Content Of Chemical Constituents Research Articles

Influence of Major Polyphenols on the Anti-Candida Activity of Eugenia uniflora Leaves: Isolation, LC-ESI-HRMS/MS Characterization and In Vitro Evaluation.

The content of chemical constituents in Eugenia uniflora leaf extracts correlates positively with biological activities. The experimental objective was to carry out the phytochemical screening and purification of the major polyphenols from the leaves of E. uniflora. In addition, the anti-Candida activity of the hydroalcoholic extract, fraction, subfractions and polyphenols purified were evaluated. After partitioning of the extract with ethyl acetate, the fractions were chromatographed on Sephadex® LH-20 gel followed by RP-flash chromatography and monitored by TLC and RP-HPLC. The samples were characterized by mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS2) and subjected to the microdilution method in 96-well plates against strains of C. albicans, C. auris, and C. glabrata. Myricitrin (93.89%; w/w; m/z 463.0876), gallic acid (99.9%; w/w; m/z 169.0142), and ellagic acid (94.2%; w/w; m/z 300.9988) were recovered. The polyphenolic fraction (62.67% (w/w) myricitrin) and the ellagic fraction (67.86% (w/w) ellagic acid) showed the best antifungal performance (MIC between 62.50 and 500 μg/mL), suggesting an association between the majority constituents and the antifungal response of E. uniflora derivatives. However, there is a clear dependence on the presence of the complex chemical mixture. In conclusion, chromatographic strategies were effectively employed to recover the major polyphenols from the leaves of the species.

Effect of Steam Explosion on the Structure, Chemical Composition and Pyrolytic Volatile Composition of Tobacco Waste

Tobacco stems are an important part of the tobacco leaf, containing a lot of cellulose, result in the low utilization of tobacco leaves in cigarettes. The pre-treatment technology of tobacco stems is a key to increase the utilization of tobacco stems. In this work, steam explosion treatment was carried out on tobacco stems with different moisture contents containing 2%, 5% and 10%, respectively. The steam explosion is carried out under different pressure and pressure holding time conditions, the changes in physical structure, chemical composition and pyrolysis volatiles of tobacco stem was investigated. The results indicate that steam explosion has a negligible impact on the crystalline structure of cellulose and low-order polysaccharide crystals, while it has an obvious effect on KCl. Steam explosion increases the specific surface area by destroying the amorphous structure on tobacco stems. The contents of chemical constituents and pyrolytic volatiles indicate that there is a significant leaching effect of lignin, but no change in cellulose content. Soluble polysaccharides, the main component of hemicellulose, were converted into pyrolytic volatiles e.g., furfural and furfuryl alcohol. In conclusion, the technology of steam explosion promotes the leaching, decomposition and chemical transformation of amorphous structures on tobacco stems, thus destroying the structure of the cell walls.

Dilute Acid Pretreatment of Wheat Stubble Agro-Residues to Eliminate Non-Process Components Meant for Papermaking and its Impact on Mechanical Strength Properties of Paper Products

Wheat stubble agro-residues material contains lingo-cellulose with high level of extractives and metal ions, which may be able to instigate some harmful impacts on the papermaking process. Pretreatment of stubble on the removal of metal ions and extractive, its impact on the content of chemical constituents like holocelluose, lignin, silica, the pulping yield as well as the mechanical properties of paper were examined in the laboratory. Acid pretreatment significantly reduced the content of the metal ions with about more than 50%. The conditions for acid pretreatment of the material were optimized to pH-2 at 5% consistency for 1 hour retention time with more benefits in extractives and metal ions removal and less impact on cellulose degradation. The demand of active alkali charge during pulp making was observed to be about 3% lower for the pretreated material as compared to the untreated one. Despite of chemical conservation, a higher pulping yield of about 6-7% was also observed in case of acid pretreated materials. Improved thickness, more crystalline and a high degree of polymerization of cellulose fibre were noticed due to acid pretreatment and the pulp obtained from acid pretreated material showed improved mechanical strength properties (tensile, tear, burst strength etc.). The study revealed that pretreatment of agro-residue material with dilute acid (optimized conditions) could be used to remove the non-process component and make it suitable for utilization in papermaking process with improved mechanical properties in the paper products.

