Potential Biological Activity Research Articles

Hypericum Genus as a Natural Source for Biologically Active Compounds.

Hypericum L. genus plants are distributed worldwide, with numerous species identified throughout all continents, except Antarctica. These plant species are currently used in various systems of traditional medicine to treat mild depression, wounds and burns, diarrhea, pain, fevers, and their secondary metabolites previously shown, and the in vitro and/or in vivo cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and hepatoprotective activities, as well as the acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase inhibitory activities. We conducted a systematic bibliographic search according to the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines to answer the question: “What is known about plants of Hypericum genus as a source of natural products with potential clinical biological activity?” We documented 414 different natural products with confirmed in vitro/in vivo biological activities, and 58 different Hypericum plant species as sources for these natural products. Phloroglucinols, acylphloroglucinols, xanthones, and benzophenones were the main chemical classes identified. The selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells, cell protection, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidepressant, anti-Alzheimer’s, and adipogenesis-inhibition biological activities are described. Acylphloroglucinols were the most frequent compounds with anticancer and cell-protection mechanisms. To date, no work has been published with a full descriptive list directly relating secondary metabolites to their species of origin, plant parts used, extraction methodologies, mechanisms of action, and biological activities.

Priority screening of contaminant of emerging concern (CECs) in surface water from drinking water sources in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River based on exposure-activity ratios (EARs)

Surface water provides ecological services such as drinking water supply. However, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are rising concerns because they are ubiquitously detected in surface water and pose potential risks to the aquatic environment and human health. This study investigated the occurrence of 165 CECs in surface water from drinking water source areas along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to prioritize the CECs and to estimate potential biological activity based on exposure-activity ratio (EAR). A total of 70 CECs were detected in the surface water at least once at the selected 17 sampling sites, and their concentrations ranged from 0.592 to 4650 ng/L. Twenty-four CECs were detected at each site, and these were mostly pharmaceutical and personal care products and pesticides. Sucralose, 1H-benzotriazole and carbendazim were the most common CECs with high median concentrations in the study area. Specifically, sucralose, an artificial sweetener, was presented at each site with the highest median concentration (3010 ng/L), which indicated that anthropogenic inputs are an important source of contaminants. Medroxyprogesterone and trenbolone were identified as the priority contaminants of interest, with maximum EARchemical values of 0.389 and 0.183, respectively. Among all the sites, the higher cumulative EARmixture value was found from Nantong City (0.765), which indicated that this site could have a relatively greater potential for biological effects, and these effects were mainly due to medroxyprogesterone and trenbolone. In regard to the bioactivity of all detected CECs, nuclear receptors showed the greatest potential bioactivity in this region, particularly androgen receptor-mediated bioactivity, which is most likely affected organisms residing in the source water area. These results suggest that the drinking water sources from the studied region are contaminated with CECs, and highlight the prioritization of future monitoring and research to protect source waters.

Facile Synthesis of Novel Disperse Dyes for Dyeing Polyester Fabrics: Demonstrating Their Potential Biological Activities.

Original work showed the composition of the dyes and the antimicrobial/UV protective properties of a series of dyes obtained in our laboratories over the past twelve years in an easy way using microwave technology and their comparisons with conventional methods. The results we obtained clearly indicated that by using the microwave strategy, we were able to synthesize the new disperse dyes in minutes and with a much higher productivity when compared to the traditional methods, which took a much longer time, sometimes up to hours. We also introduced ultrasonic technology in dyeing polyester fabrics at 80 °C for an environmentally friendly approach, which was an alternative to traditional dyeing methods at 100 °C; we obtained a much higher color depth than traditional dyeing methods reaching 102.9%. We presented both the biological activity of the prepared new dyes and the fastness properties and clearly indicated that these dyes possess biological activity and high fastness properties.We presented through the results that when dyeing polyester fabrics with some selected disperse dyes, the color strength of polyester fabrics dyed at high temperatures was greater than the color strength of polyester fabrics dyed at low temperatures by 144%, 186%, 265% and 309%. Finally, we presented that a ZnO or TiO2 NPs post-dyeing treatment of polyester fabrics is promising strategy for producing polyester fabrics possess multifunction like self-cleaning property, high light fastness, antimicrobial and anti-ultraviolet properties.

