scholarly journals Effects similar to anxiolysis in an organic extract of Stypopodium zonale on an anxiety-related behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keysh Mejías ◽  
Grisel Robles ◽  
Zulmari Martínez ◽  
Anamaris Torres ◽  
Lee Algarín ◽  
...  

Nature has a great diversity of organisms whose bioactive compounds may potentially be studied. When it comes to aquatic life we find that algae are organisms that are well suited for screening and identification of bioactive compounds due to their widespread distribution in both salt and freshwater. Our hypothesis is that a crude organic extract of the brown algae Stypopodium zonale can decrease anxiety-related behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster. Stypopodium zonale was collected in the south coast of Puerto Rico and the potential anxiolytic-like effects of the extract were studied in an anxiogenic-like behavioral paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster. This behavior is called centrophobia and is measured using an Open Field Arena (OFA). Validation of the paradigm gave the expected results as reported in the literature, in which Drosophila exhibits a phobia (avoidance) of remaining in the center of the OFA, which corresponds to a behavior with anxiety components. The organic extract was dissolved with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Toxicity tests were performed both for DMSO and the crude organic extract, and neither showed positive results. To perform the behavioral trials, 1 mL of the crude extract and 4 mL of water were mixed with 1.8 g of Drosophila food. The final concentration of the crude extract in the food was 5.4 mg/mL. The adult flies were grown in a tube with the extract until a considerable quantity of larvae was observed, and then the adults were removed. These new larvae, once turned into adult flies, were used for the behavioral trials. The behavior of control flies (food without extract) and experimental flies (extract containing food) was recorded with a video camera and the results of the centrophobic behavior were analyzed and compared using quantitative criteria. Both the control and experimental trials were performed in triplicate. The results show that flies grown in food containing the crude extract present a significant reduction in centrophobia compared with control flies. In conclusion, our results suggest that the organic crude extract from Stypopodium zonale has anxiolytic-like effects in a Drosophila melanogaster model with anxiety components. We are currently performing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies on the crude extracts to identify the most abundant secondary metabolites. Future experiments should include the administration of the crude extracts (or fractions of the most abundant secondary metabolites) to a vertebrate model in to test the effect in a behavior with anxiety components. We are also in the process of developing a preliminary model of possible mechanisms of action of the crude organic extract in the reduction of centrophobia. KEYWORDS: Anxiety; Algae; Drosophila melanogaster; Open Field Arena; Organic extracts; Centrophobia; Stypopodium zonale

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Negrão Cavalcanti ◽  
Marcelo Augusto Vasconcelos Gomes ◽  
Angelo Cunha Pinto ◽  
Claudia Moraes de Rezende ◽  
Renato Crespo Pereira ◽  
...  

Crude extracts from specimens of the brown seaweed Dictyota menstrualis, known to produce diterpenes as their major secondary metabolites, were analyzed according to storage procedures before extraction, and the solvent types used to obtain the crude extracts. The specimens of D. menstrualis were submitted to three types of storage procedures, such as wet, dry, and frozen and were extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane:methanol (2:1) and acetone. Qualitative differences were not observed by GC/MS analyses of all crude extracts containing mainly the diterpenes pachydictyol A (I), 6-hydroxy-dichotoma-3,14-diene-1,17-dial (II), 6-hydroxy-2,7-cycloxenia-3,14-diene-1,17-dial (III), and 6-acetoxy-dichotoma-3,14-diene-1,17-dial (IV). The most efficient and selective extraction of the compounds with intermediate polarity produced by D. menstrualis was obtained using acetone, but with less mass production. In general, the storage procedures produced very similar results, but the frozen samples furnished low amount of total diterpenes. According to these results on chemical analysis of crude extracts of seaweeds, the choice of solvent to extraction should be considered as important aspect to better screening bioactive compounds.


Author(s):  
Flyndon Mark S. Dagalea ◽  
Karina Milagros C. Lim ◽  
Manuela Cecille G. Vicencio ◽  
Ma. Lourdes C. Alvarez ◽  
Maria Judy M. Somoray ◽  
...  

