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Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline cellulose from Acacia mangium and its reinforcement potential

Jasmani L, Adnan S

Carbohydr Polym, 2017 Apr 01;161:166-171.
PMID: 28189225 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.12.061

Acacia mangium, a fast growing tree is widely planted in Malaysia. Converting Acacia wood into nanocellulose could create new value added products for forest-based industry. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was prepared from Acacia mangium wood pulp via 64wt% sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Prior to acid hydrolysis, Acacia mangium was subjected to pulping followed by bleaching in order to remove non-cellulosic fragments. Acid hydrolysis was carried out on bleached pulp to produce the needle-like NCC with 79% crystallinity and aspect ratio of 26. The resulting NCC was mixed with PVA as a reinforcement material. Incorporation of 2% NCC improved the tensile of the NCC-PVA film by 30%.

Matched MeSH terms: Acacia/chemistry*
Fulltext Two-year variations of phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant contents in acacia honey

Moniruzzaman M, Sulaiman SA, Azlan SA, Gan SH

Molecules, 2013;18(12):14694-710.
PMID: 24287998 DOI: 10.3390/molecules181214694

Honey is a good source of several important chemical compounds and antioxidants and is harvested throughout the year. However, no study has determined how their contents change over the years. The aim of the present research was to investigate the changes in the phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant properties, as well as other physicochemical properties, of Malaysian acacia honey collected during different months during a two year period. The DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) methods were used to determine the total antioxidant activity of the honey samples. Generally, honey samples collected in the beginning and the middle of the year tended to have higher sugar content, which may be attributed to its high acidic nature and low moisture content. There was a gradual increase in the phenolic content of the acacia honey samples collected between September 2010 and December 2010. The honey sample collected at the beginning of the year (January) showed the highest color intensity and was dark amber in color. It also contained the highest concentration of phenolic compounds (341.67 ± 2.94 mg(gallic acid)/kg), the highest flavonoid content (113.06 ± 6.18 mg(catechin)/kg) and the highest percentage of DPPH inhibition and the highest FRAP value, confirming its high antioxidant potential. There was a positive correlation between DPPH and total phenolic content, suggesting that phenolic compounds are the strongest contributing factor to the radical scavenging activity of Malaysian acacia honeys. Overall, our results indicated that there were significant seasonal variations in the antioxidant potentials of honey over the two year period and the time of honey collection affects its physicochemical properties. Therefore, acacia honey from Malaysia should ideally be collected during the dry season, particularly in the months of January, May and June.

Matched MeSH terms: Acacia/chemistry*
Evaluation of the sub-acute toxicity of Acacia catechu Willd seed extract in a Wistar albino rat model

Thangavelu L, Balusamy SR, Shanmugam R, Sivanesan S, Devaraj E, Rajagopalan V, et al.

Regul Toxicol Pharmacol, 2020 Jun;113:104640.
PMID: 32169672 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104640

Acacia catechu (A. catechu) or Khair (Hindi) is used in several herbal preparations in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India. Traditionally, this drug is beneficial against several gastrointestinal and stomach related ailments, and leprosy. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the sub-acute oral toxicity of the ethanolic extract of A. catechu seeds in Wistar albino rats. Results obtained from the quantitative chemical analysis of A. catechu seed extract were compared with commercially available standards. A. catechu seed extract was administered orally at the doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg b.w. daily for 28 days. General behavior, bodyweight and mortality were examined during the entire study period. At the end of 28 days, hematological and biochemical parameters along with the relative organ weights were determined. It was observed that the extract did not induce death or any significant changes in the body weight, relative weight of vital organs and in hematological parameters for up to a dose of 1000 mg/kg. The oral administration of the plant extract did not produce any significant changes in the levels of glucose. In addition, there were no significant changes in the activity of both hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic marker enzymes in the serum. Oral administration of A. catechu also did not produce any significant changes in the levels of oxidative markers. Furthermore, the findings from the biochemical studies were, well corroborated with the histological findings.

