In vitro biological screening of the anticholinesterase and antiproliferative activities of medicinal plants belonging to Annonaceae

The aim of this research was to investigate the antiproliferative and anticholinesterase activities of 11 extracts from 5 Annonaceae species in vitro. Antiproliferative activity was assessed using 10 human cancer cell lines. Thin-layer chromatography and a microplate assay were used to screen the extracts for acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitors using Ellman's reagent. The chemical compositions of the active extracts were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography. Eleven extracts obtained from five Annonaceae plant species were active and were particularly effective against the UA251, NCI-470 lung, HT-29, NCI/ADR, and K-562 cell lines with growth inhibition (GI50) values of 0.04-0.06, 0.02-0.50, 0.01-0.12, 0.10-0.27, and 0.02-0.04 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, the Annona crassiflora and A. coriacea seed extracts were the most active among the tested extracts and the most effective against the tumor cell lines, with GI50 values below 8.90 µg/mL. The A. cacans extract displayed the lowest activity. Based on the microplate assay, the percent AchE inhibition of the extracts ranged from 12 to 52%, and the A. coriacea seed extract resulted in the greatest inhibition (52%). Caffeic acid, sinapic acid, and rutin were present at higher concentrations in the A. crassiflora seed samples. The A. coriacea seeds contained ferulic and sinapic acid. Overall, the results indicated that A. crassiflora and A. coriacea extracts have antiproliferative and anticholinesterase properties, which opens up new possibilities for alternative pharmacotherapy drugs.

Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of an extract, fractions, and compounds isolated from Gochnatia pulchra aerial parts

This paper reports on the in vitro antibacterial and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties of a hydroethanolic extract of the aerial parts of Gochnatia pulchra (HEGP). It also describes the antibacterial activity of HEGP fractions and of the isolated compounds genkwanin, scutellarin, apigenin, and 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, as evaluated by a broth microdilution method. While HEGP and its fractions did not provide promising results, the isolated compounds exhibited pronounced antibacterial activity. The most sensitive microorganism was Streptococcus pyogenes, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 100, 50 and 25 µg/mL for genkwanin and the flavonoids apigenin and scutellarin, respectively. Genkwanin produced an MIC value of 25 µg/mL against Enterococcus faecalis. A paw edema model in rats and a pleurisy inflammation model in mice aided investigation of the anti-inflammatory effects of HEGP. This study also evaluated the ability of HEGP to modulate carrageenan-induced interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production. Orally administered HEGP (250 and 500 mg/kg) inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema. Regarding carrageenan-induced pleurisy, HEGP at 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg diminished leukocyte migration by 71.43%, 69.24%, and 73.34% (P<0.05), respectively. HEGP suppressed IL-1β and MCP-1 production by 55% and 50% at 50 mg/kg (P<0.05) and 60% and 25% at 100 mg/kg (P<0.05), respectively. HEGP abated TNF-α production by macrophages by 6.6%, 33.3%, and 53.3% at 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg (P<0.05), respectively. HEGP probably exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1.

Organization of the marketing communication activities after fusion - the integration and the decision making processes

This master’s thesis was made in order to gain answers to the question of how the integration of the marketing communications and the decision making related to it in a geographically dispersed service organization could be improved in a situation where an organization has gone through a merger. The effects of the organizational design dimensions towards the integration of the marketing communications and the decision making related to it was the main focus. A case study as a research strategy offered a perfect frames for an exploratory study and the data collection was conducted by semi-structured interviews and observing. The main finding proved that from the chosen design dimensions, decentralization, coordination and power, could be found specific factors that in a geographically dispersed organization are affecting the integration of the marketing communications negatively. The effects can be seen mostly in the decision making processes, roles and in the division of responsibility, which are affecting the other dimensions and by this, the integration. In a post-merger situation, the coordination dimension and especially the information asymmetry and the information flow seem to have a largest affect towards the integration of the marketing communications. An asymmetric information distribution with the lack of business and marketing education resulted in low self-assurance and at the end in fragmented management and to the inability to set targets and make independent decisions. As conclusions it can be stated, that with the organizational design dimensions can the effects of a merger towards the integration process of the marketing communications to be evaluated.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): a study of the composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of extracts obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide

Rosemary leaf extracts were obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and Soxhlet extraction. Their chemical compositions were evaluated by GC-MS. The extracts were analyzed for compounds reported in the literature as showing antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The rosemary extracts were tested with regard to antioxidant (DPPH radical scavenging and total phenolic content - Folin-Denis reagent), antibacterial (Gram-positive bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778 - and Gram-negative bacteria - Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853) and antifungal (Candida albicans) activities. Antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of the SFE extracts were confirmed.

