Effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts and its bioactive compound gallic acid on reducing toxicities of heavy metals and metalloid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

From 'Farm to Fork': Exploring the Potential of Nutrient-Rich and Stress-Resilient Emergent Crops for Sustainable and Healthy Food in the Mediterranean Region in the Face of Climate Change Challenges

In the dynamic landscape of agriculture and food science, incorporating emergent crops appears as a pioneering solution for diversifying agriculture, unlocking possibilities for sustainable cultivation and nutritional bolstering food security, and creating economic prospects amid evolving environmental and market conditions with positive impacts on human health. This review explores the potential of utilizing emergent crops in Mediterranean environments under current climate scenarios, emphasizing the manifold benefits of agricultural and food system diversification and assessing the impact of environmental factors on their quality and consumer health. Through a deep exploration of the resilience, nutritional value, and health impacts of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) such as quinoa, amaranth, chia, moringa, buckwheat, millet, teff, hemp, or desert truffles, their capacity to thrive in the changing Mediterranean climate is highlighted, offering novel opportunities for agriculture and functional food development. By analysing how promoting agricultural diversification can enhance food system adaptability to evolving environmental conditions, fostering sustainability and resilience, we discuss recent findings that underscore the main benefits and limitations of these crops from agricultural, food science, and health perspectives, all crucial for responsible and sustainable adoption. Thus, by using a sustainable and holistic approach, this revision analyses how the integration of NUS crops into Mediterranean agrifood systems can enhance agriculture resilience and food quality addressing environmental, nutritional, biomedical, economic, and cultural dimensions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with monoculture practices and bolstering local economies and livelihoods under new climate scenarios.

Homeopathic Formulations of Syzygium jambolanum Alleviate Glycation-Mediated Structural and Functional Modifications of Albumin: Evaluation through Multi-Spectroscopic and Microscopic Approaches

BACKGROUND

 The growing interest in identifying the mode of action of traditional medicines has strengthened its research. Syzygium jambolanum (Syzyg) is commonly prescribed in homeopathy and is a rich source of phytochemicals.

OBJECTIVE

 The present study aims to shed light on the anti-glycation molecular mechanism of Syzyg mother tincture (MT), 30c, and 200c on glycated human serum albumin (HSA) by multi-spectroscopic and microscopic approaches.

METHODS

 The phytochemicals and antioxidant potential of the Syzyg formulations were estimated by the high-performance liquid chromatography and spectroscopic technique, respectively. Glycation was initiated by incubating HSA with methylglyoxal, three Syzyg formulations, and the known inhibitor aminoguanidine in separate tubes at 37°C for 48 hours. The formation of glycation adducts was assessed by spectrofluorometer and affinity chromatography. The structural modifications were analyzed through circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, turbidity, 8-anilinonapthalene-1-sulfonic acid fluorescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Further, the formation of the aggregates was examined by thioflavin T, native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, the functional modifications of glycated HSA were determined by esterase-like activity and antioxidant capacity. The binding analysis of Syzyg formulations with glycated HSA was evaluated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR).

RESULTS

 Syzyg formulations MT, 30c, and 200c contained gallic acid and ellagic acid as major phytochemicals, with concentrations of 16.02, 0.86, and 0.52 µg/mL, and 227.35, 1.35, and 0.84 µg/mL, respectively. Additionally, all three formulations had remarkable radical scavenging ability and could significantly inhibit glycation compared with aminoguanidine. Further, Syzyg formulations inhibited albumin's structural and functional modifications. SPR data showed that Syzyg formulations bind to glycated HSA with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 1.10 nM.

CONCLUSION

 Syzyg formulations inhibited the glycation process while maintaining the structural and functional integrity of HSA.

Modification of cellulosic adsorbent via iron-based metal phenolic networks coating for efficient removal of chromium ion

