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Method of harvest strategy in dual-purpose okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (syn. Hibiscus esculentus L.) may affect harvest frequency, diversify crop use, and improve grower income. In a 2...

The objective of this work was to describe morpho-anatomically the fruits, seeds and post-seminal development of okra (Abelmoschus sculentus (L.) Moench - cv. "Santa Cruz 47"). The fruits and seeds were characterized by shape, color, texture, type, consistency, dehiscence and dimensions. For the anatomy of the seeds, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used. According to the results, okra fruits are of the capsule type rimosa, dry, hairy, dehiscent, angular, pentacarpelar, pentalocular, pluriovular, green to dark gray color, with tapering towards the apex. The seeds are of a rounded form, albuminous, with traces of the calaza and funiculus, of gray to black color, measuring 4.91 mm and 4.36 mm in length and width, respectively. The tegument is slightly rough and formed by two layers of sclerenchymatic cells and arranged in palisade. The endosperm is white, starchy and formed by loose parenchyma cells. The embryo is plicated and the cotyledons are leafy and white in color. The embryonic axis is straight, differentiated in plumule and hypocotyl-radicular axis and covered by cotyledons of white coloration. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir morfoanatómicamente los frutos, semillas y desarrollo postseminal de okra (Abelmoschus sculentus (L.) Moench. – cv. “Santa Cruz 47”). Los frutos y semillas se caracterizaron en cuanto a forma, color, textura, tipo, consistencia, dehiscencia y dimensiones. Para la anatomía de la semilla se utilizó microscopía óptica y electrónica de barrido. De acuerdo con los resultados, los frutos de okra son del tipo cápsula rimada, secos, peludos, dehiscentes, angulares, pentacarpelares, pentaloculares, pluriovulares, de color verde a gris oscuro, estrechándose hacia el ápice. Las semillas son redondeadas, albuminosas, con rastros de chalaza y funículo, de color gris a negro, midiendo 4,91 mm y 4,36 mm de largo y ancho, respectivamente. El tegumento es ligeramente rugoso y está formado por dos capas de células esclerenquimáticas dispuestas en empalizada. El endospermo es blanco, almidonado y formado por células de parénquima laxo. El embrión está plegado y los cotiledones son foliados y de color blanco. El eje embrionario es recto, diferenciado en plúmula y eje hipocótilo-radicular y cubierto por cotiledones blancos. Objetivo do presente trabalho foi descrever morfo-anatomicamente os frutos, sementes e o desenvolvimento pós-seminal de quiabo (Abelmoschus sculentus (L.) Moench. – cv. “Santa Cruz 47”). Os frutos e as sementes foram caracterizados quanto à forma, coloração, textura, tipo, consistência, deiscência e dimensões. Para anatomia das sementes, foram utilizadas a microscopia óptica e a eletrônica de varredura. De acordo com os resultados, os frutos de quiabo são do tipo cápsula rimosa, secos, pilosos, deiscentes, angulares, pentacarpelar, pentalocular, pluriovular, de coloração verde a cinza-escura, com afilamento em direção ao ápice. As sementes são de forma arredondada, albuminosas, com presença de vestígios da calaza e funículo, de coloração cinza a preta, medindo de cerda de 4,91 mm e 4,36 mm de comprimento e largura, respectivamente. O tegumento é levemente rugoso e formado por duas camadas de células esclerenquimáticas e dispostas em paliçada. O endosperma é de coloração branca, amiláceo e formado por células parenquimáticas frouxas. O embrião é plicado e os cotilédones foliáceos e de coloração branca. O eixo embrionário é reto, diferenciado em plúmula e eixo hipocótilo-radicular e encoberto pelos cotilédones de coloração branca.

