Comparative Study of Abiotic Stress Factors on GC-MS-Detected Phytoconstituents of Aloe greatheadii var: davyana Using Heat Map and Hierarchical Clustering Dendrogram

Aloe greatheadii var. davyana or spotted aloe is indigenous to South Africa and widely distributed in the northern provinces. The plant has a vast ethnopharmacological application which is mostly attributed to its phytochemical content. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of abiotic stress factors on the plant’s phytochemical content. The phytochemical content of A. greatheadii hexane extracts from four different provinces (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and North West), harvested from the wild at varied altitudes, rainfall patterns, and soil types, was examined using gas chromatography-mass spectra (GC-MS). The phytochemical content of hexane extracts from the four South African provinces was analysed using heat map analysis and hierarchical clustering dendrogram. The phytochemical content of A. greatheadii hexane extracts was composed of fatty acids, alkanes, benzene, carboxylic acids, ketones, phytosterols, and vitamins. Eicosane, henicosane, and [(2S)-2-[(2R)-4-hexadecanoyloxy-3-hydroxy-5-oxo-2H-furan-2-yl]-2-hydroxyethyl] hexadecanoate were the only compounds detected in all samples from the four provinces. The concentration levels of 2-(((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)carbonyl) benzoic acid, beta-sitosterol, tritetracontane, and ethyl 13-methyltetradecanoate were closely related and expressed a low clustering distance amongst the samples. Variations in soil pH, soil type, and rainfall patterns were detected and differed in the four provinces. The different abiotic stress factors affected the biochemical pathways for the different compounds, with conditions in Gauteng being less favourable for many of the compounds detected. Abiotic stress factors have shown to influence phytochemical biochemical pathways and quantity. Aloe greatheadii plants can be selected based on location seemingly due to the variations that persist in their phytochemical content.

Phytochemical composition and biological activities of extracts from ten species of the family Melastomataceae Juss

Plants possess a renewable source of metabolites with enormous chemical structural diversity, which may have potential therapeutic relevance. Furthermore, this chemical diversity favors the possibility of finding new and different chemical constituents with antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-tumor activities. This work analyzed preliminary phytochemical profiles and evaluated the antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of hexane extracts of leaves of ten species of the family Melastomataceae. Phytochemical screening was performed using staining methods while total phenols and flavonoids were quantified by spectrophotometry. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the disk diffusion method. Antioxidant activity was determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) method. Toxicity was recorded using the lethality test with Artemia salina Leach (1819). Cytotoxic activity of the extracts was assessed in vitro with acute monocytic leukemia cells (THP-1). Phytochemical analysis detected the presence of tannins, terpenes, steroids, polyphenols and flavonoids and the absence of alkaloids. Clidemia capitellata (Bonpl.) D. Don had the greatest amount of polyphenols (205.95 mg/g ± 4.14) while Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don had the highest content of total flavonoids (143.99 mg/g ± 4.18). The hexane extracts did not show antimicrobial activity nor toxicity against Artemia salina. The extract of Tibouchina francavillana Cogn. was the most active in sequestering the DPPH radical. The extracts showed cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells with the appearance of apoptotic bodies and cell death. The extracts of Miconia amoena, Clidemia sericea and Clidemia capitellata are non-toxic against Artemia salina and induce the formation of apoptotic bodies and cell death of the THP-1 lineage.

Insecticidal activity and phytochemical analysis of Pyrus communis L. extracts against malarial vector, Anopheles pharoensis Theobald, 1901 (Diptera: Culicidae)

