Hyperlipidemia Diet Reduces Superoxide Dismutase Inhibition Rate in the Brain Organ of Rattus norvegicus

Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica L.) egg yolk is one of the high-fat foods which can trigger hyperlipidemia. The condition of hyperlipidemia can have an oxidative stress effect on the brain. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a natural antioxidant that acts as a defense mechanism against oxidative stress. The inhibition rate of SOD decreases when oxidative stress occurs. This study aims to determine the effect of quail egg yolk on the SOD inhibition rate of brain organs on a rat. This study used male Wistar rats aged 2-3 months with 200-300 grams of weight. The rats were divided into two groups. Each group was fed with ad libitum for two weeks. The A groups as control continued ad libitum consumption, and the B group was given additional quail egg yolk 5 ml / 200 g BW for 2 weeks. At the end of the study, the rats were terminated. The brain organs were examined for SOD inhibition rate with spectrophotometry. The mean SOD inhibition rate in the A and B groups was 74.14% ± 6.16 and 24.14% ± 5.65, respectively. The independent t-test showed significant differences in SOD inhibition rate between groups (p 0.001). Furthermore, quail egg yolk significantly reduced the SOD inhibition rate in the brain organ of the rat.

Gastroprotective Effect of Polypeptide-K Isolated from Momordica charantia’s Seeds on Multiple Experimental Gastric Ulcer Models in Rats

Peptic ulcer disease is a multifactorial disorder and is the most significant public health concern nowadays. Previous study showed that essential oil extracted from Momordica charantia’s seed exhibited gastroprotective effect. However, the evidence for the gastroprotective effect of its active compound, polypeptide K (PPK), remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the preventive effect of PPK against different experimental gastric lesions models in rats. The possible gastroprotective effect of PPK was assessed in hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models in Sprague Dawley rats and was further evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Pyloric ligation experiments were used to investigate gastric secretion. Oral administration of PPK at all concentrations (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) showed significant p < 0.05 reduction in total area of lesion in both hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The highest inhibition rate was seen in PPK dose of 50 mg/kg with 64.9% and 72.2% on hydrochloride ethanol and indomethacin models, respectively. Microscopically, PPK preserved the normal architectures of the gastric tissues from being damaged by hydrochloride ethanol and indomethacin. Further, in the pyloric ligation studies, PPK significantly p < 0.05 decreased the ulcer area where the highest protection was exhibited by 50 mg/kg with 70% inhibition rate. Moreover, all concentrations of PPK also significantly p < 0.05 enhanced the gastric wall mucus secretion. Collectively, this study demonstrated the gastroprotective effect of PPK on hydrochloride ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer models. The possible mechanism might be associated with enhanced mucus secretion and thus lowering the total acidity.

Response to Fungicides of Colletotrichum spp. Isolated from Red Peppers in Sunchang, Korea

In August 2020, 377 anthracnose strains were isolated from anthracnose-infected peppers collected from 25 farms in Sunchang-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Inhibition rate of mycelial growth of 11 pepper anthracnose fungicides registered in Korea was investigated for 62 strains selected by region and the degree of susceptibility to each fungicide was investigated. As a result of the fungicide susceptibility test of anthracnose to the fungicide, no resistant strains were observed in fluazinam, prochloraz manganese, and benomyl, but resistant strains appeared in at least three areas for other fungicides, and all strains in all regions were resistant to dithianon. Through this, it was confirmed that the fungicide resistance was expressed in the strain group due to the continuous treatment of the fungicide in some areas. By region, resistant strains to seven pesticides appeared in Sunchang-eup and Paldeok-myeon, and resistant strains to six pesticides appeared in Geumgwa-myeon, Bokheung-myeon, Ssangchi-myeon, Yudeung-myeon, and Pungsan-myeon. There was no significant correlation between fungicide registration time and emergence of resistant strains.

The Effect of Nano-Zinc Oxide and Nano-Titanium Dioxide on Inhabitation of Ochratoxin A

The experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Office in Baghdad during July 2020 to test the ability of nanomaterials (ZnO and TiO2) to inhibit ochratoxin A, which is produced by a number of microbiology (fungi) including: Aspergillus ochraceus, A. niger, ,A. steynii, A. carbonarius, Pencillume verrucosum and P. nordicum. The standard ochratoxin A, with known concentration, was treated with different concentrations of nanomaterials (20, 40, 60, and 80 ppm) and two different particle sizes of nanoparticles approximately (15 nm) and (70 nm) for each (ZnO) and TiO2; with 16 transactions. Through an examination of the HPLC, the results showed that all transactions led to a noticeable inhibition in the concentration of ochratoxin A, and the highest inhibition rate was for ZnO nanoparticles with particle-size (70 nm) and 80 ppm concentration, where the inhibition rate was 99%. In other hand, the TiO2 nanoparticles with particle-sized (70 nm) and the concentration (80 ppm) were followed by 95%.

