Egyptian Plants Research Articles

Antibacterial activities, chemical constitutes and acute toxicity of Egyptian Origanum majorana L., Peganum harmala L. and Salvia officinalis L. essential oils

Natural products are still major sources of innovative therapeutic agents for various conditions, including infectious diseases. Origanum majorana L., Peganum harmala L. andSalvia officinalis L. oils had wide range uses as traditional medicinal plants in Egypt. The current study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of O. majorana, P. harmalaand S. officinalis essential oils growing in Egypt for first time. The chemical constitutes and toxicity of these oils were also determined to obtain further information on the correlation between the chemical contents and antibacterial activity. The antibacterial effect of the essential oils of O. majorana, P. harmala and S. officinalis oils were studied against some food borne pathogenic bacteria species. The oils of each plant were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The impact of oils administration on the change in rate of weight gain and complete blood picture in hamsters were investigated. P. harmala oil had strong antibacterial effect against bacterial species especially at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) less than 75.0 µg/ml. From the oil of P. harmala, forty one compounds were identified, and the major constituent was 1-hexyl-2-nitrocyclohexane (9.07%). Acute toxicity test was performed on hamsters and showed complete survival after 14 days, and there no toxicity symptoms occurred. This study demonstrated that these essential oils seemed to be destitute of toxic effect which could compromise the medicinal use of these plants in folk medicine. Keywords: Analysis mass spectrometry, antibacterial activities, acute toxicity, chemical constitutes, gas chromatography, weight gain, Origanum majorana, Peganum harmala, Salvia officinalis.

Phenolic Content , Antioxidant Potential and Aedes Aegyptii Ecological Friend Larvicidal Activity of Some Selected Egyptian Plants

Polyphenols constitute a distinct group of natural compounds of medicinal importance exhibiting wide range of physiological activities as antioxidant, immunestimulant, antitumor and antiparasitic. Yellow fever and dengue fever are mosquito-borne infectious diseases transmitted by Aedes aegyptii, the presence of yellow fever in Sudan and dengue fever in Saudi Arabia are threats to Egypt with the reemerging of Ae. aegyptii in Southern Egypt, larvae control is feasible than flying adults. This work was conducted targeting estimation of the relative levels of total phenolic content, antioxidant potential and larvicidal activity of 110 selected Egyptian plants. The highest total phenolic contents were estimated in aqueous extracts of Coronilla scorpioides L., Forsskaolea tenacissima L., Crataegus sinaica Boiss., Pistacia khinjuk Boiss. and Loranthus acacia Benth.; they were 916.70 +/- 4.80, 813.70 +/- 4.16, 744.90 +/- 4.93, 549.00 +/- 3.93& 460.80 +/- 4.02 mg% while those of methanol extracts were estimated in Coronilla scorpioides, Forsskaolea tenacissima, Crataegus sinaica, Loranthus acacia and Pistacia khinjuk, they were 915.60-4.86, 664.60 +/- 4.16, 659.30 +/- 4.80, 590.80 +/- 4.49 & 588.00 +/- 3.85 mg% respectively. Investigation of the antioxidant potentials revealed that the most potent plants were Co-ronilla scorpioides, Forsskaolea tenacissima, Crataegus sinaica, Pistacia khinjuk and Loranthus acacia with calculated values of 454.80 +/- 4.83, 418.4 +/- 4.16, 399.10 +/- 4.90, 342.5 +/- 2.72 & 239.7 +/- 2.91% for aqueous extracts and 452.9 +/- 4.94, 389.6 +/- 4.6, 378.48 +/- 3.84, 352.3 +/- 3.06 & 346.5 +/- 2.98% for methanol extracts respectively while screening of larvicidal activity proved that Coronilla scorpioides, Forsskaolea tenacissima, Crataegus sinaica, Pistacia khinjuk and Loranthus acacia exhibited highest potency calculated as 22.53 +/- 2.01, 23.85 +/- 2.07, 28.17 +/- 2.06, 31.60 +/- 2.93 & 39.73 +/- 4.58 mg% aqueous extracts and 18.53 +/- 1.95, 18.8 +/- 1.67, 20.17 +/- 1.85, 23.28 +/- 2.7 & 28.48 +/- 3.9 mg% methanol ones respectively.

