50 research outputs found
Antioxidant and toxicity studies of 50% methanolic extract of Orthosiphon stamineus benth.
The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity and potential toxicity of 50% methanolic extract of Orthosiphon stamineus (Lamiaceae) leaves (MEOS) after acute and subchronic administration in rats. Superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, and ferrous ion chelating methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of the extract. In acute toxicity study, single dose of MEOS, 5000 mg/kg, was administered to rats by oral gavage, and the treated rats were monitored for 14 days. While in the subchronic toxicity study, MEOS was administered orally, at doses of 1250, 2500, and 5000 mg/kg/day for 28 days. From the results, MEOS showed good superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating, and antilipid peroxidation activities. There was no mortality detected or any signs of toxicity in acute and subchronic toxicity studies. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in bodyweight, relative organ weight, and haematological and biochemical parameters between both male and female treated rats in any doses tested. No abnormality of internal organs was observed between treatment and control groups. The oral lethal dose determined was more than 5000 mg/kg and the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of MEOS for both male and female rats is considered to be 5000 mg/kg per day
Antioxidant and Toxicity Studies of 50% Methanolic Extract of Orthosiphon stamineus Benth
The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity and potential toxicity of 50% methanolic extract of Orthosiphon stamineus
(Lamiaceae) leaves (MEOS) after acute and subchronic administration in rats. Superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical
scavenging, and ferrous ion chelating methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of the extract. In acute toxicity
study, single dose of MEOS, 5000mg/kg, was administered to rats by oral gavage, and the treated rats were monitored for 14
days. While in the subchronic toxicity study, MEOS was administered orally, at doses of 1250, 2500, and 5000mg/kg/day for 28
days. From the results, MEOS showed good superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating,
and antilipid peroxidation activities. There was no mortality detected or any signs of toxicity in acute and subchronic toxicity
studies. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in bodyweight, relative organ weight, and haematological and biochemical
parameters between bothmale and female treated rats in any doses tested.No abnormality of internal organs was observed between
treatment and control groups.Theoral lethal dose determined wasmore than 5000mg/kg and the no-observed-adverse-effect level
(NOAEL) of MEOS for both male and female rats is considered to be 5000mg/kg per day
All-Electrical Skyrmionic Bits in a Chiral Magnetic Tunnel Junction
Topological spin textures such as magnetic skyrmions hold considerable
promise as robust, nanometre-scale, mobile bits for sustainable computing. A
longstanding roadblock to unleashing their potential is the absence of a device
enabling deterministic electrical readout of individual spin textures. Here we
present the wafer-scale realization of a nanoscale chiral magnetic tunnel
junction (MTJ) hosting a single, ambient skyrmion. Using a suite of electrical
and multi-modal imaging techniques, we show that the MTJ nucleates skyrmions of
fixed polarity, whose large readout signal - 20-70% relative to uniform states
- corresponds directly to skyrmion size. Further, the MTJ exploits
complementary mechanisms to stabilize distinctly sized skyrmions at zero field,
thereby realizing three nonvolatile electrical states. Crucially, it can write
and delete skyrmions using current densities 1,000 times lower than
state-of-the-art. These results provide a platform to incorporate readout and
manipulation of skyrmionic bits across myriad device architectures, and a
springboard to harness chiral spin textures for multi-bit memory and
unconventional computing.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Solid-liquid extraction of betel leaves (Piper betle L.)
This work investigated the effects of extraction temperature on the quality of extract and the kinetics of solid-liquid extraction of betel leaves. In this study, the effects of extraction temperature on the quality of extract were evaluated by comparing the concentration of its active compounds, including hydroxychavicol (HC) and eugenol (EU). The results indicate that the increase of extraction temperature led to the increase of the concentration of HC. EU concentration was decreased when temperatures higher than 60C were used. The kinetics data show that the extraction process reached equilibrium in a short time – about 40 min. Two models, namely equilibrium-dependent solid-liquid extraction (EDSLE) model and diffusion-dependent solid-liquid extraction model were applied to describe the extraction process. By comparing the values of correlation coefficients, the EDSLE model was found to be more suitable in describing the extraction process as it provided a better fit to the experimental data
Drying of betel leaves (Piper betle L.): quality and drying kinetics
This work studied the effects of drying temperature on the quality and drying kinetics of betel leaves (Piper betle L.). As the drying process applies heat on the product, this might lead to the degradation and decomposition of valuable phytochemicals within the herbs. In this study, the effect of drying temperature on the quality of dried leaves was studied by analyzing the change of major phytochemicals found in the leaves, which are hydroxychavicol and eugenol. The results indicate that the content of major compounds increased with temperature from 40 to 70°C but underwent decomposition when the leaves dried at 80°C. Besides that, the drying kinetics for different drying temperatures also studied. The kinetics results show that the increase of drying temperature shortened the total drying time. Five thin-layer models were selected in describing the drying process of betel leaves. The logarithmic model was found to be the most suitable one
Modelling of freezing kinetics of extract of betel leaves (Piper betle L.)
