Isolation and structure determination of a novel furanic ester from the aerial part of Prasium majus

The aerial part of Prasium majus provided a new furanic ester, 2-2-[(5-formyl-6[(5-formylfuran-2-yl)methoxy] succinic acid dimethyl ester, (+/-)-hiziprafuran. Its structure was principally established by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy.     

Structure-antibacterial activity relationship of secondary metabolites from Ajuga pseudoiva Rob. leaves

A selection of steroids, glycerides, clerodane diterpenoids, and a beta-hydroxy fatty acid methyl ester, all previously isolated from Ajuga pseudoiva leaves, were tested for their antibacterial activity toward three Gram- rods and one Gram+ coccus using the dilution method; MIC values were determined. The results suggested some importance for a free beta-hydroxy group in the fatty acid ester and also in the glycerides and clerodane derivatives; the absolute configurations of the latter, notably at C2, had little influence on activity.     

Echiofruzine, a novel naringenin diglycoside from Echiochilon fruticosum growing in Tunisia

The aerial parts of the Tunisian plant Echiochilon fruticosum yielded a novel flavonol diglycoside: naringenin-5-O-beta-D-glycopyranoside-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, named Echiofruzine (1), together with the known compounds vomifoliol-9-O-beta-D-glucopyraroside (2), 1-oxo-alpha-ionyl-9-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3) and 1-O-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl] eugenol (4), described for the first time in the indicated plant. The structures of the four isolated compounds were established on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence.     

Phytochemical Characterization,Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Cleome arabica L. Fruits Extract against Formalin Induced Chronic Inflammation in Female Wistar Rat: Biochemical,Histological, and In Silico Studies

In recent decades, the use of herbs and plants has been of great interest, as they have been the sources of natural products, commonly named as bioactive compounds. In specific, the natural compounds from the Capparaceae family which has been proved to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic activities, by several studies. Cleome arabica L. (CA) specie is the most used medicinal plants in Tunisia and elsewhere in North African countries for treatment of various diseases including diabetes, rheumatism, inflammation, cancer, and digestive disorders. The current work was undertaken to estimate the total phenolic, flavonoid and condensed tannin contents, to identify and quantify the polyphenolic compounds, and to evaluate the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory proprieties of CA fruits extract against formalin induced chronic inflammation in Female Wistar rats. In fact, the antioxidant activity was tested by Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging (DPPH), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Nitric Oxide radical (NO·). Anti-inflammatory effect of fruits extract was examined using formalin (2%) induced paw edema in rats. Molecular docking tools were used to investigate the interaction of some compounds from CA fruits extract with the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) target protein. Our results showed that, the total phenolic, flavonoid and tannins contents, which were assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteu, Quercetin, and Catechin methods, respectively, were 230.22 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight (mg GAE/g DW), 55.08 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry weight (QE/g DW) and 15.17 mg catechin equivalents/g dry weight (CatE/g DW), respectively. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of five polyphenolic compounds whose catechin was found to be the most abundant compounds. The antioxidant activity of extract was quantified by DPPH, FRAP and NO· tests and IC₅₀ reached the values of 3.346 mg/mL, 2.306 and 0.023 mg/mL, respectively. Cleome fruits ameliorated the histological integrity of the skin and alleviated the disruptions in hematological parameters (WBC, LYM, RBC, and HGB), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), C-reactive protein, and some oxidative stress markers (TBARS (−49%) and AOPP (−42%) levels, SOD (+33%) and GPx (+75%) activities, and GSH (+49%) content) induced by formalin injection. Moreover, the in-silico investigation had shown that CA fruits extract compounds have a stronger interaction with COX-2 active site, more than the reference drug “indomethacin” (two H-bonds). Our research gives pharmacological backing to the healthcare utilization of Cleome plant in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and oxidative harm.     

The mixed and multi model line balancing problem: a comparison

The balancing problem deals with the assignment of tasks to work stations. We can distinguish two approaches in the literature on the mixed model line balancing problem, that both transform this problem into a single model line balancing problem. These approaches use combined precedence diagrams and adjusted task processing times, respectively.An experiment was carried out to compare several heuristics based on the combined precedence diagram. A new optimisation method has been developed. The results indicate that the position of common tasks in the precedence diagram of the different models has a significant effect on both the CPU time and the unequal distribution of the total work content of single models among work stations. Moreover, good solutions with respect to the number of required stations go together with long CPU times. For several instances, we decreased the CPU times considerably without deteriorating the performance of the methods, by using a reversed combined precedence diagram.     

Glaucasides A-C, three saikosaponins from Atriplex glauca L. var. ifiniensis (Caball) Maire

From the roots of Atriplex glauca L. var. ifiniensis (Caball) Maire (syn. of Atriplex parvifolia Lowe var. genuina Maire), three new saikosaponins designated as glaucasides A-C (1-3) were isolated together with the known 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-galactopyranosyl-saikogenin F (4). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive analysis of one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, FABMS, HR-ESIMS and chemical evidence as 13β,28-epoxy-16β,21β-dihydroxyolean-11-en-3β-yl O-β-D-[2-O-sulfate]-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-L-arabinopyranoside (1), 13β,28-epoxy-16β,21β-dihydroxyolean-11-en-3β-yl O-β-D-[2-O-sulfate]-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl 21-O-{4-(secbutylamido)-butanoyl ester} (2) and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-galactopyranosyl saikogenin G (3). The cytotoxic activities of these compounds were evaluated against the HT-29 and HCT 116 human colon cancer cell lines.