Antimalarial Screening for Different Endophytic Fungi Isolated from two Egyptian Plants

Antimalarial Screening for Different Endophytic Fungi Isolated from two Egyptian Plants

Molluscicidal impacts of some Egyptian plant extracts on protein and DNA-contents of two snail-vectors of schistosomiasis, using electrophoresis

The present work included studies of qualitative and quantitative effects of ethanol extracts from three local plants, namely Euphorbia splendens (Euphorbiaceae), Ziziphus spina-christi (Rhamnaceae) and Ambrosia maritime (Asteraceae) on the protein and DNA-contents of digestive gland of uninfected and infected vectors of schistosomiasis, Biomphalaria alexandrina and Bulinus truncatus. The electrophoretic pattern of total protein showed differences in number and molecular weights of protein bands. Furthermore, DNA concentration was investigated by measuring the intensity of the genomic bands that showed an increase in infected and treated target-snails. Degradation of protein and high intensity of DNA after treatment with LC90 of E. splendens, Z. spina-christi and A. maritime extracts introduce these plants as effective molluscicidal agents.

Antibacterial activity of selected Egyptian ethnomedicinal plants

Aims: Medicinal plants have recently received the attention of the antimicrobial activity of plants and their metabolites due to the challenge of growing incidences of drug-resistant pathogens. The aims of this study were to determine the antibacterial activities of plant extracts used as ethnomedicinal in Egypt. Methodology and Results: Investigations were carried out to assess the antibacterial efficiency of 11 plant extracts used as ethnopharmacological among Egyptian native people against infectious diseases. Crude methanol, ethanol, chloroform, hexane, acetone and aqueous extract of plants were tested for antibacterial activity in vitro against ten bacterial isolates using the disc diffusion method test. Discs were impregnated with 2 mg/mL of different solvent extracts. Among all the crude extracts, the methanol extract showed the highest activity than other extracts. P. harmala and S. officinalis exhibited highest antibacterial activity against gram positive and negative bacteria while the remaining plants extracts showed less activity. All the plant extracts showed no significant effect against the Bordetella bronchisepta ATCC 4617 except the extracts of M. fragrans and L. sativum. E. coli is the most sensitive microorganism tested, with the lowest MIC value (0.5 mg/mL) in the presence of the plant extract of P. harmala and S. officinalis. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Results obtained herein, may suggest that the ethnomedicinal Egyptian plants possess antimicrobial activity and therefore, they can be used in biotechnological fields as natural preservative ingredients in food and/or pharmaceutical industry.

The traditional medical uses and cytotoxic activities of sixty-one Egyptian plants: Discovery of an active cardiac glycoside from Urginea maritima

Ethnopharmacological relevanceMedicinal plants from the Sinai desert are widely used in traditional Bedouin medicine to treat a range of conditions including, cancers, and may thus be useful sources of novel anti-tumor compounds. Information on plants used in this way was obtained through collaboration with Bedouin herbalists. Aim of the studyTo document the traditional uses of 61 species from 29 families of Egyptian medicinal plants and to investigate their biological activity using a cytotoxicity assay. Material and methodsMeOH extracts of the 61 plant species investigated were dissolved in 10% DMSO and their cytotoxic activity was evaluated. The extracts were tested in duplicate on three separate occasions at three different concentrations (1, 10 and 100μg/ml) against human lymphoma U-937 GTB. The most active extract was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation using HPLC and LC/ESI–MS to isolate and identify its active components. Results and discussionThe most potent extracts were those from Asclepias sinaica, Urginea maritima, Nerium oleander and Catharanthus roseus, followed by those from Cichorium endivia, Pulicaria undulate and Melia azedarach. Literature reports indicate that several of these plants produce cardiac glycosides. Bioassay-guided fractionation of alcoholic U. maritima extracts led to the isolation of a bioactive bufadienolide that was subsequently shown to be proscillaridin A, as determined by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. This result demonstrates the value of plants used in traditional medicine as sources of medicinally interesting cytotoxic compounds.

