Determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) kurz by high-performance-liquid-chromatography with photodiode-array detection and tandem mass spectrometry

Corn straw lignin - A sustainable bioinspired finish for superhydrophobic and UV-protective cellulose fabric

Hydrophobic textiles have been considered extensively for self-cleaning, phase-separating, and biomedical curing applications. We focused on preparing an eco-friendly lignin-based bio-finish to develop superhydrophobic cellulose fabric under mild conditions. The mass spectroscopic analysis expressed that the lignin comprised the major constituents of p-coumaryl alcohol, ferulic acid, coniferyl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol. The surface morphological analysis indicated the formation of a regular lignin coating on the cellulose fabric. The bio-finished cellulose fabric prepared (at 2 %, w/v, lignin) expressed the maximum water contact angle (WCA) of 157.2° and remained in the hydrophobic range (119°) after ten standard washes. The treated fabric expressed the WCA values of 135.0 and 133.0° after exposure to pH 2 and 12 aqueous media, respectively. The infrared spectroscopic analysis indicated the functional chemistry of the precursors involved and possible alteration in their chemical interactions during processing. The lignin-treated cellulose was observed to be less crystalline as compared to the untreated one. Such fabric expressed acceptable comfort, sensorial properties, and thermal stability up to 333 °C. The treated fabrics could block up to 92.24 % UV-A and 98.62 % UV-B radiations. Consequently, the lignin-based finish sourced from wasted corn straw was found cost-effective and efficient for producing superhydrophobic cellulose fabric.

A Comprehensive Study on Lathyrus tuberosus L.: Insights into Phytochemical Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, Antioxidant Capacity, Cytotoxic, and Cell Migration Effects

In this study, in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and cell migration effects of phenolic compounds of Lathyrus tuberosus leaves, known in the Transylvanian ethnomedicine, were investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed for the analysis of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts. The antimicrobial properties were determined using a conventional microdilution technique. Total antioxidant capacity techniques were used using cell-free methods and cell-based investigations. Cytotoxic effects were conducted on 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and HaCaT human keratinocytes using a multiparametric method, assessing intracellular ATP, total nucleic acid, and protein levels. Cell migration was visualized by phase-contrast microscopy, employing conventional culture inserts to make cell-free areas. Together, 93 polyphenolic and monoterpenoid compounds were characterized, including flavonoid glycosides, lignans, hydroxycinnamic acid, and hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives, as well as iridoids and secoiridoids. The ethanolic extract showed high antioxidant capacity and strong antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis (MIC80 value: 354.37 ± 4.58 µg/mL) and Streptococcus pyogenes (MIC80 value: 488.89 ± 4.75 µg/mL). The abundance of phenolic compounds and the results of biological tests indicate the potential for L. tuberosus to serve as reservoirs of bioactive compounds and to be used in the development of novel nutraceuticals.

Antioxidant Polyphenols from Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. Honey: Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Lipopolysaccharide-Treated RAW 264.7 Macrophages

Although the honey produced by Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. is precious because of its medicinal value, its pharmacological mechanism is still unclear. Here, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages were analyzed using targeted and non-targeted metabolomics. Results showed that twelve polyphenols were identified in L. bicolor honey using UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. L. bicolor honey extract could scavenge the free radicals DPPH• and ABTS+ and reduce Fe3+. Furthermore, pretreatment with L. bicolor honey extract significantly decreased NO production; suppressed the expression of COX-2, IL-10, TNF-α, and iNOS; and upregulated HO-1's expression in the cells with LPS application. UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS-based metabolomics results revealed that L. bicolor honey extract could protect against inflammatory damage caused by LPS through the reduced activation of sphingolipid metabolism and necroptosis pathways. These findings demonstrate that L. bicolor honey possesses excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Optimization of the Black Garlic Processing Method and Development of Black Garlic Jam Using High-Pressure Processing

