Aprovechamiento de flora apícola en dos colmenares localizados en los cantones La Concordia y Mocache, Ecuador

Introducción. Antes de planificar actividades de manejo que permitan incrementar la producción apícola, es necesario datos de los elementos florísticos que integran los sistemas de uso de la tierra adyacentes a los colmenares, en esta ocasión para dos unidades productivas de las zonas 4 y 5 de Ecuador. Objetivos. Reconocer especies vegetales con potencial apícola, y estimar su abundancia más la durabilidad de la floración. Metodología. Con el empleo de los métodos: documental, y de campo, para el reconocimiento taxonómico de plantas melíferas, su cantidad, más el monitoreo del florecimiento de cada especie apícola. El análisis estadístico con la aplicación de la prueba de Mann Whitney a las variables abundancia y durabilidad de la floración. Resultados. Las principales familias botánicas con especies nectaríferas y poliníferas en los sitios de estudio son; Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Asteraceae y Capparaceae. Para el Colmenar C1 son 14 especies, pertenecientes a 12 familias, por su parte para el colmenar C2 con 22 especies, pertenecientes a 14 familias botánicas. La oferta del recurso floral tiene un comportamiento similar de abundancia de plantas entre los colmenares C1 y C2 a pesar de poseer mayor cantidad de especies con potencial apícola el colmenar C2, lo cual obedece al manejo que se aplica a las áreas que integran los diferentes sistemas de uso del suelo de cada predio. Conclusión. Finalmente, la duración de las flores de las especies que ofertan alimento a las abejas de los colmenares C1 y C2 oscila de 1 a 12 meses durante el año 2020 con predominancia para el colmenar C1 de Cordia alliodora, Erythrina edulis, Senna alata, Inga edulis, Persea americana, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Piper aduncum, y Cestrum racemosum que florecen entre 10 a 12 meses. En cambio, en el colmenar C2; Tridax procumbens, Pelargonium sp, y Hydrangea sp florecen durante todo el año.

In–Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Efficacy of Greenly Fabricated Senna alata Leaf Extract Silver Nanoparticles and Silver Nanoparticle-Cream Blend

Nanoparticles biosynthesis has been extensively studied for its biomedical applications. In this study, the in-vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity of greenly fabricated silver nanoparticles (NPs) from Senna alata leaf extract (SaAgNPs) and silver nanoparticle cream blend (SaAgNPs-cream blend) were investigated. The SaAgNPs were characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometry, FTIR, SEM, TGA, DLS, EDX, and XRD. The presence of surface plasmon band around 500 nm indicates AgNPs formation and functional groups such as alkenes, carboxylic acids, and alkyl aryl ether responsible for capping and stabilization of the nanoparticles. The SaAgNPs were spherical and 1.00 µm in size; TGA shows the formation of stable SaAgNPs, DLS shows 1.8 % intensity with 1905 nm average diameter and a polydispersity index of 0.595. EDX analysis confirmed the formation of pure silver nanoparticles. SaAgNPs supported the production of cosmetically acceptable SaAgNPs-cream blend with appropriate pH and viscosity. SaAgNPs and the SaAgNPs cream-blends had antibacterial activity against all and some of the test bacterial and fungal isolates. SaAgNPs had the highest activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa 27853, Rhizopus sp. and Candida tropicalis with a zone of 16 mm and 30 mm. The cream-blends had activity against 68.75 % and 75 % of the test bacteria and fungi with the highest activity against Streptococcus epidermidis B (7.0 mm) and Candida albicans B (8.0 mm). In conclusion, the crude Senna alata leaf extracts, the bio-fabrication SaAgNPs and SaAgNPs-cream blend have antibacterial antifungal potentials which can be effectively utilized for the control of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Bioassay-Guided Identification of Bioactive Compounds from Senna alata L. against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Senna alata (Linn) Roxb. plant is widely used to manage various infections in folkloric medicine. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection continues to be a major global public health problem. This study aims to investigate the bioactive components of S. alata leaves active against MRSA. The leaves of S. alata were sequentially extracted and fractionated using standard methods and screened for activities against MRSA. The diethyl ether active thin layer chromatography (TLC) spot was subjected to infrared (IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic (GC-MS) studies. The aqueous extract and diethyl ether fraction of S. alata leaves elicited the highest activity against the MRSA. The GC-MS analysis of the fraction produced 15 eluates; only the sub-fraction 13 was effective. The TLC analysis of the sub-fraction 13 revealed three spots; only the second spot produced activity. The GC-MS result of the spot showed six peaks. The spectral results for peak 3 match the data from the IR study, suggestive of 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester. Senna alata leaves possess bioactive compounds closely related to 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester with potent antibacterial activity against MRSA.

Phytochemical, Proximate and Mineral Analysis of Different Parts of Senna Alata Linn

This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical and proximate composition of the flowers, leaves, stem and root of Senna alata. The phytochemical analysis result revealed that saponin was highest in the leaf (4.13±0.035), flavonoid was higher in the stem (6.63±0.064) while anthraquinone was highest in the root (4.52±0.438). The result of the proximate analysis showed that carbohydrate was higher in the leaf (33.81±0.827), root (50.52±1.945) and flower (55.67±0.021). The result of the mineral composition showed that the leaf, root, flower and stem extract of S. alata were higher in potassium (779.01±0.276, 556.39±0.198, 1121.85±0.141, and 246.29±0.042). The results obtained from this research revealed that the leaves, roots, flowers and stem of Senna alata Linn were rich in crude fibre, crude protein, carbohydrate, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium. That is, well-processed parts of Senna alata may improve the health status of livestock.

