Recent Advances on Pharmacology and Chemistry of Pycnanthus angolensis over the last decade (2012-2021)

<i>Pycnanthus angolensis</i>, widely known under its trade name "ilomba", is a medicinal plant from the family Myristicaceae that has occupied a prominent place in African traditional medicine for several decades; its broad application to treat numerous diseases, including malaria, bacterial infections and most recently COVID-19. The various chemical studies undertaken on the plant identified many classes of specialized compounds, including quinone-terpenoids, lignans and isoflavonoids, as the most abundant and bioactive components. The plant is defined as a major asset in developing new potent drugs and deserves further investigation in this regard. This mini-review aims to compile the newly documented findings on the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of<i> P. angolensis</i> over the last decade from 2012 to 2021. In this regard, a literature search using the keyword <i>Pycnanthus</i> has been done without language restriction in numerous online libraries, including Scifinder, PubMed, Google Scholar, and only papers on <i>Pycnanthus angolensis</i> published after 2011 have been exploited during the writing.

Growth of Interconnected ZnO Nanostructures-Its Photocatalytic and Electrochemical Properties

We report the synthesis of interconnected ZnO nano structures through the addition of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) in a growth medium consisting of ZnCl2 and NaOH at a temperature of 70 0C with a reaction time of 24 hrs. The formation of interconnected ZnO is evaluated in accordance with the reaction time and reaction temperature used for the synthesis, and samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra- red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) analysis, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Photoluminescence (PL) and Electrochemical methods. BET studies show the mesoporous nature of ZnO grown with the addition of PVP in the growth medium. Interconnected ZnO nanostructures exhibit efficient visible light driven photo catalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) attributed to interconnected morphology of ZnO. Electro chemical studies have shown that the interconnected ZnO nanostructures give higher order specific capacitance.

Physical-Chemical Studies of the Process of Condensation of a Clinker-Free Binder

The possibility of using a clinker-free binder as an alternative to expensive and energy-intensive Portland cement is being considered. The pozzolanizing effect of volcanic rocks is presented, where along with the binding of calcium hydroxide by silica to hydrosilicates, the binding of calcium hydroxide by “free” alumina to hydroaluminates also takes place. In the process of hardening of the clinker-free binder, the phase mineralogical composition of the formed new formations differs from the new formations that are synthesized during hardening of traditional Portland cement, which explains the difference in their properties. The new formations that are formed during the hardening process of clinker-free cements are mainly low-basic hydrosilicates, and alkaline aluminosilicates give the cast-in-place stone water resistance, frost resistance, waterproofing, etc., in a word, durability. Physical and chemical studies of the hardening process of clinker-free lime-igneous cements have been carried out, which indicates the possibility of replacing the energy-intensive Portland cement with cheaper clinker-free cement.

Induction of Isochromanones by Co-Cultivation of the Marine Fungus Cosmospora sp. and the Phytopathogen Magnaporthe oryzae

Microbial co-cultivation is a promising approach for the activation of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that remain transcriptionally silent under artificial culture conditions. As part of our project aiming at the discovery of marine-derived fungal agrochemicals, we previously used four phytopathogens as model competitors in the co-cultivation of 21 marine fungal strains. Based on comparative untargeted metabolomics analyses and anti-phytopathogenic activities of the co-cultures, we selected the co-culture of marine Cosmospora sp. with the phytopathogen Magnaporthe oryzae for in-depth chemical studies. UPLC-MS/MS-based molecular networking (MN) of the co-culture extract revealed an enhanced diversity of compounds in several molecular families, including isochromanones, specifically induced in the co-culture. Large scale co-cultivation of Cosmospora sp. and M. oryzae resulted in the isolation of five isochromanones from the whole co-culture extract, namely the known soudanones A, E, D (1-3) and their two new derivatives, soudanones H-I (4-5), the known isochromans, pseudoanguillosporins A and B (6, 7), naphtho-γ-pyrones, cephalochromin and ustilaginoidin G (8, 9), and ergosterol (10). Their structures were established by NMR, HR-ESIMS, FT-IR, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy, polarimetry ([α]D), and Mosher’s ester reaction. Bioactivity assays revealed antimicrobial activity of compounds 2 and 3 against the phytopathogens M. oryzae and Phytophthora infestans, while pseudoanguillosporin A (6) showed the broadest and strongest anti-phytopathogenic activity against Pseudomonas syringae, Xanthomonas campestris, M. oryzae and P. infestans. This is the first study assessing the anti-phytopathogenic activities of soudanones.

