Thai Name Research Articles

BROTH: The Broad Recommender Ontology for Thai Herbs

With Thailand rapidly embracing digital technology, this paper explores how to bridge the gap between traditional Thai herbal remedies and modern healthcare practices. Thai herbs possess a vast array of medicinal properties, from anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial to antioxidant and pain-relieving. This research introduces the Broad Recommender Ontology for Thai Herbs (BROTH), a comprehensive database designed to encompass various aspects of these herbs. BROTH incorporates botanical data, local Thai names, medicinal uses, recommended plant parts, preparation methods, and even local market availability. Furthermore, a smartphone application utilizing BROTH has been developed as a recommender system. Users can search for herbs in Thai using text or voice recognition. The app then connects them with local vendors selling the desired herbs. This project aims to achieve a dual benefit: improving the health of Thai citizens, particularly the elderly, while simultaneously supporting local herb farmers. The System Usability Score (SUS) administered to 75 users resulted in a score of 83.6, which shows high usability. The BROTH recommender system has the potential to positively impact both public health and local businesses in Thailand.

ISLAMIC HISTORY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: PATTANI

This writing aims to describe the arrival of Islam in Pattani , describe the spread of Islam in Pattani , anddescribe the problems of Muslims in Thailand. The method used is descriptive, namely describing andconstructing data obtained from various reading sources, both in the form of journals and books. After that, thedata and findings are then analyzed and then described in the form of descriptions, words so that theybecome discussions and findings. The results of the discussion are Hikayat Patani which explains thebeginning of the formation of the Patani Sultanate , in his writings it is explained that when the King of Pataninamed Phaya Tu Nakpa fell ill the third time. Someone from Pasai Syekh Said on that occasion promised toheal the King on condition that the King was ready to accept Islam as his religion. During the third illness, theking really followed what he promised, then the king embraced Islam. The entry of the king into Islam wassimultaneously followed by the people of Patani who believed that the king's religion was the religion of thepeople. With the King's Islam, the king changed his name to the name Sultan Ismail Shah. The process ofentering Islam in South Pattani Thailand is through trade, social culture and teaching. According to popularhistorians, Islam entered Pattani through trade routes. Because trade through the Indian Ocean and the SouthChina Sea began in the 10th century and grew until the 11th century AD. The problems of Muslims in Thailandare inseparable from the problems faced by Malay Muslims in the south. They are required to wear non-Malayclothing and adopt Thai names if they wish to attend government schools or seek employment in governmentservice.

What’s in a Name? An Ethnosemantic Study of Muslim Mosque Names in Southern Thailand

Religious faith tends to vacillate in multicultural societies where religion influences social behavior and culture. However, this study has found a vividly different experience in Thailand’s four multicultural southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Songkla. These areas are notable for their high level of political and religious violence. This study is conducted via an ethnosemantic approach to find out how the Islamic faith culture echoed from their mosque names remains stable in those four provinces where religious and ethnic conflict is a daily experience. The sample comprises 1,637 Muslim mosque names of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Songkla. Muslim mosque names used in those four provinces were collected and analyzed. It was found that Muslim mosques in the four multicultural provinces are named through varied naming strategies with Arabic, Malay dialect, and Thai, respectively and four syllabic names are mostly found. In terms of meaning, the mosque names are directly related to God (called Allah in Arabic) as well as Allah’s last savant, Prophet Muhammad. Those names are also related to good deeds, virtue, and harmony. The meanings of the names show Muslims remain faithful to Allah and his last savant despite the surrounding turmoil. However, some Thai names which are not Muslim names were also found in the study. This variant is probably due to the language contact phenomenon occurring in these four provinces.

Microwave-assisted extraction and content determination of astilbin in Lysiphyllum strychnifolium stems

Lysiphyllum strychnifolium (Craib) A. Schmitz. (in Thai name, Ya nang daeng) has been traditionally used to treat fever, alcohol intoxication, cancer, allergies, and blood toxins. It can be used as a health-promoting herbal tea and contains hydroalcoholic extracts. The purpose of the present study was to develop a microwave-assisted extraction method for astilbin in L. strychnifolium stems. HPLC was used to determine astilbin content. Three extraction conditions were optimized: types of solvent, microwave power levels, and the number of extraction cycles. Water:methanol (40:60) was the best solvent for astilbin extraction from L. strychnifolium stems using 450 watts and six microwave-assisted extraction cycles. This technique offers important advantages over conventional methods, such as shorter extraction times, substantial energy savings, and a reduced environmental burden.