Surface modification of durian rind cellulose (DCell) was done by utilizing the strong coordination effect of polyphenol-based metal phenolic networks (MPNs). MPNs from Fe(III)-tannic acid (FTN) and Fe(III)-gallic acid (FGN) were coated on DCell via a self-assembly reaction at pH 8, resulting in adsorbent composites of FTN@DCell and FGN@DCell for removal of Cr(VI). Batch adsorption experiments revealed that FTN coating resulted in an adsorbent composite with higher adsorption capacity than FGN coating, owing to the greater number of additional adsorption sites from phenolic hydroxyl groups of tannic acid. FTN@DCell exhibits an equilibrium adsorption capacity at 30°C of 110.9 mg/g for Cr(VI), significantly higher than FGN@DCell (73.63 mg/g); the adsorption capacity was increased at higher temperature (i.e., 155.8 and 116.8 mg/g at 50°C for FTN@DCell and FGN@DCell, respectively). Effects of pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration, and coexisting ions on Cr(VI) removal were investigated. The kinetics fractal-based model Brouers-Sotolongo indicates the 1st and 2nd order reaction for Cr(VI) adsorption on FTN@DCell and FGN@DCell, respectively. The isotherm data can be described with a fractal-based model, which implies the heterogeneous nature of the adsorbent surface sites. The Cr(VI) adsorption via surface complexation with phenolic hydroxyl groups was confirmed by evaluating the functional groups shifting. FGN@DCell and FTN@DCell were found to have good reusability, maintaining over 50 % of their adsorption efficiency after four adsorption-desorption cycles. Environmental assessment with Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrated their potential in eliminating the Cr(VI) phytotoxic effect. Thus, this study has shown the efficient and economical conversion of durian waste into environmentally benign adsorbent for heavy metal treatment.

Moringa oleifera and Autophagy: Evidence from In Vitro Studies on Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in HepG2 Cancer Cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent primary liver cancer in Sub-Saharan African countries, including South Africa (SA). Given the limitations in current HCC therapeutics, there is an increasing need for alternative adjuvant therapeutic options. As such, several cell survival mechanisms, such as autophagy, have been identified as potential adjuvant therapeutic targets in HCC treatment. Of the three most established autophagic pathways, the upregulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) has been extensively described in various cancer cells, including HCC cells. CMA promotes tumor growth and chemotherapeutic drug resistance, thus contributing to HCC tumorigenesis. Therefore, the modulation of CMA serves as a promising adjuvant target for current HCC therapeutic strategies. Phytochemical extracts found in the medicinal plant, Moringa oleifera (MO), have been shown to induce apoptosis in numerous cancer cells, including HCC. MO leaves have the greatest abundance of phytochemicals displaying anticancer potential. However, the potential interaction between the pro-apoptotic effects of MO aqueous leaf extract and the survival-promoting role of CMA in an in vitro model of HCC remains unclear. This review aims to summarize the latest findings on the role of CMA, and MO in the progression of HCC.

Moringa oleifera Lam.: a comprehensive review on active components, health benefits and application

Moringa oleifera Lam. is an edible therapeutic plant that is native to India and widely cultivated in tropical countries. In this paper, the current application of M. oleifera was discussed by summarizing its medicinal parts, active components and potential mechanism. The emerging products of various formats such as drug preparation and product application reported in the last years were also clarified. Based on literature reports, the unique components and biological activities of M. oleifera need to be further studied. In the future, a variety of new technologies should be applied to the development of M. oleifera products, to enrich the varieties of dosage forms, improve the bitter taste masking technology, and make it better for use in the fields of food and medicine.

Coal fly ash application as an eco-friendly approach for modulating the growth, yield, and biochemical constituents of Withania somnifera L. plants

The solid waste known as fly ash, which is produced when coal is burned in thermal power plants, is sustainably used in agriculture. It is an excellent soil supplement for plant growth and development since it contains some desired nutrients (macro and micro), as well as being porous. The present study was done to evaluate the effect of different fly ash levels on Withania somnifera. The present study aimed to assess the impact of various fly ash (FA) concentrations on growth, yield, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical parameters, and cell viability of W. somnifera. The results showed that FA enhanced physical and chemical properties of soil like pH, electric conductivity, porosity, water-holding capacity, and nutrients. The low doses of FA-amended soil (15%) significantly increased the shoot length (36%), root length (24.5%), fresh weight of shoots and roots (107.8 and 50.6%), dry weight of shoots and roots (61.9 and 47.1%), number of fruits (70.4%), carotenoid (43%), total chlorophyll (44.3%), relative water content (109.3%), protein content (20.4%), proline content (110.3%), total phenols (116.1%), nitrogen (20.3%), phosphorus (16.9%), and potassium (26.4%). On the other hand, the higher doses, i.e., 25% of fly ash showed a negative effect on all the above parameters and induced oxidative stress by increasing lipid peroxidation (33.1%) and hydrogen peroxide (102.0%) and improving the activities of antioxidant enzymes and osmolytes. Compared to the control plants, the plants growing in soil enriched with 15 and 25% fly ash had larger stomata pores when examined using a scanning electron microscope. In addition, according to a confocal microscopic analysis of the roots of W. somnifera, higher fly ash concentrations caused membrane damage, as evidenced by an increase in the number of stained nuclei. Moreover, several functional groups and peaks of the biomolecules represented in the control and 15% of fly ash were alcohols, phenols, allenes, ketenes, isocynates, and hydrocarbons. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the methanol extract of W. somnifera leaves cultivated in soil amended with 15% fly ash shows the presence of 47 bioactive compounds. The most abundant compounds in the methanol extract were cis-9-hexadecenal (22.33%), n-hexadecanoic acid (9.68%), cinnamic acid (6.37%), glycidyl oleate (3.88%), nonanoic acid (3.48%), and pyranone (3.57%). The lower concentrations of FA (15%) can be used to enhance plant growth and lower the accumulation of FA that results in environmental pollution.

Anti-fatigue properties of the ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves in mice

BACKGROUND

Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) leaves are rich in nutrients and bioactive ingredients. This study was aimed at evaluating the anti-fatigue effect of the ethanol extract of M. oleifera leaves (MLEE) on mice and its primary mechanism of action using a weight-loaded forced swimming test. In the present study, MLEE was prepared by ultrasound-assisted extraction, and its anti-fatigue effect and antioxidant capacity were evaluated in mice. Mice were administrated MLEE (320 mg kg^-1 body weight) for 15 days.

RESULTS

MLEE supplementation significantly increased levels of glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), while decreasing levels of lactate and blood urea nitrogen in serum (P < 0.05); the levels of glycogen in the liver and muscle were also increased, as was the activity of glycogen synthase and the level of NEFA in muscle (P < 0.05). According to a Western blot analysis, MLEE increased the expression of AMPKα1, JNK, AKT and STAT3 in the muscle of mice.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that MLEE has an anti-fatigue effect via the AMPK-linked route, which enables it to control energy metabolism and enhance antioxidant enzyme activity. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fabrication and response optimization of Moringa oleifera-functionalized nanosorbents for the removal of diesel range organics from contaminated water

The purpose of this research is to synthesize environmentally friendly nanosorbents for the novel adsorption of diesel range organics (DRO) from contaminated water. Central composite design (CCD) analysis of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed in a model fitting of the variables predicting the adsorption efficiency of Moringa oleifera-functionalized zerovalent iron particles (ZINPs) for the removal of DRO. The effects of the reaction parameters on the response were screened using 2⁴ factorial designs to determine the statistically significant independent variables. A quadratic model predicting the DRO adsorption efficiency of ZINPs with an F value of 276.84 (p value < 0.0001) was developed. Diagnostic plots show that the predicted values were in excellent agreement with actual experimental values (R² = 0.99). The maximum percentage removal of DRO of 92.6% was achieved after optimization, using the synthesized ZINPs after 8 h of contact between DRO substrates and ZINPs at pH of 8, the temperature of 25 °C, with an adsorbent dosage of 2 g/L and at composite desirability of 1. Characterization of ZINPs revealed the formation of quasi nanospheres and nanocubes with an average particle diameter of 50.9 ± 9.7, a crystallite size of 15.31 nm, a crystallinity index of 32.47% and a pore width of 75.69-88.59 nm. The adsorption equilibrium data modelling of ZINPs for adsorption of DRO was best described by Langmuir isotherm with the maximum monolayer coverage capacity of 7.194 mg/g. The separation factor [Formula: see text], indicated favourable adsorption. The adsorption kinetic data were consistent with pseudo-second-order kinetics indicating probable chemisorption.

Bioactive Activities of the Phenolic Extract from Sterile Bracts of Araucaria angustifolia

Sterile bracts can represent 80% of Araucaria angustifolia pinecone and are a rich source of phenolic compounds. This study aimed to optimize the extraction of the phenolic compounds from Araucaria angustifolia bracts using response surface methodology; the bioactivity properties were also investigated. The effects of the ethanol concentration, solute/solvent ratio, and temperature in relation to the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity were evaluated. The quantification and identification of the individual phenolic compounds (using high-performance liquid chromatography) and their bioactivity were evaluated. The optimized extraction conditions, which detected gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, and kaempferol, were obtained using 60% ethanol at a ratio of 1:38 (w/v) and a temperature of 80 °C. The extract showed high levels of phenolic classes and antioxidant activity. The extract also showed an inhibitory activity for pathogenic (approximately 80%, 10,000 µg/mL) and lactic acid (27.9%, 15,000 µg/mL) bacteria strains. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was approximately ten times greater than acarbose, demonstrating its high antiglycemic potential. No antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cellular activity were determined; however, a high cytotoxicity for non-tumor cells and the antiproliferative activity against the tumor cells were observed. Overall, the phenolic extract showed promising action in relation to the fight against the diseases related to oxidative stress and, hopefully, the application of the safe concentrations of the extract, based on bioavailability assays, can be verified.