Synthesis and characterization of a new magnetic composite MnFe2O4/clay based on a natural clay obtained from Turkestan deposit

The work is devoted to the development of a new method for the synthesis of magnetic composites based on manganese ferrite on a natural clay, coupling with their physico-chemical characterization. In the study, a natural clay of Kazakhstan obtained from the Turkestan deposit was used for the preparation of magnetic composites. The formation of materials with magnetic properties is an urgent task of our time, due to the needs of various applications of magnetically controlled materials for biomedical systems, electronic devices, catalytic and adsorption processes. The advantage of such materials is the ability to control them using a magnetic field for shaking, recovery, induction heating, among others. In this work, samples were prepared by co-precipitation of manganese and iron salts with 5 mol L-1 NaOH over the Turkestan clay (TC). Materials were characterized by various analyses, such as Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometric analysis (XRD), and elemental analysis. According to the results of physical and chemical studies of the XRD and thermal analysis, kaolinite is the main mineral in the composition of TC. Magnetic adsorbents MnFe2O4/clay with perfect magnetic separation characteristics were successfully obtained by chemical co-precipitation

Ethnobotanical and Chemical Studies on Gezo Molasses from Quercus brantii Lindl. Acorns in Turkey

Oak molasses, called “Gezo,” have been produced by the local people of Southeastern Anatolia. In this study, the ethnobotanical characteristics, production stages, health effects, and chemical composition of Gezo were determined. Traditional Gezo molasses is produced from the acorn of Quercus brantii Lindl. The survey was carried out in seven provinces with large populations. Molasses samples were collected from local producers in the region alongside the local names, usage, sorting, and grading methods used by the local people. The total contents of phenolics and flavanoids were found to vary between the range of 1.60–2.56 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 0.62–0.72 mg rutin (RE) per g of Gezo molasses, respectively. Gezo displayed scavenging activity against DPPH radicals ranging from 7.57 to 9.44 µM Trolox/g. The CUPRAC assay results showed that molasses also possessed reducing power activity with a value of 8.57–10.20 µM Trolox/g. Gezo is typically consumed by local people as a breakfast food. However, it is also used for medical purposes to treat bronchitis, cough, asthma, and diabetes. The region’s oak species are used by locals for fuel, feed, handicrafts, and games.

Chemical Diversity and Antimicrobial Potential of Cultivable Fungi from Deep-Sea Sediments of the Gulf of Mexico

A collection of 29 cultivable fungal strains isolated from deep-sea sediments of the Gulf of Mexico were cultivated under the “one strain, many compounds” approach to explore their chemical diversity and antimicrobial potential. From the 87 extracts tested, over 50% showed antimicrobial activity, and the most active ones were those from cultures grown at 4 °C in darkness for 60 days (resembling deep-sea temperature). PCA analysis of the LC-MS data of all the extracts confirmed that culture temperature is the primary factor in the variation of the 4462 metabolite features, accounting for 21.3% of the variation. The bioactivity-guided and conventional chemical studies of selected fungal strains allowed the identification of several active and specialized metabolites. Finally, metabolomics analysis by GNPS molecular networking and manual dereplication revealed the biosynthetic potential of these species to produce interesting chemistry. This work uncovers the chemical and biological study of marine-derived fungal strains from deep-sea sediments of the Gulf of Mexico.

BIOTECHNOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PRODUCTION AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF LACTOSE-FREE YOGHURT

Lactose-free dairy products play a significant role in the diet of people with lactose intolerance, as they are a source of prombiotics and highly nutrients that are readily available, are in balanced proportions and do not contain milk sugar (lactose). In the manufacture of lactose-free dairy products in the technological scheme provides for the extraction of milk sugar (lactose), which can lead to deterioration of their sensory and physicochemical properties. The aim of this work was to study the comparative aspect of biotechnological features of yogurts made by traditional and lactose-free technologies and to evaluate their organoleptic and physicochemical properties. The object of the study were organic drinking yogurt with "blueberry" filler (with probiotic) 2.5 % and lactose-free organic yogurt (with probiotic) 2.5 %. According to the results of research, organic drinking yogurt with "blueberry" filler (with probiotic) 2.5 % in taste was sour milk, without foreign tastes and odors moderately sweet, with a pronounced taste of "blueberry" filler, consistency - homogeneous, tender, dense, without gas formation, with particles of fresh blueberries, which are distributed throughout the mass of yogurt, color - with a shade that is characteristic of blueberries. Organic lactose-free yogurt (with probiotic) 2.5 % had a sour taste, sour milk, without foreign tastes and odors, color - white. According to the results of physico-chemical studies of experimental samples of organic drinking yogurt with "blueberry" filler and lactose-free organic yogurt, the titratable acidity was 80 and 85 oT, active acidity 4.7 and 4.5, respectively. The mass fraction of carbohydrates in drinking yogurt with "blueberry" filler was 9.8 g / 100 g at 4.4 g / 100 g in lactose-free yogurt, including sugar 5.8 and 0 g / 100 g, respectively. Energy value and caloric content was higher in the sample of yogurt with "blueberry" filling. The conditional viscosity of the test samples was 1 min 30 sec. and 59 sec. in accordance. The degree of syneresis in the experimental samples of organic drinking yogurt with the filler "blueberry" and lactose-free organic yogurt was 55 and 45 % moisture content - 44.07 and 39.49 %, respectively.