Isolation, Characterization and Phytochemical Evaluation of Active Compound Coumarin from Oldenlandia corymbosa (Linn)

Medicinal plants have served through ages, as a constant source of medicaments for the exposure of a variety of diseases. Plants are known to provide cures for various human illnesses and are a rich source of phyto constituents having diversified pharmacological properties. Oldenlandia corymbosa (L.) (syn. Hedyotis corymbosa Lam., Thai name Ya-Lin-Ngu), a member of the family Rubiaceae, is widely distributed in tropical regions of Asia. The decoction of whole plants is used in traditional medicine for antipyretic purposes to decrease body temperature. Pharmacologically, the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective properties of plant extracts have been reported. This plant is well known to contain mainly iridoid glucosides. The whole plant contains reducing sugars, amino acids, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides and alkaloids. The present aim of the study is to extraction and isolation of bioactive compound from Oldenlandia corymbosa (L.). The isolation and characterization analysis included, Thin Layer Chromatography, High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography, GC-MS and Spectroscopy studies (IR, NMR, and MASS). The presences of coumarin in the methanolic fraction revealed that the isolated constituent is most active compound. Isolation of bioactive compound coumarin may help in identification of various pharmacological activities and carrying out further research in Oldenlandia corymbosa (L.).

Karyotype analysis of three species of Allium (Amaryllidaceae) from Thailand

Abstract. Saensouk S, Saensouk P. 2021. Karyotype analysis of three species of Allium (Amaryllidaceae) from Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 3458-3466. Comprehensive karyotype analysis of three species of Allium from Thailand has not been reported. This work aims to study karyotype analysis of three species of Allium from Thailand. It is confusing due to the use of the common name or local name or local Thai name and morphologies. The karyotype analysis of three species with two variations in the genus Allium from Thailand were studied from root tips and observed under a microscope then karyotype was obtained from 10 metaphase plates. The chromosome numbers of them were found 2n = 16. The karyotype formulas of them were constructed as 14m + 2st (Allium ascalonicum L. or shallot), 12m + 2sm + 2st (A. cepa L. or onion), 10m + 6sm (1 sat) (A. cepa L. or red onion), 10m + 4sm + 2st (A. sativum L. or big garlic or Chinese garlic) and 8m + 6sm + 2st (A. sativum L. or small garlic or Thai garlic). Chromosome structure differences among the three species appeared in the number of m, sm and st chromosomes and the satellites at the end of the short arm of A. cepa L. (red onion). This is new data on chromosome structure of the genus Allium. Moreover, the karyotype formulas, chromosome structures and satellites of this study should be used for classification of Allium from Thailand.

Immunochromatographic assay for the detection of kwakhurin and its application for the identification of Pueraria candollei var. mirifica (Airy Shaw & Suvat.) Niyomdham

The plant Pueraria candollei var. mirifica (Airy Shaw & Suvat.) Niyomdham (PM), known by its common Thai name as white Kwao Krua, is sometimes misidentified because it presents similar botanical characteristics to those of Butea superba (red Kwao Krua). The phytochemicals in PM are phytoestrogens in the class of isoflavonoids, but Butea superba contains flavonoids that exhibit androgenic and antiestrogen effects. This research aims to develop a simple analytical method for identification and to differentiate PM from red Kwao Krua and other Pueraria species. A gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay (ICA) was developed for the detection of kwakhurin (Kwa), a unique compound found in PM. The parameters, including sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and specificity, were validated. All samples were analyzed using ICA and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detector (HPLC-UV). The results of the two methods were compared for consistency checking. The cutoff limit of Kwa detection was 160 ng/mL, which was lower than in the HPLC-UV method. The repeatability and reproducibility of the ICA preparation and assembly showed high precision. The cross-reactivity to related isoflavonoids was less than 0.32%, which implied high specificity of the ICA for Kwa. Moreover, false-positive and false-negative results from other plant extracts were not observed. The developed ICA is applicable for distinguishing PM from red Kwao Krua and other Pueraria species. This simple analytical method can be applied for the identification of raw PM materials in the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Taxonomic Notes on the 'Mahat' (Artocarpus lacucha and A. thailandicus, Moraceae) Species Complex in Thailand.

