Turmeric Treatment Research Articles

Production Returns Of Cassava-Turmeric Inter-Cropping System In Calabar, Southern Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted in the 2019 and 2020 early cropping seasons at the University of Calabar Teaching and Research Farm, Calabar, Nigeria, to assess the profitability of inter-cropping cassava with turmeric. There were seven treatments: sole cassava, sole turmeric, cassava intercropped with turmeric at 66,666; 50,000; 40,000; 35,714 and 28,571 turmeric plants/ha, laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The cost implication of the technology was analyzed by computing the production cost, gross income, gross margin, benefit/cost ratio and percentage net returns of each treatment. Results showed that maximum cost was incurred by cultivating cassava with the highest turmeric density of 66,666 turmeric plants/ha (30 cm x 50 cm spacing of turmeric). The lowest average percentage net return of 29.34 % was obtained from sole turmeric treatment plot. The inter-crop mixture with the lowest turmeric population density of 28,571 plants/ha produced the highest percentage net return of 62.78 % on the 2 year- average, and could therefore be recommended for optimum cassava/turmeric intercrop produc

The Use of Some Plant-Based Natural Preservatives in the Preservation of Mango Fruits in Benue State, Nigeria

The shelf life of Dalsha, Peter, Broken mango (Mangifera indica L) species was extended using the extract of some natural preservatives such as Tumeric, Lemon grass and Neem Leaves. The result of the storage studies showed that Dalsha and Peter mangoes had a shelf life of 48 days each as against 8 and 9 days respectively while broken mango had a shelf life of 54 days as against 12 days for the control, result of the physiochemical characteristics showed that pH of the controlled fruit dropped from 3.85-2.91, 3.84-2.93 and 3.82-2.82 for Dalsha, Peter and Broken respectively. The pH value for each sample decreased with storage time. Titratable acidity (TA) showed a gradual decrease with storage time. Total soluble solids (TSS) increased with storage time. The sensory analysis reveals that turmeric treatment showed best scale point of 1 for all parameters whereas controlled samples showed poor scale point. Results of the weight loss indicates that fruits treated with the extract showed lower percentage weight loss as compared to the control generally, weight loss increased with storage time throughout the storage period. The antimicrobial sensitivity revealed that all the fungi and bacteria except Aspergillus Spp and Fasarium were susceptible to all the plant extracts. Thus, the use of natural preservatives (Turmeric, Lemon grass and Neem leaves extract) have shown to be a good and cheap alternative method of preventing post- harvest decay and loses through preservation and shelf life extension of the fruits upon treatment with the extract.

Effect of pH on the antibacterial properties of turmeric

Some spices have antimicrobial or antibacterial properties that people have already tested. For example, turmeric is a spice in the ginger family that has been shown to reduce bacterial growth. Turmeric has a wide variety of uses and has even been implemented in alternative medicine as a treatment for cancer, inflammation, osteoarthritis, and other diseases. The chemical properties of turmeric often changes depending on the temperature and pH, which could influence the efficacy of turmeric as an antibiotic. Thus, we tested the antimicrobial effects of turmeric under two different pHs to characterize this effect in vitro. While all turmeric treatments decreased bacterial growth, the acidic treatment appeared to have the strongest effect on inhibiting the growth of cultured bacteria. In conclusion, decreasing the pH of a solution of turmeric may increase antibacterial properties, an effect that should be studied further to better understand any potential antibacterial treatments.

EFFECT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENT GINGER AND TURMERIC POWDER ON JAPANESE QUAIL (COTURNIX JAPONICA) PERFORMANCE, CARCASS TRAITS AND BLOOD PARAMETERS

Completely randomized design were used as the quails were distributed to four feed treatments randomly (45 birds/ treatment) with three replications (15 birds/ replicate). Treatments were: basal diet without additives (control), basal diet with 5g/kg of ginger powder, basal diet with 5g/kg of turmeric powder and equal mixture of 10g/kg ginger and turmeric powder. Results showed all treatment additives significantly increased (p≤0.05) in live body weight with body weight gain. Feed intake until 21 days of age significantly decreased (p≤0.05) in turmeric treatment but as a whole study until 42 days of age, there were no considerable variations (p≤0.05) between treatments. Significant decrease (p≤0.05) of feed conversion ratio was occurred in turmeric treatment. Addition of ginger and turmeric significantly increased (p≤0.05) male and female eviscerated dressing percentage, breast percentage and back percentage. Inclusions ginger and turmeric powder significantly decreased (p≤0.05) blood cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL in both of males and females but HDL in males did not changed significantly (p≤0.05) while in females significantly reduced (p≤0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 5g/kg of ginger and 5g/kg turmeric powder either alone or as a mixture as an effective supplement could be used to enhance growth performance, carcass characteristics and blood lipids.