Matched MeSH terms: Acacia/chemistry*
Genotoxic effects of Dukhan: A smoke bath from the wood of Acacia seyal used traditionally by Sudanese women

Elgorashi EE, Eldeen IMS, Makhafola TJ, Eloff JN, Verschaeve L

J Ethnopharmacol, 2022 Mar 01;285:114868.
PMID: 34826541 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114868

ETHNOBOTANICAL RELEVANCE: Smoke from the wood of Acacia seyal Delile has been used by Sudanese women for making a smoke bath locally called Dukhan. The ritual is performed to relieve rheumatic pain, smooth skin, heal wounds and achieve general body relaxation.
AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study was designed to investigate the in vitro anti-inflammatory effect of the smoke condensate using cyclooxygenase -1 (COX-1) and -2 (COX-2) as well as its potential genotoxic effects using the bacterial-based Ames test and the mammalian cells-based micronucleus/cytome and comet assays.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The smoke was prepared in a similar way to that commonly used traditionally by Sudanese women then condensed using a funnel. Cyclooxygenase assay was used to evaluate its in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. The neutral red uptake assay was conducted to determine the range of concentrations in the mammalian cells-based assays. The Ames, cytome and comet assays were used to assess its potential adverse (long-term) effects.
RESULTS: The smoke condensate did not inhibit the cyclooxygenases at the highest concentration tested. All smoke condensate concentrations tested in the Salmonella/microsome assay induced mutation in both TA98 and TA100 in a dose dependent manner. A significant increase in the frequency of micronucleated cells, nucleoplasmic bridges and nuclear buds was observed in the cytome assay as well as in the % DNA damage in the comet assay.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated a dose dependent genotoxic potential of the smoke condensate in the bacterial and human C3A cells and may pose a health risk to women since the smoke bath is frequently practised. The study highlighted the need for further rigorous assessment of the risks associated with the smoke bath practice.

Matched MeSH terms: Acacia/chemistry*
Fulltext In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation of Sugar Adulterated Heterotrigona itama Honey Using Zebrafish Model

Fakhlaei R, Selamat J, Razis AFA, Sukor R, Ahmad S, Amani Babadi A, et al.

Molecules, 2021 Oct 15;26(20).
PMID: 34684803 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26206222

Honey is prone to be adulterated through mixing with sugars, cheap and low-quality honey, and other adulterants. Consumption of adulterated honey may cause several health issues such as weight gain, diabetes, and liver and kidney dysfunction. Therefore, studying the impact of consumption of adulterated honey on consumers is critical since there is a lack of study in this field. Hence, the aims of this paper were: (1) to determine the lethal concentration (LC50) of adulterated honey using zebrafish embryo, (2) to elucidate toxicology of selected adulterated honey based on lethal dose (LD50) using adult zebrafish, (3) to determine the effects of adulterated honey on histological changes of zebrafish, and (4) to screen the metabolites profile of adulterated honey by using zebrafish blood serum. The LC50 of Heterotrigona itama honey (acacia honey) and its sugar adulterants (light corn sugar, cane sugar, inverted sugar, and palm sugar in the proportion of 1-3% (w/w) from the total volume) was determined by the toxicological assessment of honey samples on zebrafish embryos (different exposure concentrations in 24, 48, 72, and 96 h postfertilization (hpf)). Pure H. itama honey represents the LC50 of 34.40 ± 1.84 (mg/mL) at 96 hpf, while the inverted sugar represents the lowest LC50 (5.03 ± 0.92 mg/mL) among sugar adulterants. The highest concentration (3%) of sugar adulterants were used to study the toxicology of adulterated honey using adult zebrafish in terms of acute, prolong-acute, and sub-acute tests. The results of the LD50 from the sub-acute toxicity test of pure H. itama honey was 2.33 ± 0.24 (mg/mL). The histological studies of internal organs showed a lesion in the liver, kidney, and spleen of adulterated treated-honey groups compared to the control group. Furthermore, the LC-MS/MS results revealed three endogenous metabolites in both the pure and adulterated honey treated groups, as follows: (1) S-Cysteinosuccinic acid, (2) 2,3-Diphosphoglyceric acid, and (3) Cysteinyl-Tyrosine. The results of this study demonstrated that adulterated honey caused mortality, which contributes to higher toxicity, and also suggested that the zebrafish toxicity test could be a standard method for assessing the potential toxicity of other hazardous food additives. The information gained from this research will permit an evaluation of the potential risk associated with the consumption of adulterated compared to pure honey.

Matched MeSH terms: Acacia/chemistry*