Visible-Light-Promoted Carbene Insertion and Decarbonylation for the Synthesis of α-Substituted γ-Ketoesters.

Herein, we report a blue visible-light-promoted approach for preparing a variety of α-substituted γ-ketoester derivatives through carbene insertion and the decarbonylation of enaminones and diazoesters. These reactions use readily available starting materials and transition-metal-free, eco-friendly procedures that are amenable to gram-scale synthesis and wide functional group tolerance. This methodology may be useful for constructing polysubstituted heterocycles with potential biological activity.

Potensi Pendekatan in Silico Sebagai Penghambat Aktivitas Protein Protease Utama SARS-CoV-2 dari Tiga Senyawa Tanaman Obat Jahe Merah

Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is a pneumonia outbreak that has been worldwide to date. This outbreak was caused by a Coronavirus originating from Hubei province that first occurred in Wuhan in December 2019. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 which causes corona has important proteins that are used to infect and replicate, one of which is the main protease protein (Mpro). Red ginger (Zingiber officinale var.Rubrum) is one of the spices that has properties to cure various diseases such as flu, cough and diarrhea. Ginger contains compounds that are antioxidants. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential biological activity of red ginger compounds, namely Gingerol 10, Shogaol 6, and Shogaol 8 as inhibitors of the main protease (MPro) protein activity of SARS-CoV-2. This research was conducted using the In Silico method and AutoDock Vina software was used for the tethering process. The results of gridbox optimization by redocking control ligands obtained RMSD results of 1,100 Å. The results of the tethering showed Gibbs free energy (ΔG) Test Ligand 1 (-5.5 kcal/mol), Test Ligand 2 (-6.0 kcal/mol), and Test Ligand 3 (-5.6 kcal/mol) which showed red ginger compounds have potential as inhibitor of the main protease (MPro) protein activity of SARS-CoV-2.

UJI EFEK STIMULAN FRAKSI N-HEKSAN DAUN PEGAGAN (Centella asiatica (L.)Urban)

Abstract
 Current condition related to fulfilling stimulating in the societies is by energy drinks and vitamins which have side effects restless, nervous, tremor, and seizures. Alternative stimulant can derived from herbs. One of the plants has potention of stimulant is Centella asiatica. This study was to examine the effect of stimulant on fraction n-hexane of C.asiatica leaves. The simplisia of C.asiatica leaves was extracted with ethanol 70% using a maceration method. Thereafter, extract was fractionated using n-hexane. Phytochemical screening was carried out to determine the content of secondary metabolites in order to find out the potential utilization by testing the active compounds. Stimulant effect was evaluated using induced sleeping time, swimming endurance time, hanging time, and rotarod method with the dose 2.59 mg/KgBW, 5.185mg/KgBW, 10.37 mg/KgBW, and 15.55 mg/KgBW, caffeine as the positive control, and Na-CMC as the negative control. The phytochemical screening showed positive results for triterpenoids and alcaloid. All of the dose fraction n-hexane had effect stimulant however dose 5.185 mg/KgBW and 10.37 mg/KgBW had as same stimulant effect as positive control and dose15.55 mg/BW had higher stimulant effect. N-hexane fractionation of C.asiatica leaves demonstrated the presence of secondary metabolites with potential biological activities as stimulant.
 Keywords: Alkaloids, C. asiatica, Triterpenoids, Stimulants test

Identification and characterization of mercaptopyrimidine-based small molecules as inhibitors of nonhomologous DNA end joining.

