Antioxidant activities of various extracts from Artemisisa selengensis Turcz (LuHao)

Comparative and phylogenetic analysis of the complete chloroplast genomes of 10 Artemisia selengensis resources based on high-throughput sequencing

BACKGROUND

Artemisia selengensis, classified within the genus Artemisia of the Asteraceae family, is a perennial herb recognized for its dual utility in culinary and medicinal domains. There are few studies on the chloroplast genome of A. selengensis, and the phylogeographic classification is vague, which makes phylogenetic analysis and evolutionary studies very difficult.

RESULTS

The chloroplast genomes of 10 A. selengensis in this study were highly conserved in terms of gene content, gene order, and gene intron number. The genome lengths ranged from 151,148 to 151,257 bp and were typical of a quadripartite structure with a total GC content of approximately 37.5%. The chloroplast genomes of all species encode 133 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Due to the contraction and expansion of the inverted repeats (IR), the overlap of ycf1 and ndhF genes occurred at the inverted repeats B (IRB) and short single copy sequence (SSC) boundaries. According to a codon use study, the frequent base in the chloroplast genome of A. selengensis' third codon position was A/T. The number of SSR repeats was 42-44, most of which were single nucleotide A/T repeats. Sequence alignment analysis of the chloroplast genome showed that variable regions were mainly distributed in single copy regions, nucleotide diversity values of 0 to 0.009 were calculated by sliding window analysis, 8 mutation hotspot regions were detected, and coding regions were more conserved than non-coding regions. Analysis of non-synonymous substitution (Ka) and synonymous substitution (Ks) revealed that accD, rps12, petB, and atpF genes were affected by positive selection and no genes were affected by neutral selection. Based on the findings of the phylogenetic analysis, Artemisia selengensis was sister to the genus Artemisia Chrysanthemum and formed a monophyletic group with other Artemisia genera.

CONCLUSIONS

In this research, the present study systematically compared the chloroplast genomic features of A. selengensis and provided important information for the study of the chloroplast genome of A. selengensis and the evolutionary relationships among Asteraceae species.

Protective effect of morin by targeting mitochondrial reactive oxygen species induced by hydrogen peroxide demonstrated at a molecular level in MDCK epithelial cells

BACKGROUND

The development of diabetic nephropathy is aided by the presence of oxidative stress. Morin, a natural flavonoid molecule, has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. However, little is known about the mechanism of its protective effect in diabetic nephropathy pathogenesis caused by oxidative stress.

METHODS

Using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells as a working model, the current study investigates the detailed mechanism of morin's beneficial action. In hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stressed MDCK cells, there was a considerable rise in intracellular ROS and decreased antioxidant enzyme levels.

RESULTS

Morin has a higher binding affinity for the antioxidant receptor; according to in silico study using molecular docking and ADMET, it is predicted to be an orally active molecule. While morin administration increased SOD and CAT activity in oxidative stress-induced MDCK cells, it also reduced mitochondrial oxidative stress and apoptosis. Furthermore, the present study discovered the molecular mechanism through which morin reduced oxidative stress in MDCK cells by upregulating antioxidant enzyme molecules including GST, GPx, and GCS.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that morin reduces H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress, reduces DNA oxidative damage, and prevents the depletion of antioxidant genes in MDCK cells.

The karyotype, genome survey, and assembly of Mud artemisia (Artemisia selengensis)

BACKGROUND

Artemisia selengensis is traditional Chinese medicine and phytochemical analysis indicated that A. selengensis contains essential oils, fatty acids and phenolic acids. The lack of reference genomic information may lead to tardiness in molecular biology research of A. selengensis.

