Activities Of Different Parts Research Articles

Screening and characterisation of potential antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic components revealed in Portulaca oleracea via multi-target affinity ultrafiltration LC-MS and molecular docking.

Portulaca oleracea is a commonly used nutritional vegetable and traditional herbal medicine with plenty of nutrients and manifold pharmacological activities. However, the potential active ingredients for its remarkable antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities remain unexplored. The present study aims to systematically evaluate the antioxidant activities of different extracts of P. oleracea and screen bioactive ligands that can interact with α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In this research, the antioxidant activities of different parts of P. oleracea and their corresponding total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were systematically determined. Subsequently, a multi-target affinity ultrafiltration method was developed using affinity ultrafiltration with SOD, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase coupled to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UF-LC-MS). Later, molecular docking was used to further investigate the possible interaction mechanism between these ligands and target enzymes. Among them, the ethyl acetate (EA) fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity along with the highest TPC and TFC, and four compounds in the EA fraction were quickly retrieved as potential SOD, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase ligands, respectively. Molecular docking revealed that these potential ligands exhibited strong binding ability and inhibitory activities on SOD, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase. The present study revealed that P. oleracea can be used as a functional food with excellent antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. Meanwhile, the integrated strategy based on multi-target UF-LC-MS and molecular docking also provided a powerful tool and a multidimensional perspective for further exploration of active ingredients in P. oleracea responsible for the antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities.

Inhibition of Urease, Elastase, and β-Glucuronidase Enzymatic Activity by Applying Aqueous Extracts of Opuntia oligacantha C.F. Först Acid Fruits: In Vitro Essay under Simulated Digestive Conditions

Non-communicable diseases such as gastric inflammatory diseases and the hepatic pathologies are mainly related to bad lifestyle habits such as recurrent consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), excessive intake of alcohol, tobacco, steroids (high doses), alkaline agents, strong acid foods, and high-fat food, and Helicobacter pylori infections, among others. The fruit of Opuntia oligacantha C.F. Först var. Ulapa (xoconostle) is currently being studied due its nutritional and functional properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities of different parts of xoconostle fruit by establishing in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Four treatments were established to test aqueous extracts (pericarp (P), mesocarp (M), endocarp (E) and whole fruit (W)). The quantified bioactive compounds were the total phenols, flavonoids, tannins, and betalains. The enzymatic assays were: urease, elastase, and β-glucuronidase. Significant differences (p < 0.05) of bioactive compounds content were measured in xoconostle extracts, the highest concentration was found in W (phenols 313 mg GAE/100 g, flavonoids 189 mg QE/100 g, tannins 71 mg CATE/100 g). The betalains content was higher in E; 17 mg/100 g significant differences were observed (p < 0.05) in the enzymatic inhibitions test (urease, elastase and β-glucuronidase), where W presented the highest inhibition activity (86%, 79%, and 84%), respectively. Bioactive compounds after in vitro gastrointestinal tests were maintained above 60% enzymatic inhibition activity.

Prickly Pear Seed Oil Extraction, Chemical Characterization and Potential Health Benefits.

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) is a member of the Cactaceae family originally grown in South America, and the plant is now distributed to many parts of the world, including the Middle East. The chemical composition and biological activities of different parts of prickly pear, including cladodes, flowers, fruit, seeds and seed oil, were previously investigated. Oil from the seeds has been known for its nutritive value and can be potentially used for health promotion. This review is an effort to cover what is actually known to date about the prickly pear seeds oil extraction, characteristics, chemical composition and potential health benefits to provide inspiration for the need of further investigation and future research. Prickly pear seeds oil has been extracted using different extraction techniques from conventional to advanced. Chemical characterization of the oil has been sufficiently studied, and it is sufficiently understood that the oil is a high linoleic oil. Its composition is influenced by the variety and environment and also by the method of extraction. The health benefits of the prickly pear seed oil were reported by many researchers. For future research, additional studies are warranted on mechanisms of action of the reported biological activities to develop nutraceutical products for the prevention of various chronic human diseases.