Mercaptopyrimidine derivatives are heterocyclic compounds with potent biological activities including antiproliferative, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study describes the synthesis and characterization of several mercaptopyrimidine derivatives through condensation of 5,6-diamino-2-mercaptopyrimidin-4-ol with various heterocyclic and aromatic aldehydes. Previous studies have shown that SCR7, synthesized from 5,6-diamino-2-mercaptopyrimidin-4-ol, induced cytotoxicity by targeting cancer cells by primarily inhibiting DNA Ligase IV involved in nonhomologous end joining, one of the major DNA double-strand break repair pathways. Inhibition of DNA repair pathways is considered as an important strategy for cancer therapy. Due to limitations of SCR7 in terms of IC50 in cancer cells, here we have designed, synthesized, and characterized potent derivatives of SCR7 using 5,6-diamino-2-mercaptopyrimidin-4-ol as the starting material. Several synthesized imine compounds exhibited significant improvement in inhibition of end joining and cytotoxicity up to 27-fold lower concentrations than SCR7. Among these, two compounds, SCR116 and SCR132, showed increased cancer cell death in a Ligase IV-dependent manner. Treatment with the compounds also led to reduction in V(D)J recombination efficiency, cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, accumulation of double-strand breaks inside cells, and improved anti-cancer potential when combined with γ-radiation and radiomimetic drugs. Thus, we describe novel inhibitors of NHEJ with higher efficacy and potential, which can be developed as cancer therapeutics.

Use of Grape By-Products to Enhance Meat Quality and Nutritional Value in Monogastrics.

Grape by-products could be used in monogastric animals′ nutrition to reduce feeding costs with conventional crops (e.g., maize and soybean meal) and to improve meat quality. The main grape by-products with the largest expression worldwide, particularly in the Mediterranean region, are grape pomace, grape seed, grape seed oil and grape skins. These by-products are rich sources of bioactive polyphenols, dietary fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), more specifically, the beneficial n-3 PUFA, that could be transferred to pork and poultry meat. The potential biological activities, mainly associated with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, make them putative candidates as feed supplements and/or ingredients capable of enhancing meat quality traits, such as color, lipid oxidation and shelf life. However, grape by-products face several limitations, namely, the high level of lignified cell wall and tannin content, both antinutritional compounds that limit nutrients absorption. Therefore, it is imperative to improve grape by-products’ bioavailability, taking advantage of enzyme supplementation or pretreatment processes, to use them as feed alternatives contributing to boost a circular agricultural economy. The present review summarizes the current applications and challenges of using grape by-products from the agro-industrial sector in pig and poultry diets aiming at improving meat quality and nutritional value.

A novel tumor-targeting strain of Xenorhabdus stockiae exhibits potent biological activities.

Xenorhabdus are symbionts of soil entomopathogenic nematodes of the genus Steinernema presenting two distinct forms in their life cycle, and can produce a broad range of bioactive compounds. In this study, a novel Xenorhabdus stockiae strain HN_xs01 was isolated from a soil sample via an entrapment method using Galleria melonella nematodes. The supernatants of strain HN_xs01 exhibited antimicrobial properties against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, and insecticidal properties against Helicoverpa armigera larvae, and antitumor properties as well. Moreover, three linear rhabdopeptides (1, 2 and 3) were identified from strain HN_xs01 using nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, which exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against the human epithelial carcinoma cell line A431 and the human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line K562. Some bacteria have been reported to colonize the tumor region, and we determined that HN_xs01 could grow in tumor xenografts in this study. HN_xs01 invaded and replicated in B16 melanoma cells grafted into C57BL/6 mice, resulting in tumor inhibition. Moreover, strain HN_xs01 not only merely aggregated in the tumor environment, but also prevented pulmonary metastasis. It caused fragmentation of vessels and cell apoptosis, which contributed to its antitumor effect. In conclusion, X. stockiae HN_xs01 is a novel tumor-targeting strain with potential applications in medicinal and agricultural fields.

Two Novel Sesquiterpenoid Glycosides from the Rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea.

Secoatractylohexone A (1), an unprecedented secoguaiane lactone glycoside featuring 6/7 cores and dihydroxy-9-guaine-3-one 11-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), a 9,10-unsaturated guaiene-type glycoside possessing an uncommon scaffold, were isolated from the water-soluble portion of the ethanolic extract of Atractylodes lancea rhizomes together with five known compounds (3–7). The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data and application of the CD technique. The potential biological activities of secoatractylohexone A were predicted by network pharmacology in silico, the result of which indicated that secoatractylohexone A may be used to treat type II diabetes.

