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Juniperus plant species are rich sources of bioactive secondary metabolites and are traditionally used for the treatment of several illnesses, including those related to hyperglycemia and diabetes. The major bioactive compounds identified in certain species of this genus are terpenes and phenolics. Juniperus deppeana Steud. is mainly used as a wood resource and its chemical composition has been partially established. Our goal was to perform a comprehensive profiling of a methanolic extract of leaves of J. deppeana and determine its potential as a source of [alpha]-amylase and [alpha]-glucosidase inhibitors. Terpene and phenolic compounds were putatively identified based on their accurate mass spectrometric data. Regarding terpenes, we found mainly diterpenes, specifically dehydroabietic acid-like, hinokiol-like, agathic acid-like, and dihydroxyabietatrienoic acid-like compounds. Isopimaric acid was also identified and its identity was confirmed by coelution with an authentic standard via comparing retention time, mass spectrum, and collisional cross section values. For phenolic compounds, we identified mainly compounds with a chemical structure similar to the biflavonoids amentoflavone and bilobetin. Besides, the methanolic extract of J. deppeana leaves show inhibition of [alpha]-amylase (I[C.sub.50] = 85.11 [+ or -] 11.91 [micro]g [mL.sup.-1]) and [alpha]-glucosidase (I[C.sub.50] = 32.50 [+ or -] 3.40 [micro]g [mL.sup.-1]) enzymes, demonstrating a potential alternative for the search of antidiabetic natural products. Key words: Juniperus deppeana leaves, methanolic extract, chemical profiling, UPLC-IM-HRMS, [alpha]-glucosidase and [alpha]-amylase inhibitors. Les especes du genre botanique Juniperus constituent des sources riches en metabolites secondaires bioactifs et sont traditionnellement utilisees pour le traitement de plusieurs maladies, notamment des troubles lies a l'hyperglycemie et au diabete. Les principales molecules bioactives identifiees dans certaines especes de ce genre sont les composes terpeniques et phenoliques. Juniperus depeana Steud. est principalement utilisee comme ressource ligneuse et sa composition chimique a ete partiellement etablie. Notre objectif etait d'etablir un profil complet d'un extrait methanolique de feuilles de J. depeana et de determiner son potentiel comme source d'inhibiteurs d'[alpha]-amylases et d'[alpha]-glucosidases. Nous avons identifie les composes terpeniques et phenoliques de maniere hypothetique a partir de leurs donnees spectrometriques de masse a haute resolution. En ce qui concerne les terpenes, nous avons surtout trouve des diterpenes, particulierement des composes apparentes a l'acide deshydroabietique, a l'hinokiol, a l'acide agathique et a l'acide dihydroxyabietatrienoique. Nous avons egalement identifie l'acide isopimarique et nous avons confirme son identite par la coelution avec un standard authentique en comparant les temps de retention, les spectres de masse et les valeurs de la section transversale de la collision. Quant aux composes phenoliques, nous avons identifie principalement des composes dont la structure chimique est semblable a celle de l'amentoflavone et de la bilobetine, des biflavonoides. En outre, nous avons montre que l'extrait methanolique de feuilles de J. deppeana inhibe les enzymes [alpha]-amylase (C[I.sub.50] = 85,11 [+ or -] 11,91 [micro]g [mL.sup.-1]) et [alpha]-glucosidase (C[I.sub.50] = 32,50 [+ or -] 3,40 [micro]g [mL.sup.-1]), ce qui laisse entrevoir d'autres possibilites pour la recherche de produits naturels antidiabetiques. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : feuilles de Juniperus deppeana, extrait methanolique, etablissement du profil chimique, UPLC-IM-HRMS, inhibiteurs d' [alpha]-glucosidase et d' [alpha]-amylase., Introduction Plants respond to abiotic and biotic stress through several mechanisms including the biosynthesis of secondary or specialized metabolites (SMs), which are defined as apparently non-essential compounds. (1) Major plant [...]

Introduction The genus Kadsura, which belongs to the economically and medicinally important family Schisandraceae, consists of 16 species of scandent and twining woody vines. It is widely distributed in Asia, [...], In China, the plants of genus Kadsura had been used as the folk medicines for a long time and showed good effect of activating blood and dissolving stasis, promoting qi circulation to relieve pain, dispelling wind and eliminating dampness. The bioactivities of genus Kadsura were attributed to the existence of its characteristic chemical constituents. This review systematically summarized the traditional efficacy and medicinal application of genus Kadsura in China, chemical constituents and bioactivities of the plants of genus Kadsura. And, lignans and triterpenoids were the main bioactive constituents, which exhibited good anti-HIV, anti-tumor, anti-hepatitis, anti-oxidant, anti-platelet aggregation activities and neuroprotective effect etc. Moreover, some structure-activity relationships mining would greatly enrich the opportunity of finding new and promising lead compounds and promote the reasonable development and utilization of the plants of genus Kadsura. Keywords: Genus Kadsura Traditional efficacy Chemical constituents Bioactivities

