Bioassay-Guided Fractionation of Pittosporum angustifolium and Terminalia ferdinandiana with Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy Exploratory Study.

Bioprospecting native Australian plants offers the potential discovery of latent and novel bioactive compounds. The promising cytotoxic and antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of Pittosporum angustifolium and Terminalia ferdinandiana led to further fractionation and isolation using our laboratory's bioassay-guided fractionation protocol. Hence, the aim of this study was to further evaluate the bioactivity of the fractions and subfractions and characterize bioactive compounds using liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography MS (GC-MS). Compounds tentatively identified in P. angustifolium Fraction 1 using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS were chlorogenic acid and/or neochlorogenic acid, bergapten, berberine, 8'-epitanegool and rosmarinic acid. GC-MS analysis data showed the presence of around 100 compounds, mainly comprising carboxylic acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, amino acids and monoalkylglycerols. Furthermore, the fractions obtained from T. ferdinandiana flesh extracts showed no cytotoxicity, except against HT29 cell lines, and only Fraction 2 exhibited some antibacterial activity. The reduced bioactivity observed in the T. ferdinandiana fractions could be attributed to the potential loss of synergy as compounds become separated within the fractions. As a result, the further fractionation and separation of compounds in these samples was not pursued. However, additional dose-dependent studies are warranted to validate the bioactivity of T. ferdinandiana flesh fractions, particularly since this is an understudied species. Moreover, LC-MS/GC-MS studies confirm the presence of bioactive compounds in P. angustifolium Fraction 1/subfractions, which helps to explain the significant acute anticancer activity of this plant. The screening process designed in this study has the potential to pave the way for developing scientifically validated phytochemical/bioactivity information on ethnomedicinal plants, thereby facilitating further bioprospecting efforts and supporting the discovery of novel drugs in modern medicine.

The Use of Infrared Spectroscopy for the Quantification of Bioactive Compounds in Food: A Review.

Infrared spectroscopy (wavelengths ranging from 750-25,000 nm) offers a rapid means of assessing the chemical composition of a wide range of sample types, both for qualitative and quantitative analyses. Its use in the food industry has increased significantly over the past five decades and it is now an accepted analytical technique for the routine analysis of certain analytes. Furthermore, it is commonly used for routine screening and quality control purposes in numerous industry settings, albeit not typically for the analysis of bioactive compounds. Using the Scopus database, a systematic search of literature of the five years between 2016 and 2020 identified 45 studies using near-infrared and 17 studies using mid-infrared spectroscopy for the quantification of bioactive compounds in food products. The most common bioactive compounds assessed were polyphenols, anthocyanins, carotenoids and ascorbic acid. Numerous factors affect the accuracy of the developed model, including the analyte class and concentration, matrix type, instrument geometry, wavelength selection and spectral processing/pre-processing methods. Additionally, only a few studies were validated on independently sourced samples. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate some promise of infrared spectroscopy for the rapid estimation of a wide range of bioactive compounds in food matrices.

Bioassay Guided Fractionation Protocol for Determining Novel Active Compounds in Selected Australian Flora.

