Antrodia camphorata is a parasitic fungus from Taiwan, it has been documented to possess a variety of pharmacological and biological activities. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of Antrodia camphorata ethanol extract to accelerate the rate of wound healing closure and histology of wound area in experimental rats. The safety of Antrodia camphorata was determined in vivo by the acute toxicity test and in vitro by fibroblast cell proliferation assay. The scratch assay was used to evaluate the in vitro wound healing in fibroblast cells and the excision model of wound healing was tested in vivo using four groups of adult Sprague Dawley rats. Our results showed that wound treated with Antrodia camphorata extract and intrasite gel significantly accelerates the rate of wound healing closure than those treated with the vehicle. Wounds dressed with Antrodia camphorata extract showed remarkably less scar width at wound closure and granulation tissue contained less inflammatory cell and more fibroblast compared to wounds treated with the vehicle. Masson's trichrom stain showed granulation tissue containing more collagen and less inflammatory cell in Antrodia camphorata treated wounds. In conclusion, Antrodia camphorata extract significantly enhanced the rate of the wound enclosure in rats and promotes the in vitro healing through fibroblast cell proliferation.
In this study, simulation and optimisation of the purification of bioethanol from an azeotropic mixture was done using the Aspen HYSYS and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), respectively, to achieve an acceptable bioethanol content with minimal energy use. The objective of this study is to develop the simulation process of bioethanol production from a fermentation effluent. Additionally, the effects of parameters such as solvent temperature, number of entrainer feed stage, mass flow rate and third components of the process for production of bioethanol were studied. As bioethanol is a product of biofuel production, the main challenge facing bioethanol production is the separation of high purity ethanol. However, the separation of ethanol and water can be achieved with the addition of a suitable solvent such as 1,3-butylene glycol (13C4Diol), mixture 13C4Diol and ethylene glycol (EGlycol) and mixture 13C4Diol and glycol ethyl ether (DEG) in the extractive distillation process. For the 13C4Diol mixture, the temperature of entrainer is 90oC with 1500 kg/hr of entrainer rate, while the number of entrainer feed stage is one. The optimum conditions for mixture 13C4Diol and EGlycol require a temperature of entrainer of 90.77oC with an entrainer rate of 1500 kg/hr, while the number of entrainer feed stage is one. Lastly, for optimum conditions for the mixture 13C4Diol and DEG, the temperature of entrainer should be 90oC with an entrainer rate of 1564.04 kg/hr, while the number of entrainer feed stage is one. This study shows that process simulation and optimisation can enhance the removal of water from an azeotropic mixture.
We evaluated the phenolic content and antioxidant capacities of pod and seed extracts (in methanol, ethanol, and water) of an underutilized legume, Clitoria fairchildiana (Howard). The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was determined using the ferric reducing antioxidant potential assay, and the free radical-scavenging capacity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging and ABTS assays. In addition, the total flavonoids, flavonols, and tannin contents were also determined. Overall, the methanol extracts of the pod contained high concentration of phenolics and showed high antioxidant capacities compared to seed extracts. In addition, a positive correlation was found between total phenol and tannin versus antioxidant capacity. Results of the present study indicate pods and seeds of C. fairchildiana to possess rich amount of natural antioxidants, and can be further explored for their possible use as a natural additive in food or in pharmaceutical industries.
This study was designed to evaluate the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts from T. catappa leaves obtained by different intervals of sonication.
Anthocyanins not just have various benefits in food industry but also have been used as natural colourants in cosmetic, coating products and as potential natural photosensitizers in solar cell. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to obtain information on the maximum yield of anthocyanin that can be recovered from Melastoma malabathricum fruit. Factors such as extraction temperature, extraction time, and solid to liquid ratio were identified to be significantly affecting anthocyanin extraction efficiency. By using three-level three-factor Box-Behnken design, the optimized conditions for anthocyanin extraction by acidified methanol (R (2) = 0.972) were temperature of 60°C, time of 86.82 min, and 0.5 : 35 (g/mL) solid to liquid ratio while the optimum extraction conditions by acidified ethanol (R (2) = 0.954) were temperature of 60°C, time of 120 min, and 0.5 : 23.06 (g/mL) solid to liquid ratio. The crude anthocyanin extract was further purified by using Amberlite XAD-7 and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Identification of anthocyanins revealed the presence of cyanidin dihexoside, cyanidin hexoside, and delphinidin hexoside as the main anthocyanins in M. malabathricum fruit.
