Biochemical study for the effect of henna (Lawsonia inermis) on Escherichia coli

Leaf samples of Lawsonia inermis (Li) were examined for their antimicrobial potential. Broth extracts in different concentrations were prepared and bioassayed in vitro for the growth of Escherichia coli. The growth of E. coli pathogen was inhibited to various degrees by increasing the concentration of the herbal powder. In addition to the observed alterations which were detected electrophoretically in the protein pattern, were activities of the amylase enzyme and glycoprotein fractions. The protein pattern has one common band of Rf 0.47 and two characteristic bands of Rf 0.36 and Rf 0.42 for E. coli sample. The quantitative mutation was observed in the bacteria with different concentrations of L. inermis compared with the control. Some types of proteins in E. coli completely disappeared upon being S.I affected. The amylase pattern showed one common band with Rf 0.037 and two characteristic bands with Rf 0.18 and Rf 0.37 for E. coli sample. The obvious quantitative mutation observed in bacteria with different concentrations of L. inermis compared with E. coli. The glycoprotein pattern recorded one common band at R₁ with Rf 0.94 for E. coli sample and bacteria inoculated with different concentrations of L. inermis. These results confirmed the antibacterial activity of henna leaves and supported the traditional use of the plant in therapy of bacterial infections and disturbances that occurred at the biochemical level. The broth extract of the L. inermis leaves showed obvious antibacterial activity against E. coli.     

Radioiodination and biodistribution of isolated lawsone compound from Lawsonia inermis (henna) leaves extract

Lawsonia inermis (henna) is one of the most effective medicinal plants and it has been using for treatment of wounds and burns for centuries. The using of Henna leaves is very popular for cosmetic as well as medicine in many countries. Henna leaves contain lots of different compounds and lawsone (LW) is the main one. In current study, extraction with bidistillated water of henna leaves was performed and LW was isolated by using high performance liquid chromatography system. Chemical structure of LW was evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance method. LW was radiolabeled with iodine-131 (¹³¹I) radionuclide which is well known for nuclear imaging and therapy in nuclear medicine by utilizing iodogen method. The yield of radiolabeling of LW (¹³¹I-LW) was calculated as 92.70 ± 4.312 % (n = 10) by thin layer radio chromatography. Its in vivo biological activity was investigated by biodistribution studies which were performed by using healthy female and male Balb/C mice. According to results of biodistribution, uptake of ¹³¹I labeled LW compound in uterus, breast and ovary for female mice and prostate in male mice was higher than other organs in the body.     

Volatile Profiles of Apricot Cultivars (Prunus armeniaca Lam.) Evaluated by Head Space Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

The volatile compounds of 85 regional apricot cultivars native to China were characterized by headspace-solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A total of 156 volatile compounds were tentatively detected, 62 of which were identified in apricots for the first time. The composition and concentration of the volatile compounds varied greatly among the cultivars, with the number of individual compounds per cultivar ranging from 39 to 85, at concentrations of 9.0 to 296.5 mg/kg fresh weight. The apricots from northwest China had the highest concentrations of volatile compounds, while those from the southwest had the lowest concentrations. Based on principal component analysis, the cultivars were divided into four groups characterized by their volatile profiles: 1) terpenoids; 2) aldehydes; 3) terpenoids and aldehydes; and 4) an absence of characteristic volatiles. The greatest diversity of volatile compounds was found in cultivars from northwest China, while the diversity diminished progressively for the cultivars of north, northeast, and southwest China, indicating that the volatile profiles of the cultivars corresponded to their different ecogeographical groups.     

Capillary zone electrophoretic determination of phenolic compounds in chess (Bromus inermis L.) plant extracts

A simple CZE method for quantification of phenolic compounds (vanillin, cinnamic, sinapic, chlorogenic, syringic, ferulic, benzoic, p-coumaric, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, rosmarinic, caffeic, gallic and protocatechuic acids) in less than 10 min using 20 mM sodium tetraborate (pH 9.2) with 5% v/v methanol as a BGE and with UV detection at 254 nm is described. The LODs (3 S/N) ranged between 0.02 and 0.12 microg/ mL. Repeatabilities (RSDs) were 0.66-1.8 and 1.56-4.23% for migration times and peak areas (n = 5), respectively. The method was applied to the determination of phenolic compounds in chess (Bromus inermis L.) after Soxhlet extraction and purification of the crude extracts with SPE procedures. The results compared well with those obtained by liquid chromatographic method. B. inermis was found as a suitable model plant containing a broad spectrum of phenolic compounds in easily detectable concentrations and as a potential source of antioxidants.     