A large variety of unique and distinct flora of Australia have developed exceptional survival methods and phytochemicals and hence may provide a significant avenue for new drug discovery. This study proposes a bioassay guided fractionation protocol that maybe robust and efficient in screening plants with potential bioactive properties and isolating lead novel compounds. Hence, five native Australian plants were selected for this screening process, namely Pittosporum angustifolium (Gumbi gumbi), Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum, seeds (KPS), and flesh (KPF)), Cupaniopsis anacardioides (Tuckeroo, seeds (TKS) and flesh (TKF)), Podocarpus elatus (Illawarra plum, seeds (IPS) and flesh (IPF)) and Pleiogynium timoriense (Burdekin plum, seeds (BPS) and flesh (BPF)). The methanolic extracts of the plants samples were analysed for Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity measure by FRAP. The highest values were found in the KPF which were 12,442 ± 1355 mg GAE/ 100 g TPC and 16,670 ± 2275 mg TXE/100 g antioxidant capacity. Extracts of GGL was deemed to be most potent with complete cell inhibition in HeLa and HT29, and about 95% inhibition in HuH7 cells. Comparative activity was also seen for KPS extract, where more than 80% cell inhibition occurred in all tested cell lines. Dose-dependent studies showed higher SI values (0.72-1.02) in KPS extracts than GGL (0.5-0.73). Microbial assays of the crude extracts were also performed against five bacterial strains commonly associated with causing food poisoning diseases were selected (Gram positive-Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negative-Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria). KPF extracts were effective in suppressing microbial growth of all tested bacterial strains except for P. aeruginosa, while TKS and TKF were only slightly effective against S. aureus. Due to the potential of the GGL crude extract to completely inhibit the cells compared to KPS, it was further fractionated and tested against the cell lines. HPLC phenolic profiling of the crude extracts were performed, and numerous peak overlaps were evident in the fruit extracts. The KPF extracts demonstrated the strongest peaks which was coherent with the fact that it had the highest TPC and antioxidant capacity values. A high occurrence of t-ferulic acid in the GGL extracts was found which may explain the cytotoxic activity of GGL extracts. Peaks in KPS and KPF extracts were tentatively identified as gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and syringic acid and possibly ellagic acid. HPLC time-based fractionation of the GGL extract (F1-F5) was performed and Dose dependent cytotoxic effects were determined. It was construed that F1, having the highest SI value for HeLa, HT29 and HuH7 (1.60, 1.41 and 1.67, respectively) would be promising for further fractionation and isolation process.

Antioxidative and therapeutic potential of selected Australian plants: A review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Numerous common pharmaceuticals, including anti-cancer, antiviral and antidiabetic drugs, are derived from traditional plant-derived medicines. With approximately 25,000 species of flora occurring in Australia that are adapted to the harsh environment, there is a plethora of novel compounds awaiting research in the context of their medicinal properties. Anecdotal accounts of plant-based medicines used by the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples clearly illustrates high therapeutic activity. AIM: This review aims to demonstrate the medicinal potentials of selected native Australian plants based on scientific data. Furthermore, it is anticipated that work presented here will contribute towards enhancing our knowledge of native plants from Australia, particularly in the prevention and potential treatment of disease types such as cancer, microbial and viral infections, and diabetes. This is not meant to be a comprehensive study, rather it is meant as an overview to stimulate future research in this field. METHODS: The EBSCOhost platform which included PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were searched for papers using the keywords: medicinal plants, antioxidative, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-tumor, antiviral or antidiabetic, as well as Australian, native, traditional and plants. The selection criteria for including studies were restricted to articles on plants used in traditional remedies which showed antioxidative potential and therapeutic properties such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral and antidiabetic activity. RESULTS: Some plants identified in this review which showed high Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and antioxidative capacity, and hence prominent bioactivity, included Tasmannia lanceolata (Poir.) A.C. Sm., Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Eucalyptus species, Syzygium species, Backhousia citriodora F.Muell., Petalostigma species, Acacia species, Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel, Eremophila species, Prostanthera rotundifolia R.Br., Scaevola spinescens R. Br. and Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd. The majority of studies found polar compounds such as caffeic acid, coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, anthocyanins, hesperidin, kaempferol, catechin, ellagic acid and saponins to be the active components responsible for the therapeutic effects. Additionally, mid to non-polar volatile organic compounds such as meroterpenes (serrulatanes and nerol cinnamates), monoterpenes (1,8-cineole and myodesert-1-ene), sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes, that are known only in Australian plants, have also shown therapeutic properties related to traditional medicine. CONCLUSION: Australian plants express a diverse range of previously undescribed metabolites that have not been given full in vitro assessment for human health potential. This review has included a limited number of plant species of ethnomedicinal significance; hundreds of plants remain in need of exploration and detailed study. Future more elaborate studies are therefore required to screen out and purify lead bioactive compounds against numerous other disease types. This will not only improve our knowledge on the phytochemistry of Australian native flora, but also provide a platform to understand their health-promoting and bioactive effects for pharmaceutical interventions, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and as functional foods. Finally, plant-derived natural compounds (phytochemicals), as well as plant-based traditional remedies, are significant sources for latent and novel drugs against diseases. Extensive investigation of native medicinal plants may well hold the key to novel drug discoveries.

Natural product-derived phytochemicals as potential agents against coronaviruses: A review.