Microbial electrosynthesis is a new approach to converting C1 carbon (CO2) to more complex carbon-based products. In the present study, CO2, a potential greenhouse gas, was used as a sole carbon source and reduced to value-added chemicals (acetate, ethanol) with the help of bioelectrochemical reduction in microbial electrosynthesis systems (MES). The performance of MES was studied with varying electrode materials (carbon felt, stainless steel, and cobalt electrodeposited carbon felt). The MES performance was assessed in terms of acetic acid and ethanol production with the help of gas chromatography (GC). The electrochemical characterization of the system was analyzed with chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry. The study revealed that the MES operated with hybrid cobalt electrodeposited carbon felt electrode yielded the highest acetic acid (4.4 g/L) concentration followed by carbon felt/stainless steel (3.7 g/L), plain carbon felt (2.2 g/L), and stainless steel (1.87 g/L). The alcohol concentration was also observed to be highest for the hybrid electrode (carbon felt/stainless steel/cobalt oxide is 0.352 g/L) as compared to the bare electrodes (carbon felt is 0.22 g/L) tested, which was found to be in correspondence with the pH changes in the system. Electrochemical analysis revealed improved electrotrophy in the hybrid electrode, as confirmed by the increased redox current for the hybrid electrode as compared to plain electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry analysis also confirmed the role of the biocatalyst developed on the electrode in CO2 sequestration.
In this research work, the sensitivity of TiO2 nanoparticles towards C2H5OH, H2 and CH4 gases was investigated. The morphology and phase content of the particles was preserved during sensing tests by prior heat treatment of the samples at temperatures as high as 750 °C and 1000 °C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed to characterize the size, morphology and phase content of the particles. For sensor fabrication, a film of TiO2 was printed on a Au interdigitated alumina substrate. The sensing temperature was varied from 450 °C to 650 °C with varying concentrations of target gases. Results show that the sensor has ultrahigh response towards ethanol (C2H5OH) compared to hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). The optimum sensing temperature was found to be 600 °C. The response and recovery times of the sensor are 3 min and 15 min, respectively, for 20 ppm C2H5OH at the optimum operating temperature of 600 °C. It is proposed that the catalytic action of TiO2 with C2H5OH is the reason for the ultrahigh response of the sensor.
This study aims to explore the mechanical properties of hybrid glass fiber (GF)/sisal fiber (SF)/chitosan (CTS) composite material for orthopedic long bone plate applications. The GF/SF/CTS hybrid composite possesses a unique sandwich structure and comprises GF/CTS/epoxy as the external layers and SF/CTS/epoxy as the inner layers. The composite plate resembles the human bone structure (spongy internal cancellous matrix and rigid external cortical). The mechanical properties of the prepared hybrid sandwich composites samples were evaluated using tensile, flexural, micro hardness, and compression tests. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images were studied to analyze the failure mechanism of these composite samples. Besides, contact angle (CA) and water absorption tests were conducted using the sessile drop method to examine the wettability properties of the SF/CTS/epoxy and GF/SF/CTS/epoxy composites. Additionally, the porosity of the GF/SF/CTS composite scaffold samples were determined by using the ethanol infiltration method. The mechanical test results show that the GF/SF/CTS hybrid composites exhibit the bending strength of 343 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 146 MPa, and compressive strength of 380 MPa with higher Young's modulus in the bending tests (21.56 GPa) compared to the tensile (6646 MPa) and compressive modulus (2046 MPa). Wettability study results reveal that the GF/SF/CTS composite scaffolds were hydrophobic (CA = 92.41° ± 1.71°) with less water absorption of 3.436% compared to the SF/CTS composites (6.953%). The SF/CTS composites show a hydrophilic character (CA = 54.28° ± 3.06°). The experimental tests prove that the GF/SF/CTS hybrid composite can be used for orthopedic bone fracture plate applications in future.