Phytochemical profiling focuses on the determination of the secondary metabolite present on a sample. Aims: In this research, a phytochemical profiling was done in Saribus rotundifolius (Anahaw) leaves and fruit crude extracts. Methodology: This study determines the secondary metabolites; alkaloid, tannin, flavonoid, cardiac glycoside, saponin, and terpenoid. The samples were cut into pieces and was submerged in an ethanol solution for the extract of crude extract and undergo a rotary evaporator for the separation of the ethanol solvent. Results: The finding showed that the anahaw leaves and fruit crude extract contains secondary metabolites present in both leaves and fruit crude extracts, that can be used in pharmaceutical and drug development, this includes an anti-microbial potential.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Wasswa Cuthbert Kibungu ◽  
Anna-Maria Clarke ◽  
Justine Fri ◽  
Henry Akum Njom

Scientists have continuously searched for novel bioactive compounds to overcome the inherent problems associated with drug resistance, the evolution of unknown diseases, and the toxicity of currently used compounds. The ocean has been considered a rich source of compounds that possess unique chemical structures and novel biological capabilities. Biologically active molecules isolated from marine flora and fauna have shown significant advancement over the past century in the pharmaceutical industry. Marine natural products (MNPs) have been used as nanomedicine, cosmetics, wound healing, antimicrobial agents, anticancer agents, and anti-inflammatory agents. The physicochemical parameters of the collection site were also recorded. This study’s marine sponge species were collected from Phillip’s Reef, South Africa, at 12 m during the spring season. Ethyl acetate (EA) and dichloromethane : methanol (DCM : ME, 1 : 1) were used as extraction solvents. Crude extracts of the marine sponges were tested against MRSA, P. aeruginosa, C. difficile, A. fumigatus, and C. albicans. Phytochemical screening was conducted to identify seven critical phytochemical groups. A pH reading of 8.01 and a temperature of 15.45°C were recorded at the sampling site. Clathria sp. 1 and Tedania (Tedania) stylonychaeta EA crude extracts showed bioactivity against all five test pathogens. The DCM : ME crude extract of Clathria sp. 1 was the only bioactive crude extract from DCM : ME extracts. This crude extract was only bioactive against C. albicans as no activity was observed against the other four pathogens. EA crude extracts of Clathria sp. 1 yielded more significant inhibition zones against both fungal pathogens. These EA crude extracts performed better than fluconazole as inhibition zones of 35 ± 0   mm at 24 mg/ml, 31 ± 0   mm at 19 mg/ml, 31 ± 0   mm at 14.4 mg/ml, 30 ± 0   mm at 9.6 mg/ml, and 25 ± 0   mm at 7.2 mg/ml were recorded. Clathria sp. 1 crude extracts exhibited higher inhibition zones compared to Tedania (Tedania) stylonychaeta. The antibiotic imipenem ( 26 ± 0.7   mm at 10 μg) and ciprofloxacin ( 30 ± 0.3   mm at 5 μg) exhibited higher zones of inhibition than EA crude extracts of Tedania (Tedania) stylonychaeta at all test concentrations. In this study, Clathria sp. 1 was observed to have broad-spectrum bioactivity as EA crude extracts were bioactive against MRSA, P. aeruginosa, C. difficile, A. fumigatus, and C. albicans. In addition to this, the EA crude extract of Clathria sp. 1 was bacteriostatic (9.6 mg/ml). Clathria sp. 1 DCM : ME crude extract only tested positive for the presence of terpenoids. In contrast, EA crude extracts did not test positive for the existence of any of the seven phytochemicals. Our study has revealed that Tedania (Tedania) stylonychaeta and Clathria sp. 1 sponge species collected from Phillip’s Reef in South Africa can produce bioactive compounds useful against bacterial and fungal species.


ENTOMON ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-126
Author(s):  
Rhitayu Chakraborti ◽  
Probir Kumar Bandyopadhyay

