Measurement of ascorbic acid in Australian native plants

Ascorbic acid is one of the compounds found in a number of commercially important native plants fruits e.g. Kakadu plum, wild lime and bush tomato. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine ascorbic acid in these native plant fruits. Ascorbic acid degradation of both standards and plant extracts was observed during HPLC sequence runs. These losses were considerable even though factors such as light, temperature and water activity, which accelerate the loss of ascorbic acid, were eliminated. Several concentrations of sodium metabisulphite were added to both standards and plant extracts to evaluate the effect on the rate of ascorbic acid degradation. A concentration of 500 μg/mL was the most effective but did not eliminate the problem. To correct for any loss still occurring, the rate constant k for ascorbic acid degradation was calculated and used to extrapolate back to the original ascorbic acid concentration. The k value was also found to vary for the different plants studied. For example the k value without added sodium metabisulphite for Kakadu plum, wild lime and Kakadu plum intermediate raw material were 0.00532, 0.02710 and 0.04429 respectively. With the addition of 500 μg/mL sodium metabisulphite the k value decreased to 0.00005, 0.00915 and 0.00586 respectively

Phytochemical and Bioactive Properties of Phlogacanthus and Andrographis Genus Plants: Potential for Post-Pandemic Home Remedies

This study aimed to differentiate the morphological characteristics, chemical constituents, and bioactive potential of Acanthaceae family plants, specifically three Phlogacanthus species and Andrographis paniculata. Under identical conditions, cutting stock plant of three Phlogacanthus species (Dee pla kung, Hom chang, and Cha hom) and Andrographis paniculata (Fah talai jone) were pruned and cultivated at the Chiang Mai Royal Agricultural Research Center. The morphology, biomass yield, and growth rates of the plants were observed after 90 days. Methanolic extracts of the dried aerial parts of these plants were analyzed for bioactive compounds, such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total lactone content (TLC), and antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays). The results revealed that Hom chang had the maximum relative growth rate (RGR) of 2.64 x 10-3 cm/cm/day among the plants, as determined by the morphology analysis. Cha hom and Dee pla kung, on the other hand, had substantially greater biomass yields than the other species. Regarding chemical properties, Dee pla kung exhibited high TPC (13.66 ± 0.10 mg GAE/g), TFC (17.25 ± 0.31 mg CE/g), and TLC (9.57 ± 0.59%). In addition, Dee pla kung, a species of Phlogacanthus, exhibited significant antioxidant activity and was comparable to Fah talai jone (genus Andrographis) in terms of biomass yield and chemical properties. These findings lay the groundwork for creating future herbal remedies from local plants and their potential use in the medicinal industry

Banana Peel (Musa ABB cv. Nam Wa Mali-Ong) as a Source of Value-Adding Components and the Functional Properties of Its Bioactive Ingredients

\ua9 2024 by the authors.Banana peel (BP) is the primary by-product generated during banana processing which causes numerous environmental issues. This study examines the physical attributes, proximate analysis, glycoarray profiling, antioxidant abilities, and prebiotic activity of BP. The analysis demonstrated that carbohydrates constituted the primary components of BP and the glycoarray profiling indicated that BP contains multiple pectin and hemicellulose structures. BP also contained phenolic compounds, including (+)-catechin and gallic acid, flavonoid compounds, and antioxidant activities. BP demonstrated prebiotic effects by promoting the proliferation of advantageous gut bacteria while inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. The prebiotic index scores demonstrated that BP exhibited a greater capacity to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in comparison to regular sugar. The study demonstrated the potential of the BP as a valuable source of dietary fibre, bioactive compounds, and prebiotics. These components have beneficial characteristics and can be utilised in the production of food, feed additives, and functional food

Adventitious Root Cultures of Boesenbergia rotunda as a Source of Pinostrobin

Pinostrobin is the major bioactive compound from the roots of Boesenbergia rotunda, and it possesses activities against HIV, Helicobacter pylori, ulcer, leukemia and inflammatory. The present study aimed to optimize the conditions for the production of adventitious roots from B. rotunda on Murashige and Skoog (MS) solid medium. The effects of the MS strength and sucrose concentration on adventitious root growth were studied as well as the production of pinostrobin. Adventitious roots were initiated from bud explant of B. rotunda, on MS solid medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and were used to establish root suspension cultures. The optimum biomasses of 1.83 ± 0.21 g fresh weight were obtained with a 1/2 strength of MS medium. High pinostrobin production (3.54 mg/g) was obtained with 50 g/L of sucrose concentration. These results suggest that adventitious root cultures are suitable for the raw material for the large-scale production, which contain a high yield of the pinostrobin compound. The results also revealed that the culture condition is a good strategy for enhancing the pinostrobin content in the adventitious root cultures

Chemical composition and comparison of genetic variation of commonly available Thai garlic used as food supplement

In order to classify true garlic cultivars, comparisons of oil composition and genetic of three garlic cultivars (Allium sativum L.) commonly used for essential oil production in the northern Thai market [viz., Thai (TH), Chinese (CH) and Pingpong (PP) cultivars] were carried out. Garlic essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and microwave hydrodistillation which were then analysed for chemical components by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The RAPD data suggests similarity (>95%) of the three cultivars in chemical compositions, and the major compounds are trisulphide, di-2-propenyl, the disulphide, di-2-propenyl, and the trisulphide, methyl 2-propenyl. Sulphur-containing compounds (Rf = 0.18-0.2) were detected by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with ninhydrin staining reagent. The essential oil of CH from hydrodistillation and microwave hydrodistillation showed the highest alliin content. The RAPD analysis of the three garlic cultivars presents 45 fragments. A dendrogram shows genetic similarity between the garlic cultivars. The TH and the CH showed similarity value as 0.93, while the PP was classified as a different cluster. Though there was considerable similarity between the chemical and the genetic profiles of the TH and the CH, the CH demonstrated high potential as an ingredient in food supplement products due to its high alliin content