Antioxidant, Protoscolicidal, Hemocompatibility, and Antibacterial Activity of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by Ziziphus spina-christi

Over the past several years, the greener fabrication of metal oxide nanoparticles has attracted significant attention due to their simplicity, eco-friendliness, availability, and nontoxicity. This paper focused on the fabrication of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) using the leaf extract of Ziziphus spina-christi L. and evaluating its potential biological activities. The characterization of synthesized NiO-NPs was confirmed using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, protoscolicidal, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities and hemocompatibility of NiO-NPs were investigated. The findings revealed that the NiO-NPs were crystalline on nanoscale between 50- and 90-nm particle sizes. The NiO-NPs showed high scolicidal activity against Echinococcus granulosus. The viability of the treated protoscoleces exponentially decreased with an increase in the concentration of NiO-NPs. The NiO-NPs exhibited effective antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. NiO-NPs also possess a H2O2 scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner. This study revealed that the Z. spina-christi L. leaf extract is an effective reducing and capping agent for the production of NiO-NPs; it showed critical biological properties. Moreover, NiO-NPs have a potent antioxidant activity and low toxicity on the erythrocytes and appear hemocompatible.

Antimalarial and antitumour activities of the steroidal quinone-methide celastrol and its combinations with artemiside, artemisone and methylene blue.

Artemisinin, isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant qīng hāo 青蒿 (Artemisia annua) and its derivatives are used for treatment of malaria. With treatment failures now being recorded for the derivatives and companion drugs used in artemisinin combination therapies new drug combinations are urgently required. The amino-artemisinins artemiside and artemisone display optimal efficacies in vitro against asexual and sexual blood stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and are active against tumour cell lines. In continuing the evolution of combinations of the amino-artemisinins with new drugs, we examine the triterpenoid quinone methide celastrol isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant léi gōng téng 雷公藤 (Tripterygium wilfordii). This compound is redox active, and has attracted considerable attention because of potent biological activities against manifold targets. We report that celastrol displays good IC50 activities ranging from 0.50–0.82 µM against drug-sensitive and resistant asexual blood stage Pf, and 1.16 and 0.28 µM respectively against immature and late stage Pf NF54 gametocytes. The combinations of celastrol with each of artemisone and methylene blue against asexual blood stage Pf are additive. Given that celastrol displays promising antitumour properties, we examined its activities alone and in combinations with amino-artemisinins against human liver HepG2 and other cell lines. IC50 values of the amino-artemisinins and celastrol against HepG2 cancer cells ranged from 0.55–0.94 µM. Whereas the amino-artemisinins displayed notable selectivities (SI > 171) with respect to normal human hepatocytes, in contrast, celastrol displayed no selectivity (SI < 1). The combinations of celastrol with artemiside or artemisone against HepG2 cells are synergistic. Given the promise of celastrol, judiciously designed formulations or structural modifications are recommended for mitigating its toxicity.

Current perspectives on benzoflavone analogues with potent biological activities: A review

Medicinal chemistry investigators have isolated and synthesized benzoflavone analogues with diverse bioactivities including enzyme inhibitory activity, central nervous system (CNS) activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-microorganism activity, hypoglycemic activity, and receptor modulating potential. SAR (Structure-Activity Relationship) studies have been conducted extensively and plenty of benzoflavone analogues have been prepared for potential targets. Herein, we review the pharmacology properties and SAR for benzoflavone analogues, and provide a brief summarization of synthetic strategies, wishing to give perspective on the research and development of benzoflavone derivatives.

Asymmetric Total Syntheses of Mitragynine, Speciogynine, and 7-Hydroxymitragynine.

A number of alkaloids found in Mitragyna species belonging to the Rubiaceae family have been shown to have potent biological activity such as analgesic properties. Here, we report the asymmetric total syntheses of mitragynine, speciogynine, and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which are classified as corynantheine-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, isolated from Mitragyna speciosa. These syntheses were accomplished within 12 steps and in >11% total yield from commercial 3-(trimethylsilyl)propanal using an organocatalytic anti-selective Michael reaction and bioinspired transformations.

Overview of Dioscorides' recipes in Croatian books of folk recipes.

