Novel method for isolation of major phenolic constituents from cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) nut shell liquid

Commercially available cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) nut shell liquid (CNSL) mainly contains the phenolic constituents anacardic acid, cardol, and cardanol. These phenolic constituents are themselves heterogeneous, and each of them contains saturated, monoene, diene, and trienes in the fifteen-carbon side chain. This communication describes the separation of anacardic acid, cardol, and cardanol for industrial application. Anacardic acid was selectively isolated as calcium anacardate. The acid-free CNSL was treated with liquor ammonia and extracted with hexane/ethyl acetate (98:2) to separate the mono phenolic component, cardanol. Subsequently, ammonia solution was extracted with ethyl acetate/hexane (80:20) to obtain cardol.     

Volatile constituents from Cinnamomum zeylanicum fruit stalks and their antioxidant activities

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume is an important spice and aromatic crop having wide applications in flavoring, perfumery, beverages, and medicines. The steam-distilled volatile oil from cinnamon fruit stalks was analyzed with GC and GC-MS. It showed the presence of hydrocarbons (44.7%) and oxygenated compounds (52.6%). Twenty-seven compounds constituting ca. 95.98% of the volatile oil were characterized. (E)-Cinnamyl acetate (36.59%) and (E)-caryophyllene (22.36%) are found to be major compounds. The volatile oil was screened for its potential as an antioxidant by using in vitro models, such as the beta-carotene-linoleate and phosphomolybdenum complex method. The volatile oil showed 55.94% and 66.9% antioxidant activity at 100 and 200 ppm concentration, respectively. Also, the volatile oil showed good antioxidant capacity, using the formation of the phosphomolybdenum complex. A comparison of the chemical composition of the volatile oil was made with that of buds, flowers, and fruits. This is the first report on the chemical composition of volatile oil of the fruit stalks of this species and its antioxidant activity.     

The effect of surface growth of blue-green algae and bryophytes on some microbiological,biochemical, and physical soil properties

Summary The influence of surface growth of inoculated cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) on subsurface properties of a brown earth, silt loam soil was studied in reconstituted flooded soil columns. One blue-green algae species, Nostoc muscorum, become dominant within the first 7 days of inoculation. In light control columns (not inoculated) a bryophyte, Barbula recurvirostra, was dominant although significant growth of indigenous blue-green algae occurred. The blue-green algae counts were in the range of 1×10⁶ g^-1 dry soil in the surface layer (0–0.7 cm) in both columns. Any effect of surface phototrophic growth on soil properties was restricted to the surface layer. In inoculated columns there was a twofold increase in microbial biomass and an eightfold increase in bacterial numbers by week 13. However, bacterial numbers declined so that there was only a 2.8-fold increase by week 21. Dehydrogenase (x2.1), urease (x2.8) and phosphatase (x3.1) activities and polysaccharides (+69%) increased by week 21 as a result of the blue-green algae inoculation along with a significant improvement in soil aggregation. However, similar increases occurred in the light control columns, indicating that given appropriate conditions of light and moisture indigenous species may be ultimately as effective as introduced species in bringing about biochemical and microbiological changes to soil.     

Acylated and non-acylated flavonol monoglycosides from the Indian minor spice Nagkesar (Mammea longifolia)

A methanol extract of nagkesar (buds of Mammea longifolia), which showed strong radical scavenging activity, yielded 13 compounds by separations using column chromatography and HPLC. Structure elucidation of these compounds was achieved by (1)H and (13)C NMR, including DQF-COSY, TOCSY, DEPT, HMQC, HSQC, and HMBC. They include two new compounds, quercetin 3-O-(2' ',4' 'di-E-p-coumaroyl)-alpha-L-rhamno-pyranoside and quercetin 3-O-(3' ',4' '-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, along with known compounds kaempferol, quercetin, the isopropylidenedioxy derivative of shikimic acid, kaempferol 3-O-(2' ',4' '-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-(3' ',4' '-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, shikimic acid, kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and beta-sitosterol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside.     

Toxic effects of two organophosphate insecticides,monocrotophos and dichlorvos to common earthworm Lampito Mauritii (Kinberg)

The lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ 96 h^?1) were measured experimentally by exposing the earthworms (Lampito mauritii) in moist vermiculite and in water. The morphological changes observed during the exposure of animals to the monocrotophos and dichlorvos were outlined. The mortality rate was higher in the water medium than in moist vermiculite. The hyperactivity at low pesticide concentrations is found to influence the size of the population.     

Synthesis of sildenafil analogues from anacardic acid and their phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition

Anacardic acid (6-pentadecylsalicylic acid), a major component of cashew nut shell liquid, consists of a heterogeneous mixture of monoenes, dienes, and trienes. The enes mixture of anacardic acid was hydrogenated to a saturated compound. Using saturated anacardic acid as a starting material, analogues of sildenafil [a potent phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE(5)) inhibitor and an orally active drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction] were synthesized, to observe the effect of the pentadecyl side chain on PDE(5) inhibition. The synthesized compounds were characterized by spectral studies and tested for PDE(5) inhibition, and the results were compared with those obtained with sildenafil.     

喷灌均匀系数对冬小麦需水规律的影响

利用田间试验研究了不同喷灌均匀系数条件下的冬小麦耗水规律及喷灌蒸发漂移损失。试验设置低、中、高喷灌均匀系数处理,喷灌均匀系数的变化范围为62%～82%。试验结果表明,在北京地区冬小麦生育期内,喷洒水利用系数的变化范围为0.64～0.86,利用系数随喷灌均匀系数的增大而增大,随风速的增大而降低。低均匀系数处理的冬小麦耗水量高于高均匀系数处理。试验结果还表明,在所研究的喷灌均匀系数范围内,均匀系数对产量的影响不明显。     

Development and validation of numerical indexes integrating enzyme activities of soils

Three numerical indexes, based on soil enzyme activities, which can discriminate between altered and unaltered soils, are presented and validated. Seven enzymes were measured at three different agricultural sites subjected to contamination by municipal and industrial wastes (site 1), intensive cultivation without either crop rotation or organic fertilization (site 2), and irrigation with brackish water (site 3). At each site neighbouring, unaltered soils were sampled and analysed as control soils.The three indexes were developed by means of canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) using data from two sites, while the third site was kept aside as an independent test. The first index is built up using all of the enzyme activities studied; the second, using the most discriminating enzyme activities only; and the third was developed for testing against data in published papers that deal with enzyme measurements in soils under different management regimes.The three indexes were able to discriminate between altered and control soils when applied to the data set from the third site, i.e., that not used for index development. When tested against published data, the third index was usually able to discriminate altered soils from controls by higher index scores. This index was successful in most cases: it was consistently able to classify soils according to their reported degree of alteration. Our results confirm that enzyme activities are suitable indicators of soil alteration and may be usefully integrated to develop soil alteration indexes suitable for monitoring soil status under different conditions.