Pharmacological activity and biochemical interaction of zingerone: a flavour additive in spice food

Zingerone (4-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-butanone) is one of the non-volatile and nontoxic compounds of ginger. It is also called vanillylacetone with a crystalline solid form which is sparingly soluble in water and more soluble in ether. The contribution of this compound in ginger is about 9.25%. The chemical structure is made of a phenolic ring with methoxy group attached to benzene ring. Gingerol can be heated to form zingerone by retroaldol reaction. It has been reported that zingerone has multiple pharmacological activities. It is effective against diarrhoea causing enterotoxigenic bacteria that leads to infant death. It is also used against intestinal gastric, oxidative stress, weak immunity, obesity. During its activity against cancer, it governs the expression of different cell cycle protein and TGF-?1 expression. Antioxidant response is controlled by inducing the activity of ROS neutralising enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase. It can also reduce various inflammations by restricting the activity of interleukins. This review summarizes the multiple pharmacology activities of zingerone against various important diseases like cancers, tumors, inflammations, oxidative conditions, microbial infections, biofilm formations, thrombosis and other diseases. In addition, the molecular regulation of these pharmacological responses by zingerone is also critically discussed.

THE EFFECT OF CYCLODEXTRIN ON THE DESTRUCTION OF PHENOL BY BACTERIA PSEUDOMONAS STUTZERI AND PAENIBACILLUS MACERANS IN THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

Cyclodextrins (CD) by their chemical nature are typical "host molecules" that can encapsulate a wide range of molecules, one or two benzene rings, including a phenolic ring. CDs can affect the bioavailability of contaminants during biodegradation, as well as the toxicity of the contaminant to microorganisms due to their ability to form inclusion complexes with organic compounds. In this work, the phenol destructor strains Pseudomonas stutzeri IB-I6C and Paenibacillus macerans IB-I4 were used, which have different growth characteristics in relation to the tested substrates: phenol (200 µg/ml) and CD (2 mg/ml). It was shown that when cultivating strains on a nutrient medium containing phenol+cyclodextrin, the degradation potential of bacteria in relation to phenol significantly increases. The amount of residual phenol in the presence of CD for P. stutzeri IB-I6C culture decreased by 8% by the end of cultivation, and for P. macerans IB-I4 this value was 10%. In the presence of CD in the medium, the time to achieve the maximum possible destruction of phenol was almost halved for both destructor strains. The rate of phenol consumption by pseudomonas IB-I6C in the presence of CD increased by 1,36 times, and utilization by the P. macerans strain IB-I4 was 1,31 times faster. The positive effect of CD in the destruction of phenol was found even in the case when CD is poorly utilized by the microorganism, as is observed in the strain P. stutzeri IB-I6C.

Qualitative and Quantitative Phytochemical Analysis of Acacia Catechu Willd

Acacia catechu willd has a great importance due to its medicinal properties. It is a historical plant; widely used in traditional medicine especially in Asia. Modern technology has made easy to study pharmacological properties of traditional medicine so great interests have been developed in historical traditional plants. There is a great use of Acacia catechu in dermatology and sore throat. Now a days antimycotic, hypoglycemic activity has also been reported. Phenols or polyphenols are the natural chemicals which are found in Acacia catechu. Phenolic compounds have similar basic structural chemistry as that of aromatic compounds and they contain a basic phenolic ring. They have an astringent effect and are widely used in tanning of lathers. They are also used in cancer treatment, dermatological disorders and possess anti-microbial activity. One of the most important feature of these compounds is their anti-oxidant effect. Due to the presence of these compounds in Acacia catechu willd; this plant has gained a vital role in medicinal use. In this paper, effort is made to sum up the researches which have been done on Acacia catechu willd which will be helpful to know that how many aspects of this plant are yet to be explored.

Rules and mechanism for the oxidation of lignin-based aromatic aldehyde under alkaline wet oxygen

To explore the extensive oxidative mechanism of syringaldehyde, vanillin, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde during the alkaline wet oxidation process (AWOP), the yield of these aromatic aldehydes from AWOP at various temperatures and reaction times was studied. The results showed that the aromatic aldehydes could not be converted into the corresponding aromatic acids during the AWOP, and that the aromatic aldehyde was stable when subjected to the oxygen-free AWOP. However, as the reaction temperature increased or the number of methoxyl groups on the aromatic ring increased, the yield of aromatic aldehyde sharply decreased during the AWOP. The reason for the decreased yield was that the aromatic aldehyde underwent ring-opening reactions. The possible mechanism of the degradation indicated that the number of methoxyl groups on the phenolic ring determined the stability of the key intermediate of this reaction. The conversion of isoeugenol to vanillin during the AWOP at 60 ºC was > 99%, and the vanillin yield and selectivity were both 69.8%, indicating that the decrease in yield of the product from this degradation of lignin substrate and the product can be reduced or avoided in the AWOP at suitable temperature.