METHOD AND RESULTS

Karyotype analysis, genome survey, and genome assembly was employed to acquire information on the genome structure of A. selengensis. The chromosome number is 2n = 2x = 36, karyotype formula is 28 m + 8Sm, karyotype asymmetry coefficient is 58.8%, and karyotypes were symmetric to Stebbins' type 2A. Besides, the flow cytometry findings reported that the mean peak value of fluorescent intensity is 1,170,677, 2C DNA content is 12 pg and the genome size was estimated to be approximately 5.87 Gb. Furthermore, the genome survey generates 341,478,078 clean reads, unfortunately, after K-mer analysis, no significant peak can be observed, the heterozygosity, repetitive rate and genome size was unable to estimated. It is speculated that this phenomenon might be due to the complexity of genome structure. 37,266 contigs are preliminary assembled with Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) sequencing, totaling 804 Mb and GC content was 34.08%. The total length is 804,475,881 bp, N50 is 29,624 bp, and the largest contig length is 239,792 bp.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals the preliminary information of genome size of A. selengensis. These findings may provide supportive information for sequencing and assembly of whole-genome sequencing and encourage the progress of functional gene discovery, genetic improvement, evolutionary study, and structural studies of A. selengensis.

Correction to: An in vitro mechanistic approach towards understanding the distinct pathways regulating insulin resistance and adipogenesis by apocynin

In the 2021 issue of the Journal of Biosciences in the article titled ''An in vitro mechanistic approach towards understanding the distinct pathways regulating insulin resistance and adipogenesis by apocynin'' by Sai Bharadwaja, Praveen Kumar Issac, Jocelyn Cleta, Rakesh Jeganathan, Sri Snehaa Chandrakumar and Sujatha Sundaresan (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-020-00134-2; Vol. 46, Article No. 008), the author Rakesh Jeganaathan's name was incorrectly mentioned as ''Rakesh Jeganathan''. The correct name should read as ''Rakesh Jeganaathan''.

Evaluation of the efficiency of chlorpyrifos-ethyl remediation by Methylobacterium radiotolerans and Microbacterium arthrosphaerae using response of some biochemical biomarkers

This study reveals out detoxifying and antioxidant enzyme response of Gammarus pulex exposed/polluted to chlorpyrifos-ethyl insecticide before and after biodegradation/bioremediation by Methylobacterium radiotolerans and Microbacterium arthrosphaerae. Cytochrome P450 1A1, glutathione S-transferase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities in G. pulex exposed to chlorpyrifos-ethyl before and after bioremediation/biodegradation by these two bacteria during 24 and 96 h tested by using commercial ELISA kits. The activity of catalase enzyme was decreased depending on chlorpyrifos-ethyl before and after bioremediation/biodegradation the enzyme activity was increased repeatedly. Superoxide dismutase activity level increased after chlorpyrifos-ethyl exposure in 96 h (p > 0.05). Following bioremediation, superoxide dismutase enzyme activity decreased again during 24 h (p > 0.05) and increased during 96 h (p < 0.05). Statistical differences were not found in cytochrome P450 1A1 enzyme activity before and after the process (p > 0.05). No significant differences were determined during the activity of glutathione S-transferase in 24 h (p > 0.05). The activities of glutathione S-transferase were increased after exposure of chlorpyrifos-ethyl during 96 h. After bioremediation; the activity of glutathione S-transferase increased even more (p < 0.05). The results determined that activities of G. pulex at superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase are common biomarkers for revealing out the efficiency of bioremediation of chlorpyrifos-ethyl with these two types of soil bacteria. Graphical abstract.

Effect of AuNPs and AgNPs on the Antioxidant System and Antioxidant Activity of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) from In Vitro Cultures

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of gold and silver nanoparticles on the activity of antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (POX), and catalase (CAT)), the free radical scavenging capacity, and the total polyphenol capacity of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) cultivar “Munstead” propagated in vitro. In the experiment, fragments of lavender plants were cultivated in vitro on medium with the addition of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 mg∙dm⁻³ of AgNPs or AuNPs (particle sizes 24.2 ± 2.4 and 27.5 ± 4.8 nm, respectively). It was found that the nanoparticles increase the activity of the antioxidant enzymes APX and SOD; however, the reaction depends on the NP concentration. The highest APX activity is found in plants propagated on media with 2 and 5 mg∙dm⁻³ of AgNPs. AuNPs significantly increase the APX activity when added to media with a concentration of 10 mg∙dm⁻³. The highest SOD activity is recorded at 2 and 5 mg∙dm⁻³ AgNP and AuNP concentrations. The addition of higher concentrations of nanoparticles to culture media results in a decrease in the APX and SOD activity. The addition of AuNPs to culture media at concentrations from 2 to 50 mg∙dm⁻³ increases the POX activity in comparison to its activity when AgNPs are added to the culture media. No significant influence of NPs on the increase in CAT activity was demonstrated. AgNPs and AuNPs increased the free radical scavenging capacity (ABTS^•+). The addition of NPs at concentrations of 2 and 5 mg∙dm⁻³ increased the production of polyphenols; however, in lower concentrations it decreased their content in lavender tissues.

