Cytotoxic and Antimigration Activity of Etlingera alba (A.D.) Poulsen Rhizome

Etlingera alba is one of the Etlingera plants that might have anticancer activity. This study aims to investigate the cytotoxic and antimetastatic activity of E. alba rhizome fractions and migration cell assay against MDA-MB-231 cell lines, which are used for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment assay. The cytotoxic activity was assayed using CCK-8 assay, while the antimetastatic was assayed using migration cell assay for the fractions A–F. They were followed by LCMS/MS profiling to determine the chemical contents in the most active fraction. According to results obtained, fraction B was the most active fraction for cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value of 65.43 μg/mL, while fraction E was the most active fraction for antimetastasis activity against migration rate doses of 50, 100, and 200 ppm which were 6.80, 3.66, and 3.00%, respectively. Several compounds in fraction B, such as rengyolone, licochalcone A, sugiol, and spinasterol, might have been known to have activity against cancer cells, as well as aschantin and lirioresinol B dimethyl ether from fraction E. In conclusion, the chemical components from E. alba rhizome fractions provided potency for discovering new agents for cancer treatment, specifically for TNBC.

Enhancing Cucurbita pepo Growth, Productivity, and Fruit Quality using Bacilli Strains and Cyanobacteria Treatments

Two successful field experiments were carried out during 2020and 2021 growing seasons to evaluate the effect of bio fertilizers; Bacillus amyloliquifaciens (BA), Bacillus megaterium (BM) and cyanobacteria inoculation on the vegetative growth, growth parameters and plant chemical content of Cucurbita pepo (Squash) crop. The study of mixed inoculation with both Bacillus strains, and cyanobacteria was found to improve vegetative growth, plant chemical contents and positive microbial activity in the soil Rhizosphere in comparison to un-inoculated plants. Soil available nutrients (N and K) increased significantly with BA and BM combined with cyanobacteria while available phosphorus gave most increase with BM.

Differences in wood properties among Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla with different degrees of ploidy

We compared the anatomy, density, chemical contents, and bioenergy values of Eucalyptus grandis and hybrids of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla wood originating from diploids, triploids and tetraploids. We hypothesize that Eucalyptus grandis and hybrids of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla with different degrees of ploidy have variations as a result of different sets of chromosomes producing different phenotypic expressions and chemical constituents, such as variation in cell size and frequency, which would directly influence wood quality. Twenty-year-old trees were cut, eight for each ploidy: diploids and tetraploids are E. grandis; triploids are E. grandis x E. urophylla. We use standardized techniques. Our hypothesis was confirmed. Triploid and tetraploid trees presented wider trunks, taller trees with longer stems and wider crowns compared to diploid trees. Wood density showed significant radial variation only in diploids, while triploid and tetraploid trees were more homogeneous. In polyploid trees, the anatomical features did not clearly present a radial pattern. Triploid and tetraploid trees presented higher density wood than diploid trees. The chemical constituents varied from pith to bark in the three ploidies, but no differences between ploidies were found. For energy generation purposes, diploid and triploid trees are more desirable than tetraploid trees.

Review of Nephelium Lappaceum and Nephelium Ramboutan-Ake: A High Potential Supplement

Nephelium lappaceum (N. lappaceum) and Nephelium ramboutan-ake (N. ramboutan-ake) are tropical fruits that gain popularity worldwide due to their tastiness. Currently, their potential to be used as pharmaceutical agents is underestimated. Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and aging have high incidence rates in the modern world. Furthermore, pharmaceutical agents targeting pathogenic microorganisms have been hampered by the growing of antimicrobial resistance threats. The idea of food therapy leads to extensive nutraceuticals research on the potential of exotic fruits such as N. lappaceum and N. ramboutan-ake to act as supplements. Phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds that present in the fruit act as potent antioxidants that contribute to the protective effects against diseases induced by oxidative stress. Fruit residuals such as the peel and seeds hold greater nutraceutical potential than the edible part. This review highlights the antioxidant and biological activities (anti-neoplastic, anti-microbial, hypoglycemic actions and anti-aging), and chemical contents of different parts of N. lappaceum and N. ramboutan-ake. These fruits contain a diverse and important chemical profile that can alleviate or cure diseases.

