Antinociceptive Activity of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Parthenium hysterophorus L.

The present study was aimed to evaluate the antinociceptive property of Parthenium hysterophorus L. The central antinociceptive activity was analyzed by hot plate and tail immersion method; whereas acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin induced licking tests were carried out for peripheral antinociceptive activity. The acute toxicity study revealed that methanol extract of the plant was moderately toxic at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight. In hot plate method and tail immersion test the methanol extract exhibited significant analgesic activity ( < 0.001) at a dose of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg revealed its central antinociceptive activity. The significant activity (p<0.01) in acetic acid induced writhing test and formalin induced licking test implies the peripheral antinociceptive property of the extract at both doses. These findings justify that P. hysterophorus L. can be a valuable natural antinociceptive source which seemed to provide potential phytotherapeutics against various ailments

Impact of Photosensitization on Physicochemical Properties in Strawberries

Strawberries, depending on the cultivar and environmental conditions, can be a rich source of nutrients like folates and vitamin C as well as bioactive phytochemicals, mainly polyphenols. But at room temperature, this fruit is highly perishable and has a relative short shelf life of only a couple of days. An innovative, cost effective and environmentally friendly technique, photosensitization, has been applied with the aim to extend the shelf life of strawberries and to minimize the loss of nutrients and also phytochemicals. Photosensitization works based on the combined action of photosensitizer, light and oxygen, which produce reactive oxygen species that inactivate microorganisms. Curcumin, known for its antifungal activity was used as the photosensitizer in this study. To see the effect of photosensitization, physicochemical parameters of both fresh and photosensitized strawberries have been tested. There were no significant (p &lt; 0.05) changes in pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and moisture content between treated and untreated (control) strawberries. However, total sugar content of photosensitized strawberry was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher than that of the control (5.29 ± 0.26 g/100 g FW vs. 4.12 ± 0.13 g/100 g FW). No significant difference was observed in the total phenolic content of the treated (192.9 ± 3.16 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g FW) and the control (195.8 ± 3.05 mg GAE/100 g FW) samples. These preliminary findings show that photosensitization could be a promising technique that has the potential to be used in the horticulture industry to extend the shelf life of fresh produce such as strawberries

Impact of Curcumin-Mediated Photosensitization on Fungal Growth, Physicochemical Properties and Nutritional Composition in Australian Grown Strawberry

The effect of photosensitization mediated by curcumin on fungal growth, physicochemical properties and nutritional composition in Australian grown “Albion” strawberries was evaluated. Curcumin solution (1200, 1000 and 800 μM) was sprayed on the strawberry surface, followed by illumination using blue light (420 nm) for 10 min at a dosage of 42 J/cm2 and stored at 4 ± 2 °C for 12 days. The fruit photosensitized with 1000-μM curcumin (10 min, followed by storage at 4 ± 2 °C) lasted up to 12 days with a fungal infection rate of 52%, whereas untreated control fruit developed 100% fungal infection and lasted for 8 days only under the same conditions. This treatment did not have an effect on colour, pH, moisture content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content and anthocyanins, whereas total soluble solids (9%) and total sugar (22%) were increased (p < 0.05). These initial results indicate that curcumin-based photosensitization could be an effective non-thermal technology to preserve the nutritional quality as well as to extend the postharvest life of fresh strawberry fruit

Stamford Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences In-vitro Antioxidant and Cytotoxicity Studies of Annona squamosa Linn.

n-Hexane, chloroform and methanol soluble extracts of the leaves of Annona squamosa were screened for their possible antioxidant activitiy by DPPH free radical scavenging and cytotoxicity by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In DPPH radical scavenging assay, methanol soluble extract was found to be the most potent with an IC50 value of 103.5 µg/ml. The amount of total phenolics was also found to the highest in the methanol soluble extract (283.16 ± 8.90 mg/g), followed by chloroform soluble extract (216.90 ± 4.48 mg/g). Here BHT and ascorbic acid were used as standards with IC50 values 8.2 µg/ml and 25 µg/ml respectively. In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the most significant cytotoxicity was observed with chloroform soluble extract with an LC50 of 4.16 µg/ml where vincristine sulphate was used as standard (LC50 0.29 µg/ml)