Promising Natural Resource Research Articles

Biomaterials and essential oils as promising tools for public health problems in Brazil: Preliminary study

Biomaterials have been applied for a long time in different areas and, for countless uses and with technological advances, they have helped to solve several problems in the most diverse areas of health, working on the development of different mechanisms, orthoses, prostheses. and, in recent years, in the creation of formulations for the biological control of microorganisms that cause public health problems. Brazil is among the countries that have the most cases of diseases transmitted by arboviruses in the world. There is scientific evidence reporting the use of plants with repellent and bioactive properties for the development of natural, non-toxic and efficient alternative products. Develop a biodegradable polymeric formulation containing encapsulated essential oil, and test the essential oil of Piper callosum in natura on larvae of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The formulation developed and submitted to 35 ° C was stable in all evaluations during the 25 days of analysis and the essential oil of Piper callosum proved to be a promising natural resource against larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

Phenolic Antioxidants in Aerial Parts of Wild Vaccinium Species: Towards Pharmaceutical and Biological Properties.

Phenolic compounds are a widespread group of secondary metabolites found in all plants, representing the most desirable antioxidants due to their potential to be used as additives in the food industry (inhibition of lipid oxidation), and in cosmetology and medicine (protection against oxidative stress). In recent years, demand for the identification of edible sources rich in phenolic antioxidants, as well as the development of new natural plant products to be used as dietary supplements or pharmaceuticals, has been a great preoccupation. At present, from the “circular economy” perspective, there is an increased interest to use agricultural waste resources to produce high-value compounds. Vaccinium leaves and stems are considered essentially an agro-waste of the berry industry. Scientific studies have shown that phenolic compounds were found in a markedly higher content in the leaves and stems of Vaccinium plants than in the fruits, in agreement with the strongest biological and antioxidant activities displayed by these aerial parts compared to fruits. This paper aims to review the current state of the art regarding the phenolic antioxidants from leaves and stems of two wild Vaccinium species, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), as promising natural resources with pharmaceutical and biological activity.

Natural Diatom Biosilica as Microshuttles in Drug Delivery Systems.

Unicellular diatom microalgae are a promising natural resource of porous biosilica. These microorganisms produce around their membrane a highly porous and extremely structured silica shell called frustule. Once harvested from living algae or from fossil sediments of diatomaceous earth, this biocompatible and non-toxic material offers an exceptional potential in the field of micro/nano-devices, drug delivery, theranostics, and other medical applications. The present review focused on the use of diatoms in the field of drug delivery systems, with the aim of presenting the different strategies implemented to improve the biophysical properties of this biosilica in terms of drug loading and release efficiency, targeted delivery, or site-specific binding capacity by surface functionalization. The development of composite materials involving diatoms for drug delivery applications is also described.

New concepts for deepening hydrocarbon exploration and their application effects in the Junggar Basin, NW China

The Junggar Basin is one of the major petroliferous basins with abundant oil and gas resources in onshore China. Around 2010 and thereafter, the hydrocarbon exploration for finding giant fields in the basin faced tough difficulties: in the northwestern margin area, no significant breakthrough has been made for long since seeking to “escape from the step-fault zone and extend to the slope area”; in the central part, the exploration for large lithologic-stratigraphic reservoirs stood still; since the discovery of the Kelameili gas field, no important achievement has been made in gas exploration. Under the guidance of “whole sag-oil-bearing” theory in the petroliferous basin, and based on the long-term study and thinking of the petroleum accumulation conditions and characteristics, the authors proposed several new concepts, i.e., a “thrust-induced second-order fault step” hiding under the northwestern slope area; six “hydrocarbon migrationward surfaces” favorable for hydrocarbon accumulation; promising natural gas resource. These concepts have played an important role in the discoveries of Wells Mahu1 and Yanbei1 as well as the confirmation and expansion of Permian-Triassic billion-ton-scale petroliferous areas in Mahu. The fairway of new discoveries has also appeared for natural gas exploration in Wells Fu26, Gaotan1 and Qianshao2, suggesting that the surrounding regions of the highly matured source kitchen are of high possibility to form gas accumulations.