Insights on attenuating autophagy cellular and molecular pathways versus methotrexate-induced toxicity via liposomal turmeric therapy

BackgroundMethotrexate (MX), a competitive inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase, can inhibit DNA and RNA production and is a powerful anticancer agent widely utilized in clinical practice for treating nonneoplastic maladies, as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis; meanwhile, its probable prescription dose and interval of administration are strictly limited due to dose-related organ damage. Former studies verified that kidney, brain, liver, and lung harms are prospective obstacles of methotrexate administration. To understand the machinery of methotrexate-prompt toxicity, various mechanisms were investigated. The former is an autophagy defense mechanism; autophagy is a self-digesting mechanism responsible for the removal of damaged organelles and malformed proteins by lysosome. The contemporary article hypothesized that turmeric or its liposomal analog could defeat autophagy of MX-induced acute toxicity. Methotrexate, in a dose of 1.5 mg/kg, was administered intravenously followed by turmeric and liposomal turmeric treatment in a dose of 5 mg/kg for 30 days in rats. ResultsIncrement in autophagy (AUTP) consent by MX administration was attenuated by concurrent treatment via turmeric and liposomal turmeric that was reliable on the alteration in apoptotic markers. The assembly of FOXO-3 in serum post methotrexate administration was suppressed by concurrent treatment via liposomal turmeric. Apoptosis/autophagic marker investigation was evaluated through the gene expression of Bax (BCL2-associated X protein)/Bcl2 (B-cell lymphoma 2)/P53 (tumor protein P53)/SiRT-1 (sirtuin silent mating-type information regulation 2 homolog 1) and FOXO-3 (forkhead box transcription factor-3)/ERDJ-4 (endoplasmic reticulum localized DnaJ homologs)/BNP (brain natriuretic peptide B) signaling. The cell death of all cells was categorized to achieve autophagy. Interestingly, Bax/Bcl2/P53/SiRT-1 signaling pathways were downregulated, contributing to inhibiting the initiation of autophagy. Meanwhile, FOXO-3/BNP/ERDJ-4 reduction-implicated noncanonical autophagy pathways were involved in methotrexate-induced autophagy, whereas this change was suppressed when turmeric was administered in liposomal form. ConclusionThese outcomes recommended that liposomal turmeric prevents MX-induced acute toxicity through its autophagy, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic properties.

EFFECT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TURMERIC ROOT POWDER TO DIET ON SOME TRAITS OF BROILER EXPOSED TO HEAT STRESS

This study was carried out in the poultry field in Jadiriyah, affiliated with the Department of Animal Production / College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences - University of Baghdad. This experiment used 480 one-day-old, unsexed broiler chicks of the broiler breed (Ross-308) with an average weight of 39.8 g to investigate the effect of adding different levels of turmeric root (CURCUMA LONGA) (CURCUMA LONGA) powder to the diet on some characteristics and physiology of commercial broilers exposed to heat stress. Chicks were distributed randomly and equally between 4 treatments (120 chicks/treatment), and each treatment included 3 replicates, at a rate of (40 chicks/repeat). Chicks were fed on the starter, growth and final diet for up to 6 weeks, and at the end of the experiment, at 42 days old, 12 birds were selected from each treatment at a rate of 4/duplicate treatment. The birds were placed in their kennel within an isolated space in the breeding hall and exposed to a temperature of (36-39-42°C) for 3 hours. The results of the experiment showed a significant increase (P > 0.05) in total protein, albumin, globulin and high-density lipoprotein. The results also showed a significant decrease in cholesterol, LDL, VLDL, GOT enzyme level, sodium and potassium concentration, heterophil cells and the ratio (H/L), and turmeric treatments did not show a significant effect on basal, acidic and monocyte blood cells, and the results indicated a significant increase in the values of PCV and HDL cells. White blood, lymphocytes, chlorine concentration, GSH-PX and CAT enzyme levels in the blood. It can be concluded from this study that the addition of turmeric root powder at a rate of 6.5% has a positive effect on improving some physiological characteristics of broilers exposed to heat stress.

