A comparative study of anti-inflammatory properties and activities of green and red Christia vespertilionis leaves

Christia vespertilionis is a plant traditionally used to treat various diseases, including inflammation. This study aims to compare and analyze the anti-inflammatory properties and activities of green and red C. vespertilionis leaves and to determine the correlation between the protease inhibition assay and phenolic content. Preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, cardenolides, phenolics, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, and steroids in green and red leaves. Green leaf had the highest anti-inflammation potential, with a high extraction yield (6.39 ± 0.01%), phenolic content (29.25 ± 0.50 mg) gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/mL), flavonoid content (1.57 ± 0.03 mg quercetin acid equivalent [QE]/mL) and tannin content (22.70 ± 3.15 mg tannic acid equivalent [TAE]/mL). Green leaf contained more anti-inflammatory compounds, including n-hexadecanoic acid, phytol, 9, 12, 15-octadecatrienoic acid (Z, Z, Z)- and squalene. The protease inhibition assay showed that green leaf had anti-inflammatory activity at 66.55 ± 2.59% with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 284.59 ± 10.63 μg/mL. The green leaf showed a significant positive correlation between the protease inhibition assay and phenolic content, with R2 = 0.6821. We conclude that both green and red C. vespertilionis types have the potential to act as anti-inflammatory agents, but green leaves are preferable

Fatty acids composition of selected Malaysian fishes (Komposisi asid lemak ikan terpilih Malaysia)

A comparative study on the fatty acids contents of three Malaysian marine fishes Tenualosa toli (Terubok), Rastrelliger kanagurta (Kembong), Stolephorus baganensis (Bilis) and three freshwater fishes Channa striatus (Haruan), Pangasius hypothalamus (Patin), Clarias macrocephalus (Keli) were carried out. Marine fishes showed more unsaturated fatty acids with 3, 4, 5 and 6 double bonds than in freshwater fishes. Two n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docasahaexaenoic acid (DHA) were found more in marine fishes PUFAs than in freshwater fishes. Based on the fatty acids content of DHA, EPA and arachidonic acid (AA), Stolephorus baganensis provides the best source of it (4.68%,10.5%, 4.68%) followed by Rastrelliger kanagurta (10.62%, 4.85%, 3.17%) and Tenualosa toli (9.93%, 2.50%, 0.16%). However, freshwater fishes showed small range of DHA (0.63% - 1.41%), EPA (0.11% - 0.25%) and AA (1.41% - 4.46%). Saturated fatty acids palmitic was the major fatty acid found in all fishes studied

Temubual secara langsung Dr. Nur Airina Muhamad dan Encik Ammar Husni Hussin di Rancangan Selamat Pagi Malaysia (TV1)

Tajuk: 1Education Malaysia (1 Edumas); Rancangan: Selamat Pagi Malaysia; Tarikh: 31 Januari 2018 (Rabu); Masa: 8.30 pag

Optimisation of protease purification from Christia vespertilionis leaves and its anti-inflammatory activity

Christia vespertilionis (L. f.) Bakh. f. is widely known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. However, there are no previous studies about extracting and purifying protease enzymes from C. vespertilionis leaves. Therefore, this study was conducted to extract and optimise the purification of protease from C. vespertilionis leaves and characterise its anti-inflammatory properties. The optimisation was performed using different levels of ammonium sulphate saturation (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%). Next, dialysis was carried out for the sample with the highest specific activity (16.88 U/mg), achieved with 100% ammonium sulphate saturation. At 100% saturation, C. vespertilionis leaves showed an increase in the specific activity to 20.06 U/mg after dialysis. The findings demonstrate the successful extraction and purification of C. vespertilionis protease (CVP) with a molecular weight of 48 kDa, as proven by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. CVP also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity, with an inhibition of 45.6% in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and IC50 of 19.24 μg/mL. The HPLC test further confirmed the presence of gallic acid and quercetin compounds in C. vespertilionis, which cure inflammation. The results indicate that optimised CVP purification was achieved and its anti-inflammatory ability was proven

The effects of Pueraria mirifica extract, diadzein and genistein in testosterone-induced prostate hyperplasia in male Sprague Dawley rats

Pueraria mirifica (PM) is a medicinal plant native to Thailand contained high amount of phytoestrogen and possesses anticancer activity. This study reports the effect of P. mirifica extract, phytoestrogen of diadzein and genistein for its benign prostate hyperplasia properties in testosterone-induced prostate hyperplasia in male Sprague Dawley rats. The P. mirifica extract was evaluated for its total phenols, flavonoid and antioxidant activity using DPPH, FRAP and metal chelating assay. The assessment of P. mirifica, diadzein and genistein against benign prostate hyperplasia was determined in testosterone-induced prostate hyperplasia in male Sprague Dawley rats. The total phenol was higher than flavonoid but showed low antioxidant activity of DPPH, FRAP and metal chelating. The aqueous PM extract at 1000 mg/kg significantly increased testosterone levels in testosterone-induced rats by 13% while diadzein and genistein increased it by 11% and 17% respectively. However, levels of FSH, LH, triglyceride and HDL are not affected by the oral administration of PM, diadzein and genistein to the rats. Similarly, total protein, albumin, globulin, total bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, AST, and G-glutamyltransferase showed no significant difference as compared with negative control rats. The body weight of the rats, testis, kidney and liver showed no toxic effect. The zinc content increased significantly and the zinc transporter gen of ZnT4 and ZIP4 highly expressed suggesting that the PM, diadzein and genistein plays essential role in modulating prostate zinc homeostasis. Similarly, the expression of IL-6, AR and ER was significantly reduced indicating functioning in regulation of prostate growth and acts as anti-inflammatory role in preventing BPH. In conclusion, the results indicated that PM reduced BPH and contributed to the regulation in the zinc transport expression of the prostate cells in the benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). © 2019, Springer Nature B.V

In Vitro and In Vivo Anticancer Activity of the Most Cytotoxic Fraction of Pistachio Hull Extract in Breast Cancer

Pistacia (Pistacia vera) hulls (PV) is a health product that has been determined to contain bioactive phytochemicals which have fundamental importance for biomedical use. In this study, PV ethyl acetate extraction (PV-EA) fractions were evaluated with the use of an MTT assay to find the most cytotoxic fraction, which was found to be F13b1/PV-EA. After that, HPTLC was used for identify the most active compounds. The antioxidant activity was analyzed with DPPH and ABTS tests. Apoptosis induction in MCF-7 cells by F13b1/PV-EA was validated via flow cytometry analysis and a distinctive nuclear staining method. The representation of genes like Caspase 3, Caspase 8, Bax, Bcl-2, CAT and SOD was assessed via a reverse transcription (RT_PCR) method. Inhabitation of Tubo breast cancer cell development was examined in the BALB-neuT mouse with histopathology observations. The most abundant active components available in our extract were gallic acid and the flavonoid quercetin. The F13b1/PV-EA has antiradical activity evidence by its inhibition of ABTS and DPPH free radicals. F13b1/PV-EA displayed against MCF-7 a suppressive effect with an IC50 value of 15.2 ± 1.35 µg/mL. Also, the expression of CAT, SOD, Caspase 3, Caspase 8 and Bax increased and the expression of Bcl-2 decreased. F13b1/PV-EA dose-dependently inhibited tumor development in cancer-induced mice. Thus, this finding introduces F13b1/PV-EA as an effectual apoptosis and antitumor active agent against breast cancer