Biology, Medicine, & Natural Product Chemistry
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Effect of Female Age on Crossing Over Frequency in Drosophila melanogaster Crosses N x bcl and N x ym and Their Reciprocals
Crossing over is the occurrence of disconnection and reconnection followed by a reciprocal exchange between the two chromatids in a bivalent form. The crossing event will produce parental type and recombinant type. In the event of crossing over, various factors can influence it. These factors can be due to internal and external. Recently, various factors have been reported that influence the incidence of crossing over. These factors include age, temperature, radiation, and changes in chromosome structure. This research is a type of experimental research that uses a randomized block design. Randomized block design by crossing D. melanogaster strains ?N><?ym and their reciprocals. By crossing ?N with a recessive male from the stock, then observing the F2 phenotype, it is hoped that crossing over will occur. So that you can better understand by doing the practice directly. In this case, the effect of crossing over is seen from the age of the female and the type of strain
Phytochemicals and Larvicidal Activity of Sonneratia alba Root Extracts from Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest, Denpasar-Bali
Dengue is an endemic disease with a high incidence in almost all Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia. This infectious disease is caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquito as the main vector. Effective mosquito vector control is a crucial step in stopping the spread of this virus. Of the several methods available, the use of larvicides is considered one of the most successful treatments in reducing the number of mosquito vectors. However, widely used synthetic larvicides can have undesirable side effects on the environment and non-target organisms including human health. The aim of this study was to discover a new biolarvicide from natural materials that is relatively safer. In this study, the biolarvicidal activity of mangrove plant species that are commonly found in Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest Bali was tested, namely Sonneratia alba. Mangrove root simplicia was extracted by reflux method using three different solvents namely methanol, chloroform, and n-hexane. The content of compounds in the extract were analyzed using GC/MS method. The larvicidal activity of the extracts were tested on A. aegypti instar III/IV larvae with concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ppm for 24 hours. Subsequently, the average value of larval mortality was used to calculate the LC50 of each extract. The results showed that S. alba methanol extract provided the best larvicidal activity compared to chloroform and n-hexane extracts, with mortality of 69.33% at a concentration of 1000 ppm and LC50 of 1265 ppm. GC-MS analysis showed that the methanol extract of S. alba contained five dominant compounds namely Methyl 2-hydroxy-eicosanoate (19.55%); 4H-1-Benzopyran-4-one, 3,5-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-7-methoxy (16.48%); 4-((1E)-3-Hydroxy-1-propenyl)-2-methoxyphenol (10.06%); Benzamide, N-[4-(2-naphtyl)-2-thiazolyl]- (9.40%); and 2,3-Dihydro-3,5-bis(3-methoxyphenyl)-1H-inden-1-one (6.52%). The results of this study provide a preliminary result on larvicide activity from mangrove S. alba in order to develop bio larvicides from nature which is safer for human health and environment
Comparative Cough Suppression of Chitosan Crab Extract of Uca tangeri and Dihydrocodeine
Cough is an inmate primitive reflex and acts as a part of the body's immune system to protect against foreign materials from the respiratory tract. This study was done to investigate the cough suppression potential of Uca tangeri. A day before the test, guinea pigs were placed individually in a transparent chamber (60 × 36 × 60 cm) for 5 minutes before cough was induced by exposure to 15% citric acid, delivered using an Omron compressor nebulizer (rate of 0.4 ml/minutes and particle size 5?m) for 10 minutes. The animals were then monitored visually within this exposure time for cough; the latency and counts, of which, were taken as the basal values. The animals exhibiting 10 - 20 bouts of cough were selected for the study and fasted overnight but with access to water. The selected animals were randomly allotted to 5 groups (n=5 per group). The animals were treated orally thus: Group 1 was the control group and received 2 ml/kg of normal saline; group 2 received 25 mg/kg dihydrocodeine; Group 3 received 150 mg/kg extract; group 4 received 300 mg/kg extract and group 5 received 600 mg/kg of the extract. An hour after administration, they were re-exposed to citric acid aerosol (as earlier described) and the latency of cough and cough count were recorded. The procedure was repeated at hours 2 and 3 after treatment. Antitussive activity was then evaluated in each guinea-pig as the percentage reduction in the number of coughs also known as percentage suppression of cough and percentage increase in latency of cough. The results revealed that Uca tangeri exhibited a dose dependent percentage increase in cough latency period as well as percentage increase in suppression of cough which was inferior to dihydrocodeine, but significantly greater than normal saline and basal levels
Phytochemical Analysis and Antibacterial Activity of Methanol and Ethyl Acetate Extracts of Detarium microcarpum Guill. & Perr.