Coronaviruses are responsible for a growing economic, social and mortality burden, as the causative agent of diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and COVID-19. However, there is a lack of effective antiviral agents for many coronavirus strains. Naturally existing compounds provide a wealth of chemical diversity, including antiviral activity, and thus may have utility as therapeutic agents against coronaviral infections. The PubMed database was searched for papers including the keywords coronavirus, SARS or MERS, as well as traditional medicine, herbal, remedy or plants, with 55 primary research articles identified. The overwhelming majority of publications focussed on polar compounds. Compounds that show promise for the inhibition of coronavirus in humans include scutellarein, silvestrol, tryptanthrin, saikosaponin B2, quercetin, myricetin, caffeic acid, psoralidin, isobavachalcone, and lectins such as griffithsin. Other compounds such as lycorine may be suitable if a therapeutic level of antiviral activity can be achieved without exceeding toxic plasma concentrations. It was noted that the most promising small molecules identified as coronavirus inhibitors contained a conjugated fused ring structure with the majority being classified as being polyphenols.

Novel pre-treatment of zeolite materials for the removal of sodium ions: potential materials for coal seam gas co-produced wastewater.

Coal seam gas (CSG) is the extraction of methane gas that is desorbed from the coal seam and brought to the surface using a dewatering and depressurisation process within the saturated coalbed. The extracted water is often referred to as co-produced CSG water. In this study, co-produced water from the coal seam of the Bowen Basin (QLD, Australia) was characterised by high concentration levels of Na(+) (1156 mg/L), low concentrations of Ca(2+) (28.3 mg/L) and Mg(2+) (5.6 mg/L), high levels of salinity, which are expected to cause various environmental problems if released to land or waters. The potential treatment of co-produced water using locally sourced natural ion exchange (zeolite) material was assessed. The zeolite material was characterized for elemental composition and crystal structure. Natural, untreated zeolite demonstrated a capacity to adsorb Na(+) ions of 16.16 mEq/100 g, while a treated zeolite using NH4 (+) using a 1.0 M ammonium acetate (NH4C2H3O2) solution demonstrated an improved 136 % Na(+) capacity value of 38.28 mEq/100 g after 720 min of adsorption time. The theoretical exchange capacity of the natural zeolite was found to be 154 mEq/100 g. Reaction kinetics and diffusion models were used to determine the kinetic and diffusion parameters. Treated zeolite using a NH4 (+) pre-treatment represents an effective treatment to reduce Na(+) concentration in coal seam gas co-produced waters, supported by the measured and modelled kinetic rates and capacity.

Adverse event categorisation across NHS Scotland.

OBJECTIVE: This paper describes a scoping of adverse event categories and definitions in use across NHS Scotland and makes recommendations about the categories used. METHODS: The design involved a network analysis making use of categories and subcategories supplied by 17 different Health Boards via their risk management/clinical governance functions. A total of 128 discrete categories and 1348 subcategories are used across 17 Health Boards (mean number of subcategories used: 164; SD 61; range 56-288). RESULTS: There is some redundancy with around half of all categories (65; 51%) used by one single board and a further 10 (8%) by just two boards. Many health boards use similar subcategories within different categories. This shows conceptual overlap between confounded categories. This overlap has implications for reliability and has been quantified via the network analysis. CONCLUSION: The eight most frequently used categories across the Health Boards have an average of 14.9 overlaps with other categories, suggesting some degree of variability in how adverse events are captured. This has implications for nationally collated data; however the formal links between categories identified in this work offer the opportunity of reliable data extraction at national level without substantial recoding by individual Health Boards.

Impacts of climate change on indirect human exposure to pathogens and chemicals from agriculture: [review] / Impactos das mudanças climáticas sobre a exposição humana indireta a elementos patogênicos e químicos da agricultura: [revisão]

Climate change is likely to affect the nature of pathogens/ chemicals in the environment and their fate and transport. We assess the implications of climate change for changes in human exposures to pathogens/chemicals in agricultural systems in the UK and discuss the effects on health impacts, using expert input and literature on climate change; health effects from exposure to pathogens/chemicals arising from agriculture; inputs of chemicals/pathogens to agricultural systems; and human exposure pathways for pathogens/chemicals in agricultural systems. We established the evidence base for health effects of chemicals/pathogens in the agricultural environment; determined the potential implications of climate change on chemical/pathogen inputs in agricultural systems; and explored the effects of climate change on environmental transport and fate of various contaminants. We merged data to assess the implications of climate change in terms of indirect human exposure to pathogens/chemicals in agricultural systems, and defined recommendations on future research and policy changes to manage adverse increases in risks.

