Extracts Of Different Plant Parts Research Articles

Efficacy of Neem Oil against Termite [Odontotermes obesus (Rambur)] (Blattodea: Termitidae)

Botanical pesticides are of great importance in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Extracts of different plant parts are used for deterring and killing the various life stages of insects. Most of the oils produced by plants contain bioactive compounds with insecticidal properties. Neem oil containing azadirachtin is an established insecticide and insect repellent. Use of synthetic pesticides for wood preservation leads to environmental pollution and health hazards to human beings and other living organisms. To avoid these problems neem, Azadiracta indica (A.Juss.) plant oil was used in this study and gave better results. The weight loss of card boards treated with neem was less like chlorpyrifos treated cardboards. Gravimetric measurements of cardboards shown 18.34gm and 16.85 gm weight which after 30 and 60 days of exposure to A. indica oil indicated that plant oil has potential effects like conventional pesticides like chlorpyrifos which showed the18.72 and 18.63 gm of weight in cardboards after 30 and 60 days of exposure. The P values was 0.036457 and 0.016527 for cardboards exposed to two treatments after 30 and 60 days respectively which is highly significant.

Antimycobacterial, hepatoprotective and cytotoxicity effects of selected plant species from the Menispermaceae family

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a worldwide disease affecting millions of people. The rise of resistant strains, coupled with toxicity of current chemotherapy, requires effective alternatives against mycobacterial infections. Some plants from the Menispermaceae family have been used to treat tuberculosis and cough related symptoms. In this study, acetone, methanol:water (4:1), dichloromethane:methanol (1:1) and hot water extracts of different plant parts of Cissampelos owariensis, Cissampelos mucronata and Tinospora fragosa were tested against M. aurum, M. bovis, M. fortuitum, M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis using a two-fold serial microdilution assay. Cytotoxicity of the active extracts was determined against Vero and HepG2 cells. The hepatoprotective effect of the active extracts was evaluated using rifampicin and acetaminophen as toxic drugs against HepG2 cells. The hot water leaf extracts were most active with promising minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 20 and 40 µg/mL against M. smegmatis and M. fortuitum respectively. The acetone extracts of C. owariensis, C. mucronata and T. fragosa had the lowest MIC values (0.03 – 1.67 mg/mL). The root extract of C. owariensis was not toxic to Vero cells while the leaf extract was more toxic. The acetone extract of C. mucronata leaves was toxic to Vero cells but the other extracts had low toxicity. The active leaf and root extracts had protective effects on rifampicin-induced toxicity on HepG2 cells. The root extract also had a protective effect on acetaminophen-induced toxicity on HepG2 cells but the leaf extract had no protective effect. The hot water extracts of C. owariensis, C. mucronata and T. fragosa had a more protective effect on the toxin-induced cells than the acetone extracts. These results support further investigation on the bioactive compounds in these plant extracts.

Antimicrobial Activity of Leaf and Stem Extracts of Adansonia digitata

The species of Adansonia Digitata L. (Baobab) is an important multipurpose tree found to possess an enormous range of medicinal properties and can be used for the treatment of various diseases. Powdered leaves and stem of Adansonia digitata were extracted with 100% ethanol and hydro ethanol using the Soxhlet method of extraction. This research was conducted to determine the antimicrobial efficacy of Adansonia digitata stem and leaf extracts. The antimicrobial activity of ethanolic and hydroethanolic leaf, stem extracts of Adansonia digitata has been analyzed. The activity of the extracts of different plant parts against both bacteria and fungi strains were screened through disk diffusion assay along with the crude extract was carried out as control experiments. The antimicrobial activity of the leaf and stem extract of the plants showed that the plant extract used was effective against the different isolates tested. According to our observation, ethanolic extract of leave and stems showed higher antimicrobial activity.