Antitumor chemical constituents of Toddalia asiatica (Linn) Lam root bark and its rational alternative medicinal parts by multivariate statistical analysis

AbstractToddalia asiatica(Linn) Lam (T. asiatica) as a traditional Miao medicine was investigated to find rational alternative medicinal parts forT. asiaticaroot bark and its antitumor chemical constituents by quantitative pharmacognostic microscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint and multivariate statistical analysis. A bivariate correlation analysis method based on microscopic characteristics and content of chemical constituents was established for the first time, there were some regular discoveries between powder microscopic characteristics and common chromatographic peaks ofT. asiaticathrough quantitative pharmacognostic microscopy, cork cells, calcium oxalate square crystal, brown clump, starch granule and phloem fiber, as powder microscopic characteristics may be placed where the main chemical constitutes were enriched. Scores plot of principal component analysis (PCA) and dendrogram of hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) showed that 18T. asiaticasamples were distinguished correctly, clustered clearly into two main groups as follows: S01∼S03 (root bark) and S07∼S09 (stem bark) in cluster 1, S04∼S06 and S10∼S18 in cluster 2. Nineteen common peaks were obtained in HPLC fingerprint ofT. asiatica, loadings plot of PCA indicated seven compounds played important roles in different part of samples (P10 > P08 > P07 > P14 > P16 > P17 > P19), peaks 04, 06, 07, 08, 10 were identified as hesperidin, 4-methoxycinnamic acid, toddalolactone, isopimpinlline and pimpinellin. MTT assay was used to determine the inhibitory activity of different medicinal parts ofT. asiaticaon human breast cancer MCF-7 cells, all parts ofT. asiaticahad different inhibitory effects on MCF-7 cell lines, root and stem barks ofT. asiaticashowed the best inhibitory activity. The relationship between chemical constituents and the inhibitions on MCF-7 cell had been established, significant antitumor constituents ofT. asiaticawere identified by correlation analysis, the order of the antitumor effect of the main compounds was P07 (toddalolactone) > P16 > P06 (4-methoxycinnamic acid), P11 > P18 > P10 (pimpinellin) > P08 (isopimpinellin) > P01 > P19 > P14 > P04 (hesperidin) > P17, which were antitumor chemical constituents ofT. asiaticaroot bark.T. asiaticastem bark was the most rational alternative medicinal part forT. asiaticaroot bark.

Chemical Profiling and Bioactivity Reveal the Pharmaceutical Properties of Two Species of <i>Radix Puerariae</i>

Pueraria thomsonii Benth. (P. thomsonii) and Pueraria lobata (willd.) Ohwi. (P. lobata) are two members of the genus Pueraria, which have been widely used as medical herb and nutrition supplement in Asia. However, these two herbs share the same descriptions in pharmacological activities in Chinese Pharmacopeia, and are used interchangeably in applications. Differentiating the pharmaceutical applications and nutritional properties of two species of pueraria. Comparatively analysing the differences in the chemical composition and bioactivity of the two types of pueraria, then illustrating their applications. Metabolomics-based methods were established to identify the chemical constituents using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The contents of total flavonoids and four kinds of saccharides were evaluated separately by spectrophotometry methods. Their biological activities on hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) H9c2 cells were further assessed with cell viability by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Bio-active compounds including puerarin, daidzin, genistin etc. were significantly enriched in P. lobata, which was accountable for its protective effect on cardiocytes. P. thomsonii contained more saccharides and was not cardioprotective in H/R injury. The study indicates different contents of chemical constituents and biological activities between these two species of pueraria. Therefore, P. lobata is suitable for medicinal products, while P. thomsonii presents more value for use in nutritional food.

Variation of the antioxidant activity with the extraction method and solvent selection

Extraction is a significant step in the processing of the crude drug to get its chemical constituents out and keep them of high and exportable quality. The plants have various chemical constituents that are responsible for various activities in which antioxidant activity is the important one. There is another step that is crucial in the extraction process that is the selection of the suitable for extraction. Various solvents are used for extraction. They too range from the highly non-polar solvents like benzene and chloroform to the highly polar solvents like Ethanol and distilled water. So, in this work, the focus has been put on to find the effect of the extraction method and the extraction solvent on the antioxidant profile of the guava leaves. The extracts of the solvent Water in the method of ultrasound showed the highest inhibition of the free radicals and the least was with the extracts of the pet ether and using soxhlation. This is indicative that the method of extraction is critical, and the solvent of extraction played a vital role in the content of chemical constituents and the pharmacological activity too. The results showed that the ultrasound method was beneficial in extracting the soft drugs like leaves, and the distilled water was effective in extracting the chemicals from the guava leaves.

