Green bio-inspired synthesis, characterization and activity of silver nanoparticle forms of Centaurea virgata Lam. and the isolated flavonoid eupatorin

A green synthesis method of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Centaurea virgata Lam. extract and the isolated compound eupatorin was investigated in this study. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and zeta potential were used for characterization of AgNPs. The UV-Vis spectrum exhibited a characteristic absorption band at 420 nm for monodisperse nanoparticles. FTIR measurements also proved the formation. X-ray diffraction patterns showed peaks at (110) and (112), which are characteristic for hexagonal crystals and also showed peaks at (111), (200) and (240), which are characteristic for orthorhombic crystals. The TEM images of AgNPs show that the morphology of AgNPs was predominantly spherical. Obtained AgNPs were highly stable according to the zeta potential values. The nitric oxide scavenging activity, which is also related to anticancer activity, of AgNPs was evaluated. It can be concluded that C. virgata Lam. extract and eupatorin can be used as a reducing agent for potential antioxidant AgNP formation. © 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Potential Cytotoxic Activity of Psephellus pyrrhoblepharus Extracts

Many species of Psephellus and Centaurea genuses have pharmacological activities including antiinflamatory, antipyretic, cytotoxic etc. Psephellus pyrrhoblepharus (Boiss.) Wagenitz (Centaurea pyrrhoblephara), an endemic plant, was collected from Elazığ, Turkey. Liver cancer is affecting millions of people all over the world. Recent days interest in use of plant-derived compounds for therapeutic purposes in cancer is increasing. So any approach to treat liver cancer is extremely valuable. We aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of extracts (methanol:water 1:1, chloroform and n-hexane) of aerial parts of P. pyrrhoblepharus using human liver cancer cell (HepG2) by utilizing the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay in different concentrations (50,100,200 µg/mL) and time points (6, 12, 24 h). Regarding the cytotoxicity, cell viability was decreased following extract exposures at different time points. However, the highest cytotoxic activity was observed in 100 µg/mL concentrations of chloroform extract at 24 h. Chloroform extract of plant showed the highest cytotoxic activity in 200 µg/mL concentrations when compared to methanol:water and n-hexane extracts at 12 h. It can be suggested that used extracts of P. pyrrhoblepharus exert cytotoxic effect in HepG2 carcinoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Generally, results provide information regarding the threshold concentrations of P. pyrrhoblepharus extracts that might be used in different applications without toxicity hazards

In vitro activity of arbutus unedo leaf extracts against trichomonas vaginalis trophozoitesi

Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) sık görülen, cinsel yolla bulaşan kamçılı bir protozoondur. T. vaginalis infeksiyonu 5- nitroimidazol türevleri ile tedavi edilmektedir. Bununla birlikte ilaca karşı direnç uzun zamandır bilinmekte ve yeni alternatifler araştırılmaktadır. Arbutus unedo özellikle Güney Avrupa'da kayalık ve makili alanda yetişen doğal bir bitkidir. Bu çalışmada Arbutus unedo yapraklarında hazırlanan etanol, su, heksan ve etil asetat ekstrelerinin T. vaginalis trofozoitleri üzerine in vitro etkileri araştırılmış ve etil asetat ekstresinin etkili olduğu saptanmıştır (etil asetat ekstresinin 500 ?g/ml'lik konsantrasyonda çoğalmayı engelleyici etkisinin %100 olduğu saptanmıştır). Bu ekstrenin ileride umut verici anti-trichomonasidal bir ajan olabileceği ve ileri araştırmaların yapılması gerektiği düşünülmüştür.Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) is a flagellated protozoan commonly causing sexually transmitted disease. T. vaginalis infections are treated with a 5-nitroimidazole derivate. However, drug resistance has been known to occur for a long time and new alternatives are under investigation. Arbutus unedo is a wild plant mainly growing in maquis and rocky places of the seaboard in Southern Europe. In our study, ethanolic, water, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Arbutus unedo leaves were tested in vitro against T.vaginalis trophozoites and the ethyl acetate extract of Arbutus unedo leaves was found to be effective (Growth inhibition rate (GI): 100%, at the concentration of 500 ;amp;#956;g/ml). It may be a promising anti-trichomonacidal agent in the future and further experiments are needed

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

Biotransformation of ruscogenins by Cunninghamella blakesleeana NRRL 1369 and neoruscogenin by endophytic fungus Neosartorya hiratsukae

Biotransformation of steroidal ruscogenins (neoruscogenin and ruscogenin) was carried out with Cunninghamella blakesleeana NRRL 1369 and endophytic fungus Neosartorya hiratsukae yielding mainly P450 monooxygenase products together with a glycosylated compound. Fermentation of ruscogenins (75:25, neoruscogenin-ruscogenin mixture) with C. blakesleeana yielded 8 previously undescribed hydroxylated compounds. Furthermore, microbial transformation of neoruscogenin by endophytic fungus N. hiratsukae afforded three previously undescribed neoruscogenin derivatives. While hydroxylation at C-7, C-12, C-14, C-21 with further oxidation at C-1 and C-7 were observed with C. blakesleeana, N. hiratsukae biotransformation provided C-7 and C-12 hydroxylated compounds along with C-12 oxidized and C-1(O) glycosylated derivatives. The structures of the metabolites were elucidated by 1-D (1H, 13C and DEPT135) and 2-D NMR (COSY, HMBC, HMQC, NOESY, ROESY) as well as HR-MS analyses.TUBITAK (114Z958); Ege University Scientific Research Project 15ECZ01