Common scale insects (Hemiptera:Coccoidea) in Egypt

The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the Superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects. Scale insects feed on a wide variety of plants, and scale species are considered pests. This review article is presenting the ecological aspects of some important scale insects and mealybugs infesting horticulture plants in Egypt. Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) like Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni-Tozzetti ), Parlatoria oleae (Clovee), Parlatoria ziziphi (Lucas), Fiorinia phoenicis Balachowsky and Hemiberlisia lataniae (Signoret). While, the soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) showed by Pulvinaria tenuivalvata (Newstead), Pulvinaria psidii Mask., Saissetiacoffeae (Walker) and Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock. In case of mealybugs was represented with Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), Icerya seychellarum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Monophelibidae) and Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Family: Asterolecaniidae exampled by Asterolecanium pustulans Ckll. (Hemiptera: Asterolecaniidae).

Anti-H5N1 virus new diglyceride ester from the Red Sea grass Thallasodendron ciliatum

Some Egyptian plants were screened against highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1 using plaque inhibition assay in Madin–Darby canine kidney. The results indicated that the extracts of Red Sea grass Thallasodendron ciliatum possessed potent antiviral activity (100% inhibition at the concentration of 1 μg mL− 1). The bioactivity-guided fractionations led to the isolation of a new diglyceride ester (1) along with asebotin (2) for the first time from the plant. The two isolates showed reduction of virus titre by 67.26% and 53.81% inhibition at concentration of 1 ng mL− 1, respectively.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil and extracts of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.)

Essential oil and extracts of two Egyptian plants, fennel and chamomile were examined for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The essential oil for fennel seeds and chamomile flowers were found to be 1.95 and 0.73%, respectively. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the essential oils revealed the presence of 15 major monoterpenoids in all two plant essential oil but their percentages in each plant were greatly different. Trans-anethole, estragole, fenchone and limonene were highly abundant in all of the examined oils. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated using the DPPH radical scavenging. The statistical analysis showed that the highest antiradical power (ARP) was noticed for chamomile extracted by methanol, where is fennel extracted be hexane gave the least value which was 243. Antimicrobial activities of each plant extracts and essential oil were measured. The lowest MIC values of essential oils for Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus was obtained. The essential oils exhibit different degrees of antimicrobial activities depending on the doses applied. The results of the present investigation demonstrated significant variations in the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of fennel and chamomile essential oil and extracts.

English

  The causal agents of bacterial blight in lupine (Lupinis termis) were isolated from leaves displaying symptoms in Minia governorate, Egypt. The pathogens were characterized by biochemical and physiological tests, and identified as Bacillus megaterium. Tissue extracts prepared from experimentally diseased shoot systems showed great pectolytic and cellulolytic activities while healthy tissue extracts of both organs showed slight activities of the enzymes. In varietal response test, four lupine cultivars that is, Australian, Balady, Giza 1 and Giza 2 were tested for their susceptibility to all tested B. megaterium isolates and the cultivar Balady was most sensitive to all isolates. However, isolates B2 and B6 were more virulent than the others. Two isolates of B. megaterium isolates that caused blight on lupine plants were subsequently tested on other foliar plants representatives of 17 plant species. Both B. megaterium isolates could not infect any of the tested plants but produced small necrotic spots on faba bean leaves. These results indicate the host specificity of this bacterium towards its host plant and accordingly justify the suggested forma specials lupini to be given to the lupine bacterial pathogen B. megaterium. According to the literature review, this is the first report on the occurrence of B. megaterium as a causal agent of leaf blight of lupine plants in Egypt.   Key words: Bacillus megaterium, lupine, pectolytic and cellulolytic activities, cultivars.

