Search

Annona muricata L. (soursop fruit) is a seasonal plant with bio-geographical distribution in tropical and subtropical climates. This study evaluated the proximate, phenolic, and antioxidant properties of different parts of soursop fruit. The influence of oven and solar drying on phenolic and antioxidant activities of extracts (pulp, seed, and peel) were assessed. Proximate analysis on different parts of the soursop fruit showed the pulp to have high carbohydrate (32.9% ± 0.3) and moisture (19.1% ± 1.0). The seeds however contained higher crude fat (37.5% ± 1.2) and protein (25.0% ± 0.1) contents. Total phenolic content of the seeds (8.7 mgGAE g−1 ± 0.1) was higher than that of the pulp and the peel (8.6 mgGAE g−1 ± 0.1). The solar-dried fruit parts demonstrated superior antioxidant activity to the oven-dried parts. Extracts from the solar-dried soursop fruit samples, especially the seed, can serve as useful therapeutic ingredient for diet supplementation and could also be exploited for its high oil and protein contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects of the leaves of Smilax china. Methodology: The aqueous extract was examined for its anti-inflammatory effects on tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced inflammation in HUVECs whereas the aqueous (water), ethyl acetate (EA), butanol (B) and methylene chloride (MC) extracts were examined for their anticancer effect on HeLa cells. Results: The aqueous extract suppressed the (TNF)-α-induced expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and TNF-R1 and attenuated the expression of MCP-1, MMP-9, NF-kB and IFN-γ. The MC extract suppressed the proliferation of HeLa cells at all doses employed (50, 150, and 300 µg/ml). The EA extract demonstrated appreciable anti-proliferative effect whereas the BuOH extract demonstrated mild anti-proliferative activity. The aqueous extract did not show any significant anti-proliferative effect. None of the extracts were toxic to the normal cells (HUVECs). Conclusion:Smilax china leaf extracts possess significant anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crude methanolic P runus persica var. davidiana ( P . persica var. davidiana) flower extract was subsequently fractionated versus hexane, methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, and butanol and their potential in vitro anti-inflammatory effects investigated. The hexane and methylene chloride extracts were withdrawn from the study because they were toxic. The methanolic, ethyl acetate and butanol extracts significantly suppressed the Lipopolysaccharide ( LPS)-induced nitric oxide ( NO) production as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS) mRNA expressions. mRNA and protein levels of cyclooxygenase ( COX)-2 were also significantly inhibited by all three extracts relative to the LPS-treated group. However, only the ethyl acetate fraction reduced prostaglandin E ( PGE)2 levels appreciably. All three extracts significantly suppressed interleukin ( IL)-1β protein expression but had no effect on the LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 protein levels. The mRNA expressions of tumor necrosis factor ( TNF)-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were also significantly suppressed, except for the ethyl acetate fraction, which had no appreciable effect on IL-6 mRNA. Moreover, the LPS-induced phosphorylations of c- Jun N-terminal kinase ( JNK)-1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase ( ERK)1/2 were significantly suppressed by the three extracts, whereas the butanol fraction had no effect on p- P38 expression. The results of this study demonstrate that the crude methanolic extract ( M) of P . persica flowers and the ethyl acetate ( E) and butanol ( B) fractions possess significant anti-inflammatory activities and have potential as leads for the discovery of anti-inflammatory phytocompounds. Practical Applications Inflammation is implicated in a good number of diseases. Chronic and uncontrolled inflammation results in several malignancies, necessitating the need for adequate treatment. The present study exhibits the in vitro efficacy of fractionated P . persica flower extracts against inflammation. The result of this study should be applied in the extraction of leads and further development of inflammatory drugs of natural origin to obviate the noxious effect of current synthetic pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is a growing area of research because of their potential applications in nanomedicine. In the present study we synthesized silver nanoparticles (silver NPs) from AgNO 3 using aqueous extract of Lonicera hypoglauca flower as reducing and capping agents. The synthesized silver NPs were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM-ED, TEM and SAED. Silver NPs were found to be significantly toxic to MCF-7 cells via the induction of apoptosis whereas sparing normal immune system (RAW 264.7) cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]