Aqueous Extracts Of Different Parts Research Articles

Investigating the Phytotoxic Potential of Helianthus annuus on Germination and Seedling Morphological Parameters of Two Target Poaceae Species: Spring Barley and Spring Wheat

Allelopathy is a phenomenon that has both beneficial and deleterious influences among plants within the same ecosystem. The allelopathic activity of sunflower on cereals, one of the most popular crops in crop rotation, is still poorly studied and understood. This experiment was aimed at evaluating the allelopathic potential of aqueous extracts of different parts of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) grown in the Boreal environmental zone on seedling morphological parameters of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The following three factors were studied: factor A—two growth stages: flowering sunflower (FS) and ripe sunflower (RS); factor B—three sunflower plant parts: leaves and stems (L + S), heads (H), and roots (R) for extract preparation; factor C—five concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (initial concentration 1:10, referred to as 100% solution)) of sunflower aqueous extracts and deionised water (0%) as a control. FS extract revealed an inhibitory effect on all parameters of spring barley and spring wheat in comparison to RS extract. Extracts from different plant parts differed in their allelopathic effects. Compared with L + S extract, R extract significantly stimulated SG and the morphological characteristics of wheat. H extract significantly inhibited barley RL and SL. With increasing concentrations of the extracts, the values of all investigated parameters were significantly inhibited for both receptor plants.

ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF MEDICINAL PLANT (EUPHORBIA HIRTA LINN)

Euphorbia hirta linn (E. hirta) is a medicinal plant, also known as asthma weeds which are mainly used against human pathogenic diseases such as digestive tract problem, asthma, coughs, diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, inflammation, chronic bronchitis, and other pulmonary disorders. The native of these plants is in Asia, Australia, and East and West Africa. In the present study antibacterial activities, antioxidant activities, and phytochemicals were estimated from 20% isopropanol and aqueous extract of different parts (leaf, fruit, stem, root) of E. hirta. The maximum antioxidant activity, Phenolic contents, and flavonoids showed 0.418 mg/ml in aqueous fruit extract, 0.176 and 0.43 mg/ml in aqueous leaf extract respectively. Some other bioactive compounds were also observed from both 20% extracts of different segments of E. hirta qualitatively. Furthermore, some biomolecules were estimated in higher amounts from E. hirta plant extracts as total sugar 0.168 mg/ml from the aqueous extract of the fruit, total protein 0.453mg/ml from isopropanol extract of the fruit, and the reducing sugar contents 0.08 mg/ml from aqueous root extract. Different parts of the understudy plant (E. hirta) extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli and K. pneumonia. Whereas only aqueous and isopropanol extract of root and stem and aqueous extract of fruit showed negative antibacterial activity against S. pneumonia. The result suggested that E. hirta may be used for the treatment of different infectious diseases due to the presence of different phytochemicals.

Evaluation of Larvicidal Activity of Aqueous Extracts of Leaves, Root, Stem of Plumbago zeylanica Plant on Aedes aegypti

The purpose of this study was to determine the larvicidal effect of aqueous extracts of different parts of the Plumbago zeylanica plant on the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. This research assessed P. zeylanica for its larvicide activity against A. aegypti larvae. Five different concentrations of hot and cold aqueous extracts of root, leaf, and stem powders of P. zeylanica were separately prepared. The larvicidal effect of these extracts was assessed against early 1st, 3rd, and 4th instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. Mosquito larvae were sampled, larval populations were monitored before and after application of aqueous extracts, and larval mortality was monitored after 12, 24, and 48 hours. Three trials were carried out under the same conditions. The percentage mortality of larvae in the sample was calculated, and the mean mortality was obtained for the 3 trials. Then the LC50 value was calculated according to the mean mortality with the SPSS package. The lowest LC50 values were obtained for the hot aqueous extracts on 1st instar larvae: root 122.74 mg/l, leaf 274.95 mg/l and stem 275.92 mg/l, 3rd instar larvae: root 129.37 mg/l, leaf 205.74 mg/l and stem 286.21 mg/l, 4th instar larvae: root 165.52 mg/l, leaf 216.89 mg/l and stem 329.94 mg/l and the root was found to have the highest larvicide activity. Finally, it was identified that by using 165.52 mg/l all three larval instar stages could be killed up to 50% and 90% with 280.921 mg/l. The present study reports that Plumbago zeylanica could serve as a potential larvicidal agent.