This study aims to explore the potential of gum extracted from okra fruit (Hibiscus esculentus) in developing hydrophilic matrices for controlled drug release applications, including determination of its percolation threshold. Flurbiprofen (poorly soluble), theophylline (sparingly soluble) and metformin (freely soluble) were employed as model drugs and incorporated using direct compression into matrices containing 40% w/w of three drugs with different physicochemical properties. Atomic force microscopy was used to study the surface texture properties of developed matrices; the surfaces of the flurbiprofen-based matrices were comparatively rough most likely as a consequence of its poor compactability. Swelling studies found that the swelling rate increased as the concentration of okra gum was increased. However, for all matrices, an increase in the gum concentration resulted in decreased drug release. The estimated percolation threshold of the okra gum calculated was found in the region of ~25% v/v plus initial porosity. Knowing the percolation threshold will enable formulators to use the minimal amount of polymer for sustain release matrices thus the controlling costs and maximising the sustainable potential of okra. This study will not only assist researchers in developing effective okra gum-based extended-release matrices but also expected to contribute towards its exploration at an industrial scale.

Okra (Hibiscus esculentus) is a fruit/vegetable crop commonly known as lady’s finger, Gumbo, Bhindi or gombo. The grading for Okra is performed to enable pricing equitableness. The different grades of the okra are based on the freshness, tenderness, color, shape, decay, scarred, bruised, cuts, insects, dirt, wormhole, and trim. In this paper, based on the length of the pod, four classifications performed are small, medium, large and extra-large. The machine vision technology is explored to grade the okra based on the length of the pod. Deep learning technology is emerging as the major approaches for signal and information processing with applications specific to image classification, speech recognition, and medical analysis. In grading the Okra’s three deep learning models: AlexNet, GoogLeNet and ResNet50 are used. The dataset of ladies finger is collected, and the size of the dataset is 3200 of all the sizes. The accuracies obtained are 63.45% for AlexNet, 68.99% for GoogLeNet model and 99% for ResNet50 which is better than the others. The challenges are in the identification of the tenderness of the pods, wormholes, insects, and dirt.

Natural fiber and their composites are the emerging trends in material science. They are speedily gaining grounds in the replacement of synthetic reinforcements. This is due to their low density, high specific mechanical strength, ultimate availability and disposability and less processing requirements. Most plant based fibers have become centers of research. This work is based on Okra fiber. Okra fiber was used as reinforcement in vinyl ester polymer matrix. Okra fiber was chemically treated using NaOH to clean fiber surface, modify the surface to increase the surface roughness and in general enhance bond strength between fiber and matrix. Reinforcement of the matrix using Okra fiber increases mechanical properties of the composite. But for optimal result, certain parameters were considered and varied. The two parameters considered were: fiber length, and proportion or volume fraction. Different variations of fiber length considered were: 10mm, 30mm and 50mm while the different fiber volume fractions considered are 10%, 30% and 50%. This work has analyzed how these parameters can be best combined for optimum values of tensile properties of the composite. The tensile strength of composite was highest at fiber length of 50mm and volume fraction of 10% at ultimate tensile strength of 214MPa.

This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of drip irrigation systems on the production of okra (Hibiscus esculentus) in southwestern, Nigeria. Application of water to crops in an area of scarcity of water is very important to meet the food demand of the ever-increasing population and modified irrigation techniques that can assist the okra farmers to have affordable irrigation systems that will get them great yields at the end of the season was evaluated in this paper. A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research farm of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering Department, School of Engineering Technology, The Federal Polytechnic, Ado, Ekiti - State, Nigeria. The field area of 150 mby 400 m was properly cleared, stumped, ploughed and harrowed. The topography of the land was flat with its suitable soil structure, texture, retention capacity and loamy clay soil. The cultivated area of land was divided into three and on each experimental plot, high yield and disease resistant okra variety seeds obtained from a research institute (IITA) were carefully selected and planted at a regular interval of 0.6 m. Drip laterals were laid in between rows of okra plants with inline drippers at a spacing of 20 cm. The parameters measured include okra seed germination, plant height, stem girth, number of leaves and yield production. The study also includes soil properties, crop water requirement and crop water use efficiency. There were no significant difference in the okra agronomic parameters at each experimental plots under drip irrigation system. The water applied to crop was greater than the actual crop water requirement and the efficiency of the drip irrigation was 68.5%. There is high in seed germination percentage in with 3.5%, 3.6% and 3.8% at each experimental plot respectively. The selected okra agronomic parameters showed that okra performed very well under drip irrigation systems. Based on the results, water application through drip irrigation has a positive impact on growth and vegetative development of okra.

