Nutritional composition and biological activities of the edible shoots of Bambusa vulgaris and Gigantochloa ligulate

The nutritional composition of the raw and boiled shoots of two bamboo species, Bambusa vulgaris and Gigantochloa ligulata were investigated. Boiling the shoots at 100 °C for 20 min significantly increased the crude fat and crude fiber contents while it decreased the crude protein content for both species. In general, the boiled shoots of both species were high in moisture (≥92 g/100 g fw), crude protein (≥29 g/100 g dw), and crude fiber (≥7.7 g/100 g dw) but low in crude fat (≤3.7 g/100 g dw). Boiling had varying effects on the mineral contents of both shoots, depending on the mineral. Potassium was the most abundant mineral for the raw and boiled shoots of B. vulgaris (310 and 240 μg/100 g dw, respectively) and G. ligulata (240 and 120 μg/100 g dw, respectively). The extracts (sequentially: hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, water) obtained from the boiled shoots of both species showed stronger antifungal activity (MIC: 0.01–2.50 mg/mL) than antibacterial activity (MIC: 0.31–2.50 mg/mL). All extracts from B. vulgaris showed stronger DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power but similar cellular antioxidant activity with HeLa cells, and higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents than G. ligulata. However, the lowest half-maximum inhibitory concentration values for α-amylase and α-glucosidase were shown by the ethanol (300 μg/mL) and hexane (71 μg/mL) extracts of G. ligulata shoots, respectively. The results suggested that the shoots of B. vulgaris and G. ligulata are a potential health food and a source of bioactive compounds

Nutritional compositions, biological activities, and phytochemical contents of the edible bamboo shoot, Dendrocalamus asper, from Malaysia

The edible shoots of Dendrocalamus asper (family Poaceae) is an under utilised food. The present work was conducted to evaluate the nutritional compositions, biological activities, and phytochemical contents of the shoots of D. asper obtained from different regions of Malaysia, Peninsular (DP) and East Malaysia (DS). The nutritional analysis was conducted using the Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International. All minerals were quantified using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer, except for potassium which was measured using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were assayed using a colourimetric broth microdilution method, while antioxidant activity was tested using DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays. Enzyme inhibitory activities were examined using α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Both bamboo shoots (boiled at 100°C for 20 min) were high in moisture (> 93 g/100 g FW), crude protein (> 21 g/100 g DW), and crude fibre contents (> 9 g/100 g DW), but low in fat content (< 4 g/100 g DW). Potassium was the most abundant mineral at 205.67 and 203.83 µg/100 g DW of bamboo shoots of DP and DS, respectively. The extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water) of both shoots showed stronger antifungal activity than antibacterial activity against selected human pathogens. All extracts of DP shoots demonstrated higher CAA in HeLa cells and α-amylase inhibitory activity than that of DS shoots. In contrast, the extracts of DS shoots exhibited stronger inhibition on α-glucosidase and contained higher TPC than that of DP shoots. The D. asper shoots obtained from the Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia contained different types of secondary metabolites which account for the differences in the biological activities. In conclusion, D. asper shoots have potential as a nutritional and functional food

Antimicrobial, antiviral and cytotoxic activities of selected marine organisms collected from the coastal areas of Malaysia

Many marine organisms have developed the capability of producing unique metabolites and thus are highly likely to contain anti-infective agents. This study was conducted to investigate extracts of three seaweeds (Caulerpa racemosa, Caulerpa sertularioides, Kappaphycus alvarezii), two soft corals (Lobophytum microlobulatum, Sarcophyton auritum) and a marine sponge (Spheciospongia vagabunda) collected from Malaysian coast for antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and cytotoxic activities. The samples were subjected to sequential solvent extraction in order to obtain hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and water extracts. The antibacterial and antifungal activities were studied using a colorimetric broth microdilution method. The hexane extract of L. microlobulatum had the strongest antibacterial activity and exhibited the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (0.04 mg/mL) and minimum bactericidal concentration (0.08 mg/mL) against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, respectively. For antifungal activity, the lowest MIC and minimum fungicidal concentration values were produced by the hexane extract of S. auritum against the dimorphic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, both with 0.04 mg/mL. None of the extracts were active against the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Only the hexane and ethanol extracts of L. microlobulatum and the ethyl acetate extract of S. auritum exhibited strong inhibition on the cytopathic effect induced by the Chikungunya virus (a re-emerging mosquito-borne virus) with 50% effective concentrations of 14.3 0.2, 124.3 1.9 and 176.6 9.7 µg/mL, respectively. Extracts from the two soft corals, L. microlobulatum and S. auritum possessed stronger antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities compared to the seaweeds and the sponge

Identification of brain transcriptional variation reproduced in peripheral blood: an approach for mapping brain expression traits

Genome-wide gene expression studies may provide substantial insight into gene activities and biological pathways differing between tissues and individuals. We investigated such gene expression variation by analyzing expression profiles in brain tissues derived from eight different brain regions and from blood in 12 monkeys from a biomedically important non-human primate model, the vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). We characterized brain regional differences in gene expression, focusing on transcripts for which inter-individual variation of expression in brain correlates well with variation in blood from the same individuals. Using stringent criteria, we identified 29 transcripts whose expression is measurable, stable, replicable, variable between individuals, relevant to brain function and heritable. Polymorphisms identified in probe regions could, in a minority of transcripts, confound the interpretation of the observed inter-individual variation. The high heritability of levels of these transcripts in a large vervet pedigree validated our approach of focusing on transcripts that showed higher inter-individual compared with intra-individual variation. These selected transcripts are candidate expression Quantitative Trait Loci, differentially regulating transcript levels in the brain among individuals. Given the high degree of conservation of tissue expression profiles between vervets and humans, our findings may facilitate the understanding of regional and individual transcriptional variation and its genetic mechanisms in humans. The approach employed here—utilizing higher quality tissue and more precise dissection of brain regions than is usually possible in humans—may therefore provide a powerful means to investigate variation in gene expression relevant to complex brain related traits, including human neuropsychiatric diseases

Identification of brain transcriptional variation reproduced in peripheral blood: an approach for mapping brain expression traits.

Genome-wide gene expression studies may provide substantial insight into gene activities and biological pathways differing between tissues and individuals. We investigated such gene expression variation by analyzing expression profiles in brain tissues derived from eight different brain regions and from blood in 12 monkeys from a biomedically important non-human primate model, the vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). We characterized brain regional differences in gene expression, focusing on transcripts for which inter-individual variation of expression in brain correlates well with variation in blood from the same individuals. Using stringent criteria, we identified 29 transcripts whose expression is measurable, stable, replicable, variable between individuals, relevant to brain function and heritable. Polymorphisms identified in probe regions could, in a minority of transcripts, confound the interpretation of the observed inter-individual variation. The high heritability of levels of these transcripts in a large vervet pedigree validated our approach of focusing on transcripts that showed higher inter-individual compared with intra-individual variation. These selected transcripts are candidate expression Quantitative Trait Loci, differentially regulating transcript levels in the brain among individuals. Given the high degree of conservation of tissue expression profiles between vervets and humans, our findings may facilitate the understanding of regional and individual transcriptional variation and its genetic mechanisms in humans. The approach employed here-utilizing higher quality tissue and more precise dissection of brain regions than is usually possible in humans-may therefore provide a powerful means to investigate variation in gene expression relevant to complex brain related traits, including human neuropsychiatric diseases