Analysis and Characterization Helm Based on Hyacint Water Composites

Material engineering in the field of natural fiber composites has potential prospects. The availability of natural resource was very abundant. Composite with natural fiber reinforcement was called Bio composite. The promising natural resource were water hyacinth. Water hyacinth was a source of fiber that can be used optimally as a filler in composites. Bio composite properties are be affected by several factors including filler volume, process parameters and filler interface properties in the matrix. The use of water hyacinth bio composite was developed as a substitute for shipbuilding materials, board and leg sockets for prosthetic limbs. This research identified the nature of fibers as fillers in the application of motorcycle helmet that meet Standar Nasional Indonesia (SNI). Hyacint fibers are made from water hyacinth plants, the plant is dried by sun shine. The material was crushed into powder and woven fibers with yarn spinner and the both materials are mixed using resin. The bio composite was tested by tensile test and impact test using variations weight fraction. The best high strength of bio composite was used as material helm shell by using a vacuum bagging system. The value of Impact absorption strength and penetration testing will be tested on helmet shell composites. Tests conducted on bio composite helmets are carried out to meet standard safety according to SNI 1811: 2007.

Microbial origin of bioflocculation components within a promising natural bioflocculant resource of Ruditapes philippinarum conglutination mud from an aquaculture farm in Zhoushan, China.

Ruditapes philippinarum conglutination mud (RPM) is a byproduct from the aquiculture of an important commercially bivalve mollusk R. philippinarum and has been recently reported as a promising natural bioflocculant resource. However the origin of bioflocculation components within RPM is still a pending doubt and impedes its effective exploitation. This study investigated the probability that RPM bioflocculation components originate from its associated microbes. RPM samples from an aquaculture farm in Zhoushan of China were applied to characterize its microbial community structure, screen associated bioflocculant-producing strains, and explore the homology between extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) from bioflocculant-producing isolates and RPM flocculation components. Results showed that RPM exhibited high bacterial biodiversity, with Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria as the most abundant phyla; hgcI_clade, CL500_29_marine_group, Fusibacter, MWH_UniP1_aquatic_group and Arcobacter as the dominant genera. Fourteen highly efficient bioflocculant-producing strains were screened and phylogenetically identified as Pseudoalteromonas sp. (5), Psychrobacter sp. (3), Halomonas sp. (2), Albirhodobacter sp. (1), Celeribacter sp. (1), Kocuria sp. (1) and Bacillus sp. (1), all of which except Bacillus sp. were reported for the first time for their excellent flocculation capability. Furthermore, EPS from the bioflocculant-producing strains exhibited highly similar monosaccharide composition to the reported flocculation-effective RPM polysaccharides. On the other hand, the existence of fungi in RPM was rare and showed no flocculation functionality. Findings from Zhoushan RPM strongly supported that RPM flocculation components were of bacterial origin and make RPM reproduction possible by fermentation approach.

Preparation and characterization of a substitute for Ruditapes philippinarum conglutination mud as a natural bioflocculant

In this study a preparation strategy was attempted to produce a substitute (BBF) for the Ruditapes philippinarum conglutination mud (RPM), which was newly discovered to be a promising natural bioflocculant resource. A stable yield of 73.77 ± 1.79 g L−1 BBF was established by a sequential batch fermentation under optimized conditions via single factor experiments. BBF attained similar flocculation performance as RPM, showing a maximum flocculation rate of 87.92 ± 0.65%. BBF had significant decolorization efficiency on methylene blue, crystal violet and malachite green by 98.78 ± 0.46%, 89.37 ± 0.35% and 99.11 ± 0.17%, respectively. BBF could harvest microalgae Chlorella salina by 84.38 ± 0.57%. High throughput sequencing revealed that Vibrio and Bacillus might be the extracellular polysaccharides producers. The successful preparation will enable a potential industrial production of BBF thus avoid scattered collection of RPM.