Black garlic has many beneficial effects, and it has a less spicy flavor. However, its aging conditions and related products still need to be further investigated. The present study aims to analyze the beneficial effects under different processing conditions and utilize high-pressure processing (HPP) in the production of black garlic jam. The highest antioxidant activities, including the DPPH scavenging, total antioxidant capacity, and reducing power (86.23%, 88.44%, and A₇₀₀ = 2.48, respectively), were observed in black garlic that had been aged for 30 days. Similarly, the highest total phenols and flavonoids were observed in black garlic that had been aged for 30 days (76.86 GAE/g dw and 13.28 mg RE/g dw, respectively). The reducing sugar in black garlic was significantly increased to about 380 (mg GE/g dw) after 20 days of aging. The free amino acids in black garlic were decreased time-dependently to about 0.2 mg leucine/g dw after 30 days of aging. For the browning indexes of black garlic, the uncolored intermediate and browning products were increased in a time-dependent manner and reached a plateau at day 30. Another intermediate product in the Maillard reaction, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), was observed in concentrations that increased to 1.81 and 3.04 (mg/g dw) at day 30 and 40, respectively. Furthermore, the black garlic jam made by HPP was analyzed for its texture and sensory acceptance, showing that a 1:1.5:2 ratio of black garlic/water/sugar was the most preferred and was classified as "still acceptable". Our study suggests suitable processing conditions for black garlic and outlines the prominent beneficial effects after 30 days of aging. These results could be further applied in HPP jam production and increase the diversity of black garlic products.

Karakterisasi Fisiko-Kimia Biji dan Kulit Ari Kacang Bogor Asal Jampang-Sukabumi Jawa Barat

The traditional cultivation and limited use of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) seed and coat have encouraged the development of this commodity. The aim of this research was to characterize the seed and coat of bambara groundnut from Jampang, Kab. Sukabumi, West Java. Analysis on bambara groundnut seed including proximate analysis, in vitro protein digestibility, starch content, and dietary fiber, as well as analysis on its coat including anthocyanin, total phenolic, antioxidant activity, phytic acid and tannin, were examined in this study. The results showed that bambara groundnut seed from Jampang-Sukabumi contained 16.53% proteins, 3.04% ash, 7.83% fats and 55.22% carbohydrates in dry basis (db). The carbohydrates consisted of starch 52.71% and dietary fiber 7.47% (db). The protein had an in vitro protein digestibility of 41.65% db. The purple seed coat contained of 1.51% anthocyanin, 25.85 mg/g total phenolic content (as gallic acid equivalent), antioxidant activity at 82.75% inhibition of free radical DPPH, 6.37 mg/g phytic acid, and 96.79 mg/g tannin (as tannic acid equivalent) in dry basis. The relatively high content of tannin and antioxidant activity but very low phytic acid content, make the bambara seed coat a potential source for tannin, meanwhile the bambara groundnut is potential as a nutrition source.

Substituting urea with biogas slurry and hydrothermal carbonization aqueous product could decrease NH3 volatilization and increase soil DOM in wheat growth cycle

Biogas slurry (BS) and hydrothermal carbonization aqueous products (HAP), which are rich in nitrogen (N) and dissolved organic matter (DOM), can be used as organic fertilizer to substitute inorganic N fertilizer. To evaluate the effects of co-application of BS and HAP on the ammonia (NH₃) volatilization and soil DOM content in wheat growth season, we compared six treatments that substituting 50%, 75%, and 100% of urea-N with BS plus HAP at low (L) or high (H) ratio, named BCL50, BCL75, BCL100, BCH50, BCH75, BCH100, respectively. Meanwhile, urea alone treatment was set as the control (CKU). The results showed that both BCL and BCH treatments significantly mitigate the NH₃ volatilizations by 9.1%-45.6% in comparison with CKU (P < 0.05), whose effects were correlated with soil NH₄⁺-N content. In addition, the decrease in soil urease activity contributed to the lower NH₃ volatilization following application of BS plus HAP. Notably, BS plus HAP applications increased the microbial byproduct- and humic acid-like substances in soil by 9.9%-74.5% and 100.7%-451.9%, respectively. Consequently, BS and HAP amended treatments significantly increased soil humification index and DOM content by 13.7%-41.2% and 38.4%-158.7%, respectively (P < 0.05). This study suggested that BS and HAP could be co-applied into agricultural soil as a potential alternative of inorganic fertilizer N, which can decrease NH₃ loss but increase soil fertility.