The objective of this research was to examine the response of different X-ray doses to two okra genotypes, Hassawi okra and the commercial Clemenson genotype on germination and biochemical analysis...

Okra (Hibiscus esculentus L. Moench) or Lady’s finger is one of the important vegetables grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. It is one of the most important vegetable grown commercially almost during the year in India. Irrigation scheduling is considered as a vital component of water management to produce higher irrigation efficiency under any irrigation system, as excessive or sub-optimum irrigation both have detrimental effects on productivity parameters of okra (Aiyelaagbe and Ogbonnaya, 1996). Mulching is effective in reducing evaporation, conserving soil moisture and has been known to modify the hydrothermal regime of soil. The result of method of irrigation is found to be non significant due to continuous rainfall. Hence, there are no differences among the methods of irrigation. Mulching with plastic sheet in okra var. VRO-6 proved the best mulch practice which produced superior growth and yield attributing characters

L'objectif de cette etude est d’evaluer un systeme aquaponique mise au point par la reutilisation de l’eau ayant servi a l’elevage des poissons pour produire des legumes. Les parametres physico-chimiques des eaux du bac d’elevage des poissons, des surverses filtres et d’aquaponie ainsi que le poids (g) et la longueur totale (mm) des poissons Oreochromis niloticus L., 1758 etaient releves tous les 15 jours. Le diametre au collet (cm), la hauteur des plants (cm), le nombre des feuilles, le poids moyen (g) des fruits de Allium fistulosom L., 1753, Hibiscus esculentus (L.) M, 1794 et Lactuca sativa L., 1753 cultives en aquaponie et ceux experimentes dans les sachets polyethylene etaient determines hebdomadairement. Sur l’ensemble du systeme aquaponique, la teneur en nitrites a varie de 0,02 a 0,1 mg/L et celle des nitrates est comprise entre 31 et 48 mg/L. Le pH de l’eau a fluctue de 6,8 a 7,2. La durete totale de l’eau a evolue de 3 a 14°d. Quant a la durete carbonatee, la teneur a varie de 4 et 7°d. Pour les plantes cultivees en aquaponie, le diametre moyen au collet etait de 9,27±0,38 cm pour A. fistulosom ; 3,96±0,69 cm pour H. esculentus et 5,53±0,18 cm pour L. sativa. Le nombre moyen des feuilles des legumes etait de 7,66±0,28 pour A. fistulosom, 7,00±0,17 pour H. esculentus et 14,80±0,61 pour L. sativa. Le poids moyen des fruits frais de H. esculentus etait de 316,67±7,1 g. Le taux de survie des poissons etait de 72±3,16% avec un poids moyen compris entre 2,1±0,98 g et 16,17±4,26 g. Les resultats obtenus sur la stabilite des parametres physico-chimiques des eaux, la croissance des legumes et poissons experimentaux ont montre que le systeme aquaponique semble etre un bon milieu de culture capable de contribuer a la croissance des legumes et des poissons mis en culture integree. The objective of this study is to evaluate an aquaponics system developed by reusing water from fish farming to produce vegetables. The physico-chemical parameters of the water in the fish rearing tank, filter overflow and aquaponics tanks, as well as the weight (g) and total length (mm) of the fish Oreochromis niloticus L., 1758 were recorded every 15 days. The collar diameter (cm), plant height (cm), number of leaves, average fruit weight (g) of Allium fistulosom L., 1753, Hibiscus esculentus (L.) M, 1794 and Lactuca sativa L., 1753 grown in aquaponics and those tested in polythene bags were determined weekly. Across the entire aquaponic system, nitrite content ranged from 0.02 to 0.1 mg/L and nitrate content ranged from 31 to 48 mg/L. The pH of the water ranged from 6.8 to 7.2. Total water hardness varied from 3 to 14°d. The carbonate hardness varied between 4 and 7°d. For aquaponically grown plants, the mean diameter at the collar was 9.27±0.38 cm for A. fistulosom; 3.96±0.69 cm for H. esculentus and 5.53±0.18 cm for L. sativa. The mean number of leaves in the vegetables was 7.66±0.28 for A. fistulosom, 7.00±0.17 for H. esculentus and 14.80±0.61 for L. sativa. The mean weight of fresh fruit for H. esculentus was 316.67±7.1 g. The survival rate of fish was 72±3.16% with an average weight ranging from 2.1±0.98 g to 16.17±4.26 g. The results obtained on the stability of the physico-chemical parameters of the waters, the growth of the experimental vegetables and fish showed that the aquaponic system seems to be a good culture medium capable of contributing to the growth of vegetables and fish in integrated culture.

