Displaying publications 401 - 420 of 1137 in total

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  1. Microsatellite-based evidences of genetic bottlenecks in the cryptic species "Andrographis paniculata Nees": a potential anticancer agent
    Valdiani A, Javanmard A, Talei D, Tan SG, Nikzad S, Kadir MA, et al.
    Mol Biol Rep, 2013 Feb;40(2):1775-84.
    PMID: 23086278 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-012-2231-6
    Andrographis paniculata (AP) is a medicinal plant species introduced into Malaysia. To address the genetic structure and evolutionary connectedness of the Malaysian AP with the Indian AP, a DNA sequence analysis was conducted based on 24 microsatellite markers. Out of the 24 primer sets, seven novel microsatellite primers were designed and amplified intra-specifically according to the available Indian AP sequences at the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), where 17 of them were amplified using the cross-species strategy by employing the primers belonging to Acanthus ilicifolius Linn (Acanthaceae) and Lumnitzera racemosa Wild (Combretaceae). The primers were then applied on the Malaysian AP accessions. Sixteen of the new microsatellite loci were amplified successfully. Analysis of these microsatellite sequences, revealed some significant differences between the Indian and Malaysian AP accessions in terms of the size and type of the repeat motifs. These findings depicted the cryptic feature of this species. Despite identifying several heterozygous alleles no polymorphism was observed in the detected loci of the selected accessions. This situation was in concordance with the presence of "fixed heterozygosity" phenomenon in the mentioned loci. Accordingly, this was fully consistent with the occurrence of the genetic bottleneck and founder effect within Malaysian AP population. Apart from the amplification of new microsatellites in this species, our observations could be in agreement with the risk of genetic depletion and consequently extinction of this precious herb in Malaysia. This issue should be taken into consideration in the future studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/genetics*
  2. Characterization of apigenin and luteolin derivatives from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) leaf using LC-ESI-MS/MS
    Tahir NI, Shaari K, Abas F, Parveez GK, Ishak Z, Ramli US
    J Agric Food Chem, 2012 Nov 14;60(45):11201-10.
    PMID: 23116142 DOI: 10.1021/jf303267e
    The palm oil industry generates several byproducts, and more than half of the dry weight of the waste is of oil palm leaf whereby the tissue is underutilized. Recently, several research studies found promising potential of oil palm fronds as a source of nutraceutical due to its bioactive properties. However, the chemical composition of the tissue is still not deciphered. Using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), glycosylated apigenin and luteolin were separated and identified from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) leaf and structures of the constituents were elucidated by collision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem MS. From 28 derivatives of the flavones, 9 compounds were conjugated with hydroxymethylglutaric (HMG) acid. Improved knowledge on oil palm especially on bioactive component of the leaf tissue will allow correlation of its beneficial effects and further promotes efficient utilization of this agriculture byproduct.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  3. Gasifier selection, design and gasification of oil palm fronds with preheated and unheated gasifying air
    Guangul FM, Sulaiman SA, Ramli A
    Bioresour Technol, 2012 Dec;126:224-32.
    PMID: 23073112 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.09.018
    Oil palm frond biomass is abundantly available in Malaysia, but underutilized. In this study, gasifiers were evaluated based on the available literature data and downdraft gasifiers were found to be the best option for the study of oil palm fronds gasification. A downdraft gasifier was constructed with a novel height adjustment mechanism for changing the position of gasifying air and steam inlet. The oil palm fronds gasification results showed that preheating the gasifying air improved the volumetric percentage of H(2) from 8.47% to 10.53%, CO from 22.87% to 24.94%, CH(4) from 2.02% to 2.03%, and higher heating value from 4.66 to 5.31 MJ/Nm(3) of the syngas. In general, the results of the current study demonstrated that oil palm fronds can be used as an alternative energy source in the energy diversification plan of Malaysia through gasification, along with, the resulting syngas quality can be improved by preheating the gasifying air.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry*
  4. Fulltext Cholinesterase enzymes inhibitors from the leaves of Rauvolfia reflexa and their molecular docking study
    Fadaeinasab M, Hadi AH, Kia Y, Basiri A, Murugaiyah V
    Molecules, 2013 Mar 25;18(4):3779-88.