Highly Crosslinked Polybenzoxazines from Monobenzoxazines: The Effect of Meta-Substitution in the Phenol Ring

It is possible to control the crosslink density of polymers derived from monobenzoxazines by switching the type of substituents in the phenolic ring and their relative position with respect to the phenol group. We prepared several substituted monobenzoxazines in the para and meta positions of the phenolic ring and studied how these substituents affected the polymerization temperature of monomers and the thermal stability of the final polymers and, more extensively, how they affected the crosslink network of the final polymers. Gel content and dynamic mechanical analysis confirm that ortho- and para-orienting substituents in the meta position generate highly crosslinked materials compared to para ones. This fact can lead to the design of materials with highly crosslinked networks based on monobenzoxazines, simpler and more versatile monomers than the commercial bisbenzoxazines currently in use.

Sequential Detection of Palladium and Chromium Oxyanion by a Fluorescein Based Chemosensor in Mixed Aqueous Media

A new highly selective chemosensor, based on fluorescein-allyloxy benzene conjugate 1, was developed for the sequential detection of palladium and chromium oxyanions in a mixed aqueous media, and was studied by UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. The sensing of palladium ions produces a chemodosimetric and ratiometric change in the emission band of 1 from 450 to 525 nm, followed by the sensing of chromate ions by 2 that quenches the emission band at 525 nm in a buffered H2O: DMF solution (9:1, pH = 7.4). The rate constants of palladium and chromate ions were found to be 8.6 × 105 M−1, 2.1 × 105 M−1, and 5.4 × 104 M−1 respectively. The chemosensor 1 has a palladium detection limit of 49 ppb while the sequential detection limit of chromate ions (CrO42− and Cr2O72−) were 127 and 259 ppb. The ratiometric change in the emission is produced due to the deallylation of 1 by palladium to produce 2 that restores the ESIPT (excited state intramolecular proton transfer) of the phenolic ring and enhances the electron transfer (ET) phenomenon from the phenolic group to fluorescein. The sequential binding of chromate ions to 2 inhibits the ESIPT and causes chelation enhanced quenching (CHEQ) of the fluorescence.

Potent nematicidal activity of phenolic derivatives on Meloidogyne incognita

The present study describes the nematicidal activity of ten selected phenolic derivatives using the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, model. Nematicidal activity was then correlated with the anti-oxidant power. The highest nematicidal activity was recorded for p-nitrophenol followed by m-nitrophenol, o-nitrophenol and p-bromophenol, with an EC50 after 1 day of immersion of about 0.70 ± 0.64, 8.14 ± 5.49, 15.79 ± 10.81 and 25.92 ± 11.37 μg/ml, respectively. The structure–activity relationship indicates that the nitro-group at position 4 on the phenolic ring (p-nitrophenol) is very important for nematicidal activity, followed by that at position 2 (o-nitrophenol) and position 3 (m-nitrophenol). p-Nitrophenol showed the highest nematicidal activity with the corresponding lowest anti-oxidant activity of about 97 ± 20 μg/ml. In conclusion, these findings suggest that phenolic derivatives could be considered as potent nematicidal agents and be integrated in the pest-management system.

Crystal structure of (E)-2-[(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methylidene]-N-phenylhydrazine-1-carboxamide

The title compound, C21H19N3O3, has anEconformation about the azomethine double bond. The central moiety of the hydrazinecarboxamide moiety [–N—N—C(=O)—N–] has an almost coplanar arrangement [maximum deviation for the C atom = 0.010 (2) Å]. This central moiety is flanked by three aromatic rings and its mean plane makes dihedral angles of 24.7 (1), 72.91 (12) and 34.26 (11) Å, respectively, with the phenolic ring, the phenyl ring attached to the same C atom as the phenolic ring, and the phenylhydrazine ring. The adjacent phenolic and phenyl rings are twisted away from each other to reduce steric hindrance and make a dihedral angle of 80.59 (12)°. The phenolic and phenylhydrazine rings are inclined to one another by 28.89 (11)°. The rigidity of the molecule is increased by an intramolecular O—H...N hydrogen bond involving the phenolic hydrogen and the azomethine N atom. In the crystal, the carbonyl O atom forms bifurcated hydrogen bonds with the two NH atoms of the hydrazinic group, leading to the formation of chains propagating along [001]. Within the chains there are also C—H...O hydrogen bonds present. The chains are linkedviaC=O...π [3.4316 (18) Å] and parallel slipped π–π interactions, involving inversion-related benzene rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.8850 (14) Å; inter-planar distance = 3.3895 (10) Å; slippage = 1.899 Å], forming sheets lying parallel to (100).