Cytotoxic Activity of New Phenolic Compounds from Vietnamese Caesalpinia sappan

Microcrystalline Cellulose Isolation and Impregnation with Sappan Wood Extracts as Antioxidant Dietary Fiber for Bread Preparation

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) has gained considerable attention as a functional ingredient in bread making. This work demonstrates the isolation of MCC from sugar cane bagasse (SCB) for preparing bread. The effect of MCC on bread attributes and antioxidant activity by impregnation with sappan wood extract (SAP) was evaluated. The highest crystallinity index and suitable size of MCC were achieved at 85 °C under 90 min hydrolysis condition. Increasing MCC/SAP levels in bread showed a significant increase in bread color with decreases in the specific volume and baking loss. There was a positive correlation between bread texture and the MCC/SAP level. The addition of MCC/SAP interfered with the bread hardness. Low MCC/SAP levels have no effect on springiness and cohesiveness; however, 4% MCC/SAP has significantly decreased these attributes, with the highest antioxidant activity and phenolic content. Therefore, MCC can be functionalized with SAP as an antioxidant fiber additive for health benefits in bakery products.

Protective Effects of Caesalpinia sappan Linn. and Its Bioactive Compounds on Cardiovascular Organs

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. The long-term aim of cardiovascular disease therapy is to reduce the mortality rate and decelerate the progression of cardiovascular organ damage. Current therapies focus on recovering heart function and reducing risk factors such as hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. However, oxidative stress and inflammation are important causes of further damage to cardiovascular organs. Caesalpinia sappan Linn. (Fabaceae), a flowering tree native to tropical Asia, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is used as a natural dye to color food and beverages and as a traditional treatment for diarrhea, diabetes, and blood stasis. The phytochemical compounds in C. sappan, mainly the homoisoflavonoids brazilin, sappanone A, protosappanin, and hematoxylin, can potentially be used to protect cardiovascular organs. This review aims to provide updates on recent developments in research on C. sappan in relation to treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Many studies have reported protective effects of the plant’s bioactive compounds that reduce cardiac damage and enhance vasorelaxation. For example, brazilin and sappanone A have an impact on molecular and cellular changes in cardiovascular disease pathogenesis, mainly by modulating oxidative, inflammatory, and apoptotic signaling pathways. Therefore, bioactive compounds of C. sappan have the potential to be developed as therapeutic agents to combat cardiovascular diseases like myocardial infarction and vascular disease. This review could help further the understanding of the possible modulatory role of the compounds in cardiovascular diseases, thereby facilitating future studies.

Screening bioactivities of Caesalpinia pulcherrima L. swartz and cytotoxicity of extract synthesized silver nanoparticles on HCT116 cell line

The extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (C. pulcherrima) is one of the common herbal drugs which have a key role in treating pyretic, microbial infections, cancer and for several other traditional systems of treatment. In our present work, we demonstrate the bioactivities of extracts and cytotoxicity of synthesized silver nanoparticles on HCT116 cell line. The qualitative phytochemical tests indicated the presence of some adequately required metabolites as follows; the total phenolic content in the aqueous extract contains a higher amount of phenolic compounds (815 ± 0.013 μgmg^-1). The DPPH quenching activity of the aqueous extract showed an IC₅₀ value of 18.7 μg which was equivalent to the IC₅₀ value of ascorbic acid (15 μg) and methanolic extract (51 μg). The test extracts showed 4.6% haemolytic activity that attributes to its protective and non-toxic nature. The zone of inhibition of aqueous extract shown against the growth of E.coli was 25 mm. Further, silver nanoparticles synthesis was carried out with the extract and was characterized by X-ray diffraction, particle size analyzer, zeta potential, TEM- EDAX and UV spectroscopy. XRD analysis indicated the crystalline nature of silver nanoparticles with a face-centered cubic structure. The data obtained from the particle size analyzer demonstrated as 155.4 nm of the size of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The values of zeta potential (-23.4 mV) revealed that the nanoparticles were extremely stable in colloidal form. SEM indicated the spherical shape of silver nanoparticles with the size range between 177.9 nm to 251.1 nm. Beside the efficient bioactivities, the synthesized C. pulcherrima silver nanoparticles showed significant cytotoxicity effect of 77.5% on a human colon cancer cell line. Therefore, along with antioxidant, antibacterial, haemolytic activity; C. pulcherrima also accomplished satisfactory cytotoxic property in anticancer mechanism as proven by this study.

Naturally Occurring Homoisoflavonoids: Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Synthesis (Part II)

This review documents all the new homoisoflavonoids (HIFs) that have been reported since 2007, whose total number has grown from 159 in 2007 to 295 at the present time. This review contains their structures, biological sources, plant parts they are obtained from, and, if reported, their optical rotations and melting points. The same classification is followed as an earlier review to ease reference to both reviews. This review takes note of the recent revision of plant families that were known to contain HIFs that have now been merged into one big family, Asparagaceae. Homoisoflavonoids also occur in Fabaceae and others. Two taxa, Ophiopogoan japonicus (Asparagaceae) and Caesalpinia sappan (Fabaceae), have been the source of many HIFs. These are briefly summarized. The biological properties of HIFs are also reviewed under the topics such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic. The review also surveys the total synthesis of natural HIFs. All new compounds are classified and tabulated following the same style as the previous review.

Dedicated to Professor Andrew Paul Krapcho on the occasion of his 87th Birthday.