Plant extracts are actively being used worldwide due to the presence of biologically active constituents helping in the preservation of food, and to aid against various diseases owing to their ...antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. The present research work was carried out to investigate the phytochemical constituents, antimicrobial activity, and antioxidant activity of different extracted samples of Euphorbia parviflora. Anti-microbial studies were carried out by Agar well diffusion while the DPPH method was employed for investigating anti-oxidant activity. Three samples from methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extract were tested against five different bacterial strains comprising two species from Gram-negative bacteria i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and three species from Gram-positive bacteria i.e. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia along two fungal strains i.e. Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The results of the qualitative phytochemical analysis showed that methanolic, chloroformic, and ethylacetate extract of Euphorbia parviflora consist of alkaloids, reducing sugars, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, and saponins. The total phenol and flavonoid content of E. parviflora showed that the methanolic extract of E. parviflora had a significantly higher total phenolic content (53.73 ± 0.30 mg of GAE/g) and flavonoid content (44.62 ± 0.38 mg of than other extracts. The content of total phenolic and flavonoids was more in methanolic extract as compared to other extracts of E. prolifera. The HPLC analysis showed that in the chloroform extract of E. parviflora Cinnamic acid (4.32 ± 2.89 mg/g) was dominant, in methanol extract quercetin (3.42 ± 2.89 mg/g) was dominant and in ethyl acetate extract of E. parviflora catechin (4.44 ± 2.89 mg/g) was found dominant. The antimicrobial activity revealed that amongst all the extracts the highest antibacterial activity was shown by methanolic extract against B. subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus as compared to the other extracts. The antioxidant activity revealed that methanolic extract of E. parviflora demonstrated higher antioxidant activity (82.42 ± 0.02) followed by chloroform extract (76.48 ± 0.08) at 150 µg/mL. The aim of this study was primarily to evaluate the potential of this plant as a reliable source of antimicrobials and antioxidants that may be used for the treatment of various infectious diseases in the future. The study provides evidence that this plant can act as a reliable source of antimicrobial and antioxidant agents and might be used against several infectious diseases.
Bioactive compounds of medicinal plants, including polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids, are essential sources for developing analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antidiarrheal drugs. In ...the current study, secondary metabolites were assessed through phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis whereas analgesic activity was carried out through hot plate (HP) and acetic acid-induced method (AAI), anti-inflammatory through paw edema model (PEM), and antispasmodic activity via charcoal meal test (CMT) using ethyl acetate and ethanolic extract of Ziziphus mauritiana var. spontanea and Oenothera biennis. The phytochemical screening revealed that the ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis were rich in alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, triterpenoids, and saponins. GC-MS analysis of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis of ethyl acetate and ethanolic extract showed the existence of many bioactive substances at various retention durations (min). These included pharmacologically active compounds such as heptadecane, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, hexadecanoic acid, and tetradecanoic acid. The results of the HP method revealed that ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis at 300 mg/kg increased basal reaction time significantly (p<0.001) after 90 min. The results of the AAI method revealed that the ethanolic and ethyl acetate extract of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis showed significant (p<0.001) peripheral analgesic activity at the dose of 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight. The dosage of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg body weight of the ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis showed significant (p<0.001) anti-inflammatory activity. According to PEM, the ethanolic extract of O. biennis showed the highest reduction in paw volume (73.3%) at 300 mg/kg. The results of CMT revealed that ethanolic and ethyl acetate extract of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis significantly (p<0.001) inhibited charcoal movement at 300 mg/kg. The maximum percent inhibition (67.2%) was shown by ethyl acetate of O. biennis at 300 mg/kg. From the present study, it can be concluded that ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of Z. mauritiana and O. biennis have the potential to manage inflammation, pain, and diarrhea-related problems mainly at a higher dose, i.e., 300 mg/kg. The presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, triterpenoids, and saponins might be among the responsible bioactive constituents. These plants showed significant medicinal and therapeutic efficacy which are novel. However, further studies are required to investigate the mechanism responsible for the activity.
The genus Mentha encompasses mint species cultivated for their essential oils, which are formulated into a vast array of consumer products. However, the systematics of the genus Mentha is very ...complicated and still uncertain. This is largely because of the presence of frequent interspecific hybridization, variation in chromosome number, cytomixis, polymorphism in morphology and essential oil composition under different environmental conditions, colonial mutant propagation, as well as the occurrence of polyploidy, aneuploidy, and nothomorphs. Here, we present the plastome assemblies for a wilt-resistant Saudi Arabian accession of Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds and an alien hybrid Mentha × verticillata L. which are 152,078 bp and 152,026 bp in length, respectively, and exhibited large single-copy (LSC) and small single-copy (SSC) regions separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions. The chloroplast genome of M. longifolia has 133 annotated genes, including 88 protein-coding genes and 37 tRNAs while M. × verticillata has 133 annotated genes, including 87 protein-coding genes and 38 tRNAs. Both cp genomes have eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis using a total chloroplast genome DNA sequence of 17 species revealed that M. longifolia sequenced in this study did not form a sister relationship with M. longifolia from another study. This opens a window for further investigations.
