Actividad antioxidante, composición polifenólica y actividades antibacterianas y antifúngicas in vitro del aceite de semilla de té

The polyphenolic composition and antioxidant activity of tea seed oil from C. sinensis TRFK 301/5 (green colored) and TRFK 306 (purple colored) and C. oleifera were evaluated. The total polyphenolic content, total catechins and catechin fractions were significantly different in the oils. C. oleifera contained significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher amounts of catechins and polyphenols than C. sinensis. C. oleifera also exhibited a higher DPPH radical scavenging activity (18.81 ± 0.46%) compared to C. sinensis (TRFK 306; 15.98 ± 0.13 and TRFK 301/5; 14.73 ± 0.47%). The antimicrobial activities of tea seed oil and two selected oils (olive and eucalyptus oil), were also evaluated against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candinda albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. S. aureus was significantly inhibited by the oils compared to E. coli. The oils inhibited the growth of T. mentagrophytes and C. albicans, although they had no effect on C. neoformans. Tea seed oil is a potential source of beneficial phytochemicals and potent antimicrobial agents.Se evaluó la composición polifenólica y la actividad antioxidante del aceite de semilla de té de C. sinensis TRFK 301/5 (color verde) y TRFK 306 (color púrpura) y C. oleifera. El contenido polifenólico total, catequinas totales y fracciones de catequinas fueron significativamente diferentes en los aceites. C. oleifera contenía cantidades significativamente mayores (p≤0.05) de catequinas y polifenoles que C. sinensis. C. oleifera también exhibió una mayor actividad de eliminación de radicales DPPH (18,81 ± 0,46%) en comparación con C. sinensis (TRFK 306; 15,98 ± 0,13 y TRFK 301/5; 14,73 ± 0,47%). También se evaluó la actividad antimicrobiana del aceite de semilla de té y dos aceites seleccionados (aceite de oliva y de eucalipto) frente a Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candinda albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans y Trichophyton mentagrophytes. S. aureus fue inhibido significativamente por los aceites en comparación con E. coli. Los aceites inhibieron el crecimiento de T. mentagrophytes y C. albicans, sin embargo, no tuvieron ningún efecto sobre C. neoformans. El aceite de semilla de té es una fuente potencial de fitoquímicos beneficiosos y potentes agentes antimicrobianos. &nbsp

The Silver Cyprinid Rastrineobola Argentea as the main diet source for rearing Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes

Background & objectives: All organisms that are cultured for laboratory bioassays need food for sustenance and amplification of the colony to such numbers that would not compromise the progress of the research at hand. For effective turnover rate in the population generation, the diet should be such that it is readily available and provide adequate nutrients to the organisms. The aim of this study was to test and evaluate the efficacy of Rastrineobola argentea as a diet source for rearing Anopheles arabiensis Patton mosquitoes for research. Methods: Crushed fish, Rastrineobola argentea and two other commercial larval feeds (Tetramin Baby fish food and baker’s yeast) were compared for their efficacy as diet sources for feeding Anopheles arabiensis mosquito larvae. The effects of these diet types were determined against fecundity, size, longevity and male mating competitiveness. Results: Mosquitoes raised on Tetramin Baby fish food laid larger egg batches (66.45 ± 5.03 mm) as compared to crushed fish (64.86 ± 4.93 mm) or bakers’ yeast (50.49 ± 4.25 mm). However, the number of eggs laid by the mosquitoes irrespective of the diet type did no differ significantly (p < 0.132). Mosquitoes raised on Tetramin Baby fish food were larger in size (3.06 ± 0.02 mm) as compared to those raised on crushed R. argentea (2.93 ± 0.01 mm) or baker’s yeast (3.00 ± 0.02 mm). The choice of diet was found to influence both mosquito size (p < 0.001) and fecundity (p < 0.013). Conclusion: This study found that crushed R. argentea is an effective mosquito larval diet and that it has the potential of being more effective than tetramin if refined further and supplements added. Keywords Rastrineobola argentea; Anopheles arabiensis; Fecundity; Longevity; Eclosio