Aqueous Rosa damascena extract: Antibacterial activity and its role of adhesion to human epithelial cells in vitro

The current study aimed to investigate the inhibitory activity of aqueous extracts of different plant parts of Rosa damascena, represented by the whole rose, petals, and calyces, against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and the inhibition of the bacterial cell.The isolates were obtained from the advanced microbiology laboratory for postgraduate studies in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Education for Girls. They were isolated from urinary tract infections, which were subsequently subjected to diagnosis by the Vitek-2 compact system to confirm the type of bacteria as well as their sensitivity to antibiotics. The results obtained included Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae.A test was conducted to investigate the microbiological inhibitory activity of aqueous plant extracts of the whole rose, petals, and calyces using the well diffusion method and three concentrations of each aqueous extract (25, 50, and 100 mg/ml). The results showed the inhibitory ability of all concentrations of the different extracts towardStaphylococcus spp., and E. coli and K. pneumoniae bacteria were not affected by the different concentrations of the plant extract. The concentration of (100 mg/ml) for the aqueous extract was the most efficient in inhibiting growth compared to the other concentrations.The synergistic effect of three antibiotics was examined (Amoxicillin-clavulanate 10/20 μg, Piperacillin 100 μg, Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 23.75/1.25 μg) and for all concentrations of the aqueous plant extract was investigated in both E. coli and K. pneumoniae, as it found a synergistic action between some of the antibiotics and extracts towards inhibiting the growth of the two bacterial isolates Resistance to the plant extract alone.Bacterial isolates showed a significant decrease in the rate of adhesion to epithelial cells isolated from urine samples of healthy women in the presence of the aqueous extract of whole rose, petals, and calyces at their three concentrations compared with the control treatment.

Chemical composition of endemic and endangered Gypsophila pilulifera produced by in vitro micropropagation method

This article contains the result of the first study on the chemical composition of six methanol extracts of different plant parts of the Gypsophila pilulifera, which were grown in vitro and transferred to field conditions according to their distribution location. The methanol extracts of the leaves, branches, and roots of the G. pilulifera were obtained using the maceration method. All methanol extracts were derivatized with trimethylsilyl (-TMS) for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Fatty acid derivatives were the dominant group in all the extracts. Palmitic acid, (Z,Z)− 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, and stearic acid were common fatty acids in all extracts. Sterols were detected in all methanol extracts. The predominant sterol was (3β,22E)-Ergosta-7,22-dien-3-ol in the analyzed extracts. The determination of sterol compounds contributes to greater knowledge about the G. pilulifera and brings more attention to this plant species. G. pilulifera is an endemic and critically endangered (CR) species. The plant has potential use in different areas, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. In the current study, the chemical content of the underground and aboveground parts of G. pilulifera produced under in vitro conditions from the seeds collected from two different locations in nature was investigated comparatively according to their locations for the first time.

Assessment of Allelochemicals Potential of Peganum harmala L. for Biological Control of Cynodon dactylon L.

This study was conducted to evaluates the allelopathic potential of Peganum harmala L. (Zygophyllaceae) on the growth of Cynodon dactylon L. (Poaceae). Seeds, stems, and a mixture of (seeds and stems) aqueous extracts of P. harmala plants were applied as a foliar application to three weeks old seedlings of Cynodon dactylon weeds. The result indicated that the application of aqueous extracts of different plant parts of P. harmala caused a significant reduction in growth traits of Cynodon dactylon including plant height, number of branches, number of leaves, and plant weight. Moreover, the result revealed that the Inhibitory effect of P. harmala aqueous extract on Cynodon dactylon L was more pronounced in plant height and number of leave plant-1 traits. In addition, the results illustrated that among the different P. harmala plant parts used in this study, seeds extract was the most toxic and caused the greatest negative effect on growth traits of Cynodon dactylon. According to the results, the degree of toxicity of different P. harmala plant parts can be arranged in the following order: seeds > mixture > stems. The results of this study concluded that the use of Peganum harmala L plant has the potential to be developed further as a bio-herbicide system to control weed such as Cynodon dactylon L.

Antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activities of crude and lead-like enhanced extracts from Namibian medicinal plants

Ethnopharmacological relevanceEight indigenous medicinal plants which are used traditionally for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and associated symptoms, were selected for this study. Aim of studyThe aim of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activities of the organic and aqueous crude extracts of different plant parts, by comparing the activities of subfractions (lead-like enhanced [LLE] extracts and methanol fractions) prepared from the bioactive crude extracts. Materials & methodsCrude aqueous and organic extracts were prepared for 25 different plant parts obtained from eight plant species. In vitro antiplasmodial activity was evaluated using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum NF54 and in vitro antimycobacterial activity determined against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv-GFP strain in a standard broth microdilution assay. The bioactive crude extracts were subjected to solid phase extraction with Strata-X 33 μm reversed phase cartridges and eluted with 70:30 MeOH: H2O:1% trifluoroacetic acid to yield the LLE extract, followed by a methanol rinse, herein referred to as the MeOH fraction. Both fractions were evaluated for antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activity. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) profiling of the crude and active fractions of the phytochemically unexplored Sarcocaulon marlothii Engl. were performed to aid the identification of a potential antiplasmodial lead compound. ResultsTen of the aqueous and organic crude extracts displayed antimycobacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) values ranging from 9.9 to 86.8 μg/mL, and four crude extracts showed antiplasmodial activity with inhibitory concentration (IC50) values between 5.2 and 17.8 μg/mL. Although the stems of S. marlothii are traditionally used to treat TB and related symptoms, the two crude extracts displayed weak antimycobacterial activity (MIC90 > 100 μg/mL) while the crude organic extract displayed moderate antiplasmodial activity with an IC50 value of 8.8 μg/mL. None of the LLE extracts prepared from the ten antimycobacterial-active crudes displayed any significant activity (MIC90 > 125 μg/mL). In contrast, fractionation of three antiplasmodial-active, crude organic extracts yielded MeOH fractions which displayed a 2-fold to 19-fold increase in activity. The 1H-NMR profiles of the active MeOH fraction (IC50 4.3 μg/mL) of S. marlothii (organic, stem) revealed the likely presence of an unidentified trisubstituted cinnamic acid derivative as one of the major compounds and UPLC-MS/MS data provided additional evidence that the compound may be a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative. Unfortunately, owing to the paucity of the material obtained, we were unable to purify and unequivocally determine the structure of this active compound. ConclusionsThis is the first report on the phytochemical profiling of S. marlothii and, based on the antiplasmodial activity recorded, it merits an in-depth phytochemical analysis for the unequivocal characterization of a potential antiplasmodial lead compound. Results from this study lend support to the effectiveness of extract enrichment in combination with NMR fingerprinting for antiplasmodial lead identification.

HPLC-DAD Based Polyphenolic Profiling and Evaluation of Pharmacological Attributes of Putranjiva roxburghii Wall.

The current study was intended to explore the phytochemical profiling and therapeutic activities of Putranjiva roxburghii Wall. Crude extracts of different plant parts were subjected to the determination of antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, and protein kinase inhibitory potential by using solvents of varying polarity ranges. Maximum phenolic content was notified in distilled water extracts of the stem (DW-S) and leaf (DW-L) while the highest flavonoid content was obtained in ethyl acetate leaf (EA-L) extract. HPLC-DAD analysis confirmed the presence of various polyphenols, quantified in the range of 0.02 ± 0.36 to 2.05 ± 0.18 μg/mg extract. Maximum DPPH scavenging activity was expressed by methanolic extract of the stem (MeOH-S). The highest antioxidant capacity and reducing power was shown by MeOH-S and leaf methanolic extract (MeOH-L), respectively. Proficient antibacterial activity was shown by EA-L extract against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Remarkable α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition potential was expressed by ethyl acetate fruit (EA-F) and n-Hexane leaf (nH-L) extracts, respectively. In case of brine shrimp lethality assay, 41.67% of the extracts (LC50 < 50 µg/mL) were considered as extremely cytotoxic. The test extracts also showed mild antifungal and protein kinase inhibition activities. The present study explores the therapeutic potential of P. roxburghii and calls for subsequent studies to isolate new bioactive leads through bioactivity-guided isolation.

