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In vitro antiproliferative and antimicrobial evaluation of Kigelia pinnata

Abstract Kigelia pinnata (Lam.) Benth is a multi-medicinal plant with highly valued root extracts that are often applied in folk medicine for the management of various types of cancers and microbial infections. This study evaluates the anti-proliferative and antimicrobial potential of K. pinnata extracts. Oil and extracts from the root were obtained by cold extraction using hexane, ethylacetate and methanol and were concentrated in vacuo and examined for their antimicrobial activities and anti-proliferative activities on human breast cancer cell lines using agar diffusion method and tetrazolium dye assay, respectively. The oil and ethylacetate extract showed little or no antimicrobial activities for all organisms tested except for moderate activity on Aspergillus sp., but the methanol extract showed significant activity against Salmonella typhi, Proteus sp., Rhizopus sp. and Aspergillus sp. Most importantly, the three extracts significantly inhibited the growth of tumour cells in vitro with high cytotoxicity indices, while the ethylacetate extract had the highest potency, with IC 50 values of 10.53 ± 1.6 on human breast cancer cell lines. The root extracts showed significant anti-proliferative activity, which supports the folk claims of use of the plant as an anticancer repertoire

Tripanocidno i citotoksično djelovanje etanolskoga iscrpka lišća Psidium guajava određivano bojanjem alamarskim plavilom

Ethanolic extracts prepared from the leaves of Psidium guajava were evaluated for anti-trypanosoma and cytotoxicity activity in the bloodstream species of Trypanosoma brucei brucei (BS427) and HEK293 in 384-well Alamar Blue assays respectively. Cytotoxicity activity in HEK293 cells was subsequently used to estimate the selectivity index of the extracts. The activities of the plant extracts were determined to evaluate if further chemical and biological profi ling may be warranted for potential development in early drug discovery for African Sleeping Sickness. Two trypanocides, pentamidine and diminazene, were employed as reference drugs, while puromycin was also included as control for general cell growth inhibition. The results show that the extracts inhibited growth of T. b. brucei with an IC50 of 6.3 μg/mL and 48.9 μg/mL for 80% and 20% ethanolic preparations respectively, with corresponding activity of less than 50% against HEK293 at the highest screening dose of 238.10 μg/mL. The estimated selectivity index of the extracts compares favourably with pentamidine and diminazene. Meanwhile the reference compounds were found to have activities in agreement with published sensitivities at the doses screened. The lack of cytotoxicity at the doses screened and direct activity against T. b. brucei whole cells, make these extracts suitable candidates for further chemical elucidation and biological profiling.Istraženo je tripanocidno djelovanje etanolskog iscrpka lišća Psidium guajava na vrstu Trypanosoma brucei brucei (BS427) i njegova citotoksičnost na stanice HEK293 bojanjem alamarskim plavilom u 384 jažice. Citotoksični učinak na stanice HEK293 rabljen je za procjenu indeksa selektivnosti. Učinkovitost biljnih iscrpaka određivana je da bi se procijenila svrhovitost budućih kemijskih i bioloških istraživanja potencijalnoga lijeka za afričku bolest spavanja. U istraživanju su rabljena dva tripanocida, pentamidin i diminazen, te puromicin kao sredstvo koje usporava rast stanica. Rezultati su pokazali da 80% etanolskih pripravaka s IC50 od 6,3 μg/mL koči rast i razvoj tripanosoma, a samo 20% onih s IC50 od 48,9 μg/mL, s odgovarajućom aktivnosti manjom od 50% na stanice HEK293 u najvećoj dozi od 238,10 μg/mL. Indeks selektivnosti iscrpaka bio je sukladan s aktivnošću pentamidina i diminazena. Aktivnost istraživanih sastojaka bila je sukladna s razinom prije objavljene osjetljivosti. Izostanak citotoksičnosti na razini rabljenih koncentracija i izravna djelotvornost na stanice T. b. brucei daju osnovu za daljnja kemijska i biološka istraživanja predmetnih pripravaka

Antimicrobial and toxic potential of aqueous extracts of Allium sativum, Hibiscus sabdariffa and Zingiber officinale in Wistar rats

AbstractAllium sativum, Hibiscus sabdariffa and Zingiber officinale are medicinal plants with wide use in traditional medicine; however, the increasing use of crude extracts for traditional medicine applications raises safety concerns. We made a preliminary determination of the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial and safety profiles of aqueous extracts of A. sativum, H. sabdariffa and Z. officinale. The extracts were administered orally to Wistar rats for 30 days: a control group received distilled water, three groups received the three extract, and a fifth group received a combination of the three extracts. All three extracts, either individually or in combination, had antimicrobial activity, and all extracts influenced the activities of marker enzymes. The evidence lends credence to use of these plants in traditional medicine but also suggests the probable toxic potential of crude plant extracts

Exploring the Effect of Operational Factors and Characterization Imperative to the Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles

The synthesis and application of silver nanoparticles are increasingly becoming attractive. Hence, a critical examination of the various factors needed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles as well as the characterization is imperative. In light of this, we addressed in this chapter, the nitty-gritty on the operational parameters (factors) and characterization relevant to synthesis of silver nanoparticle. The following characterization protocols were discussed in the context of silver nanoparticle synthesis. These protocols include spectroscopic techniques such as ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