275 - Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of endophytic fungi extracts from Schinus teribinthifolius Raddi

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the extracts of the endophytic fungi isolated from the fruits, stem bark and the root of Schinus teribinthifolius Raddi. Sixteen endophytic fungi were isolated from fruits, stem bark and root of S. teribinthifolius. Endophytic fungi of orders Mucorales, Xylariales, Diaporthales, Eurotiales and Pleosporales were identified. The antioxidant activity of the endophytic fungi extracts was evaluated by the DPPH, FRAP and β-carotene bleaching. The antibacterial activity of the endophytic fungi extracts was tested against six human pathogenic strains, being three strains ATCC and three hospital: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella enteritidis. Among the endophytic fungi evaluated, the extract of the endophytic fungus Ochrocladosporium elatum (EAOe) showed the best antioxidant result in all the tests carried out. In addition, EAOe showing the highest antibacterial efficacy, being effective against all the strains tested. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the EAOe were 0.5 mg/mL for ATCC and hospital of S. aureus. For K. pneumoniae ATCC the MIC and MBC of EAOe were 0.13 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL, respectively and for the hospital strain showed effect bacteriostatic, with MIC 1.00 mg/mL. EAOe exhibited MIC and MBC of 0.5 mg/mL for S. enteritidis ATTC strain, and for the hospital strain showed effect bacteriostatic, with a MIC of 1.00 mg/mL. In conclusion, these results suggest that extract of the endophytic fungus Ochrocladosporium elatum isolated in Schinus teribinthifolius Raddi is a promising natural resource with potential application for the prevention and treatment of diseases related to oxidative stress and microbial infections.

ANALISIS UKURAN PORI BIOKOMPOSIT [SERICIN-BIOPLASTIK] PADA BERBAGAI PEMBEKUAN DENGAN METODE TAGUCHI

Increased demand for medical materials, triggering research into alternativemedical materials. Alternative materials should have the same characteristics for the patient's body. Sericin is a protein that has biocompatible, biodegradable and other important properties. Sericin is widely used in biomedical applications, it is thought that sericin is a promising natural resource as an alternative medical material. This study analyzed pore diameter in sericin-bioplastic biocomposites by Taguchi method. Bioplastics of 3 variations of tapioca starch were 16 g, 14 g, and 10 g, mixed 80 ml of aquades and 6 ml of glycerin. Sericin was determined 0.03%, 0.1%, and 0.3% by weight of tapioca starch. The biocomposite undergoes freeze drying process and is frozen at -25oC, -45oC, and -80oC for one day. SEM test to see pore diameter and biocomposite structure. Optimal analysis was performed for optimal combinations of sericin-bioplastic biocomposites. The SEM results showed pore diameters qualified for regeneration of skin tissue on freezers C -C, F, and I -25oC biocomposites of 41.94 μm, 33.416 μm and 32.743 μm respectively. Calculation of average response and maximum SNR at 16 g tapioca starch, 0.03% sericin and -25oC temperature. The predicted and confidence interval values for averages are large from 11,656 μm and small from 54,602 μm, SNR is large from 31,940 μm and small from 33,642 μm. The optimal experimental conditions for confirmation of large pore diameter for averages were large from 32.342 μm and small from 34.206 μm, large SNR of 32.342 μm and small from 34.206 μm.Keywords: Composition optimization, alternative medical materials, sericin- bioplastic biocomposites, Taguchi Methods, SEM

Chemical Identification of Isoflavonoids from a Termite-Associated Streptomyces sp. RB1 and Their Neuroprotective Effects in Murine Hippocampal HT22 Cell Line.