In this preliminary study, we demonstrate an environmentally friendly process for the green synthesis of gold nanometre scale particles using the leaf extract from an indigenous Australian plant Eucalyptus macrocarpa as both the stabilising agent and the reducing agent. The synthesis process is straightforward, clean and non-toxic. It also has the advantages of being performed at room temperature and does not need complex processing equipment. Formation of the gold nanometre sized particles was confirmed and characterised by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The antibacterial activity of the synthesised gold particles was also quantified using the sensitivity method of Kirby--Bauer. Keywords Gold * Nano-particles * Green synthesis * Antibacterial * Eucalyptus macrocarpa, Introduction Metallic nanometre scale particles, in particular colloidal gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), have attracted considerable interest in many fields such as medicine, biotechnology, materials science, photonics and electronics (1-4). The [...]

Problem statement: Callistemon citrinus and Albizia lebbeck are two kind of native plants in Khoozestan province in Iran, according to the agreement that medicinal plant could be replaced the medicine we are trying to determine the antibacterial effect of the named plants. Approach: The antibacterial properties of ethanolic and methanolic extract of Callistemon citrinus leaf and Albizia lebbeck leaf was studied against different pathogenic bacteria including Streptococcus pyogenes. Bacillus cereus, Bacillus anthracis, Salmonella typhi, Kelebsiella pneumoniae. Streptococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes by disc diffusion method. The samples collected from young trees from Ahvaz city at may 2009. Results: The extract of C. citrinus showed significant activity against the majority of bacteria which is comparable with standard antibiotics. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for hydroalcoholic extract of Callistemon have been determined also for four bacteria; S. pyogenesis, S. typhy, B. anthrasis, S. typhy, Albizia lebbeck extract despite previous reports didn't have any significant effect. Conclusion: According to the good effects of Callistemon citrinus on Bacillus species it has antiseptic effects and could be used as a therapeutic agent and therefore, it appears to be a potent antimicrobial agents that could be considered as a medicinal plant. Key words: Callistemon citrinus, Albizia lebbeck, antibacterial, MIC, MBC, INTRODUCTION The use of herbs and medicinal plant as the first medicines is a universal phenomenon. Every culture on the earth, through written or oral tradition, has relied on the [...]

A metabolomics approach combining [sup.1]H NMR and gas chromatography--electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC--EI-TOFMS) profiling was employed to characterize melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit. In a first step, quantitative [sup.1]H NMR of polar extracts and principal component analyses (PCA) of the corresponding data highlighted the major metabolites in fruit flesh, including sugars, organic acids, and amino acids. In a second step, the spatial localization of metabolites was investigated using both analytical techniques. Direct [sup.1]H NMR profiling of juice or GC--EI-TOFMS profiling of tissue extracts collected from different locations in the fruit flesh provided information on advantages and drawbacks of each technique for the analysis of a sugar-rich matrix such as fruit. [sup.1]H NMR and GC--EI-TOFMS data sets were compared using independently performed PCA and multiblock hierarchical PCA (HPCA), respectively. In addition a correlation-based multiblock HPCA was used for direct comparison of both analytical data sets. These data analyses revealed several gradients of metabolites in fruit flesh which can be related with differences in metabolism and indicated the suitability of multiblock HPCA for correlation of data from two (or potentially more) metabolomics platforms.

Ricin is a highly toxic protein from the seeds of the castor bean plant. Crude extracts from castor beans are toxic by several routes, and there is international concern about the use of these extracts by terrorist organizations. Lethality in aerosolized form has spurred the development of methods for the rapid detection of this protein from air samples that is critical in determining the illicit use of this material. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass measurement with an automated laser firing sequence was used to detect intact ricin from solutions containing less than 4 [micro]g/mL of ricin in the presence of other endogenous seed proteins. This sensitivity was attained with the addition of 0.01% Tween 80 to the extracts that greatly enhanced the ricin signal. Importantly, this treatment substantially reduces the interference from the castor bean seed storage proteins. Commonly the ricin signal can be completely obscured by the oligomers of seed storage proteins, and this treatment reveals the ricin molecular ion, allowing the analyst to make a judgment as to the ricin content of the extract. This method provides for sensitive and rapid identification of intact ricin from aqueous samples with little sample preparation and is amenable to automatic acquisition.