Study to assess the larvicidal property of Lantana camara leaves against Aedes triseriatus larvae found that the ethyl acetate extract had profound larvicidal action with the crude extract having a LC50 value of 409.831ppm. GC-MS analysis of the ethyl acetate extract confirmed the presence of twenty-one compounds out of which beta-caryophyllene covered the highest percentage of the chromatogram area. Further tests with beta-caryophyllene against the mosquito larvae proved it to be the active ingredient of L. Camara with a LC50 value of 104.243ppm.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Carine M.N. Ngaffo ◽  
Simplice B. Tankeo ◽  
Michel-Gael F. Guefack ◽  
Brice E. N. Wamba ◽  
Paul Nayim ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Bacterial infections involving the multidrug resistant (MDR) strains are among the top leading causes of death throughout the world. Healthcare system across the globe has been suffering from an extra-ordinary burden in terms of looking for the new and more potent antimicrobial compounds. The aim of the present study was to determine the antibacterial activity of some Cameroonian edible plants (Garcinia lucida bark, Phoenix dactylifera pericarps, Theobroma cacao pod, Solanum macrocarpon leaves and Termitomyces titanicus whole plant) and their antibiotics-potentiation effects against some MDR Gram-negative bacteria phenotypes expressing efflux pumps (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Providencia stuartii strains). Methods: The antibacterial activities of plant extract alone and in combination with usual antibiotics were carried out using the micro-dilution method. The effects of the most active plant extract (Garcinia lucida bark) on H+-ATPase-mediated proton pumps and on bacterial growth kinetic were performed using experimental protocols, while qualitative reference methods were used to highligh the major groups of secondary metabolites present in the extracts. Results: Qualitative phytochemical screening of plant extracts indicated that all analysed secondary metabolites were present in Theobroma cacao and Termitomyces titanicus while one (saponins) of them was absent in Garcinia lucida and Solanum macrocarpon. Only three of them (polyphenols, flavonoids and saponins) were detected in Phoenix dactylifera. Antibacterial essays showed that G. lucida was the most active plant as it inhibited the growth of all studied bacteria with strong activity (MIC<100 µg/mL) against E. coli ATCC8739, significant activity (100≤MIC≤512 µg/mL) against 80% of bacteria and moderate activity (512<MIC≤2048 µg/mL) against E. coli AG100A and E. aerogenes (EA289 and CM64). It was followed by T. cacao and S. macrocarpon extracts which exhibited an antibacterial potential against 95% and 80% of bacterial strains, respectively. These three extracts exhibited a bactericidal effect on a few bacteria. Extracts from T. titanicus and P. dactylifera were less active as they moderately (512<MIC≤2048 µg/mL) inhibited the growth of 35% and 10% of bacteria. All extracts selectively potentiated the activities of all antibiotics with improvement activity factors (IAF) ranging from 2 to 256. G. lucida, T. cacao and S. macrocarpon potentiated the activities of 100%, 89% and 67% of antibiotics respectively against more than 70%, suggesting that they contain bioactive compounds which could be considered as efflux pumps inhibitors. Whereas T. titanicus and P. dactylifera improved the activities of almost 40% and 20% of antibiotics, respectively. This increase of activities also characterizes synergistic effects between antibiotics and these bioactive compounds. G. lucida extract at all tested concentrations, strongly inhibited the growth of bacterial strain E. coli ATCC8739 and exhibited an inhibitory effect on this bacterial H+-ATPase-mediated proton pumps increasing the pH of the medium. Conclusion: The overall results indicated that food plants among which G. lucida, T. cacao and S. macrocarpon could have a benefit interest in combatting resistant types of bacteria. Keywords: Food plants; infectious diseases; MDR bacteria; efflux pumps; antibiotics; secondary metabolites.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1083-1102
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Shreadah ◽  
Nehad M.A. El Moneam ◽  
Samy A. El-Assar ◽  
Asmaa Nabil-Adam

Background: Aspergillus Versicolor is a marine-derived fungus isolated from Hyrtios Erectus Red Sea sponge. Methods: The aim of this study was to carry out a pharmacological screening and investigation for the in vitro biological activity (antioxidant, cholinergic, antidiabetic and anticancer) of Aspergillus Versicolor crude extract’s active compounds by using different qualitative and quantitative methods. Results: The present study results showed that Aspergillus Versicolor crude extracts contain 0.6 mg total phenolic/mg crude extract. Aspergillus Versicolor also showed a potent antioxidative capacity by decreasing the oxidation of ABTS. The anticancer and inhibitory effects of Aspergillus Versicolor crude extracts on PTK and SHKI were found to be 75.29 % and 80.76%; respectively. The AChE inhibitory assay revealed that Aspergillus Versicolor extracts had an inhibitory percentage of 86.67%. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory activity using COX1, COX2, TNF, and IL6 was 77.32, 85.21 %, 59.83%, and 56.15%; respectively. Additionally, the anti-viral effect using reverse transcriptase enzyme showed high antiviral activity with 92.10 %. Conclusion: The current study confirmed that the Aspergillus versicolor crude extract and its active constituents showed strong effects on diminishing the oxidative stress, neurodegenerative damage, antiinflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-viral, suggesting their beneficial role as a promising fermented product in the treatment of cancer, oxidative stress, Alzheimer's, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral diseases.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2366
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Klimek ◽  
Katarzyna Tyśkiewicz ◽  
Malgorzata Miazga-Karska ◽  
Agnieszka Dębczak ◽  
Edward Rój ◽  
...  