Morphological and anatomical studies were carried out on four ( two wild and two cultivated) species belonging tosub family Malvoideae (Malvaceae s.l) and collected from different regions in Egypt to assess the diagnostic value of these characters in taxa delimitation .The results obtained using UPGMA clustring method from analysis of 71 macro-& micro morphological characters resulting in a dendogram which indicated a close taxonomic relationship between Hibiscus esculentus and Hibiscus sabdariffa more than Malva parviflora with similarity index (76% and 75% respectively ). Dissimilarity was recorded in Sida spinosa from the other three species ,it distinguished by high genetic diversity based on variation in morphological and anatomical features .The studied species were analyzedfor assessment of taxonomic interrelationship among them.

field trials were conducted in two different Governorates, Qualyoubeya (Quaha) and Sharqueya (Majazer) to study the effectiveness of different types of cropping system of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) against the major insect pests in order to provide comparative measures of these pests and their associated predators. The study consisted of three cropping system and control replicated each three times.Data obtained recorded that the piercing sucking pests, Tetranych usurticae Koch, Aphis gossypii Glover, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) were found. In addition, the bollworms, Heliothis armigera (Hubner) and Earias insulana Boisduval and their associated predators, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) and Coccinella undecimpunctata Linnaeus were present on okra plants. The results revealed that okra, Hibiscus esculentus L. intercropped with maize, Zea maysL. in alternating rows (1:1), treatment A,proved to be the most efficient cropping system,where the lowest infestation of different pestscompared to the control (the monoculture system) and the other cropping systemin the two governorates. Moreover, treatment (A)recorded the best pod yield of 78.9 & 75.9 kg / karat in Majazer and Quaha, respectively

In general, gums having a complex, branched polymeric structure, show high cohesive and adhesive properties. Such properties are particularly desirable in pharmaceutical preparations. Okra gum is collected from plant-derived Okra fruit (Hibiscus esculentus (family Malvaceae)), which is a natural polysaccharide that consists of d-galactose, l-rhamnose, and l-galacturonic acid. The plant is capable of tolerating heat and drought as well as the fruit is very popular mainly in Asia and Africa, which has opened the door to consider Okra other than food. These exorcisms of Okra gum lead to aptness as excipients in the development of different pharmaceutical formulations. In continuation, in many literatures, as a pharmaceutical excipient, the efficiency of Okra gum has received considerable attention as a binder to tablets giving good hardness and friability, controlled release agent, film coating material, bio-adhesive, suspending agent, sustained-release drug delivery matrices, disintegrate, etc. In addition, comparing to commercial synthetic polymers, it has vast advantages, e.g., it is safe, biodegradable, biocompatible, chemically inert, non-irritant, eco-friendly, and biocompatible. One of the most common uses of Okra gum is in Paracetamol tablet providing controlled release after intake. In this chapter, we have tried to illustrate the significant pharmaceutical 184applications of Okra gum as well as to enlighten the potential implication on future natural gum applications.

