Bark Parts Research Articles

Exploring the phyto- and physicochemical evaluation, fluorescence characteristics, and antioxidant activities of Acacia ferruginea Dc: an endangered medicinal plant

BackgroundHerbal plants are potent in curing various ailments of ancient times as they have comparatively lesser side effects. The demands for natural drugs, mostly from plant sources, are increasing over the past few decades. Because of their potent antioxidant activity, Acacia species are used to treat a variety of diseases. One of the species Acacia ferruginea, an endangered medicinal plant, is widely used in the traditional medicine system, and it is considered that standardization would be beneficial. The present study investigates the physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical screening, trace metals by SEM–EDS, and fluorescence properties of various extracts (non-polar to polar) of leaf and bark parts. Standard spectrophotometric methods (UV–Vis, FT-IR, fluorescence spectroscopy) are employed to analyze the functional groups, and the DPPH and total antioxidant methods are used to assess antioxidant potential.ResultsThe ethyl acetate extract of leaves and ethanol extract of the bark are found to be the highest in yield, 16.32% and 2.54%. Results reveal that the total ash percentage and moisture content are of bark and the water-soluble ash of leaves is higher (10.3 ± 0.85, 7.6 ± 0.34, 3.22 ± 0.24%). The bark polar extract contained more macro-elements such as Na, K, Mg, Ca, S, and Cl. Phytochemical analysis reveals the polar extracts of leaves and bark show saponins, flavonoids, steroids, phenolic compounds, and non-polar extracts show mild positive. The total alkaloids, phenolics, and terpenoids (1.58 ± 0.08%; 0.56 ± 0.11; 0.75 ± 0.15) are found to be higher in A. ferruginea leaves. The FT-IR result shows the presence of alkanes, alkenes, aromatic compounds, aldehydes, phenolics and does not contain any toxic substances since there is no peak observed in the region between 2220 and 2260 cm−1. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the species demonstrated that both the leaf and bark parts have prominent antioxidant properties.ConclusionsThe results obtained from the preliminary standardization of A. ferruginea are very helpful in the determination of the quality and purity of the crude drug. The refurbished findings of A. ferruginea are promising, and further research is important to identify the bioactive compounds, thereby developing nutritional supplements and medications through therapeutic compound isolation.Graphical

Chemical composition and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of Alseodaphne peduncularis Meisn. essential oil

This study examined the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the bark of Alseodaphne peduncularis Meisn. (Lauraceae) by hydrodistillation with 0.2% yield. The essential oil was chemically characterised by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 31 constituents comprising 94.3% of the total oil content were identified. These constituents included β-caryophyllene (24.5%), viridiflorol (12.3%), δ-cadinene (9.8%), and bicyclogermacrene (4.2%), respectively. The tested essential oil showed moderate in vitro lipoxygenase activity with an IC50 = 60.2 μg/mL. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report and study on the bark part of this species.

Phytochemical analysis and antibiotic-modulating activity of Cocos nucifera, Glycine max and Musa sapientum methanol extracts against multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria

