A Review on the Main Phytoconstituents,Traditional Uses,Inventions, and Patent Literature of Gum Arabic Emphasizing Acacia seyal

Acacia seyal is an important source of gum Arabic. The availability, traditional, medicinal, pharmaceutical, nutritional, and cosmetic applications of gum acacia have pronounced its high economic value and attracted global attention. In addition to summarizing the inventions/patents applications related to gum A. seyal, the present review highlights recent updates regarding its phytoconstituents. Traditional, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medicinal uses with the possible mechanism of actions have been also reviewed. The patent search revealed the identification of 30 patents/patent applications of A. seyal. The first patent related to A. seyal was published in 1892, which was related to its use in the prophylaxis/treatment of kidney and bladder affections. The use of A. seyal to treat cancer and osteoporosis has also been patented. Some inventions provided compositions and formulations containing A. seyal or its ingredients for pharmaceutical and medical applications. The inventions related to agricultural applications, food industry, cosmetics, quality control of gum Arabic, and isolation of some chemical constituents (L-rhamnose and arabinose) from A. seyal have also been summarized. The identification of only 30 patents/patent applications from 1892 to 15 November 2021 indicates a steadily growing interest and encourages developing more inventions related to A. seyal. The authors recommend exploring these opportunities for the benefit of society.     

Biodiesel Production from Alkali-Catalyzed Transesterification of Tamarindus indica Seed Oil and Optimization of Process Conditions

Biodiesel is considered a sustainable alternative to petro-diesel owing to several favorable characteristics. However, higher production costs, primarily due to the use of costly edible oils as raw materials, are a chief impediment to its pecuniary feasibility. Exploring non-edible oils as raw material for biodiesel is an attractive strategy that would address the economic constraints associated with biodiesel production. This research aims to optimize the reaction conditions for the production of biodiesel through an alkali-catalyzed transesterification of Tamarindus indica seed oil. The Taguchi method was applied to optimize performance parameters such as alcohol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst amount, and reaction time. The fatty acid content of both oil and biodiesel was determined using gas chromatography. The optimized conditions of alcohol-to-oil molar ratio (6:1), catalyst (1.5% w/w), and reaction time 1 h afforded biodiesel with 93.5% yield. The most considerable contribution came from the molar ratio of alcohol to oil (75.9%) followed by the amount of catalyst (20.7%). In another case, alcohol to oil molar ratio (9:1), catalyst (1.5% w/w) and reaction time 1.5 h afforded biodiesel 82.5% yield. The fuel properties of Tamarindus indica methyl esters produced under ideal conditions were within ASTM D6751 biodiesel specified limits. Findings of the study indicate that Tamarindus indica may be chosen as a prospective and viable option for large-scale production of biodiesel, making it a substitute for petro-diesel.     

Copper‐64‐Alloyed Gold Nanoparticles for Cancer Imaging: Improved Radiolabel Stability and Diagnostic Accuracy

Gold nanoparticles, especially positron‐emitter‐ labeled gold nanostructures, have gained steadily increasing attention in biomedical applications. Of the radionuclides used for nanoparticle positron emission tomography imaging, radiometals such as ⁶⁴Cu have been widely employed. Currently, radiolabeling through macrocyclic chelators is the most commonly used strategy. However, the radiolabel stability may be a limiting factor for further translational research. We report the integration of ⁶⁴Cu into the structures of gold nanoparticles. With this approach, the specific radioactivity of the alloyed gold nanoparticles could be freely and precisely controlled by the addition of the precursor ⁶⁴CuCl₂ to afford sensitive detection. The direct incorporation of ⁶⁴Cu into the lattice of the gold nanoparticle structure ensured the radiolabel stability for accurate localization in vivo. The superior pharmacokinetic and positron emission tomography imaging capabilities demonstrate high passive tumor targeting and contrast ratios in a mouse breast cancer model, as well as the great potential of this unique alloyed nanostructure for preclinical and translational imaging.     

High performance liquid chromatographic method for the separation and quantification of some psychotherapeutic benzodiazepines optimized by the modified simplex procedure

An accurate high performance liquid chromatography method for the separation and quantification of a solution mixture of nitrazepam, diazepam and medazepam and medazepam was developed. The modified simplex program has been utilized for the optimization of the chemical and chromatographic parameters using the chromatographic response function as the quality criterion and a photodiode array as a detector. The separation was achieved in 2 min using a 20 cm long, 4.6 mm diameter Lichrosorb C18 reverse phase column. A 5 mul solution mixture containing 10 ppm of each drug was injected into a mobile phase containing 89:11 v/v acetonitrile: acetate buffer and a flow rate of 3.44 ml min(-1) was found to be optimal. The method was found to be suitable for the determination of these compounds in proprietary drugs without suffering interferences.     

Sequential injection technique employed for stoichiometric studies, optimization and quantitative determination of some fluoroquinolone antibiotics complexed with iron(III) in sulfuric acid media

A sequential injection spectrophotometric method for stoichiometric studies, optimization and quantitative determination of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin was developed. The work is based on the complexation reaction of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin with iron(III) in sulfuric acid media and a spectrophotometric measurement of absorbances of the corresponding complexes at 447 and 430 nm respectively. The stoichiometries and formation constants were determined. A 1:2 iron(III) to drug mole ratio was found to give the most predominant complexes for both drugs with 5.00 x 10(-3) M H(2)SO(4) and at 0.20 M ionic strength utilizing Job's method and the molar ratio method. A numerical method was utilized for the calculation of the formation constants, the logarithms of which were found to be 7.756 +/- 0.121 and 7.839 +/- 0.056, for ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin respectively. A factorial design together with the all-model-search method was utilized for the optimization of the concentration and aspiration volume of iron(III) as these were the variables which most affected peak absorbance. Working dynamic ranges of 50-500 ppm and 50-400 ppm were obtained for ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin respectively. The method was found to be suitable for the determination of these compounds in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Sequential Injection Method for the Determination of Oxprenolol in Pharmaceutical Products Using Chemometric Methods of Optimization