The study was aimed to synthesize and characterize effective sustained release polymeric microspheres of sulfasalazine and dexamethasone by using okra gum and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The solvent extraction technique was used to synthesize sulfasalazine and dexamethasone loaded okra gum/HPMC microspheres. Pods of Hibiscus esculentus was used to extract okra gum. FTIR, DSC and SEM studies were performed. Kinetic modeling were applied on dissolution release data to evaluate release pattern of drugs from prepared formulations. No interaction was observed between drug and polymers by FTIR study. Molecular dispersion of sulfasalazine and dexamethasone was observed by DSC studies. SEM analysis showed acceptable morphology of microsphere. Dissolution studies showed that drug release was retarded up to 8 h when Okra gum and HPMC were used in combination but contrarily, HPMC and Okra gum showed early release of drug when both were used alone. Okra gum/HPMC microspheres of sulfasalazine and dexamethasone were prepared triumphantly by solvent evaporation method. Recovery, entrapment effectiveness hydration and drug loading of microspheres, influenced by the concentrations of Okra gum/HPMC.

OG is obtained from the fruits of okra plant (Hibiscus esculentus, family: Malvaceae) (Hirose et al. in Carbohydr Polym 339:9–19, 2004). This plant is cultivated in the tropical/subtropical areas around the world. OG contains L-galacturonic acid, D-galactose as well as L-rhamnose, (Mishra et al. in Carbohydr Polym 72:608–615, 2008; Sinha et al. in Int J Biol Macromol 79, 555–563, 2015a).

Vegetable production farms in general and okra growers in particular suffer from low production rates and productivity, which does not reflect the optimization in the use of available resources, and perhaps one of the most important reasons is the lack of use of scientific methods, as the farmers’ lack of technical and economic knowledge of the factors affects the production of okra crop. The research aims to estimate the production functions through which it is possible to analyze the production relations and the possibility of substitution between the various production elements, measure their substitution flexibility and find economic derivatives for them. Cross-sectional data were used according to a random sample that included 100 farms from Nineveh Governorate. The results of the estimation of the unrestricted production function showed that the function parameters are consistent with the logic of economic theory and statistical and standard tests. It was found that through the size of the function parameters, capital has a great importance in producing the crop compared to the labor element, since an increase of capital by 10% would lead increase production by 8.8%, due to the nature of vegetable crops production that needs increasing the capital, and it has been found that farmers produce in the rational economic stage. The substitution elasticity of the unrestricted production function was about 1.04, meaning that farmers produce according to the increasing returns to scale. We infer from the study that the economic resources used in the production process are optimally utilized, which led to higher production efficiency. The study recommends working to follow a production policy aimed at increasing economic efficiency and achieving the optimal use of the available resource combination, which is reflected in the increase in efficiency in the use of productive resources and improvement of efficiency.

The present study was carried out to probe the agronomic response of hybrid cultivar of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L. var. JK 7315) grown in secondary treated municipal wastewater irrigated soil with field investigations. The concentrations of the municipal wastewater viz., 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% along with the control (groundwater) were used for the irrigation of the H. esculentus. The study revealed that the concentrations of the municipal wastewater showed significant (p < 0.05/p < 0.01) effect on the soil parameters after wastewater fertigation in comparison to groundwater in both the seasons. The maximum agronomic performance of the H. esculentus was recorded with 60% concentration of the municipal wastewater in both the seasons. The contamination factor of heavy metals varied in the H. esculentus plants and soils. In the H. esculentus plants, following fertigation with municipal wastewater, the contamination factor of manganese was the highest, while that of chromium was the lowest. Intermediate contamination factor were observed for zinc, copper, and cadmium. Therefore, secondary treated municipal wastewater can be used as an agro-fertigant after appropriate dilution (up to 60%) to achieve the maximum yield of the H. esculentus.