Background: The rapid emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria is occurring worldwide, endangering the efficacy of antibiotics, which have transformed medicine and saved millions of lives. Antibiotic-resistant infections are already widespread in the Sub-Saharan Africa and across the globe. To extend the search for new and more efficient antimicrobial drugs from natural sources, this work has been carried out to study the phytochemical composition and the antibacterial activities of some Cameroonian dietary plants (Cocos nucifera, Glycine max and Musa sapientum) against several MDR Gram-negative strains including Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Providencia stuartii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa species expressing efflux pumps. Methods: Phytochemical screening of plant extracts was performed using qualitative standard methods and the antimicrobial assays of these extracts alone and in combination with antibiotics were done using serial 96-wells microplate dilution essays. Results: Each plant extract contained at least three mean classes of secondary metabolites. Glycine max, epicarps, leaves and bark of C. nucifera as well as mesocarps of M. sapientum contained each alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and triterpenes. Moreover, steroids were also found in G. max, steroids and saponins in epicarps and saponins in bark of C. nucifera. Meanwhile epicarps from M. sapientum contained only polyphenols, flavonoids and saponins. Antibacterial assays showed that different parts of C. nucifera were more active than other extracts. Their minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) varied from 128 to 2048 µg/mL. The bark part presented the highest antibacterial potential inhibiting the growth of 90% of strains with significant activity (100≤MIC≤512 µg/mL) against 50% of them (three E. coli, four E. aerogenes and three K. pneumoniae). It showed bactericidal effects (MBC/MIC≤4) on 45% of the same bacterial species. It was followed by epicarps and leaves parts which exhibited an inhibitory power against 75% and 60% of bacteria with significant activity on 40% and 20% of them respectively. They also showed bactericidal effects on E. coli ATCC8739 for epicarps extract and E. coli ATCC8739 and P. stuartii NEA16 for leaves extract. Extracts from G. max were less active and those from mesocarps and epicarps of M. sapientum did not showed any activity on all studied bacteria. Bark and epicarps extracts of C. nucifera potentiated the activities of all used antibiotics against at least 70% of bacteria while leaves extract exhibited this effect improving the activities of 67% of antibiotics with improvement activity factors (IAF) ranging from 2 to 256 suggesting that they contain bioactive compounds which could be considered as efflux pumps inhibitors. Extracts from G. max, epicarps and mesocarps of M. sapientum enhanced the inhibitory potential of 56%, 34% and 23% of antibiotics respectively against at least 70% of studied bacteria. These increases of activities also characterize synergistic effects between antibiotics and bioactive compounds of plants. Conclusion: The findings of this work suggest that infections by resistant bacteria can be treated using different parts of C. nucifera as an alternative to commonly used antibiotics.

Effects of Solvents and Extraction Methods on Naringenin, LC-MS Based Quantitative Studies and Major Metabolite of Cochlospermum gossypium

Aim: The present study was aimed to investigate “Effects of Solvents and Extraction Methods on Naringenin, LC-MS Based Quantitative Studies and major Metabolite of Cochlospermum Gossypium”.
 Study Design: LC-MS based Quantification Studies.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GITAM Institute of Pharmacy, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh between April 2019 and July 2020.
 Methodology: Rapid and Quantitative efficient extraction methods were used by using soxhlet and Ultrasound mediated extraction techniques for a range of polar solvents and Isolation of Naringenin by gradient elution technique, In the present study Naringenin was isolated in abundance (1%) by repetitive chromatographic purifications of the ethyl acetate extract of the bark part of C.gossypium. In view of high therapeutic potential, detailed HPLC based quantitative studies was carried out on C. gossypium bark, which contains significant levels of Naringenin.
 Results: The chromatographic separation was performed on the stationary phase, based on different retention mechanisms due to hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions between compounds and stationary phase. In total, 24 different polar extracts were generated by soxhlet and ultrasound extraction methods from the two bark samples which were collected from Jaipur town (Telangana state) and Trichur town (Kerala state).
 Conclusion: The highest Naringenin content (0.59%) was found in the methanol + chloroform (1:1) extract (E8) generated by direct Soxhlet extraction of C.gossypium bark collected from Jaipur (Telangana state).Naringenin was isolated from a non-citrus plant for first time from Cochlospermum gosspyium and more significantly it is isolated in large quantity. It was obtained in 99.9% purity as shown by LCMS.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Vitellaria paradoxa fractions and compounds on some wood Fungi and Bacteria

This study examined antifungal efficacy of Vitellaria paradoxa fractions and compounds in the control of some wood degrading fungi. Stem bark and heartwood parts of Vitellaria paradoxa were collected, dried, pulverised and macerated sequentially in n- hexane, methanol and ethyl acetate solvents. The mixtures were filtered, evaporated and the dried samples were mixed and run over silica gel in column chromatography with a mixture of n -hexane and ethyl acetate solvents to obtain fractions. The fractions collected were evaporated and those with white needles were subjected to Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analysis. Spinasterol was isolated and characterised from the heartwood fraction while the stem bark fractions were fatty. Vitellaria paradoxa fractions were active against Serpula lacrymans, Sclerotium rolfsii, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fomitopsis pinicoca, Phaeolus schweinitzii, Rhizopus sp., Coniophora puteana, Gloeophyllum sepiarium, and Fibroporia vaillantii at zones of inhibition (ZOI) of 18 mm - 24 mm. Although the antibiotics were active (25 – 31 mm), they were found inactive against the Fomitopsis pinicoca fungus which was sensitive to all the V. paradoxa fractions at zones of inhibition of 18 - 24 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the V. paradoxa fractions were active at 50 μg/mL against all test fungi. At minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of between 50 - 200 μg/mL, all the test fungi were killed. Based on the ZOI, MIC and MFC, the V. paradoxa stem bark heartwood fractions have been proven to be very efficient in inhibiting the growth of test wood rot fungi; hence the species could be explored as a potential source of bioactive fungicides.