Determination of total phenolic, flavonoids and antioxidant activity in Calligonum polygonoides L. from Thar Desert

Aim: The aim of the study was Identification and quantification of phenolic compounds, total flavonoides content and antioxidant potential of flower buds, foliages, bark and root of a perennial herb, Calligonum polygonoides (Phog) of Thar Desert. Methodology: The methanolic extracts of different plant parts of C. polygonoides were subjected to LC-MS/MS (Waters Acquity UPLC-PDA, TQD) analysis for phenolic identification and spectrophotometric assay of total phenolic and flavonoids content and total antioxidant activity was estimated. Results: A total of 15 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified, among which gallic acid content was abundant, followed by catechin. Besides these, the other major phenolic compounds detected in different plant parts were vanillic, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, coumeric acid, catechol, vanillic acid, epicatechin and syringic acid. Extremely higher values were recorded for total phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity. The values for phenol, flavonoids and total antioxidant activity in bark extracts were higher than that of clove extract. Interpretation: The identified phenolic compounds possess high antioxidant potential. These results provide scientific evidence for use of C. polygonoides as safe natural antioxidant compounds in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry.

Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Helicteres Hirsuta Extracts

Helicteres hirsuta, which belongs to the Malvaceae family, is used in traditional medicine to treat malaria, diabetes and cervical cancer. While these uses have not been validated in clinical studies thus far, extracts from H. hirsuta exhibit confirmed antioxidant and potential anti-cancer activity that warrant critical assessment. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant properties of different parts of the plant H. hirsuta. The antioxidant capacities of methanol extracts of different plant parts, and specific solvent fractions thereof were determined on the basis of 2,2-diphenyl−1−picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and total antioxidant activity assays. The ethyl acetate fraction from the leaf material of H. hirsuta has the most potent antioxidant activity with the lowest half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 9.50 μg/mL, that is 4 times lower than the IC50 of curcumin. The amounts of methyl gallate and rutin dominated the extracts at 8.62 ± 0.01 and 6.76 ± 0.02 mg/g, respectively, out of a total of 21.00 ± 0.01 mg/g active phenolic fraction. The amount of methyl gallate strongly correlated with total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity, thus this compound may be useful as a marker of antioxidant activity in common medicinal plants.

Comparative Profiling of Four Lignans (Phyllanthin, Hypophyllanthin, Nirtetralin, and Niranthin) in Nine Phyllanthus Species from India Using a Validated Reversed Phase HPLC-PDA Detection Method.

Phyllanthus species exhibit a wide range of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities; however, little is known about the compounds present in the extracts that are responsible for such actions. Development and validation of a simple reversed phase HPLC-PDA method for profiling of phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, nirtetralin, and niranthin in extracts of Phyllanthus species was carried out. Separation was achieved using an XBridge column® (150 × 4.6 mm, 5.0 µm id) in an isocratic elution mode with mobile phase comprising of a mixture of acetonitrile and water with TFA (0.05%, v/v, pH = 2.15) at ambient temperature with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, nirtetralin, and niranthin were eluted at mean retention times of 10.47, 11.10, 13.67, and 14.53 min, respectively. LOD and LOQ for all four analytes were 0.75 and 3.00 μg/mL, respectively. RSDr values for intraday and interday precision for phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, nirtetralin, and niranthin were 0.38-1.32 and 0.45-1.77%; 0.22-3.69 and 0.24-3.04%, 0.73-2.37 and 0.09-0.31%, and 1.56-2.77 and 0.12-0.68%, respectively. The developed and validated HPLC-PDA method was applied for identification and quantification of phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, nirtetralin, and niranthin in extracts of different plant parts of selected Phyllanthus species. The outcome of the present investigation could be useful for selection of best species to promote its commercial cultivation and suitable extraction solvent for preparation of lignan-enriched fractions. This HPLC-PDA method could be useful for quality control of herbal formulations containing plants from Phyllanthus species.