Submitted by Késsien Regina Sander Oliva (kessien.sander@gmail.com) on 2018-04-06T22:42:17Z No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO versão final KÉSSIEN OLIVA.pdf: 1575025 bytes, checksum: b1f0c364fea0892dafc856acde6e8347 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO versão final KÉSSIEN OLIVA.pdf: 1575025 bytes, checksum: b1f0c364fea0892dafc856acde6e8347 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Pizzani null (luciana@btu.unesp.br) on 2018-04-10T20:25:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 oliva_krs_me_bot_par.pdf: 748920 bytes, checksum: f4ea90997dfbe6dcce26ae583a949ddf (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-10T20:25:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 oliva_krs_me_bot_par.pdf: 748920 bytes, checksum: f4ea90997dfbe6dcce26ae583a949ddf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-27 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) A Doença Inflamatória Intestinal engloba duas principais doenças sendo elas a Doença de Crohn e a Retocolite Ulcerativa onde ambas se caracterizam por uma inflamação crônica do intestino, com períodos de exacerbação seguidos de intervalos prologados com remissão dos sintomas. Sua etiologia é considerada multifatorial e ainda pouco elucidada. Considerando-se que não existe cura, que os fármacos utilizados são de alto custo, além de apresentarem sérios efeitos colaterais e ainda muitos pacientes não responderem a esses tratamentos disponíveis, a busca por estratégias complementares de prevenção e tratamento dessa doença que combinem eficácia e segurança, como o uso de alimentos funcionais, compostos antioxidantes e compostos bioativos se apresentam como uma perspectiva promissora. Com base nisso, a espécie vegetal Hibiscus esculentus L. conhecida popularmente como quiabo, foi selecionada para o presente estudo com o objetivo de avaliar a atividade anti-inflamatória intestinal das dietas enriquecidas com o fruto no modelo experimental da inflamação intestinal induzida por ácido trinitrobenzenosulfônico em ratos. Para tanto, a farinha dos frutos foi incorporada na dieta de ratos Wistar machos nas concentrações de 5% e de 10% por 28 dias antes e 7 dias após a indução do processo inflamatório intestinal. Os animais foram mortos no 35º dia e seus cólons foram extraídos. Para a caracterização da atividade anti-inflamatória intestinal foram analisados parâmetros macroscópicos (escore, extensão da lesão, relação peso/comprimento do cólon, ocorrência de diarreia e aderência do cólon a órgãos adjacentes), análises microscópicas (hematoxilina-eosina e PAS/Alcian Blue para avaliação de muco) e parâmetros bioquímicos (atividade das enzimas mieloperoxidase e fosfatase alcalina e quantificação da glutationa total). Complementarmente foi realizada a análise fitoquímica do extrato etanólico 70% dos frutos de Hibiscus esculentus, a atividade sequestradora de radicais livres utilizando o modelo do 2,2-difenil-1-picril-hidrazila (DPPH), e a avaliação da atividade antioxidante pelo ensaio de peroxidação lipídica em membranas de cérebros de ratos. As avaliações bioquímicas mostraram que a dieta nas duas concentrações foi capaz de evitar a depleção dos níveis de glutationa, mas não diminuiu a atividade das enzimas mieloperoxidase e fosfatase alcalina em nenhuma das concentrações testadas. A dieta nas duas concentrações foi capaz de evitar depleção de muco e foi observada recuperação tecidual pelas análises microscópicas. A dieta na concentração de 10% diminuiu a relação peso/comprimento cólico e extensão da lesão. As análises fitoquímicas mostram a presença de fenóis, taninos, flavonóis, flavononas, xantonas, terpenóides. No ensaio de DPPH a farinha apresentou uma IC50 de 302.68ug/ml vs. 1.89ug/ml do ácido gálico, enquanto que no modelo de peroxidação lipídica, uma IC50 de 196,8μg/ml, onde no mesmo teste, a quercetina, flavonoide antioxidante usado como referência, apresentou IC50 de 1,02μg/ml. Esses resultados sugerem que a suplementação dietética com os frutos de Hibiscus esculentus nas concentrações de 5% e de 10% na ração foi responsável pela melhora do processo inflamatório cólico induzido por ácido trinitrobenzenosulfônico em ratos. Esses efeitos estão associados às propriedades antioxidantes da espécie que podem estar relacionadas com a presença de compostos fenólicos, sugerindo que essa espécie é um alimento funcional promissor para o tratamento complementar da doença inflamatória intestinal, propondo a necessidade de que mais estudos sejam realizados para confirmarem e esclarecerem esses efeitos. Inflammatory Bowel Disease comprises two major diseases, Crohn´s disease and ulcerative colitis where both are characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestine, with periods of exacerbation followed by prolonged intervals with remission of symptoms. This disease is multifactorial with complex and not fully elucidated etiology. Considering that there is no cure and the drugs may cause serious side effects, and many patients do not respond to the available treatments, researches focused on the development of new treatment strategies are important. The pursuit of complementary strategy of prevention and treatment of disease that combine effectiveness and safety, such as the use of functional foods, antioxidant compounds and bioactive compounds if known as a promising perspective. Based on this, a vegetable species Hibiscus esculentus L., populary known as okra, was selected for this study with the objective to evaluate the activity of enriched diet in the experimental model of intestinal inflammation induced by trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid in rats. For this, a fruit flour was incorporated in the diet of male Wistar rats in concentrations of 5% and 10% for 28 days before and 7 days after of induction of intestinal inflammation by TNBS. The animals were killed on the 35th day and their colons were removed. For the characterization of the intestinal antiinflammatory activity, were performed macroscopic studies (score, lesion length, weight ratio length of the colon, occurrence of diarrhea and grip), microscopic analysis (hematoxylin-eosin and PAS/Alcian Blue for evaluation of mucus) and biochemical parameters (myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase enzyme and quantification of total glutathione). Complementarily, it was made a photochemical analysis of the 70% ethanolic extract of Hibiscus esculentus fruits, a free radical scavenging activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) model and an evaluation of antioxidant activity by the lipid peroxidation assay in membranes of rat brains. The biochemical evaluations showed that the diet at both concentrations was able to prevent depletion of glutathione but did not decrease the activity of the enzymes myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase in any of the concentrations. The diet at both concentrations was able to avoid mucus depletion and tissue recovery was observed by microscopic analysis. The 10% concentration diet decreased the colic weight/length ratio and extension of the lesion. The phytochemical analyzes showed a presence of phenols, tannins, flavonols, flavonones, xanthones, terpenoids, DPPH showed an IC50 of 302.68ug/ml vs. 1.89ug /ml of gallic acid and a model of lipid peroxidation, the extract showed an IC50 of 196.8μg/ml, where in the same test, the quercetin, antioxidant flavonoid used as reference, showed an IC50 of 1.02μg/ml. These results suggest that dietary supplementation with fruits flour of Hibiscus esculentus at concentrations of 5% and 10% in feed was responsible for the improvement of the colonic inflammatory process induced by trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid in rats. These results are associated as antioxidant properties of the specie that may be related to a presence of phenolic, suggesting that the specie is a functional food for the complementary treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting the need for further studies to confirm and clarify the effects. CAPES