Neuritogenic Activities of Various Kappaphycus alvarezii Extracts in Hippocampal Neurons

The carrageenophyte Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed is known to have neuritogenic activities. Post-harvest treatment of seaweed affects its biological activities. Five drying treatments of K. alvarezii, including oven-drying, sun-drying, freeze-drying, shade-drying, and salting followed by shade-drying, were evaluated for their effects on neuritogenic activities. We also evaluated the neuritogenic activity of different parts of K. alvarezii thalli and its carrageenan waste. Neuron cells of the 19th day pregnant rat fetuses were collected from the hippocampus by brain dissection. Neuron cells were isolated by dissociation of the hippocampal tissue. Cells were plated onto poly-DL-lysine-coated glass coverslips in 24-well plates and treated with extracts.  All tested extracts were obtained from maceration using 95% ethanol. Freeze and shade-drying extracts exhibited significantly higher neuritogenic activities (p 0.05) compared to that of the vehicle control. Carrageenan waste also significantly promoted the neuritogenic activities (p 0.05) with an optimal dose at 1 µg mL-1. Old and young thalli showed insignificant differences in neuritogenic activities. The carrageenan waste extract retained neuritogenic activities. Thus, the utilization of carrageenan waste for neuritogenic material provides added value to the waste in the carrageenan industry. Freeze and shade dried  K. alvarezii can be used as a neuritogenic agent to provide optimum biological activity.

Moringa peregrina in ruminant nutrition: effects on rumen fermentation, digestion and microbial enzymes activity in vitro

This study was conducted to evaluate chemical and mineral compositions, in vitro gas production (IVGP) and fermentation parameters, nutrient digestibility and rumen microbial enzymes activity of different parts of Moringa peregrina (MP) including leaves, stems and whole fodder compared to alfalfa hay (AH; four experimental treatments) using gas production (GP) technique. Leaves of MP had a higher crude protein (CP) than other fodder parts as well as AH. Content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in stems was higher than other experimental feed ingredients and it was comparable to AH. Highest and lowest non-fiber carbohydrates contents were observed in leaf part and AH, respectively. Regarding mineral contents, except for P and Fe which was highest in MP leaves, other minerals was highest in AH. Highest total GP and potential GP (b) was observed by stems incubation (p 0.05). Leaves of MP and alfalfa resulted in highest and lowest ruminal ɑ-amylase activity respectively (P>0.05). In conclusion, results indicated that different parts of MP fodder have potential nutritional value as alternative protein source for ruminant feeding, and leaves was also had higher nutritive value than other plant parts as well as AH.

Comparative analysis of bioactive constituents and pharmacological activities from different parts of Nauclea officinalis.

The stems of Nauclea officinalis have been utilized as a crude drug in China, so other parts of the plant are abandoned, resulting in a waste of traditional Chinese medicine resources. To determine the distribution and content of the alkaloids, phenolic acids and iridoid in different organs (stem, branch, leaf and bark) of this plant, a reliable method has been established using LC-MS/MS. Nine constituents, namely strictosamide, vincosamide, chlorogenic acid, sweroside, naucleamide B, protocatechuic acid, pumiloside, vanillic acid and cryptochlorogenic acid, were simultaneously determined in 6 min. Meanwhile, the antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities were evaluated for comparative analysis of the pharmacological activity of different parts of N. officinalis. The results showed that the content of active components in other organs of N. officinalis was higher than that in stems, and the pharmacological effects of branches and leaves were also better. The established approach could be helpful for the quality control of N. officinalis, and also provide necessary information for the rational utilization of resources.

Comprehensive metabolite profile of multi-bioactive extract from tree peony (Paeonia ostii and Paeonia rockii) fruits based on MS/MS molecular networking

Tree peony seed, traditionally used for edible oil production, is rich in α-linolenic acid. However, little attention is given to the fruit by-products during seed oil production. The present work aimed to comprehensively investigate the phytochemical constituents and multiple biological activities of different parts of tree peony fruits harvested from Paeonia ostii and Paeonia rockii. 130 metabolites were rapidly identified through UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS on the basis of MS/MS molecular networking. Metabolite quantification was performed through the targeted approach of HPLC-ESI-QQQ-MS. Eight chemical markers were screened via principal component analysis (PCA) for distinguishing species and tissues. Interestingly, two dominant compounds, paeoniflorin and trans-resveratrol, are specially localized in seed kernel and seed coat, respectively. Unexpectedly, the extracts of fruit pod and seed coat showed significantly stronger antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-neuroinflammatory activities than seed kernel from both P. ostii and P. rockii. Our work demonstrated that tree peony fruit is promising natural source of bioactive components and provided its potential utilization in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Comparative analysis of nutraceutical potential phytochemicals and antioxidant activities in different parts of wild and in vitro regenerated plantlets of Dendrobium heterocarpum Wall. ex Lindl.: A medicinal orchid

