Antibacterial spectrum of Hypericum hookerianum.

The antibacterial activity of the chloroform, acetone and methanol extracts of Hypericum hookerianum leaves and stems was evaluated. All extracts showed antibacterial activity against six different gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, the methanol extracts exhibiting the maximum inhibitory activity at 400 microg/ml.     

Antioxidant activity, reducing power and total phenolic content of some lichen species

The total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and reducing power of methanol and water extracts of four lichen species, Bryoria fuscescens, Dermatocarpon intestiniformis, Peltigera rufescens and Pseudevernia furfuracea, were determined in vitro. Water and methanol extracts of P. rufescens showed the highest antioxidant activity. However, there was no correlation between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the extracts. Although the methanol extract of P. furfuracea had the highest total phenolic contents, it exhibited low antioxidant activity. In contrast, there was a strong correlation between reducing power and total antioxidant activity of the extracts. The highest reducing power was determined for the methanol extract of P. rufescens.     

肉桂、八角提取物抑菌活性研究

用纸碟法研究了桂皮、八角果以及八角叶提取物的抑菌活性.结果表明,桂皮、八角果以及八角叶提取物均具有较强的抑菌效果.其中,桂皮提取液的抑菌效果显著优于八角果、八角叶和可利鲜保鲜剂,八角果、八角叶和可利鲜保鲜剂之间则无显著差异,桂皮提取液对枯草杆菌的抑菌效果最强.     

Leishmanicidal activity of Maytenus illicifolia roots

In vitro evaluation of leishmanicidal activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Maytenus illicifolia against three species of Leishmania. The root extracts showed differential activity against parasites, whereas the aerial part of the extracts was inactive.     

Cytotoxic activity of some Asarum plants

The cytotoxic activity against some tumor cell lines of 16 commonly used species of Asarum was evaluated in this study. All of these plants were widely used in Asian countries as traditional medicines or folk medicines. Their inhibitory activities against four tumor cell lines (HL-60, BGC-823, KB and Bel-7402) were compared. It was observed that 10 of the tested extracts (eight ethanol extracts and two water extracts) among 32 extracts of these plants showed cytotoxic activity. Those 95% ethanol extractions from A. caudigerellum, A. forbesii, A. inflatum and A. maximum exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity, and 95% ethanol extracts or water extracts of A. sieboldii var. seoulense, A. himalaicum, A. splendens and A. crispulatum showed selective activity against one or two cells among the tested tumor cells. This is the first report of Asarum plants possessing cytotoxic activity against tumor cell lines.     

Evaluation of biological activities of extracts from 22 African tropical wood species

Heartwoods of 22 African tropical wood species were extracted with methanol and the contents of total phenolic compounds in these extracts were measured. Three bioassays were conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity, tyrosinase inhibitory activity, and antifungal activity of the methanol extracts. The results indicated that the extracts from 13 species exhibited high antioxidant potential, and their inhibitory concentrations that caused 50% scavenging of the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (IC₅₀) were less than 10 μg/ml. The crude extract from Cylicodiscus gabunensis showed the highest antioxidant activity, and was even higher than that of (+)-catechin, which is known as a potent antioxidant. There was a good correlation between the antioxidant activity and the content of total phenolic compounds, indicating that phenolic compounds played a predominant role in the antioxidant property of the wood extracts. Among all 22 species, only 1 species, Milicia excelsa, contained extractives that showed very high tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The extracts from 9 species showed high antifungal activity. No consistent relationship was observed between the tyrosinase inhibitory activity or antifungal activity and the content of total phenolics in the extracts. Part of this article was presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Akita, August 2006     

Antimicrobial activity of Datura innoxia and Datura stramonium

The antibacterial activity of the methanol extracts of the aerial parts of the Datura innoxia and Datura stramonium was investigated. The extracts showed activity against Gram (+) bacteria in a dose dependent manner. Little or no antibacterial activity was found against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.     