Antioxidant activities of kombucha prepared from three different substrates and changes in content of probiotics during storage

Kombucha is a health-promoting fermented beverage worldwide. The present study compared the free-radical scavenging abilities and total reducing power (TRP) of kombucha prepared from low-cost green tea (LGTK), black tea (BTK), and tea powder (TPK). LGTK had the highest scavenging abilities against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals, while BTK showed the highest TRP. Changes in content of probiotics in LGTK were investigated during storage as well. The number of acetic acid bacteria decreased moderately up to 10 days of storage. The number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) decreased significantly, and their survival rate was only 0.98% at the 8th day of storage.

Antioxidant activities of fractions from longan pericarps

The antioxidant activities of ethanolic crude extract (LPCE) and its four different solvent sub-fractions (namely, diethyl ether fraction (LPDF), ethyl acetate fraction (LPEF), n-butyl alcohol fraction (LPBF) and residue fraction (LPR)) from longan pericarps were investigated employing various systems including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)/ 2,2'-amino-di(2-ethyl-benzothiazoline sulphonic acid-6)ammonium salt (ABTS)/hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content and reducing power. Each extract showed concentration-dependent antioxidant activity. LPEF showed the highest scavenging activity against DPPH, ABTS and hydroxyl radicals with EC50 values of 0.506, 0.228 and 4.489 mg/mL, respectively. LPEF showed the highest reducing power with EC50 values of 0.253 mg/mL. The next was LPDF with EC50 values of 0.260 mg/mL. LPEF possessed the highest total phenolic content (230.816 mg/g, expressed as gallic acid equivalents), followed by LPDF, LPBF, LPCE and LPR. The results suggested that longan pericarp fractions possessed significant antioxidant activities and could be a promising source of natural antioxidant.

Evaluation of biological activities of Physalis peruviana ethanol extracts and expression of Bcl-2 genes in HeLa cells

Physalis species are used in folk medicine for phytotherapeutic properties. The extracts of medicinal plants are known to possess cytotoxic and chemopreventative compounds. In this study we investigated antibacterial, antioxidant, DNA damage preventative properties of Physalis peruviana (golden berry) on leaf and shoot ethanol extracts and their effects on cytotoxicity of HeLa cells and expression of apoptotic pathway genes. Among the tested bacteria for antibacterial activity, maximum inhibition zone was determined in Lactococcus lactis. The phenolic content was found higher in leaf extracts than shoot extracts. The antioxidant activity showed the highest TEAC values of the leaf (2 mg/mL) and the shoot (0.5 mg/mL) extracts as 0.291±0.04 and 0.192±0.015, respectively. In DNA damage prevention assay both leaf and shoot extracts, especially 30 and 20 µg/mL concentrations, exhibited significant protection against DNA damage-induced by hydroxyl radical generated by Fenton reaction. Our results suggest that leaf and shoot extracts possess cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells when applied as 100 µg/mL concentration. Also mRNA expression analysis showed the alteration of antiapoptotic genes, so the results suggest that P. peruviana ethanol extracts induce apoptotic cell death and should be investigated for identification of active compounds and their mechanisms of action.

Antioxidant activities and lutein content of 11 marigold cultivars (Tagetes spp.) grown in Thailand

Antioxidant activities and total phenolic content (TPC) were analyzed in ethanol extracts of 11 marigold cultivars grown in Thailand. Antioxidant activity assays performed in this study were the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance activity (ORAC), and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (SRSA) assays. ‘Optiva Orange’ showed the best activity in the ORAC assay and in % SRSA, as well as the highest content of lutein (20.59 mg), gallic acid (25.77 mg), and quercetin (12.61 mg) per gram dry marigold petal among the 11 cultivars. Furthermore, ‘Optiva Orange’ showed the highest lutein yield per plant, as compared to other cultivars. In contrast, ‘Rodeo Gold’ showed the highest activity by ABTS testing (0.92 mmol of trolox/g dry sample), as well as an 89.90% inhibition of DPPH. Lutein content showed a positive correlation with TPC and all antioxidant activity assays. In conclusion, ‘Optiva Orange’ and ‘Rodeo Gold’ could be utilized as a good lutein source for functional food products and cosmetics.

In vitro antioxidant, antimutagenic and antiproliferative activities of collagen hydrolysates of jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) byproducts

AbstractHydrolysates from two different jumbo squid byproducts (fins and arms), produced by trypsin and protease type XIV were compared on the basis of their antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays), antimutagenic (Ames test) and antiproliferative (Transformation cell proliferation in M12.C3F6 murine cells) activities. Jumbo squid arms had higher content of collagen than fins, and their hydrolysates had the highest antioxidant activity. Also, jumbo squid arm-derived collagen hydrolyzed with protease XIV showed the highest antimutagenic activity. The four hydrolysates obtained showed low antiproliferative activity, however they are susceptible for further studies to be applied as food additives.

Extraction optimization of polyphenols, antioxidant and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities from Prunus salicina Lindl.

