Coal combustion by-products (CCPs) (i.e. fly (FA) and bottom (BA) ashes) generated by power plants contain heavy metals. This research presents leaching properties of coal ashes (FA and BA) collected from Jimah coal-fired power station, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan using USEPA standard methods namely toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), and synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP). Heavy metals like lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and arsenic (As) were quantified using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). The leached of heavy metals fluxes were Cu < Zn < Pb < As. As leached the most whilst indicating of possible contamination from As. Overall, the ranges of leached concentration were adhered to permissible limits of hazardous waste criteria for metal (Pb and As) and industrial effluent (Zn and Cu). The presented data has potential reuse as reference for the coal ash concrete mixed design application in construction industries.
Population explosion is one of the global issues of concern. The increasing number of individuals could result in negative impact on social and economy. To overcome this problem, convenient and safe modern contraception was introduced. However, recently many researchers have conducted studies on the effectiveness of medicinal plants as contraceptive agents on human and animal models. Therefore, the studies of herbal and modern contraceptives were summarized in this review article. A total of 66 relevant articles were documented having information regarding the modern and herbal contraceptives. All contraceptives are highly effective provided they are used consistently and in the proper way. Contraception is important as it could prevent diseases and infections caused by sexual intercourse and prevent unintended pregnancy. Therefore, this review is an attempt to summarize the potential of medicinal plants as contraceptive agents and the modern contraceptive methods used as birth control in males and females.
Neurodegenerative diseases commonly affect elderly population and are characterised by progressive neuronal loss. Oxidative stress is highly associated with neurodegeneration. The targeted herbal plant in this review, Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum), is typically used in Indochina and Italian cuisine. Pharmacological studies on O. basilicum have demonstrated potent antioxidant activities with some reports of neuroprotective actions. This brief review highlights the potential neuroprotective roles of O. basilicum by discussing previously documented antioxidative actions of the plant extract, essential oils and its phytochemical compounds on the nervous system based on in vitro and in vivo studies. Accumulating evidence on the neuroprotective action of O. basilicum points to a notion that neuroprotection is made possible by way of its antioxidant properties and largely due to the presence of polyphenol compounds such as rosmarinic acid which has been identified as the major constituent. Although the mechanisms of O. basilicum antioxidant action have been proposed, further studies are required for better understanding of its antioxidant action leading to neuroprotective roles. It is also possible that the antioxidant actions of O. basilicum are mediated through synergism of a mixture of various naturally-occurring bioactive compounds in the plant, as is with many other plant-based food supplements, to produce the putative effects instead of a single bioactive compound from the plant. Therefore, specific targeting of neuroprotection by means of antioxidant actions warrants further preclinical and clinical studies investigating the therapeutic potentials of O. basilicum particularly in view of the prevention of neurodegenerative processes.
Preparation of medicinal plants for experimental purposes is an initial step and key in achieving quality research outcome. It involves extraction and determination of quality and quantity of bioactive constituents before proceeding with the intended biological testing. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate various methods used in the preparation and screening of medicinal plants in our daily research. Although the extracts, bioactive fractions, or compounds obtained from medicinal plants are used for different purposes, the techniques involved in producing them are generally the same irrespective of the intended biological testing. The major stages included in acquiring quality bioactive molecule are the selection of an appropriate solvent, extraction methods, phytochemical screening procedures, fractionation methods, and identification techniques. The nitty-gritty of these methods and the exact road map followed solely depends on the research design. Solvents commonly used in extraction of medicinal plants are polar solvent (e.g., water, alcohols), intermediate polar (e.g., acetone, dichloromethane), and nonpolar (e.g., n-hexane, ether, chloroform). In general, extraction procedures include maceration, digestion, decoction, infusion, percolation, Soxhlet extraction, superficial extraction, ultrasound-assisted, and microwave-assisted extractions. Fractionation and purification of phytochemical substances are achieved through application of various chromatographic techniques such as paper chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Finally, compounds obtained are characterized using diverse identification techniques such as mass spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Subsequently, different methods described above can be grouped and discussed according to the intended biological testing to guide young researchers and make them more focused.