Investigating Anti-diabetic Effects of Autoclaved Curcuma longa Linn (turmeric) Extracts using Mouse Tissues in vitro

Curcumin, the active compound found in turmeric, is believed to delay the development of diabetes through several mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate if an aqueous extract of turmeric can improve glucose uptake and uric acid in mouse tissues in vitro, after inclusion of turmeric in the diet for four weeks. Fourteen adult male Swiss mice were divided into three groups. The first group was the control (n=6) that was given clean water, the second group of mice (n=4) was given 5% autoclaved turmeric extract in drinking water, and the third group (n=4) was given 5% non-autoclaved turmeric extract in drinking water. After four weeks, the cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreas, and liver tissues were dissected and used for analysis. The results showed that the aqueous 5% turmeric extract reduced glucose in cardiac tissues while the plasma glucose was not changed. Cardiac muscle, liver, pancreas, and skeletal muscle showed glucose absorption after the 5% turmeric treatment. This research shows that turmeric did improve glucose uptake in most tissues, although it was not significant due to the limitations of this study. Tissues may need to be cultured longer and media processed quicker to prevent evaporation. Turmeric continues to show great potential in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and may present an alternative way of treating diabetes.

The Effect of The Proportion of Turmeric Tamarind and Carrageenan on The Characteristics of Tamarind Jelly Drink.

This study aims to determine the effect of the proportion of turmeric acid and caragenan on the characteristics of jelly drink turmeric acid. This research was conducted using a factorial randomized block design (RAK) with the first factor being the turmeric and tamarind concentration treatment consisting of 3 levels, namely P1(75%: 25%), P2(50%:50%) P3(25%:75%) and the concentration of carrageenan consists of 3 levels, namely K1 (0.6%), K2 0, (8%), K3 (1.0%). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the ratio of carrageenan and turmeric acid on the pH value, viscosity, total dissolved solids, vitamin C, water content, antioxidants, and organoleptic tests (color, aroma, taste and texture) of jelly drink sour turmeric. Parameters The best treatment was jelly drink turmeric acid with turmeric acid concentration 75%: 25% and carrageenan concentration 1.0% which showed 0.16% vitamin, TPT 13.30 °Brix, pH 3.60, syneresis 6.95%, color value lightness 42.19, redness value –5.80, yellowness 23.71, aroma organoleptic 3.70 (neutral-slightly like), color organoleptic 3.90 (neutral-slightly like), taste organoleptic 4.70 (neutral - somewhat like), organoleptic texture 3.70 (neutral rather like).

Efficacy of Indigenous Crude Plant Extracts against Rice Weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. 1763 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a widely distributed and major insect pest of rice that causes considerable losses to both husked and unhusked rice grains. Plant-based pesticides are alternative to synthetic pesticides in managing stored product pests owing to their severe hazardous effects. Thus, locally available plant leaf crude extracts i.e., neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss 1830), turmeric (Curcuma longa L. 1753), and mint (Mentha longifolia L. Huds. 1762) were investigated at 2 % (w/w) concentration against S. oryzae in unhusked and husked rice. Adult mortality was recorded at 24, 48 hours, and seven days after the application whereas, population build-up was recorded at 1-, 2-, and 3-months intervals. Overall and grain weight loss was also recorded at the end of the experiment. In husked and unhusked rice, the highest mortality percentage was observed in turmeric powder (93.30 %) and neem (80.00 %), respectively. In comparison to plant extracts, relatively higher population growth of S. oryzae was recorded in control husked and unhusked rice. At the end of the 3rd month, the highest and lowest population in husked rice grains was recorded in control (70.67 ± 3.18) and turmeric treatments (18.00 ± 2.65), respectively, whereas control and neem treatments exhibited the highest (83.67 ± 3.28) and lowest (39.67 ± 2.33) populations in unhusked rice. The lowest grain weight loss in husked and unhusked rice was recorded in turmeric (9.33 %) and neem (16.67 %), respectively. Thus, turmeric and neem extracts should be investigated on large scale under commercial warehouses for the management of S. oryzae in husked and unhusked rice.