Protective effects of three selected standardized medicinal plant extracts used in Sri Lankan traditional medicine in adriamycin induced nephrotoxic Wistar rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. (family: Malvaceae), Asparagus falcatus (family: Asparagaceae) and Barleria prionitis Linn. (family: Acanthaceae) have been used in the treatment of kidney diseases in Sri Lankan traditional medicine. Besides the traditional use, scientific scrutinization of safe therapeutic use of these medicinal plants in the management of kidney diseases has not been reported to date.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The three selected doses of the aqueous extracts of the selected medicinal plants were studied for their protective effects against adriamycin (ADR) induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Chemically standardized plant materials were used in the study. The nephroprotective activity of the lyophilized powder of the aqueous refluxed (4hr) leaf extracts of A. moschatus, A. falcatus and the whole plant extract of B. prionitis was investigated in adriamycin (20 mg/kg, ip) induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats (n = 6/group). The treatment regimens were initiated 24 h after the induction of nephrotoxicity and continued daily as a single dose for three consecutive days at three selected doses (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg). Fosinopril sodium (0.09 mg/kg) was used as the standard drug. Nephroprotective activity was assessed by estimating the selected biochemical parameters and by the assessment of histopathology on H and E stained sections of the kidney.

RESULTS

The plant extracts at the three selected doses significantly attenuated the elevations in serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and the loss of urine total protein in a dose related manner in ADR induced nephrotoxic rats (p < 0.001). The serum concentration of albumin and total protein increased significantly (p < 0.001). Histopathological findings corroborated the biochemical evidence of nephroprotective activity. The aqueous extracts of the three selected medicinal plants exerted a relatively high antioxidant activity in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluation of the protective effects based on biochemical parameters and histopathology assessment revealed that the aqueous leaf extracts of A. moschatus, A. falcatus and the whole plant extract of B. prionitis possess significant nephroprotective activity against ADR induced acute nephrotoxicity. The secondary metabolites present in the plant extracts may attribute to the total antioxidant activities of the selected medicinal plant extracts thereby exerting protective effects against nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats.

Acute and 28-Day Repeated-Dose Oral Toxicity Assessment of Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. in Healthy Wistar Rats

Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. (family: Malvaceae) has a long history of being used as a folk medicine in Sri Lanka. Despite the therapeutic use of this plant in traditional medicine, leaves of A. moschatus have not been subjected to scientific evaluation of toxicity/adverse effects in vivo. Thus, the present study was aimed to assess the acute and 28-day repeated-dose oral toxic effects of hexane (55 mg/kg), ethyl acetate (75 mg/kg), butanol (60 mg/kg), and aqueous (140 mg/kg) leaf extracts of A. moschatus in Wistar rats. Furthermore, identification of phytochemical constituents and determination of in vitro total antioxidant activity of the selected leaf extracts of A. moschatus were carried out. Repeated-dose oral administration of hexane and aqueous plant extracts produced no significant changes in the hematological profile and in selected biochemical parameters compared to the untreated healthy rats (p > 0.05). The administration of ethyl acetate and butanol extracts resulted in significant changes in some of the hematological parameters (p < 0.05), whereas biochemical parameters were not changed (p > 0.05). No significant changes in the relative organ weight of treated rats were observed (p > 0.05) except in the kidneys of Wistar rats treated with the ethyl acetate extract of A. moschatus (p < 0.05). Normal morphology with no signs of hemorrhages, necrosis, or inflammatory cell infiltrations was observed in the vital organs selected during the assessment of histopathology on H and E-stained tissue sections upon the treatment of selected extracts. Alkaloids were absent in the selected leaf extracts excluding the health risk for harmful alkaloids. The highest total antioxidant activity was reported in the butanol extract. In conclusion, the hexane and aqueous extracts of A. moschatus were completely nontoxic, whereas butanol and ethyl acetate extracts showed statistically significant changes in some hematological parameters and in relative organ weight of kidneys in healthy Wistar rats.

