In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of neorogioltriol, a new diterpene extracted from the red algae Laurencia glandulifera

Neorogioltriol is a tricyclic brominated diterpenoid isolated from the organic extract of the red algae Laurencia glandulifera. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects of neorogioltriol were evaluated both in vivo using carrageenan-induced paw edema and in vitro on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated Raw264.7 macrophages. The in vivo study demonstrated that the administration of 1 mg/kg of neorogioltriol resulted in the significant reduction of carregeenan-induced rat edema. In vitro, our results show that neorogioltriol treatment decreased the luciferase activity in LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells, stably transfected with the NF-κB-dependent luciferase reporter. This effect on NF-κB activation is not mediated through MAPK pathways. The inhibition of NF-κB activity correlates with decreased levels of LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) present in neorogioltriol treated supernatant cell culture. Further analyses indicated that this product also significantly inhibited the release of nitric oxide and the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells. These latter effects could only be observed for neorogioltriol concentrations below 62.5 μM. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a molecule derived from Laurencia glandulifera with anti-inflammatory activity both in vivo and in vitro. The effect demonstrated in vitro may be explained by the inhibition of the LPS-induced NF-κB activation and TNFα production. NO release and COX-2 expression may reinforce this effect.     

The role of NGOs in improving social forestry practice: Do they promote livelihood, sustainability and optimal land use in Bangladesh?

The encroachment rate in forests in Bangladesh is high and increasing — accelerated by rural poverty and the demand for dwelling space and forest products — causing environmental degradation as well as loss of forest cover and productivity. The forests are managed by the Forest Department, although a substantial area of marginal land belongs to other semi-public agencies including Roads and Highways and the Water Development Board. This marginal land has been left unused or underutilized. In contrast, nongovernmental organizations have an appropriate accessibility and technology disseminating ability to utilize this land in reducing poverty and enhancing rural livelihood, and have been highly active and successful in rehabilitating encroached forests. NGOs have added a new dimension to forest management, which has ensured community participation and protection of the forests, both planted and natural. This study evaluates the social forestry activities of four large NGOs, namely BRAC, Proshika, Caritas and CARE-Bangladesh, as well as national social forestry activities. By adopting a common partnership between public and private authority, property right conflicts have been resolved and rural livelihoods enhanced, and scope has been created for utilizing marginal land. The NGO partnership has been effective in reducing poverty and improving livelihoods. As an outcome of this common partnership, 33,472 km of roadside planting and 53,430 ha of reforestation activities have been carried out during the last two decades.     

Socio-economic factors affecting the income of small-scale agroforestry farms in hill country areas in Yemen: A comparison of OLS and WLS determinants

Yemen is a less-developed country in the Arabian Peninsula, with only 3% arable land. An agroforestry land-use system has been practiced traditionally by small-scale farmers, but is associated with low productivity and income. A study has been undertaken to determine the socio-economic attributes of farmers that influence the financial performance of agroforestry and non-agroforestry farms in the Bura’a Mountain region. A survey was conducted of 150 farmers involved in both agroforestry and non-agroforestry. Both OLS and WLS regression were applied, and coefficients compared in terms of consistency and goodness of fit. Incomes of farmers were found to be influenced by education, area of land, livestock holding, family size, and whether coffee is grown, but not farmer’s age. The WLS method produced efficient and consistent results, whereas OLS regression was affected by the heteroscedasticity. The findings of the study indicate that the farmers of the study area are in need of financial and technical support from government to increase their income. Infrastructural development and public intervention in developing farmers’ technical know-how could enhance production and ensure the optimum use of land as well as soil and water conservation.     

Field study of the relative susceptibility of eleven potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties and the efficacy of two fungicides against Rhizoctonia solani attack

Rhizoctonia black scurf is an economically important disease of potatoes in Tunisia and around the world. It reduces the quality and yield of potatoes and has become an important impediment for export of potatoes, especially to Europe. The information on comparative susceptibility of potato cultivars will help the growers make informed decisions regarding the management of this disease. The eleven potato cultivars used in this study showed a range of susceptibility reactions to Rhizoctonia solani but none of these was completely resistant to the disease. The Spunta variety showed the least percentage of infection of progeny tubers by R. solani sclerotia at harvest, while the varieties Nicola, Santana, Labadia, Liseta and Tango showed a high percentage of infection of progeny tubers. Seed treatment using fungicides, presently registered in Tunisia, are not effective in controlling the disease to growers’ satisfaction. Field experiments conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two newly introduced fungicides pencycuron (Monceren^®) and azoxystrobin (Amistar^®) showed that they were effective for the control of the disease. Seed potatoes treatment and in-furrow application of azoxystrobin consistently provided superior protection in two years of experimentation.     

