Cymbopogon citratus and cymbopogon nardus essential oil components - FTIR, Chemometrics assessment and identification using GC-MS

Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon nardus essential oil are high-value natural products due to their special qualities and commercial significance. In this work, the volatile compounds of the C. citratus and C. nardus natural essential oils obtained by hydro distillation and commercial sources using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and chemometrics methods were systematically detected and identified. The GC-MS results indicated that the main compound in the natural essential oil of C. citratus is citral while citronellal commercial samples of both Cymbopogan species are positively significant. Based on the results of GC-MS, citral was the major component in C. citratus while citronellal was the major component in C. nardus. Analyzing the FTIR data using principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and discriminant analysis (DA) further revealed that the chemical composition of natural essential oils C. citratus and C. nardus samples were significantly different from commercial samples. This study revealed the first insight into metabolite compositional differences among C. citratus and C. nardus using quick and affordable analytical procedures

Phenolic profile and antioxidant activities of Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) and Pulasan (Nephelium mutabile) peels

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) and pulasan (Nephelium mutabile) are consumed fresh, canned or processed in human daily life, and the peels are usually discarded as waste. This research is aimed to identify the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of the peels of both species. Methanol extract, ethyl acetate and diethyl ether of rambutan and pulasan peels were evaluated for total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activities including α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). The phenolic compounds were identified in the methanol extract of both rambutan and pulasan peels by using UPLC-QTOF/MS. The methanol peel extract for both rambutan and pulasan exhibits the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid content. The methanol extracts of both rambutan and pulasan peels were found to have high antioxidant activities through three different antioxidant assays. The order of antioxidant activity for various extracts was methanol > ethyl acetate > diethyl ether. The abundant phenolic compounds in methanol peel extracts are geraniin, mulberrofuran A, gigantol and arecatannin. The results showed methanol extract of rambutan and pulasan peels with high content of phenolics and the greatest antioxidant properties have the potential to be developed as a functional food

RHODOMYRTUS TOMENTOSA: A PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL REVIEW

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is a common wood, prevalent in areas with undemanding soil conditions and resistant toward pests and diseases. The plant can be found in China, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Literature and artwork indicate that R. tomentosa played an important holistic role in the daily lives of several ancient cultures, providing medicinal benefits. R. tomentosa exhibits a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects and has been used to treat colic diarrhea, wounds, heartburn, abscesses, gynecopathy, and as a pain killer. R. tomentosa was used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat urinary tract infection. 42 compounds have been isolated from this plant and structurally elucidated. They comprise phloroglucinol, flavonoid, terpenoid, anthracene glycoside, tannin, and other compounds. Rhodomyrtone, a member of the acylphloroglucinols demonstrated a significant activity against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria. Rhodomyrtone exhibited both antimicrobial and anti-infective activities. Several biological activities have been documented as antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, osteogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. R. tomentosa has been studied extensively for alternative antimicrobial agents. Although rhodomyrtone exhibited potential activity with a very low minimum inhibitory concentration value, the mechanisms of action of this compound are still unclear. Furthermore, toxicity studies on it extract to validate pharmacological activities are required.Keywords: Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Kemunting, Phytochemical, Pharmacological, Biological activities, Chemical constituents

Comparative structural analysis of fruit and stem bromelain from Ananas comosus

Cysteine proteases in pineapple (Ananas comosus) plants are phytotherapeutical agents that demonstrate anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and fibrinolytic activities. Bromelain has been identified as an active component and as a major protease of A. comosus. Bromelain has gained wide acceptance and compliance as a phytotherapeutical drug. The proteolytic fraction of pineapple stem is termed stem bromelain, while the one presents in the fruit is known as fruit bromelain. The amino acid sequence and domain analysis of the fruit and stem bromelains demonstrated several differences and similarities of these cysteine protease family members. In addition, analysis of the modelled fruit (BAA21848) and stem (CAA08861) bromelains revealed the presence of unique properties of the predicted structures. Sequence analysis and structural prediction of stem and fruit bromelains of A. comosus along with the comparison of both structures provides a new insight on their distinct properties for industrial application

DeerA-OS Bone Void Filler

Deer antler containstrace elements such as calcium and phosphorus, promising material for bone substitution. Combination of bioactive elements (deer antler) with synthetic polymers (PVA). Standardized pores are within the range of ideal bone growth and comparable compressive strength with trabecular bone ~0.1-16 MPa. Addition of the bioactive elements improves the crystallization properties and thermal stability

Effect of autoclaving-time treatment on physicochemical, antioxidant properties and shelf-life prediction of Indonesian instant cassava leaves porridge

This study investigated the effects of autoclaving-time treatment (0, 3, 5, and 7 minutes) on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Indonesian instant cassava porridge or rowe luwa. The shelf-life prediction of rowe luwa porridge also was determined. The rowe luwa porridge contained nutrition, such as moisture content (4.41%), fat (7.69%), protein (11.77%), carbohydrates (67.15%), energy (384.89 kcal), zinc (2.73 mg/100g), calcium (174.48 mg/100 g), and iron (2.9 mg/100 g). Furthermore, rowe luwa has a complete composition of essential amino acids the body needs. The rehydration time and pH of rowe luwa porridge showed the highest value on autoclaving for 3 minutes (AU3) and decreased with increasing autoclaving time (p AU5> and AU7 (p < 0.05). Based on the FTIR spectra, the antioxidant of this instant cassava porridge might be linked to phenolic chemicals. The shelf-life prediction of rowe luwa porridge with aluma packaging is 61 days or two months