Antioxidant Activity and Selenium and Polyphenols Content from Selected Medicinal Plants Natives from Various Areas Abundant in Selenium (Poland, Lithuania, and Western Ukraine)

The study was performed on Centaurea cyanus, Chamomilla recutita, Majorana hortensis, Ocimum basilicum, Plantago lanceolata, Sinapis alba, and Valeriana officinalis harvested in Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. Our aim was to determine the differences in selenium concentrations, total polyphenols, and the antioxidant activity in same-species samples from different regions. Another goal was to assess the correlations between these variables within the species. We found variations in most species, but not in all regions of harvesting. In four of the six species from Ukraine, we observed the highest concentration of Se. The selenium concentrations ranged from 15–182 µg/kg DW, and the greatest variation between the regions occurred in S. alba. The level of polyphenols was 5.52–53.25 mg TAE/100 g DW, and the largest differences between the sampling regions occurred in P. lanceolata and O. basilicum. ABTS radicals scavenging ability ranged from 5.20–59.79 μM AAE/100 g DW, while the FRAP potential was 13.56–409.14 μM FeE/100 g DW. The largest differences in antioxidant activity were found in O. basilicum and M. hortensis. Pearson’s correlation coefficients indicate that polyphenols may be responsible for antioxidant activity in Ch. recutita, O. basilicum, and V. officinalis, and selenium is responsible for antioxidant activity in M. hortensis. However, both polyphenols and selenium play a role in the antioxidant properties of C. cyanus and P. lanceolata. Also, selenium in C. cyanus and Ch. recutita may affect the level of total polyphenols. The examined species may supplement the human diet with exogenous antioxidants.

Detecting useful genetic markers and reconstructing the phylogeny of an important medicinal resource plant, Artemisia selengensis, based on chloroplast genomics

Artemisia selengenesis is not only a health food, but also a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Only a fraction of the chloroplast (cp) genome data of Artemisia has been reported and chloroplast genomic materials have been widely used in genomic evolution studies, molecular marker development, and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Artemisia, which makes evolutionary studies, genetic improvement, and phylogenetic identification very difficult. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of A. selengensis was compared with that of other species within Artemisia and phylogenetic analyses was conducted with other genera in the Asteraceae family. The results showed that A. selengensis is an AT-rich species and has a typical quadripartite structure that is 151,215 bp in length. Comparative genome analyses demonstrated that the available chloroplast genomes of species of Artemisia were well conserved in terms of genomic length, GC contents, and gene organization and order. However, some differences, which may indicate evolutionary events, were found, such as a re-inversion event within the Artemisia genus, an unequal duplicate phenomenon of the ycf1 gene because of the expansion and contraction of the IR region, and the fast-evolving regions. Repeated sequences analysis showed that Artemisia chloroplast genomes presented a highly similar pattern of SSR or LDR distribution. A total of 257 SSRs and 42 LDRs were identified in the A. selengensis chloroplast genome. The phylogenetic analysis showed that A. selengensis was sister to A. gmelinii. The findings of this study will be valuable in further studies to understand the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of Asteraceae.

The complete chloroplast genome and phylogeny of Artemisia selengensis in Dongting Lake

Artemisia selengensis Turcz (Louhao in Chinese) is a widely used health food and a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. However, only a small part of the chloroplast genome data of Artemisia has been reported and there was no report for A. selengensis. In this study, we presented the complete chloroplast genome of A. selengensis and analysed its phylogenetic relationship with other 28 related species belonging to the Asteraceae family. The result showed that the whole genome was 151 215 bp in length with a typical conserved quadripartite structure. The total GC content of whole genome, LSC, SSC, and IRa/IRb regions was 37.46, 35.55, 30.81, and 43.09%, respectively. A total of 133 genes were identified, including 88 protein-coding, 37 transfer RNA, and eight ribosome RNA genes. Among these genes, nineteen genes contained a single intron and two genes contained two introns. The phylogenetic relationship showed that A. selengensis was similar to A. gmelinii. The complete chloroplast genome presented here will enrich the genetic resources of medicinal plant and promote our understanding of the phylogeny of Artemisia within the Asteraceae family.