IMPACTS OF COMPOST, BIOFERTILIZER AND/OR SOME ANTIOXIDANT TREATMENTS ON GLADIOLUS (GLADIOLUS GRANDIFLORAS) B. Corms and cormels production and some chemical constituents

Gladiolus is commercially propagated by its underground structure for production of flowers and corms as well as cormels. A field experiment was conducted during two successive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 to investigate the effects of compost as an organic fertilizer (0, 5, 10 and 15 ton/fed) and Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) at 50 ml/plant and/or some antioxidant treatments (salicylic and ascorbic acids) on corm and cormels production and chemical constituents of Gladiolus grandiflorus var. Jester plants. The obtained results indicated that corm diameter (cm), number of new cormels/plant, dry weight of corm and cormels (g), as well as, chemical constituents including chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids in the fresh leaves and percentages of N, P and K in the dry leaves were gradually increased by increasing levels of compost with significant differences. The highest corm diameter (5.27 cm) was produced by plants received compost at 15 ton/fed in combination with Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) plus salicylic acid plus vitamin C while least size (2.5 cm) of corm was observed in control plants. All six treatments of Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) at 50 ml/plant and/or some antioxidant (salicylic and ascorbic acids) treatments each at 50 ppm significantly increased corms and cormels production and the content of chemical constituents in comparison with control treatments. Treatments of Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) plus salicylic acid plus ascorbic acid (vit. C) was more effective than other treatments for corm and cormels production, as well as, photosynthetic pigments content (mg/g. F.W.) and the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in most cases. The interaction between compost, Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) and/or some antioxidant (salicylic and ascorbic acids) treatments were significant for all previous characters. In some cases, the highest values of corms and cormels production were achieved by compost (15 ton/fed) in combination with Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) plus salicylic acid plus ascorbic acid (vit. C) followed by 15 ton/fed compost with M.B. + vit. C then 10 ton/fed compost with M.B. + salicylic acid + vit. C which recorded the highest contents of pigments and elements of N, P and K.

Statistical analysis of glucose production from Eucalyptus pellita with individual control of chemical constituents

To understand the effects of the biomass constituents for enzymatic hydrolysis, a tropical hardwood, Eucalyptus pellita, was employed to change the content of chemical constituents and regression assessment was progressed. The liquid hot water and acid-chlorite pretreatment controlled hemicellulose and lignin removal rate from 3.1 to 91.7% and from 4.4 to 99.1%, respectively. Total lignin in E. pellita (34.8%) was obviously reduced up to 9.0% under 4 g of sodium chlorite and 0.8 mL of acetic acid with 3 times loading. In this case, acid-insoluble lignin (2.4%) was entirely eliminated compared with that of E. pellita (29.0%), whereas acid-soluble lignin (6.6%) was preferably increased compared with of E. pellita (2.3%). The maximum glucose yield (87.5%) after the combined pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis were dramatically improved compared with that of liquid hot water pretreatment alone (28.2%). Meanwhile, a high glucose yield (83.9%) could also be obtained by acid-chlorite pretreatment alone. The adjusted R-squared value of hemicellulose and lignin removal rate (0.9285) and lignin removal rate alone (0.9063) with glucose yield was determined by linear regression analysis.