Tripanocidno i citotoksično djelovanje etanolskoga iscrpka lišća Psidium guajava određivano bojanjem alamarskim plavilom

Ethanolic extracts prepared from the leaves of Psidium guajava were evaluated for anti-trypanosoma and cytotoxicity activity in the bloodstream species of Trypanosoma brucei brucei (BS427) and HEK293 in 384-well Alamar Blue assays respectively. Cytotoxicity activity in HEK293 cells was subsequently used to estimate the selectivity index of the extracts. The activities of the plant extracts were determined to evaluate if further chemical and biological profi ling may be warranted for potential development in early drug discovery for African Sleeping Sickness. Two trypanocides, pentamidine and diminazene, were employed as reference drugs, while puromycin was also included as control for general cell growth inhibition. The results show that the extracts inhibited growth of T. b. brucei with an IC50 of 6.3 μg/mL and 48.9 μg/mL for 80% and 20% ethanolic preparations respectively, with corresponding activity of less than 50% against HEK293 at the highest screening dose of 238.10 μg/mL. The estimated selectivity index of the extracts compares favourably with pentamidine and diminazene. Meanwhile the reference compounds were found to have activities in agreement with published sensitivities at the doses screened. The lack of cytotoxicity at the doses screened and direct activity against T. b. brucei whole cells, make these extracts suitable candidates for further chemical elucidation and biological profiling.Istraženo je tripanocidno djelovanje etanolskog iscrpka lišća Psidium guajava na vrstu Trypanosoma brucei brucei (BS427) i njegova citotoksičnost na stanice HEK293 bojanjem alamarskim plavilom u 384 jažice. Citotoksični učinak na stanice HEK293 rabljen je za procjenu indeksa selektivnosti. Učinkovitost biljnih iscrpaka određivana je da bi se procijenila svrhovitost budućih kemijskih i bioloških istraživanja potencijalnoga lijeka za afričku bolest spavanja. U istraživanju su rabljena dva tripanocida, pentamidin i diminazen, te puromicin kao sredstvo koje usporava rast stanica. Rezultati su pokazali da 80% etanolskih pripravaka s IC50 od 6,3 μg/mL koči rast i razvoj tripanosoma, a samo 20% onih s IC50 od 48,9 μg/mL, s odgovarajućom aktivnosti manjom od 50% na stanice HEK293 u najvećoj dozi od 238,10 μg/mL. Indeks selektivnosti iscrpaka bio je sukladan s aktivnošću pentamidina i diminazena. Aktivnost istraživanih sastojaka bila je sukladna s razinom prije objavljene osjetljivosti. Izostanak citotoksičnosti na razini rabljenih koncentracija i izravna djelotvornost na stanice T. b. brucei daju osnovu za daljnja kemijska i biološka istraživanja predmetnih pripravaka

Influence of UV light exposure on mineral composition and biomass production of mycomeat produced from different agricultural substrates

The wild and mutant strain of Pleurotus sajor caju was cultured on different agricultural substrates. Treatment 1 contained agricultural substrates alone. Treatment 2 contained the mutant strain of the mushroom plus agricultural waste. Treatment 3 contained the wild strain of the mushroom plus agricultural waste. The mutant strain of Pleurotus sajor caju cultured on groundnut shell had the highest iron content while the mutant strain cultured on palm kernel meal had the highest biomass production, 10.5 g/L and 17.20 g/L after 7 and 14 days respectively. The proximate analyses of the feed variety (mycomeat) revealed the rich nutritional content which may be explored for feed ingredients in livestock production. The findings do not only support the bioremediation of agricultural waste to produce high-value bio-products, but also provide evidence that improvement of microorganism strains represents a viable way to enhance the nutritional value of fermented products

Natural honey reduced atherogenic and coronary risk indices in Wistar rats

BACKGROUND The biochemical mechanism underlying the nutraceutical effects of honey is poorly understood, thus making its functions more a matter of speculations. In this study, we investigated the effects of honey on the atherogenic and coronary risk indices in Wistar rats. METHODS An experimental design comprising two groups of rats fed with normal rat chow but with the experimental group receiving 10% honey in water and the control group water alone, for five weeks. Blood samples were collected weekly from each group, and the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and total protein were determined. The lipids profile (total cholesterol, total triglycerides, LDL and HDL) were also determined, and the atherogenic and coronary indices were estimated. Data were analyzed, and p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS There were no significant changes in both groups’ serum SOD and CAT across the weeks of study. The LDL cholesterol of the honey-treated rats, however, decreased significantly (9.95 mg/dL) compared to the controls (27.07 mg/dL) (p=0.000). In contrast, honey intake elevated the HDL cholesterol (18.37 mg/dL) relative to 12.25 mg/dL in the control group (p=0.003). Consequently, honey treatment caused significant depletion of atherogenic and coronary risk indices (76.13%, p=0.001) and (50.37%, p=0.023) respectively. CONCLUSION We show evidence that the regular intake of honey, at a concentration as low as ten percent of total water intake, may lower factors for the onset of hypertension and coronary diseases