A review on biogenic synthesis, applications and toxicity aspects of zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have become an important field of research over the past several decades with applications in various sectors, such as biomedical, cosmetic, food and many others, because of their unique characteristics. The green synthesis of nanoparticles has been preferred because of the naturally occurring reductants present in biological systems that decreases exposure to toxic chemicals compared with physico-chemical methods and is eco-friendly. Zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs exhibit broad and potential applications in different fields with their specific characteristics such as surface area, size, shape, low toxicity, optical properties, high binding energy and large band gap. This paper focuses on the bio-synthesis of ZnO NPs by utilizing extracts of different plant parts (stem, flower, fruit, peel, and leaves) through efficient, economical, simple, pure, and eco-friendly green routes. In this process, zinc salts have been used as precursor and phytochemicals in the plant extract reduce the metal salt to lower oxidation state as well as stabilize the ZnO NPs. The morphological and physico-chemical properties of obtained NPs analyzed by various characterization techniques have been discoursed. Further, antimicrobial activity and potential photocatalytic application in terms of the degradation of dyes have also been reviewed in addition to the toxicity aspects of these NPs on human beings and animals.

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ISOLATION OF COUMARINS AND EXAMINING BIOACTIVITY OF PRANGOS PLATYCHLAENA BOISS. PLANT IN IRAQ

The Prangos platychlaena Boiss. a wild plant belonging to the Apiaceae family, is a native plant of Kurdistan-Iraq. The roots, leaves, stem and flowers of the plant were collected in the Halgurd mountain of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and extracted by petroleum ether, ethanol and water to obtain the crude extracts. Our results showed that the plant contains different phytochemicals that are distributed unequally in different parts. The chromatography technique was used for the isolation and purification of three coumarins (5,8-dimethoxy psoralen, 5-methoxy psoralen and 8-methoxy psoralen) from the parts of the flower, all compounds are new among the Prangos species. The extracts of different plant parts and isolated compounds showed anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities against pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. These findings suggested that this plant, specially their leaves and flowers can be used for the treatment of some diseases in the future.

Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Slender Amaranth Weed

ABSTRACT: In the present study, antibacterial and antioxidant [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity] activities of a weed, slender amaranth (Amaranthus viridis L.) were investigated. Extracts of different plant parts were prepared in n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate. Antibacterial activity was measured by using 100 mg mL-1 concentration extracts against 4 deadly phytopathogenic bacterial species viz. Pseudomonas syringae Van Hall, Ralstonia solanacearum Smith, Erwinia carotovora (Jones), Holland and Xanthomonas axonopodis Hasse. In antioxidants assays, 10, 20 and 30 mg mL-1 extracts were used keeping DPPH as control. In these bioassays, ethyl acetate fraction of A. viridis leaf exhibited the best antibacterial and antioxidants activity. Ethyl acetate leaf fraction showed the highest inhibition zone diameter (IZD) where it caused 21 mm IZD against P. syringae and 19 mm IZD against E. carotovora. This extract also showed 22, 52 and 84% antioxidant activity at 10, 20 and 30 mg mL-1 concentrations, respectively. Previously there is no report available that describes antibacterial activity of root extract of A. viridis against P. syringae. Moreover, antioxidant activity of stem and root extracts in n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate was investigated first time in the world. It was concluded that the biological activities observed during the present investigation may be due to the presence of bioactive constituents that can be harnessed as natural antibacterials and antioxidants.

An Approach to Evaluate Anti-arthritic and Thrombolytic Activity of Different parts of Solanum torvum Sw. (Solanaceae) and Smilax zeylanica L. (Liliaceae)

