Comparative assessment of total phenolics content and in vitro antioxidant capacity variations of leaf extracts of Origanum grossii and Thymus pallidus

The objective of this research was to assess the efficacy of extracts derived from Origanum grossii and Thymus pallidus leaves, focusing on their inherent phenolic compounds with varying antioxidant processes. The extracts were obtained through the utilization of a Soxhlet apparatus for hot extraction. Several parameters including overall phenolic and flavonoid content, total antioxidant activity (TAC), ferric reduction capacity (FRAP), DPPH scavenging capacity, and ABTS capability were investigated. The total phenolic content ranged from 292.91±1.51 to 3.804±0.22 mg/g DW in oregano samples and from 284.3±1.78 to 3.435±0.23 mg/g DW in thyme fractions, employing gallic acid equivalents as the measurement unit. The sequence of extraction effectiveness, ranked from highest to lowest, was methanolic extracts > aqueous extracts > ethyl acetate extracts for both, oregano and thyme. Furthermore, the methanolic extracts displayed the greatest reducing and antiradical power, along with the highest total antioxidant capacities, for both plant species. These remarkable antioxidant properties of the extracts demonstrated a strong correlation with the levels of total phenols (TP) and total flavonoids (TF). Oregano and thyme leaves showcased promising antioxidant capacities, underscoring their potential as abundant sources of phenolic compounds with diverse antioxidant characteristics, thereby indicating their viability as natural preservatives

Antioxidant activities, total phenol an flavonoid contents of two Teucrium polium subspecies extracts

The soxhlet extracts of two subspecies from Moroccan Teucrium polium were examined for their antioxidant activities, total polyphenol and total flavonoids contents.The Antioxidant activities was evaluated in vitro spectrophotometrically using  four methods, such as ABTS+·, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrzyl (DPPH·), ferric reducing antioxidant power and phosphomolybdenum assay. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents  were measured using Folin-Ciocalteu test and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. The total phenol contents, flavonoids contents and antioxidant activities of T. polium subsp. polium extracts were higher than T. polium subsp. aurum. The phenols contents ranged from 112.27 to 4.38 mg GA E/ g dry extract. The total flavonoids varied between 174.57 and 40.42 mg RE/ g dry weight. The extract showed significant scavenging activity of  ABTS+·  and  DPPH·, with IC50 values ranging from 0.38 to 5 mg/ml and from 0.23 to 4.02 mg/ml, respectively. Moreover all extracts showed a good ferric reducing antioxidant power with EC50 values varying between 0.19 and 3.94 mg/ml. The total antioxidant capacity assay revealed that the water extract of T. polium subsp. aurum had a high activity with a value of 220 mg VitCE/g dry weight. The ethyl acetate extract has a weak antioxidant activity in the four tests. These results shows that Moroccan T. polium subspecies are a rich source of phenols and natural antioxidant compounds, which can be used as a natural food preservative

The Legacy of Andrei Sakharov

The fact that the standard model of cosmology LCDM cannot account for the presence of immense voids in the very large-scale structure, as well as the early birth of first-generation stars and galaxies, combined with the impossibility of explaining the absence of observations of primordial antimatter, means that we are forced to consider a paradigm shift, which is what the Janus model represents. This model has its origins in the one proposed by Andrei Sakharov in 1967. We retrace this genesis, focusing on the model's physical and mathematical coherence

An optimization model for a mechanical vapor compression desalination plant driven by a wind/PV hybrid system

A renewable hybrid system to produce domestic water is presented. It consists of a photovoltaic module, a wind turbine, a mechanical vapor compression desalination plant and a storage unit. An optimization model based on a mathematical programming is developed to control the energy flows exchanged among the system components in order to satisfy the domestic water demand. The model has been solved for three specific case studies in Morocco, where two of them are located in Rabat which aim to satisfy the hourly and monthly water demand of 20 households, whereas, the last one is in Essaouira, which aims to ensure the monthly water demand of 40 households. The main motivations behind selecting these specific case studies are the evaluation of the efficiency and feasibility of such system in two coastal sites having different characteristics of renewable energy sources. The obtained results show that the domestic water demands are satisfied in each time interval at a reasonable economic cost comparable to the current average cost of water in Morocco which is about 0.7 \u20ac m3

EFFECTS OF CHOLECYSTOKININE ANALOGUE (JMV 236) ON PLASMA NPY IN OBESE RATS

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), involved in the enhancement of feeding behaviour, may vary according to the nutritional or ponderal status and by treatment with satiety-inducing substances, such as cholecysto-kinin (CCK). In this study, plasma NPY levels were measured using a radioimmunometric assay after treatment with a potent CCK peptide agonist in obese Zucker and ‘’cafeteria" rats.In the Zucker strain, basal NPY levels did not differ between the obese (fa-fa), lean heterozygote (Fa-fa) and lean homozygote (Fa-Fa) rats. However, the CCK agonist decreased NPY levels in the lean Fa-Fa rats only. This decrease could be expected given the opposite roles of NPY and CCK in the control of food intake. Similarly with other paradigms, the lean rats were more sensitive than the obese rats (fa-fa) of CCK peptides. Furthermore, the obese and Fa-fa rats were" irresponsive to the CCK agonist, suggesting that certain disturbances may be related to the presence of the ‘’fa’’ gene.The ‘’cafeteria’’ rat showed lower basal NPY levels compared to its lean congener. This mighnt be related to its constant hyperphagia, since NPY levels have been shown to increase during fasting and to decrease during refeeding. The CCK agonist decreased NPY levels in a significant manner in the ‘’cafeteria’’ rat. Thus, contrary to the obese Zucker rat, this model is more sensitive to the effects of CCK peptides.This study allows to differentiate the ontogeny of the obesity of the Zucker and the ‘’cafeteria’’ models. As expected, the ‘’cafeteria’’ rat is more susceptible by feeding related disturbances; this is further evidenced by the interaction of these two peptides involved in feeding regulation: CCK and NPY