Effects of different polyphenol-rich herbal teas on reducing predicted glycemic index

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different polyphenol-rich herbal teas on reducing the in vitro starch digestibility of white bread and evaluation of predicted glycemic indexes. Generally, except for the goji berry treatment, all herbal teas reduced the starch digestibility and predicted glycemic index of white bread. Compared to untreated white bread, the rapidly digestible starch levels were decreased by 10% and 12% in the turmeric tea treatment. In addition, hydrolysis indexes were decreased by 12% and 10% in the black tea treatment compared to untreated white bread. The turmeric treatment on white bread reduced the predicted glycemic index more than other teas. It is thought that the curcumin in turmeric has more inhibitory effects on α-amylase activity than other teas. We also demonstrated that dietary polyphenols such as anthocyanins and catechins found in herbal teas might reduce starch digestion by inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase thereby lowering the glycemic index of foods.

The Effectiveness of Turmeric Enriched Pellets in Curing the Gill of Clarias batrachus Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila

Curcumin is an antibiotic agent extracted from Curcuma longa. To understand the effectiveness of curcumin in curing the gill of Clarias batrachus infected with Aeromonas hydrophila, a study was conducted from August to November 2020. There were 3 treatments applied, namely turmeric enriched pellets 0.7g/kg (P1); 0.9g/kg (P2) and 1.1g/kg (P3). Prior to the treatment, the fish was infected with A. hydrophila (0.1 m of A. hydrophila culture, 1.0x108cells/ml). The infected fish was kept for 6 days until the clinical signs of MAS disease occurred. By the 7th day, the fish was feed with turmeric enriched pellets. For negative control (Cn) the fish was not infected with A. hydrophila nor treated with turmeric, while the positive control (Cp) was infected, but no turmeric treatment. The fish was reared for 30 days and by the end of the experiment, the gill was removed and processed for histological study (5L sliced and HE stained). Result indicated that the gill of the negative control fish was normal, while that of the positive control shown abnormalities such as hemorrhages, necrotic cells, fused lamellae and enlarged cartilaginous cells. The turmeric treated fish shown less damage in the gill. The best results were obtained in C3, as the gill structure was almost normal with slightly hemorrhage. In the C1 and C2 treated fishes, the gill shown light abnormality such as fused lamella and hemorrhage. Data obtained shown that the consumption of turmeric enriched pellet was effective to cure the A. hydrophyla infected gill.

Effect of plant extracts and chemical fungicide on viability and percentage of seed-borne fungal infection on calliandra (Calliandra callothyrsus) seed

Calliandra (Calliandra callothyrsus) is one of the potential tree species that can be used as bio-energy resources. Unfortunately, fungi are one of the factors that can infect and decrease the viability of calliandra seeds. Some efforts are needed to improve the viability and inhibit fungal infection through biological or chemical treatments. The study was conducted to determine the effects of various plant extracts and chemical fungicide on the germination capability, as well as the inhibition of fungal infection in calliandra seeds. Parameters observed in this study were seed germination and fungi infection percentage. Seeds were treated by immersing them in hot water (five minutes) followed by chemical fungicides (i.e., benomyl, mancozeb) or plant extracts (i.e., ginger, onion, garlic, turmeric) for one hour. The study design used was a completely randomized design. The results showed that all the treatments could increase seed viability significantly. The treatment with immersion in onion, ginger and mancozeb was more effective on seed germination ability (88.67%, 8.33%, 86%) and reduced in fungal infections (11.33%, 5.33%, 0%). These treatments resulted in a significant difference between seed germination compared with the hot water and turmeric treatments. The best germination and reduction of fungal infection on calliandra seeds were showed on treatment by onion and mancozeb, respectively. The results revealed that garlic, onion, turmeric have a significant effect in inhibiting all fungal species compared to the hot water treatment. Ginger and onion extracts were effective treatments for increasing seed germination and controlling the fungal infection.