Fusion of 2DGC-MS, HPLC-MS and Sensory Data to Assist Decision-Making in the Marketing of International Monovarietal Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc Wines

Monovarietal wines produced in different wine-growing areas may have completely different sensory profiles. As a result, they may be suitable for sale in different regions, depending on local preferences. Better insight into the sensory and chemical profiles of these wines can be helpful in further optimizing commercial strategies and matching supply and demand, which is the main challenge for global wine traders. The training of dedicated sensory panels, together with the correlation of the evaluated attributes with chemical parameters, followed by validation of the obtained models, may yield an improved picture of the overall features associated with products from a specific region. Eighteen samples of international Chardonnay and eighteen samples of international Sauvignon Blanc wines were collected from nine world origins (Northern Italy, Southern Italy, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa). The overall quality judgement (OQJ) and the sensory attributes were evaluated by a panel trained with a MRATA (Modified Rate-All-That-Apply) method. Moreover, volatile compounds were analysed by HS-SPME-GC × GC-ToF/MS and the phenolic composition, including proanthocyanidins, was determined using HPLC-QqQ/MS. The processing of the data using different multivariate analysis methods, such as multiple factor analysis (MFA), was essential to gain insight into the quality of the samples. The profile of cyclic and non-cyclic oligomeric proanthocyanidins was found to be substantially dependent on the grape variety used in the wines (varietal markers), despite the country of origin of the wine influencing it to a limited extent. The results from the same samples analysed by a sensory panel from Germany and ours were qualitatively compared, highlighting the presence of potential factors inherent to the panels themselves that could influence the different judgments and quality classification of the wines. Consequently, the combination of sensory and chemical analysis, by means of the application of multivariate statistical methods presented in this study proves to be a powerful tool for a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the quality of the wines under investigation. Overall quality was described as a combination of the sensory attributes, according to the perception process. The attributes were in turn described based on the chemical profiles, which were determined independently by analytical techniques. Eventually, this approach can be very useful not only for basic research on wine quality but also as a tool to aid business-related decision-making activities of wineries and wine traders and to create models that can aid the refinement of marketing strategies.

Antioxidant and Anticancer Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Rhinacanthus nasutus Cell Suspension Culture

The potential benefits of natural plant extracts have received attention in recent years, encouraging the development of natural products that effectively treat various diseases. This is the first report on establishing callus and cell suspension cultures of Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz. A yellow friable callus was successfully induced from in vitro leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 1 mg/L 1-naphthalene acetic acid. A selected friable callus line was used to establish the cell suspension culture with the same medium. The antioxidant assays showed that the leaf- and ethanolic-suspension-cultured cell (SCC) extracts exhibited high antioxidant potential. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity revealed by the MTT assay demonstrated potent antiproliferative effects against the oral cancer cell lines ORL-48 and ORL-136 in a dose-dependent manner. Several groups of compounds, including terpenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, quinones, and stilbenes, were identified by UHPLC–QToF–MS, with the same compounds detected in leaf and SCC extracts, including austroinulin, lucidenic acid, esculetin, embelin, and quercetin 3-(2″-p-hydroxybenzoyl-4″-p-coumarylrhamnoside). The present study suggests the value of further investigations for phytochemical production using R. nasutus cell suspension culture.

MS-FINDER Assisted in Understanding the Profile of Flavonoids in Temporal Dimension during the Fermentation of Pu-erh Tea

Flavonoid represents a significant class of secondary metabolites in Pu-erh tea with benefits to human health. For a rapid and complete discovery of such compounds, we established a data mining workflow that integrates software MS-DIAL, MS-FINDER, and molecular networking analysis. As a result, 181 flavonoids were tentatively annotated including 22 first found in Pu-erh tea, and two of them were potentially new molecules. The dynamic alteration of these flavonoids during Pu-erh fermentation was further investigated. They all showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Moreover, statistical analysis showed that the first to third pile turnings of the fermentation process had a greater impact on the changes of flavonoids. Partial metabolic pathways were proposed. This study provides a quick and automatic strategy for flavonoid profiling. The temporal dimension of flavonoids during fermentation may serve as a theoretical basis for Pu-erh tea manufacturing technology and study on substance foundation.