A comparative study on certain nutraceutical compounds viz., total phenol, flavonoid, tannin, alkaloid and antioxidant activities in different wild plant parts and in vitro regenerated plants of Dendrobium heterocarpum revealed presence of differential quantity of nutraceutical compounds. Higher total phenolic content was in 3 years old pseudobulbs (15.98 GAE/g) followed by tissue culture plants (14.18 mg GAE/g); flavonoid content in tissue culture regenerates (38.38 mg QE/g) followed by young leaves (27.27 mg QE/g); tannin from tissue culture plants (41.48 mg TA/g) followed by 3 years old pseudobulbs and alkaloid in tissue culture plants (8.78 mg AE/g) followed by 1 year old pseudobulbs (7.57 mg AE/g). The antioxidant activities of different extracts in 3 years old pseudobulbs and tissue culture plants were comparable. Total phenol and flavonoid correlations with DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS showed the strongest correlation between TPC and ABTS (y=-0.017x+20.29, R2=0.933); TPC and DPPH (y =-5.383x+21.97, R2=0.928).

Antimicrobial activities of different parts of two geographically distinct varieties of Jatropha curcas Linn. fruit in Pakistan

Antimicrobial activities of deoiled seed kernel (mechanically pressed), fruit coat and seed coat of Jatropha curcas Linn. collected from two regions (Bannu and Peshawar) of Pakistan were investigated. The antimicrobial activities were carried out against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 43816), Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633) and two clinical fungal isolates Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans using agar well diffusion method. The antibacterial activities of Peshawar sample were found to be higher than Bannu, against selected strains. While antifungal activities of both samples were similar. Highest zone of inhibition 31.5 ± 0.7 mm was exhibited by n-hexane extract of deoiled seed kernel of Peshawar sample against Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633). The minimum inhibitory concentration of ethanolic extracts of deoiled seed kernel and seed coat of Peshawar sample was 31.25 - 25 mg/ml. Whereas, minimum inhibitory concentration of ethanolic and n-hexane extracts of Bannu sample was 62.5 - 125 mg/ml. The results suggested that antimicrobial potential of J. curcas Linn. varied with geographical distribution. The investigation of different varieties of medicinal plants belonging to the same species will greatly enhance the chances of best pharmaceuticals discovery.
 Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(2): 219-226, 2021 (June)

The effect of adding different levels of date Kernel powder treated with oyster mushroom P.ostreatus in stimulating amylase and protease enzymes in the intestine of Cprinus carpio L.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the stimulation of some digestive enzyme being ( amylase and protease ) in the digestive duct of common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) as result of feeding the experiment fishes with diets treated with different level of date kernel meal treated with oyster mushroom ( P .ostereatus ) . The experiment fishes were collected from local farm, 48 fish were selected with mean weight of 24 ± 3 g / fish , then placed glass aquaria , 6 fishes each aquarium and the experimental carried out in the duplicates run ( 2 aquaria for each group). The different level of date Kernel meal treated with oyster Mushroom were used instead of yellow corn meal ( 33, 66 and 100 % ) to prepare the experimental diet which designated as T1, T2 and T3 respectively , addition to the control diet free of date kernel meal . Experimental fishes were fed randomly for 70 days with the above diet. After that, the fishes fed with 4 % of live weight. The current study included estimating the enzymatic activity in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract during the experiment. The result showed the digestive enzyme were found in all studied parts of digestive duct intestine (anterior, middle and posterior) at after starvation 5 days. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the values of the posterior part of the intestine differed significantly from those of the anterior and middle sections. The three treatments showed the enzymatic activity enzymes in the anterior and middle part after 70 days of feeding the fish, which differed significantly (P<0.05) with the posterior part of the intestine and for all the treatments. The protease enzyme recorded its highest activity in the anterior and middle part of the intestine in treatment T2 (33% date kernel meal), and well amylase showed its highest activity in the anterior and middle part of the intestine.

