Lipid stability of egg and laying performance of Japanese quail feed with extract of guava (Psidium guajava L.).

Two experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the effect of dietary inclusion of guava extract on laying performance and lipid stability of egg of Japanese quails. For the first experiment, 384 Japanese quails with 42 days old were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments (0.0; 3.0; 6.0; 9.0 g.kg-1 guava extract), 6 replicates, and 16 birds/replicate. The experimental period lasted 84 days, divided into 4 cycles of 21 days. The parameters evaluated were: feed consumption, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion ratio, egg weight, and egg internal and external qualities. On the second experiment, 400 eggs from Japanese quails fed with diets containing four levels of guava extract were distributed in a completely randomized design with a 4x4 factorial arrangement (guava extract levels and storage time: 0, 9, 18, 27 days) with 5 replicates. Analysis of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances was performed on egg yolks. Data were submitted to regression analysis, using α=0.05. On the first experiment, the laying performance parameters were not influenced by the inclusion of guava extract in the feed, and eggshell thickness decreased linearly. On the second experiment an interaction was observed between the studied factors, affecting lipid oxidation in egg yolks. At nine days of storage, there was a quadratic effect of levels of dietary guava extract on lipid oxidation of yolk, being observed that using 4.8 g.kg-1 of guava extract on feed results in less lipid oxidation.

In vivo assessment of cyto/genotoxic, antigenotoxic and antifungal potential of Costus spiralis (Jacq.) Roscoe leaves and stems.

Costus spiralis is a Brazilian native plant used in popular medicine, but the safety of this therapeutic use needs investigation. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cytogenotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of C. spiralis leaves or stems aqueous extracts on Allium cepa root cells. Moreover, a phytochemical screening and an antioxidant and antifungal activities evaluation were performed. C. spiralis aqueous extracts presented cytotoxicity, but no mutagenicity was observed. When the antigenotoxicity was evaluated, C. spiralis leaves aqueous extract presented preventive and modulatory effects on A. cepa root cells, reducing the sodium azide cytogenotoxic effects. In contrast, C. spiralis stems aqueous extract enhanced the sodium azide cytogenotoxicity in some conditions. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phenolic compounds in C. spiralis. When total phenolic content was determined, the leaves presented 73% more phenolic content than stems. Corroborating this data, C. spiralis leaves antioxidant potential was 30% higher than C. spiralis stems. However, these extracts did not present antifungal activity against Candida spp. In conclusion, empirical utilization of C. spiralis aqueous extracts should be avoided. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect of C. spiralis leaves and stems can play an important role in anticancer therapy and must be deeply studied.

Box-Behnken experimental design for extraction of artemisinin from Artemisia annua and validation of the assay method

ABSTRACT Obtaining artemisinin and its derivatives is very costly, which limits access to low-income people. Some hydroalcoholic extract of Artemisia annua L., Asteraceae, which has shown comparable antimalarial activity could be an alternative to the purified compound, especially if the cultivars have higher content of artemisinin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the extraction parameters (ethanol graduation, previous shaking time in an ultrasound bath and drug/solvent ratio) on the yield of artemisinin in the liquid extract obtained by percolation from A. annua and then optimize the extraction efficiency of this compound. The Box-Behnken (33) factorial design was used in association with response surface methodology. The derivatization reaction of artemisinin was used in an analytical method which was submitted to validation, after reaching the specification of the selectivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness. Detection and quantification limits were 1.3 and 4.0 µg/ml, respectively. The largest amount of this compound of interest was obtained without any ultrasound bath, with an ethanol graduation of 95% and a drug/solvent ratio of 2%. Drug/solvent ratio was the factor which most influenced extraction efficiency. The maximum range of artemisinin yield was 1.21%. Information obtained in this study can be used for future approaches to determining and extracting artemisinin from A. annua.

Utilization of dynamic light scattering to evaluate Pterodon emarginatus oleoresin-based nanoemulsion formation by non-heating and solvent-free method

Abstract Pterodon emarginatus Vogel, Fabaceae, is a great source of bioactive compounds. The most known and studied herbal derivative from this species is an ambar-colored oleoresin that contains vouacapane diterpenes and volatile terpenoids, such as β-caryophyllene. Some recent papers aimed to generate nanoemulsions using this oleoresin for biological applications. However, they used high-energy methods that elevate costs of the process or heating procedures, which offer the disadvantage of possible volatile substances loss. Thus, as part of our ongoing studies with nanobiotechnology of natural products, especially regarding preparation of nanoemulsions with promising plant-based oils by low cost and low energy methods, we decided to evaluate the ability of non-heating and solvent-free method to generate P. emarginatus oleoresin-based nanoemulsions. Two non-ionic surfactants were used to generate the nanoemulsions by a simple homogenization method with vortex stirrer. Low mean droplet size (<180 nm) and low polydispersity index (<0.200) were observed even after one day of preparation. The low coefficient of variation for the analyzed parameters of different batches and similar profile for droplet size distribution suggested reproducibility of the method. After 30 days, some degree of droplet growth was observed on nanoemulsion prepared with polyethyleneglycol 400 monooleate, while almost no alteration was observed for nanoemulsion prepared with polysorbate 85. Programmed temperature ramp analysis revealed that no major effects on droplet size and polydispersity index were observed, suggesting the robustness of formed nanoemulsions. Thus, the present study shows for the first time the formation of sucupira-based nanoemulsions by a simple, low cost and ecofriendly method. This study opens new perspectives for bioactive evaluation of this novel nano-product.

Dissolution test of herbal medicines containing Passiflora sp.

The dissolution test is an essential tool to assess the quality of herbal medicines in the solid dosage form for oral use. This work aimed to evaluate the dissolution behavior of three herbal medicines in the form of capsules and tablet containing Passiflora, produced with powder or dried extract. Assay of total flavonoids and dissolution methods were validated and obtained results allowed the quantification of flavonoids with precision, accuracy and selectivity. The percentage of total flavonoids found was 2 percent for capsule A (containing only powder), 0.97 percent for capsule B (containing only dried extract) and 5.5 percent for tablet. Although the content was lower, the release of flavonoids present in the capsule containing dried extract was 12 percent higher over 30 min, with dissolved percentage values of 87 and 75, for the capsules containing extract and powder, respectively. The tablet containing dried extract presented dissolution of 76 percent, despite the higher content of flavonoids, which may be due to pharmacotechnical problems. Obtained data demonstrated the need to implement these tests in the quality control of herbal medicines, confirming the release of the active ingredients that underlie the pharmacological action of these medicines.