Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Objective: To study qualitative and quantitative estimation of phytochemicals and determination of total phenol and flavonoid content in plant parts of Mimusops elengi Linn. Methods: The solvents methanol, ethanol, aqueous and petroleum ether are used for extraction of Mimusops elengi Linn. plant parts. Phytochemical screening of plant parts was carried out in all the solvents. Quantitative estimation of carbohydrate, protein and lipids was done according to the established protocol. Determination of total phenol content was carried out using Folin – Ciocalteau method and total flavonoid content using Aluminium chloride colorimetric method. Results: The result revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannin, saponin and terpenoids etc. Total phenol content was expressed in mg of Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE) per g of dry weight. In results it was found that petroleum ether extract shows highest phenol content 267.20 mg/g in fruits. The content of flavonoids was expressed in mg of Quercetin Equivalent (QE) per g of dry weight. It was evaluated that total flavonoid content found highest in bark 113.35...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Cotoneaster is a plant from Rosaceae family and produces a sugary secretion (manna). Manna is the most important constituent of species of this plant. Manna consists of different types of carbohydrates, and other phytochemicals. Sugar characterization, including reducing sugar was assayed by cupric/sodium carbonate spectrophotometric method. In addition, the composition of individual sugars was also determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a refraction index (RI) detector, with mannitol being the most abundant sugar. Also, amount of essential microelements was determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Finally, total flavonoid content in all Cotoneaster species was determined using the aluminum chloride method. According to HPLC-RI data, C. nummularioides manna has a high percentage of mannitol (88.69±0.05) and low amount of sucrose (5.37±0.01). Total reducing sugar of the C. discolor is the lowest and in C. nummularius is the highest among all mannas. The study shows differences in sugar profile, essential microelements, and total flavonoid content. Mannas from Cotoneaster species have different carbohydrate profiles and other phytochemicals and have different...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Cognitive impairment in elderly is a growing public health concern, and is mainly caused by dementia of various etiologies. Hence, it is important to explore possible measures to mitigate the risk of dementia. Curcumin, active ingredient of turmeric (Curcuma longa) is used in curry and has shown protective effect on cognition. This study aims to explore the association between curcumin consumption in curry form and cognitive function in elderly population. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 randomly selected residential homes for elderly in Ipoh, Malaysia. A total of 162 subjects aged ≥ 60 years without major physical and mental health problems were selected. The variables included demographic variables, fitness and social activities and frequency of curry consumption. Association of cognitive function with curry consumption and other variables was tested using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The data was analysed by chi-square and logistic regression using SPSS17.0. Curry consumption, at least once a week was a significant protective factor for cognition based on logistic regression analysis (OR = 0.152; 95%...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
In their fight for supremacy and survival, microorganisms have been developing and devising various methods to inactivate the action of antibiotics. The numbers of drug resistant microorganisms with reduced susceptibility to various antibiotics are increasing. Therefore, new infection-fighting strategies are required to control microbial infections. The interaction between potent chemicals and living system contribute to the understanding of life processes and provide effective methods for treatment, prevention and diagnosis of many diseases. Phenol Schiff bases like chalcone imines and flavone imines were screened for their antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The in vitro activity of the compounds was evaluated by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and the MIC was determined for a few selected compounds. Most of the compounds showed significant antimicrobial activity. The compounds were found toxic to bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, S. typhimurium, Shigella flexneri and Proteus species. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be resistant to most of the compounds. It was noted that all...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Docetaxel (Doc) is an antitumor drug used to treat various types of cancers. However, it has certain limitations in clinical use due to its side effects. The major objective of this study was to assess the antitumor activity and cardiotoxicity of the Doc loaded in a nanoemulsion formulated with the garlic oil (Doc-NEGO) in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing mice. One hundred mice were split into five groups (n = 20). Groups I and II served as untreated mice and untreated EAC-bearing mice, respectively. Groups III-V represented the EAC-bearing mice administered orally by Doc-NEGO, NEGO and Doc dissolved in distilled water, respectively. The antitumor activity included the measurement of the mean survival time (MST) and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the tumor ascetic fluid. The cardiotoxicity was identified by determining the serum enzymes and analyzing the oxidative stress in the heart tissue. It has been found that the z-average diameters of the nanoparticles of NEGO and Doc-NEGO, determined by the zetasizer, were 63.19 ± 1.85 nm and 110.43 ±...
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