Malacca (Phyllanthus emblica) is one of the plants that is often by the community in the Aceh Besar district of Indonesia as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungals, antivirals, antimutagenic, antimalaria, and antiallergic. This research was conducted to analyze the content of chemical compounds in the ethanol extract of the Malacca leaf (EEDM) using a gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometer (GC-MS). Malacca leaves were extracted by the maceration method using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol. The GC-MS analysis showed EEDM contained 22 chemical compounds. The highest chemical content of EEDM is octadecanoic acid reaching 22.93%, 9,12-octadecanoic acid 14.99%, octadecanoic acid 7.59%, 9-hexadecenoic acid 6.17%, octadecanoic acid 5.95%, octadecanal 5.59%, 9,12-octadecanoic acid 5.06%, 3-eicosyne 4.75%, 1-hexadecenoic acid 4.08%, 11-tetradecen-1-ol 2.92%, 2-furanmethanol 2.83%, delta-guaiene 2.43%, cyclohexane 2.13%, hexadecanoic acid 1.99%, sativen 1.87%, octadecanoic acid 1.52%, 1H-cyclopropaanaphthalene 1.40%, tetradecanoic acid 1.40%, 3,7,11-tridecatrienenitrile 1.20%, caryophellene 1.11%, 2H-pyran 1.07%, and trans-caryophellene 1.03%. This study clearly shows the presence of fatty acids which play a major role in the efficacy of these traditional medicines particularly as antioxidant and antimalarial.
Alcohol consumption has consequences for the health and quality of life of individuals and communities. It is a problem among some of the Indigenous groups of Sabah and Sarawak with some of the highest prevalence of risky drinking in Malaysia. Alcohol is considered to be part of the culture of some of these Indigenous groups and a way to maintain the connection to their culture and traditions. However, drinking too much on a single occasion and drinking regularly over time is not a part of the culture. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the positive and negative effects of alcohol on quality of life (QoL) of an Indigenous community of Sabah. A total of 56 villagers from the West Coast Division of Sabah were interviewed in focus group discussions using the diamond dialogue tool. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and revealed that alcohol consumption has both beneficial and adverse effects on health, behavioural, social, economic and psychological factors, depending on the drinking patterns. These harmful results suggest that awareness and harm-reduction programmes may help to empower the Indigenous groups of Sabah to reduce alcohol-related harm
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an S. aureus strain that has developed resistance against ß-lactam antibiotics, resulting in a scarcity of a potent cure for treating Staphylococcus infections. In this study, the anti-MRSA and antioxidant activity of the Indonesian mangrove species Sonneratia caseolaris, Avicennia marina, Rhizophora mucronata, and Rhizophora apiculata were studied. Disk diffusion, DPPH, a brine shrimp lethality test, and total phenolic and flavonoid assays were conducted. Results showed that among the tested mangroves, ethanol solvent-based S. caseolaris leaves extract had the highest antioxidant and anti-MRSA activities. An antioxidant activity assay showed comparable activity when compared to ascorbic acid, with an IC50 value of 4.2499 ± 3.0506 ppm and 5.2456 ± 0.5937 ppm, respectively, classifying the extract as a super-antioxidant. Moreover, S. caseolaris leaves extract showed the highest content of strongly associated antioxidative and antibacterial polyphenols, with 12.4% consisting of nontoxic flavonoids with the minimum inhibitory concentration of the ethanol-based S. caseolaris leaves extract being approximately 5000 ppm. LC-MS/MS results showed that phenolic compounds such as azelaic acid and aspirin were found, as well as flavonoid glucosides such as isovitexin and quercitrin. This strongly suggested that these compounds greatly contributed to antibacterial and antioxidant activity. Further research is needed to elucidate the interaction of the main compounds in S. caseolaris leaves extract in order to confirm their potential either as single or two or more compounds that synergistically function as a nontoxic antioxidant and antibacterial against MRSA.
A novel and safe essential amino acid (Leucine) incorporating sulfanilamide was synthesized, and evaluated for its anti-ulcerogenic activity and in vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. The new molecule showed a dose dependent activity against absolute ethanol-induced ulcer in rats, it produced percent protection of control ulcer by 66.7 at dose 100 mg/kg. In addition it showed a potent anti-Helicobacter pylori activity in vitro against 7 clinically isolated strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 12.5 to 50 μg/ml. The preliminary safety studies and toxicity profile are optimistic and encouraging.