The evaluation of turmeric (Curcuma longa) supplementation within feed as an antioxidant towards growth performance of catfish Clarias gariepinus Burchell 1822 in zero water exchange condition

The objective of this research was to evaluate the supplementation of turmeric in the diet on antioxidant status and growth performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in zero water exchange condition. This study used a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. Each treatment consisted of feed supplementation turmeric at dosage of 0; 2.5; 5 or 7.5 g kg-1 diet. One hundred catfish juvenile (5.95±0.05 g) were stocked in intermediate bulk container (IBC) tank (1×1×1 m3) and rearing in zero water exchange condition for 60 days. Catfish were fed at satiation twice a day, in the morning and evening. The results showed that an increase in antioxidant content in catfish fed with the addition of turmeric, which simultaneously also reduced the percentage of liver damage. The parameters of liver damage can be seen from several parameters i.e. pale liver, droplet fat and fat content in the addition of turmeric treatment is lower than without the addition of turmeric. However, catfish fed with the addition of turmeric did not show significant results in terms of growth performances.

PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN TEPUNG KUNYIT DAN BETAIN PADA RANSUM TERHADAP BERAT KARKAS, TEBAL LEMAK PUNGGUNG DAN LOIN EYE AREA BABI FINISHER (Effect of Dietary Turmeric Flour and Betain Addition on Carcass Weight, Backfat Thickness and Loin Eye Area of Finisher Pig)

Antibiotic Growth Promoter (AGP) synthetic as a feed additive can stimulate growth, prevent some health problems, and improve feed efficiency. However, its journey has raised concerns due to adverse effects such as residues and microbial resistance. The use of turmeric flour and betaine as feed additives is expected to substitute the use of AGP Synthetic in improving the performance of pig carcasses and the safety of consumption. This study was aimed to examine the effect of the addition of turmeric flour and different doses of betaine in the ration on the performance of finisher period pigs. The study was conducted experimentally using a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replications. The objects of the study were 20 male and female finisher Landrace pigs with a finisher period with initial body weights of 55-66 kg/head. The study rations used were R0: basal ration, R1: R0 + 0.4% turmeric flour + 0.1% betaine, R2: R0 + 0.4% turmeric flour + 0.15% betaine and R3: R0 + 0.4% turmeric flour + 0.2% betaine. The parameters measured were carcass weight, backfat thickness, and loin eye area. The addition of turmeric flour treatment did not have any significant effects on carcass weight and thickness of the back fat of the pig. The addition of 0.4% turmeric flour and 0.15% betaine in the ration was the best treatment and resulted in a different effect on the loin eye area compared to that of R0, while treatment R1 and R3 had a similar effect on it. The result of the addition of 0.4% turmeric flour and 0.15% betaine resulted in the loin eye area of the finisher pig of 53.4 cm2

SYNERGIC EFFECT OF ADDING OR COMBINING EITHER RAW OR EXTRACTED PHYTOGENIC FEED ADDITIVES WITH PREBIOTIC ON PRODUCTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TREATS OF GROWING NEW ZEALAND WHITE RABBITS

