Cell Culture-Based Assessment of Toxicity and Therapeutics of Phytochemical Antioxidants.

Plant-derived natural products are significant resources for drug discovery and development including appreciable potentials in preventing and managing oxidative stress, making them promising candidates in cancer and other disease therapeutics. Their effects have been linked to phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activities. The abundance and complexity of these bio-constituents highlight the need for well-defined in vitro characterization and quantification of the plant extracts/preparations that can translate to in vivo effects and hopefully to clinical use. This review article seeks to provide relevant information about the applicability of cell-based assays in assessing anti-cytotoxicity of phytochemicals considering several traditional and current methods.

Compositional Analyses and Shelf-Life Modeling of Njangsa (Ricinodendron heudelotii) Seed Oil Using the Weibull Hazard Analysis.

This study investigated the compositional characteristics and shelf-life of Njangsa seed oil (NSO). Oil from Njangsa had a high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of which alpha eleostearic acid (α-ESA), an unusual conjugated linoleic acid was the most prevalent (about 52%). Linoleic acid was also present in appreciable amounts (approximately 34%). Our investigations also indicated that the acid-catalyzed transesterification of NSO resulted in lower yields of α-ESA methyl esters, due to isomerization, a phenomenon which was not observed under basic conditions. The triacylglycerol (TAG) profile analysis showed the presence of at least 1 α-ESA fatty acid chain in more than 95% of the oil's TAGs. Shelf-life was determined by the Weibull Hazard Sensory Method, where the end of shelf-life was defined as the time at which 50% of panelists found the flavor of NSO to be unacceptable. This was determined as 21 wk. Our findings therefore support the potential commercial viability of NSO as an important source of physiologically beneficial PUFAs.