Polyphenolic composition and antioxidant potential of underutilized Himalayan wild edible berries by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The Himalayan wild berries Myrica esculenta, Duchesnea indica, Prunus cerasoides, and Berberis lycium were studied for the first time for polyphenolic compositions using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The chemical analysis of extracts resulted in the identification of 69 polyphenols, including 11 anthocyanins, 28 phenolic acids, 19 flavanoids, 10 ellagitannins, and 1 dihydrochalcone. The caffeoylquinic acids, quercetin, kaempferol, and cyanidin are the common moieties in studied wild berries. In addition, seven phenolic compounds, that is, gallic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, ferulic acid, quercetin, and myricetin were quantified. Among anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside was the majorly quantified anthocyanin that ranged from 2.52 to 6.18% followed by delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (0.6%-5.53%). The samples were assessed for total phenolics, total anthocyanin content, and antioxidant potential. The results showed that M. esculenta and B. lycium had the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin content and exhibited promising antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ of 32.100 ± 0.42 and 48.44 ± 0.46 μg/mL, respectively. Principal component analysis was able to clearly differentiate between four underutilized Himalayan wild edible berries. The wide variability of polyphenolic constituents supports the consumption of these berries not only to achieve the nutrient requirements among local people but also as promising sources of antioxidants for the food industry.

Effect of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaf Tea on Sexual Behavior and Reproductive Function in Male Rats

Moringa oleifera Lam. (M. oleifera) has been called the "miracle tree" due to its attributes for therapy in various diseases. However, M. oleifera studies on the male reproductive system have been limited. The aim of this study was a phytochemical screening and investigation of the effects of M. oleifera leaf tea on sexual behavior, reproductive function and antioxidant activities. Male rats were fed with M. oleifera leaf tea extract at doses of 0.55, 1.10 and 2.20 mg/kg or distilled water for 30 days. The result showed that M. oleifera leaf tea contained rich total phenols and flavonoids. The courtship behavior, seminiferous tubule diameter, epithelium height, epithelium area, type A spermatogonia, and spermatogonia efficiency were significantly increased in all treatment groups. The groups treated with 1.10 and 2.20 mg/kg increased the number of Sertoli cells. The total of spermatogenic cells increased in the group treated with 0.55 mg/kg. M. oleifera leaf tea scavenged DPPH radical, ABTS radical and H₂O₂, and inhibited LPO and AGEs formation. Due to M. oleifera leaf tea containing rich total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants, it could enhance sexual function and the male reproductive system.

Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Sperm Viability of Nelumbo nucifera Petal Extracts

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.; N. nucifera) is a common ingredient in traditional medicine and Thai recipes. Its petal is an agricultural waste from stamen production. There are limitations in the used and pharmacological data of the petals resulting in more petals waste. The aims of this study were to investigate the phytochemical contents, antioxidant activity, and potential effects on sperm viability of aqueous (NAE) and ethanolic extracts (NEE) of both red and white N. nucifera petals. The white NAE had the highest total phenolics content, total tannins content and maximal antioxidant activity. The white NEE had the highest concentration of total flavonoids. Quercetin was a major flavonoid and was found in the aqueous extracts. Both red and white of NAE in the range of 0.22 to 1.76 mg/mL increased sperm viability. The white NAE was prominent in phytochemical content, antioxidant activity, and both red and white NAE effectively increased rat sperm viability in the in vitro model. The white NAE enhanced sperm viability by decreasing oxidative stress. It might be suggested that the N. nucifera petals have benefits for sperm viability health promotion and may increase the economic value of agricultural waste.

Preparation of Sn/Fe nanoparticles for Cr (III) detection in presence of leucine, photocatalytic and antibacterial activities

In this project, Sn-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles were prepared by a facile method. The bimetallic nanoparticles of it could be well established by a field emission scanning electron microscope micrographs. Due to the excellent synergistic influence between Sn-Fe nanoparticles and leucine indicated a great performance for determination of Cr³⁺. The material was characterized using the XRD, DLS, and zetasizer for theevaluation of crystal structure and morphologyinformation.The potential and effective size of Sn-Fe NPs was -29.10 mV and 30 nm, respectively. Cr³⁺ ions interaction with the Sn-Fe NPs-leucine probe was carried out in 1 min as response time. The limit of detection of Sn-Fe NPs for Cr(III) colorimetric method was 0.25 nM. The prepared nanoparticles showed impressive photocatalysis efficiency for degradation of MO was about 95.1% in 35 min, thus the prepared nanoparticles may be developed for the detoxification of pollution. The prepared nanoparticles depicted effective antibacterial activity againstC. botulinum and, H. pylori bacteria.