    PMID: 23529036 DOI: 10.3390/molecules18043779
    Plants of the Apocynaceae family have been traditionally used in the treatment of age-related brain disorders. Rauvolfia reflexa, a member of the family, has been used as an antidote for poisons and to treat malaria. The dichloromethane, ethanol and methanol extracts from the leaves of Rauvolfia reflexa showed potential acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities, with IC50 values in the 8.49 to 52.23 g/mL range. Further cholinesterase inhibitory-guided isolation of these extracts afforded four bioactive compounds, namely: (E)-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acrylic acid (1), (E)-methyl 3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl) acrylate (2), 17-methoxycarbonyl-14-heptadecaenyl-4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamate (3) and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-β-carboline (4). The isolated compounds showed moderate cholinesterase inhibitory activity compared to the reference standard, physostigmine. Compounds 1 and 2 showed the highest inhibitory activity against AChE (IC50 = 60.17 µM) and BChE (IC50 = 61.72 µM), respectively. Despite having similar molecular weight, compounds 1 and 2 were structurally different according to their chemical substitution patterns, leading to their different enzyme inhibition selectivity. Compound 2 was more selective against BChE, whereas compound 1 was a selective inhibitor of AChE. Molecular docking revealed that both compounds 1 and 2 were inserted, but not deeply into the active site of the cholinesterase enzymes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry*
  5. Fulltext Analysis of the leaf transcriptome of Musa acuminata during interaction with Mycosphaerella musicola: gene assembly, annotation and marker development
    Passos MA, de Cruz VO, Emediato FL, de Teixeira CC, Azevedo VC, Brasileiro AC, et al.
    BMC Genomics, 2013 Feb 05;14:78.
    PMID: 23379821 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-78
    BACKGROUND: Although banana (Musa sp.) is an important edible crop, contributing towards poverty alleviation and food security, limited transcriptome datasets are available for use in accelerated molecular-based breeding in this genus. 454 GS-FLX Titanium technology was employed to determine the sequence of gene transcripts in genotypes of Musa acuminata ssp. burmannicoides Calcutta 4 and M. acuminata subgroup Cavendish cv. Grande Naine, contrasting in resistance to the fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella musicola, causal organism of Sigatoka leaf spot disease. To enrich for transcripts under biotic stress responses, full length-enriched cDNA libraries were prepared from whole plant leaf materials, both uninfected and artificially challenged with pathogen conidiospores.

    RESULTS: The study generated 846,762 high quality sequence reads, with an average length of 334 bp and totalling 283 Mbp. De novo assembly generated 36,384 and 35,269 unigene sequences for M. acuminata Calcutta 4 and Cavendish Grande Naine, respectively. A total of 64.4% of the unigenes were annotated through Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) similarity analyses against public databases.Assembled sequences were functionally mapped to Gene Ontology (GO) terms, with unigene functions covering a diverse range of molecular functions, biological processes and cellular components. Genes from a number of defense-related pathways were observed in transcripts from each cDNA library. Over 99% of contig unigenes mapped to exon regions in the reference M. acuminata DH Pahang whole genome sequence. A total of 4068 genic-SSR loci were identified in Calcutta 4 and 4095 in Cavendish Grande Naine. A subset of 95 potential defense-related gene-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were validated for specific amplification and polymorphism across M. acuminata accessions. Fourteen loci were polymorphic, with alleles per polymorphic locus ranging from 3 to 8 and polymorphism information content ranging from 0.34 to 0.82.

    CONCLUSIONS: A large set of unigenes were characterized in this study for both M. acuminata Calcutta 4 and Cavendish Grande Naine, increasing the number of public domain Musa ESTs. This transcriptome is an invaluable resource for furthering our understanding of biological processes elicited during biotic stresses in Musa. Gene-based markers will facilitate molecular breeding strategies, forming the basis of genetic linkage mapping and analysis of quantitative trait loci.