Phytochemical Screening and in vitro Antibacterial Activity of Aqueous Extracts of Phyllanthus muellerianus (Kuntze) Exell from Kasaï Oriental (DRC) on a Few Bacterial Strains

Aims: To carry out a preliminary phytochemical study and to evaluate in vitro the antibacterial activities of aqueous extracts of different parts of P. muellerianus, a plant widely used traditionally in Kasai Oriental to treat various pathologies including several bacteriosis.
 Study Design: Based on the results of an ethnobotanical survey in Kasaï Oriental, P. muellerianus was selected because of the diversity of recipes involving it, its frequency of citation, its level of preference as well as the diversity of diseases treated and the plebiscite of its effectiveness by traditional healers. To contribute to the enhancement of this plant traditionally used against various bacteriosis and to confirm its therapeutic power, the phytochemical screening of its different parts was carried out and the antibacterial potential of various aqueous extracts was evaluated in vitro.
 Place and duration of Study: Analyzes were carried out from February to September 2017 at the Physico-chemical and microbiological analysis laboratories of the Congolese Office of Control of Mbujimayi as well as at the Biology and Chemistry laboratories of ISP Mbujimayi.
 Methodology: Fourteen bioactive chemical groups were investigated in the leaves, stem barks and those of the roots of this plant according to standard methods of characterization based on precipitation, coloring and moss reactions. In vitro, the diameters of the zones of inhibition as well as the MIC and MBC of each of different aqueous extracts were determined against 20 bacterial strains of 13 species responsible for bacterial diseases in humans.
 Results: The phytochemical screening revealed that all three parts of P. muellerianus contain abundant and diverse bioactive chemical groups. This species contains alkaloids, quinones, steroids, terpenes, saponins, tannins, and flavonoids. In vitro bacteria-aqueous extract interaction tests demonstrated that all three aqueous extracts have inhibitory activity on several of the 20 bacterial strains tested. According to MIC and MBC, inhibitory performance varies depending on the germs and extracts. The sensitivity of different bacterial strains to an extract is also variable; each extract having its spectrum of inhibitory actions.
 Conclusion: The results confirm the therapeutic potential of P. muellerianus by the presence of several bioactive substances in all its parts and by the diversity of the inhibitory activity of different extracts on several of a few bacterial strains submitted to the tests.

Investigation of phenolic compounds, in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities of methanol and aqueous extracts of different parts of Glaucosciadium cordifolium

The present study was designed to evaluate the biological potentials and phenolic composition of different parts of Glaucosciadium cordifolium, which is less investigated and known as a wild endemic species to Turkey. The antioxidant activity of the plant was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-Ethylbenzthiazolin-6-Sulfonic Acid) (ABTS), iron chelating capacity, and a ?-carotene / linoleic acid emulsion assay. The total phenol and flavonoid contents of the plant were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. The study of the enzyme inhibition activity of the plant was carried out for acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, ?-glucosidase, ?-amylase, and tyrosinase. The antiglycation activity of the aqueous extract of the plant was evaluated using established methods such as browning, a Nitroblue-tetrazolium (NBT) assay, the 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH) method, a Congo red assay, and fluorescent Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). The HPLC profiling of the phenolics revealed that 18 standard phenolic compounds were found in different amounts in various extracts of the plant parts. According to our bioactivity results, the methanol extract obtained from the flower parts of the plant contained higher amounts of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, which also demonstrated the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity. In addition, the methanol extracts obtained from the leaves and roots were found to be the most active extracts against the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, as well as moderately active against the tyrosinase enzyme. The antiglycation capacity of the extract followed this order: G. cordifolium leaves > stems > roots > flower. As a result, our study indicated that G. cordifolium extracts have strong antioxidant potential, good enzyme inhibitory effects and antiglycation potential. Further studies on G. cordifolium with in vivo bioassays need to be carried out to seek the importance of the plant in pharmaceutical techniques.

Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Extracts from Different Parts of Brocchia cinerea (Vis.)