Effects of aqueous Moringa oleifera leaf extract on growth performance and accumulation of cadmium in a Thai jasmine rice-Khao Dawk Mali 105 variety

The contamination of paddy fields and rice grains by cadmium (Cd) adversely affects human health. Thus, many approaches have been proposed to reduce the accumulation of Cd in rice. Here, we investigate the potential of aqueous Moringa oleifera leaf extract (AMOLE) in decreasing uptake and toxicity of Cd in a popular Thai jasmine rice variety, Khao Dawk Mali 105 (KDML105). Plants were grown in Petri dishes, a hydroponic system, and a pot system under different concentrations of Cd, in the presence and absence of AMOLE. In Petri dishes, Cd reduced the percentage of germination by 79%, but the treatment with 0.5 mg mL^-1 AMOLE significantly increased the germination percentage. Moreover, AMOLE significantly decreased Cd accumulation in rice seedlings by 97%. In the hydroponics system, 0.5 mg mL^-1 AMOLE decreased Cd content in shoots by 48%. Although no significant physiological changes in response to Cd treatments were observed in the pot system, a large amount of Cd was accumulated in rice roots. The AMOLE treatments significantly reduced Cd accumulation in rice shoots and decreased Cd content in milled grain by half compared to those without AMOLE treatment. We conclude that AMOLE reduced Cd toxicity, enhanced seedling growth, and reduced Cd accumulation in rice grains.

Prospects for Protective Potential of Moringa oleifera against Kidney Diseases

Kidney diseases are regarded as one of the major public health issues in the world. The objectives of this study were: (i) to investigate the causative factors involved in kidney disease and the therapeutic aspects of Moringa oleifera, as well as (ii) the effectiveness of M. oleifera in the anti-inflammation and antioxidant processes of the kidney while minimizing all potential side effects. In addition, we proposed a hypothesis to improve M. oleifera based drug development. This study was updated by searching the key words M. oleifera on kidney diseases and M. oleifera on oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis in online research databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar. The following validation checking and scrutiny analysis of the recently published articles were used to explore this study. The recent existing research has found that M. oleifera has a plethora of health benefits. Individual medicinal properties of M. oleifera leaf extract, seed powder, stem extract, and the whole extract (ethanol/methanol) can up-increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH), while decreasing the activity of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and COX-2. In our study, we have investigated the properties of this plant against kidney diseases based on existing knowledge with an updated review of literature. Considering the effectiveness of M. oleifera, this study would be useful for further research into the pharmacological potential and therapeutic insights of M. oleifera, as well as prospects of Moringa-based effective medicine development for human benefits.

Gallic acid attenuates cadmium mediated cardiac hypertrophic remodelling through upregulation of Nrf2 and PECAM-1signalling in rats

Gallic acid (GA) is an abundant natural polyphenolic compound found in vegetable and fruits that reduces the cardiac disease risk factor. This study aims to evaluate GA's role on cadmium (Cd) induced cardiac remodelling in experimental rats. Male Wistar rats were exposed to Cd (15 ppm) in drinking water and administered with GA orally (15 mg/kg/d) for 60 days. The results showed that GA regulated the lipid profile and reduced the LDL to 57 % compared with Cd treated rats. GA inhibited cardiac marker enzymes activity of CK-NAC (to 72.7 %) and CK-MB (to 100.3 %). Moreover, GA attenuated lipid peroxidation and enhanced the cardiac glutathione S transferase (GST) activity (89.2 %), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (87 %), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (88.4 %) and catalase (CAT) activity (86.5 %). Histopathological examination showed that GA impaired the ventricular hypertrophy and fibrotic proliferation induced by Cd in rats. The combination of GA + Cd, decreased the gene expression of ANP (1-fold), BNP (0.5-fold) and β- MHC (0.9-fold). Furthermore, GA significantly reduced the expression of profibrotic (TGF-β) and proinflammatory (MCP-1) gene in Cd intoxicated rats. GA upregulated the expression of Nrf2 (2-fold), HO-1 (3-fold), and PECAM-1 (0.6-fold), which augments the detoxifying enzyme activity and cellular immunity in Cd intoxicated rats. The increased protein expression of Nrf2, PECAM-1 and decreased AKT-1 levels confirmed the mechanical action of GA during the hypertrophic condition. Thus, our results suggest that GA could act as a potential therapeutic agent regulating Nrf2 and PECAM-1 signalling pathways, thereby ameliorating Cd-induced pathological cardiac remodelling.