Facile synthesis of gold-silver/copper sulfide nanoparticles for the selective/sensitive detection of chromium, photochemical and bactericidal application

In this project, bimetallic Au-Agnanoparticles/CuS nanoparticles were prepared via simple hydrothermal methods, which were used as highly efficient material for Cr (III) detection, photocatalytic, and biological process. The Au-Ag/CuS nanoparticles was studied via UV-visible spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Dynamic light scattering, and X-ray diffraction. The zeta potential and effective size of Au-Ag/CuS nanoparticles was -32.1 mV and 25 nm respectively. The response time of Cr (III) ions interaction was 2 min. The lowest detection of Cr (III) by Au-Ag/CuS nanoparticles was 0.5 nM. The Au-Ag/CuS nano catalyst was applied to decomposition of drug under visible lamp irradiation. The photo degradation response of drug was 100.0% in 30 min irradiation. The particles exhibited excellent antibacterial activities.

Simultaneous determination of total phenolic acids and total flavonoids in tea and honey samples using an integrated lab on a chip device

A microfluidic device for simultaneous analysis of total flavonoids and total phenolic acids is presented for the first time. The process was based on the utilization of magnetic zinc-imidazole frameworks (ZIF-4), as a highly efficient media for on-line separation of phenolic acids and flavonoids, which were subsequently detected by a sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method. Acrylate-based polymeric microchips containing a separation column (12.5 mm length, 3 mm width and 1 mm depth) were fabricated using a 3D-printer, and magnetic ZIF-4 was fixed into the column. The high porosity of the magnetic ZIF-4 made it a suitable adsorbent, guaranteeing an effective separation. The detection limits were in the range of 0.04-0.10 µg mL^-1 with relative standard deviation values of (2.19-4.38%). The system was successfully applied for the analysis of flavonoids and phenolic acids in tea and honey samples. The recovery was from 95.4 to 104.1%, indicating a good accuracy of the developed method.

Water Extract of Cryphaea heteromalla (Hedw.) D. Mohr Bryophyte as a Natural Powerful Source of Biologically Active Compounds

Bryophytes comprise of the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Cryphaea heteromalla, (Hedw.) D. Mohr, is a non-vascular lower plant belonging to mosses group. To the date, the most chemically characterized species belong to the liverworts, while only 3.2% and 8.8% of the species belonging to the mosses and hornworts, respectively, have been investigated. In this work, we present Folin-Ciocalteu and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) data related to crude extracts of C. heteromalla obtained by three different extraction solvents: pure water (WT), methanol:water (80:20 v/v) (MET), and ethanol:water (80:20 v/v) (ETH). The water extract proved to be the best solvent showing the highest content of biophenols and the highest ORAC value. The C. heteromalla-WT extract was investigated by HPLC-TOF/MS (High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Time of Flight/Mass Spectrometry) allowing for the detection of 14 compounds, five of which were phenolic compounds, derivatives of benzoic, caffeic, and coumaric acids. Moreover, the C. heteromalla WT extract showed a protective effect against reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH) on the murine NIH-3T3 fibroblast cell line.