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•Shelf-life enhancement of fruits and vegetables through a novel technique by utilization of microbially driven enzyme glucose oxidase.•Casting a fine layer of hydrogen peroxide on ...the food item that will protect the fruit from decay.•Produced nanoparticles (ZnO, Ag) ligated with Glucose Oxidize (Gox) purified from Aspergillus niger.•Fruit quality parameters such as TSS, pH, weight loss, DPPH free radical capturing performance.•Enzymes ligated on the surface of nanoparticles (ZnONP) were exceptional for extension of post-harvest shelf life of fruits.
This study was designed to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables through a novel technique based on utilization of microbially driven enzyme glucose oxidase and casting a fine layer of hydrogen peroxide on the food item that protected the fruit from decay. The produced nanoparticles (ZnO, Ag) were ligated with Glucose Oxidize (GOx) purified from Aspergillus niger. Post ligation studies revealed that ligated enzymes display relatively enhanced activity. Four types of sprays were prepared in order to compare their effectiveness. Glucose oxidase/silver nanoparticles (GOx/AgNPs), glucose oxidase/zinc oxide nanoparticles (GOx/ZnONPs), AgNPs and ZnONPs sprays were applied to guava fruit samples as post-harvest therapeutic agents for a period of 15 days. Fruit quality parameters such as total suspended solids (TSS), pH, weight loss, DPPH free radical capturing performance and firmness confirms that usage of the bioconjugates especially that of GOx/ZnONP was curiously active to maintain the physical appearance of fruit well along with no such deterioration in chemical composition of fruit. Consequently, enzymes ligated on the surface of nanoparticles (ZnONP) are exceptional for extension of post-harvest shelf life of fruits such as guava.
Methanolic and chloroformic extract of Achillea millefolium and Chaerophyllum villosum were evaluated for HPLC analysis, genotoxic and antioxidant potential.
Genotoxic activity was carried out on ...human blood lymphocytes via comet assay and antioxidant activity was studied through DPPH method.
The genotoxic potential of A. millefolium and C. villosum's methanolic and chloroformic extract was analysed using comet assay technique. Comet shaped human lymphocytes cells were observed when treated with different concentrations (50 mg/mL, 75 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL) of methanolic and chloroformic extract of both plants. Reading was taken on the basis of damaged DNA head and tail length. Greater the length of tail as compared to head, greater will be the damage and vice versa. Total comet score was obtained from A. millefolium subjected to different concentrations. After a time interval of 24 h both the extract showed dose dependant genoprotection with maximum genoprotectivity at 98.7 ± 12.7 and 116 ± 5.3 at 50 mg/100 mL for methanolic and chloroformic extract respectively. Similarly Total Comet score was obtained from C. villosum subjected to different concentrations of methanolic and chloroformic extract. After 24 h exhibited dose dependent genoprotection with maximum protectivity at 85.7 ± 22.0 and 101.7 ± 8.6 at 50 mg/100 mL for methanolic and chloroformic extract were determined. The antioxidant activity revealed that methanolic extract of A. millefolium showed highest antioxidant activity (84.21%) at 300 mg/ml after 90 min while the chloroformic extract of C. villosum exhibited highest (68.46%) antioxidant activity (59.69%) at 300 µg/ml after 90 min but less than the standard drug ascorbic acid (88.72%). Quantitative phytochemical screening revealed high percentage of alkaloids (27.4%), Phenols (34.5%), Flavonoids (32.4%) as compared to Tannins (12%) in methanolic extract of A.millefolium. While high percentage of alkaloids (31.4), Phenols (19.3%), Flavonoids (35.5%) as compared to Tannins (16.6%) in chloroformic extract of C. villosum.
The present results showed that A. millefolium and C. villosum possess a number of important compounds and revealed genoprotective property which may be used to treat several genetic disorders such as alzeimer's disease in future (Grodzicki W, Dziendzikowska K, Antioxidants 9(3):229, 2020).
