Preliminary Phytochemical Analysis of Alternanthera sessilis Leaves (Linn). R.Br. ex DC.

Alternanthera sessilis (Linn). R. Br. ex DC. is a treasure house of phytochemicals belongs to family Amaranthaceae, popularly known as stalkless joy weed, sessile joy weed, dwarf copperleaf, joy weed, Garundi, Guroo, Kanchari. The ability of its seeds to germinate in any season of the year makes it a constantly flourishing component of the vegetation. The main objective of current investigation was to study the qualitatively preliminary phytochemical analysis of such weed species. The fresh plant leaves of Alternanthera sessilis were screened to understand the phytochemical potential with the use of four extracts such as aqueous, acetone, methanol and ethanol. The outcome of the study indicates that the fresh plant contains different classes of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, carbohydrates, cardiac-glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, quinones, coumarins etc. Phytochemical are certain non-nutritive plant chemicals which have allelopathic properties. These phytochemical constituents play an important role in formulation of pharmaceutical and pharmacological drugs

In Vitro Evaluation of the Anti-Diabetic Potential of Aqueous Acetone Helichrysumpetiolare Extract (AAHPE) with Molecular Docking Relevance in Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic condition that can lead to significant complications and a high fatality rate worldwide. Efforts are ramping up to find and develop novel α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitors that are both effective and potentially safe. Traditional methodologies are being replaced with new techniques that are less complicated and less time demanding; yet, both the experimental and computational strategies are viable and complementary in drug discovery and development. As a result, this study was conducted to investigate the in vitro anti-diabetic potential of aqueous acetone Helichrysum petiolare and B.L Burtt extract (AAHPE) using a 2-NBDG, 2-(N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) amino)-2-deoxy-d-glucose uptake assay. In addition, we performed molecular docking of the flavonoid constituents identified and quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) from AAHPE with the potential to serve as effective and safe α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors, which are important in drug discovery and development. The results showed that AAHPE is a potential inhibitor of both α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with IC50 values of 46.50 ± 6.17 (µg/mL) and 37.81 ± 5.15 (µg/mL), respectively. This is demonstrated by a significant increase in the glucose uptake activity percentage in a concentration-dependent manner compared to the control, with the highest AAHPE concentration of 75 µg/mL of glucose uptake activity being higher than metformin, a standard anti-diabetic drug, in the insulin-resistant HepG2 cell line. The molecular docking results displayed that the constituents strongly bind α-amylase and α-glucosidase while achieving better binding affinities that ranged from ΔG = −7.2 to −9.6 kcal/mol (compared with acarbose ΔG = −6.1 kcal/mol) for α-amylase, and ΔG = −7.3 to −9.0 kcal/mol (compared with acarbose ΔG = −6.3 kcal/mol) for α-glucosidase. This study revealed the potential use of the H. petiolare plant extract and its phytochemicals, which could be explored to develop potent and safe α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors to treat postprandial glycemic levels in diabetic patients.

GC-MS Analysis of Biological Nitrate and Nitrite Using Pentafluorobenzyl Bromide in Aqueous Acetone: A Dual Role of Carbonate/Bicarbonate as an Enhancer and Inhibitor of Derivatization

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbonates, which are widely distributed in nature, are constituents of inorganic and organic matter and are essential in vegetable and animal organisms. CO2 is the principal greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. In human blood, CO2/HCO3− is an important buffering system. Inorganic nitrate (ONO2−) and nitrite (ONO−) are major metabolites and abundant reservoirs of nitric oxide (NO), an endogenous multifunctional signaling molecule. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is involved in the reabsorption of nitrite and nitrate from the primary urine. The measurement of nitrate and nitrite in biological samples is of particular importance. The derivatization of nitrate and nitrite in biological samples alongside their 15N-labeled analogs, which serve as internal standards, is a prerequisite for their analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A suitable derivatization reagent is pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFB-Br). Nitrate and nitrite are converted in aqueous acetone to PFB-ONO2 and PFB-NO2, respectively. PFB-Br is also useful for the GC-MS analysis of carbonate/bicarbonate. This is of particular importance in conditions of pharmacological CA inhibition, for instance by acetazolamide, which is accompanied by elevated concomitant excretion of nitrate, nitrite and bicarbonate, as well as by urine alkalization. We performed a series of experiments with exogenous bicarbonate (NaHCO3) added to human urine samples (range, 0 to 100 mM), as well as with endogenous bicarbonate resulting from the inhibition of CA activity in healthy subjects before and after ingestion of pharmacological acetazolamide. Our results indicate that bicarbonate enhances the derivatization of nitrate with PFB-Br. In contrast, bicarbonate decreases the derivatization of nitrite with PFB-Br. Bicarbonate is not a catalyst, but it enhances PFB-ONO2 formation and inhibits PFB-NO2 formation in a concentration-dependent manner. The effects of bicarbonate are likely to result from its reaction with PFB-Br to generate PFB-OCOOH. Nitrate reacts with concomitantly produced PFB-OCOOH to form PFB-ONO2 in addition to the direct reaction of nitrate with PFB-Br. By contrast, nitrite does not react with PFB-OCOOH to form PFB-NO2. Sample acidification by small volumes of 20 wt.% aqueous acetic acid abolishes the effects of exogenous and endogenous bicarbonate on nitrite measurement.