Artemisia herba alba & Artemisia monosperma: The Discovery of the first potential Egyptian plant sources for the Pharmaceutical Commercial Production of Artemisinin and Some of Its Related Analogues

Artemisinin has received considerable attention in the last few decades as the current drug of choice for treatment of malaria and a number of other diseases. Because of the development of resistance against other malarial drugs, the demand for artemisinin has rapidly increased during the past decade. However, the supply of artemisinin is troublesome as neither total nor semi-synthesis is economically feasible and the only plant species known to produce artemisinin, Artemisia annua L., contains only low amounts of this compound ranging from (0.01-0.6%) of dry weight. The wish to improve the overall supply of artemisinin at a reduced market price has encouraged interest to hit upon novel plant sources for artemisinin production as alternative to A. annua. In our current study a fingerprint profile method was developed for the detection and quantification of artemisinin and its related analogues in the methanolic extract of Artemisia monosperma and Artemisia herba alba using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode-array detector (DAD) and ion trap mass spectrometry. Artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin (α and β isomers), artemisitene, dihydroartemisinic aldehyde, dihydroartemisinic acid, dihydroartemisinic alcohol were detected and quantified in the methanolic extract of Artemisia monosperma using LC-MS peak at concentrations of 3.6, 1.9, 0.27, 0.06, 0.08 and 1.95 % of dry plant weight respectively in addition to the detection of arteannuin B and artemisinic acid at a trace levels. While artemisinin, artemisitene, dihydroartemisinic acid, and artemisinic acid were detected and quantified in the methanolic extract of Artemisia herba alba at concentrations of 4.9, 0.35, 0.08 and 0.04 % of dry plant weight respectively . The high unexpected concentration of artemisinin and some of its related analogues detected in this study reported Artemisia herba alba and Artemisia monosperma for the first time as a novel potential plant sources for artemisinin and some of its related analogues that may be helpful for its commercial pharmaceutical production and could lead to the improvement of the overall supply of artemisinin at a reduced market price offering an acceptable price for most patients.especially that these Artemisia species are abundant in distribution in Egyptian desert.

Gazar virus Y, a new member of the celery mosaic virus group of potyviruses, isolated from carrots in Egypt

A novel potyvirus we call Gazar virus Y (GVY) was isolated from diseased carrot plants in Egypt. It produced symptoms similar to those caused by carrot virus Y. Its particles were visualized in leaf extracts using negative stain, and leaf tissues from carrot plants infected with GVY had many ultra-structural differences from healthy ones. Chemical analyses of healthy and infected carrot roots showed that carrot roots infected with GVY had increased dry weight and decreased moisture, total ash, total carbohydrates, total fibres, vitamin C, β-carotene, vitamin A and the minerals of K, Mg, Na, P and Ca compared to the healthy carrot roots. Molecular methods, including reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), were used to amplify a 335 bp cDNA fragment transcribed from infected plant extracts using degenerate oligonucleotide primers specific for potyviruses. The amplified cDNA was cloned into pGEM®-T Easy vector, and transformed into Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain DH5α . The recombinant inserts were sequenced. The nucleotide sequence (GenBank Accession Code GQ148776) was matched against viral nucleotide sequences in the GenBank database. It is most closely related to viruses of the celery mosaic virus group of potyviruses, but is distinct from all and represents a sister lineage to all others described so far.

Simultaneous Determination of Saponins and a Flavonoid from Aerial Parts of Zygophyllum coccineum L.

Triterpenoid saponins are a class of glycosides with a wide range of bioactivities, which make them interesting research candidates. Zygophyllum coccineum is an Egyptian desert plant rich in triterpenoid saponins. Reviewing the relevant literature, no data concerning the HPLC or ultra-performance LC (UPLC) analysis of Zygophyllum content were found. This paper presents two methods, HPLC-UV and UPLC-UV-evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD)/MS, for the simultaneous determination of 10 compounds in the alcohol extract of Z. coccineum. The HPLC method uses a C18 column and water-acetonitrile (both containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid) gradient system. The separation was achieved within 32 min. The developed UPLC method simultaneously detects and quantifies the 10 compounds using an Acquity UPLC BEH Shield RP18 column and reagent alcohol-acetonitrile (80/20, v/v) and water (both containing 0.5% formic acid) gradient system within 14 min with UV, ELS, and MS detectors. The methods were used to analyze another species, Z. simplex, and results revealed a great variation between the secondary metabolite pattern of both species.