Ovicidal and Repellent Activities of Several Plant Essential Oils Against Periplaneta americana L. and Enhanced Activities from their Combined Formulation

Natural ovicidal and repellent agents against Periplaneta americana are in urgent need, and plant essential oils (EOs) can assume this role quite readily. In this study, ovicidal and repellent activities against Periplaneta americana of EOs from Cymbopogon citratus, Cinnamomum verum, Eucalyptus globulus, Illicium verum, and Zanthoxylum limonella in soybean oil and in ethyl alcohol were determined by topical and dual-choice assays, as well as 10% cypermethrin and a combined formulation of 5% C. verum EO + 5% I. verum EO. Cypermethrin at 10% provided the highest toxicity (100% inhibition rate) against the eggs, but only slightly higher than that (99.3%) provided by the combined EO formulation, while the highest repellent activity against the adults was provided by the combined formulation (89.5% repelled cockroaches at 48 h after treatment). In addition, all EO formulations in soybean oil provided higher ovicidal and repellent activities than in ethyl alcohol. To conclude, the combined EO formulation in soybean oil can replace cypermethrin because their efficacy was nearly equivalent, but the combination should be much safer to use.

Study on α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 40 kinds of vegetables, tubers, and fruits in An Giang

A study on the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 40 kinds of vegetables, tubers, and fruits found in the An Giang province was conducted. The results indicated that all 40 extracted samples displayed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity at a concentration of 250 μg ml-1, 36 extracted samples showed an inhibition rate greater than 50% at 250 μg ml-1, 25 extracted samples had over 50% at 100 μg ml-1, 17 extracted samples possessed more than 50% at 50 μg ml-1, 7 extracted samples sampled showed over 50% at 25 μg ml-1, 5 extracted samples were greater than 50% at 10 μg ml-1, and 1 extracted sample was greater than 50% at 1 μg ml-1. Among the 40 samples, those taken from the seeds of Areca catechu, the fruits of Cassia grandis, the fruits of Syzygium cumini, the seeds of Glycine max,andthe stems of Enydra fluctuansexhibited the strongest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in methanol, with IC50 values of 0.15, 2.54, 4.05, 5.17 and 8.68 μg ml-1, respectively, which were stronger than the positive control acarbose with an IC50 value of 214.5 μg ml-1

A molybdenum oxide-based degradable nanosheet for combined chemo-photothermal therapy to improve tumor immunosuppression and suppress distant tumors and lung metastases

Molybdenum oxide (MoOx) nanosheets have drawn increasing attention for minimally invasive cancer treatments but still face great challenges, including complex modifications and the lack of efficient accumulation in tumor. In this work, a novel multifunctional degradable FA-BSA-PEG/MoOx nanosheet was fabricated (LA-PEG and FA-BSA dual modified MoOx): the synergistic effect of PEG and BSA endows the nanosheet with excellent stability and compatibility; the FA, a targeting ligand, facilitates the accumulation of nanosheets in the tumor. In addition, DTX, a model drug for breast cancer treatment, was loaded (76.49%, 1.5 times the carrier weight) in the nanosheets for in vitro and in vivo antitumor evaluation. The results revealed that the FA-BSA-PEG/MoOx@DTX nanosheets combined photothermal and chemotherapy could not only inhibit the primary tumor growth but also suppress the distant tumor growth (inhibition rate: 51.7%) and lung metastasis (inhibition rate: 93.6%), which is far more effective compared to the commercial Taxotere®. Exploration of the molecular mechanism showed that in vivo immune response induced an increase in positive immune responders, suppressed negative immune suppressors, and established an inflammatory tumor immune environment, which co-contributes towards effective suppression of tumor and lung metastasis. Our experiments demonstrated that this novel multifunctional nanosheet is a promising platform for combined chemo-photothermal therapy. Graphical Abstract

Antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic potential of Theobroma cacao Linn. husk aqueous extracts

