Successive Water Extracts Research Articles

Effect ofNelumbo nuciferaPetal Extracts on Lipase, Adipogenesis, Adipolysis, and Central Receptors of Obesity

N. nucifera is one among the important medicinal plants assessed for its antiobesity action in various preclinical models. The present study was aimed at investigating the antiobesity effect of methanol and successive water extracts of petals of N. nucifera by studying its effect on adipogenesis, adipolysis, lipase, serotonin (5-HT2C), cannabinoid (CNR2), melanocyte concentrating hormone (MCHR1), and melanocortin (MC4R) receptors. Both methanol and successive water extracts of N. nucifera petals had an effect on inhibition of lipid storage in adipocytes and on increasing lipolysis. N. nucifera petal methanol extract exhibited the concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on lipase activity with an IC50 value of 47 µg/mL. N. nucifera petal extracts showed evident agonist and antagonist activity towards 5-HT2C and CNR2 receptors, respectively, while it showed no effect towards MCHR1 and MC4R receptors. Overall, methanol extract of N. nucifera petals showed better activity than successive water extract.

Sequential extraction of black currant residues produces anthocyanin-rich extracts containing anthocyanin dimers

BACKGROUND: Annually, the EU processes ∼750 000 M tonnes of black currants to juice with a substantial production of waste material. This pomace is currently disposed but could be exploited as a source of polyphenol antioxidants, bioactive components and flavour components. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the amount and composition of polyphenol components extractable from black currant residues, with a focus on anthocyanin components. METHODS: Polyphenol levels in laboratory derived juice, successive water-extracts and methanol-extracts of black currants were compared. Similar extractions were carried out on commercial black currant pomace. Differences in polyphenol composition were examined using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. RESULTS: Extracts obtained with methanol after juice removal and water washing had considerably higher anthocyanin content and a higher proportion of anthocyanidin glucosides. The methanol extracts also contained putative C-C linked anthocyanin dimers not previously identified in berries. Similar ethanol extraction of commercial pomace also released an anthocyanin-rich fraction with elevated levels of anthocyanidin glucosides. CONCLUSIONS: Sequential alcohol extraction of black currant residues produced anthocyanin-rich fractions which contained components that may be tightly bound to the residues. These included putative anthocyanin dimers. Compositional differences in extracts from laboratory residues and commercial pomace may be related to the use of cell-wall-lyzing enzymes during juicing.

Effect of dietary modifications of calcium and magnesium on reducing solubility of phosphorus in feces from lactating dairy cows

Unintentional movement of P from dairy cow manure to off-farm locations has been an environmental concern for some time. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing the dietary concentration and solubility of Ca and the dietary concentration of Mg on lactation performance and solubility of fecal P from lactating dairy cows receiving diets formulated to the same concentration of P (0.38% of dry matter). Eight dietary treatments were evaluated in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement involving 2 dietary sources of Ca (CaCO3 having a moderate solubility of Ca vs. CaCl2 having an excellent solubility of Ca) and 2 dietary concentrations of Ca (average of 0.64 and 0.95% of dry matter) and Mg (0.25 and 0.4% of dry matter). Twenty-four multiparous cows in mid lactation were fed the 8 diets in three 21-d periods. Dry matter intake and milk production were measured daily, and milk composition was measured on the last 6 milkings of each period. Fecal samples were collected twice a day during the last 5 d of each period, composited within cow, dried at 55°C, and subjected to 10 successive water extractions, and soluble P, Ca, and Mg were determined. Excretion of fecal P (g/d) was correlated positively with intake of P but not with intake of Ca or Mg. A smaller proportion of fecal P was extracted when dietary concentration of Ca increased (37.5 vs. 47.7%) and when CaCl2 instead of CaCO3 was fed (40.3 vs. 44.9%). Feeding more Mg reduced water-soluble P in feces but only when CaCO3 and not CaCl2 was fed. Increasing the amount of soluble Ca in the diet produced a relatively stable Ca-phosphate compound (hydroxylapatite) in ashed fecal samples, whereas feeding less soluble Ca resulted in a more soluble P phase (Mg-substituted whitlockite). Energy-dispersive X-ray elemental spectroscopy in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy showed spatial association between Ca-Mg and P. A reduction of approximately 5g of soluble P/cow per d was detected when dietary concentration of Ca increased from an average of 0.64 to 0.95% of dry matter. Supplemental CaCO3 would be a preferred source of Ca over CaCl2 because cows fed CaCO3 tended to produce more 4% fat-corrected milk, more milk fat, and milk with a greater concentration of fat and protein. Current prices would also favor feeding CaCO3 over CaCl2. Increasing dietary intakes of Ca and Mg beyond current recommendations may increase formation of insoluble phosphate complexes (Ca-P rather than Ca-Mg-P associations), which result in decreased solubility of P in dairy-cow feces and reduce losses of P from agricultural areas where feces are applied.