Heat stress is the primary factor limiting summer performance of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) in many temperate to subtropical regions. Seaweed extract (SWE)-based cytokinins have been used to improve stress tolerance, but their specific effects on creeping bentgrass under supraoptimal temperatures are lacking. This study was designed to determine whether SWE-based cytokinins affect creeping bentgrass heat tolerance, and to compare effects of SWE-based cytokinins to those of a trans-zeatin riboside (t-ZR)-standard. Concentrations of t-ZR in two SWE sources (referred to as Oce and Aca) were determined. Treatments were applied twice to creeping bentgrass at an equivalent t-ZR concentration of 10 [micro]M. One week after the initial treatment, heat stress was imposed (35/25 [degrees]C [day/night]) for 42 d. The Oce SWE, Aca SWE, and t-ZR treatments resulted in leaf t-ZR concentrations that were 39, 32, and 28% higher, respectively, relative to the control at 14 d of heat stress. The Oce SWE, Aca SWE, and t-ZR treatments also increased superoxide dismutase activity and alleviated the decline of turfgrass quality, photochemical efficiency, and root viability. Ashed SWE provided results similar to the water control. Beneficial effects of SWE on heat tolerance appear to be associated with their organic, especially cytokinin, components and not the mineral (ashed) fraction. Proper application of SWE-based cytokinins may be an effective approach to improve summer performance of creeping bentgrass.

Traditional medicines remain a source of potential for discovering of new compounds with valuable pharmacological activities. Leaves of Ficus carica were dried, powdered and extracted using methanol (ME). An aliquot of ME was dried and re-extracted by water:chloroform and the other aliquot by water: peteruleum ether. Effect of aqueous fractions of the former (ACR; 0.08, 0.1 and 0.13 mg d[L.sup.1]), the latter (APR; 0.07, 0.1 and 0.15 mg d[L.sup.1]) and ME (0.03, 0.05 and 0.08 mg d[L.sup.1]) of Ficus carica leaf on the secretion and cell content of cholesterol in HepG2 cells were studied. Extracts were added to the media in both basal and glucose stimulated conditions and incubated for 48h.While glucose significantly increased cholesterol secretion (17[+ or -]0.76 mg d[L.sup.1]) vs basal condition (6.91[+ or -]0.66 mg d[L.sup.1]), co-incubation with extracts reduced secretion of cholesterol in many concentrations of the stimulated condition. On the other hand, cholesterol content of HepG2 in glucose stimulated condition (2.73[+ or -]0.39 mg d[L.sup.1]) showed significant increase compared to the basal status (1.96[+ or -]0.14 mg d[L.sup.1]) (p Key words: Ficus carica, leaf extract, cholesterol, INTRODUCTION Hypercholesterolemia is one of the major risk factors in development of coronary artery disease in recent years [2,6]. Nowadays; many non-prescribed treatments have been available for lowering the cholesterol. [...]

The aim of this study was to develop sustained release plant extracts as a potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoters for growing pigs. Pellets with a core based on microcrystalline cellulose and 3 active compounds (eugenol, carvacrol, and thymol) were prepared using rotary fluidized-bed technology. Two particle sizes were produced that had a mean size of approximately 250 and 500 [micro]m. Results show the process was able to produce pellets with a spherical and homogenous form when 10% of the active compounds were incorporated into the core. When active compounds were increased to 20%, the pellet became stickier, and the yield decreased from 90 to 65%. Different amounts of coating in the form of an aqueous-based ethylcellulose (EC) dispersion (Surelease) were applied to the core to modify the release of active compounds. The efficacy of the coating was evaluated in vitro using a flow-through cell apparatus. The time to achieve 50 and 90% dissolution increased with the increase in particle size (P < 0.05) and the increase in EC-coating level from 10 to 20% (wt/wt; P < 0.05), indicating the ability of the process to slow release depending on particle size and the amount of polymer applied. Differences in the release of the active compounds were observed in the same formulation of pellets, except for the formulation with small 10%-EC-coated particles, in which the active compounds were rapidly dissolved (more than 85% in 15 min or less). For all other formulations, the dissolution time for eugenol was always faster than for thymol or carvacrol. The close monitoring of plant extract behavior in the gastrointestinal tract could become a key factor in the continued use of phyto-molecules as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters and in optimizing the balance between cost and efficacy. Different microencapsulation technologies can be used, of which the rotary fluidized bed warrants consideration because of the quality of the products obtained. Key words: feed additive, growing pig, in vitro dissolution, pellet, plant extract, rotary fluidized bed

An efficient approach to prepare natural and unnatural indanones by employing a solid-supported [2+2+2] cyclotrimerization is reported. The processed could be applied for total synthesis of indanone marine natural products.

A study is conducted to access the antioxidant capacity of natural and cultivated plants from Mediterranean region paying special attention to those from Andalucia in Spain. Fruit peels, seeds and leaves are the best sources of water-soluble antioxidants, lipid-soluble antioxidants and tocopherols.