Clinacanthus nutans, commonly known as Sabah snake grass, is one of the more important medicinal plants in Malaysia's herbal industry. C. nutans has gained the attention of medical practitioners due to its wide range of bioactive compounds responsible for various biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-venom and anti-viral activities. Due to its high pharmacological properties, the species has been overexploited to meet the demands of the pharmaceutical industry. The present study was conducted to establish a suitable in vitro culture procedure for the mass propagation of C. nutans. Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium, supplemented with different types of cytokinins, auxins, basal medium strength and sucrose concentrations, were tested. Based on the results, a full-strength MS basal medium supplemented with 12 µM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 30 g/L sucrose was recorded as the best outcome for all the parameters measured including the regeneration percentage, number of shoots, length of shoots, number of leaves and fresh weight of leaves. In the analysis of the phenolics content and antioxidant activities, tissue-cultured leaf extracts assayed at 100 °C exhibited the highest phenolic content and antioxidant activities. The propagation of C. nutans via a plant tissue culture technique was recorded to be able to produce high phenolic contents as well as exhibit high antioxidant activities.
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, and its rate of mortality is rising annually. In accordance with the current condition, studies on medicinal plants upon their activity on cardiovascular diseases are often being encouraged to be used in cardiovascular disease management, due to the availability of medicinal values in certain dedicated plants. This review was conducted based on two plant families, which are Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, to study on their action in cardiovascular disease relieving activities, to review the relationship between the phytochemistry of Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families and their effect on cardiovascular diseases, and to study their toxicology. The medicinal plants from these plant family groups are collected based on their effects on the mechanisms that affect the cardiovascular-related disease which are an antioxidant activity, anti-hyperlipidemic or hypocholesterolemia, vasorelaxant effect, antithrombotic action, and diuresis effect. In reference to various studies, the journals that conducted in vivo or in vitro experiments, which were used to prove the specific mechanisms, are included in this review. This is to ensure that the scientific value and the phytochemicals of the involved plants can be seen based on their activity. As a result, various plant species from both Asteraceae and Lamiaceae plant family have been identified and collected based on their study that has proven their effectiveness and uses in cardiovascular diseases. Most of the plants have an antioxidant effect, followed by anti-hyperlipidemia, vasorelaxant, antithrombotic, and diuretic effect from the most available to least available studies, respectively. These are the mechanisms that contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Further studies can be conducted on these plant species by identifying their ability and capability to be developed into a new drug or to be used as a medicinal plant in treating various cardiovascular diseases.
Increasing risk of antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria has led to the exploration of alternative antibiotics derived from leaves of medicinal plants such as the fig (Ficus carica L.). The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract of fig leaves grown under Malaysian tropical environment against pathogenic bacteria linked to antibiotic resistance namely the Staphylococcus aureus and Escherechia coli. The methanolic extraction was performed by using soxhlet apparatus. The disc diffusion method was used to measure inhibition zone diameter on the Mueller-Hinton agar plate. Staphylococcus aureus displayed the highest diameter of inhibition zone against the extract at concentration of 900 mg/ml whilst Escherechia coli displayed the highest diameter of inhibition zone against both the 100% crude extract and 700 mg/ml, respectively. This study therefore highlighted the potential of developing alternative antibiotics derived from the methalonic extract of locally grown fig plant.
As in other parts of the world, the practice of traditional healing has been part of the local healthcare system for most of the indigenous ethnic groups, since time immemorial. Using descriptive research format, this study looked into the practice of a traditional medicine practitioner in one of the villages of Kota Marudu in Sabah, Malaysia. The practitioner comes from the Dusun Tagahas subethnic group which is one of the numerous ethnic groups in Sabah. The large number of ethnic group in Sabah has made the research of ethnomedicine rather challenging. The practitioner acquired knowledge of traditional healing and treatment which is mainly herbal medicines alluded with some spiritual aspects. He used many herbal preparations in various forms and applications. Similar to the other traditional medicine practitioners, his knowledge and skill regarding his practice are impressive but the practitioner is unable to explain on the mechanism of how the therapy works. Generally their philosophy rests on the notion that disease responds to right medicine but not explanation. There is an urgent need to capture all the knowledge and skill possessed by traditional medicine practitioners, who generally belong to an ageing and fading population, especially those live in remote and hard to reach areas. Scientific research should be conducted to help traditional medicine healers and herbalists to understand their practices before they suffer the consequences of inexorable extinction.