Establishment of extraction method for Gardeniae Fructus extract and its application in evaluating different Gardeniae Fructus decoction pieces

In this experiment,the gradation analysis method was used to evaluate the quality of different pieces of Gardeniae Fructus through the extraction rate difference and the difference analysis of the main components in the extract. In this experiment cold-dip and hot-dip methods were used to compare the yield of Gardeniae Fructus extract and the content of chemical constituents with water,25%,50%,75% and 95% ethanol fractions. By weighted calculation,the optimal extraction method of Gardeniae Fructus was determined,and this was verified by practical application. RESULTS:: showed that for the water-soluble extract,cold dip method was better than the hot dip method; and for alcohol-soluble extract,75% ethanol under cold dip method was best. The verification results showed that water-soluble extracts under cold dip methods could be used to significantly distinguish the raw Gardeniae Fructus( GF) and processed( stir-baked) GF( GFP) collected from the market. Meanwhile,this method could be also used to distinguish the same batch of GF,GFP and carbonized GF( GFC) with significant differences,respectively( P<0. 05). Ethanol-soluble extract can be used to clearly distinguish GFP and GFC pieces in the same batch( P<0. 05). The results of content determination showed that the variation coefficient of components in GF processed products was higher than that in extracts,and the content of hydroxygeniposide was the most significant component between GF and its processed products. It is suggested that the method of water-soluble extract of GF and the determination of the content of gardoside should be combined together to evaluate the quality of GF and its heat processed products.

Phytoremediation through Bidens pilosa L., a nonhazardous approach for uranium remediation of contaminated water

A few plant species are recognized for uranium bioaccumulation, particularly as upper accumulator. Uranium has a dynamic impact on the physiological, biochemical, and photochemical reactions. Therefore, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), soluble sugar, protein, photochemical reactions, and accumulation of uranium characteristics were studied in Bidens pilosa L. while applying altered concentrations of uranium in the form of C4H6O6U. It was done to measure the capacity of B. pilosa L. to remediate uranium from wastewater. In this study, the results showed that B. pilosa L. not only has the ability of uranium accumulation but it can accumulate in the upper parts i.e. leaves and stem. Overall it can accumulate as much as 1538 mg/kg on a dry weight basis. Uranium accumulation is a complex process which changes both physiological and biochemical index in plant species under different treatments. SOD decreased in leaves and stem in response to all treatments whereas POD and CAT increased at treatment 3 and 72 h up to 1335 μ/g-FW and 47 μ/g-FW at 72 h, respectively. This increase was followed by a downward trend. The correlation coefficient between fluorescence ratio Fv/Fm and the concentrations of uranium treatment were significantly negative i.e. −0.928. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis also highlighted that uranium does not change the basic chemical composition of B. pilosa L., but has an effect on the contents of chemical constituents. From the study, it is concluded that B. Pilosa L. has shown a capacity for uranium enrichment, especially as an upper accumulator.

EFFECT OF COMPOST AND SOME NATURAL STIMULANT TREATMENTS ON: II. CORMS PRODUCTION AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF (GLADIOLUS GRANDIFLORUS CV. PETER PEARS) PLANTS

Two field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of plant compost (0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 ton/fed) and six natural stimulants (green tea extract at 5 g/l, moringa leaves extract at 300 mg/l, garlic extract at 300 mg/l, licorice roots extract at 5 g/l, active dry yeast at 5 g/l and seaweeds extract at 3 cm3/l) on corms production and chemical constituents of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. Peter Pears. The obtained results indicated that corm diameter, number of cormels/plant, dry weight of cormels, as well as, chemical constituents including chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids and percentages of N, P and K in the corms were gradually increased by increasing the level of compost. Significant differences were detected among the four used treatments. So, the high level of compost resulted the highest values. All six treatments of natural stimulants significantly increased corm and cormels production and their content of chemical constituents in comparison of the control plants. The highest values were obtained due to the treatments of seaweeds extract at 3 cm3/l. or active dry yeast at 5 g/l. The interaction between compost and natural stimulants was significant for all previous characters, except chlorophyll a in the first season.

Bioactive components and mechanisms of Chinese poplar propolis alleviates oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced endothelial cells injury