Characterizing the cytotoxic effects and several antimicrobial phytocompounds of Argemone mexicana.

Commonly called the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana is a stress-resistant member of the Papaveraceae family of plants that has been used in traditional medicine for centuries by indigenous communities in Mexico and Western parts of the United States. This plant has been exploited to treat a wide variety of ailments, with reported antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, as well as cytotoxic effects against some human cancer cell lines. Due to its various therapeutic uses and its abundance of secondary metabolites, A. mexicana has great potential as a drug discovery candidate. Herein, the germination conditions of A. mexicana are described and the cytotoxic activities of different parts (seeds, leaves, inner vs. outer roots) of the plant from methanol or hexane extracts are preliminarily characterized against cells of seven unique organisms. When comparing 1 mg of each sample normalized to background solvent alone, A. mexicana methanol outer root and leaf extracts possessed the strongest antimicrobial activity, with greatest effects against the Gram-positive bacteria tested, and less activity against the Gram-negative bacteria and fungi tested. Additionally, using the MTT colorimetric assay, the outer root methanol and seed hexane extracts displayed pronounced inhibitory effects against human colon cancer cells. Quantification of c-MYC (oncogene) and APC (tumor suppressor) mRNA levels help elucidate how the A. mexicana root methanol extract may be affecting colon cancer cells. After ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and subsequent nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of the root and leaf methanol fractions, two main antibacterial compounds, chelerythrine and berberine, have been identified. The roots were found to possess both phytocompounds, while the leaf lacked chelerythrine. These data highlight the importance of plants as an invaluable pharmaceutical resource at a time when antimicrobial and anticancer drug discovery has plateaued.

Antioxidant Activities in Different Parts of Pulasan (Nephelium mutabile Blume) from East Borneo

Nephelium mutabile Blume (Traditionally known as Pulasan or Kapulasan) is a plant resembling the rambutan fruit that grows mostly on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Pulasan has a unique characteristic, the skin of this fruit was hairless and had very bright color. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of different parts of the Pulasan, including the peels, seeds and leaves. Antioxidant activity was determined by IC50 values using the DPPH method (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) with Vitamin C as a positive control. Each part of the plant was extracted using 96% ethanol then the total phenolic compound was tested using a gallic acid as the standard. The results showed that ethanol extract of pulasan leaves had the highest antioxidant activity with the value 20.99 µg/mL (very strong antioxidant), while the seeds and peels of pulasan showed antioxidant activity of 520.68 µg/mL and >1000 µg/mL (not active as antioxidants) respectively. This result shows that ethanol extract from the leaves of Pulasan has potential to be developed as a source of natural antioxidants.

COMPARISON OF ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF KLUTUK BANANA (MUSA BALBISIANA COLLA)

Objective: Banana is a plant that grows in Indonesia and is widely consumed by Indonesian people. One of banana type is klutuk banana (Musa balbisiana Colla). There were many types of researches about klutuk banana for antidiabetic activity; however, antidiabetic activity of its peel and pulp are still unknown.
 Methods: The objective of the study was to determine of antihyperglycemic activity of different parts of klutuk banana. Animals were divided into 15 groups, namely normal control, negative control, positive control (glibenclamide 0.65 mg/kg body weight (bw), and 12 sample groups. All animals were given 2 g/kg bw glucose monohydrate and blood glucose level was measured every 30 min for 120 min.
 Results: The results of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) showed that KPE2 (klutuk peel extract 350 mg/kg bw) gave higher activity to decrease blood glucose level compared to the other groups at the minute of 30 (-24.83%; p. 0.00), 60 (-33.93%; p. 0.000), 90 (-46.29%; p. 0.000) and 120 (-35.44%; p. 0.000).
 Conclusion: The klutuk peel extract has very strong antioxidant activity and antihyperglycemic activity at a dose of 350 mg/kg bw.