Brocchia cinerea (Vis.) is an Asteraceae-family plant widely used in traditional medicine in Southeastern Morocco to treat several ailments. The aqueous extracts of flowers, leaves, stems and aerial parts of B. cinerea were subjected to a preliminary phytochemical screening test for various constituents. The polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins contents were determined. Moreover, the antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH scavenging assay and ferric reduction antioxidant power. However, the antibacterial activity was evaluated against six pathogenic bacteria. Phytochemical screening of different parts of B. cinerea revealed alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids. The leaves extract showed the highest polyphenols concentration (27.15±0.92 mg GAE/g of Ext) and flavonoids (17.46±0.66 mg QE/g of Ext), while flowers extract was highest in tannin (9.57±1.24 mg TAE/g of Extract). All extracts of B. cinerea showed moderate to high antioxidant power, among which the leaves extract demonstrated the strongest antioxidant activity, with an IC50 value of 0.99 mg/mL and an optical density of 1.15. In the case of antibacterial activity screening, leaves extract showed the highest inhibition zone diameters ranging from 9 to 27 mm against the tested bacteria. The results demonstrate that the aqueous extracts of different parts of B. cinerea, especially the leaves, could be developed as pharmaceutical products.

Investigation of the Allelopathic Effect of Matricaria chamomilla L. Parts’ Aqueous Extracts on Germination and Seedling Growth of Two Moroccan Varieties of Durum Wheat

The phenomenon of allelopathy has been known for more than 2000 years. This phenomenon consists of the chemical interference of plant species (or other organisms), by enhancing, or inhibiting, the germination, seedling growth, or development of other plant species (or other organisms). This paper aimed to investigate the allelopathic potential of the aqueous extract of different parts of Matricaria chamomilla L. on germination parameters (radicle, coleoptile length, and dry weight) of two Moroccan varieties of durum wheat. Chamomile extracts from leaves, roots, or flowers at concentrations of 50 and 100 g·L−1 were prepared and applied to wheat durum seeds. The control group was given distilled water. In both studied varieties of durum wheat, only flowers’ aqueous extracts showed a significant positive allelopathic effect by increasing the studied parameters, while leaves and roots from chamomile showed an inhibiting potential on germination and seedling growth in varieties riyad and kanakis.

In vivo Immunomodulatory Potential of Aqueous Extract of Different parts of Terminalia catappa L.

Modulation of immunity is the most sought therapeutic effect as many human ailments arise because of imbalance in immune mechanisms. In the current corona virus disease scenarios also, the role of immunity to combat the dreadful virus has been well emphasized. Hence the present study aims at evaluating the immunomodulatory potential of aqueous extract obtained from the different parts such as bark, fruit and wood of Terminalia catappa. Based on the results obtained in acute oral toxicity and dose fixation studies, medium dose (250 mg/kg body weight) of selected plant extracts were administered for 14 d to swiss albino mice to evaluate nonspecific (Neutrophil adhesion, Phagocytic index) and specific (Hemagglutination antibody titer, Delayed type hypersensitivity) immunomodulatory properties. The results obtained for plant extract treated groups were compared with cyclophosphamide (immunosuppressant) treated and levamisole (immunostimulant) treated mice. From the data of the results obtained it could be concluded that selected parts of Terminalia catappa have immune stimulatory as well as anti-inflammatory properties, thereby proving their efficacy as true immunomodulators. Among the parts selected, fruits exhibited significant immunomodulatory potential followed by bark and wood.

English

Folklore medicine in Sudan used medicinal materials to treat inestinal infections caused by bacterial infections or contamination of food. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of different parts of Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile gum, Haplophyllum tuberculatum Juss.aerial parts, Hydnora abyssinica A. Br.fruits, Nigella sativa L seeds, Rhynchosia minima (L.) DC. roots,and Usnea molliuscula lichen were tested for antibacterial properties at a concentration of 100 mg/mL against 20 intestinal isolates including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella para typhi B,Staphylococcus aureus, and standard bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis (NCTC 8236), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 35657), Salmonella typhi (ATCC 1319106) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), using the Agar Diffusion Method. Standard antibiotics were used as standards drug for antibacterial effect. The highest enhancing properties were observed in methanol extracts and the lowest in aqueuos extract. U. molliuscula methanolic extract was the most active among all tested plant extracts, while, the aqueous extract of H. tuberculatum had a promising level of efficacy among the aqueous extracts tested. Most responsive Gram-negative clinical isolates bacteria were S. para typhi B and P. aeruginosa. Most susceptible standard bacteria were B. subtilis (NCTC 8236). Obtained results from investigated plants confirm their antibacterial potential and usefulness in the treatment of intestinal infections.   Key words: Phytomedicine, traditional uses, antibactrial activity.