Use of Lipid Nanocarriers to Improve Oral Delivery of Vitamins

The chemical environment and enzymes in the gastrointestinal (GI) membrane limit the oral absorption of some vitamins. The GI epithelium also contributes to the poor permeability of numerous antioxidant agents. Thus, lipophilic vitamins do not readily dissolve in the GI tract, and therefore they have low bioavailability. Nanomedicine has the potential to improve the delivery efficiency of oral vitamins. In particular, the use of lipid nanocarriers for certain vitamins that are administered orally can provide improved solubility, chemical stability, epithelium permeability and bioavailability, half-life, nidus targeting, and fewer adverse effects. These lipid nanocarriers include self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDSs), nanoemulsions, microemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). The use of nontoxic excipients and sophisticated material engineering of lipid nanosystems allows for control of the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles and improved GI permeation via mucosal or lymphatic transport. In this review, we highlight recent progress in the development of lipid nanocarriers for vitamin delivery. In addition, the same lipid nanocarriers used for vitamins may also be effective as carriers of vitamin derivatives, and therefore enhance their oral bioavailability. One example is the incorporation of d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) as the emulsifier in lipid nanocarriers to increase the solubility and inhibit P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux. We also survey the concepts and discuss the mechanisms of nanomedical techniques that are used to develop vitamin-loaded nanocarriers.

Evaluation of the toxicity and anti-inflammatory activities of the infusion of leaves of Campomanesia guazumifolia (Cambess.) O. Berg

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Some species of Campomanesia are used in the folk medicine due to anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, anti-diabetes and hypercholesterolemic. However studies with Campomanesia guazumifolia (Cambess.) O. Berg. are scarce.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory activity and toxicological profile of infusion obtained from leaves of Campomanesia guazumifolia in mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Leaves infusion of C. guazumifolia was obtained in the proportion of 20 g/L (leaves/water) at 95-100 °C for 10 min in an enclosed container. The acute toxicity of the leaves infusion of C. guazumifolia lyophilized (ICG) was assessed by oral administration to female mice at doses of 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 mg/kg, and the general behavior and toxic symptoms were observed for 14 days. In the subacute toxicity model, female mice were treated orally with the ICG (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) during 28 days, and biochemical, toxic signs and the estrous cycle were evaluated. The anti-inflammatory activity of the ICG (70, 300 and 700 mg/kg) was analyzed using carrageenan-induced pleurisy and inflammatory paw (mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia).

RESULTS

Three flavonoids glycosylated and a cyclohexanecarboxylic acid were identified in the ICG: quercetin pentose, quercetin deoxyhexoside, myricetin deoxyhexoside and quinic acid. No clinical signs of acute toxicity were observed, suggesting that the LD₅₀ (Lethal Dose) is above 5000 mg/kg. Subacute exposure of mice to the ICG did not change significantly the hematological and biochemical parameters as well as histology of organs. The ICG increased the duration of estrous cycle in all phases, showing anti-inflammatory potential by decreasing leukocyte migration, extravasation protein in the pleural cavity and antiedematogenic activity. The ICG treatment at a dose of 700 mg/kg decreased the mechanical hyperalgesia, while at doses of 300 mg/kg and 700 mg/kg, decreased the sensitivity to the cold.

CONCLUSION

The results evidenced the anti-inflammatory potential with low toxicity of infusion of the leaves of C. guazumifolia, supporting the popular use of this species.

Utilization of Microemulsions from Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz to Improve Carotenoid Bioavailability

Carotenoids have been known to reduce the risk of several diseases including cancer and cardiovascular. However, carotenoids are unstable and susceptible to degradation. Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz (R. nasutus), a Chinese medicinal herb rich in carotenoids, was reported to possess vital biological activities such as anti-cancer. This study intends to isolate carotenoids from R. nasutus by column chromatography, identify and quantify by HPLC-MS, and prepare carotenoid microemulsions for determination of absolute bioavailability in rats. Initially, carotenoid fraction was isolated using 250 mL ethyl acetate poured into an open-column packed with magnesium oxide-diatomaceous earth (1:3, w/w). Fourteen carotenoids including internal standard β-apo-8'-carotenal were resolved within 62 min by a YMC C30 column and gradient mobile phase of methanol-acetonitrile-water (82:14:4, v/v/v) and methylene chloride. Highly stable carotenoid microemulsions were prepared using a mixture of Capryol(TM)90, Transcutol®HP, Tween 80 and deionized water, with the mean particle being 10.4 nm for oral administration and 10.7 nm for intravenous injection. Pharmacokinetic study revealed that the absolute bioavailability of carotenoids in microemulsions and dispersion was 0.45% and 0.11%, respectively, while a much higher value of 6.25% and 1.57% were shown for lutein, demonstrating 4-fold enhancement in bioavailability upon incorporation of R. nasutus carotenoids into a microemulsion system.