Insect-associated bacteria have been recognized as a very promising natural resource for discovering bioactive secondary metabolites with diverse pharmacological effects. One new isoflavonoid glycoside, termisoflavone D (1), together with seven known isoflavonoids (2–8), were identified from MeOH extracts of the fungus-growing termite-associated Streptomyces sp. RB1. The chemical structure of the new compound 1 was elucidated using comprehensive spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR, along with LC/MS analysis. The existence of two rhamnose moieties in 1 was determined with comparative NMR analysis, and the absolute configuration was elucidated using chemical reactions. The neuroprotective activities of compounds 1–8 were thoroughly investigated using the murine hippocampal HT22 cell line. Compound 5 prevented glutamate-induced HT22 cell death by blocking intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The present study provides the first experimental evidence for the potential use of isoflavonoids from termite-associated bacteria as lead compounds that can prevent neuronal damage induced by glutamate.

Hydroxyapatite from Cuttlefish Bone: Isolation, Characterizations, and Applications

Hydroxyapatite (HA), a bioceramic, is a widely utilized material for bone tissue repair and regeneration because of its excellent properties such as biocompatibility, exceptional mechanical strength, and osteoconductivity. HA can be obtained by both synthetic and natural means. Animal bones are often considered a promising natural resource for the preparation of pure HA for biological and biomedical applications. Cuttlefish bone, also called as cuttlebone, mainly consists of calcium carbonate, and pure HA can be produced by adding phosphoric acid or ammonium hydrogen phosphate to it. Recently, cuttlefish bone-derived HA has shown promising results in terms of bone tissue repair and regeneration. The synthesized cuttlefish bone-derived has shown excellent biocompatibility, cell proliferation, increased alkaline phosphate activity, and efficient biomineralization ability with mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblastic cells. To further improve the biological properties of cuttlefish bone-derived HA, bioglass, polycaprolactone, and polyvinyl alcohol were added to it, which gave better results in terms of cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. Cuttlefish bone-derived HA with polymeric substances provides excellent bone formation under in vivo conditions. The studies indicate that cuttlefish bone-derived HA, along with polymeric and, protein materials, will be promising biomaterials in the field of bone tissue regeneration.

Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages from India, with lytic activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Bacteriophages are being considered as a promising natural resource for the development of alternative strategies against mycobacterial diseases, especially in the context of the wide-spread occurrence of drug resistance among the clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, there is not much information documented on mycobacteriophages from India. Here, we report the isolation of 17 mycobacteriophages using Mycobacterium smegmatis as the bacterial host, where 9 phages also lyse M. tuberculosis H37Rv. We present detailed analysis of one of these mycobacteriophages - PDRPv. Transmission electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction analysis (of a conserved region within the TMP gene) show PDRPv to belong to the Siphoviridae family and B1 subcluster, respectively. The genome (69 110 bp) of PDRPv is circularly permuted double-stranded DNA with ∼66% GC content and has 106 open reading frames (ORFs). On the basis of sequence similarity and conserved domains, we have assigned function to 28 ORFs and have broadly categorized them into 6 groups that are related to replication and genome maintenance, DNA packaging, virion release, structural proteins, lysogeny-related genes and endolysins. The present study reports the occurrence of novel antimycobacterial phages in India and highlights their potential to contribute to our understanding of these phages and their gene products as potential antimicrobial agents.

Hepatoprotective effects of Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharides against the alcoholic liver diseases through different metabolic pathways

The present work was designed to evaluate the antioxidation and hepatoprotective effects of Auricularia cornea var. Li. polysaccharides (APS) and enzymatic-extractable APS (EAPS) on the acute alcohol-induced alcoholic liver diseases (ALD). The in vitro antioxidant activities demonstrated that both APS and EAPS had strong reducing power and potential effects on scavenging reactive oxygen species. The in vivo mice experiments showed that the pretreatment with APS or EAPS showed potential hepatoprotective effects on the ALD possibly by increasing the antioxidant activities, reducing the lipid peroxidation, improving the alcohol metabolism, inhibiting the expression levels of inflammatory mediators and preventing the alcohol-induced histopathological alterations. In addition, the fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and gas chromatography (GC) had been analyzed to obtained the primarily characteristics. The results indicated that abundant xylose and glucose contents probably had potential effects on possessing the bioactivities. The findings suggested that the A. cornea var. Li. might be considered as promising natural resource on exploring clinical drugs for the prevention and treatment with ALD and its complications.