Background Theobroma cacao Linn. husks are considered agricultural wastes, but studies show that they exhibit natural compounds that may be used in alternative medicine. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic potential of T. cacao husk aqueous extracts (TCE). Results A significantly higher glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI) was shown by 10% TCE than the rest of the concentrations (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%) (P<0.05), and its activity is comparable with 5% Metformin (positive control) after 30 min, 60 min, 120 min and 180 min of incubation. The 7% TCE also showed significantly higher GDRI than the 5%, 3%, and 1% concentrations (P<0.05), and its activity is comparable with 5% Metformin after 60 min and 180 min of incubation. Moreover, 10% TCE exhibited a significantly higher glucose uptake percentage than the rest of the samples (P<0.05) and has activity comparable with 5% Metformin. The anti-inflammatory assay showed a significantly higher inhibition rate of 10% TCE than the rest of the concentrations (P<0.05), and its activity is comparable with 5% Diclofenac (positive control). The cytotoxicity assay showed that the percentage mortality of brine shrimps after 24 h of exposure to the different TCE samples is less than 50%. Conclusion This study concludes that T. cacao husk aqueous extract has potential antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties without being toxic to cells.

Acorenone C: A New Spiro-Sesquiterpene from a Mangrove-Associated Fungus, Pseudofusicoccum sp. J003

Mangrove-derived endophytes are rich in bioactive secondary metabolites with a variety of biological activities. Recently, a fungus Pseudofusicoccum sp. J003 was first isolated by our research group from mangrove species Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. The subsequent chemical investigation of the methanol extract of the culture broth of this strain has led to the isolation of a new sesquiterpenoid named acorenone C (1), two alkaloids (2–3), four phenolic compounds (4–7), and four steroid derivatives (8–11). The new structure of 1 was established by extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopy, and HRESIMS. Its absolute configuration was elucidated by experimental ECD and ECD calculation. The in vitro AChE inhibitory, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities of the selected compounds were evaluated. The results showed that compound 1 showed mild AChE inhibitory activity, with an inhibition rate of 23.34% at the concentration of 50 μM. Compound 9 exerted a significant inhibitory effect against nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages, with an inhibition rate of 72.89% at the concentration of 25 μM, better than that of positive control L-NMMA. Compound 9 also displayed obvious inhibition effects on the growth of two human tumor cell lines, HL-60 and SW480 (inhibition rates 98.68 ± 0.97% and 60.40 ± 4.51%, respectively). The antimicrobial activities of the compounds (1–11) against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were also tested; however, none of them showed antimicrobial activities.

Effects of Escherichia coli Alkaline Phosphatase PhoA on the Mineralization of Dissolved Organic Phosphorus

Alkaline phosphatases, which play the key role in the mineralization of organic phosphorus, have been grouped into three distinct families, PhoA, PhoX, and PhoD. PhoA is still an important component of the Pho regulon for many microbes although its distribution is not as wide as that of PhoX and PhoD. However, several questions remain unclear about the effect of PhoA mineralization of dissolved organic phosphorus. In this study, the role of Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase PhoA (hereinafter referred to as PhoA) in the mineralization of different organic phosphorus including phosphate monoesters, phosphate diesters, and phytic acids was investigated. The influence of the reaction time, organic phosphorus concentration, and L-amino acid on PhoA mineralization was examined. The results show that PhoA specifically hydrolyzes phosphate monoesters except for phytic acid and the optimal reaction time is around 12 h. The PhoA mineralization rate of glucose 6-phosphate disodium (G6P), 5′-adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and sodium glycerophosphate (BGP) significantly decreased by 38.01%, 55.31%, and 57.08%, respectively (p < 0.01), while the concentration of organic phosphorus increased from 0.50 to 5.00 mg/L. Overall, L-amino acids inhibited PhoA mineralization in a concentration-independent manner. The inhibitory effect of neutral amino acids serine (L-Ser) and tyrosine (L-Tyr) was significantly higher than that of basic amino acids arginine (L-Arg), lysine (L-Lys), and histidine (L-His). All the five amino acids can inhibit PhoA mineralization of AMP, with the highest inhibition rate observed for L-Tyr (23.77%), the lowest—for L-Arg (1.54%). Compared with other L-amino acids, L-Tyr has the highest G6P and BGP mineralization inhibition rate, with the average inhibition rates of 12.89% and 11.65%, respectively. This study provides meaningful information to better understand PhoA mineralization.