‘Mahat’ is a well-known medicinal plant utilized in Thailand. The Thai name ‘Mahat’ has been used in many scientific articles for years. However, it is, unpredictably, a homonym of two scientific names in Flora of Thailand, i.e., A. lacucha and A. thailandicus. Additionally, both species are complex due to their high morphological variation. This causes difficulties in species identification especially when this Thai name is referred to as the scientific name for research publication, quality control of pharmaceutical raw materials, and registration of pharmaceutical products. In this study, we scrutinized the taxonomy of ‘Mahat’ by detailed examination of its morphology and distribution, including molecular and qualitative phytochemical studies. Leaf surfaces were inspected using scanning electron microscopy. The phylogeny of both species was studied using DNA sequences of nuclear and plastid regions. Chromatographic fingerprints, focusing on the major active compound oxyresveratrol, were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography. According to our current study, phylogenetic evidence showed that some samples of both species were clustered together in the same clade and phytochemical fingerprints were almost identical. These results are valuable data for taxonomic revision in the near future and reveal the possible utilization of A. thailandicus as a new material source of oxyresveratrol in the pharmaceutical industry.

Ornamental plants for Thai gardening based on Thai beliefs

According to Thai beliefs, the function of ornamental plants in Thai gardens is not only to provide beauty, but also to bring auspiciousness. Good fortune, well-being, fame, and prosperity are things for which believers hope by growing certain species. This kind of belief originates either in Thailand, which could vary between regions of the country, or from other countries. Thus, auspicious plants in Thai belief are either indigenous or introduced plants. The auspiciousness of most ornamental plants often comes from favorable meanings of their names. In addition, some plants are considered auspicious because of their characters. For example, pomegranate is commonly grown as an ornamental plant for its Thai name “Tubtim”, which means the precious gemstone ruby, referring to its seeds, which are surrounded by deep-red pulp. Its large number of seeds is interpreted as bearing many offspring. Many Thai people still believe in auspicious plants and try to use them in their gardens, while avoiding inauspicious plants as much as possible.

Central Lisu

Lisu (ISO 639-2 lis) is spoken by just over a million members of the group of this name in south-western China, north-eastern Burma, northern Thailand and north-eastern India. It formerly also had other names used by outsiders, including Yeren (Chinese yeren ‘wild people’), and Yawyin in Burma and Yobin in India (both derived from the Chinese term). Other names included Lisaw from the Shan and Thai name for the group, also seen in the former Burmese name Lishaw. About two-thirds of the speakers live in China, especially in north-western Yunnan Province, but also scattered elsewhere in Yunnan and Sichuan. About a quarter live in the Kachin State and the northern Shan State in Burma, with a substantial number in Chiangmai, Chiangrai and other provinces of Thailand, and a few thousand in Arunachal Pradesh in India. It is also spoken as a second language by many speakers of Nusu, Anung, Rawang and others in north-western Yunnan and northern Burma. Lisu has almost completely replaced Anung in China and is replacing Lemei in China. The Lisu are one of the 55 national minorities recognised in China, one of 135 ethnic groups recognised in Burma, a scheduled (officially listed and recognised) tribe in India, and one of the recognised hill tribe groups of Thailand. Figure 1 shows a map of the area where Lisu is spoken.

Mechanical Properties of Herbal Patches from Chitosan-Based Polymer Blends for Medical Applications

Recently, Thai herbs are widely used as medicine to treat some illnesses. Zingiber cassumunar Roxb., known by the Thai name “Plai”, is a popular anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic herbal body and muscle treatment. This research aimed to prepare herbal patches that incorporated the 3 g of crude Z. cassumunar oil. The herbal patches made from different polymer blends were 2 g of 3.5%w/v chitosan and 5 g of 20%w/v hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), or 2 g of 3.5%w/v chitosan and 5 g of 20%w/v polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using 2 g of glycerin as a plasticizer. They were prepared by mixing all ingredients in a beaker and produced by solvent casting method in hot air oven at 70±2oC. The completed herbal patches were evaluated for their mechanical properties including Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength, elongation at break, T-peel strength, and tack adhesion. The thickness of blank and herbal patches was 0.263-0.282 mm and 0.269-0.275 mm, respectively. Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength, elongation at break, T-peel strength, and tack adhesion were 104.73-142.71 MPa, 87.92-93.28 MPa, 154.39-174.98 %, 3.43-4.88 MPa, and 5.29-7.02 MPa, respectively, for blank patches, and 116.83-147.28 MPa, 89.49-100.47 MPa, 133.78-159.27 %, 2.01-3.98 MPa, and 4.03-5.19 MPa, respectively, for herbal patches. We prepared herbal blended patches made from chitosan/PVA or chitosan/HPMC polymer matrix blends incorporating the crude Z. cassumunar oil. They had good mechanical properties that might be developed for herbal medicinal application.