Comparison of chemical compositions in wood and bark of Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin Durazz.)

ABSTRACT This research was conducted to identify and compare the chemical compositions in Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin Durazz.) from different parts of wood and bark, using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS, LC-MS), and elemental analysis. FTIR analysis showed significant differences in the chemical structure of bark and wood at peaks that belong to the cellulose and hemicelluloses. According to the results, the C-O-C asymmetric stretch vibration in cellulose and hemicelluloses peak of Persian silk tree was lower in the bark and ѵC=O in quinone or p-quinone peak was higher in the bark. The results of GC-MS showed 12 chemical constituents in the bark and 43 in the wood, respectively. Among these, hexadecanoic acid and inositol were in common. According to the LC-MS analyses, bark samples were rich in lignan compositions and triterpenoid saponins, whereas wood was poor in these compositions. Altogether 61 compositions have been tentatively identified and described from bark and wood tissues; many of them were identified for the first time. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry illustrated that the bark contained iron and aluminium, sodium, phosphorus, sulphur and chlorine, while these elements did not exist in wood.

Isolation and Identification of two Triterpenoids from Ethyl acetate extract of Bark of Boehmeria rugulosa

Column chromatography of purified ethyl acetate extract of bark part of Boehmeria rugulosa afforded triterpenoids (3-oxo-20-demethylisoaleuritolic-28,29-dioic acid and 3-oxo-20-demethylisoaleuritolic-28,30-dioic acid.). Structure of these compounds was elucidated using spectroscopic techniques. This is the first report of isolation of this compound from bark of B. rugulosa.

Evaluation of medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of Ehretia cymosa Thonn. (Ehretiaceae)

Ehretia cymosa Thonn. is a deciduous medium-sized to large tree which occurs naturally from Sierra Leone in West Africa to Eritrea and Kenya in East Africa, and Zimbabwe in southern Africa. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of E. cymosa. This review examines the existing literature on the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of E. cymosa. This study revealed that the bark, leaf juice, leaves, roots, seeds, stems, twigs and whole plant parts of E. cymosa are mainly used as aphrodisiac, laxative and ethnoveterinary medicines and as traditional medicines for gastro-intestinal problems, wounds, malaria, fever, typhoid, convulsions, epilepsy, toothache and respiratory infections. Phytochemical research revealed that the species is characterized by alkaloids, anthraquinones, essential oils, fatty acids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolics, proanthocyanidins, pseudotannins, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenes. Ethnopharmacological research revealed that the extracts of E. cymosa and phytochemical compounds isolated from the species showed antibacterial, antidiabetic, antihyperglycaemic and antioxidant activities. Ehretia cymosa should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological evaluations aimed at correlating its medicinal uses with its phytochemistry and pharmacological properties.

Associations of Phoretic Mites on Bark Beetles of the Genus Ips in the Black Sea Mountains of Turkey

Phoretic mites use bark beetles for transportation to new, suitable habitats. Some phoretic mites act as predators and parasitoids of the bark beetles’ immature stages, especially egg and early larval stages, and are potential agents for the biological control of scolytine forest pests. Mites live very frequently in relationships with other invertebrates. Many are found in association with various species of bark beetles. Here, a total of 41 specimens of different bark beetles of the genus Ips (Ips acuminatus, Ips sexdentatus and Ips typographus) were studied for presence, species composition, and abundance of phoretic mites. The beetles were collected on dead wood and parts of tree bark of Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies in the Black Sea Mountains in Kastamonu and Artin Province of Turkey. A total of nine mite species were found, including Dendrolaelaps quadrisetus, Ereynetes sp., Histiostoma piceae, Paraleius cf. leontonychus, Pleuronectocelaeno barbara., Proctolaelaps hystricoides, Schizostethus simulatrix, Trichouropoda lamellosa and Uroobovellaipidis. All species are identified for the first time within Turkish fauna.

