The methanolic extract of Languas galanga rhizomes was investigated for antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei (NK65) infections in mice. The median lethal dose was determined to ascertain the safety of the extract in ICR mice of both sexes. The antimalarial activities during early and established infections, as well as the prophylactic activity were evaluated. Phytochemical screening and radical scavenging activity of the extract were also investigated to elucidate the possible mechanism of the antimalarial properties. The acute oral toxicity (LD₅₀) of Languas galanga extract in mice was established to be 4.998 mg/kg. The extract of Languas galanga rhizomes demonstrated significant antiplasmodial activity in all the three models of the antimalarial evaluations. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of some vital antiplasmodial constituents such as terpenoids and flavonoids. The extract also exhibited a moderate capacity to scavenge the free radicals. The rhizome extract of Languas galanga thus possesses antimalarial activity, which explains the rational usage of this plant in traditional Malaysian medicine.
In this study, freeze-dried water extract from the leaves of Myristica fragrans (Houtt.) was tested for mutagenic and antimutagenic potentials using the Allium cepa assay. Freeze-dried water extract alone and its combination with cyclophosphamide (CP) (50 mg/kg) were separately dissolved in tap water at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/kg. Onions (A. cepa) were suspended in the solutions and controls for 48 h in the dark. Root tips were prepared for microscopic evaluation. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals' scavenging power of the extract was tested using butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as standards. Water extract of Myristica fragrans scavenged free radicals better than BHA, but worse than BHT. The extract alone, as well as in combination with CP suppressed cell division, and induced chromosomal aberrations that were insignificantly different from the negative control (P ≤ 0.05). However, cytotoxic and mutagenic actions of CP were considerably suppressed. The observed effects on cell division and chromosomes of A. cepa may be principally connected to the antioxidant properties of the extract. The obtained results suggest mitodepressive and antimutagenic potentials of water extract of the leaves of M. fragrans as desirable properties of a promising anticancer agent.
Inhibition of intestinal α-amylase and α-glucosidase is an important strategy to regulate diabetes mellitus (DM). Antioxidants from plants are widely regarded in the prevention of diabetes. Fruits of Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton (Zingiberaceae) and Piper cubeba L. f. (Piperaceae) and flowers of Plumeria rubra L. (Apocynaceae) are traditionally used to cure DM in different countries. However, the role of these plants has been grossly under reported and is yet to receive proper scientific evaluation with respect to understand their traditional role in the management of diabetes especially as digestive enzymes inhibitors. Hence, methanol and aqueous extracts of the aforementioned plants were evaluated for their in vitro α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition at 1 mg/mL and quantification of their antioxidant properties (DPPH, FRAP tests, total phenolic and total flavonoids contents). In vitro optimization studies for the extracts were also performed to enhance in vitro biological activities. The % inhibition of α-glucosidase by the aqueous extracts of the fruits of E. cardamomum, P. cubeba and flowers of P. rubra were 10.41 (0.03), 95.19 (0.01), and -2.92 (0.03), while the methanol extracts exhibited % inhibition 13.73 (0.02), 92.77 (0.01), and -0.98 (0.01), respectively. The % inhibition of α-amylase by the aqueous extracts were 82.99 (0.01), 64.35 (0.01), and 20.28 (0.02), while the methanol extracts displayed % inhibition 39.93 (0.01), 31.06 (0.02), and 39.40 (0.01), respectively. Aqueous extracts displayed good in vitro antidiabetic and antioxidant activities. Moreover, in vitro optimization experiments helped to increase the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of E. cardamomum. Our findings further justify the traditional claims of these plants as folk medicines to manage diabetes, however, through digestive enzymes inhibition effect.
The antiradical efficiency (AE) and kinetic behavior of a new ferulate-based protic ionic liquids (PILs) were described using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical assay. The reduction of the DPPH free radical (DPPH•) was investigated by measuring the decrease in absorbance at 517 nm. The time to reach steady state for the reaction of parent acid (ferulic acid) and synthesized PILs with DPPH• was continuously recorded for 1 h. Results revealed that the AE of 2-butylaminoethanol ferulate (2BAEF), 3-dimethylaminopropanol ferulate (3DMAPF) and 3-diethylaminopropanol ferulate (3DEAPF) PILs have improved compared to ferulic acid (FA) as the reaction class changes from low to medium. This attributed to the strong hydrogen abstraction occurred in the PILs. Furthermore, these PILs were found to have a good kinetic behavior compared to FA due to the high rate constant (k₂) (164.17, 242.84 and 244.73 M-1 s-1, respectively). The alkyl chain length and more alkyl substituents on the nitrogen atom of cation were believed to reduce the cation-anion interaction and speed up the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and electron transfer (ET) mechanisms; hence, increased rate constant was observed leading to a strong antioxidant activity of the synthesized PILs.