Genetics Analysis and Heritability of Fruit Characters in Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) Using Extreme Parental Differences

Taeng-Thai is the Thai name for oriental pickling melon or muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) which is a Cucumis species. Based on consumption as Thai traditional dessert, fruit characters at ripening stage are very important to improve the muskmelon cultivar. Understanding the genetic control of fruit traits is the key to a successful for crop improvement. Research aimed to determine the genetic effects, number of genes and heritability of fruit characters in muskmelon. The results have shown that both additive and dominant effects governed for fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width and fruit thickness with the number of gene as 40.26, 1.55, 10.70 and 11.10 genes, respectively. Simple phenotypic correlation coefficients shown, had a significant positive correlation among the four fruit traits. Due to the quantitative inheritance of fruit characters, quantitative traits loci (QTL) mapping of those traits were necessary to identify all controlling genes of fruit traits in further muskmelon improvement.

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Mitragynine in Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa) by GC-MS, LC-MS/MS and UPLC-PDA

In 2011, emergency rooms on theWest Coast had patients showing up with opiate/heroin withdrawal symptoms from Kratom. Mitragyna speciosa, or Korth (Thai name Kratom; Rubiaceae) is a medical plant native to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries and is presently illegal in Thailand and other European countries [1]. In the United States, Kratom is readily available via the internet and local retail stores.The leaves of Mitragyna speciosa consist of two primary active alkaloids: Mitragynine 66.2%, and 7 -hydroxy-7H-mitragynine 2.0%, and three indole alkaloids: Paynantheine 8.6%, Speciogynine 6.6%, and Speciociliatine 0.8%. Since mitragynine is one of the major constituent of Kratom, mitragynine is used as the marker compound for the identification and quantitation of Kratom in a variety of products.This study describes methodology for the qualitative identification and quantitation of Kratom in dierent types of products such as but not limited to: powders, liquids, and spent-leaf materials. A quick methanolic based extraction procedure was used in combination with two instrument techniques: 1) GC/MS and/or LC-MS/MS for the initial screening and spectral confirmation of mitragynine in Kratom and quantitation via UPLC/PAD; 2) LC-MS/MS. Two dierent mass spectrometry systems were employed for confirmation/quantitation to permit flexibility within the regulatory laboratory for sample analysis.A mitragynine solvent standard was used for the comparative identification of Kratom and quantitation was reported based on the level of mitragynine in the product tested. Due to the low concentration of the mitragynine stock standard (100 mug/mL) and the high level of mitragynine in the products tested, traditional spiking of the standard via a wet/dry spike into a negative control was not feasible. Solvent based calibrationcurves were used for the quantitation of mitragynine in Kratom by UPLC/PDA and LC-MS/MS. Validation was performed by characterizing a Kratom product purchased via the internet. This positive control was extracted seven times over three days and analyzed by all three analytical techniques: GC/MS, LC-MS/MS and UPLC/PDA. The UPLC/PDA data demonstrated a mean value of 1.041% (n=21, 4.2%) and the LC-MS/MS 1.140% (n=14, 6.81%) for mitragynine in the positive control. This positive control was extracted and analyzed in duplicate with every analytical batch.https://doi.org/10.21423/jrs-v03n02p001 (DOI assigned 8/7/2019)

ENGLISH LEARNING DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS IN AN AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY COURSE

This research was designed to assess the development of English ability in agricultural students in an agricultural machinery course. The participants were second year students in the Crop Production major of the Agricultural Technology Faculty, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Thailand in the academic year 2/2014. This research ran from January to April 2015. There were forty five students studying agricultural machinery. At the first meeting of the class, they were each given a one-hour pre-test to assess their ability in English. There were 100 questions and pictures. The questions and pictures of the pre-test and the post-test were the same and both tests were administered by the same researcher. The questions were recommended by three lecturers who are experts in agricultural machinery, research and English. For every question, there was a picture with the Thai name of that picture. Students then had to write the name in English. The questions covered topics such as tillage, planting, crop protection and fertilizing, as well as harvesting and processing equipment. The questions were divided into three parts: multiple choice, check list and essay. This class met twice a week for two hours each class. At the final meeting, participants were given a post-test to assess any changes. After that, the lecturer shared the answers with the students. The statistics applied in this research were frequency, percentage and mean. There were forty five students made up of sixteen males and twenty nine females. The all student average mean of the pre-test was 20.36 and the post-test was 81.6. The all student average improvement was 61.24. The average improvement for the males was 62.06 and for the females was 60.79. There was a significant difference between pre-test and post- test at a .05 level of significance.