Cyclopolypeptides are among the most predominant biomolecules in nature, especially those derived from plant seeds. This category of compounds has gained extraordinary attention due to remarkable variety of structures and valuable biofunctions. These congeners display enormous variation in terms of both structure and function and are the most significant biomolecules due to their widespread bioproperties. The estrogenic activity, immunosuppressive activity, cytotoxicity, vasorelaxant activity, and other properties possessed by cyclic peptides from seeds of plants make these congeners attractive leads for the drug discovery process. The current study covers the important structural features, structure-activity relationship, synthesis methods, and bioproperties of plant seeds-originated bioactive peptides from Vaccaria segetalis, Linum usitatissimum, and Goniothalamus leiocarpus, which may prove vital for the development of novel therapeutics based on a peptide skeleton.
The world faces two enormous challenges that can be met, at least in part and at low cost, by making certain changes in agricultural practices. There is need to produce enough food and fibre for a growing population in the face of adverse climatic trends, and to remove greenhouse gases to avert the worst consequences of global climate change. Improving photosynthetic efficiency of crop plants can help meet both challenges. Fortuitously, when crop plants' roots are colonized by certain root endophytic fungi in the genus Trichoderma, this induces up-regulation of genes and pigments that improve the plants' photosynthesis. Plants under physiological or environmental stress suffer losses in their photosynthetic capability through damage to photosystems and other cellular processes caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). But certain Trichoderma strains activate biochemical pathways that reduce ROS to less harmful molecules. This and other mechanisms described here make plants more resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses. The net effect of these fungi's residence in plants is to induce greater shoot and root growth, increasing crop yields, which will raise future food production. Furthermore, if photosynthesis rates are increased, more CO2 will be extracted from the atmosphere, and enhanced plant root growth means that more sequestered C will be transferred to roots and stored in the soil. Reductions in global greenhouse gas levels can be accelerated by giving incentives for climate-friendly carbon farming and carbon cap-and-trade programmes that reward practices transferring carbon from the atmosphere into the soil, also enhancing soil fertility and agricultural production.
Nine populations of three species of Nephotettix (Insecta: Hemiptera) from Peninsular Malaysia were analysed for nine enzymes comprising 11 loci. Nei's (Genetics 89, 583, 1978) genetic distance, D, between N. virescens and N. malayanus was 0.181, that between N. virescens and N. nigropictus was 0.283, and that between N. malayanus and N. nigropictus was 0.203. The genetic distance between N. nigropictus from rice plant and from the weed-grass L. hexandra at Universiti Pertanian Malaysia was 0.004 and their genetic identity was 0.996, thus indicating that this insect species fees on both host plants. The proportion of polymorphic loci and the observed heterozygosities were higher in N. nigropictus, with a wider range of host plants, than in N. virescens and N. malayanus, restricted to rice and L. hexandra, respectively.
Thiamine, or vitamin B1 plays an indispensable role as a cofactor in crucial metabolic reactions including glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in all living organisms. Thiamine has been shown to play a role in plant adaptation toward biotic and abiotic stresses. The modulation of thiamine biosynthetic genes in oil palm seedlings was evaluated in response to root colonization by endophytic Hendersonia toruloidea. Seven-month-old oil palm seedlings were inoculated with H. toruloidea and microscopic analyses were performed to visualize the localization of endophytic H. toruloidea in oil palm roots. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that H. toruloidea colonized cortical cells. The expression of thiamine biosynthetic genes and accumulation of total thiamine in oil palm seedlings were also evaluated. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to measure transcript abundances of four key thiamine biosynthesis genes (THI4, THIC, TH1, and TPK) on days 1, 7, 15, and 30 in response to H. toruloidea colonization. The results showed an increase of up to 12-fold in the expression of all gene transcripts on day 1 post-inoculation. On days 7, 15, and 30 post-inoculation, the relative expression levels of these genes were shown to be downregulated. Thiamine accumulation was observed on day 7 post-colonization and subsequently decreased until day 30. This work provides the first evidence for the enhancement of thiamine biosynthesis by endophytic colonization in oil palm seedlings.