We aimed at investigating the insecticidal activity of Pyrus communis L. against the malarial vector, Anopheles pharoensis Theobald, 1901 and its phytochemical constituents. Leaves were collected and the crude extracts were prepared using hexane (PCH) and methanol (PCM). Tested PCH and PCM possess larvicidal activity against A. pharoensis with LC50 and LC90 values of 179.9, 41.2 and 314.1, 68.9 ppm, respectively. A significant reduction in the number of eggs laid by females A. pharoensis that developed from larvae treated with PCH and PCM was noticed. Also, PCH treatment showed highest repellent activity compared with PCM. GC/MS analysis of the PCH revealed the presence of 55 identified compounds subdivided into 2 major classes viz. phenyl alkanes (38.65 %) and oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (36.41 %). LC/MS of PCM had led to the identification of 37 compounds, mainly flavonoids, chalcones, phenolic acids and tannins. The results demonstrate the insecticidal potential of leaves methanol and hexane extracts from P. communis as green insecticidal agents for the control of malarial vector, A. pharoensis.

PHYTOCHEMICALS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CLERODENDRUM PANICULATUM (L.) LEAF AND FLOWER EXTRACTS

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the phytochemicals present in the flower and leaf extracts of Clerodendrum paniculatum L., collected from Nelji village of Kodagu district . Methods: The healthy leaves and flowers of C. paniculatum were collected and the plant extracts were prepared using ethanol, hexane and distilled water separately. Phytochemical analysis was conducted using standard procedurs for the flower and leaf extracts of C. paniculatum. The antioxidant activity in leaf and flower extracts was determined by three assays, estimation of total phenolic content, reducing power assay and radical scavenging activity (DPPH) using standard procedures. Results: Phytochemical screening conducted for the flower and leaf extracts of C. paniculatum showed the presence of three phytochemicals, namely saponins, alkaloids and terpenoids. Terpenoids were commonly present in all the extracts of flower and leaf that is in both polar (aqueous and ethanol) solvent and in non-polar (hexane) solvents. The extracts tested for the antioxidant activity showed the presence of total phenolics in ethanol, aqueous and hexane extracts. The aqueous extract showed high redox potential followed by ethanol and hexane extracts. The aqueous leaf extract showed high radical scavenging activity when compared to the flower extracts of C. paniculatum. Conclusion: The present study showes C. paniculatum to be an important medicinal plant, since the flower and leaves showed good antioxidant activity. Thus it may used in the treatment of diseases and may also used in the preparation of natural or herbal drugs due to the presence of antioxidants.

In Vitro Studies on Alpha-amylase Inhibitory Activities of Zanthoxylum armatum of Mid-Western Regions of Nepal

The alpha-amylase inhibitors are used as a drug to control hyperglycemia in type II diabetes mellitus. The plant extract is a natural source to minimize toxicity and other side effects. The alpha-amylase inhibition assay shows that the methanol extracts of fruits, seeds, leaves, and barks of Z. armatum exhibit 50% alpha-amylase inhibition activity at concentration 47.73 μg/mL, 50.25 μg/mL, 67.25 μg/mL, 152.6 μg/mL respectively, and hexane extracts of fruits, seeds, leaves and barks of Z. armatum exhibits 50% alpha-amylase inhibition activity at concentration 86.24 μg/mL, 84.02 μg/mL, 98.8 μg/mL, 138.81 μg/mL respectively, whereas the 50% alpha-amylase inhibition activity of Acarbose (standard) was found to be 33.66 μg/mL. Therefore, methanol and hexane extracts of fruits, seeds, and leaves show potential alpha-amylase inhibition activity and can be used as anti-diabetes.

The Antidiabetic and Anti-microbial Activity Analyses in The Extract of Methanol, Ethyl Acetate, and Hexane from Flesh of Matoa (Pometia pinnata J. R. Forst. & G. Forst)