Study of the effect of the different parts of Morinda citrifolia L. (noni) on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity

The green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using an aqueous extract of different parts of the Morinda citrifolia (noni, EM) plant, such as fresh leaves (EML), fruit pulp (EMF) and dried seeds (EMDS), is reported for the first time in this research work. The AgNPs synthesized with EM were characterized spectroscopically and microscopically, to determine its morphology, size, and polydispersity. The nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained with spherical morphology and did not present agglomeration. The AgNPs synthesized with EMDS (AgNPs/EMDS) had the smallest size (3 nm), while those synthesized with EML (AgNPs/EML) had the biggest size (11 nm). Also, it was performed a study of the variation of the metallic precursor concentration and the amount of fresh fruit (F) or dried seeds (DS), in the EM to determine its effect on the morphology, size, and polydispersity of the synthesized NPs. On the other hand, the bactericidal effectiveness of the synthesized NPs was evaluated against strains like E. coli and S. aureus. The greater bactericidal activity was obtained using AgNPs/EMDS against both strains; whereas a lower bactericidal efficiency was for AgNPs/EML, the aforementioned was due to the difference in the size of both AgNPs.

Acute toxicity of Aristolochia longa L. of aqueous extract in mice

Aristolochia longa L. (Aristolochiaceae) is widely used to treat breast cancer in Algerian traditional medicine. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of ingestion of aqueous extracts of different parts of the plant on liver and kidney functions in wistar albinos mice. Acute oral toxicity was performed to determine DL50, this toxicity was carried out by the oral administration in single doses of 0–12 g/kg for tubers aqueous extracts and 2 g/kg and 5 g/kg for aerial and fruit aqueous extract respectively. General behavior, adverse effects and mortality were determined for up to 14 days. The animals were sacrificed and biochemical study was done. The acute oral toxicity result revealed that LD50 of the tubers and fruit aqueous extracts was respectively more than 12 g/kg and 5 g/kg, but DL50 of the aerial aqueous extract was at 5 g/kg. The result revealed also that liver and kidney function of different groups receiving high doses was affected as ASAT, ALAT, Urea, creatinine was significantly increased as compared to control group. Histological examination showed alterations of the renal parenchyma and the liver which is greater in animals treated with high dose. Thus, caution should be exercised with its usage.
 Keywords: Acute toxicity, Biochemical parameters, Histological examination Aristolochia longa L.

Phytochemical Screening of Alangium salviifolium (L.f.) Wangerin Showing Antifungal Properties Against Alternaria Spp.

The antifungal properties shown by different higher plant extracts are due to the presence of phytochemicals. The activities of Alangium solviifolium (L.f.) Wangerin root in controlling two fungal species that belong to Alternaria spp- Alternaria brassicae and A. brassicicola, the causal organisms of leaf blight of crucifers was evaluated in vitro assay. The aqueous extracts of different parts of the tested plant such as bark, stem, root, leaf and flower were screened against test fungi. Among them, the results of the study revealed that the aqueous extracts of A. solviifolium(L.f.) Wangerin root showed the inhibition of mycelial growth against test fungi completely (100%). The phytochemical analysis of active plant has revealed that the presence of some chemical compounds as alkaloids, terpenoids, phenol/tannins, saponins, flavonoids and glycosides in both aqueous and ethanol extracts is likely to be responsible for the antifungal activity against test fungi. This study confirms the presence of various bioactive compounds of an active plant.

Evaluation of Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Aqueous Extracts of Three <i>Carica papaya</i> Varieties Cultivated in Senegal

The aqueous extracts of different parts (old leaves (OL), young leaves (YL), peels (PE) and delipidated seed residues (DS)) of three varieties of papaya are studied. Extraction conditions are optimized: an extraction time of 20 minutes, a temperature of 70°C and a plant material/water mixture of 1% give the best yield of polyphenol. The amount of polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins and proanthocyanins of each aqueous extract was investigated. Antioxidant activities are measured using two different methods (DPPH and ABTS). The delipidated seeds (DS) of V1 have the highest total phenolic content (TPC = 72.56 ± 3.16 mg GAE/g) while they have the lowest total flavonoid content (TFC = 0.22 ± 0.01). With regard to saponins, the PE of V3 is much richer in saponins (194.03 ± 15.78 mg AeE/g) than all the other extracts studied. The OL of V2 and PE of V1 contain the most proanthocyanidins with very similar values of 2.51 ± 0.03 mg CE/g and 2.53 ± 0.34 mg CE/g respectively. The study of the antioxidant activities of the extracts showed a correlation between the amount of polyphenols and IC50. DPPH OL and YL V2, which are rich in polyphenols, have the lowest IC50 of 0.072 mg/ml and 0.080 mg/ml respectively, whereas for ABTS we have PE of V1 that is very rich in polyphenols which has the smallest IC50 value of 0.218 mg/ml.