Lower concentration of glucose was often obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis process of agricultural residue due to complexity of the biomass structure and properties. High substrate load feed into the hydrolysis system might solve this problem but has several other drawbacks such as low rate of reaction. In the present study, we have attempted to enhance glucose recovery from agricultural waste, namely, "sago hampas," through three cycles of enzymatic hydrolysis process. The substrate load at 7% (w/v) was seen to be suitable for the hydrolysis process with respect to the gelatinization reaction as well as sufficient mixture of the suspension for saccharification process. However, this study was focused on hydrolyzing starch of sago hampas, and thus to enhance concentration of glucose from 7% substrate load would be impossible. Thus, an alternative method termed as cycles I, II, and III which involved reusing the hydrolysate for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis process was introduced. Greater improvement of glucose concentration (138.45 g/L) and better conversion yield (52.72%) were achieved with the completion of three cycles of hydrolysis. In comparison, cycle I and cycle II had glucose concentration of 27.79 g/L and 73.00 g/L, respectively. The glucose obtained was subsequently tested as substrate for bioethanol production using commercial baker's yeast. The fermentation process produced 40.30 g/L of ethanol after 16 h, which was equivalent to 93.29% of theoretical yield based on total glucose existing in fermentation media.
The objective of this study was to determine the physicochemical properties of pink guava (Psidium guajava) puree and its anti-hypertensive effect on Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats (SHR). Antioxidant activities of pink guava puree in water and ethanol extracts, based on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, were 1.43±0.04 mg/gfm and 0.28±0.01 mg/gfm, respectively. A total of 24 male SHRs were divided into a control group, CG, and 3 treatment dosage groups [low dose group, LDG (0.5 g/kg body weight/day), medium dose group, MDG (1.0 g/kg body weight/day), and high dose group, HDG (2.0 g/kg body weight/day)]. Final body weights for treatment dosage groups were lower [MDG (313.01±31.25 g), HDG (318.56±17.96 g), LDG (320.01±22.70 g)] compared to CG (331.08±41.29 g). Final systolic blood pressure values from the beginning and the end of the experiment in MDG and HDG were 231-179 mmHg and 246-169mm Hg, respectively. These results were significantly lower when compared with CG (241-223 mmHg) from the beginning until the end of the experiment. As a conclusion, these results showed that pink guava puree has anti-hypertensive properties.
The responses of two species of microalgae, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella zofingiensis, were compared regarding their morphological and biochemical properties under photoautotrophic and mixotrophic conditions. These microalgae were cultured under both conditions, and their crude ethanolic extracts were examined for their pigment and total phenolic contents. In addition, the microalgae's antioxidant activities were determined using a DPPH radical scavenging assay and a ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Both strains showed increases in cell size due to the accumulation of lipid bodies and other cell contents, especially carotenoids, under the mixotrophic condition. Notably, reductions in phenolic and chlorophyll contents were observed to be associated with lower antioxidant activity. C. zofingiensis compared with C. sorokiniana, demonstrated higher antioxidant activity and carotenoid content. This study showed that different species of microalgae responded differently to varying conditions by producing different types of metabolites, as evidenced by the production of higher levels of phenolic compounds under the photoautotrophic condition and the production of the same levels of carotenoids under both photoautotrophic and mixotrophic conditions.
Research on the use of Jatropha curcas triglycerides as biodiesel feedstock has received worldwide attention due to its inherent characteristics. Unlike palm oil, J. curcas oil is not edible, and thus, it will not disturb the food supply. However, to the researchers' experiences with the synthesis of J. curcas, oil-based biodiesel has shown that the fuel characteristics depend largely on the type of alcohol used as the excess reactants. Transesterification reaction is chosen for this process with sodium methoxide as the catalyst. Comparison studies on the yield of esters using methanol and ethanol, as well as the impacts on the reaction rate are discussed. The effects of reaction time and molar ratio on the reaction conversion are also examined. The determination of reaction yield is based on the conversion of triglycerides into alkyl esters as the main product. The findings are described as follows: the highest percentage yield of product is attained at 96% for methanol as an excess reactant, and this is 90% when ethanol is used. The optimum conditions of parameters are achieved at 6:1 molar ratio of alcohol to triglycerides, 50 min of reaction time and reaction temperature of 65°C for methanol and 75°C for ethanol. The biodiesel properties of both ester fuels were determined according to the existing standards for biodiesel and compared to the characteristics of diesel fuel.