Betel is a native medicinal plant from central and eastern parts of Peninsular Malaysia. It is now an important commercial crop in India and Sri Lanka. There are various beneficial bioactivities discovered in this herb including anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Freeze drying is one of the common methods used to dehydrate the herbal aqueous extract. This work studied the freezing process of aqueous extract of betel leaves (Piper betle L.). The effects of different freezing temperatures on the freezing kinetics were investigated. Freezing temperatures of -20, -25, -30°C were selected for the study. The freezing time which was taken as the time required for the temperature of the sample to reach the freezing temperature was determined from the kinetics data. The freezing point of betel leaves extract was determined as -4°C. The freezing process was described with numerical model. The predicted data showed good agreement with the experimental results
Antioxidant and Toxicity Studies of 50% Methanolic Extract of Orthosiphon stamineus Benth
The present study evaluated the antioxidant activity and potential toxicity of 50% methanolic extract of Orthosiphon stamineus (Lamiaceae) leaves (MEOS) after acute and subchronic administration in rats. Superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, and ferrous ion chelating methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of the extract. In acute toxicity study, single dose of MEOS, 5000 mg/kg, was administered to rats by oral gavage, and the treated rats were monitored for 14 days. While in the subchronic toxicity study, MEOS was administered orally, at doses of 1250, 2500, and 5000 mg/kg/day for 28 days. From the results, MEOS showed good superoxide radical scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating, and antilipid peroxidation activities. There was no mortality detected or any signs of toxicity in acute and subchronic toxicity studies. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in bodyweight, relative organ weight, and haematological and biochemical parameters between both male and female treated rats in any doses tested. No abnormality of internal organs was observed between treatment and control groups. The oral lethal dose determined was more than 5000 mg/kg and the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of MEOS for both male and female rats is considered to be 5000 mg/kg per day
Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults
Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We
estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from
1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories.
Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and
weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate
trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children
and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the
individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference)
and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median).
Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in
11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed
changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and
140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of
underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and
countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior
probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse
was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of
thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a
posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%)
with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and
obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for
both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such
as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged
children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls
in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and
42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents,
the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining
underweight or thinness.
Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an
increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy
nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of
underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit
Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and antiproliferation activities of chloroform extract F5 fraction from Crinum amabile Donn ex Ker Gawl. leaves
Medicinal plants are potential sources of bioactive compounds, which due to their
multiple pharmacological benefits, could be developed into promising therapeutic
drugs. Crinum amabile possesses various biological activities such as antimalaria,
anticancer and antihypertension. These encouraging findings had led to the selection
of this plant species as a viable candidate for developments of anticancer and
antihypertension products. Therefore, this research was undertaken to investigate the
anticancer (cytotoxicity, apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis) and the antihypertensive
properties of this plant. The possible pathways to the underlying mechanism of
respective activities were also elucidated. Firstly, the leaves of C. amabile were
serially extracted using Soxhlet’s apparatus to yield four different extracts:
petroleum ether extract (PE), chloroform extract (CE), methanol extract (ME) and
water extract (WE). Preliminary assays (both anticancer and vasorelaxation) showed
that CE exhibited the highest pharmacological effects. Thus, CE was fractionated
using column chromatography and standardized through thin layer chromatography
to produce six individual fractions. Next, the cytotoxicity of all these extracts and
fractions were tested on various human cancer cell lines using MTS cytotoxicity
assay. Results indicated that F5 fraction exhibited non-cell-specific cytostatic effects
on most of the cancer cell lines, with MCF-7 breast cancer cells being the most
susceptible. However, further studies using two apoptosis assays: annexin-V and
DNA fragmentation assay showed that F5 fraction did not induce cell apoptosis on
MCF-7 cells and no DNA fragmentations were detected. Nonetheless, cell
proliferation assay using MTT assay revealed that F5 fraction was able to inhibit
normal cell proliferation as well as VEGF-induced cell proliferation of normal
endothelial cell: HUVECs. Data from this study illustrated that F5 fraction from leaf
CE of C. amabile was able to exhibit cytostatic effect through anti-proliferation and
anti-angiogenesis activities rather than induction of cell apoptosis. Meanwhile the
vasorelaxation activities of C. amabile extracts and fractions were elucidated on both phenylephrine pre-contracted intact and denuded rat aortic rings. The results
indicated that F5 fraction exhibited the highest vasorelaxation activities and
produced both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasorelaxation.
In depth studies of its mechanism pathway(s) elucidated that the endotheliumdependent
vasorelaxation induced by F5 fraction was primarily achieved through the
stimulation of PGI2 production and partial association with NO/sGC/cGMP
activation pathway. The study proposed that C. amabile can serve as a promising
lead candidate for both discovery and development of new cytotoxic or vasodilator
drugs