In this study, cytogenetic toxicity of colchicine in microsporocytes of hard wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) was evaluated. Colchicine treatments revealed the induction of various chromosomal ...abnormalities in gametic cells which includes chromatin stickiness, unoriented chromosomes, univalents, laggards, bridges, and micronuclei. These abnormalities increased along with increased colchicine concentrations. Simultaneously, the study also deals correlation of overall cytological aberrations with the frequency of seed germination, plant survival, and pollen fertility. Chromosome stickiness along with spindle disturbances, laggards, chromatin bridges, irregular chromosome distribution, and abnormal tetrads are the main causes that lead to a reduction in pollen fertility percentage found in colchicine-treated populations. Furthermore, the colchicine-induced chromosome aberrations caused a significant decline in seed germination and plant survival with the increasing colchicine concentrations. The present findings reveal the potential of colchicine in inducing alterations in chromosome structure and behavior thereby enhancing the genetic diversity in hard wheat. As a result, colchicine could be efficiently exploited for isolating novel and promising mutants in segregating generations.
Genetic improvement mainly depends on the level of genetic variability present in the population, and the degree of genetic diversity in a population largely determines the rate of genetic ...advancement. For analyzing genetic diversity and determining cultivar identities, a molecular marker is a useful tool. Using 30 SSR (simple sequence repeat) and 30 RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA) markers, this study evaluated the genetic divergence of 17 mango cultivars. The effectiveness of the two marker systems was evaluated using their genetic diversity characteristics. Additionally, the effects of SM (simple matching) and Dice similarity coefficients and their effects on mango clustering were evaluated. The findings showed that SSR markers generated 192 alleles, all of which were polymorphic (100%). With RAPD markers, 434 bands were obtained, 361 of which were polymorphic (83%). The average polymorphic information content (PIC) for RAPD and SSR was 0.378 and 0.735, respectively. Using SSR markers resulted in much higher values for other genetic diversity parameters compared to RAPD markers. Furthermore, grouping the genotypes according to the two similarity coefficients without detailed consideration of these coefficients could not influence the study results. The RAPD markers OPA_01, OPM_12 followed by OPO_12 and SSR markers MIAC_4, MIAC_5 followed by mMiCIR_21 were the most informative in terms of describing genetic variability among the cultivars under study; they can be used in further investigations such as genetic mapping or marker-assisted selection. Overall, ‘Zebda’ cultivar was the most diverse of the studied cultivars.
Induced polyploidy is well known to enhance the genetic architecture of plants that confers better survivorship to them in various agro-climatic conditions than their respective diploids. In this ...regard, the present study was aimed to obtain the autotetraploid of Commelina benghalensis through antimitotic agent colchicine in order to increase its commercial, ornamental, and medical value. For tetraploidy induction, ungerminated seeds and tips of cotyledon-stage seedlings of the plant were treated with various concentrations of colchicine (0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and 0.25%). Experiments carried out on ungerminated seeds were unsuccessful in generating stable polyploids as it causes the death of germinated seedlings at the very earliest stage. Conversely, applying aqueous colchicine solution constantly on tips of seedlings for 6–8 h per day for three consecutive days was found significant in producing stable tetraploids. Putative tetraploids were subjected to chromosomal, morphological, and palynological observations for their exact confirmation. Out of total 120 seedlings treated, six plants (5%) were found polyploid in C0 generation with the highest frequency (10%) observed in 0.2% colchicine. During meiosis, the PMCs of tetraploid plants exhibited 44 chromosomes in different associations like quadrivalent, trivalent, bivalent and univalent, while that of the control diploid plants showed regular 11 bivalents. Meiotic analysis showed a constant decrease of quadrivalent frequency and the increasing number of bivalents from C0 to C2 for better fertility. Furthermore, differences in vegetative and ornamental characteristics between diploid and polyploid plants were significant. The size of pollen grains, capsules, and seeds were significantly greater than those of diploid plants.
Traditional herbal medicines have been part of human healthcare systems since ancient times. The studies on herbal medicines have mainly focused on their beneficial aspects and hence their harmful ...effects have been usually overlooked. Throughout Middle East and South Asia,
Rhazya stricta
Decne. and
Thymus vulgaris
L. are used as traditional medicines for various diseases. We evaluated
R. stricta
and
T. vulgaris
aqueous extracts for their genotoxicity and mutagenicity through comet assay and Ames
Salmonella
mutagenicity test respectively. An overall treatment effect (
p
< 0.0001) showed higher genotoxicity of
T. vulgaris
extract indicated by increased tail moments in comet assay compared to the extract of
R. stricta
and the combined extract. Further, an overall dose effect (
p
< 0.0001) showed higher genotoxicity at 1 mg/ml which further increased at 5 mg/ml doses of the extracts compared to 0 mg/ml. The genotoxicity did not show any further increase at 10 mg/ml. The extracts were also tested for their mutagenicity through Ames
Salmonella
test.
R. stricta
and
T. vulgaris
were not mutagenic to TA100 and TA98 when extracts tested separately. However, combined extracts of
R. stricta
and
T. vulgaris
was weakly mutagenic to TA98 with number of revertants 92 ± 8 at the highest concentration tested. This study implies that the herbal medicines should be used cautiously as they may cause long term harmful effects along with the intended beneficial activity.
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