Screening of selected Indian medicinal plants for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity

Seventy-six plant extracts including methanolic and successive water extracts from 37 Indian medicinal plants were investigated for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity ( in vitro). Results indicated that methanolic extracts to be more active than water extracts. The potent AChE inhibiting methanolic plant extracts included Withania somnifera (root), Semecarpus anacardium (stem bark), Embelia ribes (Root), Tinospora cordifolia (stem), Ficus religiosa (stem bark) and Nardostachys jatamansi (rhizome). The IC 50 values obtained for these extracts were 33.38, 16.74, 23.04, 38.36, 73.69 and 47.21 μg/ml, respectively. These results partly substantiate the traditional use of these herbs for improvement of cognition.

Phosphorus Release from a Manure‐Impacted Spodosol: Effects of a Water Treatment Residual

Long-term depositions of animal manures affect P dynamics in soils and can pose environmental risks associated with P losses. Laboratory studies were done on P solubility characteristics in a manure-impacted Immokalee soil (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquod) and the effectiveness of water treatment residual (WTR) in controlling P leaching. Soil samples with contrasting initial total P concentrations were prepared by mixing samples of a manure-impacted surface A horizon and a minimally P-impacted E horizon. Effects of mixing various ratios of A and E horizons, WTR rates (0, 25, 50, and 100 g kg(-1)), and depths of WTR incorporation (mixed throughout the soil column or partially incorporated) on P leaching were determined. Between 62 and 77% of total P was released from the soil mixes by successive water extractions, suggesting a considerable buffering capacity of this manure-impacted soil to resupply P into solution. Between 224 and 408 mg kg(-1) P were leached during the 36-wk leaching period in the absence of WTR. Mixing WTRs with soil reduced soluble P concentration in leachates by as much as 99.8% compared with samples without WTR. Thoroughly mixing WTR with the entire soil column (15 cm) was much more efficient than mixing WTR with only the top 7.5 cm of soil. Calcium- and Mg-P forms appear to control P release in soils without WTR, whereas sorption-desorption reactions probably determine P leaching in WTR-treated samples. Soil P distribution in various chemical forms was affected by WTR additions. Data suggest that WTR-immobilized P is stable in the long term.

Bioavailability of labile and desorption‐resistant phenanthrene sorbed to montmorillonite clay containing humic fractions

AbstractThe biodegradation of 14C‐labeled phenanthrene in the presence of particles of montmorillonite and fulvic and humic acid–montmorillonite complexes was studied in a batch system. A mathematical model that takes into account the contribution to mineralization by the slowly desorbing compound was used to calculate the initial mineralization rates. Sorption of phenanthrene to the particles was determined in sorption isotherms, and desorption was measured during successive water extractions. Mineralization rates in equilibrated suspensions were higher than predicted from aqueous equilibrium concentrations, and in some cases, montmorillonite and fulvic acid–montmorillonite complexes stimulated the phenanthrene transformation rates. In contrast with the high bioavailability exhibited by phenanthrene sorbed as a labile form, biodegradation of the desorption‐resistant phenanthrene occurred slowly and followed zero‐order kinetics, which indicated a limitation caused by slow desorption. The results suggest that the mechanism of sorption may cause a differential bioavailability of the sorbed compound.