    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/genetics*
  6. Midday depression of leaf CO2 exchange within the crown of Dipterocarpus sublamellatus in a lowland dipterocarp forest in Peninsular Malaysia
    Kosugi Y, Takanashi S, Matsuo N, Nik AR
    Tree Physiol, 2009 Apr;29(4):505-15.
    PMID: 19203974 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpn041
    We observed diurnal and seasonal patterns of leaf-scale gas exchange within the crown of a Dipterocarpus sublamellatus Foxw. tree growing in a lowland dipterocarp forest at Pasoh, Peninsular Malaysia. Observations were carried out nine times over 6 years, from September 2002 to December 2007. Observation periods included both wet and mild-dry periods, and natural and saturated photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) light conditions. In situ measurements of the diurnal change in net photosynthetic rate and in stomatal conductance were carried out on canopy leaves of a 40-m-tall D. sublamellatus tree, which was accessed from a canopy corridor. A diurnal change in electron transport rate was observed under saturated PPFD conditions. The maximum net assimilation rate was approximately 10 micromol m(-2) s(-1). There was a clear inhibition of the net assimilation rate coupled with stomatal closure after late morning and this inhibition occurred year-round. Although the electron transport rate decreased alongside this inhibition, it sometimes followed on. Numerical analysis showed that the main factor in the inhibition of the net assimilation rate was patchy bimodal stomatal closure, which occurred in both mild-dry and wet periods. The midday depression occurred year-round, though there are fluctuations in soil moisture during the mild-dry and wet periods. The magnitude of the inhibition was not related to soil water content but was related to vapor pressure deficit (VPD): that is, whether the days were sunny and hot or cloudy and cool. On cloudy, cool days in the wet period, the net photosynthesis was only moderately inhibited, but it still decreased in the afternoon and was coupled with patchy stomatal closure, even in quite moderate VPD, leaf temperature and PPFD conditions. Our results suggest that patchy stomatal closure signaled by the increase in VPD, in transpiration and by circadian rhythms, was the key factor in constraining midday leaf gas exchange of the D. sublamellatus canopy leaves.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/metabolism
  7. Antioxidative, tyrosinase inhibiting and antibacterial activities of leaf extracts from medicinal ferns
    Lai HY, Lim YY, Tan SP
    Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, 2009 Jun;73(6):1362-6.
    PMID: 19502733
    Leaf extracts of five medicinal ferns, Acrostichum aureum L. (Pteridaceae), Asplenium nidus L. (Aspleniaceae), Blechnum orientale L. (Blechnaceae), Cibotium barometz (L.) J. Sm. (Cyatheaceae) and Dicranopteris linearis (Burm.) underwood var. linearis (Gleicheniaceae), were investigated for their total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidative, tyrosinase inhibiting and antibacterial activities. The antioxidative activity was measured by assays for radical scavenging against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric ion reducing power (FRP), beta-carotene bleaching (BCB) and ferrous ion chelating (FIC). The results revealed B. orientale to possess the highest amount of total polyphenols and strongest potential as a natural antioxidative, tyrosinase inhibiting and antibacterial agent as demonstrated by its strong activities in all related bioassays. The other ferns with antioxidative potential were C. barometz and D. linearis. Except for A. aureum, all ferns showed antibacterial activity which may justify their usage in traditional medicines.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry*
  8. Inhibitory effect of morinda citrifolia L. On lipoprotein lipase activity
    Pak-Dek MS, Abdul-Hamid A, Osman A, Soh CS
    J Food Sci, 2008 Oct;73(8):C595-8.
    PMID: 19019102 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2008.00929.x
    Efficacy of Morinda citrifolia L. leaf (MLE) and fruit extracts (MFE) in inhibiting lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was determined in vitro. The result of the study showed that the highest inhibition on the LPL activity was exhibited by MLE (66%+/- 2.1%), which is significantly higher than that demonstrated by MFE (54.5%+/- 2.5%), green tea extract (GTE) (54.5%+/- 2.6%), and catechin (43.6%+/- 6.1%). Percent of LPL inhibition increase with concentration of the extracts. Quantitative analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of high levels of (+)-catechin at 63.5 +/- 17 and 53.7 +/- 5.7 mg/g in MLE and MFE, respectively, although not as high as that found in GTE (530.6 +/- 42 mg/g). Appreciable amount of epicatechin was found in all extracts tested, while rutin was only found in MLE and MFE. The study suggested that both leaf and fruit of M. citrifolia may be used as antiobesity agents in body weight management.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry*
  9. Phytochemical constituents from Cassia alata with inhibition against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
    Hazni H, Ahmad N, Hitotsuyanagi Y, Takeya K, Choo CY
    Planta Med, 2008 Dec;74(15):1802-5.