Comparative analysis of antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa extracts prepared with various solvents

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk. has a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects and has been used to treat wounds, colic diarrhoea, heartburns, abscesses and gynaecopathy. The potential antiproliferative activities of R. tomentosa extracts from different solvents were evaluated in vitro on HepG2, MCF-7 and HT 29 cell lines while antioxidant activity was monitored by radical scavenging assay (DPPH), copper reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and β-carotene bleaching assay. Extracts from R. tomentosa show the viability of the cells in concentration-dependent manner. According to the IC50 obtained, the ethyl acetate extracts showed significant antiproliferative activity on HepG2 (IC50 11.47 ± 0.280 μg/mL), MCF-7 (IC50 2.68 ± 0.529 μg/mL) and HT 29 (IC50 16.18 ± 0.538 μg/mL) after 72 h of treatment. Bioassay guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract led to the isolation of lupeol. Methanol extracts show significant antioxidant activities in DPPH (EC50 110.25 ± 0.005 μg/ml), CUPRAC (EC50 53.84 ± 0.004) and β-carotene bleaching (EC50 58.62 ± 0.001) due to the presence of high total flavonoid and total phenolic content which were 110.822 ± 0.017 mg butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)/g and 190.467 ± 0.009 mg gallic acid (GAE)/g respectively. Taken together, the results extracts show the R. tomentosa as a potential source of antioxidant and antiproliferative efficacy

BETWEEN THE BIOACTIVE EXTRACTS OF EDIBLE MUSHROOMS AND PHARMACOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT NANOPARTICLES: NEED FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF A SYNERGISTIC COMBINATION - A MINI REVIEW

ABSTRACTThe pharmacological potential of bioactive compounds extracted from mushrooms has been studied to a reasonable level. In the same vein, thebioactivity of nanoparticles has also been investigated and reported to be of potential pharmacological benefit. No doubt, there is a reasonableamount of claims regarding the vast activity of the mushroom extracts and nanoparticles on the tested cell lines and microorganisms. In this paper,a review of the recent application of bioactive compounds extracted from two edible mushrooms (Coprinus comatus and Lactarius deliciosus), aswell as some of the recently reported studies on some nanoparticles of pharmacological potentials, was carried out. In order to check for synergy inthe bioactivity of the mushroom extracts when co-administered with nanoparticles, an investigation on the synergistic application of the materialsthrough the encapsulation of the bioactive extracts from the mushroom onto the nanoparticle was proposed. The supposed synergy in the activity ofthe extract-nanoparticle complex could hold the key to improved activity of nutraceuticals against resistant microorganisms and tumor cells.Keywords: Coprinus comatus, Lactarius deliciosus, Nanoparticles, Synergy, Bioactive extracts

A one‐step synthesis novel approach of silver nanoparticles reduced by aerodramus fuciphagus extracts for antibacterial applications

Researchers are increasingly focusing on green synthesis methods for silver nanoparticles due to their cost-effectiveness and reduced environmental impact. In this study, we utilized an edible bird's nest (EBN), a valuable economic resource, as the primary material for synthesizing silver nanoparticles using only water as the solvent. Metabolite profiling of the EBN extract was conducted using LC-QTOF-MS in positive mode (ESI+), revealing the presence of lipids, glycosides, peptides, polysaccharides, and disaccharides. Upon the addition of silver nitrate to the aqueous EBN extract, noticeable color changes from transparent to brown indicated the successful formation of AgNPs. Subsequent characterization of these silver nanoparticles involved UV-Visible spectroscopy, which revealed an absorption peak at 421 nm. Further characterization was carried out using Field Effect Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis. The involvement of phenolic agents, proteins, and amino acids in reducing the silver particles was confirmed. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited a crystalline nature, a spherical shape, and a particle size ranging from 10 to 20 nm. The presence of elemental silver was confirmed by a strong, intense peak around 3 keV in the EDX spectrum. To assess their potential, the antibacterial properties of the silver nanoparticles against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated using the agar diffusion method

Phenolic compounds of aqueous and Methanol extracts of Hypsizygus tessellatus (brown and white var.) and Flammulina velutipes caps: antioxidant and antiproliferative activities

Since the World Health Organization has suggested the exploration of natural products for cancer management owing to the side effects of chemotherapy and irradiation on humans and breast cancer accounts for the highest number of cancer related deaths globally, this study has examined antiproliferative effects of the aqueous and methanol extracts of Hypsizygus tessellatus (brown and white var.) and Flammulina velutipes caps against two breast cancer cell lines. The antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of these mushroom extracts were evaluated in vitro using chemical-based (for antioxidant activity) and cell (for antiproliferative activity) approaches. Furthermore, the phytochemical composition of the mushroom extracts were identified using mass spectroscopy (UPLC-QTOF/MS). The obtained results showed aqueous extracts of F. velutipes (Enoki) and white H. tessellatus (Bunapi shimeji) caps to possess higher antiodixant activities against DPPH (IC50 = 0.202 and 0.573 mg/mL, respectively), and H2O2 (IC50 = 0.622 and 0.745 mg/mL, respectively) compared tothe methanol extracts. Aqueous extracts of the mushrooms also showed better ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values against ferric ions compared to the methanol extracts. Finally, the mushroom extracts showed good antiproliferative activities against human breast cancer cell lines. These findings suggest the presence of phytochemicals with antiproliferative and antioxidant acrtivities in the mushroom extracts studied