Phytochemical screening of chloroform and methanolic extracts of different parts of Solanum torvum and Smilax zeylanica was done. In vitro thrombolytic and anti-arthritic activities were assessed using the clot lysis method and egg albumin denaturation technique respectively. Between the chloroform and methanolic extracts, Chloroform extracts of both plants showed higher clot lysis activities (at 100 ppm solution). On the other hand, extracts of both plants performed better in terms of anti-arthritic activities (at 500 ppm solution). In the case of thrombolytic activity, between the plant extracts, the performance of S. torvum is higher compared to S. zeylanica plant. Among chloroform extracts of different plant parts, stem of S. torvum and root of S. zeylanica showed the highest, 35.44±1.89 % and 33.63±0.83 % activities respectively. Whereas, among the methanolic extracts of the plants, the root extracts of both plants showed the highest activities, 31.96±2.86 % for S. torvum and 32.01±1.46 % for S. zeylanica. In the case of anti-arthritic activity, the performance of S. zeylanica plant extracts is higher compared to that of S. torvum. Methanolic extract of leaf of S. zeylanica samples showed the best protein denaturation activity (52.38±2.12 %) followed by the Methanolic extract of stem sample of S. torvum (44.29±2.14 %).

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PLANT PARTS EXTRACTS FROM STERCULIA QUADRIFIDA R. BR.

Objective: Sterculia quadrifida R. Br. of Sterculiaceae family is locally known as “Faloak” in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. S. quadrifida is used in folk medicine to treat hepatitis, rheumatism, and to recover stamina. The aim of this study was to determine the total flavonoids, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity of extracts from different plant parts of S. quadrifida.&#x0D; Methods: The sampled parts of S. quadrifida were non-stripped stem bark, new regrown stem bark, old regrown stem bark, root bark, branch bark, and leaves. Stem bark was classified into three categories, namely, bark that has never been peeled (non-stripped stem bark), old regrown stem bark (estimated to be &gt;6 months after debarking), and new regrown stem bark (estimated to be &lt;6 months after debarking). Total flavonoid content (TFC) was determined by colorimetric aluminum chloride method and TPC was measured using Folin–Ciocalteu’s reagent. Antioxidant activity was determined with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH).&#x0D; Results: The concentrations of flavonoids in S. quadrifida extracts from different plant parts varied from 0.58±0.13 to 1.25±0.10 mg QE/g. The TPC in the extracts of different plant parts ranged between 8.61±0.09 and 10.43±0.08 mg GAE/g. Branch bark has the highest total flavonoid and phenolic content. The extract of new regrown stem bark exhibited potent antioxidant activity with inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 2.51±0.03 μg/ml.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study demonstrated for the first time that extracts from different plant parts of S. quadrifida exhibited strong antioxidant activity. However, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in S. quadrifida only indicated a weak correlation with its antioxidant activity.

Ethnobotany of the genus Taraxacum-Phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity.

Plants belonging to the genus Taraxacum have been used in traditional healthcare to treat infectious diseases including food-borne infections. This review aims to summarize the available information on Taraxacum spp., focusing on plant cultivation, ethnomedicinal uses, bioactive phytochemicals, and antimicrobial properties. Phytochemicals present in Taraxacum spp. include sesquiterpene lactones, such as taraxacin, mongolicumin B, and taraxinic acid derivatives; triterpenoids, such as taraxasterol, taraxerol, and officinatrione; and phenolic derivatives, such as hydroxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic, chicoric, and caffeoyltartaric acids), coumarins (aesculin and cichoriin), lignans (mongolicumin A), and taraxacosides. Aqueous and organic extracts of different plant parts exhibit promising in vitro antimicrobial activity relevant for controlling fungi and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, this genus represents a potential source of bioactive phytochemicals with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. However, so far, preclinical evidence for these activities has not been fully substantiated by clinical studies. Indeed, clinical evidence for the activity of Taraxacum bioactive compounds is still scant, at least for infectious diseases, and there is limited information on oral bioavailability, pharmacological activities, and safety of Taraxacum products in humans, though their traditional uses would suggest that these plants are safe.