Linking sub-individual and supra-individual effects in Daphnia magna exposed to sub-lethal concentration of chlorpyrifos

The main objective of the present study was to investigate possible links between sub-individual and supra-individual levels (i.e. population level) biomarkers in D. magna exposed to sublethal concentrations of the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF). To achieve the aim, 8-day old individuals were exposed for 96 h to two environmentally relevant concentrations of CPF (50 and 250 ng/L). Sub-individual level effects were investigated by measuring the activity of antioxidant (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and detoxifying (GST) enzymes, as well as by measuring the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. In addition, the effects at supra-individual level were assessed by using a video-tracking system and analyzing changes in swimming capabilities (i.e. percentage of activity time, distance moved, and velocity). Our data have shown that daphnids exposed to both CPF concentrations were in a condition of stress which was highlighted by changes in both sub- and supra-individual biomarkers. Moreover, our results highlighted that the lowest tested CPF concentration did not modulate the antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes, whereas, an inhibition of AChE and a decrease of some parameters related to swimming behaviour (distance moved and velocity) were noted. On the contrary, significant changes in all the sub-individual biomarkers were measured at the highest tested concentration. In addition, organisms recovered the movement capability (distance moved) and also activate a mechanism of avoidance (increased swimming velocity). On the other hand, a reduction in the percent of active time was measured and this was attributed to the energy spent by organisms to activate antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes and the mechanism of avoidance. Based on these results, our study suggests the existence of a link between sub- and supra-individual levels, as the activation or non-activation in the antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes activities can led to different modifications of the swimming behaviour in D. magna.

Inhibitory Effect of Viola odorata Extract on Tumor Growth and Metastasis in 4T1 Breast Cancer Model

Viola odorata as a medical herb is used in liver disorders and relieving cancer pain. In the present study, the cytotoxic, antioxidant, and anti-metastatic properties of Viola odorata hydro-alcoholic extract (VOE) were investigated in 4T1 breast cancer model. After treatment of 4T1 breast cancer cells with VOE, cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The implanted mice were treated with different concentration of VOE (50, 150 and 250 mg/kg) for 21 days. Levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), γ -glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 15-3(CA15-3) in serum, and also catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in tumor tissue were measured. Metastatic rate was investigated in liver, spleen and lung tissues. VOE decreased cell viability of 4T1 cells, significantly. VOE significantly inhibited the cell proliferation, but not vasculature in the tumors that revealed by immunohistochemical analysis for Ki-67 and CD31 expression, respectively. VOE increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in VOE250-treated group compared to control group. Serum analysis showed that treatment with 250 mg/kg of VOE significantly reduced LDH (not ALP and GGT) levels compared to controls. No linear correlation was found between the values of CEA and CA15-3 with tumor size. The rate of CAT activity was increased in VOE250-treated rats whereas, CAT and SOD activities were reduced in VOE50 group. VOE250 significantly decreased the metastatic rate in liver and lung compared to the other doses of VOE. Consequently, Viola odorata has cytotoxic effects on 4T1 cells and affects antioxidant activity and metastasis in breast cancer.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Artemisia selengensis Turcz and its antioxidant and anticancer activities

Artemisia selengensis Turcz (AST) is a perennial herb with therapeutic and economic applications in China. The effects of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) parameters upon extraction yield (EY%), antioxidant and antitumor activities of the polysaccharides extracts were studied by using a factorial design and response surface methodology. The optimal conditions determined were as: ultrasonic power 146 W, extraction time 14.5 min. and extraction temperature 60 °C. The average molecular weights of two homogeneous polysaccharides (APS1 and APS2) purified by DEAE cellulose-52 and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography were 125.4 and 184.1 kDa, respectively. Monosaccharide analysis showed that APS1 and APS2 were composed of five common monomers i.e., galactose, mannose, arabinose, xylose and rhamnose and one different monomer glucose and galacturonic acid respectively, with a most abundant part in molar % of APS1 and APS2 were glucose (83.01 %) and galacturonic acid (48.87 %) while least were xylose (0.80 %) and mannose (1.73 %) respectively. The antioxidant properties were determined by evaluating DPPH, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and reducing power which indicated both APS1 and APS2 showed strong scavenging activities and anticancer activities on HT-29, BGC823 and antitumor activity on HepG-2. As UAE improved the polysaccharides yield than CSE, meanwhile, no significant difference of polysaccharides chemical compositions. Therefore, the present study suggests that the consumption of AST leaves may beneficial for the treatment of many diseases.