BackgroundPropolis, a polyphenol-rich natural product, has been used as a functional food in anti-inflammation. However, its bioactive components and mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.To discover the bioactive components and anti-inflammatory mechanism, we prepared and separated 8 subfractions from ethyl acetate extract of Chinese propolis (EACP) and investigated the mechanism in oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) damage.MethodsEight subfractions were prepared and separated from ethyl acetate extract of Chinese propolis (EACP) with different concentrations of methanol-water solution, and analysed its chemical constituents by HPLC-DAD/Q-TOF-MS. Then 80% confluent HUVECs were stimulated with 40 μg/mL ox-LDL. Cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated by Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay and Hoechst 33,258 staining, respectively. Levels of caspase 3, PARP, LC3B, p62, p-mTOR, p-p70S6K, p-PI3K, p-Akt, LOX-1 and p-p38 MAPK were assessed by western blotting and immunofluorescence assay, respectively. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were measured with fluorescent probes.ResultsEach subfraction exhibited similar protective effect although the contents of chemical constituents were different. EACP attenuated ox-LDL induced HUVECs apoptosis, depressed the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I and enhanced the p62 level. In addition, treatment with EACP also activated the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and deactivated the level of LOX-1 and phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. The overproduction of ROS and the damage of MMP were also ameliorated after ECAP treatment.ConclusionsThese findings indicated that the bioactive component of propolis on anti-inflammatory activity was not determined by a single constituent, but a complex interaction including flavonoids, esters and phenolic acids. EACP attenuated ox-LDL induced HUVECs injury by inhibiting LOX-1 level and depressed ROS production against oxidative stress in ox-LDL induced HUVECs, further to activate PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and deactivate p38 MAPK to inhibit apoptosis and autophagy, which provide novel insights into the potential application of propolis on modulating chronic inflammation.

Studies on volatile oils compounds of Acorus macrospadiceus based on GC-MS, an ethnomedicinal and food plant used by local people in southwest China

Acorus macrospadiceus is a common medicinal and food plant used different ethnic groups in Guizhou and surrounding areas. In this paper, the leaf and rhizome tissues of A. macrospadiceus were hydro-distilled to extract the volatile oils. The chemical constituents of these oils were analyzed by GC-MS and identified using the NIST 14.0 & NIST 14.0s mass spectral libraries. The relative contents of chemical constituents from the different plant parts were determined by area normalization. The analysis of A. macrospadiceus volatile oils resulted in the identification of 25 compounds from the leaf and 36 compounds from the rhizome. The identified compounds accounted for 97.85% of the leaf essential oil content and 97.18% of the rhizome essential oil content. The main volatile constituent of A. macrospadiceus was identified as estragole (93.56% of total oil content in leaf and 71.62% of total oil content in rhizome). Fourteen compounds were found to be common to essential oils of both leaf and rhizome. However, the relative amounts of these compounds were significantly different between the plant parts; the remaining identified compounds were unique to each part. This comparison of volatile oils from the different parts of A. macrospadiceus can serve as a reference for future development. Because of the higher estragole content and better harvesting sustainability of the leaves compared to rhizomes, the leaves of A. macrospadiceus deserve consideration for sustainable development. However, when we use it as a medical plant, we should draw a distinction between it with A. tatarinowii.

Comparison of the chromatographic fingerprint, multicomponent quantitation and antioxidant activity of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. between sweating and nonsweating.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. is a traditional Chinese medicine applied in the treatment of various diseases in clinical practice. In the course of its processing, S. miltiorrhiza Bge. is usually processed by sweating. This study employed 10-component contents determination coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint and antioxidant activity to investigate the effect of sweating on S. miltiorrhiza Bge. so as to evaluate the quality of S. miltiorrhiza Bge. The HPLC method was performed using C18 and 0.05% phosphoric acid aqueous solution-acetonitrile with a gradient elution system. It was validated for linearity, precision, repeatability, stability and recovery. Similarity analysis, principal components analysis and antioxidant activity assays were used to compare sweated S. miltiorrhiza Bge. (SSM) and nonsweated S. miltiorrhiza Bge. (NSSM). SSM and NSSM showed good similarities in HPLC fingerprint (>0.9), but principal components analysis could classify the HPLC fingerprint and 10-component quantitation analysis. Meanwhile, the antioxidant activity of SSM was significantly higher than that of NSSM (p < 0.01). The results of this study indicated that sweating could alter the content of chemical constituents in S. miltiorrhiza Bge., and could also improve its antioxidant activity. In addition, the method not only affords a viable strategy for comparing SSM and NSSM and assessing the quality of S. miltiorrhiza Bge., but also provides a reference for other herbal medicine that suffers from sweating.