Dyeing behaviour of gamma irradiated cotton fabric using Lawson dye extracted from henna leaves (Lawsonia inermis)

Dyeing behavior of gamma irradiated cotton fabric using Lawson dye extracted from henna leaves has been investigated. Cotton and dye powder are irradiated to different absorbed doses of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 kGy using Cs-137 gamma irradiator. The dyeing parameters such as dyeing time, electrolyte (salt) concentration and mordant concentrations using copper and iron as mordants are optimized. Dyeing is performed using un-irradiated and irradiated cotton with dye solutions and their color strength values are evaluated in CIE Lab system using Spectraflash –SF650. Methods suggested by International Standard Organization (ISO) have been employed to investigate the colourfastness properties such as colourfastness to light, washing and rubbing of irradiated dyed fabric. It is found that gamma ray treatment of cotton dyed with extracts of henna leaves has significantly improved the color strength as well as enhanced the rating of fastness properties.     

Advances in miniaturization and increasing sensitivity in analysis of organic contaminants in marine biota samples

In recent years there has been much progress in the miniaturization of sample treatment approaches for the analysis of organic contaminants. Whilst much focus has been given to analysis of liquid matrices (e.g., water, biological fluids), equivalent approaches for lipid rich biota samples have seen significantly less progress. This is especially the case for samples of very small organisms commonly employed as standard test species in ecotoxicity studies. Typically, the extractable biotic sample size available for body residue analysis is very small and the total pollutant accumulation can vary significantly between species types according to factors such as organism size, lipid content and exposure conditions. Depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of the analyte(s) in question, extraction and purification, especially from more complex matrices, appears to be one of the main bottlenecks in achieving their quantification. The current article presents a review of the available micro-extraction methods for small marine biota samples, focusing on environmentally important organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides.     

Determination of trace levels of aquaculture chemotherapeutants in seawater samples by SPME-GC-MS/MS

A sensitive and efficient solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for the determination of organophosphorous (OPPs) and pyrethroid pesticides (Pyrs) in aquaculture-seawater samples by using GC with MS/MS (GC-MS/MS) was developed. Dichlorvos and chlorpyrifos (OPPs); permethrin, alpha-cypermethrin and deltamethrin (Pyrs) were selected according to their use as chemotherapeutants in the aquaculture industry. Different parameters affecting extraction efficiency such as fibre coating, agitation, pH and extraction time profiles were investigated. An experimental central composite design (alpha = 1) and desirability functions were used for the simultaneous optimization of extraction temperature and sample volume. Finally, a method based on direct SPME in 40 min at 75 degrees C using 100-microm-thick poly(dimethyl)siloxane (PDMS) fibre and 20 mL of sample volume is proposed. The method was validated, exhibiting good linearity, precision and accuracy parameters with picogram per millilitre LODs. The proposed methodology was applied to determine the ultratrace levels of OPPs and Pyrs in aquaculture-seawater samples by the standard addition approach, which proved to be reliable and sensitive, in addition to requiring only small amounts of sample.     

Optimization of solid-phase microextraction conditions for the determination of triclosan and possible related compounds in water samples

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for the determination of triclosan, methyl triclosan, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,3,4-trichlorophenol (considered as possible triclosan metabolites) in water samples was optimised. Analytes were first concentrated on a SPME fibre, directly exposed to the sample, and then triclosan and the two chlorinated phenols on-fibre silylated using N-methyl-N-(tert.-butyldimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA). Methyl triclosan remained unaffected during the derivatization step. Compounds were determined using gas chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Influence of different factors on the efficiency of extraction and derivatization steps was systematically investigated. Using a polyacrylate (PA) fibre quantification limits below 10 ng/l, and acceptable relative standard deviations, were obtained for all compounds after an extraction time of 30 min. On-fibre silylation was carried out in only 10 min. Moreover, the efficiency of the procedure was scarcely affected by the type of water sample. The method was applied to several samples of treated and raw wastewater, triclosan was found in all samples, at concentrations from 120 to 14,000 ng/l, and 2,4-dichlorophenol in most of them, at levels up to 2222 ng/l.     

Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oil from Pulicaria undulata (L.) C. A. Mey. growing wild in Egypt

Abstract

Pulicaria undulata is used as a traditional herbal remedy in Egypt. We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for analysis of essential oil of this plant growing wild in Egypt and 64 compounds were identified. The oil was rich in oxygenated monoterpenes (64.0%) and aromatic derivatives (18.8%). The major components were carvacrol (46.5%), xanthoxylin (18.1%) and carvotanacetone (8.7%). The oil of the Egyptian plant showed significant differences from the oil results reported on this species derived from different accessions. Antioxidant activity was performed by FRAP, DPPH and ABTS assays, and the oil demonstrated a powerful antioxidant properties. Furthermore, cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assay against three cell lines (A375, T98G, HCT116) and the oil showed moderate results with IC₅₀ of 18.53, 40.64 and 22.23?μg/ml; respectively. The oil showed a good anti-acetylcholinesterase activity (IC₅₀?=?139.2?μg/ml) using Ellman method. In conclusion, the studied oil exhibited a peculiar fingerprint and promising biological activities.     

姜花香气成分的SPME-GC-MS分析

姜花原产我国南部、西南部,印度、马来西亚也有分布,姜花为姜科姜花属多年生草本植物,其花香芬芳纯正,沁人心脾,很受人们喜爱。姜花清芬宜人,早已成为提取芳香油的工业原料,用以制备高级化妆品。此外它又是载入中华药典的重要中草药。我们用固相微萃取-GC-MS方法对姜花的的香气成分进行分析,以了解其香气组成。     

Identification and determination of naturally occurring folates in grains of rice (Oryza sativa L.) by UPLC-MS/MS analysis

The genetic potential and biofortification of India-grown rice with bioavailable folate has not been studied yet. The objectives of this study were to determine the folates concentration in four cultivars of rice through UPLC–MS/MS. Total folate concentration in rice cultivars ranged from 11.0 to 51 μg/100 g with a mean of 26.0 μg/100 g. Among the four rice cultivars, the pigmented grain cultivar Nootripathu possesses two-fold rich sources of total folates than the other three non-pigmented grain cultivars. The average value of 100 g serving of rice grains could provide the amount of recommended daily allowance (% RDA) of dietary folates (6.5%) for adults, which ranged from 2.7–12.7%. Among the 5 individual forms of folates, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate was most abundant in rice cultivars followed by 10-Formylfolic acid and folic acid. The result of this study has been useful for biofortification of folates in rice.     

Sesquiterpene-rich volatile constituents of Ipomoea obscura (L.) Ker-Gawl.

The hydro-distilled essential oil from flowering aerial parts of Ipomoea obscura (L.) Ker-Gawl. (Convolvulaceae) was investigated by using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionisation detector GC-FID and gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Forty-two components, representing 97.1% of the total oil, were identified. The major constituents of the essential oil were α-bulnesene (23.8%), α-humulene (13.7%) and seychellene (11.2%). The other minor constituents were α-guaiene (8.3%), β-caryophyllene (7.1%), γ-terpinene (4.2%), hexadecanoic acid (3.0%) and β-elemene (2.7%). The oil was found to be rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbon type constituents (78.4%).     