胆木叶提取物的抗氧化活性研究

以胆木叶为原料,通过不同极性溶剂依次萃取50%醇提取物,分别得到石油醚萃取物(PEE)、氯仿萃取物(CE)、乙酸乙酯萃取物(EAE)、正丁醇萃取物(BE)和水萃取物(WE),它们的收率依次为0.62%、3.90%、0.68%、1.78%和6.06%.采用过氧化氢体系、超氧阴离子(O-2·)体系、羟基自由基体系(·OH)和Oyaizu法,以Vc为阳性对照,进行5个不同萃取部分抗氧化活性的测定和比较.结果表明,5种萃取部分均具有一定的抗氧化活性,随着浓度的增加而提高;且在不同的自由基产生体系中,其抗氧化活性强弱不尽相同.在过氧化氢体系中,对H2O2的清除能力强弱顺序依次为Vc>BE>CE>EAE>PEE>WE;在超氧阴离子体系中,对O-2·抗氧化活性强弱顺序依次为Vc>EAE>BE>PEE>WE>CE,在羟基自由基体系中,对·OH抗氧化活性强弱顺序依次为Vc>BE>CE>EAE>PEE>WE;而其还原能力强弱顺序依次为 BE>EAE>WE>CE>PEE.     

Antimicrobial activity of Pseudognaphalium moritzianum

The antimicrobial activity of ethanol, acetone and aqueous extracts of the aerial parts of Pseudognaphalium moritzianum was evaluated. Ethanol and acetone extracts showed activity against Staphlococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The aqueous extract was active against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.     

Antioxidant activity of extracts from the wood and bark of Port Orford cedar

Heartwood, sapwood, and inner and outer bark of Port Orford cedar were extracted with methanol, and the extracts evaluated for antioxidant activity. The total phenol content (TPC) of the extracts was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE). Butylated hydroxytoluene was used as a positive control in the free-radical-scavenging activity tests and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dihydrate disodium salt served as a positive control in the metal-chelating activity assay. All wood extracts showed significant freeradical-scavenging activity. In the radical-scavenging assay of 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (the ABTS assay), the inner bark extracts exhibited the strongest free-radical-scavenging activity. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) in the radical-scavenging assay against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate radical (DPPH) of the heartwood, sapwood, and inner and outer bark extracts were 64.77, 29.03, 10.31, 19.87 μg·ml⁻¹, respectively. In the metal-chelating activity system, the sapwood extract demonstrated significant activity. The greatest TPC, 537.5 mg GAE/g dry extract, was detected in the inner bark. The lowest TPC of 136.9 mg GAE/g dry extract was observed in the heartwood dry extract. The results indicate that the antioxidant activities of the extracts are in accordance with the amounts of phenolics present; the inner and outer barks of Port Orford cedar are rich in phenolics and may provide good sources of antioxidants.     

Estrogenic activity of the dichloromethane extract from Pueraria mirifica

Pueraria mirifica and its extracts are widely used as the ingredient(s) in many rejuvenating products. Up to now, the extract of P. mirifica roots that has been used in most studies, is the alcoholic extract. In the present study, we investigated the estrogenic activity using uterotropic and MCF-7 cell proliferation models of the dichloromethane extract as well as the water extract which was obtained from partitioning the ethanolic extract. The results indicated that among the three extracts, i.e. the ethanolic extract (PM1), the water extract (PM2) and dichloromethane extract (PM3), PM3 exhibited the most potent estrogenic activity in both models, followed by PM1. The extracts produced uterotropic activity associated with the increase of water content while uterotropic activity of 17beta-estradiol was related to the increase of muscle mass. The two isoflavonoids, genistein and daidzein, were not the major active phytoestrogens involving the estrogenic activity of these extracts.     

山胡椒叶片次生代谢产物抑菌活性大小分析

分别以甲醇、丙酮、水为提取剂,提取山胡椒叶片的次生代谢产物,并测定3种不同提取液的次生代谢产物含量及体外抑菌效果,评价山胡椒的药用价值,为山胡椒的进一步开发利用提供理论依据。实验结果表明,不同提取液中次生代谢产物含量均是黄酮>鞣质>游离蒽醌>皂甙>生物碱;3种提取液的次生代谢产物含量及抑菌活性存在较大差异,不同提取液对枯草芽孢杆菌的抑菌活性要高于大肠杆菌、水可作为山胡椒叶片次生代谢产物的良好提取剂。通径分析表明,影响不同提取液对枯草芽孢杆菌的抑菌活性的次生代谢产物主要是总黄酮和总皂甙,影响提取液对大肠杆菌抑菌活性的次生代谢产物主要是总皂甙。     

Antimicrobial activity of Symplocos cochinensis.

