST TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS: A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH

Aim and objectives: Trichomonas vaginalis is the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted infection globally. The current treatment, 5-nitroimidazole derivatives has raised concerns as a result of drug reliance, allergies, and drug resistance, driving efforts to identify alternative therapies. The Vitex species recognized for their pharmacological attributes including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties are promising candidates for further investigation.  Methods: In this study, the potential of Vitex agnus-castus extracts against T. vaginalis was explored. The water, ethanol, and 60% aqueous ethanol extracts from both leaves and fruits were examined for their effects on metronidazole (MET)-resistant (TV 50143) and sensitive strains (TV-78). Cytotoxicity was evaluated on L929 mouse fibroblast cells to determine the minimum lethal dose for each extract under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.  Results: Antitrichomonial activity, cytotoxic activity and Selectivity Index (SI) values revealed distinct efficacy profiles. Leaf water extract displayed a balanced selectivity profile, while leaf 60% ethanol extract showed moderate to high selectivity. The fruit 60% ethanol extract exhibited significantly elevated selectivity with SI values of 2 and 1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively, for the MET-sensitive reference strain, and 3 and 5, respectively, for the MET-resistant reference strain.  Conclusion: These findings underscore the potential of the fruit 60% ethanol extract as a promising candidate for future drug development. Further investigations into its mechanisms and optimization are warranted to enhance its efficacy against T. vaginalis.                   Peer Review History: Received 13 May 2024;   Reviewed 15 July 2024; Accepted 21 August; Available online 15 September 2024 Academic Editor: Dr. Amany Mohamed Alboghdadly, Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, [email protected]  Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewers: Prof. Ali Gamal Ahmed Al-kaf, Sana'a university, Yemen, [email protected] Dr. Marwa A. A. Fayed, University of Sadat City, Egypt, [email protected] Dr. Sangeetha Arullappan, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia, [email protected]

Determination of antioxidant capacity of capsule loaded textiles

In this study, microcapsules containing α-Tocopherol (α-TP) have been prepared by complex coacervation technique and applied to cotton fabric by padding method. Characterization of the capsules is determined by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and particle size measurement. Yield of microencapsulation process is found in the range of 41.63 - 62.20%. Antioxidant capacity of capsule loaded textiles has been examined according to DPPH free radical scavenging method, and α-TP existence in ethyl cellulose capsules is found as 65.218 - 330.722 µM. α-TP activity in capsule treated fabric is determined as 61.73 µg. Presence of the capsules on fabric and also α-TP activity has been found to remain effective even after twenty washes at 40°C

Mineral compositions of some selected centaurea species from Turkey

Centaurea calolepis Boiss., Centaurea lydia Boiss. and Centaurea polyclada DC. were investigated for major minerals and trace elements by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Calcium and potassium were found in maximum concentrations in Centaurea species. The results revealed that the concentrations of iron, manganese and zinc were found to be high in C. calolepis. On the other hand, copper, magnesium and phosphorous were found in higher concentrations in C. polyclada. Mineral composition of Centaurea species, will be descriptive in terms of the traditional use of this species. In addition, C. calolepis, C. lydia and C. polyclada may be utilized in nutraceuticals as potential natural sources of major minerals and trace elements

Chemical compositions and antioxidant activities of five endemic Asperula taxa

WOS: 000294400500003In this study, the proximate chemical composition, total flavonoid and a-tocopherol amounts and antioxidant activities of five endemic Asperula taxa (Rubiaceae) (A. brevifolia, A. pseudochlorantha var. antalyensis, A. pseudochlorantha var. pseudochlorantha, A. purpurea subsp. apiculata and A. serotina) were determined. Antioxidant properties of methanol extracts were studied by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. Among the all Asperula extracts A. brevifolia showed the most potent radical scavenging activities

Elemental Analysis of Galium incanum SM subsp Centrale Ehrend by X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Purpose: To evaluate the content of trace elements in Galium incanum SM. subsp. centrale Ehrend. Methods: The air-dried aerial parts of the plant material were used and its water extract (2 % w/v infusion) was analysed for trace elements using x-ray fluorescence (XRF ) spectrometry. Results: The aqueous extract depicted significant concentrations of macro- and micro-nutrients with heavy metal and metal oxide content of 4.07 - 6.02 and 3.19 - 4.01 % for powdered plant material and water extract, respectively. The contents of Ca (22840 ppm) and K (8204 ppm) were the highest among all the elements while Zn (45.9 ppm) and Fe (328 ppm) were also detected in significant amounts. Zn, Mn and Cu showed the highest content while those of Mg, Al, K, Ca, Fe and P lowest in the water extract. Conclusion: The presence of significant levels of Ca, K, Na, Fe, Zn, Mg, Mn and Cu in G. incanum subsp. centrale showed that this plant has notable nutrient elements. The traditional use of Gallium species as a diuretic may be attributed to its rich content of potassium