Abstract Optimization of polyphenols extraction from plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) was evaluated using response surface methodology. The Box-Behnken experimental results showed the optimal conditions involved an extraction temperature of 59 °C, a sonication time of 47 min, and an ethanol concentration of 61% respectively. The maximum extraction yield of total polyphenols was 44.74 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of dried plum at optimal conditions. Polyphenol extracts exhibited stronger antioxidant activities than Vc by evaluating of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Furthermore, polyphenol extracts (IC50 = 179 g/mL) showed obvious inhibitory effects on xanthine oxidase. These findings suggest that polyphenol extracts from P. salicina can be potentially used as natural antioxidant and xanthine oxidase inhibitory agents.

Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Disorders

Obesity and its co-morbidities, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes, have increased over the last few decades like an epidemic. So far the mechanisms of many metabolic diseases are not known in detail and currently there are not enough effective means to prevent and treat them. Several recent studies have shown that the unbalanced gut microbiota composition (GMC) and activity have an influence on the fat accumulation in the body. Further, it seems that the GMC of obese individuals differs from the lean. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences between the GMC of metabolically impaired overweight/obese (MetS group), metabolically healthy overweight/obese and normal-weight individuals. In addition, the mechanisms by which the gut bacteria as well as their specific structures, such as flagellin (FLG) that stimulates the Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) affect metabolism, were investigated both in vivo and in vitro in human adipocytes and hepatocytes. The results of this study show that the abundance of certain gram-positive bacteria belonging to the Clostridial cluster XIV was higher in the MetS group subjects compared to their metabolically healthy overweight/obese and lean counterparts. Metabolically impaired subjects tended to also have a greater abundance of potentionally inflammatory Enterobacteria in their gut and thus seemed to have aberrant GMC. In addition, it was found that subjects with a high hepatic fat content (HHFC group) had less Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in their gut than individuals with low hepatic fat content. Further gene expression analysis revealed that the HHFC group also had increased inflammation cascades in their adipose tissue. Additionally, metabolically impaired individuals displayed an increased expression of FLG-recognizing TLR5 in adipose tissue, and the TLR5 expression levels associated positively both with liver fat content and insulin resistance in humans. These changes in the adipose tissue may further contribute to the impaired metabolism observed, such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. In vitro -studies showed that the FLG-induced TLR5 activation in adipocytes enhanced the hepatic fat accumulation by decreasing insulin signaling and mitochondrial functions and increasing triglyceride synthesis due to increased glycerol secretion from adipocytes. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that it may be possible that the novel prevention and personalized treatment strategies based on GM modulation will succesfully be developed for obesity and metabolic disorders in the future.

ESL students' perceptions of web-based prewriting activities /

Although much research has explored computer mediated communication for its application in second language instruction, there still exists a need for empirical results from research to guide practitioners who wish to introduce web-based activities into their instruction. This study was undertaken to explore collaborative online task-based activities for the instruction of ESL academic writing. Nine ESL students in their midtwenties, enrolled at a community college in Ontario, engaged in two separate online prewriting activities in both a synchronous and an asynchronous environment. The students were interviewed in order to explore their perceptions of how the activities affected the generation and organization of ideas for academic essays. These interviews were triangulated with examples of the students' online writing, nonparticipatory observations of the students' interactions, and a discussion with the course instructor. The results of the study reveal that a small majority of students felt that brainstorming in writing with their peers in an asynchronous online discussion created a grammatical and lexical framework that supported idea generation and organization. The students did not feel that the synchronous chat activity was as successful. Although they felt that this activity also contributed to the generation of ideas, synchronous chat introduced a level of difficulty in communication that hindered the students' engagement in the task and failed to assist them with the organization of their ideas. The students also noted positive aspects of the web-based activities that were not related to prewriting tasks, for example, improved typing and word processing skills. Directions for future research could explore whether online prewriting activities can assist students in the creation of essays that are syntactically or lexically complex.

Wrap around analysis of the affordances and constraints for girls with physical disabilities participating in physical activities /

This is a qualitative study exploring the physical activity patterns of a group of women with physical disabilities through their lifespan. In-depth interviews were done with a group of 6 women aged 1 9 to 3 1 . The data were analyzed via content and demographic strategies. Participants in this study reported that their physical activity patterns and their experiences related to their physical activity participation changed over their lives. They were most physically active in their youth (under 14 years of age) and as they reached high school age (over 14 years of age) and to the present time, they have become less physically active. They also reported both affordances and constraints to their physical activity participation through their lifespan. In their youth, they reported affordances such as their parents' assistance, an abundance of available physical activity opportunities, and independent unassisted mobility, as all playing an important factor in their increased youth physical activity. In adulthood, the participants' reported less time, fewer opportunities for physical activity, and reliance on power mobility as significant constraints to their physical activity. The participants reported fewer constraints to being physically active in their youth when compared to adulthood. Their reasons for participation in physical activity changed from fun and socialization in their youth instead of for maintenance of health, weight, and function in adulthood. These affordances, constraints and reasons for physical activity participation were supported in the literature.