This research aimed to investigate the phytoconstituents and antibacterial effects of methanol and ethyl acetate stem bark extracts of Detarium microcarpum (DM). The phytochemicals were detected and quantified while the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhi was established determining the zone of inhibition (ZI), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Phytochemical screening showed alkaloids (16.33% ±0.88) were present in the methanol extract only while saponins and flavonoids were detected in concentrations of 31.00% ±2.31 and 21.01% ±2.33 respectively for the methanol extract and 21.67% ±1.76 and 38.01% ±1.16, for the ethyl acetate. The methanol extract exhibited the highest ZI on S. aureus (21.3 mm ±1.11) with its least inhibition observed on E. coli (6.5 mm ±0.77) while the ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the highest ZI on S. typhi (19.1 mm ±2.01). S. typhi exhibited more sensitivity to DM extracts at the least concentrations of 12.5 mg/ml (methanol) and 25 mg/ml (ethyl acetate) while the MBC results showed that the 12.5 mg/ml and 25 mg/ml were the effective respective concentration for methanol and ethyl acetate extracts against S. typhi. Conclusively, DM exhibited an antibacterial effect against the test organisms with notable inhibitory and bactericidal effects
Chemical Composition and Evaluation of Anti-tyrosinase and Anti-Oxidative Effects of Topical Cream Formulation from Acacia sieberiana, Vitellaria paradoxa and Beeswax
Skin diseases can get natural therapies from medicinal plant-based products. In this study, a topical cream was formulated from ethanol extract of Acacia sieberiana, beeswax and Vitellaria paradoxa (shea) butter. GC-MS characterization with co-injection of the topical cream revealed Stearic acid (31.43%), Palmitic acid (23.15%), Oleic acid (21.44%) and Linoleic acid (16.20%) as the major components. Seven phenolic conpounds were identified and quantified by HPLC- DAD and Ferulic acid (12.81±0.26 mg/g) was the most abundant. The cream showed good antioxidant properties evaluated through ?-Carotene-linoleic acid assay, DPPH• radical scavenging, ABTS•+ assay, CUPRAC assay, and metal chelating assay. The cream had higher activity in the DPPH• assay (IC50 = 32.10±0.84 µg/mL), ABTS•+ assay (IC50 = 22.49±0.62 µg/mL) and CUPRAC assay (IC50 = 49.27±0.79 µg/mL) than ?-Tocopherol. The antioxidant effects are an indication that the cream can reduce oxidative stress on the skin including aging, carcinogenesis and inflammation. At 100 µg/mL, the topical cream showed tyrosinase inhibition of 48.23±0.87% regarded as relatively good compared to the standard tyrosinase inhibitor kojic acid, which showed 79.50±0.32% inhibition at the same concentration. The cosmetic cream was able to inhibit the melanin production rate-limiting enzyme, tyrosinase, indicating that it can control hyperpigmentation and skin spots
Ethnobotanical Survey on the Plants Used in the Control of Nematodes in the Zone of Niayes of Thies/Senegal
Crop losses in vegetable crops due to nematodes are a concern in a country like Senegal where food demand is increasingly high. The use of chemical pesticides has made great progress in increasing harvests in Senegal. But these pesticides have negative effects on the environment and on human health. Crops are often contaminated as well as groundwater. The use of natural products to remedy this phenomenon is very important, especially in areas such as the Niayes zone where the climate and soil are very favorable for market gardening and where water contamination is very sensitive. The aim of our study is to identify the plants used to control nematodes in the Niayes area of Thiès. To this end, we conducted an ethnobotanical survey of 100 people of different ages and sexes in this area. The results showed 17 plant species used to control nematodes in 12 families. Among these species, the most cited were Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Juss, Calotropis procera (Ait.) F. and Cassia Occidentalis L. Leaves (71%) are mostly used. The sample is often dried and ground (45%) or fresh (case of hydrodistillation) (53%) before preparation. Water (92%) is the most used solvent for extraction. Maceration (85%) and infusion are the most common preparation methods. The application of these preparations by systemic action (94%) is more adopted than fumigation. Local people find these preparations rather effective (78%), which is very encouraging. The present study constitutes a database for further studies in the field of Senegalese pharmacopeia. In addition, scientific research on bionematicidal substances may be conducted in the future to evaluate the effectiveness of these plants identified in the Niayes area of Thiès for the protection of vegetable crops against nematodes
Effects of Ouabain in Ehrlich Tumor Development in vitro and in vivo