Chemical analysis of essential oils from different parts of Ferula communis L. growing in central Italy

Ferula communis is a showy herbaceous plant typical of the Mediterranean area where it is used as a traditional medicine. The plant is a source of bioactive compounds such as daucane sesquiterpenes and prenylated coumarins. In Italy, most of phytochemical studies focused on Sardinian populations where poisonous and nonpoisonous chemotypes were found, while investigations on peninsular populations are scarce. In this work, we report the chemical characterisation of the essential oils obtained from different parts of F. communis growing in central Italy. The chemical profiles of the plant parts, as detected by GC-FID and GC-MS, were different from each other and from those reported in insular populations. Notably, α-pinene (10.5%), γ-terpinene (7.6%) and hedycariol (8.4%) were the major volatile constituents in flowers; α-pinene (55.9%), β-pinene (16.8%) and myrcene (5.9%) in fruits; β-eudesmol (12.1%), α-eudesmol (12.1%) and hedycariol (10.3%) in leaves; (E)-β-farnesene (9.5%), β-cubebene (8.2%) and (E)-caryophyllene (7.2%) in roots. The volatile profiles detected did not allow to classify the investigated central Italy population into the poisonous and nonpoisonous chemotypes previously described in Sardinia.     

固相微萃取-气相色谱-质谱联用鉴别荚醚N,N,N'''',N''''-四丁基-3-氧-戊二酰胺辐射产物

N,N,N',N'-四丁基-3-氧-戊二酰胺(TBOPDA)是一种新合成的萃取剂,它可以在高酸度情况下萃取铀等锕系元素,在高废液的萃取处理中具有良好的应用前景。曾有报道采用GC方法分析辐照后的气相产物,本文采用固相微萃取技术萃取TBOPDA部分挥发性和半挥发性液相辐照产物,结合GC-MS进行鉴定,确定了其液相辐照产物主要为二丁胺、二正丁基甲酰胺、二正丁基乙酰胺。结果表明这是一种简便、快速、可靠的分析方法,具有较高的分析灵敏度。     

Assessment on in vitro medicinal properties and chemical composition analysis of Solanum virginianum dried fruits

The study was aimed to screen the presence of phytoconstituents and determine distinct in vitro medicinal traits of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Solanum virginianum dried fruits. Aqueous and ethanolic extract showed total phenolic content of 207.5 ± 0.16 and 268.4 ± 0.42 GAE/mg, respectively. Likewise, total flavonoid content of 50.12 ± 0.39 and 192.88 ± 0.27 QE/mg was estimated for the aqueous and ethanolic extract, respectively. In vitro antibacterial, antioxidant, α-amylase inhibition, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer attributes of extracts were assessed using standard protocols. The antibacterial traits of both the extracts were assessed against certain pathogenic bacteria which exhibited maximum zone of inhibition of 22.3 ± 0.6 mm against Staphylococcus aureus. Antioxidant tests showed not only significant scavenging of DPPH, superoxide, hydroxyl, and ABTS^●+ radicals but also estimated ferric reducing power and phosphomolybdenum reduction activities of extracts in a concentration dependent manner. The aqueous extract (54.12 ± 0.44–86.80 ± 0.27%) depicted higher rate of α-amylase inhibition than ethanolic extract (23.07 ± 0.47–81.61 ± 0.43%) at distinct concentrations. Similarly, the aqueous extract protected the haemolysis (46.19 ± 0.14–66.21 ± 0.17%) effectively as compared to the ethanolic extract (12.67 ± 0.19–38.03 ± 0.41%). The aqueous and ethanolic extract showed cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell lines in the range of 32.23 ± 0.34–54.82 ± 0.26% and 49.25 ± 0.38–73.2 ± 0.3%, respectively. Additionally, the GC–MS analysis confirmed the availability of total 15 predominant bioactive constituents in both extracts. Findings of this context indicated pronounced applications of S. virginianum fruits as future therapeutic.     

Optimization of the solid-phase microextraction method in the determination of Ixodes ricinus (L.) volatiles

For the first time, headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with GC-MS analysis was used to study volatile compounds emitted by the tick Ixodes ricinus (L.). Variables such as the type of SPME fibre, equilibration time and extraction time have been evaluated with the mixture of four selected standards, a so-called artificial tick (acetophenone, racemic 4-heptanolide, methyl 2-methoxybenzoate and methyl 3-chloro-4-methoxybenzoate). Optimized conditions were obtained by the use of polydimethylsiloxan 100 microm fibre at 30 min equilibration and 15 min extraction time. The method proved to have a good linearity (r2 >0.98) at a concentration range from 0.5 ng (1 ng for methyl 3-chloro-4-methoxybenzoate) to 25 ng. LODs for a compound ranged between 0.19 and 1 ng, RSD (%) ranged from 13.76 to 25.08. The determination of 1.99 ng of methyl 3-chloro-4-methoxybenzoate emitted by five engorged females proved the usefulness of the developed method to identify and quantify the volatile compounds emitted by I. ricinus ticks.     