Susceptibility of Bacteria Infecting Urinary Tract to Some Antibiotics and Essential Oils

This study investigates the most common urinary tract infection bacteria and their sensitivity to antibiotics and some essential oils from Egyptian plants. The Urinary tract bacteria were sampled from patients expressing any symptoms of urinary tract infection except those taking antibiotics. The bacteria were isolated, cultured, and identified. 64 bacterial isolates were identified as E.coli (28 isolates), Klebsiella pneumonia (9 isolates) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6 isolates), Proteus mirabilis (6 isolates), Staph.aureus (5 isolates) , Enterococcus faecalis (4 isolates), Morganella morganii ( 4 isolates ) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (2 isolates). The isolates showed different degrees of sensitivity to different antibiotics . Among the essential oils of five medical plants known for their application in folk medicine in Egypt , oil of Dill (Anethum graveolens ) showed the highest effect , affecting more than 50 % of both gram +ve and gram –ve bacteria ,followed by Parsley (Petroselinum hortense) and Celery (Apium graveolens) affecting 48% & 41% of the isolates respectively . The oil of Thyme (Thymus valgare) was effective against Gram –ve bacteria only. The lowest effects were recorded to the oil of Chamomile (Marticaria recutita) affecting only 5% of the tested isolates.

Chemical constituents of the Egyptian Plant Anabasis articulata (Forssk) Moq and its antidiabetic effects on rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetic hepatopathy

This study investigated the possible antidiabetic role and therapeutic crucial action of the saponin fractions of the ethanolic extract of areal parts of the medicinal plant Anabasis articulata compared to currently available antidiabetic drug gliclazide (diamicron) against diabetic complications induced tissue injury in rats. Fractionation of hydro alcoholic extract from the aerial parts of Anabasis articulata (Chenopodiaceae) led to the isolation of Four known saponins: 3-O-glucopyranosyl of(stigmasterol, s-sitosterol, sitostanol), 3-O-[s-D- the glucopyranosyl] oleanolic acid , 3-O-[s-D-glucopyranosyl -28-O-s-D - xylopyranosyl] oleanolic acid, in addition to proceric acid. The isolated compounds were identified by means of chemical methods and spectrometric analysis as Rf values, UV Mass, 1H NMR and 13CNMR spectroscopy. Animals were divided into 4 groups. Group1, control rats (not received any medication). Group 2, rats injected intraperitoneally with single dose of streptozotocin (STZ)(40 mg/kg body weight). Group 3, rats orally administered with ethanolic extract of A. articulata (400 mg/ kg B.W.) after STZ injection. Group 4, rats orally administered with gliclazide (10 mg/kg B.W.) after STZ injection. Oral administration of the plant modulated the diabetic increase in blood glucose and cortisol levels revealing the antihyperglycemic effect of this medicinal plant. It effectively increases the blood hormone insulin concentration and α- fetoprotein. It is also significantly decrease blood tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). The current plant also effectively decreased blood fructosamine to their normal levels as well as the consequence diabetic decrease in the hemoglobin (Hb) and albumin levels. Furthermore, ingestion of the plant effectively modulated hepatic oxidative tissue damage. Supplementation of diabetic animals with gliclazide improved diabetic induced alteration in most of the above studied markers. These results suggest that Anabasis articulata has multi-beneficial actions in controlling diabetes and consequence complications induced in pancreas and liver and may candidate as natural antidiabetic drug.

MICROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION AND SOURCING OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PLANT FIBRES USING LONGITUDINAL THIN SECTIONING*

Plant fibres and the artefacts constructed from them often remain overlooked in the archaeological record because of their poor survival and the problems related to the precise identification of the species to which the fibres belong. The goal of this study was to design a simple and accurate method of identifying archaeological plant fibre sources. Twenty‐two fibre samples from two sets of ancient Egyptian botanical artefacts were examined under both a stereomicroscope and a compound microscope, and compared to a large reference collection and to previously published research. By examining longitudinal thin sections of the ancient plant specimens, we identified plant fibres from the following species: Hyphaene thebeica, Cyperus papyrus, Desmostachya bipinnata, Imperata cylindrica, Phragmites australis and Linum usitatissimum. Our identification of these plant fibres reveals essential information about the materials used for producing ropes, baskets, sandals, mats and fabric. The results of this study demonstrate the value of longitudinal thin sectioning and light microscopy as a major means of identifying the source material of botanical artefacts, and advance our knowledge of ancient Egyptian plant exploitation as well as the associated technologies involved in constructing these types of artefacts.