Since past few years, various ionotropically cross-linked alginate-based composites have been researched as controlled sustained drug delivery dosage forms for oral administration. Almost all these ionotropically cross-linked alginate-based composites have shown good drug encapsulations and excellent control of sustained drug release. Particular attention has recently been placed on development of ionotropically cross-linked alginate–plant polysaccharides composites for controlling drug release. Okra gum (OkG, extracted from the immature and tender fruits of Hibiscus esculentus plants, family: Malvaceae) is one of the plant-derived polysaccharides, which has been recently exploited as composite material to develop composite beads made of OkG-ionotropically cross-linked alginate for the use as controlled drug-releasing matrices. In the current chapter, a comprehensive review on OkG–alginate composite beads in controlled drug release is presented.

The cadmium (Cd) accumulation capacity of various vegetables and the relationship between Cd concentrations in edible parts of vegetables and those in soils were assessed by conducting field experiments at Cd-contaminated sites in northern and central Taiwan. In addition, to thoroughly assess Cd concentrations in vegetables and to understand the food safety of vegetables in Taiwan, 2257 paired vegetable and surface soil samples were collected from major vegetable production areas for Cd concentration analysis. According to the bioconcentration factors calculated, the Cd accumulation capacity varied considerably among the vegetable species tested, and the order of the five vegetables with the highest capacities is peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) > amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) > spinach (Spinacia oleraceae L.) > gynura (Gynura bicolor DC.) > okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.), whereas the order of the five vegetables with the lowest capacities is bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) < cucumber (Cucumi...

Hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)], extensively used in different industries, is one of the most toxic heavy metals. The Cr (VI) reducing bacteria could be helpful in decreasing its toxic effects. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of Cr (VI) reducing bacteria to improve growth and yield of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) in Cr-contaminated soils. Most of the selected bacterial isolates significantly increased the growth and yield of okra. Maximum response was observed in the plants inoculated with the isolate K12 where plant height, root length, fruit weight and number of fruits per plant increased up to 77.5 percent, 72.6 percent, 1.4 fold and 2.9 fold, respectively. Moreover, inoculation with bacteria caused significant decrease in Cr (VI) concentration in soil and plant parts across all treatments. The maximum decrease of 69.6, 56.1 and 40.0 percent in Cr (VI) concentrations in soil, plant vegetative parts and plant reproductive parts, respectively, was observed in the treatment inoculated with the strain K12. Based on amplification, sequencing and analysis of 16S rDNA sequence, the strain K12 was found belonging to genus Brucella and was designated as Brucella sp. K12. These findings suggest that the strain K12 may serve as a potential bioresource to improve crop production in Cr-contaminated soils.

Objective.This study was designed to evaluate the early results of the topical application of HydrolyzedHibiscus esculentusExtract 3% ointment (Myoxinol 3%), a novel local product with Botox-like activity, in the conservative treatment of chronic anal fissure (CAF).Methods.Among all patients with CAF observed during the study period, 31 subjects met the inclusion criteria and underwent medical therapy with Myoxinol 3% ointment every 12 hours for 6 weeks. Two patients were lost to follow-up. Clinical and manometric follow-up was carried out eight weeks after treatment.Results.At follow-up the success rate was 72.4% (21/29); median VAS score and mean anal resting pressure were significantly lower if compared with respective baseline data. The only one adverse effect of the topical application of Myoxinol 3% ointment was perianal itch, which was reported by 3,4% (1/29) of the patients available for the analysis. However, in this case this symptom did not cause interruption of the treatment.Conclusions.The topical application of Myoxinol 3% ointment in the cure of CAF shows encouraging early results. Further researches with a larger series and a longer follow-up are needed to confirm these data.

Amylolytic inhibition is one of the most potential strategies in controlling hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetic subjects. Okra, a popular vegetable, contains an appreciable medicinal value. In Asia, vigorous cooking vegetables cause loss of some bioactive properties of immense health benefit. This paper describes whether cooking of okra affects its reported carbohydrase inhibitory action. Methanolic extract of fresh and cooked okra was assayed for total phenolic content, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The phenolic content and inhibitory activity were reduced on cooking but were not completely destroyed even after 10 min of baking at 180 °C. The inhibition was of competitive type against mammalian α-glucosidase and of mixed type against mammalian α-amylase. The results indicated okra pods to be a potential anti-hyperglycemic agent even if eaten after cooking. The total phenolic content (146.36±0.12 mg% GAE) and in vitro IC50 value (86±0.98 µg) suggest that regular intake of 100 g fresh okra as salad can vitally help maintain blood sugar level of a moderate type 2 diabetic subject.

The experiment was conducted at Ornamental Horticulture Nursery of the University of Agriculture, Peshawar in July 2008 to study the effect of okra seed priming with different phosphorus concentrations (DAP) at various durations on seedling emergence and some related traits. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design in split plot arrangement, with three replications. Four DAP concentrations i.e. 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%with difference soaking durations from 0 to 48 hours with 4 hours interval. Germination percentage (%), survival percentage (%), number of days to emergence, number of days to first flowering, plant height (cm), were significantly affected by concentrations and soaking durations. Mean values showed that maximum germination percentage (70.49 %), maximum plant height (150.33 cm) was observed in plot in which seeds were soaked in 0.5% phosphate solution. It is concluded that phosphorus concentration of 0.5 % and soaking for 32hour are recommended for seed priming in okra. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v3i3.11068 International Journal of Environment Vol.3(3) 2014: 113-125