Larvicidal activity of Ageratum conyzoides L. extracts on Anopheles gambiae complex

Larviciding is a useful approach in the control of Anopheles species the vector for Plasmodium and the extensive uses of synthetic organic insecticides during the past decades have resulted into environmental pollution and development of physiological resistance in major vector species, the search for compounds that are ecofriendly with improved mode of action is an area of study. The larvicidal potentials of leave, flower, stem and root of Ageratum conyzoides (goat weed plant) extracts against 3rd - 4th instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae complex was investigated. The n-hexane, ethyl-acetate and methanol Fractions of the different plant parts were obtained using Soxlet technique. These extracts were tested against 3rd- 4th instar larvae of A. gambiae complex with different concentrations in increasing order 100 ppm-500 ppm Using WHO procedure with slight modification. To observe the larvicidal efficacy, extracts of different plant parts were mixed at different concentration; four replications each with a control were set. The 24 hr. and 48 hr. LC50 values of individual Plant part extracts were determine using Probit analysis. All the plant parts after 24 hr. showed moderate toxic effect on the larvae with relatively moderate LC50 of leaf, 423.520 ppm (Methanol), and the lowest LC50 in leaf (n-hexane) 627.904 ppm respectively. Highest LC50 at 48 hr. were found in leaf extracts with LC50 of 53.742 ppm (Methanol), 73.524 ppm (ethyl-acetate), and stem (n-hexane) were found to be least effective with LC50 of 149.875 ppm respectively. The results demonstrate that plant extracts may serve as larvicidal agent in insect vector control and further research need to be done on the mode of the action of this plant extract.

Development of Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Simultaneous Identification and Quantitation of Potential Osteogenic Phytochemicals in Butea monosperma.

An ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple-quadrupole linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QqQLIT-MS-MS) method in multiple reaction monitoring mode was developed for identification and simultaneous determination of potential osteogenic compounds in ethanol extracts of different plant parts of Butea monosperma collected from different geographical regions. The chromatographic separation was carried out on an Acquity UPLC CSH C18 column (1.7 μm, 2.1 × 100 mm) with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and methanol as mobile phase under gradient conditions in 8 min. The developed method was validated according to the guidelines of international conference on harmonization. The correlation coefficients of all the calibration curves were ≥0.9995 and recoveries ranged from 95.2 to 105.8% (RSD ≤ 1.95%). Relative standard deviations of intra-day, inter-day precisions and stability were ≤1.74, 1.84 and 2.8%, respectively. The quantitative results showed remarkable differences in the content of all potential osteogenic compounds in different parts of the plant as well as samples from different geographical regions. Quantitative variations studied from principal component analysis indicated tentative markers for B. monosperma cultivars which can discriminate sample of different geographical regions.

Comparative analysis of specialized metabolites and antioxidant capacity in vitro of different natural populations of Globularia spp.

AbstractTotal phenolic, flavonoid, condensed tannin and iridoid content, as well as antioxidant capacityin vitro,were determined spectrophotometrically in methanolic extracts of different plant parts of the Mediterranean medicinal plantGlobularia alypumL. and three widespread European species of the same genus:G. cordifoliaL.,G. meridionalis(Podp.) O. Schwarz andG. punctataLapeyr. In order to consider possible environmental influences on the production of specialized metabolites, each species, exceptG. alypum, was collected from three different natural populations. Great variations in the amounts of specialized metabolites were observed among different plant parts and species. For example, total phenolic content ranged from 10.13 (G. punctata, flowers) to 44.90 (G. cordifolia, flower stems) mg gallic acid equivalent g−1dry weight. Moreover, great differences, attributed to location-specific environmental factors, were observed among different populations of the same species. For example, a strong positive correlation was observed among mean monthly temperatures and total phenolic contents in the leaves of studiedGlobulariaspp. (r = 0.75, p = 0.019). However, despite these differences, all species were rich in bioactive substances when compared toG. alypum, especially in their aerial parts. A very good positive correlation was observed between total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging capacity (r = 0.86, p &lt; 0.001)/ABTS radical scavenging capacity (r = 0.83, p &lt; 0.001). The results obtained show thatG. cordifolia,G. meridionalisandG. punctataare rich in bioactive substances, providing support for their pharmaceutical utilization. Further investigations are needed to verify the possibility of their medicinal use.