A sequential injection (SI) spectrophotometric method for the determination of oxprenolol in pharmaceutical products was developed. The method is based on the oxidation of oxprenolol on-line with Ce(IV) in sulfuric acid medium and the subsequent monitoring of the absorbance of the oxidized form of the drug at 480 nm. The procedure was optimized by the orthogonal array design at two and four levels. The factors included in the optimization were Ce(IV) concentration, sulfuric acid concentration, and the stop time of the composite zone at the reaction coil. The optimized SI system with a linear dynamic range of 50–400 ppm was found to be suitable for the assay of oxprenolol in pharmaceutical products.     

Sequential injection technique for automated titration: spectrophotometric assay of vitamin C in pharmaceutical products using cerium(IV) in sulfuric acid

For the first time sequential injection analysis (SIA) technique has been employed for titrimetry. A new SI titrimetric spectrophotometric method for the assay of vitamin C in drug formulations was explored. The method is based on the oxidation reaction of vitamin C with cerium(IV) in sulfuric acid media using a spectrophotometer as a detector with the wavelength monitored at 410 nm. A 2(3) factorial design chemometric approach was employed to study the interaction effect of the chemical and system variables, mainly cerium(IV), sulfuric acid concentrations and the flow rate. The results of the chemometric optimization revealed that the optimum operating conditions for the SI titrimetric analysis of vitamin C were 7.0 x 10(-3) M cerium(IV), 0.455 M sulfuric acid and 28.9 microL s-1 flow rate. A linear calibration plot for the determination of vitamin C was obtained in the concentration range between 30 to 200 ppm. The method was applied to the determination of vitamin C in pharmaceutical preparations and no excipient was found to pose any interference, thus rendering the method suitable for the determination of the drug in pharmaceutical preparations. The SIA method is found to be accurate when the results were statistically compared with the results obtained by the BP standard method. The SIA method is superior when compared to the conventional titration method, the BP standard method and previous methods with respect to precision and automation in solution handling.     

Prediction of supercritical ethane bulk solvent densities for pyrazine solvation shell average occupancy by 1, 2, 3, and 4 ethanes: combined experimental and ab initio approach

We introduce a method that addresses the elusive local density at the solute in the highly compressible regime of a supercritical fluid. Experimentally, the red shift of the pyrazine n-pi electronic transition was measured at infinite dilution in supercritical ethane as a function of pressure from 0 to about 3000 psia at two temperatures, one close (35.0 degrees C) to the critical temperature and the other remote (55.0 degrees C). Computationally, stationary points were located on the potential surfaces for pyrazine and one, two, three, and four ethanes at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level. The vertical n-pi ((1)B(3u)) transition energies were computed for each of these geometries with a TDDFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) method. The combination of experiment and computation allows prediction of supercritical ethane bulk densities at which the pyrazine primary solvation shell contains an average of one, two, three, and four ethane molecules. These density predictions were achieved by graphical superposition of calculated shifts on the experimental shift versus density curves for 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C. Predicted densities are 0.0635, 0.0875, and 0.0915 g cm(-3) for average pyrazine primary solvation shell occupancy by one, two, and three ethanes at both 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C. Predicted densities are 0.129 and 0.150 g cm(-3) for occupancy by four ethanes at 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C, respectively. An alternative approach, designed to "average out" geometry specific shifts, is based on the relationship Deltanu = -23.9n cm(-1), where n = ethane number. Graphical treatment gives alternative predicted densities of 0.0490, 0.0844, and 0.120 g cm(-3) for average pyrazine primary solvation shell occupancy by one, two, and three ethanes at both 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C, and densities of 0.148 and 0.174 g cm(-3) for occupancy by four ethanes at 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C, respectively.     

Mechanistic study and kinetic determination of vitamin C employing the sequential injection technique

For the first time, the robust sequential injection (SI) technique has been employed for full kinetic investigation of the oxidation reaction of vitamin C. Iron(III) in sulphuric acid media was used as an oxidant and 1,10-phenanthroline as an indicator and the resulting solution of tris 1,10-phenanthroline-iron(II) complex was monitored spectrophotometrically at 510 nm. The reaction orders with respect to each reagent were determined by the SI-technique and were found to be 1, 1, and −1 for vitamin C, iron(III) and hydrogen ions respectively. On the basis of these values a rate law was developed and a plausible mechanism was established. A kinetic method for the analysis of vitamin C in drug formulations based on the results obtained above was thus validated. The drug in the range 20–300 ppm was determined by the kinetic method using 1.6×10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ ammonium ferric sulphate in 0.02 mol dm⁻³ sulphuric acid with the aspiration volume of 944 μl and the fixed-time of 180 s. The results thus obtained by the SI-kinetic method were statistically compared with those obtained by the British Pharmacoebia standard method and found to be accurate, precise and fast.     

Quantitative determination of the total flavonols inAlhagi pseudoalhagi

The optimum conditions for extracting flavonols fromAlhagi pseudoalhagi has been determined. A method for the UV-spectrometric identification of the total alkaloids has been developed which permits reliable reproducible results to be obtained. The relative error of the determination does not exceed ±1.7%.Tashkent State University. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 664–667, September–October, 1993.