    PMID: 18991205 DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1088340
    The methanolic extract of the leaves of CASSIA ALATA was sequentially partitioned in increasing polarity to afford the hexane, chloroform, butanol and residual extract. Crude extracts were evaluated against MRSA using the agar well diffusion assay. The butanol and chloroform extracts both exhibited inhibition against MRSA with inhibition indexes of 1.03 +/- 0.16 and 0.78 +/- 0.07 at the concentration of 50 mg/mL. The butanol extracts were further purified using silica gel and reverse phase chromatography to afford kaempferol ( 1), kaempferol 3- O-beta-glucopyranoside ( 2), kaempferol 3- O-gentiobioside ( 3) and aloe emodin ( 4). The four constituents showed varying degrees of inhibition against MRSA. Both 1 and 4 exhibited MIC (50) values of 13.0 +/- 1.5 microg/mL and 12.0 +/- 1.5 microg/mL, respectively. The kaempferol glycosides 2 and 3 were less active with MIC (50) values of 83.0 +/- 0.9 microg/mL and 560.0 +/- 1.2 microg/mL, respectively. A free hydroxyl group at C-3 of the flavonol structure is a structural requirement for the inhibition of MRSA.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  10. Bacteriostatic effect of Piper betle and Psidium guajava extracts on dental plaque bacteria
    Fathilah AR, Rahim ZH, Othman Y, Yusoff M
    Pak J Biol Sci, 2009 Mar 15;12(6):518-21.
    PMID: 19580002
    In this study, the bacteriostatic effect of Piper betle and Psidium guajava extracts on selected early dental plaque bacteria was investigated based on changes in the doubling time (g) and specific growth rates (micro). Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus mitis and Actinomyces sp. were cultured in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) in the presence and absence of the extracts. The growth of bacteria was monitored periodically every 15 min over a period of 9 h to allow for a complete growth cycle. Growth profiles of the bacteria in the presence of the extracts were compared to those in the absence and deviation in the g and micro were determined and analyzed. It was found that the g and mu were affected by both extracts. At 4 mg mL(-1) of P. betle the g-values for S. sanguinis and S. mitis were increased by 12.0- and 10.4-fold, respectively (p < 0.05). At similar concentration P. guajava increased the g-value by 1.8- and 2.6 -fold, respectively (p < 0.05). The effect on Actinomyces sp. was observed at a much lower magnitude. It appears that P. betle and P. guajava extracts have bacteriostatic effect on the plaque bacteria by creating a stressed environment that had suppressed the growth and propagation of the cells. Within the context of the dental plaque, this would ensure the attainment of thin and healthy plaque. Thus, decoctions of these plants would be suitable if used in the control of dental plaque.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  11. In situ TEM and SEM studies on the antimicrobial activity and prevention of Candida albicans biofilm by Cassia spectabilis extract
    Sangetha S, Zuraini Z, Suryani S, Sasidharan S
    Micron, 2009 Jun;40(4):439-43.
    PMID: 19261482 DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2009.01.003
    The inhibitory effect of Cassia spectabilis methanol leaf extract was evaluated against biofilm forming Candida albicans, which was sensitive to 6.25 mg/ml concentration of the extract. Transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations were used to study the anticandidal activity and prevention of biofilm formation by the C. spectabilis extract. SEM analysis further revealed reduction in C. albicans biofilm in response to the extract. The main abnormalities noted via TEM study was the alterations in morphology and complete collapse of the yeast cells after 36 h of exposure to the extract. The significant antifungal activity shown by this methanol extract of C. spectabilis suggests its potential against infections caused by C. albicans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  12. Antioxidant, anti-TB activities, phenolic and amide contents of standardised extracts of Piper sarmentosum Roxb
    Hussain K, Ismail Z, Sadikun A, Ibrahim P
    Nat Prod Res, 2009;23(3):238-49.
