PHYTOCHEMICAL FINGERPRINT AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THREE MALAYSIAN FICUS DELTOIDEA CULTIVARS.

Background Ficus deltoidea (Moraceae), is a Malay Traditional Medicine locally known as Mas Cotek. Three varieties (angustifolia, deltoidea and kunslerii) has been indictincty used.  Aims We here aim to better understand their chemistry and bioactivities to inform future scientific and agronomic research. Methods We extracted and analyzed samples from these varieties by HPTLC and HPLC-UV. The in vitro screening looked up to the scavenging activities against both DPPH and NO radicals, inhibitory activity upon tyrosinase and cytotoxicity against human prostate cancer cells PC3, DU145 and LNCaP using the sulforhodamine B proliferation assay and the MTT mitochondrial viability assay. Results We achieved to analytically differentiate the three varieties  in term of the presence of flavonoids, establishing that vitexin, orientin and isoorientin may act as intraspecific and interorgan phytomarkers Their biological activities point out to the antioxidant value of extracts from the deltoidea and kunslerii varieties whilst the inhibition of tyrosinase is only present in the roots extract of the var. deltoidea which here we show is also endowed with cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer cells. Conclusion We suggest that the three Malaysian Ficus deltoidea botanical varieties (angustifolia, deltoidea and kunslerii) can be also considered chemovars. The least bioactive chemovar was angustifolia. The most active extract was from the roots of var. deltoidea that shows antioxidant, antimelanogenic and cytotoxic potential.  Keywords: Chemotaxonomy; Prostate Cancer; Tyrosinase; Antioxidant; Ficus

Effect of extraction solvents on the phytochemical content and bioactivity of Momordica charantia Linn. fruits

Momordica charantia (M. charantia) is a herbaceous climber commonly found in Southeast Asia with therapeutic importance for various illnesses. This study focused on the effect of extraction solvents on saponins-containing compounds from M. charantia and their bioactivities. Different organic solvents including water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, a mixture of methanol-water and methanol-n-butanol were used in the extraction process. The total saponin content, total flavonoid and phenolic content for each extract were examined. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of these extracts were evaluated using both 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) Free Radical Scavenging Activity and 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assay. Furthermore, a-amylase and lipase inhibition assay were carried out using an in vitro model. The result showed that methanol-n-butanol extracts exhibited the highest total saponin, flavonoid, phenolic content, and ABTS antioxidant activity compared to the other extracts. The a-amylase inhibition assay revealed that water extract and methanol-n-butanol extract from M. charantia contained potent a-amylase inhibitor. On the other hand, the ethyl acetate extract was found to have the most antioxidant capacities based on DPPH radical scavenging assay. The ethyl acetate extract also exhibited the highest inhibition of lipase activities. In conclusion, the methanol-n-butanol solvent was found to be the most effective in extracting saponin from M. charantia. The M. charantia extracts showed inhibition of a-amylase and lipase activities which may suggest the therapeutic potential of M. charantia for obesity and diabetes

Rheological Stability, Enzyme Activity, and Incorporation of Pseudocereal Powder as an Alternative Ingredient in Health-Related Food

In response to the growing recognition of health issues, people are seeking products that are inexpensive, convenient, and health-related. The incorporation of pseudocereal powder in nutraceutical sector is currently increasing because of their high nutritional profile as well as health-promoting effects. The high nutritional profile includes low starch content, high in amino acid profile, high in mineral content, and low glycemic index. Moreover, it contains high levels of phytochemicals that contain considerable amounts of flavonoids, polyphenolic chemicals, and phytosterols, making them useful in the nutraceutical sector. These bioactive compounds offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and reduced risk of obesity, prediabetes, and diabetic complications. With its tremendous potential and numerous food health-related uses, pseudocereal can serve as a low-cost alternative ingredient in health-related food products. Several pseudocereal processes via enzyme activity, as well as the high rheological stability of its starch, have made pseudocereal an attractive option for modern agriculture

Optimization of the antioxidant-rich xanthone extract from mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) pericarp via microwave-assisted extraction

Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant properties of xanthone extract from mangosteen pericarp via microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The MAE extraction conditions to obtain optimum antioxidant-rich xanthone extract were at 2.24 min of irradiation time, 25 mL/g of solvent-to-solid ratio and 71% of ethanol concentration. The predicted results for four responses were as follows; 320.31 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract, 83.63% and 93.77% inhibition (DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-Azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays), and 144.56 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract (FRAP, Ferric reducing antioxidant power). The predicted and actual values were statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Therefore, these results confirmed that the examined model was acceptable and relevant. MAE led to a slightly similar antioxidant capacity and a higher extraction of α-mangostin, a major xanthone of mangosteen pericarp as compared to water bath-maceration technique

Sakarin dalam jeruk buah di pasaran semasa Malaysia dan hubungannya dengan konsep halalan thoyyiban

Muslims are required to select halal and good (thoyyiban) food, which comprises the safety aspect. Halal and safety-related issues of food are often being focussed by Muslim people in this country. One of the discussed issues is safety level of saccharin consumption as an artificial sweetener. This study analysed saccharin from scientific perspectives and its relationships with human health. Then, this study connected the presence of saccharin in fruit-pickle samples with the concept of halalan thoyyiban. In the first phase, this study used qualitative methodologies which includes historical, content analysis, and observation method. As for the second phase, this study used a quantitative methodology based on experiments in the laboratory on six fruit-picklesamples. Findings show that saccharin is produced synthetically and does not contain calories and any nutrients. Saccharin is safe if taken according to the safe limit set by WHO that is 5mg/kg (of body weight) per day. Excessive consumption either contributes or stimulates cancer (tumour promoter). Meanwhile, the quantitative study found that five from six analysed samples of fruit pickles contain saccharin. The safety level measurement towards human between the weight of 20kg up to 50kg that consumes 100g of pickles per day is however still below the safe limit set by WHO. This study concludes that saccharin is halal but cannot be categorised under thoyyiban as it does not contain any nutrient and calory, can gives negative effects to health if taken overthe suggested amount

COMPREHENSIVE AUTOMATION OF PROCESS DESIGN IN FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION

There the purposes are to rise the effectiveness of machining-assembling in the machinery industry, to improve the quality of design approaches, to decrease the time and the expenses during the process design on the basis of integration of process design systems and of flexible production with the instrumentware. The methodology of comprehensive process design in interconnection with the space of flexible production has been created. The procedure of comprehensive automation of process design on the basis of unified simulation methods of structural members of objects and of design processes has been developed. The set of instrument systems to study the production processes and to form the facilities of computer-aided subsystems according to the principles of expert systems has been created. The recommendations to create the subsystems and to adapt the facilities and their components for the changing conditions of production have been developed. The effectivenesses are the major decrease of expenses, the decrease of periods 2 - 2,5 times during the process preparation of production of new machineryAvailable from VNTIC / VNTIC - Scientific & Technical Information Centre of RussiaSIGLERURussian Federatio

Amelioration of mitochondrial dysfunction-induced insulin resistance in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes via inhibition of NF-κB pathways

A growing body of evidence suggests that activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways is among the inflammatory mechanism involved in the development of insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation in adipose tissues derived from obese animal and human subjects. Nevertheless, little is known about the roles of NF-κB pathways in regulating mitochondrial function of the adipose tissues. In the present study, we sought to investigate the direct effects of celastrol (potent NF-κB inhibitor) upon mitochondrial dysfunction-induced insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Celastrol ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction by altering mitochondrial fusion and fission in adipocytes. The levels of oxidative DNA damage, protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation were down-regulated. Further, the morphology and quantification of intracellular lipid droplets revealed the decrease of intracellular lipid accumulation with reduced lipolysis. Moreover, massive production of the pro-inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were markedly depleted. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake activity was restored with the enhancement of insulin signaling pathways. This study signified that the treatments modulated towards knockdown of NF-κB transcription factor may counteract these metabolic insults exacerbated in our model of synergy between mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation. These results demonstrate for the first time that NF-κB inhibition modulates mitochondrial dysfunction induced insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocyte