Radical polymerization and preliminary microbiological investigation of new polymer derived from myrtenol

Nondestructive discrimination of analogous density foreign matter inside soy protein meat semi-finished products based on transmission hyperspectral imaging

Analogous density foreign matter (ADFM) embedded in soy protein meat semi-finished (SFSPM) is hidden by SFSPM and has similar acoustic impedance features to SFSPM, which makes non-destructive testing techniques such as computer vision (CV), reflectance spectroscopy and ultrasound imaging inappropriate for ADFM, which not only seriously affects the quality of soy protein meat (SPM) products but also increases the safety risk to consumers. In this study, to locate and separate ADFM by using transmission hyperspectral imaging (T-HSI) technique which is sensitive to chemical composition and highlight internal contours. The optimal discrimination model SVM + PCA + MSC + SPA was constructed using transmission spectral information with an accuracy of 95.00 %. The visualization results based on the optimal model showed clearer localization results than CV and ultrasound imaging. The study demonstrated that the advantages of T-HSI technology in detecting and locating ADFM inside SFSPM, which provides a basis for improving the production quality and safety of SPM.

Biobased polymer resources and essential oils: a green combination for antibacterial applications

To fight nosocomial infections, the excessive use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms, which are now considered a relevant public health threat by the World Health Organization. To date, most antibacterial systems are based on the use of petro-sourced polymers, but the global supplies of these resources are depleting. Besides, silver NPs are widely accepted as the most active biocide against a wide range of bacterial strains but their toxicity is an issue. The growing interest in natural products has gained increasing interest in the last decade. Therefore, the design of functional antibacterial materials derived from biomass remains a significant challenge for the scientific community. Consequently, attention has shifted to naturally occurring substances such as essential oils (EOs), which are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). EOs can offer an alternative to the common antimicrobial agents as an inner solution or biocide agent to inhibit the resistance mechanism. Herein, this review not only aims at providing developments in the antibacterial modes of action of EOs against various bacterial strains and the recent advances in genomic and proteomic techniques for the elucidation of these mechanisms but also presents examples of biobased polymer resource-based EO materials and their antibacterial activities. Especially, we describe the antibacterial properties of biobased polymers, e.g. cellulose, starch, chitosan, PLA PHAs and proteins, associated with EOs (cinnamon (CEO), clove (CLEO), bergamot (BEO), ginger (GEO), lemongrass (LEO), caraway (CAEO), rosemary (REO), Eucalyptus globulus (EGEO), tea tree (TTEO), orange peel (OPEO) and apricot (Prunus armeniaca) kernel (AKEO) essential oils). Finally, we discuss the influence of EOs on the mechanical strength of bio-based materials.

Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Arctotis arctotoides (L.f.) O. Hoffm.: A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Arctotis arctotoides (Asteraceae) is part of the genus Arctotis. Arctotis is an African genus of approximately 70 species that occur widely in the African continent with diverse medicinal values. This plant is used for the treatment of indigestion and catarrh of the stomach, epilepsy, topical wounds and skin disorders among the ethnic groups in South Africa and reported to have a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

The aim of the present review is to appraise the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological potential, analytical methods and safety issues of A. arctotoides. Additionally, this review will help to fill the existing gaps in knowledge and highlight further research prospects in the field of phytochemistry and pharmacology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information on A. arctotoides was collected from various resources, including books on African medicinal herbs and Zulu medicinal plants, theses, reports and the internet databases such as SciFinder, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Mendeley by using a combination of various meaningful keywords. This review surveys the available literature of the species from 1962 to April 2017.

RESULTS

In vitro and in vivo studies of the medicinal properties of A. arctotoides were reviewed. The main isolated and identified compounds were reported as sesquiterpenes, farnesol derivatives, germacranolide, guaianolides and some steroids, of which, nine were reported as antimicrobial. Monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids were the predominant essential oil compound classes of the leaves, flowers, stems and roots. The present review revealed potential pharmacological properties such as anti-oxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer activities of plant extracts as well as isolated compounds. Moreover, the review reports the safety profile (toxicity) of the crude extracts that had been screened on brine shrimps, rats and human cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS

The present review has focused on the phytochemistry, botany, ethnopharmacology, biological activities and toxicological information of A. arctotoides. On the basis of reported data, A. arctotoides has emerged as a good source of natural medicine for the treatment of microbial infections, skin diseases, anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents and also provides new insights for further isolation of new bioactive compounds, especially the discovery of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer novel therapeutic lead drug molecules. Additionally, intensive investigations regarding pharmacological properties, safety assessment and efficacy with their mechanism of action could be future research interests before starting clinical trials for medicinal practices.

Myrtenol protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through antioxidant and anti-apoptotic dependent mechanisms

Myrtenol is a monoterpene with multiple pharmacological activities. However, although monoterpenes have been proposed to play beneficial roles in a variety of cardiac disorders, pharmacological actions of myrtenol in the heart are not yet reported. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether myrtenol promotes cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, and the mechanisms involved in these effects. Male Wistar rats were orally treated for seven consecutive days with myrtenol (50 mg/kg) or N-acetyl cysteine (1.200 mg/kg, NAC). Afterward, hearts were subjected to myocardial IR injury. Here, we show that the severe impairment of contractile performance induced by IR was significantly prevented by myrtenol or NAC. Moreover, myrtenol abolished aberrant electrocardiographic waveform (ST-segment elevation), as well as reduced life-threatening arrhythmias and infarct size induced by IR injury. Importantly, myrtenol fully prevented the massive increase of cardiac reactive oxygen species generation and oxidative stress damage. Accordingly, myrtenol restored the impairment of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and reductase) activities and balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic pathways (Bax and Bcl-2), associated with decreased apoptotic cells. Taken together, our data show that myrtenol promotes cardioprotection against IR injury through attenuation of oxidative stress and inhibition of pro-apoptotic pathway.