Volatiles of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don from Croatia

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don is a flowering plant of the family Asteraceae. It is rich in oil that is used for different medicinal purposes and in fragrance industry. Volatile profile of four populations of H. italicum, collected from natural habitat in Dalmatia (Croatia), was analysed by capillary GC–MS. Sample from Bra? Island had α-trans-bergamotene (10.2%) and β-acoradiene (10.1%) as the majors, whereas sample collected on Biokovo Mt. was rich in neryl acetate (8.1%). β-Acoradiene was also the main constituent of sample collected near Tijarica, whereas rosifoliol (8.5%) was the most abundant constituent in sample collected near Makarska. Presented results show the influence of environmental conditions on chemical differentiation of the volatiles of H. italicum from Croatia.     

Saturated long-chain hydrocarbons from Annona squamosa L. bark

The unsaponified chloroform extract of Annona squamosa L. bark has been analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and was shown to consist of the conventional, even carbon number dominant distribution of saturated n-alkane homologues (C₁₄–C₂₆). The heptadecane (5.75%) was the only odd carbon number hydrocarbon. The total amount of hydrocarbons found in the unsaponified chloroform extract was 24.60%.     

Chemical composition and cytotoxicity of the essential oil from different parts of Datura metel L.

The essential oil from different parts of Datura metel L. were extracted using hydrodistillation and GC–MS was used to analyse the essential oil. The main components of flowers were ketone (23.61%) and ethyl palmitate (15.84%). The main components of leaves were ketone (18.84%) and phytol (18.71%). Ketone (39.45%) and phytol (31.32%) were the major components of petioles. Palmitic acid (30.60%) and ethyl linoleate (21.56%) were the major components of seeds. The major ingredient of roots was palmitic acid (52.61%). The main ingredients of the stems were palmitic acid (38.38%) and ethyl linoleate (17.38%). All the different parts of essential oil were screened for cytotoxicity. The roots and stems showed the inhibitory effects against HepG-2 with IC₅₀ levels of 613.88 and 341.12 mg/L. The leaves and roots showed the inhibitory effects against HeLa with IC₅₀ levels of 267.76 and 348.35 mg/L. All the six parts have inhibitory effects against SGC-7901 cell lines.     

Metabolic infrastructure of pregnant women with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms: A metabolomic analysis

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the altered metabolic infrastructure of pregnant women with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms at first trimester and during delivery. Eight singleton pregnant women with MTHFR polymorphisms were compared with 10 normal pregnant women. Maternal blood samples were obtained twice during their pregnancy period (between the 11th and 14th gestational weeks and during delivery). Metabolomic analysis was performed using GC–MS. The GC–MS based metabolomic profile helped identify 95 metabolites in the plasma samples. In the MTHFR group, the levels of 1-monohexadecanoylglycerol, pyrophosphate, benzoin, and linoleic acid significantly decreased (P ˂ 0.05 for all), whereas the levels of glyceric acid, l -tryptophan, l -alanine, l -proline, norvaline, l -threonine, and myo-inositol significantly increased (P ˂ 0.01 for the first two metabolites, P ˂ 0.05 for the others) at 11–14 gestational weeks. Conversely, the levels of benzoin, 1-monohexadecanoylglycerol, pyruvic acid, l -proline, phosphoric acid, epsilon-caprolactam, and pipecolic acid significantly decreased in the MTHFR group, whereas metabolites such as hexadecanoic acid and 2-hydroxybutyric acid increased significantly in the study group during delivery. An impaired energy metabolism pathway, vitamin B complex disorders, tendency for metabolic acidosis (oxidative stress), and the need for cell/tissue support seem prevalent in pregnancies with MTHFR polymorphisms.