Effects of the Combination of Gliotoxin and Adriamycin on the Adriamycin-Resistant Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer A549 Cell Line.

Acquired drug resistance constitutes an enormous hurdle in cancer treatment, and the search for effective compounds against resistant cancer is still advancing. Marine organisms are a promising natural resource for the discovery and development of anticancer agents. In this study, we examined whether gliotoxin (GTX), a secondary metabolite isolated from marine-derived Aspergillus fumigatus, inhibits the growth of adriamycin (ADR)-resistant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines A549/ADR. We investigated the effects of GTX on A549/ADR cell viability with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the induction of apoptosis in A549/ADR cells treated with GTX via fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, Hoechst staining, annexin V/propidium iodide staining, tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) staining, and western blotting. We found that GTX induced apoptosis in A549/ADR cells through the mitochondria-dependent pathway by disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential and activating p53, thereby increasing the expression levels of p21, p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), Bax, cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and cleaved caspase-9. More importantly, we discovered that GTX works in conjunction with ADR to exert combinational effects on A549/ADR cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that GTX may have promising effects on ADR-resistant NSCLC cells by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and through the combined effects of sequential treatment with ADR.

Correction: Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages from India, with lytic activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Bacteriophages are being considered as a promising natural resource for the development of alternative strategies against mycobacterial diseases, especially in the context of the wide-spread occurr...

Assessment of Methods for Forecasting Shale Gas Supply in China Based on Economic Considerations

Shale gas, with its lower carbon content and pollution potential, is the most promising natural gas resource in China. When modeling the shale gas supply in a specific gas field, it is of paramount importance to determine the gas supply under economic considerations. Two common calculation methods are used in China for this purpose: Method 1 (M1) is the breakeven analysis, where the gas supply is based on the relationship between costs and revenues, while Method 2 (M2) is the Geologic Resource Supply-Demand Model, where the supply relies on demand and price scenarios. No comparisons has been made between these two methods. In this study, the Fuling shale gas field in the Sichuan Basin was chosen as a study case to forecast the shale gas supply using these two different methods. A sensitivity analysis was performed to discuss the influencing factors of each method and error measures were used to compare the different shale gas supply values calculated by each method. The results shows that M1 is more sensitive to initial production, while M2 is more sensitive to gas price. In addition, M2 is more feasible for its simplicity and accuracy at high price scenarios and M1 is considered to be reliable for low price scenarios with profit. This study can provide a quick and comprehensive assessment method for the shale gas supply in China.

The implications of ritual practices and ritual plant uses on nature conservation: a case study among the Naxi in Yunnan Province, Southwest China

BackgroundConservation of biodiversity is primary important of today’s critically vulnerable environment. Efficient conservation can be possible only with the long-term participation and understanding of the communities. Ritual beliefs of the indigenous people are one of the important tools to understand the local communities and aid the nature conservation. In this paper, we documented contemporary ritual practices and ritual plant uses among the Naxi people and discussed the importance of traditional knowledge on ritual practice in the conservation of plants in the mountains presenting a case study of the Dongba culture.MethodsThis study was carried out from July in 2013 to July in 2014. To document and analyze the present state of the ritual plant used by the Naxi people we conducted an ethnobotanical survey. We interviewed local people including Dongba priests using the semi-structured questionnaire. During the field study, we participated in the local religious activities to witness the use of different plants in ritual activities of the Naxi people. We interviewed twenty-two key informants and eleven of them were male. All the specimens of documented species were collected and deposited at the herbarium of Kunming Institute of Botany.ResultsThe survey results revealed the Naxi people possessed sound knowledge of the traditional ritual plants and great diversity of plants used in many of Naxi rituals and festivals. From the survey, we documented 32 ritual plant species belonging to 24 genera of 17 families used in various ritual activities. The ritual plants were grouped into two categories, namely those burned as incense, and those used for decoration. The incense plants like Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata and Pistacia weinmanniifolia were probably promising natural aromatic resource. Plants of genus Quercus were the most frequently used species. The places for ritual activities were diverse, such as the incense burners inside and outside the house and sacred trees at the Baishuitai. Local people except the young generation had an abundant of traditional knowledge.ConclusionsOur study shows the live ritual activities and the beliefs of the residents are keeping the plant diversity and the entire forest preserved as sacred mountains. Our study emphasizes traditional belief and an alternative view of conservation that is not led mainly by governmental policies, as local practices and ritual plants uses play as constant reminders to the Naxi on nature conservation. However, further research is recommended for in-depth understanding the role of traditional belief in biodiversity conservation.