ПРОБЛЕМЫ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ ИЗУЧЕНИЯ БОКК НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ КАЗАХСТАНА

This work is the first experience of generalizing research into the burials of medieval nomads throughout Kazakhstan, which included female headdresses of the Mongolian time - bokkas. The work reflects the unevenness of the study of burials with bokka, and a different degree of preservation of finds in the funds of museums of the Republic of Kazakhstan, years after the inventory was received for storage. Many years of research by Soviet, Kazakh, Russian archaeologists in this area make it possible not only to systematize the previous experience of joint work, but also, thanks to interdisciplinary methods, bring them to the modern level. Women’s headdress - bokka, nowadays, is not only an accumulation of birch bark details of the frame and beads, but also a refined sample of an ensemble of women’s clothing, consisting of several hats and a birch bark part in the form of a cylinder with various column variations and various feather attachment systems. The surviving silk fabrics and other details of clothing, which the skillful work of restorers and archaeologists, made much more informative. The results of an integrated approach have a wide scope of application. Keywords: medieval nomads, archaeology, mongols, bokka, birch bark, reconstruction, kazakhstan

Cytotoxicity, antioxidant, antimicrobial studies and phytochemical screening of endophytic fungi isolated from Justicia gendarussa

Endophytic fungi are a group of fungi that reside in the living plant without causing any disease symptoms. It shows symbiotic/mutualistic characteristics with host plants. Endophytic fungi may increase the host defense system against various pathogenic microorganisms and may encompass secondary metabolites of respective host plants. Isolation of endophytic fungi and its metabolites from Justicia gendarussa plant grown in Bangladesh is a recent and new approach. A total of seven endophytic fungi were isolated and purified from the leaf and bark part of the plant. All of the isolated endophytic fungi were identified up to genus level on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic characteristics and up to species level on the basis of molecular characteristics as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Diaporthe pseudomangiferae, Pseudopestalotiopsis camelliae-sinensis, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium solani, Colletotrichum tropicale and Colletotrichum siamense. Preliminary chemical screening of the fungal extracts by thin-layer chromatographic technique revealed the presence of various compounds such as flavonoids, anthraquinones, couramins, isocoumarins etc. Fungal strain Pseudopestalotiopsis camelliae-sinensis exhibited significant antiradical activity through DPPH scavenging method and moderate antimicrobial activity against a wide range of human pathogenic microbes. Using brine shrimp lethality bioassay, all the isolates showed strong cytotoxic activity, therefore suggested that all the extracts may have bioactive metabolites. Overall, these findings indicate that Justicia gendarussa and its associated endophytic fungi could be an important source for exploring potentially bioactive compounds or leads for the new drug candidates.

An in Vitro Study on Antifungal Properties, Total Polyphenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Different Parts of Selected Fruit Trees

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antifungal properties, total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of sapwood, heartwood and bark parts obtained from three different fruit trees; olive (Olea europaea L.), loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) and date plum (Diospyros lotus L.) grown in Turkey. Firstly, the hydrodistillation products (essential oil, hydrosol, hot-water extract) were acquired from these parts of selected trees, and methanol and ethanol extracts of the same samples were also prepared for the analysis. The antifungal activities of essential oil, hydrosol, hot-water extract, ethanol and methanol extracts were determined against wood-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. In addition, polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities of ethanol and methanol extracts were investigated. According to the results, generally, the essential oil of the parts of three fruit trees was found to inhibit the fungal growth. All hot water extracts and hydrosols of these trees showed no antifungal activity against C. puteana. It was found that olive tree had higher antifungal activity than loquat and date plum trees. The methanol extract of loquat bark gave the highest total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and condensed tannin content compared to parts of the other trees. Furthermore, the highest total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity among three fruit trees were determined in ethanol and methanol extracts of the bark and heartwood of loquat tree. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the parts of studied fruit trees have less or more antifungal and antioxidant activity depending on the experimental parameters, and therefore they can be evaluated as alternative natural antifungal and antioxidant sources.