    PMID: 19235024 DOI: 10.1080/14786410801987597
    Ethanol and aqueous extracts of the different parts of Piper sarmentosum were analysed by HPLC for marker compounds to standardise these extracts. The standardised extracts were investigated for antioxidant activity (beta-carotene linoleate model and DPPH model), anti-TB activity (microplate tetrazolium assay), and estimation of total phenolic and amide contents. The extracts of the different parts exhibited different antioxidant activity, phenolic and amide contents (p < 0.01). The ethanol extracts exhibited better antioxidant activity as compared to the aqueous extracts. The leaf ethanol extract was further investigated for dose response relationship and its EC(50) was found to be 38 microg mL(-1). All the extracts have exhibited anti-TB activity with MIC/MBC 12.5 microg mL(-1). The leaf methanol extract was fractionated and the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited anti-TB activity with MIC/MBC 3.12 microg mL(-1) while MIC/MBC of isoniazid (INH) was found to be 0.5 microg mL(-1). A positive correlation was found between antioxidant activity and total polyphenols, flavonoids and amides, in the beta-carotene linoleate model (p = 0.05) and in the DPPH model (p = 0.01). The analytical method was found to have linearity >0.9922, coefficient of variance <5% and accuracy 95.5 +/- 5 to 96.9 +/- 5. This plant possesses promising antioxidant as well as anti-TB properties.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  13. Seco-tabersonine alkaloids from Tabernaemontana corymbosa
    Lim KH, Thomas NF, Abdullah Z, Kam TS
    Phytochemistry, 2009 Feb;70(3):424-9.
    PMID: 19217125 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2009.01.001
    Two seco-tabersonine alkaloids, jerantiphyllines A and B, in addition to a tabersonine hydroxyindolenine, jerantinine H, and a recently reported vincamine alkaloid 7, were isolated from the leaf extract of the Malayan Tabernaemontana corymbosa and the structures were established using NMR and MS analysis. Biomimetic conversion of jerantinines A and E to their respective vincamine and 16-epivincamine derivatives were also carried out.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  14. Medicinal properties of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)
    Pedraza-Chaverri J, Cárdenas-Rodríguez N, Orozco-Ibarra M, Pérez-Rojas JM
    Food Chem Toxicol, 2008 Oct;46(10):3227-39.
    PMID: 18725264 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2008.07.024
    Many tropical plants have interesting biological activities with potential therapeutic applications. Garcinia mangostana Linn. (GML) belongs to the family of Guttiferae and is named "the queen of fruits". It is cultivated in the tropical rainforest of some Southeast Asian nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Thailand. People in these countries have used the pericarp (peel, rind, hull or ripe) of GML as a traditional medicine for the treatment of abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, infected wound, suppuration, and chronic ulcer. Experimental studies have demonstrated that extracts of GML have antioxidant, antitumoral, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. The pericarp of GML is a source of xanthones and other bioactive substances. Prenylated xanthones isolated from GML have been extensively studied; some members of these compounds possess antioxidant, antitumoral, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Xanthones have been isolated from pericarp, whole fruit, heartwood, and leaves. The most studied xanthones are alpha-, beta-, and gamma-mangostins, garcinone E, 8-deoxygartanin, and gartanin. The aim of this review is to summarize findings of beneficial properties of GML's extracts and xanthones isolated from this plant so far.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  15. Jerantinines A-G, cytotoxic Aspidosperma alkaloids from Tabernaemontana corymbosa
    Lim KH, Hiraku O, Komiyama K, Kam TS
    J Nat Prod, 2008 Sep;71(9):1591-4.
    PMID: 18778099 DOI: 10.1021/np800435c
    Seven new indole alkaloids of the Aspidosperma type, jerantinines A-G (1-7), were isolated from a leaf extract of the Malayan Tabernaemontana corymbosa. The structures were established using NMR and MS analysis. Five of the alkaloids isolated and two derivatives (1-5, 8, 9) displayed pronounced in vitro cytotoxicity against human KB cells (IC50 < 1 microg/mL).
