Anti-inflammatory activities of cucurbitacin E isolated from Citrullus lanatus var. citroides: role of reactive nitrogen species and cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibition

The in vivo and in vitro mechanistic anti-inflammatory actions of cucurbitacin E (CE) (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) were examined. The results showed that LPS/INF-γ increased NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages, whereas L-NAME and CE curtailed it. CE did not reveal any cytotoxicity on RAW264.7 and WRL-68 cells. CE inhibited both COX enzymes with more selectivity toward COX-2. Intraperitoneal injection of CE significantly suppressed carrageenan-induced rat's paw edema. ORAC and FRAP assays showed that CE is not a potent ROS scavenger. It could be concluded that CE is potentially useful in treating inflammation through the inhibition of COX and RNS but not ROS.     

Elasticity, microstructure and thermal stability of foliage and fruit fibres from four tropical crops

A comparative analysis of the elasticity, microstructure and thermal stability of fibres (thickness ranging from 43.4 to 189.4 µm) isolated from pineapple leaves (PALF), coconut coir (COIR), banana leaf-stem (BAN) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) reported in this study. Statistical analysis of the mechanical properties derived from tensile test to rupture reveals significant differences (P<0.05) in the fibre strength (σ), stiffness (E) and extensibility (parameterized by the strain to rupture, ?). It is observed that COIR fibres yield the smallest strength, σ (=99.8±22.5 MPa), and stiffness, E (= 0.5±0.1 GPa), while PALF fibres yield the largest σ (=639.5±301.6 MPa) and E (=7.1±3.1 GPa); PALF fibres exhibit the smallest ? (=0.11±0.03) but OPEFB fibres yield the largest ? (=2.0±1.3). From scanning electron micrographs, it is observed that cellulose fibril rupture predominates in OPEFB, COIR and BAN fibres; a large proportion of the cellulose fibrils fail by pullout in PALF fibres. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that all fibres are thermally stable up to 250 °C; the fibre residue ranges from 30 to 80 wt% after heating to 500 °C. In particular, BAN experiences the highest weight loss and PALF experiences the lowest weight loss. The findings lend to a simple approach for determining the performance of the composites by assessing the type of natural fibres for reinforcing polymeric matrices.     

Status of giant clam resources around Okinawa‐jima Island,Ryukyu Archipelago,Japan

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