Ouabain (OUA) is a cardiotonic steroid with an immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory role in different experimental models. Currently, the potential antineoplastic effect of OUA has been studied, however, research is needed to better understand OUA role during tumor development. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the OUA effects on Ehrlich tumor (ET) development in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate the cytotoxic effects of OUA on ET in vitro the cells were incubated with different concentrations of OUA during 24h and 48h and our results showed that only the [1000 ?M] decreased the number and viability of ET cells in the two analyzed times. To study the OUA effects on ET in vivo, Swiss mice were pretreated with 0.56 mg/kg of OUA intraperitoneally (i.p.) for three consecutive days. To develop ET in the solid form, one hour after the last day of pretreatment, ET cells were inoculated subcutaneously into the footpad and the animals were monitored for 13 days. To develop the ascitic form, ET cells were inoculated (i.p.) and the animals were monitored for 3 days. OUA was able to reduce the thickness and weight of the tumor paw, in addition to reduce the weight of the popliteal lymph node. In the ascitic tumor, OUA reduced the number of neutrophils and macrophages and increased the lymphocytes in the peritoneum. Thus, we demonstrated that OUA affects ET development both in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest a new perspective in the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and a possible anti-cancer role of ouabain and brings new concepts about the pathophysiological role of this substance
A New ent-kaurene Diterpenoid Isolated from Leaves of Espeletia semiglobulata Cuatrec. and its Potential Antimicrobial Activity
The fraction of the neutral extraction of the leaves of Espeletia semiglobulata Cuatrec. was subjected to chromatographic separation, it yielded four ent-kaurene type diterpenoids: three known [ent-kaur-16-en-19-al (I), ent-kaur-18-nor-16-en-4-ol (III), ent-kaur-16-en-19-ol (IV)] and a new one elucidated as ent-kaur-3-acetoxy-15-ene (II), based on the physicochemical and spectroscopic data of FTIR, GC-MS, and 1D and 2D NMR. These compounds were subjected to antimicrobial bioassay studies. This new ent-kaurene showed a significant inhibition potential against the growth of gram negative bacterial strains [Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922): 8 mm, Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 23357): 10 mm, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853): 8 mm], it also showed inhibition against the growth of fungal strain (Candida krusei: 8 mm), at a 2 mg/mL concentration. The compounds (I), (III) and (IV) failed to show any significant results in the antimicrobial screening against five bacterial strains [Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 23357), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) y Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853)] and one fungal strain [Candida krusei (ATCC 6558)]. These results reveal a remarkable natural structure-activity relationship of the ent-kaurene core regarding the C-3 position (A ring of perhydrophenanthrene unit), whose oxygenation or addition of a hydrogen bond acceptor or donor group, improves the antimicrobial activity
Antidiarrhoeal Activities of Lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) Extract in Experimentally-Induced Diarrhoea Model
This study investigated the effects of Lime on Diarrhoea in Wistar rats. A total of 60 Wistar rats were procured and randomly divided into 3 groups of 20 animals each for each of the three t-test models. The twenty healthy Wistar rats for each diarrhoea model were fasted for 6 hours prior to the experiment but allowed free access to water. The twenty animals were randomly divided into 5 groups of 4 animals each for each experiment. Established antidiarrhea models were followed. The test groups received various doses (97.65mg/kg, 195.3mg/kg, and 390.6mg/kg) of Citrus aurantiifolia juice extract; whereas positive controls received Loperamide (2.5mg/kg) and negative controls received distilled water (1ml/kg). The administration was done once daily for 15 days, and the faeces of each animal was collected on the 5th, 10th and 15th day. The result of this study showed that medium and high dose Citrus aurantiifolia has an anti-diarrhoeal effect on castor oil-induced diarrhoea over repeated administration for a minimum of 15 days as it prolonged the onset of diarrhoea, decreased the frequency of defecation and gastrointestinal transit time in Wistar rats. This study shows that Citrus aurantiifolia demonstrates significant anti-diarrhoeal activity and can be used as an anti-diarrhoea agent
Identification of Primary and Secondary Metabolites of Apis cerana Honey using FTIR-ATR Diamond Spectroscopy and Their Botanical Origin
Apis cerana Fab. is one of the popular honeybees species among beekeepers in Indonesia. This species is easy to care for and produces valuable honey products. Honey from A. cerana is abundantly available in traditional and modern markets in Indonesia. The purpose of this study was to identify the primary and secondary metabolites in the honey produced by A. cerana using FTIR-ATR Diamond spectroscopy. Twelve samples of honey from three provinces in Java Island were used in this study. In general, all honey samples contained protein, carbohydrate, water, alcohol, cellulose, alkaloid, tannin, and flavonoid. Variation on primary and secondary metabolites in honey samples was strongly affected by the botanical origin, geographical origin, and the local condition around beekeeping areas where the honeycombs were placed