UHPLC-QTOF-MS based metabolomics and biological activities of different parts of Eriobotrya japonica

Eriobotrya japonica, commonly known as loquat, has been used traditionally for the treatment of different diseases. Herein, untargeted profiling based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) was used to depict the phytochemical profile of loquat roots, leaves, stems, seeds, and fruits. This allowed the tentative annotation of 349 compounds, representing different phytochemical classes that included flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, stilbenes, and terpenoids. Among others, low molecular weight phenolics (tyrosol derivatives) and terpenoids were the most abundant phytochemicals. After that, in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibition assays were applied to investigate the biological activity of the different organs of Eriobotrya japonica. Roots of E. japonica exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity, showing 181.88, 275.48, 325.18, 169.74 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/g in DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, and FRAP assays, respectively. Furthermore, the root extract of E. japonica strongly inhibited butyryl cholinesterase (3.64 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g), whereas leaves, stems, seeds, and fruits showed comparable inhibition of both acetyl and butyryl cholinesterases. All the investigated organs of E. japonica exhibited in vitro tyrosinase inhibition (57.27–71.61 mg Kojic Acid Equivalent (KAE)/g). Our findings suggest a potential food and pharmaceutical exploitation of different organs of E. japonica (mainly roots) in terms of enrichment with health-promoting phenolics and triterpenes.

Evaluation of Anti-thrombosis Activities of Different Parts of Cannabis sativa L.

Evaluation of Anti-thrombosis Activities of Different Parts of Cannabis sativa L.

Biological and pharmacological evaluation of crude venom extracted from Tetraodon fahaka strigosus and Potamotrygon garouensis obtained from River Niger, Niger State, Nigeria

The present study investigates some biological and pharmacological effects of Tetraodon fahaka strigosus (Puffer fish) and Potamotrygon garouensis (Stingray) venom extracts. The saline extracts from skin and innards of T. fahaka strigosus and P. garouensis were used to evaluate haemolytic, enzymatic and in vitro antioxidants activities. In vivo determination of median lethal dose, some blood biochemical parameters and analgesics activities of the extracts in mice were also carried out. The result of this study showed that all extracts from both the puffer fish and stingray showed significantly haemolytic, proteolytic and phospholipase activities. The DPPH scavenging activity of different parts (innard and skin extracts) of puffer fish and stingray demonstrated significantly antioxidant activity at IC50 values 0.16 mg/ml and 0.15 mg/ml and 0.20 mg/ml and 0.01 mg/ml respectively; when compared to the negative control. Median lethal dose range between 31-90 mg/kg body weight. Furthermore, there was significant increase (p

Antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities of different parts of Salsola vermiculata

Background: Salsola vermiculata is an annual plant which is broadly distributed in southwest of Asia. Due to the lack of data regarding the biological properties of different parts of S. vermiculata, the present research focused on their biological activities. Methods: Different parts of plant were harvested, and phytochemical assay of S. vermiculata parts was performed to determine the presence of phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, fixed oils, and volatile oils. Then, their antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities of the extracts and fractions were evaluated according to DPPH and MTT assay, respectively. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activities of the extracts and fractions were determined by the disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. Results: According to the results, the antioxidant activity and the phenolic contents in leaves and flowers crude extracts of S. vermiculata were high, and their ethyl acetate fractions had higher activities compared to other fractions. The cytotoxic study indicated that the seeds and roots crude extracts significantly exhibited cytotoxic activities with IC50 values of 33.88, 42.92 μg/mL, respectively, and only the fixed oil fractions had cytotoxic activity. Antibacterial activity showed that the fixed oil fraction of roots had the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus, followed by fixed oil fraction of seeds and volatile oil fraction of the roots. Conclusions: Different parts and fractions of S. vermiculata contain various bioactive compounds with different biological activities, and the results of this study could provide useful information to guide the application of S. vermiculata parts in food and pharmaceutical fields.