A total number of ninety mixed sex growing New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits at age of 5 weeks and weighting 532 g were assigned randomly into six treatment groups, three replicates per treatment and 5 rabbits/replicate to study the synergic effects of combining either turmeric (as raw single phytogenic source) or Biostrong®510 (as purified extracted mixed phytogenic source) with mannan oligosaccharides; MOS (as prebiotic) on rabbit productive and physiological performance. The experimental period lasted for 8 weeks. The treatments were fed basal diet as control (C), basal diet plus 0.3 % turmeric (TU), basal diet plus 0.05 % Bio-mos® (BM), basal diet plus 0.015 % Biostrong® 510 (BS), basal diet plus 0.05 % Bio-mos +0.3 % turmeric (BM+ TU) and basal diet plus 0.05% Bio-mos +0.015 % Biostrong (BM+ BS). The study included the evaluation of growth performance, carcass traits, microbial examination, haematological indices, blood constituents, meat quality, histopathological and economical efficiency. The results revealed thatincrease body weight and body weight gain among all supplementation. The groups fed diets supplemented with either BM+TU or BM+BS recorded significantly higher body weight and body weight gain compared with control. The body weight gain increased significantly for groups fed BM+TU or BM+BS by 12.90 and 12.23%, respectively over control. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved significantly among all feed additives compared to control. Combining BM+TU or BM+BS improve FCR by 20.26 and 17.10 %, respectively compared to control. Also, dressing and total edible part percentage significantly increased for rabbits fed BM+TU or BM+BSmore than control by 11.11 and 8.52 % for dressing % and 6.95 and 6.76 % for total edible part %, respectively. Significant decreased observed in malondialdehyde value in meat for treatments TU and BM+TU compared to control and significant increase in glutathione peroxidase activity in treatmentsBM and BM+TU compared to control. Significantly increment in meat protein and significant reduction in meat cholesterolwere observed among all treatments compared to control. The lowest meat cholesterol value recorded by BM+BS and TU treatments. All feed additives recorded significantly reduction in pathogenic bacteria and significantly increased in beneficial bacteria. The economic evaluation showed improvement in relative economic efficiency by combining BM with TU or BS and achieved 138% and 131%, respectively. Conclusively, all feed additives were significantly improvement the productive and physiological treats for growing New Zealand white rabbits. Adding BM+ TU or BM + BS to growing rabbit diets recorded significantly the best value of productive and physiological treats and the higher economic efficiency compared to control.

Comparing the Effects of Different Natural Products on Reducing Tumor Growth in a Drosophila Model

Cancer is one of the main causes of death in the present day and due to side-effects on current chemotherapies there is a need for testing natural products in cancer studies. In this work, we compared the effects of common natural products, including sesame, cinnamon, garlic, moringa and turmeric. The tumor model was a comparison of “rough-eye” versus “smooth-eye” studied in Drosophila eye, which provides easy detection of the phenotypes via simple microscopy. Our data showed that these natural products cannot be used to reduce tumors once it has completely formed. However, our data confirmed that these natural products can be used to reduce cancer cell growth when treated early. Moringa and sesame helped reduce tumor size when used in right concentrations. Our study also revealed a 15% moringa solution is the best candidate, of the ones tested, to prevent tumors. Flies treated with moringa showed longer eye lengths and widths compared to the control sample and close to healthy wild flies. For the flies treated with moringa, the number of flies with smooth-eye and uniform ommatidia increased with natural product concentration until 15% and decreased at 20%. Garlic, turmeric and cinnamon products did not show much efficacy on the tumor reduction. Though turmeric treatment did not prevent cancer, it helped increase the lifespan compared to control samples and other natural products.

Blood optical absorption of rats with hepatic damage and turmeric treatment: Methemoglobin analysis

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) is singled out by its capability to resolve the optical absorption spectra of each element, of a multicomponent system, by the named phase resolved method. The possibility of the use of this method is due to the fact that the Photoacoustic signal is not only sensitive to the optical absorption of the sample as well as the non-radiative relaxation times of its elements. In the present study we compare and analyze, by phase resolved method, Fisher rat blood in four groups: healthy rat blood, liver cancer rat blood, healthy rat blood given by a daily dose of Curcuma longa, and liver cancer rat blood given by a daily dose of Curcuma longa (turmeric), where the optical absorption spectra of the analyzed blood samples was obtained by PAS, in a wavelength range from 350 nm to 650 nm. Three repetitions of 60 μl of blood for each group was done. By using the phase resolved method a new optical absorption band suggestive of methemoglobin was found, observing the benefits of the intake of turmeric due to the fact that the optical absorption spectrum of the Cancer + turmeric group diminish 14% with respect to the Cancer group, anticipating a lower concentration of methemoglobin in blood.