Comparative life cycle assessment of real pilot reactors for microalgae cultivation in different seasons

Microalgae are promising natural resources for biofuels, chemical, food and feed products. Besides their economic potential, the environmental sustainability must be examined. Cultivation has a significant environmental impact that depends on reactor selection and operating conditions. To identify the main environmental bottlenecks for scale-up to industrial facilities this study provides a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of open raceway ponds and tubular photobioreactors at pilot scale. The results are based on experimental data from real pilot plants operated in summer, fall and winter at AlgaePARC (Wageningen, The Netherlands). The energy consumption for temperature regulation presented the highest environmental burden. The production of nutrients affected some categories. Despite limited differences compared to the vertical system, the horizontal PBR was found the most efficient in terms of productivity and environmental impact. The ORP was, given the Dutch climatic conditions, only feasible under summer operation. The results highlight the relevance of LCA as a tool for decision-making in process design. Weather conditions and availability of sources for temperature regulation were identified as essential factors for the selection of geographic locations and for microalgal cultivation systems based on environmental criteria. Simulation of large-scale reactors with optimized temperature regulation systems lead to environmental improvements and energy demand reductions ranging from 17% up to 90% for systems operated in favorable summer conditions.

Transfer of Biomatrix/Wood Cell Interactions to Hemicellulose-Based Materials to Control Water Interaction.

The family of hemicelluloses stands out as a very promising natural resource that can be utilized as a biobased materials feedstock. An in-depth understanding of the hemicellulose inherent structural and property features as well as the structure-property relationships induced by the specific supramolecular hierarchical organization of lignocellulosic biopolymers will be a key enabling technology in the emerging biorefinery sector. This Review aims to give a perspective on these issues and demonstrate how the transfer of molecular wood cell interactions into hemicellulose-based materials may offer new design principles for material formulations.

Biological activities and chemical composition of Salvia amplexicaulis Lam. extracts

This study was aimed to examine chemical composition and biological activities of water, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of Salvia amplexicaulis Lam. (Lamiaceae). The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that the largest amounts of polyphenols were present in methanol extract, followed by ethanol and water extracts, with the kaempferol glycosides as the most abundant components (>40%). Water extract was the most powerful in 2.2-dyphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and β-carotene bleaching antioxidant assays, while the ethanol extract performed the highest activity in 2.2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt (ABTS) assay. Methanol and water extracts neutralized DPPH radicals more efficiently than standard 3.5-di-tert-butyl-4 hydroxytoluene (BHT) (15.1μg/mL, 15.8μg/mL and 17.9μg/mL, respectively). The antioxidant activity could be possibly attributed to very high content of kaempferol glycosides in the extracts. Ethanol extract was more active against pathogenic bacteria (minimum inhibitory concentrations, MIC, ranged between 30.0mg/mL and 40.0mg/mL) than water extract, which was generally stronger antifungal agent (MIC varied from 8.0mg/mL to 64.0mg/mL). Water extract also showed stronger cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 cells than ethanol extract (IC50 values were 114.1μg/mL and 164.5μg/mL, respectively). The ethanol extract showed slightly stronger antineurodegenerative effects than water extract, especially in tyrosinase inhibition where ethanol extract was considerably effective compared with commercial inhibitor kojic acid. Ethanol and water extracts of S. amplexicaulis showed strong antioxidant and antineurodegenerative activities, which places them among promising natural curative resources for food and pharmaceutical industries.