Ethanolic extract of Curcuma xanthorrhiza was used to evaluate the analgesic and toxicity effects in vivo. The extract was standardized using GC-MS, which showed that 1 mg of Curcuma xanthorrhiza ethanolic extract contains 0.1238 mg of xanthorrhizol. The analgesic activity was studied in rats using three different models, namely the hot plate test, tail flick test and formalin-induced pain test. The acute oral toxicity was examined by the oral administration of standardized Curcuma xanthorrhiza ethanolic extract in mice at doses ranging from 300-5,000 mg/kg and observation for 14 days. Standardized Curcuma xanthorrhiza ethanolic extract did not show significant analgesic effect in the hot plate and tail flick tests. However, in the formalin-induced pain test, Curcuma xanthorrhiza ethanolic extract significantly (P < 0.05) suppressed the paw licking time of rats in both early and late phases at doses 200 and 400 mg/kg of the extract, respectively. In the acute oral toxicity study, Curcuma xanthorrhiza ethanolic extract did not show any toxic effects in mice at 5 g/kg. These experimental results suggest that the standardized Curcuma xanthorrhiza ethanolic extract showed peripheral and central antinociceptive activity associated with neurogenic pain as well as a relative absence of toxic effects which could compromise the medicinal use of this plant in folk medicine.
Thirteen Malaysian plants; Artocarpus champeden, Azadirachta indica, Fragaria x ananassa, Garcinia mangostana, Lawsonia inermis, Mangifera indica, Nephelium lappaceum, Nephelium mutobile, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Psidium guajava and Syzygium aqueum, selected for their use in traditional medicine, were subjected to a variety of assays. Antioxidant capability, total phenolic content, elemental composition, as well as it cytotoxity to several cell lines of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts from different parts of these selected Malaysian plants were determined. In general, the ethanolic extracts were better free radical scavengers than the aqueous extracts and some of the tested extracts were even more potent than a commercial grape seed preparation. Similar results were seen in the lipid peroxidation inhibition studies. Our findings also showed a strong correlation of antioxidant activity with the total phenolic content. These extracts when tested for its heavy metals content, were found to be below permissible value for nutraceutical application. In addition, most of the extracts were found not cytotoxic to 3T3 and 4T1 cells at concentrations as high as 100 microg/mL. We conclude that although traditionally these plants are used in the aqueous form, its commercial preparation could be achieved using ethanol since a high total phenolic content and antioxidant activity is associated with this method of preparation.
The present study aimed to investigate standardized ethanol extracts of fruit and leaves of Piper sarmentosum for their in vivo antioxidant activity in rats using a CCl (4)-induced oxidative stress model. The standardization was based on the quantification of the markers pellitorine, sarmentine and sarmentosine by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and determination of total primary and secondary metabolites. The rats, divided into 7 groups each (n = 6), were used as follows: group 1 (CCl (4), negative control), group 2 (untreated, control), groups 3 and 4 (fruit extract 250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively), groups 5 and 6 (leaf extract 250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively) and group 7 (vitamin-E 100 mg/kg, positive control). The doses were administered orally for 14 days; 4 h following the last dose, a single dose of CCl (4) (1.5 mg/kg) was given orally to all the groups except group 2, and after 24 h, blood and liver of each animal were obtained. Analysis of plasma and liver homogenate exhibited significant preservation of markers of antioxidant activity, total plasma antioxidant activity (TPAA), total protein (TP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), in the pretreated groups as compared to the CCl (4) group (p < 0.05). Histology of the liver also evidenced the protection of hepatocytes against CCl (4) metabolites in the pretreated groups. The results of this study indicate the IN VIVO antioxidant activity of both extracts of the plant, which may be valuable to combat diseases involving free radicals.
Difatty acyl thiourea (DFAT), which has biological activities as antibiotics and antifungal, has been synthesized from palm oil and thiourea using sodium ethoxide as catalyst. Ethyl fatty ester (EFE) and glycerol were produced as by-products. The synthesis was carried out by reflux palm oil with thiourea in ethanol. In this process, palm oil converted to about 81% pure DFAT after 11 hour and molar ratio of thiourea to palm oil was 6.0: 1 at 78 degrees C. Elemental analysis, Fourier transform iInfrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique were used to characterize both DFAT and EFE.
N,N'-Carbonyl difatty amides (CDFAs) have been synthesized from palm oil using sodium ethoxide as catalyst. Ethyl fatty esters (EFEs) were produced as a by-product as well as glycerol. The synthesis was carried out by reflux palm oil and urea in presence of ethanol. In this process, palm oil gave 79% pure CDFAs after 8 hours and molar ratio of urea to palm oil was 6.2: 1 at 78 degrees C. Both CDFAs and EFEs have been characterized using elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique.
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.
An ethanolic extract of cloves was analyzed by gas chromatography directly to identify eugenol and other major phenolic compounds without previous separation of other components. Separation was performed on a fused-silica capillary column of 30 m x 0.53 mm I.D., 0.53 microns film thickness. The detector was a flame ionization detector. Helium gas at a flow-rate of 3 ml/min was used as a carrier gas. The analysis were performed with linear temperature programming. Nine components were detected and special attention was given to the major phenolic compound, eugenol.
Ethanolic extract of Cassia alata leaves was investigated for its antimicrobial activities on several microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, dermatophytic fungi and non-dermatophytic fungi. In vitro, the extract exhibited high activity against various species of dermatophytic fungi but low activity against non-dermatophytic fungi. However, bacterial and yeast species showed resistance against in vitro treatment with the extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the extract revealed that Trichophyton mentagorphytes var. interdigitale, Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagorophytes, Trichophyton rubrum and Microsporum gypseum had the MIC of 125 mg/ml, whereas Microsporum canis had the MIC of 62.5 mg/ml. The inhibition can be observed on the macroconidia of Microsporum gypseum which resulted in structural degeneration beyond repair. The mechanism of inhibition can be related to the cell leakage as observed by irregular, wrinkle shape and loss in rigidity of the macroconidia.