Preparation of IC21 Spherical Powders by PREP Process

The IC21 spherical powders with main content of Ni3Al were successfully manufactured by the high speed plasma rotating electrode process (HS-PREP). The powders particle size distribution fitted the mixed spraying model well. The chemical contents changes after melting were detected. The microstructure of the IC21 powders was formed by cellular crystal on the surface and dendrite inside, which was a typical PREP powder. The morphologies and properties of the irregular powders were also analyzed which indicated that the composition segregation and oxides inclusion of the electrode were the main reason for the formation. However, its proportion was less than 0.5%, which would not affect the additive manufacturing. The fundamental powder particle size distribution data for different rotating speeds was measured. The morphology and properties result show that the PREP could support qualified IC21 spherical powders with significant powder yields.

Pomegranate, fruit of the desert, a functional food, and a healthy diet

Traditional medicinal plants contain various ranges of chemical contents and they have become popular because of effectiveness, frequently inadequate provision of modern medicine, preferences and cultural beliefs. Pomegranate belongs to the family of Punicaceae, and its various pharmacological activities are due to presence of wide range of bioactive compounds. The current searching was done by the keywords in main indexing systems including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Institute for Scientific Web of Science as well as the search engine of Google Scholar. The keywords were traditional medicine, health benefits, pharmaceutical science, pomegranate, punicalin, punicalagin, and ellagitannins. Major polyphenols in peel and juice of pomegranate are flavonoids such as flavonols (catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin), condensed tannins, phenolic acids such as gallic, ellagic and caffeic, hyrolysable tannins such as ellagitannins and gallotannins. The main organic acids in pomegranate juice are malic and citric, and in seed is fatty acids (punicic). The major alkaloids and lignans in peel are punigratane and isolariciresinol, respectively. Pomegranate fruit has been proven to act against various diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, male infertility, inflammation, coronary heart disease, and aging. The review summarizes the beneficial impacts of pomegranate which is recommended for consumption. Pomegranate is a high potential natural functional food due to its high pharmacological activities as an ancient efficacious natural drug.

Chemoinformatic Characterization of Synthetic Screening Libraries Focused on Epigenetic Targets

The importance of epigenetic drug and probe discovery is on the rise. This is not only paramount to identify and develop therapeutic treatments associated with epigenetic processes but also to understand the underlying epigenetic mechanisms involved in biological processes. To this end, chemical vendors have been developing synthetic compound libraries focused on epigenetic targets to increase the probabilities of identifying promising starting points for drug or probe candidates. However, the chemical contents of these data sets, the distribution of their physicochemical properties, and diversity remain unknown. To fill this gap and make this information available to the scientific community, we report a comprehensive analysis of eleven libraries focused on epigenetic targets containing more than 50,000 compounds. We used well-validated chemoinformatics approaches to characterize these sets, including novel methods such as automated detection of analog series and visual representations of the chemical space based on Constellation Plots and Extended Chemical Space Networks. This work will guide the efforts of experimental groups working on high-throughput and medium-throughput screening of epigenetic-focused libraries. The outcome of this work can also be used as a reference to design and describe novel focused epigenetic libraries.

Physiological and transcriptomic analyses to reveal underlying phenolic acid action in consecutive monoculture problem of Polygonatum odoratum

Background The root rot of fragrant solomonseal (Polygonatum odoratum) has occurred frequently in the traditional P. odoratum cultivating areas in recent years, causing a heavy loss in yield and quality. The phenolic acids in soil, which are the exudates from the P. odoratum root, act as allelochemicals that contribute to the consecutive monoculture problem (CMP) of the medicinal plant. The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of P. odoratum CMP. Results The phenolic acid contents, the nutrient chemical contents, and the enzyme activities related to the soil nutrient metabolism in the first cropping (FC) soil and continuous cropping (CC) soil were determined, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the regulation of the phenolic acids in roots were analyzed. The results showed that five low-molecule-weight phenolic acids were detected both in the CC soil and FC soil, but the phenolic acid contents in the CC soil were significantly higher than those in the FC soil except vanillic acid. The contents of the available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the CC soil were significantly decreased, and the activities of urease and sucrase in the CC soil were significantly decreased. The genomic analysis showed that the phenolic acid anabolism in P. odoratum in the CC soil was promoted. These results indicated that the phenolic acids were accumulated in the CC soil, the nutrient condition in the CC soil deteriorated, and the nitrogen metabolism and sugar catabolism of the CC soil were lowered. Meantime, the anabolism of phenolic acids was increased in the CC plant. Conclusions The CC system promoted the phenolic acid anabolism in P. odoratum and made phenolic acids accumulate in the soil.