A review: antimicrobial properties of several medicinal plants widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine

AbstractDue to the dramatic increase in the use of antibiotics and growing health threat of bacterial resistance to many commonly used antibiotics, many studies have been directed at developing new and effective antibacterial compounds, among which many new, natural, and effective antibacterial compounds discovered from medicinal plants have drawn great interest and raised new hope for treating the challenges of antibiotic resistance. This review aimed to summarize the most important and widely used medicinal plants that were reported to have antibacterial activities. A general literature search from 2010 to 2020 was conducted using different databases, including Science Direct, Web of Science, and PubMed. According to the literature, three medicinal plants with outstanding antibacterial activities, Taraxacum officinale, Coptis Rhizome, and Scutellaria baicalensis, were screened and reviewed by prioritization. The extraction methods, antibacterial activities of different parts of plants or the plant-derived compounds, spectra of antibacterial activities, and toxicity were described, respectively. However, the antibacterial activities of the extracts or pure compounds as reported in the reviewed literature were mostly based on in vitro assays, and moreover, the deeper antibacterial mechanisms have not been elucidated clearly. Therefore, further studies are required in the fields of purification and identification of the antibacterial compounds, its mechanisms of action, and synergistic effects in combination with other antibacterial drugs, which may be helpful in the development of new antibacterial drugs.

A comprehensive spatiotemporal evaluation of the current earthquake activity in different parts of the Frakull-Durrës fault zone, Albania

This study presents a detailed spatiotemporal analysis for the Frakull-Durrës (F-D) fault zone at the beginning of 2020. For this purpose, the most frequently used statistical seismicity parameters such as magnitude completeness, Mc-value, Gutenberg-Richter b-value, recurrence times, annual probabilities and standard normal deviate, Z-value, were mapped. The F-D fault zone was divided into two seismogenic subregions, and Mc-value was taken as 2.5 for both the south and north parts. The b-value was estimated as 0.83 ± 0.06 for the south part and 0.85 ± 0.06 for the north part. b-values for both zones are smaller than 1.0 and these values may be considered to be a larger stress accumulation to build up over time and to be released by the next possible earthquakes. Clear decreasing trends were observed in time variations of b-values before the occurrences of several strong main shocks. Analyses of annual probabilities and recurrence times suggest that the study region has an intermediate/long-term earthquake hazard in comparison to occurrences of strong/destructive earthquakes in the short term. Some anomaly regions of a small b-value and a large Z-value were found along the F-D fault zone at the beginning of 2020: i) among Lushnje-Tirana-Durrës including the middle part of the F-D fault zone, ii) in and around Lezha including the north end of the F-D fault zone. Thus, the combination of regions with the lowest b-value and largest Z-value may supply preliminary results for earthquake hazard, and these regions may be considered to be the most likely regions for future strong/large earthquakes in the F-D fault zone.

Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antityrosinase Activities, and Quantification of (+)-Dihydrokaempferol of Different Parts of Manilkara zapota

Free radicals can cause oxidative damage in biomolecules and lead to pathological diseases. Antioxidants can protect against the oxidation of living cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of different parts of Manilkara zapota and measure the quantity of (+)-dihydrokaempferol in different plant parts. The bark, flowers, fruit, leaves, roots, seeds and wood of Manilkara zapota were extracted with methanol and water. All the crude extracts were evaluated for biological activities and measured the quantity of (+)-dihydrokaempferol using high performance liquid chromatography. The methanol crude extract of the flowers showed the highest total phenolic (743±29 milligrams of gallic acid equivalent per gram crude extract) and flavonoid contents (133.8±3.1 milligrams of quercetin per gram of crude extract). Moreover, it exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (half maximal inhibitory concentration of 22.74±0.67 μg/ml), 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (half maximal inhibitory concentration of 20.89±0.17 μg/ml) and ferric reducing antioxidant power values (790.22±0.81 milligrams of trolox equivalent per gram of crude extract). The methanol crude extract of the bark displayed the strongest monophenolase inhibitory activity (half maximal inhibitory concentration of 85.2±2.1 μg/ml), while the methanol crude extract of the roots exhibited the highest diphenolase inhibitory activity (half maximal inhibitory concentration of 33.52±0.68 μg/ml). (+)-Dihydrokaempferol was found in the bark, flowers, leaves, roots and wood. The highest content of (+)-dihydrokaempferol was detected in the methanol crude extract of the bark. These results suggested that the flowers of Manilkara zapota may be used as a source of natural antioxidants and the bark and roots may be beneficial sources of tyrosinase inhibitors.