Taze ve Hazır Meyve Sularında Karşılaştırmalı ?-Tokoferol İY Miktar Tayini ve Antioksidan Aktivite Araştırması

Aim: Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of antioxidant compounds and vitamins. In nature, ?-tocopherol, is the most abundant and biologically active form of Vitamin E. The current study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity and ?-tocopherol content of commercial and freshly squeezed fruit juices.Material and Methods: Apple, apricot and tomatoes fresh and commercial fruit juices were evaluated for their potential antioxidant activities using DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging capacity assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid content of juices were determined by FolinCiocalteu and Aluminium chloride colorimetric methods respectively. The ?-tocopherol contents of juices were investigated by HPLC-UV chromatographic method.Results: The highest ?-tocopherol concentration was found in freshly squeezed tomatoes juice (0.0761±0.20mg/100g) the total phenolic content of freshly squeezed fruit juices measured by Folin-Ciocalteu assay, ranged between 2.10-12.83mg gallic acid equivalents (mg GAE/100ml). The total flavonoid content of samples was expressed as quercetin equivalents (mg QE/100ml). The commercial tomatoes juice showed higher content of flavonoid (4.10±0.0126 mg QE/100ml), followed by freshly squeezed apple and apricot fruit juices. The fresh fruit juices of tomatoes showed the lowest content of flavonoid and highest content of total phenolic compounds. Freshly squeezed apple juice and apricot juice were found to exert higher antioxidant activities in ABTS+ and DPPH assays respectively.Conclusion: It was observed that ?-tocopherol content and antioxidant capacities and total phenolic and flavonoid concentrations of freshly squeezed juices were higher than commercial onesAmaç: Meyve ve sebzeler antioksidan özellikteki maddelerin ve vitaminlerin ana kaynaklarıdır. ?-tokoferol, E vitamininin doğada en sık rastlanan ve biyolojik olarak en aktif formudur. Bu çalışmada, ticari olarak satılan ve taze sıkılmış meyve sularında antioksidan aktivite araştırmaları yanında ?-tokoferolün miktar tayini amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Elma, kayısı ve domatesten hazırlanan taze sıkılmış ve ticari olarak satılan meyve sularının potansiyel antioksidan aktiviteleri, radikal süpürücü kapasite yöntemleri olan DPPH ve ABTS+ deneyleri ile değerlendirilmiştir. Meyve sularının toplam fenolik ve flavonoit madde içeriği sırasıyla Folin-Ciocalteu ve Alüminyum klorid kolorimetrik yöntemleri ile tayin edilmiştir. Meyve sularındaki ?-tokoferol miktarı ise HPLC-UV kromatografi sistemi ile araştırılmıştır.Bulgular: En yüksek ?-tokoferol miktarı taze sıkılmış domates suyunda saptanmıştır (0.0761±0.20mg/100g). Meyve sularının toplam fenolik madde içeriği Folin-Ciocalteu yöntemiyle saptanmış ve değerler 100ml'de 2.10-12.83mg gallik aside eşdeğer (mg GAE/100mL) toplam fenolik madde olarak saptanmıştır. Örneklerin toplam flavonoit içeriği, kersetin eşdeğer miktarlar olarak (mg QE/100ml) bildirilmiştir. Hazır domates suyunda en yüksek flavonoit madde içeriği saptanırken (4.10±0.0126 mg QE/100mL), bunu sırasıyla taze sıkılmış elma ve kayısıdan hazırlanan meyve suları takip etmiştir. Taze sıkılmış domates suyunda ise en düşük flavonoit miktarı ve en yüksek toplam fenolik madde miktarı tespit edilmiştir. DPPH ve ABTS+ denemelerinde, taze sıkılmış elma ve kayısı sularında en yüksek antioksidan aktivite gözlenmiştir.Sonuç: Taze sıkılmış meyve sularının ?-tokoferol miktarları, toplam fenolik madde ve flavonoit miktarları ve antioksidan kapasiteleri, ticari olarak satışa sunulan hazır meyve sularından daha yüksek bulunmuştu