Banana Peel ( Musa ABB cv. Nam Wa Mali-Ong) as a Source of Value-Adding Components and the Functional Properties of Its Bioactive Ingredients

Banana peel (BP) is the primary by-product generated during banana processing which causes numerous environmental issues. This study examines the physical attributes, proximate analysis, glycoarray profiling, antioxidant abilities, and prebiotic activity of BP. The analysis demonstrated that carbohydrates constituted the primary components of BP and the glycoarray profiling indicated that BP contains multiple pectin and hemicellulose structures. BP also contained phenolic compounds, including (+)-catechin and gallic acid, flavonoid compounds, and antioxidant activities. BP demonstrated prebiotic effects by promoting the proliferation of advantageous gut bacteria while inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. The prebiotic index scores demonstrated that BP exhibited a greater capacity to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in comparison to regular sugar. The study demonstrated the potential of the BP as a valuable source of dietary fibre, bioactive compounds, and prebiotics. These components have beneficial characteristics and can be utilised in the production of food, feed additives, and functional food

In silico examination of peptides containing selenium and ebselen Backbone To Assess Their Tumoricidal Potential

Introduction: Cancer has been one of the highest causes of morbidity and mortality in the world for decades. Owing to improved therapeutics along with detection, breast cancer mortality has been slowly reducing. The incidence of breast cancer, on the other hand, has increased gradually. More than 100 types of cancer have been identified with a wide range of treatment protocols comprising of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, etc. In an attempt to curb the serious deleterious effects caused by the chemotherapeutic drugs, numerous peptide molecules are currently popular as alternatives to the standard chemotherapeutic drugs. Methods: In this study, we have carried out in silico investigations to ascertain the anti-proliferative potential of novel peptides based on selenium and ebselen, i.e. Eb-Trp-Asp, 13, Eb-Trp-Glu, 14, and Eb-Trp-Lys, 15. Analysis of protein-ligand interactions, resulting in protein-ligand complex formation, has been carried out using the AutoDockVina in PyRx aided molecular docking technique, which may be an essential indication of druggability of the test peptides. Results: The molecular docking results revealed that the screened ligands had extraordinarily strong binding interactions and affinity for the target. Conclusion: Findings suggested that novel peptide molecule Eb-Trp-Glu, 14 may be a potent anticancer agent

Wound healing effect of supercritical carbon dioxide Datura metel l. leaves extracts : an in vitro study of anti-inflammation, cell migration, MMP-2 inhibition, and the modulation of the sonic hedgehog pathway in human fibroblasts

Datura metel L. (thorn apple) has been used in Thai folk wisdom for wound care. In this study, we chose supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (scCO2) to develop crude extraction from the leaves of the thorn apple. The phytochemical profiles were observed using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). The biological activities of D. metel were performed through antioxidant assays, anti-inflammation based on the Griess reaction, the migration assay, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and regulatory genes in fibroblasts. Dm1 and Dm2 extracts were obtained from scCO2 procedures at different pressures of 300 and 500 bar, respectively. Bioactive compounds, including farnesyl acetone, schisanhenol B, and loliolide, were identified in both extracts. The antioxidant properties of both D. metel extracts were comparable to those of l-ascorbic acid in hydrogen peroxide-induced fibroblasts with no significant difference. Additionally, Dm1 and Dm2 significantly inhibited the nitrite production levels of 1.23 ± 0.19 and 1.52 ± 0.05 μM, respectively, against the lipopolysaccharide-treated group (3.82 ± 0.39 μM). Interestingly, Dm1 obviously demonstrated the percentage of wound closure with 58.46 ± 7.61 and 82.62 ± 6.66% after 36 and 48 h of treatment, which were comparable to the commercial deproteinized dialysate from the calf blood extract. Moreover, both extracts were comparable to l-ascorbic acid treatment in their ability to suppress the expression of MMP-2: an enzyme that breaks down collagen. The gene expressions of SHH, SMO, and GLI1 that control the sonic hedgehog pathway were also clearly upregulated by Dm1. Consequently, the scCO2 technique could be applied in D. metel extraction and contribute to potentially effective wound closure

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties and GC-MS Chemical Compositions of Makwaen Pepper (Zanthoxylum myriacanthum) Extracted Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

This research aimed to optimize pressure (10-20 MPa) and temperature (45-60 °C) conditions for supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of Makwaen pepper (Zanthoxylum myriacanthum) extract (ME) in comparison to conventional hydro-distillation extraction. Various quality parameters, including yield, total phenolic compounds, antioxidants, and antimicrobial activities of the extracts, were assessed and optimized using a central composite design. The optimal SFE conditions were found to be 20 MPa at 60 °C, which resulted in the highest yield (19%) and a total phenolic compound content of 31.54 mg GAE/mL extract. IC50 values for DPPH and ABTS assays were determined to be 26.06 and 19.90 μg/mL extract, respectively. Overall, the ME obtained through SFE exhibited significantly better physicochemical and antioxidant properties compared to ME obtained through hydro-distillation extraction. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that beta-pinene was the major component in the ME obtained through SFE (23.10%), followed by d-limonene, alpha-pinene, and terpinen-4-ol at concentrations of 16.08, 7.47, and 6.34%, respectively. On the other hand, the hydro-distillation-extracted ME showed stronger antimicrobial properties than the SFE-extracted ME. These findings suggest that both SFE and hydro-distillation have the potential for extracting Makwaen pepper, depending on the intended purpose of use