Effect of Heat Treatment on the Bioactive Components and Antioxidant Activity in Selected Dry Beans and Nuts

Dry beans and nuts are vital in our daily diet and contains high dietary fiber, poly-unsaturated fatty acids and phytochemical compounds such as phenolic and flavonoids. The objective of this study was to compare the antioxidant activities in selected dry beans and nuts and the effect of roasting. Roasted and raw dried nuts and beans were grounded into powder, extracted in 70% methanol and evaporated. The methanol extracts were subjected to 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay, 2,2’-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay, total phenolic content (TPC) assay and total flavonoid content (TFC) assay. Results were analyzed using ANOVA (p value <0.05). The results of DPPH, ABTS, TPC and TFC assays were found in increasing pattern from cashew nut (CN), almond (AN) to walnut (WN) among nuts, and from chickpea (CB), green pea (GB) to mung bean (MB) among beans. Whereas in roasted condition, increased activities were found in CN, GB and CB while decreased activities were found in AN, WN and MB for DPPH assay. In ABTS assay, increased activities were found in CN, GB, CB and MB but decreased activities were found in AN and WN. For TPC assay, increased activities were found in all of beans and nuts except for WN. As for TFC assay, decreased activities were found among all nuts and beans except for CN and CB. The study indicates roasting process alters the antioxidant capacity (DPPH and ABTS), TPC and TFC in dry beans and nuts

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Some Plants Collected from Malaysia

Five plant species namely, Phyllanthus acidus, Piper aduncum, Pandanus amaryllifolius, Macaranga peltata and Acacia mangium were analysed for their effective in-vitro bioactivity. The chloroform and aqueous extracted of the selected plants were subjected to TLC bioautography for antioxidant activity later all the extracted were subjected for DPPH assay where the chloroform extracts were found to express maximum antioxidant property. Amongst all the plants, Macaranga peltata accounted to 95% DPPH scavenging activity. The antimicrobial studies of the plant extracts were performed via agar well diffusion method, MIC determination, Biofilm inhibition assay in microtitre plate against clinical isolates like Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It was found that Piper aduncum (chloroform and aqueous extract) and Macaranga peltata (only aqueous) expressed antibacterial activity, of which only chloroform extract of Piper aduncum could show negative influence against the biofilm development of P.aeruginosa

Effect of Glutathione, Ascorbic Acid and Multivitamins on Sensitivity of Norfloxacin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Several studies have suggested that irrespective of the mode of action of antibiotics, induction of oxidative stress also contributes to their bactericidal actions. When antioxidants are supplemented with antibiotics, the bactericidal effect of the antibiotic are reduced. Thus, in this study, sensitivity of norfloxacin was analysed in the presence of antioxidants like glutathione and ascorbic acids, then the influence of multivitamins in the sensitivity was also analysed. The effect was studied though disc diffusion, MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) and DNA damage assays against the model organisms - Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. This study suggested that the antioxidant and vitamin solution were having influence over sensitivity towards the antibiotics whose MIC was determined at highest concentration with reduced zone of inhibition and DNA damage. Hence, these results lead to a hypothetical claim for the involvement of multivitamins / antioxidants to have antibacterial resistance development

Production and Utilization of SPIONs for In-vitro Drug Release and X-ray Imaging

In this study, SPIONs were produced in the presence of cobalt as catalyst. SPIONs formed by this chemical co-precipitation were size around 20 nm. After producing the SPIONs, it was subjected for functionalization with oleic acid and loaded with drug - itraconazole (a drug possess antifungal and antibacterial activity) and encapsulated with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). The produced core-shell SPIONS was used for antimicrobial study against two bacteria namely - Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Brevibacillus brevis and a fungi - Candida albicans. It was found to be effectively releasing drug for more than 3 hours. The SPIONs alone was acting good as contrasting agent and used for enhancing X-ray imaging