The methanol extracts of leaves, root and stem barks of Symplocos cochinchinensis and their fractions obtained by partition (petrol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate) were screened for antimicrobial activity. All the crude extracts and fractions showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, that was enhanced on fractionation. None of them showed activity against the tested moulds.     

Evaluation of cytotoxic activities of some medicinal polypore fungi from China

The petrol ether, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of eight medicinal polypore fungi from China were evaluated for cytotoxic activities using MTT-dye assay. All the petrol ether and ethyl acetate extracts exhibited cytotoxicity against human cervix epitheloid carcinoma cell lines (Hela) and human hepatoma cell lines (SMMC-7721). Cytotoxicity activity was also observed in the methanol extracts of Phellinus conchatus and Pycnoporus sanquineus, but the methanol extracts from Cryptoporus volvatus, Fomitopsis pinicola, Fomes hornodermus, Lenzites betulina, Trametes gibbosa and Trametes orientalis showed weak activity when compared with quercetin.     

Antibacterial activity of Hygrophila stricta and Peperomia pellucida

The crude methanolic extracts of Hygrophila scricta and Peperomia pellucida were fractionated into petrol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and butanol. All the crude extracts and the fractions exhibited a very good level of broad spectrum antibacterial activity. The fractions were more active than the crude extracts. The petrol fraction of H. stricta and the butanol fraction of P. pellucida were particularly good. No activity was noticed for the moulds tested.     

Biological effects of indigenous medicinal plants Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga

The ethanolic extracts of Curcuma longa and Alpinia galanga exhibited excellent (100%) phytotoxic activity against Lemma minor. These extracts were also found to possess good antifungal activities against Trichophyton longifusus (65% and 60%, respectively), while in the brine shrimp lethality bioassay were found to be toxic with LD50 of 33 and 109 mincrog/ml, respectively. These extracts were found quite inert in antibacterial bioassay, while the extract from C. longa, tested for insecticidal activity, was also found to be devoid of any activity.     

Investigation into the antioxidant activity and chemical composition of alcoholic extracts from defatted marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) residue

The influence of various solvents on the yield of polyphenols from defatted marigold residue, the antioxidant activity of the extracts and the composition of antioxidant compounds in the extracts were investigated. The content of total phenolics and flavonoids in the extracts was significantly varied with different solvents (P<0.05) and the extract by ethyl alcohol (EtOH)/water (7:3, v/v) has the highest content of total phenolics and flavonoids, 62.33 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g and 97.00 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated by radical (2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)) scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the antioxidant activity was well correlated with the content of total phenolics and flavonoids (R2>0.900). Antioxidant components in the extracts were identified by combined on-line HPLC-ABTS·+ post-column assay and HPLC-DAD-MS method. Gallic acid, gallicin, quercetagetin, 6-hydroxykaempferol-O-hexoside, patuletin-O-hexoside and quercetin were the dominant antioxidant compounds in the extracts, and quercetagetin was identified as the strongest antioxidant capacity.     

Antimicrobial activity of some Indian mosses

The present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of 15 Indian mosses. The antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts was investigated against five G(+) and six G(-) bacterial strains. Antimycotic activity was assayed against 8 fungi. Sphagnum junghuhnianum, Barbula javanica, Barbula arcuata, Brachythecium populeum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Mnium marginatum and Entodon cf rubicundus were found to be most active against all the organisms.     

Antimicrobial and antifungal activity of crude extracts and isolated saponins from Astragalus verrucosus

The antimicrobial and antifungal properties of several crude extracts and pure saponins, astraverrucins I-VI, from the aerial parts of Astragalus verrucosus were investigated by the disc diffusion method. Antimycotic activity was observed on more polar extracts, but only one saponin showed an appreciable activity.     

Antimicrobial activity of Harpullia ramiflora

The methanol extracts of Harpullia ramiflora, leaves, flowers, stem and root barks were partitioned (petrol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate). In respect to crude extracts, all fractions demonstrated broader spectrum and higher levels of antibacterial activity. The ethyl acetate fraction of the flowers exhibited the highest activity. No activity was shown against the tested moulds.