A transcriptomic analysis of turmeric: Curcumin represses the expression of cholesterol biosynthetic genes and synergizes with simvastatin

The spice turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) has a long history of use as an anti-inflammatory agent. The active component curcumin induces a variety of diverse biological effects and forms a series of degradation and metabolic products in vivo. Our hypothesis is that the field of toxicogenomics provides tools that can be used to characterize the mode of action and toxicity of turmeric components and to predict turmeric-drug interactions. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 4 days with turmeric root containing about 3% curcumin (comparable to what people consume in the fresh or dried root) or a fraction of turmeric enriched for curcumin (∼74%) and liver tissue collected for gene expression analysis. Two doses of each agent were added to the diet, corresponding to 540 and 2700 mg/kg body weight/day of turmeric. The transcriptomic effects of turmeric on rat liver tissue were examined using 3 programs, ToxFx Analysis Suite, in the context of a large drug database, Ingenuity Pathway and NextBio analyses. ToxFx analysis indicates that turmeric containing about 3% or 74% curcumin represses the expression of cholesterol biosynthetic genes. The dose of 400 mg/kg b.w./day curcumin induced the Drug Signature associated with hepatic inflammatory infiltrate. Ingenuity analysis confirmed that all 4 turmeric treatments had a significant effect on cholesterol biosynthesis, specifically the Cholesterol biosynthesis superpathway and Cholesterol biosynthesis 1 and 2. Among the top 10 up or downregulated genes, all 4 treatments downregulated PDK4; while 3 treatments downregulated ANGPTL4 or FASN. These findings suggest curcumin may enhance the anticancer effects of certain classes of statins, which we confirmed with biological assays. Given this enhancement, lower levels of statins may be required, and even be desirable. Our findings also warn of possible safety issues, such as potential inflammatory liver effects, for patients who ingest a combination of certain classes of statins and curcumin. Transcriptomic analysis suggests that turmeric is worthwhile to study to prevent and treat cancer and lipid disorders. Our approach lays new groundwork for studies of the mode of action and safety of herbal medicines and can also be used to develop a methodology to standardize herbal medicines.

Comparison of antimicrobial effects of chlorine and spice oleoresins on frozen Euthynnus affinis

The ability of natural antimicrobial preservatives to decontaminate tuna has been compared with that of chlorine in the present study. The physicochemical parameters and microbiological changes were monitored to understand the variation in quality of tuna after treatments. No difference between spice and chlorine treatments were observed in the electrophoresis patterns of thaw drip. Thus, the treatments did not have any observable effect on the fish proteins during frozen storage in the range of spice extract (0.2%) used. Drip loss from tuna samples after 6 months of frozen storage also did not show any significant difference from control except turmeric treated tuna. Protein leaching was also highest in turmeric treatment. The total plate count of the spice treated samples showed a marked decrease over the six month storage at-20°C. Statistical analysis showed significant difference in the bacterial count at all stages of storage (p<0.05) in the control as well as treated samples. The highest reduction of total plate count by clove treatment was also explained by its highest antimicrobial activity as compared to other spices. Thus, clove treatment may provide better microbial safety than chlorine with an added advantage of creating ‘green label ’for the tuna product

Control of Sprouting of Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) and Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) using African Cardamon (Aframomum danielli), Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)

This study investigated the effects of the aqueous extracts of Aframomum danielli, Turmeric and Clove in sprouting of yam (Dioscorea rotundata) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). The sliced tubers were dipped into the aqueous extracts of A. danielli, turmeric and Clove, each at concentrations of 5%, 10% and 15%. The tubers were allowed to stand in the solution for 5 and 10 minutes. Distilled water was used in the control samples. The yam slices were air dried after removal from the liquids, placed in paper boxes and incubated at room temperature (28.9 ± 4.0°C) and Relative Humidity of 44.6 ± 18.4 % for a period of six weeks (Bibah, 2014). Weight loss was determined by finding the difference between the initial and final weights and expressed as percentage weight loss. The results indicated that Turmeric treatments at different concentrations of 5%, 10% and 15% were more effective in reducing sprouting index at 5 minutes treatment time with values of 1.79%; 3.00% and 3.02% respectively. Clove treatment at 15%, 10% and 15% A. danielli treatment were more effective in controlling sprouting at 10 minutes treatment time for the yam tubers. There was no clear distinction in the effectiveness of each of aqueous extract of A. danielli, Turmeric and Clove in controlling sprouting at 5 and 10 minutes treatment time for sweet potato tubers.