Effects of Different Extracting Solvents on Non-Phenolic Phytochemical Profiles of Selected Nigerian Spices and Spice-treated Foods

The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of extraction solvents on the non-phenolic phytochemical profiles of selected spices (Ocimum viride, Monodora myristica, Monodora tenuifolia and Tetrapleura tetraptera) and spice-treated foods in southern part of Nigeria. The spice samples were processed into powder for antioxidant screening. The spice extracts were obtained from the samples using 5 extracting solvents [distilled water, 95 % methanol, acetone / hexane (1:1 v/v), n-hexane / methanol / acetone (2:1:1, v/v/v) and acetone / water / acetic acid (70:29.5:0.5, v/v/v)]. Water extracts were obtained from beef, pork and fluted pumpkin leaves. The alkaloid, saponin, oxalate and phytate components of the spice extracts and the spice-treated foods were evaluated using standard methods. The laboratory analyses were performed at analytical laboratory, National Centre for Energy Research and Development, University of Nigeria, Nsukka during the 3rd quarter of 2020. The percentage yield of the extracts were low (0.32 - 0.96 %) and varied widely among extracting solvents, spices and spice-treated foods. M. myristica and T. tetrpleura had the highest yield, 0.96, in methanol extracts. Phytochemical contents differed significantly (p < 0.05) among spices, extracts of the same spice and among spice-treated foods. Spices had high contents of oxalate (2.0 – 7.0 mg/100 g), alkaloid (0.8 – 5.76 mg/100 g) and phytate (2.14 – 3.88 mg/100 g) but relatively low content of saponin (0.03 – 0.736 mg/100g). Methanol alone or in combination with other solvents extracted higher amounts of phytochemicals (0.96 %) than other solvent mixtures from the spices. Phytochemical contents of spice-treated foods were in the order: vegetable > rice > pork > beef.

Maleate salts of bedaquiline

Bedaquiline is one of two important new drugs for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). It is marketed in the US as its fumarate salt, but only a few salts of bedaquiline have been structurally described so far. We present here five crystal structures of bedaquilinium maleate {systematic name: [4-(6-bromo-2-methoxyquinolin-3-yl)-3-hydroxy-3-(naphthalen-1-yl)-4-phenylbutyl]dimethylazanium 3-carboxyprop-2-enoate}, C32H32BrN2O2 +·C4H3O4 −, namely, a hemihydrate, a tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvate, a mixed acetone/hexane solvate, an ethyl acetate solvate, and a solvate-free structure obtained from the acetone/hexane solvate by in situ single-crystal-to-single-crystal desolvation. All salts exhibit a 1:1 cation-to-anion ratio, with the anion present as monoanionic hydromaleate and a singly protonated bedaquilinium cation. The maleate exhibits the strong intramolecular hydrogen bond typical for cis-dicarboxylic acid anions. The conformations of the cations and packing interactions in the maleate salts are compared to those of free base bedaquiline and other bedaquilinium salts.

Нелинейно-регрессионный алгоритм обработки сигналов полупроводниковых химических сенсоров, обеспечивающий селективное детектирование примесей в искусственном воздухе

New method is developed for proceeding a conductance change response Δσ,μS of a temperature (T) modulated chemical sensor. The method provides reliable substance identification and measurement of its trace concentrations for such impurities in arti-ficial air as ammonia, acetone, hexane, propane, toluene, turpentine etc. Due to this method the response of the ΔσY for a substance Y in actual concentration C range is interpolated with a completely nonlinear regression via discriminant modelling func-tions Fi(z=103/T,Ai, bi,ci,..),i=1-4 or 5. For principal parameters the plots AiY(C) are built which compose the selectivity/gauge portrait of Y in the air. In case when the analogous parameters of unknown substance X fit this portrait the substance is iden-tified as Y. And the common abscissa of corresponding crossing points of AiX with the curves AiY(C) indicates the value of the X concentration in units been used for Y.

Antibacterial, Anticandidal, Phytochemical, and Biological Evaluations of Pellitory Plant

Pellitory plant (Parietaria judaica (PJ)) is one of the most widely used Arabian traditional medicinal plants due to its ability to cure several infectious diseases and other illnesses. The current study is aimed at assessing the phytoconstituents, antilipase, antiamylase, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic characters of the Pellitory plant (Parietaria judaica (PJ)). Phytochemical screening and procyanidin detection were conducted according to the standard phytochemical procedures. Porcine pancreatic lipase and α-amylase inhibitory activities were carried out using p-nitrophenyl butyrate and dinitrosalicylic acid assays, respectively. In addition, antimicrobial activity was determined utilizing a microdilution assay against several bacterial and fungal strains. Besides, the cytotoxic effect against HeLa cell line was tested employing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay. The quantitative test results revealed that the methanol fraction of PJ contains 18.55 ± 0.55 mg of procyanidin and has a potential α-amylase inhibitory activity compared with the antidiabetic drug Acarbose with IC50 values of 15.84 ± 2.25 and 28.18 ± 1.22 μg/ml, respectively. Also, it has a potential antilipase activity compared to the commercial antiobesity drug, Orlistat, with IC50 values of 38.9 ± 0.29 and 12.3 ± 0.35 μg/ml, respectively. The acetone, hexane, and methanol fractions have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against the screened bacterial strains, while the acetone fraction has shown anticandidal activity with a MIC value of 0.195 mg/ml. The PJ hexane and acetone fractions decreased HeLa cell viability significantly ( p value < 0.0001) by approximately 90% at the concentration of 0.625 mg/ml. The revealed outcomes showed that the methanol fraction has strong α-amylase and lipase inhibitory characters. Besides, acetone, hexane, and methanol fractions have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, while the acetone fraction revealed potent antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Moreover, at low concentrations, hexane and acetone fractions have potent cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity against HeLa cancer cells. Nevertheless, PJ acetone, hexane, and methanol fractions can serve as an effective source of natural products to develop new antiobesity, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticancer agents.

QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF CAROTENOIDS IN THE FRUITS OF CHINESE LYCIUM CHINENSE MILL.

The objects of the study were Mature dried fruits of Chinese birch (Lycium chinense Mill., this. Solanaceae (Solanaceae)). Four samples were examined: No. 1 (Gifts of Pamir, Russia), No. 2 (Gullin Tianhe Pharmaceutical, China), No. 3 (A. J. Alliance, Russia), No. 4 (Globaltorg, Russia). The purpose of this work is to determine the amount of carotenoids in the fruits of Chinese by spectrophotometry. The quantitative determination of the amount of carotenoids in the raw material of Chinese Dereza was carried out. Thin-layer chromatography was used to confirm the presence of carotenoids in the fruits of Dereza. The expediency of using the spectrophotometric method for the detection and quantitative determination of carotenoids in extracts from the fruits of Chinese birch is substantiated. The electron spectra of hexane, acetone and acetone-hexane solutions in the wavelength range 400–500 nm have a maximum optical density at 450±2 nm, characteristic of β-carotene. The optimal conditions of extraction of carotenoids from the raw materials of this plant (extractant – hexane; ratio "raw material–extractant" – 1 : 5; extraction time – 90 minutes; the degree of grinding of raw materials – 0.5 mm). It was determined that the error of a single determination of the content of carotenoids in the fruits of Chinese Dereza with a confidence probability of 95% is ±3,49%. It was revealed that the content of carotenoids in the raw material of Chinese Dereza varies in the range of 33–39 mg%.

Evaluation of phytochemical constituents and in vitro antimicrobial activities of leaves extracts of Calotropis procera against certain human pathogens

Calotropis procera, a well-known and commonly used plant in Nigeria to treat many infectious diseases, has been documented to possess constituents with proven antimicrobial potentials. The type of solvent used in herbal extraction determines the number of phytoconstituents extracted, therefore it was investigated the effect of some solvents selected based on polarity on the phytoconstituents and antimicrobial efficacy of leaves of C. procera. Phytochemical screening of extracts from leaves of C. procera obtained from five solvents (acetone, hexane, ethylactate, mixture “acetone, hexane, ethyl acetate 50/30/20 v/v/v” and sterile distilled water) was carried out. Disc diffusion assay, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and Minimal Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) of the extracts were compared with those of commercial drugs (chloramphenicol, gentamicin and griseofulvin) against Candida albicans, S. aureus ATCC 25923 and E. coli ATCC 25922. Tannins, steroids, alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids, proteins, flavonoids, coumarins and anthraquinones were detected in higher numbers in ethyl acetate and sterile distilled water extracts, while the least number of constituents were detected in hexane extracts. A dose- dependent broad spectrum of bacteriostatic/fungistatic and bactericidal activities was produced by the extracts against the tested pathogens. Wider inhibition zone (19.80 mm) was produced at 100 mg/mL concentration by the mixture of solvents and ethylacetate extract, respectively, while the lowest inhibition zone (7.6 mm) was produced by sterile distilled water extract at 25 mg/mL. The present study provided plausible information to corroborate the medicinal value of the investigated plant, as claimed by herbal medicine users.

Anti-hypercholesterolemic agent from Indonesian rice bran

This research was conducted to determine the total oryzanol content of various extracts and bioassay-guided isolation of active anti-hypercholesterolemic agent from Indonesian rice bran. Hot solvent extraction was done by reflux method using single and binary solvents, namely hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, isopropanol, acetone, hexane-ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v), hexane-isopropanol (1:1, v/v), and chloroform-ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v). TLC densitometric was used to quantitatively analyze the total oryzanol content in various extracts. The hexane extract was selected for fractionation and evaluated for their anti-hypercholesterolemic activity. The structure of an isolated compound was determined on the basis of NMR and Mass spectroscopy. The total oryzanol content was obtained using various solvents ranging from 27.92 to 43.59 mg/100g rice bran, in which hexane extract showed the highest amount (43.59 ± 3.36 mg/100g rice bran). β-sitosterol has been isolated from rice bran hexane extract, which shows a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol level. In summary, hexane is the best solvent to extract oryzanol compound using reflux method, and β-sitosterol was suspected to be responsible for anti-hypercholesterolemic activity in addition to existing compound such as oryzanol that contained in the rice bran.