Indigofera suffruticosa Mill. (Anil): Plant Profile, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology Review.

Indigoferasuffruticosa Mill. (Fabaceae) is known as anil or anileira and also with other names, due to the production of a blue pigment, which is commonly used for yarn dyeing. It is distributed in some states of Brazil (Pernambuco, Paraíba, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Bahia, Pará, and others) and is used in the popular medicine as a febrifuge, antispasmodic, diuretic, abortive, analgesic, purgative, or soothing agent against stomach and urinary problems, jaundice, and ulcers and also as an insecticide. In addition, I. suffruticosa can be used as animal feed. This review aimed at providing important data on the botanical, distribution, ethnopharmacology, phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicity of I. suffruticosa based on the scientific literature. Information on I. suffruticosa was gathered via the Internet (from Elsevier, NCBI, and Sci-Hub) and libraries in the period from February to March 2016. More than 40 chemical compounds have been identified and a few compounds isolated, and the main origins are the essential oils, organic extracts, and aqueous extracts of different parts of the plant. I. suffruticosa and its active compounds possess wide pharmacological actions in the literature, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidative, antitumor, antimutagenic, anticonvulsant, gastroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities. Therefore, as an important traditional popular medicine, further studies on I. suffruticosa are required for the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases.

Effect of Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T. Aiton. on pink mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

The effect of aqueous extracts of different parts of Calotropis gigantea on female adult Maconellicoccus hirsutus was studied. The percent mortality ranged between 28.30 to 86.67, 33.30 to 91.67 and 40.00 to 93.33 at 24, 48 and 72 HAE, respectively. Among the parts tested, maximum mortality was observed in leaf with 86.67, 91.67 and 93.33% which was statistically on par with fruit pericarp showing mortality of 81.67, 88.33 and 90.00% at 24, 48 and 72 HAE, respectively. Initially flower followed leaf and fruit pericarp but its efficacy increased with time and was on par with both of them at 48 and 72 HAE. LC50 values for fruit pericarp were 2.895% followed by leaf (3.055%) and flower (3.560%).

Allelopathic effects of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) aqueous extracts on seeds germination and seedlings growth of alfalfa, sesame and sorghum

Abstract. Omer HHM, Mohammed IS. 2017. Allelopathic effects mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) aqueous extracts on seeds germination and seedling growth of alfalfa, sesame and sorghum. Cell Biol Dev 1: 51-54. Mesquite plant [Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) DC] is an invasive tree or shrub native to South America. Unfortunately, the plant threatens biodiversity and agriculture due to deliberate distribution within Sudan. Furthermore, this plant has an allopathic potential that may be caused by falling leaves, fruits, root exudates, or plant leachates. These allelochemicals may inhibit the germination and growth of agricultural crops. This study was conducted in the Laboratory of Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, in January-February 2016. The aim of this study was to elucidate the potential of allopathic effects of aqueous extract of different parts of mesquite plant, i.e., leaves, fruits, bark, and roots, on germination and early seedlings growth of alfalfa, sesame, and sorghum. The results indicated that the aqueous extracts of different parts of the mesquite plant significantly ( P ? 0. 05) inhibited the seeds' germination and reduced the early growth of the seedlings. These suggest that the inhibitory substance (s) were widely distributed in mesquite plants but to varying extents. Moreover, fruits and leaves extracts were more pronounced and consistent than bark and roots. That could be attributed to the mesquite fruits and leaves aqueous extracts containing more water-soluble allelochemicals than roots and bark. They gave 0.0% germination in alfalfa and sesame and 47.6-86.7% in sorghum, respectively, compared to control. At the same time, the length of hypocotyl and radical was reduced to 0.0 cm and up to 2.7 cm depending on the efficacy of extract and the response of the test crop. Thus, it is recommended to study the nature of inhibitors to determine whether allelopathic is the cause of the extraordinary success of mesquite on the flat plains of agricultural land in Sudan.

Antihyperlipidemic, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Methanolic and Aqueous Extracts of Different Parts of Star Fruit.

Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) is a well-known plant in Malaysia which bears a great significance in traditional medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the antihyperlipidemic effect, antioxidant potential and cytotoxicity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of ripe and unripe fruits, leaves and stem of A. carambola. Antihyperlipidemic activity was assessed in poloxamer-407 (P-407) induced acute hyperlipidemic rat's model. The antioxidant activity was assessed in vitro using 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, 1-diphenyl-2-dipicrylhydrazyl radical scavenging (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. In addition, cytotoxicity of A. carambola extracts was assessed using MTS assay on four leukemic cell lines (human colon cancer, human promyeloid leukemia, erythroid leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia) and one normal cell (human umbilical vein endothelial cells). Methanolic extract of leaves had the most potent antihyperlipidemic activity in P-407 model, whereby it significantly reduced serum levels of total cholesterol (P<0.01), triglycerides (P<0.01), low-density lipoprotein (P<0.05), verylow- density lipoprotein (P<0.01) and atherogenic index (P<0.01). On the other hand, methanolic extracts of A. carambola stem and leaves showed the strongest antioxidant activity. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts exhibited significant correlations with antioxidant but not with antihyperlipidemic activities. All plant parts showed no cytotoxic effect on the selected cancer or normal cell lines. Antihyperlipidemic activity of different parts of A. carambola is greatly affected by extraction solvents used. Methanolic extract of A. carambola leaves exhibited higher antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant potentials compared to other parts of the plant.

Inhibitory effect of aqueous extract of different parts of Gossypium herbaceum on key enzymes linked with type 2 diabetes and oxidative stress in rat pancreas in vitro

This study sought to determine the inhibitory effect of aqueous extract of different parts (bark, leaf, and flower) of cotton plant (Gossypium herbaceum) on key enzymes linked with type 2 diabetes and oxidative stress in rat pancreas in vitro. The aqueous extract (1:10 w/v) of Gossypium herbaceum was prepared and the ability of the extract to inhibit the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase as well as activities of pro-oxidant Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation was determined spectrophotometrically. The results revealed that the three varieties were able to inhibit the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in rat's pancreas in a dose dependent manner (0–88.8 mg/ml). Also, the incubation of pancreas tissue homogenate in the presence of Fe2+ caused a significant increase (233.3%) in the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of pancreas homogenate, nevertheless, the introduction of the aqueous extract inhibited MDA production dose dependently (0–33.33 mg/ml) and also exhibited further antioxidant properties as represented by their high radical scavenging and Fe2+ chelating abilities. Inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities has been the primary treatment for the management/prevention of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of aqueous extracts of different parts of Gossypium herbaceum in rat pancreas and prevention of lipid peroxidation in the tissue may be attributed to the presence of polyphenol content of the plant.

English

It is important to exemplify different types of medicinal plants for their potential antioxidant and antimicrobial properties as it has been evident that diverse nutrient and non-nutrient molecules which are produced from aromatic and medicinal plants display antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and can protect human body against cellular oxidation reaction and pathogens. Methanol and aqueous extracts of different parts (seeds, roots and leaves) of Sesamum indicum L. were screened to detect in vitro antioxidant [1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA)] and antimicrobial (disc diffusion and deep well diffusion) activity. On the basis of the results, different parts of S. indicum L. showed promising antimicrobial and antioxidant activity in methanol extract instead of aqueous extracts. It has also been observed that S. indicum L. has a powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and can be used as accessible source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agent in pharmaceutical industry and as a possible food supplement. Key words: Sesamum indicum L., 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), antioxidant, antimicrobial.

English

The present study was conducted to investigate the allelopathic effects of Eclipta alba weed on seed germination and seedling growth weed plants (Cassia tora L., Cassia sophera L.) and crop plants (Phaseolus aureus L., Oryza sativa L.). Root, stem and leaf aqueous extracts of Eclipta at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0% concentrations were applied to determine their effect on seed germination and seedling growth of test plants under laboratory conditions. The aqueous extracts from root, stem and leaf had no effect on seed germination of test plants. Aqueous extracts from leaf, root and stem inhibited root length, shoot length and dry weight. Root length, shoot length, and dry biomass of weed and crop species decreased progressively when plants were exposed to increasing concentration (0.5, 1, 2, and 4%). However, the more pronounced negative effect on seedling growth and dry biomass was on weeds than on crops. Aqueous extract of leaves shows the maximum inhibition followed by root and stem. The pH of aqueous extracts of different parts of E. alba does not show any major change when the concentration increased. Key words: Allelopathy, aqueous leaf extract, aqueous stem extract, aqueous root extract, Cassia tora, Cassia sophera, Phaseolus aureus, Oryza sativa.