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  16. 5-Hydroxytryptamine2A receptor binding activity of compounds from Litsea sessilis
    Chung LY, Lo MW, Mustafa MR, Goh SH, Imiyabir Z
    Phytother Res, 2009 Mar;23(3):330-4.
    PMID: 18844258 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2627
    A 96-well microplate filtration based 5-HT(2A) receptor-radioligand binding assay was optimized and adopted to carry out a bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of the leaves of Litsea sessilis. This purification led to the isolation of two compounds identified as (+)-boldine (1) and (+)-dehydrovomifoliol (2). (+)-Boldine binds to 5-HT(2A) receptors at high concentrations with a K(i) value of 2.16 microm. However, (+)-dehydrovomifoliol showed minimal competitive inhibition on the binding of [(3)H]ketanserin to the same receptor with a K(i) value of 2.06 mm. These results suggest that (+)-boldine influences the activity of 5-HT(2A) receptors through competitive binding as an agonist or antagonist.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry
  17. Effect of autohydrolysis and enzymatic treatment on oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) frond fibres for xylose and xylooligosaccharides production
    Sabiha-Hanim S, Noor MA, Rosma A
    Bioresour Technol, 2011 Jan;102(2):1234-9.
    PMID: 20797853 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.08.017
    Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is one of the most important commercial crops for the production of palm oil, which generates 10.88 tons of oil palm fronds per hectare of plantation as a by-product. In this study, oil palm frond fibres were subjected to an autohydrolysis treatment using an autoclave, operated at 121 °C for 20-80 min, to facilitate the separation of hemicelluloses. The hemicellulose-rich solution (autohydrolysate) was subjected to further hydrolysis with 4-16 U of mixed Trichoderma viride endo-(1,4)-β-xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8) per 100 mg of autohydrolysate. Autoclaving of palm fronds at 121°C for 60 min (a severity factor of 2.40) recovered 75% of the solid residue, containing 57.9% cellulose and 18% Klason lignin, and an autohydrolysate containing 14.94% hemicellulose, with a fractionation efficiency of 49.20%. Subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of the autohydrolysate with 8 U of endoxylanase at 40 °C for 24 h produced a solution containing 17.5% xylooligosaccharides and 25.6% xylose. The results clearly indicate the potential utilization of oil palm frond, an abundantly available lignocellulosic biomass for the production of xylose and xylooligosaccharides which can serve as functional food ingredients.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/metabolism*
  18. Sequestration of toxic Pb(II) ions by chemically treated rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) leaf powder
    Kamal MH, Azira WM, Kasmawati M, Haslizaidi Z, Saime WN
    J Environ Sci (China), 2010;22(2):248-56.
    PMID: 20397414
    Rubber leaf powder (an agricultural waste) was treated with potassium permanganate followed by sodium carbonate and its performance in the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution was evaluated. The interactions between Pb(II) ions and functional groups on the adsorbent surface were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). The effects of several important parameters which can affect adsorption capacity such as pH, adsorbent dosage, initial lead concentration and contact time were studied. The optimum pH range for lead adsorption was 4-5. Even at very low adsorbent dosage of 0.02 g, almost 100% of Pb(II) ions (23 mg/L) could be removed. The adsorption capacity was also dependent on lead concentration and contact time, and relatively a short period of time (60-90 min) was required to reach equilibrium. The equilibrium data were analyzed with Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms. Based on Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of lead was 95.3 mg/g. Three kinetic models including pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order and Boyd were used to analyze the lead adsorption process, and the results showed that the pseudo second-order fitted well with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry*
  19. Fulltext Antihyperglycemic effect of orthosiphon stamineus benth leaves extract and its bioassay-guided fractions
    Mohamed EA, Mohamed AJ, Asmawi MZ, Sadikun A, Ebrika OS, Yam MF
    Molecules, 2011 May 04;16(5):3787-801.