Phytochemical Evaluation of Some Medicinal Plants of Puthan District of Nepal

Different parts of eleven medicinal plants used in the traditional medicine in Puthan district were collected. Three different extracts, methanol, 50% aqueous methanoland 70% aqueous acetone extractswere prepared for each plant material. The methanol extractswere screened for the presence of different classes of phytochemicals. Total phenolic andflavonoid content, as well as DPPH freeradical scavenging activity, were evaluated. All the investigated extracts contain a high amount of phenolics and flavonoids.The highest amount of phenolicsand flavonoids were detected in the methanolextract of bark of Bauhinia variegate(355.35+3.69 mg GAE/g and 209.23 ±1.25 mg QE/g extract). Among the eight tested extracts, the highest radical scavenging activity was shown by methanol extract of bark of B. variegate (IC50 3.68 μg/ml). The extract having the highest phenolic and flavonoid content showed the lowest IC50 demonstrating the positive correlation between radical scavenging activity and total phenolic and flavonoid content.

Carotenoid, Carotene and Anthocyanin Levels of Naturally Grown old Garden Roses (Rosa ssp.) in Van

Secondary metabolites especially phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, and terpenoids have potential antioxidants and antimicrobial activity. Carotenoids are important antioxidants and bioactive compounds supplying to the health benefits of different foods and rosehips known for high bioactive content. Anthocyanins have physiological importance because of their abilities to protect leaves from photooxidative injuries without significantly compromising photosynthesis. Numerous studies shown that roses are rich sources of bioactive compounds. The genus Rosa contains various species that are widely grown in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and North America. In this study it was aimed that determination of carotenoid, carotene and anthocyanin amounts of naturally growing old garden roses species in Van ecological conditions. In this study eleven species of rosehips (Rosa damascena, Rosa damascena var. semperflorens, Rosa laxa ssp. harputensis, Rosa alba, Rosa multiflora, Rosa pisiformis, Rosa foetida, Rosa foetida var. bicolor, Rosa hemisphaerica, Rosa hemisphaerica var. plena hort, Rosa heckellana subsp. vanheurckiona) naturally grown in Van conditions were used as plant material. The fresh leaves (100-200 mg), immediately after harvesting, were homogenized by 80% aqueous acetone and filtered by white tape filter paper. In the extracts, carotenoid, carotene and anthocyanin levels were determined by using UV spectrophotometer in 470 nm, 537 nm, 647 nm, 663 nm wavelengths respectively. As a result, the highest and lowest carotenoid levels were found as 3.18 µg/ml and 0.59 µg/ml in R. heckellana subsp. vanheurckiona and R. damascena var. semperflorens. The highest anthocyanin level was determined in R. damascena as 0.06 µg/ml.

Eco-friendly wood-biofungicidal and antibacterial activities of various Coccoloba uvifera L. leaf extracts: HPLC analysis of phenolic and flavonoid compounds

Aqueous, acetone, and ethanol extracts of Coccoloba uvifera L. (Polygonaceae) leaves were assessed for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The fungal pathogens Fusarium culmorum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Botrytis cinerea were isolated from strawberry plants, and they were molecularly identified through internal transcribed spacers (ITS) sequence analysis. Wood treated with ethanol extract at 3% showed the highest inhibition of R. solani, B. cinerea, and F. culmorum growth, with mycelial growth inhibited by 64.4%, 100%, and 38.5%, respectively. Moderate growth inhibition was found against the plant pathogenic bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, Erwinia amylovora, Ralstonia solanacearum, Pectobacterium atrosepticum, and Dickeya solani. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified the phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the extracts. Regarding phenolic acid compounds, benzoic, ellagic, gallic, and o-coumaric acids were found as the main compounds in ethanol, acetone, and aqueous extracts. Regarding flavonoids, rutin, myricetin, and quercetin were identified in aqueous, acetone, and ethanol extracts. The results suggesting that the extracts can be used as environmentally friendly bioagents.