Additional pregnane glycoside from Baseonema acuminatum

The isolation of baseonemoside C (1), a new pregnane glycoside from the aerial parts of Baseonema acuminatum is reported.     

Physicochemical and kinetic characteristics of rhodanese from the liver of African catfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clarias gariepinus</Emphasis> Burchell in Asejire lake

Two forms of rhodanese were purified from the liver of Clarias gariepinus Burchell, designated catfish rhodanese I (cRHD I) and rhodanese II (cRHD II), by ion-exchange chromatography on a CM-Sepharose CL-6B column and gel filtration through a Sephadex G-75 column. The apparent molecular weight obtained for cRHD I and cRHD II was 34,500 ± 707 and 36,800 ± 283 Da, respectively. The subunit molecular weight determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 33,200 ± 283 and 35,100 ± 141 Da for cRHD I and cRHD II, respectively. Atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis revealed that cRHD II contained a high level of iron (Fe), which presumably was responsible for the brownish colour of the preparation. In contrast, no Fe was identified in cRHD I, and its preparation was colourless. Further characterization of cRHD II gave true Michaelis–Menten constant (K _m) values of 25.40 ± 1.70 and 18.60 ± 1.68 mM for KCN and Na₂S₂O₃, respectively, an optimum pH of 6.5 and an optimum temperature of 40°C. The Arrhenius plot of the effects of temperature on the reaction rate consisted of two linear segments with a break occurring at 40°C. The apparent activation energy values from these slopes were 7.3 and 72.9 kcal/mol. Inhibition studies on the cRHD II enzyme showed that the activity of the enzyme was not affected by Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, Sn²⁺, Ni²⁺ and NH₄ ⁺, but Zn²⁺ inhibited the enzyme considerably.     

Pregnane glycosides from Baseonema acuminatum

Two new pregnane glycosides, baseonemoside A and B, were isolated from the aerial parts of Baseonema acuminatum. Their structures were established as pregn-5-ene-3beta,16alpha,20(S)-triol 3-O-beta-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-digitoxopyranoside 20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-digitalopyranoside 1 and pregn-5-ene-3beta,16alpha,20(S)-triol 3-O-beta-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-cymaropyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-digitoxopyranoside 20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-digitalopyranoside 2, respectively, on the basis of spectral evidence and chemical transformation.     

Oleanene constituents of Lantana cujabensis

A new compound, 3beta,25-epoxy-3alpha-hydroxy-22beta-isobutanoyloxyolean-12-ene-28-oic acid (1), and two known triterpenoids lantanilic acid (2) and camaric acid (3) were isolated from the stem and leaves of Lantana cujabensis. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The ethanol extracts did not show significant in vitro antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine-sensitive or resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum.     

Concentrate replacement with Daniellia oliveri foliage in goat diets

Tropical Animal Health and Production - To evaluate the effect of partial replacement of a concentrate with Daniellia oliveri (DO) foliage on voluntary intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization,...     

Influence of seed position within the fruit on seedling quality and in vitro shoot tip production of jackfruit

This study reports on the influence of seed position within the fruit and shoot development on the production of jackfruit in vitro. Seeds were extracted from the different sections in the fruit and shoot tips excised from the resultant seedlings. The tips were cultured in vitro on media supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) or thidiazuron (TDZ). The seeds from the middle and basal sections of the fruit were larger and produced larger seedlings than those from the top. Seeds from the basal position took 10 days to germinate and produced seedlings 11 cm tall with four or five leaves. Partially covered and fully open shoots from 6–8 week-old seedlings performed best. The highest frequency of shoot induction (100%) and multiple shoot production (7.31 ± 1.2) with a mean length of 3.6 ± 0.13 cm was observed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 3.0 mg/L BAP. Driver and Kuniyuki (DKW), and MS media were equally effective in shoot multiplication. More than 80% of the rooted plants survived culture, indicating that this technology could be used to conserve wild germplasm.     

Soil metal pollution as a function of traffic density and distance from road in emerging cities: a case study of Abeokuta,southwestern Nigeria

The distribution of Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Mn in the soil, and related soil properties was studied in Abeokuta, southwestern Nigeria. Their soil pollution source was hypothesized to be automobile traffic. Consequently, their variations were assessed as a function of traffic density, distance from road and traffic, and soil depth. Soil samples were collected from the areas of high, medium, and low traffic densities at 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 m from roadside; at depths 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, and 80–100 cm. The potential effects of these metals on environment and agricultural activities were also assessed. Results indicated that the major sources for the metals’ contamination are emissions from vehicles. High and medium traffic volume impacted more metals of the soils. Zinc, Cu, Cd, and Cr were concentrated at depths 0–40 cm, Pb, Ni, and Mn were concentrated at 0–20 cm and appeared bound to soil organic matter (SOM). Significantly lower concentrations of metals are found at distances of 100 m and beyond. Concentrations of these metals are generally low compared with standards and their uptake by crops is not probable. However, their continuous accumulation might be a threat in the future.     

Biochar in combination with compost reduced Pb uptake and enhanced the growth of maize in lead (Pb)-contaminated soil exposed to drought stress

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Crops are constantly faced with the challenges of different abiotic stresses on the field. Development of sustainable approach for stress amelioration on...     

Evaluation of bovine rumen contents as a feed for lambs

This study evaluated effects of increasing levels of dried rumen contents (DRC) on voluntary intake, growth performance, digestibility, nutritive value, N utilization, microbial protein supply (MPS), and purine derivatives excretion (PDE) of lambs fed with Afzelia africana basal forage. Sixteen lambs (13.7?±?0.1 kg body weight (BW)) were randomly assigned to one of the four eight diets containing 0, 200, 400 and 600 g DRC/kg dry matter (DM) in a completely random design. Intakes of concentrate, DM, crude protein (CP), organic matter (OM), digestible CP (DCP), digestible OM (DOM), digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME), CP and OM digestibility, DOM, DCP, DE, ME, N intake and retention, weight gain, cost/kg BW gain, MPS and PDE increased with increasing DRC level up to 400 g/kg DRC and declined at 600 g/kg DRC (P?<?0.05; 0.01). Feed conversion ratio and DM digestibility declined as DRC level increased from 0 to 400 g/kg and peaked at 600 g/kg DRC (P?<?0.05; 0.01). Forage intake and DE/DCP ratio decreased (P?<?0.05; 0.01) progressively with increasing DRC level. Results indicate that DRC can be incorporated up to 400 g/kg in a compounded ration for sheep.     

Ageratum conyzoides L. (Asteraceae)

Ageratum conyzoides L., is an annual herb with a long history of traditional medicinal uses in many countries in the world, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions. A wide range of chemical compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, chromenes, benzofurans and terpenoids have been isolated from this species. Extracts and metabolites from this plant have been found to possess pharmacological and insecticidal activities. The comprehensive account of the chemical constituents and the biological activities are presented in this review such that the potential use of this plant either in pharmaceutics or as an agricultural resource can be evaluated.