The current research was designed to examine the antidiabetic and anti-microbial activities in the extracts of methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane from Flesh of Matoa (Pometia pinnata J. R. Forst. & G. Forst) to find out the best solvent to produce antidiabetic and anti-microbial active compounds. In the phytochemical screening, hexane extracted alkaloids and terpenoids, while ethyl acetate extracted saponin and methanol extracted tannin, phenol and terpenoids. In the antidiabetic activity by a-glucosidase inhibition methods, ethyl acetate showed the highest percentage of inhibition and the smallest value of IC50, followed by hexane and methanol compared to the Quercetin as the control group. The maximum percentage inhibition was 36.74 ± 0.07 for 100 µg/mL of concentration. The minimum value of IC50 was observed at 159.74 ± 0.65 µg/ml compared to the control group 6.04 ± 0.14 µg/ml. The smaller the IC50 value, the stronger the antidiabetic activity. Anti-microbial inhibition activities assessed using anti-microbial diffusion test method. The hexane and ethyl acetate extracts provide an inhibition of fungi and bacteria compared to Ketoconazole and Amoxicillin as the standard. The maximum fungi inhibition zone was observed at 4 mm for A. flavus and 9 mm for A. niger by Hexane extracts compared to the standard 14 and 24 mm. The maximum bacteria inhibition zone was observed at 7 mm for B. cereus by both of hexane and ethyl acetate extracts compared to the standard 5 mm. Compared to the anti-microbe inhibitory power categories, hexane and ethyl acetate was on the range of weak and moderate. The methanol extract could not inhibit all types of microbe. This study concluded that various extract of flesh of Matoa showed antidiabetic and anti-microbial activities at different value with varying potencies. The ethyl acetate extract was found to be more potent among all, followed by hexane and methanol. HIGHLIGHTS Phytochemical screening of Flesh of Matoa (Pometia pinnata R. Forst. & G. Forst) produced alkaloids, terpenoids, saponin, tannin, phenol and terpenoids In the antidiabetic activity by a-glucosidase inhibition methods, ethyl acetate showed the highest percentage of inhibition and the smallest value of IC50, followed by hexane and methanol The hexane and ethyl acetate extracts provide an inhibition of fungi and bacteria compared to Ketoconazole and Amoxicillin as the standard GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Study of the Antioxidant Activity of Cactus (Opuntia dellienii) Fruits (Pulp and Peels) and Characterisation of their Bioactive Compounds by GC-MS

The present study aims to identify and characterize the chemical compounds present in the extracts of cactus pear Opuntia dillenii (OD) fruit which grow in southern Iraq and offer different health benefits. The physicochemical properties of the fruit juices (pulp and peels) were investigated. Fruit pulp and peel extracts carried the symbols: hexane pulp extract (HPuE), hexane peel extract (HPeE), ethanolic pulp extract (EPuE), and ethanolic peels extract (EPeE). The activel compound screened by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). HPuE and HPeE contained 40 bioactive compounds and 60 bioactive compounds were detected in EPuE and EPeE. The scavenging activity of DPPH free radicals records a high level of inhibition ranging from 34.8 to 90.3% for EPeE and from 32.9 to 89.9% for EPuE, while hexane extracts scavenging activities (HPeE and HPuE) were 24.9-78.9% and 20.7-73.3% respectively at concentrations of 20 – 80 µg.ml-1 this activity has received considerable attention because of their physiological functions

Antibacterial activity of Escherichia coli from squid ink (Loligo sp.) n-Hexane extracts

Squid is one of the export commodities in Indonesia. In general, the use of squid meat, while the ink is only as waste. In fact, Squid ink contain bioactive compound that potential as anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, anti-diabetic,anti-microbial and anti-malaria agents. The purpose of the study is to determine the types of secondary metabolite compounds contained in n-hexane extract of Loligo sp. ink using maceration method to determine its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. The results of secondary metabolite compounds obtained from the n-hexane extract of Loligo sp. ink are alkaloid, saponins, glycosides and phenol. The results of antibacterial test against E. coli using the disc method obtained the average of inhibition zone diameter at the concentration of 4% is 6.3 mm (intermediate), concentration of 8% is 7.83 mm (intermediate), concentration of 16% is 14.5 mm (susceptible) and concentration of 32% is 10.83 mm (intermediate). The antibacterial activity in n-hexane extract of Loligo sp. ink is optimal at the concentration of 16% against E. coli bacteria.