Nutritional quality and antioxidant capacity of three edible wild berries (Rubus ellipticus Smith, Rubus niveus Thunb, Rubus ulmifolius L.) from Lesser Himalayan Range (LHR) were evaluated. Their edible portion was assayed for moisture, fats, ash, carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, essential minerals (Ca, P, Mg, K, Na, Cl, S, Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, Se, Co, Ni) and DPPH free radical scavenging activity was applied to determine the antioxidant potential. The fruit of Rubus ulmifolius L. (blackberry) possessed the highest values of energy (403.29 Kcal), total protein (6.56g/100 g), Nitrogen (N) content (1500mg/100g), K (860.17mg/100g), Ca (620.56mg/100g), Zn (17.509mg/100g) and the strongest antioxidant activity (98.89% inhibition). While the raspberries (Rubus ellipticus Smith, Rubus niveus Thunb.) exhibited more significant contents of dietary fiber (5.90g/100g), carbohydrates (86.4 g/100 g) and Fe (4.249mg/100g). Significant variation was observed among the tested samples in all the investigated features. The combination of bio elements and active antioxidants clearly showed the applicability of these berries as a nutraceutical supplement.
The aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid and simple high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method to screen for antioxidant activity in algal samples. 16 algal species were collected from local Victorian beaches. Fucoxanthin, one of the most abundant marine carotenoids was quantified directly from the HPTLC plates before derivatization, while derivatization either with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) or ferric chloride (FeCl3) was used to analyze antioxidants in marine algae, based on their ability to scavenge non biological stable free radical (DPPH) or to chelate iron ions. Principal component analysis of obtained HPTLC fingerprints has classified algae species into 5 groups according to their chemical/antioxidant profiles. The investigated brown algae samples were found to be rich in non-and moderate-polar compounds and phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. Most of the phenolic iron chelators also have shown free radical scavenging activity. Strong positive and significant correlations between total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity showed that, phenolic compounds, including flavonoids are the main contributors of antioxidant activity in these species. The results suggest that certain brown algae possess significantly higher antioxidant potential when compared to red or green algae and could be considered for future applications in medicine, dietary supplements, cosmetics or food industries. Cystophora monilifera extract was found to have the highest antioxidant concentration, followed by Zonaria angustata, Cystophora pectinate, Codium fragile, and Cystophora pectinata. Fucoxanthin was found mainly in the brown algae species. The proposed methods provide an edge in terms of screening for antioxidants and quantification of antioxidant constituents in complex mixtures. The current application also demonstrates flexibility and versatility of a standard HPTLC system in the drug discovery. Proposed methods could be used for the bioassay-guided isolation of unknown natural antioxidants and subsequent identification if combined with spectroscopic identification.
Boesenbergia rotunda (L) Mansf. has been used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders including peptic ulcer. In the current study we aimed to investiagte the anti-ulcer activities of methanolic extract of B. rotunda (MEBR) and its main active compound, pinostrobin on ethanol-induced ulcer in rats. The possible involevement of lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, cyclooxygenases and free radical scavenging mechanisms also has been investigated.
In this study, a new series of sulfonamides derivatives was synthesized and their inhibitory effects on DPPH and jack bean urease were evaluated. The in silico studies were also applied to ascertain the interactions of these molecules with active site of the enzyme. Synthesis was initiated by the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-ethanamine (1: ) with 4-(acetylamino)benzenesulfonyl chloride (2): in aqueous sodium carbonate at pH 9. Precipitates collected were washed and dried to obtain the parent molecule, N-(4-{[(4-methoxyphenethyl)amino]sulfonyl}phenyl)acetamide (3): . Then, this parent was reacted with different alkyl/aralkyl halides, (4A-M: ), using dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent and LiH as an activator to produce a series of new N-(4-{[(4-methoxyphenethyl)-(substituted)amino]sulfonyl}phenyl)acetamides (5A-M: ). All the synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, EI-MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and CHN analysis data. All of the synthesized compounds showed higher urease inhibitory activity than the standard thiourea. The compound 5 F: exhibited very excellent enzyme inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 0.0171±0.0070 µM relative to standard thiourea having IC50 value of 4.7455±0.0546 µM. Molecular docking studies suggested that ligands have good binding energy values and bind within the active region of taget protein. Chemo-informatics properties were evaluated by computational approaches and it was found that synthesized compounds mostly obeyed the Lipinski' rule.