    PMID: 21544041 DOI: 10.3390/molecules16053787
    Preliminary investigations were carried out to evaluate the antidiabetic effects of the leaves of O. stamineus extracted serially with solvents of increasing polarity (petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and water); bioassay-guided purification of plant extracts using the subcutaneous glucose tolerance test (SbGTT) was also carried out. Only the chloroform extract, given at 1 g/kg body weight (b.w.), significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the blood glucose level of rats loaded subcutaneously with 150 mg/kg (b.w.) glucose. The active chloroform extract of O. stamineus was separated into five fractions using a dry flash column chromatography method. Out of the five fractions tested, only chloroform fraction 2 (Cƒ2), at the dose of 1 g/kg (b.w.) significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) blood glucose levels in SbGTT. Active Cƒ2 was split into two sub-fractions Cƒ2-A and Cƒ2-B, using a dry flash column chromatography method. The activities Cƒ2-A and Cƒ2-B were investigated using SbGTT, and the active sub-fraction was then further studied for anti-diabetic effects in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. The results clearly indicate that Cƒ2-B fraction exhibited a blood glucose lowering effect in fasted treated normal rats after glucose-loading of 150 mg/kg (b.w.). In the acute streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model, Cƒ2-B did not exhibit a hypoglycemic effect on blood glucose levels up to 7 hours after treatment. Thus, it appears that Cƒ2-B functions similarly to metformin, which has no hypoglycemic effect but demonstrates an antihyperglycemic effect only in normogycemic models. The effect of Cƒ2-B may have no direct stimulatory effects on insulin secretion or on blood glucose levels in diabetic animal models. Verification of the active compound(s) within the active fraction (Cƒ2-B) indicated the presence of terpenoids and, flavonoids, including sinensitin.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/chemistry*
  20. Fulltext Effect of CO(2) enrichment on synthesis of some primary and secondary metabolites in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)
    Ghasemzadeh A, Jaafar HZ
    Int J Mol Sci, 2011 Feb 10;12(2):1101-14.
    PMID: 21541046 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12021101
    The effect of two different CO(2) concentrations (400 and 800 μmol mol(-1)) on the photosynthesis rate, primary and secondary metabolite syntheses and the antioxidant activities of the leaves, stems and rhizomes of two Zingiber officinale varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) were assessed in an effort to compare and validate the medicinal potential of the subterranean part of the young ginger. High photosynthesis rate (10.05 μmol CO(2) m(-2)s(-1) in Halia Bara) and plant biomass (83.4 g in Halia Bentong) were observed at 800 μmol mol(-1) CO(2). Stomatal conductance decreased and water use efficiency increased with elevated CO(2) concentration. Total flavonoids (TF), total phenolics (TP), total soluble carbohydrates (TSC), starch and plant biomass increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in all parts of the ginger varieties under elevated CO(2) (800 μmol mol(-1)). The order of the TF and TP increment in the parts of the plant was rhizomes > stems > leaves. More specifically, Halia Bara had a greater increase of TF (2.05 mg/g dry weight) and TP (14.31 mg/g dry weight) compared to Halia Bentong (TF: 1.42 mg/g dry weight; TP: 9.11 mg/g dry weight) in average over the whole plant. Furthermore, plants with the highest rate of photosynthesis had the highest TSC and phenolics content. Significant differences between treatments and species were observed for TF and TP production. Correlation coefficient showed that TSC and TP content are positively correlated in both varieties. The antioxidant activity, as determined by the ferric reducing/antioxidant potential (FRAP) activity, increased in young ginger grown under elevated CO(2). The FRAP values for the leaves, rhizomes and stems extracts of both varieties grown under two different CO(2) concentrations (400 and 800 μmol mol(-1)) were significantly lower than those of vitamin C (3107.28 μmol Fe (II)/g) and α-tocopherol (953 μmol Fe (II)/g), but higher than that of BHT (74.31 μmol Fe (II)/g). These results indicate that the plant biomass, primary and secondary metabolite synthesis, and following that, antioxidant activities of Malaysian young ginger varieties can be enhanced through controlled environment (CE) and CO(2) enrichment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Leaves/metabolism
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