Potency of mangrove Rhizophora mucronata as bactericide for vibrio causing tiger shrimp disease

Tiger shrimp diseases have been occurred in Indonesian brackishwater ponds for two decades and considered as one of the factors causing mass mortality of the cultured shrimp and making big loss for the farmers. Vibrio harveyi is considered as the main causative agent of this disease. The natural substance is proposed to kill or inhibit the growth of pathogenic vibrios. In order to know the potency of mangrove Rhizophora mucronata as a bactericide for V. harveyi, research had been conducted at the Research Institute for Coastal Aquaculture (BPPBAP) from February to May 2013. This research consists of several steps, i.e. 1) collection of plant; 2) drying of the plant; 3) making powder of plant; 4) extraction of plant/herb; 5) qualitative bioassay; and 6) quantitative bioassay. The results showed that qualitatively all part of the R. mucronata collected from Bone regency had activity against V. harveyi, but the leaf part of this mangrove collected from Maros regency did not have this activity, and neither the leaf or bark part of this mangrove collected from Pangkep regency. The values of Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) on V. harveyi were ranged between 1-10.000 mg/L depending on which part of the plant and the origin of the mangrove. The root part of the plant had higher activity against V. harveyi than other parts of the plant. Rhizophora mucronata collected from Bone regency had the highest activity against V. harveyi than that collected from Maros and Pangkep regencies.

Cytotoxic Effect of Aqueous and Ethanolic Bark Extracts of Alstonia Scholaris against Cervical Cancer Cell Line

Alstonia scholaris, a tropical evergreen tree belonging to the family Apocynaceae has traditionally been referred to have anti-cancer activity, but it has not been explored so far. Therefore, the study is aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effect of aqueous and ethanolic bark extracts of Alstonia scholaris against cervical cancer cell line (HeLa Cell line). The bark part of Alstonia scholaris was collected, dried, powdered and made to a coarse powder. Maceration was carried out for the bark of Alstonia Scholaris using two different solvents like ethanol and aqueous solutions. Both the extracts were collected, evaporated to dryness. The extracts were then investigated for the phytochemical screening and cytotoxic effect by MTT Assay using cervical cancer cell line (HeLa cell line). The phytochemical screening of both the extracts showed the presence of various phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, gums and mucilage. The IC50 value of Alstonia scholaris of aqueous extract was found to be 13.38µg/ml, whereas the IC50 value of ethanol extract was found to be 14.21µg/ml. According to the results obtained, it has been proved that the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Alstonia Scholaris bark showed the presence of significant phytoconstituents and also showed significant cytotoxic effect (MTT Assay) against cervical cancer.

Development and characterization of eco-sustainable banana fiber nonwoven material: surface treatment, water absorbency and mechanical properties

In this study, four types of ecofriendly non-woven materials were developed from different parts of bark and leaf of banana plant i.e. outer bark, middle bark, inner bark (IB) and mid rib (MR) by wet laid web formation. Fibers were extracted chemically by treating with NaOH from all the parts. Due to the very high absorbency of banana fiber, the prepared non-wovens were treated with water repellent (WR) chemical for improving their hydrophobicity. The effects of WR on the physical, mechanical and morphological properties of the non-wovens were also investigated. The hydrophobicities of all the nonwovens were improved remarkably with the concentration of WR. It took 1.25, 2.69, 4.20 and 4.67 h to absorb a drop of water for OB nonwovens at a concentration of 1%, 5%, 10% and 20% WR respectively where, all the untreated nonwovens took almost zero seconds. Just like OB, all other nonwovens followed exactly the same trend. OB nonwoven exhibited the highest tensile strength (TS), Elongation-at-break (EB) and young‘s modulus (YM) of 8.56 Mpa, 12.56% and 215 Mpa respectively where, IB showed the lowest TS and YM of 1.23 and 67 Mpa respectively and MR showed the lowest EB of 1.77%. Although there were no remarkable effects of WR on tensile properties nevertheless, TS and YM were increased but EB was decreased to a small extent with the concentration of WR. The chemical bonding, morphology of the fiber and nonwovens were also investigated by FTIR and SEM analysis.

