Ovarian Steroid Hormone Secretion by Human Granulosa Cells After Supplementation of Sambucus nigra L. Extract

Beneficial effects of Sambucus nigra L. (black elder) as a traditional medicine have been associated with the phytoconstituents including polyphenols, terpenes and lectins. Various antioxidant rich natural products have also been implicated with improvement of reproductive health and fertility, however, the effect of Sambucus nigra on the ovarian cell functions has not been investigated yet. The objectives of the present study were to screen the polyphenols in the elderflower and elderberry extracts, and to examine the secretion activity of steroid hormones 17β-estradiol and progesterone by human ovarian granulosa cells HGL5 after supplementation of the extracts at a concentration range of 12.5 to 100 µg.ml-1. Qualitative as well as quantitative screening of polyphenols by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis revealed rutin to be the most abundant polyphenol in both elderflower and elderberry extracts. In culture, neither elderflower nor elderberry extract caused any significant impact (p>0.05) in cell viability as studied by AlamarBlue assay in comparison to control. However, a dose-dependent stimulation of 17β-estradiol release was detected by ELISA after supplementation of elderflower (at 50 µg.ml-1; p<0.01) and elderberry (at 100 µg.ml-1; p<0.05) extracts at higher doses used in the study. On the other hand, both elderflower and elderberry extracts stimulated the secretion of progesterone by HGL5 cells at a lower dose (12.5 µg.ml-1; p<0.05), as compared to control. Therefore, elderflower and elderberry extracts may have the potential to regulate steroidogenesis in ovarian cells.

Construction and Generation of a Recombinant Senecavirus a Stably Expressing the NanoLuc Luciferase for Quantitative Antiviral Assay

Senecavirus A (SVA), also known as Seneca Valley virus, is a recently emerged picornavirus that can cause swine vesicular disease, posing a great threat to the global swine industry. A recombinant reporter virus (rSVA-Nluc) stably expressing the nanoluciferase (Nluc) gene between SVA 2A and 2B was developed to rapidly detect anti-SVA neutralizing antibodies and establish a high-throughput screen for antiviral agents. This recombinant virus displayed similar growth kinetics as the parental virus and remained stable for more than 10 passages in BHK-21 cells. As a proof-of-concept for its utility for rapid antiviral screening, this reporter virus was used to rapidly quantify anti-SVA neutralizing antibodies in 13 swine sera samples and screen for antiviral agents, including interferons ribavirin and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Subsequently, interfering RNAs targeting different regions of the SVA genome were screened using the reporter virus. This reporter virus (rSVA-Nluc) represents a useful tool for rapid and quantitative screening and evaluation of antivirals against SVA.

Screening of the Honey Aroma as a Potential Essence for the Aromachology

The aim of the study was to determine the aroma profiles of four kinds of Slovak honey (sunflower, honeydew, acacia, and linden) by a qualitative and quantitative screening of their volatile compounds and by gas chromatography for the potential use in the aromachology and the business sphere. The results showed that several unique volatiles were identified in one kind of honey, while they were not identified in the remaining ones. The acacia honey had the unique volatile linalool oxide (1.13–3.9%); linden honey had the unique volatiles nerol oxide (0.6–1.6%), ethyl esters (0.41–8.78%), lilac aldehyde D (6.6%), and acetophenone (0.37%). The honeydew honey had the unique volatiles santene (0.28%) and cyclofenchene (0.59–1.39%), whereas 2-bornene (0.43–0.81%) was typical for sunflower honey. While linden honey was characterized by fruity ethyl esters, honeydew honey had more monoterpenoid compounds. In the principal component analysis model, the four kinds of honey could not be differentiated by aroma volatiles. However, it was possible to classify the linden and sunflower honey using the LDA. In conclusion, the current study provided experimental evidence that the marker compounds from different kinds of honey might be promising candidates for production of inhaling aromas.

Antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from different plant parts of Curcuma mangga Valeton and Zijp

The endophytic fungi isolated from different plant parts including leaf, stem and rhizome of Curcuma mangga were screened for antimicrobial activity by employing agar plug diffusion assay and disc diffusion assay for primary screening and secondary screening, respectively. A total of 127 endophytic fungi that were successfully isolated from various plant parts were cultured to examine their antimicrobial activities. Qualitative screening using agar plug diffusion assay revealed that 118 isolates (92.9%) showed antimicrobial activity against at least on one test microorganisms and suggested that the rhizome part exhibited the highest percentage of antiyeast (58.3%) and antifungal (91.7%) activities compared to leaf and stem parts. Quantitative screening using disc diffusion assay indicated that ethyl acetate extract from fermentative broth (extracellular compound) demonstrated better antimicrobial activity compared to methanol extract derived from fungal biomass (intracellular compound) against all the four classes of pathogenic microorganisms tested (Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, yeast and fungi). The future of endophytic fungus study is very promising as it possesses hidden potential to be developed as natural antimicrobial agent.

Developing a ranking methodology for Shari’ah indices: the case of Borsa Istanbul

Purpose This paper aims to develop a ranking methodology for the companies included in the Islamic indices in Turkey. Thus, this paper simplifies the decision-making process for investors with Islamic sensitivities to stock market investment when constructing their investment portfolio. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a case study of 20 companies listed on Borsa Istanbul, drawing data from their 2017, 2018 and 2019 financial reports. These companies are scored and ranked according to their compatibility with the screening criteria used by Ziraat Katilim index in Turkey. In addition, this paper uses the quantitative screening process to calculate the ranking scores of these companies. Findings The findings show that some companies are highly compatible with the screening criteria, with ranking scores close to 100 points. However, some companies satisfied the criteria on the margin. This may not be a desirable result for some investors. Research limitations/implications Only 20 companies are included in the analysis. Since the conventional accounting system is used in Turkey, it was difficult to get exact information about the companies’ Shari’ah compatibility from the financial results. Practical implications The findings assist investors to determine which company is ethically more responsible than others within the Islamic framework. There are also implications for the companies in question, index providers and Shari’ah scholars. Social implications The findings aim to simplify the decision-making process of investors who have Islamic sensitivities to stock exchange market investment when they constitute their portfolio. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is one of the first attempts to develop a ranking methodology for Shari’ah-screened stocks in Turkey even though Shari’ah screening has been on the agenda since the late 1990s. This paper also compares 11 indices based on their screening criteria.

Qualitative and Quantitative Phytochemical Screening of Azadirachta indica Juss. Plant Parts

Azadirachta indica which is commonly known as neem plant has one of the most promising medicinal properties having a wide spectrum of biological activity. Fresh matured leaves, stem-bark and seeds of A. indica (neem) were collected, air dried and aqueous-extract was used to screen for some active chemical constituents. Phytochemicals of neem plant parts were extracted and screened both qualitatively and quantitatively. The screening of A. indica was carried out at Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Paklihawa Campus, Rupandehi in a quest to evaluate the phytochemicals. Among the qualitative tests done for the presence of secondary metabolites; alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids were found to present in all of the tested parts whereas steroids, polyphenols and tannins were present only in leaves and stem-bark. Glycosides and coumarins are absent in all of the tested parts. Quantitative screening was also done by using gravimetric method. Alkaloids were found in all the parts of A. indica with the highest amount of alkaloids were obtained in stem-bark (12.8%) and lowest in leaves (10.67%). Highest flavonoids percentage was revealed in leaves (13.8%) and lowest flavonoids in stem-bark (12.8%). Similarly, seeds (2.53%) contained saponins % while it was lowest in stem-bark (2.50 %). Terpenoids % were similar in both i.e. leaves and stem-bark (13.13%), whereas lowest in seeds (12.77%). More research on secondary metabolites will be helpful to the chemical industries to produce plant-based chemicals and minimize the environment degradation from different synthetic chemicals. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 9(2): 122-127.