Identification of mealybug pest species (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Egypt and France, using a DNA barcoding approach

Pseudococcidae (mealybugs) is a large taxonomic group, including a number of agronomic pests. Taxonomic identification of mealybug species is a recurrent problem and represents a major barrier to the establishment of adequate pest management strategies. We combined molecular analysis of three DNA markers (28S-D2, cytochrome oxidase I and internal transcribed spacer 2) with morphological examination, for the identification of 176 specimens collected from 40 mealybug populations infesting various crops and ornamental plants in Egypt and France. This combination of DNA and morphological analyses led to the identification of 17 species: seven in Egypt (Planococcus citri (Risso), Planococcus ficus (Signoret), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell), Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley, Phenacoccus parvus Morrison and Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell)) and 11 in France (Planococcus citri, Pseudococcus viburni Signoret, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti), Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana), Rhizoecus amorphophalli Betrem, Trionymus bambusae (Green), Balanococcus diminutus (Leonardi), Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, Planococcus vovae (Nasonov), Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) and Phenacoccus aceris Signoret), Pl. citri being found in both countries. We also found genetic variation between populations considered to belong to the same species, justifying further investigation of the possible occurrence of complexes of cryptic taxa.

Calculation of viscosity–temperature curves for glass obtained from four wastewater treatment plants in Egypt

This article establishes the relationship between the chemical composition, temperature and viscosity of glasses obtained from the four sludge treatment plants of urban and industrial wastewater from the Nile Delta in Egypt. In order to determine the working conditions of these glasses and their growth temperature, different techniques have been used: differential thermal analysis, hot stage microscopy and dilatometry. We used a prototype of hot stage microscopy, with the help of an image analysis programme developed in the present study. The chemical composition of major oxides sludge ranging from: SiO2 (36–48 wt%), Al2O3 (9–16 wt%), CaO (5–25 wt%), P2O5 (1.5–11 wt%), and Fe2O3 (~9 wt%), this composition is close to a basalt rock, being necessary to incorporate some raw materials to adjust it to the basalt rock that has a good viscosity-temperature curve. The glass transition temperatures of the four glasses obtained vary between 650 and 725 °C and the growth occurs between 938 and 1,033 °C. We also obtained the viscosity–temperature curves with the aid of the hot stage microscopy that has allowed us to determine the working temperatures of the four glasses, ranging from 926 to 1,419 °C, depending on the type of forming process used.

Antimicrobial screening of some Egyptian plants and active flavones from Lagerstroemia indica leaves

One hundred and twenty four plant extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against four pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 8095), Salmonella enteritides (ATCC 13076), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 15313)) and Candida albicans yeast (ATCC 10231) using the disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Of the plant extracts, fourteen exhibited antimicrobial activity against two or more of the five microorganisms tested. Only the methanol extract of Lagerstroemia indica leaves exhibited antimicrobial activity against all pathogenic bacteria and C. albicans yeast that were tested. Purification of the methanol extract of L. indica leaves using antimicrobial assay-guided isolation yielded one pure active compound. The chemical structure of the isolated active compound was found to be '4-methoxy apigenin-8-C-β-D-glucopyranoside; cytisoside according to detailed spectroscopic analysis of its nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry data. The compound exhibited antimicrobial activity against C. albicans (minimum lethal concentration (MLC): 32 μg/mL), S. aureus (MLC: 16 μg/mL), S. enteritides (MLC: 16 μg/mL), E. coli (MLC: 16 μg/mL), and L. monocytogenes (MLC: 16 μg/mL). The present study found that the methanol extract of L. indica leaves holds great promise as a potential source of beneficial antimicrobial components for different applications.

Isolation and Identification of Tobacco rattle tobravirus Affecting Onion (Allium cepa L.) Plants in Egypt

Isolation and Identification of Tobacco rattle tobravirus Affecting Onion (Allium cepa L.) Plants in Egypt