Given the health-beneficial properties of compounds from hop, there is still a growing trend towards developing successful extraction methods with the highest yield and also receiving the products with high added value. The aim of this study was to develop efficient extraction method for isolation of bioactive compounds from the Polish “Marynka” hop variety. The modified two-step supercritical fluid extraction allowed to obtain two hop samples, namely crude extract (E1), composed of α-acids, β-acids, and terpene derivatives, as well as pure xanthohumol with higher yield than that of other available methods. The post-extraction residues (R1) were re-extracted in order to obtain extract E2 enriched in xanthohumol. Then, both samples were subjected to investigation of their antibacterial (anti-acne, anti-caries), cytotoxic, and anti-proliferative activities in vitro. It was demonstrated that extract (E1) possessed more beneficial biological properties than xanthohumol. It exhibited not only better antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria strains (MIC, MBC) but also possessed a higher synergistic effect with commercial antibiotics when compared to xanthohumol. Moreover, cell culture experiments revealed that crude extract neither inhibited viability nor divisions of normal skin fibroblasts as strongly as xanthohumol. In turn, calculated selectivity indexes showed that the crude extract had from slightly to significantly better selective anti-proliferative activity towards cancer cells in comparison with xanthohumol.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1340
Author(s):  
Ying Kong ◽  
Huan Wang ◽  
Lixin Lang ◽  
Xiaoying Dou ◽  
Jinrong Bai

The bulbs of several Lilium species are considered to be both functional foods and traditional medicine in northern and eastern Asia. Considering the limited information regarding the specific bioactive compounds contributing to the functional properties of these bulbs, we compared the secondary metabolites of ten Lilium bulb samples belonging to five different species, using an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS)-based secondary metabolomics approach. In total, 245 secondary metabolites were detected; further, more metabolites were detected from purple Lilium bulbs (217 compounds) than from white bulbs (123–171 compounds). Similar metabolite profiles were detected in samples within the same species irrespective of where they were collected. By combining herbal analysis and screening differential metabolites, steroid saponins were considered the key bioactive compounds in medicinal lilies. Of the 14 saponins detected, none were accumulated in the bulbs of L. davidii var. willmottiae, also called sweet lily. The purple bulbs of L. regale accumulated more secondary metabolites, and, notably, more phenolic acid compounds and flavonoids. Overall, this study elucidates the differential metabolites in lily bulbs with varying functions and colors and provides a reference for further research on functional foods and the medicinal efficacy of Lilium species.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 522
Author(s):  
Patrick Romano Monteiro ◽  
Samuel Cavalcante do Amaral ◽  
Andrei Santos Siqueira ◽  
Luciana Pereira Xavier ◽  
Agenor Valadares Santos

Cyanobacteria are microorganisms with photosynthetic mechanisms capable of colonizing several distinct environments worldwide. They can produce a vast spectrum of bioactive compounds with different properties, resulting in an improved adaptative capacity. Their richness in secondary metabolites is related to their unique and diverse metabolic apparatus, such as Non-Ribosomal Peptide Synthetases (NRPSs). One important class of peptides produced by the non-ribosomal pathway is anabaenopeptins. These cyclic hexapeptides demonstrated inhibitory activity towards phosphatases and proteases, which could be related to their toxicity and adaptiveness against zooplankters and crustaceans. Thus, this review aims to identify key features related to anabaenopeptins, including the diversity of their structure, occurrence, the biosynthetic steps for their production, ecological roles, and biotechnological applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-334
Author(s):  
Neda Javadi ◽  
Hamed Khodadadi Tirkolaei ◽  
Nasser Hamdan ◽  
Edward Kavazanjian

The stability (longevity of activity) of three crude urease extracts was evaluated in a laboratory study as part of an effort to reduce the cost of urease for applications that do not require high purity enzyme. A low-cost, stable source of urease will greatly facilitate engineering applications of urease such as biocementation of soil. Inexpensive crude extracts of urease have been shown to be effective at hydrolyzing urea for carbonate precipitation. However, some studies have suggested that the activity of a crude extract may decrease with time, limiting the potential for its mass production for commercial applications. The stability of crude urease extracts shown to be effective for biocementation was studied. The crude extracts were obtained from jack beans via a simple extraction process, stored at room temperature and at 4 ℃, and periodically tested to evaluate their stability. To facilitate storage and transportation of the extracted enzyme, the longevity of the enzyme following freeze drying (lyophilization) to reduce the crude extract to a powder and subsequent re-hydration into an aqueous solution was evaluated. In an attempt to improve the shelf life of the lyophilized extract, dextran and sucrose were added during lyophilization. The stability of purified commercial urease following rehydration was also investigated. Results of the laboratory tests showed that the lyophilized crude extract maintained its activity during storage more effectively than either the crude extract solution or the rehydrated commercial urease. While incorporating 2% dextran (w/v) prior to lyophilization of the crude extract increased the overall enzymatic activity, it did not enhance the stability of the urease during storage.


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