The aim of this paper is to present an overview of Dioscorides' recipes from his work De materia medica which are found in Croatian folk medicine preserved in books of folk recipes called ljekaruše. The particularities of five published and analysed Croatian books of folk recipes from the 17 th and 18 th century are examined. Recipes with drugs of herbal and animal origin, which are most often mentioned in Croatian books of folk recipes, and which were available in folk medicine at the time, are compared with those from Dioscorides' work. Many herbal drugs described in books of folk recipes are today used in contemporary phytotherapy, and modern biomedical research reveals new bioactive substances and confirms new and potential biological activities in medicinal plants used in folk medicine, which is the basis for further study of De materia medica by Dioscorides and ethnomedicinal collections. Croatian books of folk recipes are a valuable resource for multidisciplinary study, including for medicinal and pharmaceutical historians, philologists and ethnologists.

A phytochemical investigation and evaluation of the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the stem bark extract of Clematis simensis (Yeazo hareg)

Medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of various diseases and still play an important role in covering the basic health needs in the developing countries like Ethiopia. In this study, successive extraction, partial purification using column chromatograpy, phytochemical screening, determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol stem bark extracts and fractions of Clematis simensis are reported. The results show the presence of different valuable phytochemicals. The total phenolic content is 54.744, 68.933, and 87.522 mg g–1 of gallic acid equivalent for the petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol extracts, respectively. The total flavonoid content of the petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethanol extracts are 22.770, 37.223, and 52.289 mgCE g–1, respectively. This could lead to potential biological activity of the plant extract. Besides, the ethanol extract exhibits higher antioxidant activity than all the tested extracts. Likewise, the extracts have promising antibacterial activity with that of the ethanol extract being higher than those of the chloroform and petroleum extracts as well as isolated fractions.

Exploitation of Olive (Olea europaea L.) Seed Proteins as Upgraded Source of Bioactive Peptides with Multifunctional Properties: Focus on Antioxidant and Dipeptidyl-Dipeptidase-IV Inhibitory Activities, and Glucagon-like Peptide 1 Improved Modulation.

Agri-food industry wastes and by-products include highly valuable components that can upgraded, providing low-cost bioactives or used as an alternative protein source. In this context, by-products from olive production and olive oil extraction process, i.e., seeds, can be fostered. In particular, this work was aimed at extracting and characterizing proteins for Olea europaea L. seeds and at producing two protein hydrolysates using alcalase and papain, respectively. Peptidomic analysis were performed, allowing to determine both medium- and short-sized peptides and to identify their potential biological activities. Moreover, an extensive characterization of the antioxidant properties of Olea europaea L. seed hydrolysates was carried out both in vitro by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and by 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assays, respectively, and at cellular level by measuring the ability of these hydrolysates to significant reduce the H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation levels in human intestinal Caco-2 cells. The results of the both hydrolysates showed significant antioxidant properties by reducing the free radical scavenging activities up to 65.0 ± 0.1% for the sample hydrolyzed with alcalase and up to 75.7 ± 0.4% for the papain hydrolysates tested at 5 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, similar values were obtained by the ABTS assays, whereas the FRAP increased up to 13,025.0 ± 241.5% for the alcalase hydrolysates and up to 12,462.5 ± 311.9% for the papain hydrolysates, both tested at 1 mg/mL. According to the in vitro results, both papain and alcalase hydrolysates restore the cellular ROS levels up 130.4 ± 4.24% and 128.5 ± 3.60%, respectively, at 0.1 mg/mL and reduce the lipid peroxidation levels up to 109.2 ± 7.95% and 73.0 ± 7.64%, respectively, at 1.0 mg/mL. In addition, results underlined that the same hydrolysates reduced the activity of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) in vitro and at cellular levels up to 42.9 ± 6.5% and 38.7 ± 7.2% at 5.0 mg/mL for alcalase and papain hydrolysates, respectively. Interestingly, they stimulate the release and stability of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) hormone through an increase of its levels up to 660.7 ± 21.9 pM and 613.4 ± 39.1 pM for alcalase and papain hydrolysates, respectively. Based on these results, olive seed hydrolysates may represent new ingredients with antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties for the development of nutraceuticals and functional foods for the prevention of metabolic syndrome onset.

Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Potential and Toxicity Evaluation of the Essential Oils from Duguetia and Xylopia Species (Annonaceae) from the Brazilian Amazon.