Recent achievements in plant microRNA (miRNA), a large class of small and non-coding RNAs, are very exciting. A wide array of techniques involving forward genetic, molecular cloning, bioinformatic analysis, and the latest technology, deep sequencing have greatly advanced miRNA discovery. A tiny miRNA sequence has the ability to target single/multiple mRNA targets. Most of the miRNA targets are transcription factors (TFs) which have paramount importance in regulating the plant growth and development. Various families of TFs, which have regulated a range of regulatory networks, may assist plants to grow under normal and stress environmental conditions. This present review focuses on the regulatory relationships between miRNAs and different families of TFs like; NF-Y, MYB, AP2, TCP, WRKY, NAC, GRF, and SPL. For instance NF-Y play important role during drought tolerance and flower development, MYB are involved in signal transduction and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, AP2 regulate the floral development and nodule formation, TCP direct leaf development and growth hormones signaling. WRKY have known roles in multiple stress tolerances, NAC regulate lateral root formation, GRF are involved in root growth, flower, and seed development, and SPL regulate plant transition from juvenile to adult. We also studied the relation between miRNAs and TFs by consolidating the research findings from different plant species which will help plant scientists in understanding the mechanism of action and interaction between these regulators in the plant growth and development under normal and stress environmental conditions.
DOG(R)1, which encodes 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate phosphatase, has been used as a selectable marker gene to produce transgenic plants. In this study, a transformation vector, pBIDOG, which contains the DOG(R)1 gene, was transformed into oil palm embryogenic calli (EC) mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404. Transformed EC were exposed to 400 mg l(-1) 2-deoxyglucose (2-DOG) as the selection agent. 2-DOG resistant tissues were regenerated into whole plantlets on various regeneration media containing the same concentration of 2-DOG. The plantlets were later transferred into soil and grown in a biosafety screenhouse. PCR and subsequently Southern blot analyses were carried out to confirm the integration of the transgene in the plantlets. A transformation efficiency of about 1.0% was obtained using DOG(R)1 gene into the genome of oil palm. This result demonstrates the potential of using combination of DOG(R)1 gene and 2-DOG for regenerating transgenic oil palm.
Bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems usually comprise of a pair of genes encoding a stable toxin and its cognate labile antitoxin and are located in the chromosome or in plasmids of several bacterial species. Chromosomally-encoded toxin-antitoxin systems are involved in bacterial stress responses and activation of the toxins usually leads to cell death or dormancy. Overexpression of the chromosomally-encoded YoeB toxin from the yefM-yoeB toxin-antitoxin locus of the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae has been shown to cause cell death in S. pneumoniae as well as E. coli.
A field study was conducted at two localities on Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, during two consecutive mango flowering seasons in 2009 to identify variations in the species composition of thrips infesting treated and untreated mango (Mangifera indica L.) orchards. The CO2 immobilisation technique and the cutting method were used to recover different thrips species from mango panicles and weed host plants, respectively. The mango panicles and various weed species within the treated orchard were found to harbour four thrips species from the family Thripidae. These species were identified as Thrips hawaiiensis (Morgan), Scirtothrips dorsalis (Hood), Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) and Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall). The weed species Mimosa pudica, Cleome rutidosperma, Echinochloa colonum, Borreria laevicaulis, Veronia cinerea and Asystasia coromandeliana served as additional hosts to these thrips. Six thrips species were found in the untreated orchard. These species included Thrips palmi (Karny), Haplothrips sp. (Amyot and Serville) and the four thrips species found in the treated orchard. A brief description of the larvae for each genus is provided.