Feed intake, nutrient digestibility and ruminal fermentation activities in sheep-fed peanut hulls treated with Trichoderma viride or urea

This study aimed to assess impacts of fungal treatment on the nutritional value of peanut hulls (PH) or urea at the rate of 5 kg/100 g of PH. Fermented sugar beet pulp inoculated with Trichoderma viride was supplemented to PH at rates of 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 g/100 g air dry of PH and mixed well before aerobic incubation for 21 days. Organic matter (OM) content of PH declined with increased levels of fermented sugar beet pulp inoculums, while crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and ash increased. Fiber contents were decreased with both treatments of fermented sugar beet pulp and urea. Total N of PH increased with urea treatment, which reduced the true protein N to total protein N ratio. In sacco degradabilities of dry matter (DM), OM, and CP with urea treatment increased compared with fungal treatment. The DM intake of peanut hulls treated with fungus (PHF) was higher (P?<?0.05) than with peanut hulls treated with urea (PHU). Digestibility of OM, CP, neutral detergent fiber, and non-fiber carbohydrate by native breed Ossimi sheep with PH were higher (P?<?0.05) than with PH or urea treated PH. The intakes, losses, and balance of N increased (P?<?0.01) with PHF versus PH feeding. Feeding PHF increased (P?<?0.01) ruminal concentrations of NH₃-N, acetic acid, butyric acid, and the acetic to propionic acid ratio. Bacterial and protozoal counts increased (P?<?0.05) with feeding PHF or PHU versus PH. Overall, this fungal treatment of peanut hulls created a higher nutritive value feed for ruminants.     

The effect of ZnSO4 and KNO3 on quantitative and qualitative properties of Punica granatum L.

Abstract

We investigated the effect of foliar application of potassium nitrate (KNO₃) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄) on the fruit quality of pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv. Malas-E–Torsh in Saveh). Potassium was applied as KNO₃ at concentrations of 0%, 0.25%, and 0.5% and zinc was applied as ZnSO₄ at concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, and 1% in a completely randomized block design. To determine the effect of the treatments on fruit quality, we measured fruit weight, peel thickness, aril diameter, phenol content of the juice, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and antioxidant capacity. Foliar application of KNO₃ significantly increased fruit weight, 100 aril weight, peel weight, peel thickness, TTS, and antioxidant capacity. In contrast, pH, TA, TSS/TA, and phenol content of the juice were not influenced by foliar application of KNO₃. ZnSO₄ significantly increased fruit weight, aril diameter, and phenol content of the juice. KNO₃ 1% and ZnSO₄ 0.5% were identified as the most appropriate treatments in improving quality and quantity of pomegranate. The fatty acid profile of the pomegranate oil was primarily composed of punicic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid.     

The effect of participatory forest management on the livelihood and poverty of settlers in a rehabilitation program of degraded forest in Bangladesh

The sal forest is the only plainland forest in Bangladesh, and is of national economic and environmental importance. High population and ever increasing poverty has stimulated exploitation of the forest alarmingly and brought it near extinction. In facing this situation, the Bangladesh Forest Department implemented a participatory management approach, involving the householders living in and around the forests, for forest maintenance and protection. This study examines the effectiveness of practicing participatory forestry on the settlers’ livelihood in the encorached area of the sal forest. The settlers were given degraded and encroached forest land through the program. Two major social forestry models — namely agroforestry and woodlots — are included in the study. Participation in the resettlement increased household income, employment opportunities and financial and non-land assets. It was found that the participatory management regime could attain the sustainability of the forest and accelerate the standard of settlers’ livelihood, hence the program is an efficient management option towards sustainability of the forest resources. These findings suggest that there is a role for extending the approach to rehabilitate other degraded and encroached forest lands in Bangladesh.