Chemical constituents on the aerial parts of Artemisia selengensis and their IL-6 inhibitory activity

Ten compounds, 1',3'-propanediol,2'-amino-1'-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl) (1), artanomaloide (2), canin (3), eupatilin (4), quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnoside (5), 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (6), isoquercitrin (7), pinoresinol-4-O-β-D-glucoside (8), scopolin (9), and isofraxidin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10) were isolated from the aerial parts of A. selengensis. The structures of compounds (1-10) were identified based on 1D and 2D NMR, including (1)H-(1)H COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY spectroscopic analyses. Among them, compound 1 was isolated from this plant for the first time as a naturally occurring compound. The inhibitory activity of these isolated compounds against interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in TNF-α stimulated MG-63 cells was also examined.

Protective effect of Cymbopogon citratus on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in the reproductive system of male rats

Cymbopogon citratus (C. citratus) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemoprotective properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of C. citratus aqueous extract against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress and injury in the reproductive system of male rats. The twenty-five rats used in this study were divided into five groups, comprised of five rats each. The control group received standard food and drink. The H2O2 group received standard food and water with 0.5% H2O2. The rats in the H2O2 + C. citratus group and H2O2 + vitamin E group received standard food, H2O2, and C. citratus [100 mg·kg(-1) body weight (bw)], or vitamin E as an antioxidant reference (500 mg·kg(-1) bw), respectively. The C. citratus group was given C. citratus (100 mg·kg(-1) bw) in addition to the standard food and drink. The treatments were administered for 30 days. The H2O2 treatment significantly (P < 0.05) decreased body, testicular, and epididymal weight, as well as glutathione (GSH) level, but markedly increased malonaldehyde (MDA) in serum and testes homogenates. The rats treated with H2O2 exhibited testicular degeneration and significant reduction in sperm viability, motility, count, and rate of normal sperm. The C. citratus, vitamin E, and H2O2 treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased the body, testicular, and epididymal weight, testosterone level, the values of the various sperm characteristics, and GSH. However, this treatment markedly reduced MDA in serum and testes homogenates, as well as testicular histopathological alterations in the H2O2-treated rats. The C. citratus aqueous extract reduced oxidative stress and protected male rats against H2O2-induced reproductive system injury.

In vitro antimicrobial activity on clinical microbial strains and antioxidant properties of Artemisia parviflora

BACKGROUND

Artemisia parviflora leaf extracts were evaluated for potential antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Antimicrobial susceptibility assay was performed against ten standard reference bacterial strains. Antioxidant activity was analyzed using the ferric thiocyanate and 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content were compared. Phytochemical analyses were performed to identify the major bioactive constitution of the plant extract.

RESULTS

Hexane, methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of A. parviflora leaves exhibited good activity against the microorganisms tested. The n-hexane extract of A. parviflora showed high inhibition of the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri. Methanol extract showed strong radical scavenging and antioxidant activity, other extracts showed moderate antioxidant activity. The major derivatives present in the extracts are of terpenes, steroids, phenols, flavonoids, tannins and volatile oil.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained with n-hexane extract were particularly significant as it strongly inhibited the growth of P. aeruginosa, E. coli and S. flexneri. The major constituent of the n-hexane extract was identified as terpenes. Strong antioxidant activity could be observed with all the individual extracts. The antimicrobial and antioxidant property of the extracts were attributed to the secondary metabolites, terpenes and phenolic compounds present in A. parviflora and could be of considerable interest in the development of new drugs.