Water and ethanolic extracts of four Malaysian local herbs, Tenggek burung (Melicope Iunu-ankenda), Kesum (Polygonum minus), Curry leave (Murraya Koenigii) and Salam (Eugenia polyantha) were investigated for their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC) and antioxidant activities (AA). Total phenolic content (TPC) of the herbs was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent assay while the total flavonoid content (TFC) was determined based on aluminium chloride-flavonoid assay. The determination of AA was done using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activitiy and β-carotene bleaching assays (BCB). Different extraction solvents significantly affected the TPC, TFC and AA of all herbs studied (p < 0.05). Both Tenggek burung and Kesum showed highest TPC, TFC and AA regardless of extraction solvents compared to Curry leave and Salam. All herbs showed strong positive correlation between TPC and DPPH assay. However, negative and low correlation between TFC and AA were obtained for all herbs studied. This showed that phenolic compounds of certain structures were responsible for the AA of all the herbs in this study. In conclusion, all herbs in this study except curry leave could be inexpensive sources of good natural antioxidants with nutraceutical potential in food industry.
Pineapple (Ananascomosus) waste is a promising source of metabolites for therapeutics, functional foods, and cosmeceutical applications. This study strives to characterize the complete metabolite profiles of a variety of MD2 pineapple waste extracts. Metabolomics strategies were utilized to identify bioactive metabolites of this variety prepared with different solvent ratios. Each pineapple waste extract was first screened for total phenolic content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging, nitric oxide scavenging, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. The highest TPC was found in all samples of the peel, crown, and core extracted using a 50% ethanol ratio, even though the results were fairly significant than those obtained for other ethanol ratios. Additionally, crown extracted with a 100% ethanol ratio demonstrated the highest potency in DPPH and NO scavenging activity, with IC50 values of 296.31 and 338.52 µg/mL, respectively. Peel extracted with 100% ethanol exhibited the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 92.95 µg/mL. Then, the extracts were analyzed and the data from 1H NMR were processed using multivariate data analysis. A partial least squares and correlogram plot suggested that 3-methylglutaric acid, threonine, valine, and α-linolenic acid were the main contributors to the antioxidant activities, whereas epicatechin was responsible for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Relative quantification further supported that 100% crown extract was among the extracts that possessed the most abundant potential metabolites. The present study demonstrated that the crown and peel parts of MD2 pineapple extracted with 100% ethanol are potentially natural sources of antioxidants and α-glucosidase inhibitors, respectively.
The health benefits of sugar cane products are attributed to certain antioxidant compounds in plant materials. The presence of antioxidants in plant materials depends on the extraction method in terms of yield and the number of phenolic compounds identified. This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of the three extraction methods, which were selected from previous studies to show the effect of the extraction method on the content of antioxidant compounds in different types of sugar. This study also evaluates the potential of different sugar extracts in anti-diabetic activity based on in vitro assays (α-glucosidase and α-amylase). The results showed that sugar cane extracted with acidified ethanol (1.6 M HCl in 60% ethanol) was the best condition to extract a high yield of phenolic acids compared to other methods. Among the three types of sugar, less refined sugar (LRS) showed the highest yield of phenolic compounds, 57.72 µg/g, compared to brown sugar (BS) and refined sugar (RS) sugar, which were at 42.19 µg/g and 22.06 µg/g, respectively. Whereas, among the sugar cane derivatives, LRS showed minor and BS moderate inhibition towards α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity compared to white sugar (RS). Thus, it is suggested that sugar cane extracted with acidified ethanol (1.6 M HCl in 60% ethanol) is the optimum experimental condition for antioxidant content determination and provides a basis for further exploitation of the health-beneficial resources of the sugarcane products.
The aim of this study is to determine the total phenolic content and primary antioxidant activity of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of four aromatic plants’ leaves namely knotweed (Polygonum minus), curry (Murraya koenigii), kaffir lime (Citrus hysrix) and fragrant screwpine (Pandanus odurus). Total phenolic content (TPC) assay using Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to assess the presence and level of phenolic compounds in each sample. The present study showed that both methanolic and ethanolic extracts of P. minus had the highest TPC and followed by M. koenigii, C. hystrix and P. odorus. Primary antioxidant activity in terms of free radical scavenging activities of both methanolic and ethanolic extracts was then measured by 2, 2, diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay. The lowest EC50 values based on the DPPH. radical scavenging activity were shown by P. minus extracts as compared to the other samples. For both ethanolic and methanolic extracts, the correlations between TPC and EC50 based on the DPPH. radical scavenging activity assay were negative and weak. Relatively, the present results suggest that of the four aromaticplants, P. minus and M. koenigii have shown potential as sources of natural antioxidants.