The utilization of therapeutic plants is expanding around the globe, coupled with the tremendous expansion of alternative medicine and growing demand in health treatment. Plants are applied in pharmaceuticals to preserve and expand health-physically, mentally and as well as to treat particular health conditions and afflictions. There are more than 600 families of plants identified so far. Among the plants that are often studied for their health benefit include the genus of Salvia in the mint family, Lamiaceae. This review aims to determine the bioactive components of Salvia and their potential as antidiabetic agents. The search was conducted using three databases (PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus), and all relevant articles that are freely available in the English language were extracted within 10 years (2011-2021). Salvia spp. comprises many biologically active components that can be divided into monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, and phenolic components, but only a few of these have been studied in-depth for their health benefit claims. The most commonly studied bioactive component was salvianolic acids. Interestingly, S. miltiorrhiza is undoubtedly the most widely studied Salvia species in terms of its effectiveness as an antidiabetic agent. In conclusion, we hope that this review stimulates more studies on bioactive components from medicinal plants, not only on their potential as antidiabetic agents but also for other possible health benefits.
The adulticidal activity of methanol extracts from three Malaysian plants namely Acorus calamus Linn., Litsea elliptica Blume and Piper aduncum Linn. against adult of Aedes aegypti (L.) were studied. Standard WHO bioassay tests were used to evaluate the effectiveness of these plant extracts. The hexane fraction from methanol extract of Acorus calamus rhizome was the most effective, exhibiting LC50 and LC90 values of 0.04 mgcm(-2) and 0.09 mgcm(-2) respectively. For L. elliptica, the methanol fraction also displayed good adulticidal property with the LC50 and LC90 values of 0.11 mgcm(-2) and 6.08 mgcm(-2) respectively. It is found that hexane fraction of the P. aduncum crude extract was the least effective among the three plants showing LC50 and LC90 values of 0.20 mgcm(-2) and 5.32 mgcm(-2), respectively. However, although A. calamus showed lowest LC values, the LT50 results indicated that the methanol fraction of L. elliptica was most potent extract among the extracts tested.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures resulting from excessive abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. Medicinal plants may play an invaluable role to discover the new antiepileptic drugs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of α-terpineol isolated from Myristica fragrans Hountt. The α-terpineol showed a significant inhibition of the seizure episodes and spikes in absence seizures model of Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) rats by using electroencephalography records. It showed dose-dependent anticonvulsant activity that was comparable to the known antiepileptic drug of diazepam. It showed a rapid onset and relatively short duration of anticonvulsant effects. The present findings suggest that α-terpineol might possess antiepileptic activities against the partial seizures of human because it prevented seizures in well-established genetic absence seizure animal model of GAERS rats.
Tiger’s Milk mushroom has been used for medicinal purposes by local aborigines to treat asthma, breast cancer, cough, fever and food poisoning. Molecular phylogenetic analysis utilizing RNA polymerase II, second largest subunit (RPB2) gene, identified the wild Tiger’s Milk mushrooms collected from the state of Pahang in Malaysia for this study as Lignosus rhinocerus in the order Polyporales. The tuber, stipe and pileus of this mushroom were analyzed for their basic nutritional composition (fat, protein, and carbohydrate) and toxic metal content profile (Cadmium, Lead and Mercury). The moisture content of these mushroom parts varied from 32.22% (pileus) – 46.31% (stipe). The dry matter of the mushrooms contained 2.76% (stipe) – 6.60% (pileus) proteins, 0.21% (pileus) – 0.30% (tuber) fat, 1.76% (stipe) – 4.38% (tuber) ash and 38.47% (stipe) – 56.30% (pileus) carbohydrates. The toxic metal content of the mushroom samples ranged from 0.03–0.12 mg/kg for Cd, 0.80–1.94 mg/kg for Pb and 0.05–0.10 mg/kg for Hg. The present study demonstrated that L. rhinocerus is a potential source of food due to its high carbohydrate content. In addition, the trace levels of toxic metals in this mushroom are within the safe level for consumption.