Identification And Quantification Of Chemical Constituents From Indian Bee Propolis Extracts Using HPTLC And UHPLC-DAD-MS

Bee propolis is a resinous, gummy and balsamic material collected from flora by honey bees (Apis mellifera L. belongs to Apidae family). Bee propolis is official in the United States Pharmacopeia and natural health product monograph Canada (USP. 2009), (Health Canada 2009). The main phytoconstituents reported to have been isolated from the bee propolis are polyphenolics, chalcone, triterpenes, coumarins, aromatic acids and their esters [1, 2]. The reference standards caffeic acid (1), trans-ferulic acid (2), p-coumaric acid (3), quercetin (4), luteolin (5), Naringenin (6), apigenin (7), kaempferol (8), Pinocembrin (9), caffeic acid phenethyl ester [CAPE] (10), chyrsin (11), pinobanksin-3-O-acetate (12) acacetin (13) and galangin (14) were used to develop an HPTLC chemical fingerprint profile and UHPLC-DAD-MS method for quantification of chemical constituents (1 – 14) from Indian Bee Propolis extracts and dietary supplements. Seven bee propolis extracts and 14 dietary supplements claiming to contain bee propolis extracts were analyzed. Content of chemical constituents (1 – 14) varied from 0.01 – 9.58 mg/100 mg extract and 0 – 14.06 mg/day for bee propolis extracts and dietary supplements respectively. The results indicated that commercial products are of variable quality.

Foliar Application of Growth Bioregulators Influences Floral Traits, Corm- associated Traits and Chemical Constituents in Gladiolus grandiflorus L.

Gladiolus is one of the most popular cut flowers in the world floral market and is highly attractive to consumers. The production of poor-quality gladiolus spikes is one of the most important hurdles to obtaining high prices for this crop. The main objectives of this study were to improve the quantitative characteristics of gladiolus spikes, to increase propagule production and to enhance chemical constituent levels in leaves to help improve plant growth. We performed foliar application of bioregulators, including polyamines (putrescine and spermine) and vitamins (ascorbic acid and thiamine), at different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.4, 0.7 and 1 mM) to gladiolus plants at the three leaf, five leaf and slipping stages. Application of 1 mM putrescine was the most effective treatment, with prominent effects on economically important spike traits including spike length (55.53 ㎝), spike diameter (7.53 ㎜), florets per spike (13.99), first floret diameter (9.66 ㎝) and first floret weight (4.90 g), followed by spermine treatment. The 1 mM putrescine treatment also had positive effects on corm-associated traits including corm diameter and corm weight, with values of 4.57 ㎝ and 26.16 g compared to 3.47 ㎝ and 17.16 g in control plants, respectively. The contents of chemical constituents in leaves, including total chlorophylls (8.06 ㎎·g -1 ), total carotenoids (1.66 ㎎·g -1 ), total soluble sugars (4.75 ㎎·g -1 ) and phenolics (0.89 ㎎·g -1 ) increased in response to foliar application of 1 mM putrescine compared to the control. Ascorbic acid and thiamine also had positive effects on various plant morphological traits and chemical constituents in leaves compared to control plants, but the growth-promoting effects of polyamines were more pronounced. Hence, applying polyamines to gladiolus leaves will help improve spike production and increasing propagule (cormel) yields.

Nutrient Composition and In Vitro Antioxidant Properties of Harungana madagascariensis Stembark Extracts.

The stembarks of Harungana madagascariensis were analyzed for their content of chemical constituents, antinutrients, vitamin levels, and in vitro antioxidant properties in two solvent systems. Phytochemical screening revealed higher levels of alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids in the methanolic (MHM) extract than in the dichloromethane (DCM) extract. The methanolic extract had higher contents of minerals, vitamins, and antinutrients except K, vitamin B1, and phytic acid, respectively. Antioxidant potentials of the stembark extracts were assessed by the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, metal chelating activity, and ferric reducing power. The methanolic extract showed a better antioxidant activity (IC50=87.66±0.97 μg/mL) in the DPPH system. The metal chelating activity was higher in the methanolic extract (92.4% at 20 mg/mL), but lower than the control ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The methanolic extract also showed greater ferric reducing power and was richer in phenolics (132.24±0.61 mgGAE/g) and flavonoids (259.05±2.85 mgQE/g). Antinutrient analysis of the extracts indicated low levels of phytic acid, oxalates, and hydrocyanides below the lethal doses. The LD50 (i.p. mice) of the extracts showed relatively low toxicity in the range 1000-1414 mg/kg. These results support the ethnomedicinal uses of this plant in the treatment of diseases related to oxidative stress and suggest that consumption of H. madagascariensis is not harmful nutritively.