Antioxidant effect of Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Martius extracts from Cariri-Ceará State (Brazil): potential involvement in its therapeutic use

Stryphnodendron rotundifolium is a phytotherapic used in the northeast of Brazil for the treatment of inflammatory processes which normally are associated with oxidative stress. Consequently, we have tested the antioxidant properties of hydroalcoholic (HAB) and aqueous extracts (AB) from the bark and aqueous extract (AL) from the leaves of Stryphnodendron rotundifolium to determine a possible association between antioxidant activity and the popular use of this plant. Free radical scavenger properties were assessed by the quenching of 1',1'-diphenil-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the calculated IC(50) were: HAB = 5.4 ± 0.7, AB = 12.0 ± 2.6, and AL = 46.3 ± 12.3 µg/mL. Total phenolic contents were: HAB = 102.7 ± 2.8, AB = 114.4 ± 14.6, and AL = 93.8 ± 9.1 µg/mg plant). HPLC/DAD analyses indicated that gallic acid, catechin, rutin and caffeic acid were the major components of the crude extracts of S. rotundifolium. Plant extracts inhibited Fe(II)-induced lipid peroxidation in brain homogenates. Iron chelation was also investigated and only HBA exhibited a weak activity. Taken together, the results suggest that S. rotundifolium could be considered an effective agent in the prevention of diseases associated with oxidative stress.

Antioxidant activities of extracts and fractions from Eupatorium lindleyanum DC

The antioxidant activities of water extract (WE), ethanol extract (EE), residue water extract (RWE) and petroleum ether (PF), ethyl acetate (EF), n-BuOH (BF) and water (WF) fractions of the ethanol extract from Eupatorium Lindley DC were investigated for the first time. Total phenolics content, DPPH radical scavenging activities, superoxide radical scavenging activities, total reduction capability, and ferrous ions chelating activities were determined for all the extracts and fractions. The results showed that all the extracts and fractions exhibited antioxidant activities with different magnitudes of potency. Among all the samples, WE and RWE exhibited the best antioxidant capacities, the BF also exhibited high antioxidant abilities in all tests except for the metal chelating activity, while the other extracts and fractions were relatively weak antioxidants. The BF had the highest total phenolics contents in all extracts and fractions, and the WE and RWE were found to be rich in tannins. Furthermore, the content of total phenolics showed good correlation with DPPH radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, and the reducing power. Phenolic composition of all the extracts and fractions was identified and quantified by HPLC. The results indicate that the extracts of E. Lindley DC might be a useful potential source of natural antioxidant ingredients.

Lianqiaoxinoside B, a novel caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside from Forsythia suspensa

Chemical investigation of the 70% ethanol extract of the unripe fruits of Forsythia suspensa resulted in the isolation of a novel caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside, lianqiaoxinoside B, together with the known compound forsythoside H. The new compound was elucidated to be 1'',2''-[β-(3,4,-dihydroxylphenyl)-α,β-dioxoethanol]-3''-O-caffeoyl-O-α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-O-β-glucopyranoside by extensive spectroscopic and chemical studies. Lianqiaoxinoside B and forsythoside H showed strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in vitro by the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) radical-scavenging assay and plate method. This study can be further extended to exploit for the possible application of caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycosides as the alternative antioxidants and antimicrobial agents of natural origin.

Optimization of total flavonoid compound extraction from Gynura medica leaf using response surface methodology and chemical composition analysis

Optimization of total flavonoid compound (TFC) extraction from Gynura medica leaf was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) in this paper. The conditions investigated were 30-60% (v/v) ethanol concentration (X(1)), 85-95 °C extraction temperature (X(2)) and 30-50 (v/w) liquid-to-solid ratio (X(3)). Statistical analysis of the experiments indicated that temperature and liquid-to-solid ratio significantly affected TFC extraction (p < 0.01). The Box-Behnken experiment design showed that polynomial regression models were in good agreement with the experimental results, with the coefficients of determination of 0.9325 for TFC yield. The optimal conditions for maximum TFC yield were 55% ethanol, 92 °C and 50 (v/w) liquid-to-solid ratio with a 30 min extraction time. Extracts from these conditions showed a moderate antioxidant value of 54.78 μmol quercetin/g dry material (DM), 137.3 μmol trolox/g DM for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 108.21 μmol quercetin/g DM, 242.31 μmol trolox/g DM for 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS(+)), respectively. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis showed that kaempferol-3-O-glucoside was the principal flavonoid compound in Gynura medica leaf.