Physical Properties and Potential of Medicinal Plants of Marsegu Wood (Nauclea Orientalis L)

Marsegu wood (Nauclea Orientalis L) is a type of wood that grows and spread throughout Indonesia, as well as in the Maluku province, especially in Buru regency. This study aimed to determine horizontal position of the bark, middle and pith to the physical properties and chemical components of Marsegu wood. The results showed the horisontal position that the moisture content field experience variation from the bark part to the pith while density tends to experience the increase of the pith to the middle section. The shrinkage wood in the field position show that reduction tends to rise from the bark to pith and the most considerable in the tangential direction. The chemical compounds contained in Marsegu wood in the three parts of the stem, namely base, middle and end showed that there were terpenoids due to the type of triterpenoids, essential oils of phenol groups of simple phenol types, phenolic acids, tannins and flavonoids.

GC-MS analysis, antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activities of methanol bark extract of Albizia lebbeck (L.)

Albizia lebbeck is a deciduous tree with compound leaves, flat oblong fruits, round cream seeds are colored and wild growth. Albizia lebbeck is found throughout India, Bangladesh, tropical and subtropical Asia and Africa. For toothache and gum diseases, bark parts are essentially used. Extracted residues of the leaves and barks are protective against bronchial asthma and other allergic disorders. Barks and seeds are astringent and are used in the treatment of piles and diarrhoea. Current research studies were carried out for evaluating the antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer potentiality of methanol bark extract of A. lebbeck and to identify the bioactive compounds by GC-MS analysis. Anticancer activity was carried out by MTT reduction assay method on MCF 7 cancer cell line. Antioxidant activities such as DPPH˙ radical, ABTS●+ radical cation, superoxide (O2 .- ) radical, phosphomolybdenum reduction and Fe3+ reducing power assays were carried out for bark extract. The maximum DPPH˙ radical scavenging activity was 90.97±0.36% at 120 µg/mL concentration and its IC50 was 35.89 µg/mL concentration. The maximum ABTS●+ radical cation scavenging activity was 95.65±0.30% at 30 µg/mL concentration and its IC50 was 13.79 µg/mL concentration. The maximum superoxide (O2 .- ) radical scavenging activity was 56.45±0.35% at 60 µg/mL concentration and its IC50 was 46.28 µg/mL concentration. The maximum phosphomolybdenum reduction showed 88.98±0.28% at 120 µg/mL concentration and Fe3+ reduction showed 80.55±0.34% at 120 µg/mL concentration. The RC50 of Mo6+ reduction and Fe3+ reduction were 31.39 µg/mL and 39.16 µg/mL concentration respectively. The maximum MCF 7 cell death was 79.36±0.23% at 250 µg/mL concentration and the IC50 was 47.12 µg/mL concentration.

Enteric nervous system in the European beaver (Castor fiber) pylorus - an immunohistochemical study.

European beaver (Castor fiber), the largest rodent species inhabiting a wide area of Eurasia, feeds mainly on dry parts of plants, bark or wood. Such kind of nourishment needs to be properly digested in each part of the gastrointestinal tract. The time of stomach digestion, which directly influences all the following steps of the digestion process, is precisely controlled by the pylorus and its innervation. However, virtually no data is available on the organization of the enteric nervous system in most of the wild animal species, including beavers. On the other hand, a pecu- liar diet consumed by beavers, suggests that the arrangement of their stomach intramural nerve elements can be atypical. Therefore, the present study investigated the distribution and chemical coding of neurons and nerve fibers in the pylorus of the European beaver. The experiment was performed on stomachs obtained from a group of 6 beavers caught in Northeastern region of Poland (due to beaver overpopulation). Pyloric wall tissue cryosections were double immunostained with a mixture of antibodies against pan-neuronal marker PGP 9.5 (to visualize enteric neurons) and ChAT (cholinergic marker), nNOS (nitrergic marker), SP, CGRP, Gal (peptidergic markers). Confocal microscopy analysis revealed that the majority of enteric nerve cells were clustered forming submucosal and myenteric ganglia and all the studied substances were expressed (in various amounts) in these neurons. We conclude, that the anatomical arrangement and chemical coding of intramural nerve elements in the beaver pylorus resemble those found in other mammalian species.