The essential oils (EOs) of Duguetia echinophora, D. riparia, Xylopia emarginata and X. frutescens (Annonaceae) were obtained by hydrodistillation and the chemical composition was analyzed by GC-MS. An antioxidant assay using the ABTS and DPPH radicals scavenging method and cytotoxic assays against Artemia salina were also performed. We evaluated the interaction of the major compounds of the most toxic EO (X. emarginata) with the binding pocket of the enzyme Acetylcholinesterase, a molecular target related to toxicity in models of Artemia salina. The chemical composition of the EO of D. echinophora was characterized by β-phellandrene (39.12%), sabinene (17.08%) and terpinolene (11.17%). Spathulenol (22.22%), caryophyllene oxide (12.21%), humulene epoxide II (11.86%) and allo-aromadendrene epoxide (10.20%) were the major constituents of the EO from D. riparia. Spathulenol (5.65%) and caryophyllene oxide (5.63%) were the major compounds of the EO from X. emarginata. The EO of X. frutescens was characterized by α-pinene (20.84%) and byciclogermacrene (7.85%). The results of the radical scavenger DPPH assays ranged from 15.87 to 69.38% and the highest percentage of inhibition was observed for the EO of X. emarginata, while for ABTS radical scavenging, the antioxidant capacity of EOs varied from 14.61 to 63.67%, and the highest percentage of inhibition was observed for the EO of X. frutescens. The EOs obtained from D. echinophora, X. emarginata and X. frutescens showed high toxicity, while the EO of D. riparia was non-toxic. Because the EO of X. emarginata is the most toxic, we evaluated how its major constituents were able to interact with the Acetylcholinesterase enzyme. The docking results show that the compounds are able to bind to the binding pocket through non-covalent interactions with the residues of the binding pocket. The species X. emarginata and X. frutescens are the most promising sources of antioxidant compounds; in addition, the results obtained for preliminary cytotoxicity of the EOs of these species may also indicate a potential biological activity.

Characterization of Agarolytic Bacterium Microbulbifer elongatus PORT2 and Its GH16 Agarase

Sugars from agar exhibit potential biological activities and comprise a sustainable source of third-generation biofuel. Their provision through enzyme-assisted bioconversion of agar is considered a mild and environmentally-friendly process. This work reports a mesophilic-agarolytic bacterium characterization from Batu Karas, West Java-Indonesia coastal seawater. Analysis 16S rRNA showed a phylogeny relationship of the bacterium to the genus Microbulbifer, especially to M. elongatus. A gene coding for agarase AgaF16A was cloned and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) using a genome mining approach. The protein sequence of AgaF16A showed 86.79% similarity to the catalytic domain of glycoside hydrolase (GH) 16 b-agarase from Microbulbifer thermotolerans JAMB-A94. The enzyme cleaved agarose and agar oligomers larger than neoagarooctaose into neoagarohexaose and neoagarotetraose. It also showed activity on natural agar extracted from Indonesian agarophytes. The AgaF16A was active in wide pH and temperature ranges. It retained more than 80% activity after one hour incubation at 50 °C, indicating thermostability, favorable for technical application.

Chemical composition and bioactivities of Magnolia candollii H.Keng essential oil.

Several Magnolia species have exhibited potent biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis, anticonvulsant, anti-obesity, and antiviral activities. However, the Magnolia candollii from Malaysia has not been investigated yet. Hence, this study aims to investigate the chemical composition and bioactivities ofthe essential oil of Magnolia candollii H.Keng from Malaysia. The hydrodistillation process was used to produce the essential oil, and gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to analyse it. In total, 44 chemical components were identified in the bark oil, accounting for 98.4%. The major components of the essential oil were α-pinene (29.7%), elemol (10.2%), β-pinene (8.5%), β-caryophyllene (7.2%), α-terpineol (7.0%), guaiol (5.4%), and bulnesol (4.9%). Acetylcholinesterase and anti-inflammatory activities were also evaluated using the Ellman method and lipoxygenase enzyme, respectively, in which the essential oil showed moderate inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (I%: 70.2%) and lipoxygenase (I%: 72.5%). Thus, the findings may be helpful for identifying the medicinal and therapeutic uses of the essential oil from the Magnolia genus.