Impact of soil-chemical interactions on the bioavailability of naphthalene and 1-naphthol

The bioavailability of sorbed naphthalene and 1-naphthol was determined for two sandy soils differing primarily in organic matter content. Different sorption conditions were maintained over a 2 d equilibration period to estimate the extent that oxidative coupling contributed to the strong binding of these compounds to the soils. Weakly sorbed test compounds were removed through 50 successive water extractions and the bioavailability of the remaining sorbed fraction was determined by the addition of aerobic, test compound-degrading bacteria to soil slurry reactors. Soils were then incubated under aerobic conditions for 90 d. Biodegradation rates were determined by monitoring 14CO 2 evolution and the soil-associated non-mineralized residue was measured by combustion of the soil after the 90 d period. Successive water extractions removed 38.7–64.3% of 1-naphthol and 62.4% of naphthalene from the high NOM soil and 67.2–82.9% of 1-naphthol and 72.3% of naphthalene from the low NOM soil. Of the remaining material, 5.7–16.9% of 1-naphthol and 73.3% of naphthalene in the high NOM soil and 3.7–6.0% of 1-naphthol and 34.2% of naphthalene in the low NOM soil was mineralized after 90 d. In contrast, >85% of both test compounds were mineralized in the absence of soil. Experimental evidence suggests that oxidative coupling reactions limited the bioavailability of 1-naphthol in both soils. Naphthalene bioavailability was not greatly limited because it can not directly participate in strong binding reactions.

Soil and waste analysis for environmental risk assessment in France

In France today, analysis of soil and waste after digestion by strong acids is a technique used for the estimation of environmental risks due to soil pollution and spreading of wastes on cultivated soils. The technique of digestion by strong acid accounts for total or ‘near total’ content of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn. Risk management based on these methods aims to minimize the risks, since the concentration limits are derived from the geochemical levels. However, this method of analysis gives no idea of the extent to which elements are really transferable or bioavailable. Analytical methods based on partial extraction are used to discern deficiencies in B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in soil. These extractions are carried out using boiling water and EDTA or DTPA solutions. The extraction methods have been standardized for use in agriculture, but have not been tested for assessing the risks due to the pollution by trace elements. One partial extraction method has been standardized for the analysis of wastes. It uses successive water extractions. Researchers have studied different partial extraction methods for estimating the bioavailability of mineral pollutants. Some of them gave results which correlated well with the amounts taken up by plants. However, at present, no general frame of reference has yet been established for the interpretation of results on a broad scale.

Availability of rice straw Si to rice plants

Abstract A pot experiment was conducted to estimate the availability to rice plants of Si contained in rice straw. To separate the effect of straw application on Si availability in soil, two kinds of rice straws, which contained 15.5% (+ Si straw) and 0.2% SiO2 (—Si straw), were used at a rate of 1% of air-dry soil, respectively. Rice plants were cultivated twice during a period of 2 months each. Results of the two harvests indicated that +Si straw application increased the Si concentration in the percolating water, the Si content of rice shoots, and soil-available silicate. However, compared to the Si contained in the added straw, the release of Si from the +Si straw was only about 6% in the first cultivation, and 3% in the second cultivation, respectively. The — Si straw application was not associated with any of the effects observed in the +Si straw application. Successive water extractions showed that the solubility of Si in the +Si straw was lower than that of silica gel, but much higher than that of opal. These facts suggest that the short term availability of Si in the straw applied to the soil is low and the application of materials with a higher availability of Si such as slags may be desirable for satisfactory growth of rice plant.