Bioassay-guided Identification of Bioactive Compounds from Senna alata L. against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Senna alata (Linn) Roxb. plant is widely used to manage various infections in folkloric medicine. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection continues to be a major global public health problem. This study aims to investigate the bioactive components of S. alata leaves active against MRSA. The leaves of S. alata were sequentially extracted and fractionated using standard methods and screened for activities against MRSA. The diethyl ether active thin layer chromatography (TLC) spot was subjected to infrared (IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic (GC-MS) studies. The aqueous extract and diethyl ether fraction of S. alata leaves elicited the highest activity against the MRSA. The GC-MS analysis of the fraction produced 15 eluates; only the sub-fraction 13 was effective. The TLC analysis of the sub-fraction 13 revealed three spots; only the second spot produced activity. The GC-MS result of the spot showed six peaks. The spectral results for peak 3 match the data from the IR study suggestive of 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester. Senna alata leaves possess bioactive compounds closely related to 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester with potent antibacterial activity against MRSA.

Synergistic activities of methanol leave extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana, Senna alata, Psidium guajava against selected resistant bacteria isolates

Resistant strains of bacteria has over the years rendered conventional antibiotics ineffective. Consequently, this has resulted to severe infection, prolonged treatment, high cost of treatment and often times death. This study aimed to identify reliable alternative sources of bioactive agents with activity against resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. Methanol extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana (MEAW), Senna alata (MESA) and Psidium guajava (MEPG) were tested alone and in combination against three clinical isolates. Ciprofloxacin was used as the positive control drug. A combination of Microscopic, macroscopic and molecular protocols was used to identify the test isolates. The antibiotic profiles of the isolates E. coli (E1), S. aureus (S4) and S. typhi (St2) indicated MultiDrug-Resisitant status (MDR). All the extracts demonstrated antibacterial activity against the resistant isolates with zones of inhibition that ranged between 3.1 – 25 mm and minimum inhibitory concentration of 12.5 – 200 mg/ml. Amongst the extracts tested, MESA was found to be the most active extract while MEPG was the least active extract. The combination of the different methanol extracts demonstrated synergistic effects against the test organisms with a fractional inhibitory concentration that ranged between 0.06 – 0.8 mg/ml. The observed antibacterial activity may be linked to the presence of some bioactive components such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids present in the extracts. The results of this study suggest A. wilkesiana, S. alata and P. guajava may represent reliable sources of important bioactive compounds for new drug development.

Therapeutic plants used for Typhoid Fever treatment in Kaduna State Nigeria

For ages, medicinal plants play a significant role in the effective, affordable, and safe healthcare system. Medicinal plants continue to play an important role in Nigeria's healthcare system, which serves more than 70% of the country's population. For pharmaceutical exploration and conservation, it is important to document the use of medicinal plants in a specific region across time. The study's goal was to find out which plants were used to treat typhoid illness in Kaduna state. The in-depth interview guide was utilized in conjunction with an expert method and non-random probability sampling. The study discovered and recorded 31 plant species from 25 families that are used by Kaduna residents to cure typhoid diseases. Plants with a 0.45 value of relative frequency citation were documented. The highest relative frequency of citation (0.9) and fidelity level (90%) are found in Garcinia mangostana, Senna alata, Moringa oleifera, and Hibiscus sabdariffa, respectively. In Nigeria, traditional medicinal knowledge is guarded by elderly people. The study discovered plant species that could be used as a potential source of anti typhoid in Nigeria.

EXTRACTION OF BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS OF KETEPENG CINA (Senna alata L.) LEAFS USING ULTRASONIC AND MACERATION METHODS ON VARIOUS SOLUTION CONCENTRATIONS

<p class="Abstrak"><span lang="EN-GB">Ketepeng cina <em>Senna alata</em> L. is one of the plant species growing in the tropical climate whose leaves have various bioactive components. It has been used as a traditional medicine to treat skin diseases. Ketepeng cina has been cultivated in several regions in Indonesia and the results are exported abroad to be used as medicinal raw materials. So far, the plant extraction process is still using the maceration method. This method is simple but has weaknesses in time consumption making it less efficient. The extraction method by ultrasonic waves promises more efficient extraction process than the maceration method. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in extraction techniques and solvent concentration on the concentration of phytochemical constituents in ketepang cina leaves. The research design used a completely randomized design with two factorial patterns. The first factor was the technique of extracting Ketepeng cina leaves (maceration, ultrasonication), and the second factor was the concentration of solvent/ethanol (40%, 70%, 96%) The observation parameters included analysis of the content of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins. The results showed that the use of the ultrasonication technique provided efficiency in extraction time compared to the maceration technique. The use of 70% ethanol resulted in higher concentrations of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds (28,17 mgGA/g) and (17,61 mgQE/g), but the highest concentration of tannins produced by 96% ethanol solvent was 6,78 mgAT/g. </span></p>