EFFECT OF COMPOST, SALICYLIC AND ASCORBIC ACIDS TREATMENTS ON CORM PRODUCTION AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF GLADIOLUS GRANDIFLORUS CV. WHITE PROSPERITY

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of plant compost (0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 ton/fed) and salicylic and/or ascorbic acids (each at 0, 100 or 200 ppm) on corm production and chemical constituents of Gladiolus grandiflorus cv. White Prosperity. The obtained results indicated that corm diameter, number of cormels/plant, dry weight of corm and cormels, as well as, chemical constituents including chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids and percentages of N, P and K in the corms were gradually increased by increasing the level of compost. Significant differences were detected among four usedtreatments. So, the high level of compost resulted the highest values. All six treatments of salicylic acid and/or ascorbic acid significantly increased corm and cormels production and their content of chemical constituents in comparison of the control plants. The treatments of salicylic acid (100 ppm) plus ascorbic acid (100 ppm) followed by ascorbic acid (200 ppm), then salicylic acid (200 ppm) were more effective than other treatments for corm and cormels production, as wellas, the percentage of nitrogen and potassium without significant differences were detected between the first and second treatments in most cases. While the treatments of salicylic plus ascorbic acids, each at 100 ppm followed by salicylic acid at 200 ppm were more effective for the pigments content (mg/g f.w.) and phosphorus percentage without significant differences between them. The interaction between compost, salicylic acid and/or ascorbic acid was significant for all previous characters, except K %. The highest values of corm and cormels production were achieved by 12.5 ton/fedcompost treatment in combination with salicylic acid (100 ppm) + ascorbic acid (100 ppm) or ascorbic acid (200 ppm), while the interaction treatments of compost (12.5 ton/fed) × salicylic plus ascorbic acids, each at 100 ppm or compost (12.5 ton/fed) × salicylic acid at 200 ppm recorded the highest contents of pigments and elements of N and P.

12種類の紅茶の化学成分

(1) 日本国内で市販されている世界各地で生産された紅茶12銘柄を購入し，その化学成分などを分析，測定した．12銘柄はスリランカ4，インド3，中国2，日本1である．(2) タンニン，カテキン類8項目，没食子酸，テアフラビン類4項目，L-グルタミン酸，L-テアニン，γ-アミノ酪酸，遊離糖類3項目の含有量は変動が極めて大きかった．グルタミン酸，テアニン，また総アミノ酸については並級煎茶に匹敵する量を含む銘柄もあった．またγ-アミノ酪酸を60mg%以上含む銘柄もあったが発酵過程で増加したものであるかは判別できなかった．(3) 4種のテアフラビンを個別に定量した結果，テアフラビン-3，3’-di-0-ガレートが最も多く，ついでテアフラビン-3-0-ガレート，次ぎに遊離のテアフラビンでテアフラビン-3’-0-ガレートが最も少なかった．また，テアフラビン合計値と赤色彩度を示す表色値aの間に相関が認められた．(4) 遊離の糖類のうち，蔗糖，ブドウ糖，果糖，麦芽糖を分析したが麦芽糖は含まれず，検出された3種のうち蔗糖，ブドウ糖が多く，糖類合計として平均1.6%であった．(5) 紅茶に含まれる有機酸のうち，シュウ酸を分析した．12銘柄平均含有量は0.54%であったが，シュウ酸特有のエグ味として影響する量ではないように思われた．(6) pHは緑茶同様にほぼ一定範囲に収まり，ほぼ5.00～5.4の範囲であった．

Chemical Constituent and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil from Fragrant Loquat and Common Loquat

The chemical components of fragrant loquat and common loquat extracted by petroleum ether had been investigated using capillary GC-MS. 109 constituents were identified and the relative percentages of the constituents were determined. The highest content of chemical constituents was phytol. The antimicrobial activity on seven test organisms of essential oil from fragrant loquat and common loquat leaf extract were detected, the results indicated that these extracts had inhibitory effects on Canidia Albicans and Trichoderma spp., but not on bacteria.