Application of soda-AQ pulping to agricultural waste (okra stalks) from Sudan

Abelmoschus esculentus okra as whole stalks was examined for its suitability for pulp and paper production. It’s, fiber dimensions, morphological and chemical characteristics were reported. The pulping trials with soda- Anthraquinone (AQ,) at different chemical charges. Application of 21% as NaOH with 0.1% AQ gave good results in degree of delignification, mechanical properties. Utilization of okra pulps and blender is recommended due to good pulp properties. Evaluation of general characteristics of okra stalks in terms of fiber dimensions morphological indices, chemical components, Soda-AQ cooking and to study their suitability for paper production. Okra Fiber dimension evaluation done after maceration with a mixture of 30% hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid (1:1) for core and bark parts separately and was carried out under microscope staining with aqueous safranin. The Soda-AQ cooks at different active alkali levels were calculated as NaOH on oven dry raw material. The fibers from okra stalks studied (core and bark) were in the range of hardwood fibers, with short fiber length, especially the core with more or less moderate walls, narrow lumen and fiber width. The fiber width of bark was medium –narrow with medium wall thickness. The ash content was rather high whereas the silica content was comparatively high The hot water extractives from okra stalks was (4.1%), cold water (0.4) ethanol/ cyclohexane (1.1), ethanol extractives (1.2%) and 1% NaOH (27.6%) were rather high. The cellulose (Kurschner-Hoffer) was (48.5%) The lignin content was (15.3%) which was relatively moderate. The use of 0.1% AQ enhanced the delignification in the three trials applied. The screened yield increase with increase of chemical dose applied while the rejects decrease. When 21% NaOH was applied, the screened yield was 32.2% with negligible amount of rejects, however with lower alkali charge 18% the screened yield was decreased to 28% with very low rejects 1.5%. on the other hand rejects were increased to 7% when 15% NaOH was applied with very low screened yield 19%.The pulps produced from okra soda-AQ are suitable for production of printing and writing papers and it is advisable to use them in blending due to good papermaking properties.

Ameliorative effect of Homalium zeylanicum against carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in rats

Objective is to evaluate the ameliorative effects of Homalium zeylanicum in carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in rats. To establish the nature of antioxidant principles in the bioactive ethyl acetate fractions of bark (HZEB) and leaf (HZEL); oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and cell-based antioxidant protection in erythrocytes (CAP-e) assays were performed. From acute toxicity study, HZEB and HZEL at 200 and 300 mg/kg b.w., were relatively safe at their effective doses. The degree of protection was measured by using biochemical parameters such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TB) and total protein (TP) contents. Hepatic markers e.g. thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were evaluated along with histopathological observations of liver tissues. Both fractions showed significant improvement in restoring SGOT, SGPT, ALP, TB and TP level. TBARS, SOD, CAT and GSH levels were significantly altered towards normal values. Both fractions at 300 mg/kg showed remarkable improvement in liver markers as compared to silymarin. Histopathological examinations showed reduction in hepatic necrosis and appeared normal hepatocellular architecture in HZEB and HZEL treated groups. In CAP-e assay, IC50 of HZEB (54.66 mg/mL) was higher than HZEL (60.88 mg/mL) and in ORAC assay, AUC of HZEB and HZEL were 33.46, 21.29 respectively and results were comparable with trolox. GC–MS and LC–MS analysis identified a total no. of 44 compounds. Few compounds were identified as bioactive compounds e.g. catechol (7.23%), tetraacetyl-d-xylonic nitrile (3%), oleic acid (0.49%), 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-phenol (3.71%), 3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenol (0.31%), and conifer alcohol (7.41%). The presence of antioxidant principles in both fractions were responsible for hepatoprotective activities, however, the presence of catechol (7.23%) in the bark part imparted better activities in protecting liver than leaf of H. zeylanicum.