Development of Microemulsion of Phytosteryl Glycoside in DMSO and Tween 20 for Increase Antiamoebic Activity

Peperomia pellucida (Piperaceae) of Thai name “Phak kra sang” is medicinal plant. They are eaten in a salad or as cooked vegetable for protected glaucoma, eye inflammation. Recently, The methanol fraction of P. pellucida was tested for antiamoebic effect. Acanthamoeba spp. are protozoa, free-living in the environment and feed on bacteria. Acanthamoeba spp. are the causative agents of Acanthamoeba keratitis. P. pellucida is medicinal plants, and was interesting for studied antiamobic. The separation by column chromatography (CC) used organic solvent of methanol and ethyl acetate (3:7) gave phytosteryl glycoside (PG). Acanthamoeba spp. was cultured in normal saline and PG is organic compound which was poor soluble in normal saline. This study was developed microemulsion (ME) of PG for effective of antiamoebic activity. Pseudo-ternary phase diagram used for identify ME region. The consisting of ME were dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Tween 20, water and PG. Formulations were prepared with prior mixture of DMSO: Tween20 (co-surfactant: surfactant) in four volume ratio 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 which is each of ratio of Smix. PG was concentrated in 200μg/ml in ethanol. Forming of colloids used Smix in ratios 3:1and 4:1.The stability of ME was ratio was PG: Smix water (1: 9: 4.5). The optimized ME formulation and characterized by zeta potential were found to be 121-397 nm, and conductivity-7.0 mV. Under light microscope ME was absorbed into the endocyst of Acanthamoeb spp., and detected the dead cysts by staining of toluidine blue. IC50 showed 0.88 μg/ml for antiamoebic activity.

Immunomodulatory activity of Dioscorea membranacea Pierre rhizomes and of its main active constituent Dioscorealide B

BackgroundThe rhizomes of Dioscorea membranacea Pierre, also called Hua-Khao-Yen by Thai name, are used as ingredients in many Thai traditional medicines for the alternative or complementary treatment of cancer and AIDs. Preliminary in vitro studies have indicated that D. membranacea extracts exhibited high cytotoxic activity with several cancer cell lines, but the underlining mechanisms are far from clear. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of ethanolic and aqueous crude extracts from D. membranacea Pierre, and pure compound from D. membranacea Pierre, Dioscorealide B, on natural killer cells activity and on lymphocyte proliferation.MethodsImmunomodulatory activity was investigated using PBMCs from healthy donors. NK cells activity was performed by the chromium release assay using PBMCs as effector cells, and K562 cells line labelled with chromium as target cells. Lymphocyte proliferation was determined by 3H-thymidine uptake. The degree of activation was expressed as the stimulation index.ResultsThe crude ethanolic extracts of D. membranacea Pierre significantly stimulated NK cells activity against K562 cells line at lower concentrations of 10 and 100 ng/ml, but not at higher concentrations. The ethanolic extracts showed no observable effect on lymphocyte proliferation. The crude water extracts significantly increased NK cell activity at concentrations of 10 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml, 1 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml, and also activated lymphocyte proliferation at concentration of 1 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml, 1 μg/ml, 5 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml. However, Dioscorealide B had no significant effect at lower concentrations (0–1 μg/ml and 0–0.1 μg/ml, respectively) on NK cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation. In fact higher concentrations (>10 μg/ml and >0.5 μg/ml) of Dioscorealide B cause a significant decrease in NK cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation.ConclusionsD. membranacea Pierre stimulated NK cells activity and lymphocyte proliferation, but Dioscorealide B either had no effect, and at higher concentrations decreased NK cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation. Our results suggest that both extracts of D. membranacea Pierre significantly increases immune function, but the underlining mechanism is not clearly understood.

Neurite Outgrowth and Neuroprotective Effects of Quercetin fromCaesalpinia mimosoidesLamk. on Cultured P19-Derived Neurons

Quercetin has been isolated for the first time from ethyl acetate extract of Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk. C. mimosoides Lamk. (Fabaceae) or Cha rueat (Thai name) is an indigenous plant found in mixed deciduous forest in northern and north-eastern parts of Thailand. Thai rural people consume its young shoots and leaves as a fresh vegetable, as well as it is used for medicinal purposes.The antioxidant capacity in terms of radical scavenging activity of quercetin was determined as IC50 of 3.18 ± 0.07 µg/mL, which was higher than that of Trolox and ascorbic acid (12.54 ± 0.89 and 10.52 ± 0.48 µg/mL, resp.). The suppressive effect of quercetin on both purified and cellular acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymes was investigated as IC50 56.84 ± 2.64 and 36.60 ± 2.78 µg/mL, respectively. In order to further investigate the protective ability of quercetin on neuronal cells, P19-derived neurons were used as a neuronal model in this study. As a result, quercetin at a very low dose of 1 nM enhanced survival and induced neurite outgrowth of P19-derived neurons. Furthermore, this flavonoid also possessed significant protection against oxidative stress induced by serum deprivation. Altogether, these findings suggest that quercetin is a multifunctional compound and promising valuable drugs candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of Thunbergia laurifolia Lindl. and its related species

Thunbergia laurifolia Lindl. is an important herb in Thai folk medicine that has been widely used as an antidote, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic. However, counterfeits of T. laurifoliahave been commonly found in Thai herbal markets and have arisen based on their similarity in appearance and shared common names. Flowers of plants belonging to Thunbergiaspp., including T. laurifolia, Thunbergia grandiflora and Thunbergia erecta, look similar to each other, which often cause confusion when identifying these species. Moreover, there is another group of plants with names that share a similar common Thai name, “Rang Chuet”, which includes a Curcuma sp., Rinorea sp., Crotalaria spectabilis, and T. laurifolia. In this study, we developed a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method to facilitate the rapid detection of these medicinal materials. Out of 80 screened primers, nine gave clear and reproducible RAPD patterns. Among 164 amplified bands, 70 bands were polymorphic in six species. The dendrogram was constructed using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA), and the genotypes were differentiated into three main groups. The RAPD profiles of six species showed low similarity indices (0.1235 to 0.3137), whereas the genetic relationship was associated with the botanical characterization. These results indicate that RAPD is a useful tool for differentiating T. laurifolia from its related species. Key words: Acanthaceae, DNA fingerprint, molecular characterization, random amplified polymorphic DNA, Thunbergia laurifolia.

The Land and the Economics of Sustainability

In 1998, the New York-Bangkok-Berlin-based artist Rirkrit Tiravanija and the Thai artist Kamin Lertchaiprasert purchased an area of rice fields near the village of Sanpatong, on the outskirts of the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Their stated intent was “to cultivate a place of and for social engagement,” to be realized through a thread of activities and intersecting practices.1 Dubbed The Land (an inexact translation of the Thai name, which means “the rice field”), its physical site comprises two working rice fields cultivated by local farmers and students from the nearby university. An artist-residency program allows students (who stay either at the site or in Chiang Mai) to produce artworks and engage in dialogue with a fluctuating roster of visiting artists and academics, including Tiravanija and, more frequently, Lertchaiprasert, who, unlike his colleague, lives in Thailand full-time.

NMR spectroscopic investigations of substituted dineolignans from Manglietia garrettii

As part of the search for novel lignan compounds from Magnoliaceae with potential pharmacological activity and with chemotaxonomic interest, the leaves of Manglietia garrettii CRAIB (Thai name montha doi) grown in the temperate house of the botanical garden in Graz were phytochemically examined. In addition to the four known neolignans magnolol, honokiol, 5′-methylhonokiol, and obovatol two new isomeric neolignans, garrettilignan A and garrettilignan B, were isolated from the dichloromethane extract and their structures were determined by NMR spectroscopy and MS. Each of the two new compounds comprised 54 carbon atoms in six phenyl propane units, three terminal 4-allylphenol subunits, two 4-allyl-1,2,6-trihydroxyphenyl subunits together with a 4-trihydroxypropyl-1,2,6-trihydroxyphenol. As five subunits were connected via arylether bridges, a constitutional analysis with HMBC experiments was not possible. Instead, a combination of chemical modification (acetylation), which revealed the positions of three phenolic hydroxyl groups, HMBC and selective NOE experiments was used to determine the connections of the subunits in garrettilignans A and B. Common feature of both compounds is a core built up of two obovatol units, one of them is substituted by two additional 4-allylphenol moieties. The difference between these isomeric compounds is found in the linkage of the two obovatol units. In conclusion, garrettilignans A and B belong to the rare class of substituted dineolignans.