É provável que a mudança climática afete a natureza, destino e transporte de elementos patogênicos/químicos no ambiente . Avaliamos as implicações das mudanças climáticas em mudanças na exposição humana a elementos patogênicos/químicos nos sistemas agrícolas no Reino Unido e discutimos os efeitos sobre os impactos à saúde, usando a contribuição de especialistas e literatura; efeitos à saúde da exposição a elementos patogênicos/químicos provenientes da agricultura; introdução de elementos químicos/patogênicos e caminhos de exposição humana a elementos patogênicos/químicos nos sistemas agrícolas. Definimos a base de evidência para efeitos de saúde de elementos químicos/patogênicos no ambiente agrícola; determinamos as possíveis implicações da mudança climática na introdução de elementos químicos/patogênicos nos sistemas agrícolas; e exploramos os efeitos da mudança climática no transporte ambiental e destino de diversos contaminantes. Consolidamos dados para avaliar as implicações das mudanças climáticas em relação à exposição humana indireta a elementos patogênicos/químicos nos sistemas agrícolas e recomendamos futuras pesquisas e mudanças políticas para administrar aumentos adversos nos riscos.

Improving patient safety and quality: what are the challenges and gaps in introducing an integrated electronic adverse incident and recording system within health care industry?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to present the challenges and gaps in using an electronic adverse incident recording and reporting system from a commercial supplier to an acute health care setting. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The paper used action diary, documentation and triangulation to obtain an understanding of the challenges and gaps. FINDINGS: The paper provides health care with further understanding of the complexity, challenges and gaps of using an electronic adverse incident recording system to improve patient safety. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper explains the important views of clinicians and managers in relation to improving patient safety by using an electronic adverse incident management system.

A role for nickel in osmotic adjustment in drought-stressed plants of the nickel hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii Bailey.

The hypothesis that hyperaccumulation of certain metals in plants may play a role in osmotic adjustment under water stress (drought) was tested in the context of nickel hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii. Field-collected mature plants of S. tryonii, grown in native ultramafic soil, were pruned to soil level and the re-growth exposed to five levels of water stress (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% field capacity; FC) for 20 weeks. Water stress had significant (P<0.05) influence on growth (biomass), water potential and shoot Ni concentrations, with progressively more impact as water stress was increased from 80 to 40% FC. Shoot Ni concentration increased significantly from 3,400 microg g(-1) dry weight (at 100% FC) to 9,400 microg g(-1) dry weight (at 20% FC). Assuming that Ni is uniformly distributed through the shoot tissue, the Ni concentration could account for 100% at the 80 and 60% FC conditions, and 50% at the 40 and 20% FC conditions of plant osmotic regulation. The results are consistent with a role of Ni in osmotic adjustment and protection of S. tryonii plants against drought.

Successful seed germination of the nickel hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Stackhousia tryonii, a rare nickel hyperaccumulating herb, is endemic to ultramafic (serpentine) soils of central Queensland, Australia. The effects of eight dormancy-relieving treatments on germination of stored seeds of Stackhousia tryonii were investigated under controlled light and temperature conditions. * METHODS: The treatments were: untreated (control i), leached and dehydrated (primed control ii), treating with gibberellic acid (150 and 300 microM), smoke extract (5 and 10 %, v/v) and potassium cyanide (40 and 80 mM). * KEY RESULTS: Freshly harvested seeds did not germinate. Germination percentage increased with time of storage for up to 18 months (38.3 %). Gibberellin, smoke extract and cyanide treatments did not significantly improve germination. Light did not affect seed germination and there was no interaction between dormancy-relieving treatments and light. A significant inhibition of germination occurred in seeds treated with 5 % (but not 10 %) aqueous smoke extract. Saturated fatty acids, predominantly tridecanoic (C13:0), constituted about 90 % of the total fatty acids in the oil of freshly harvested seeds. In contrast, there was increased accumulation (>75 %) of mono-unsaturated (oleic, c18:1) and poly-unsaturated (linoleic, c18:2; linolenic, c18:3) fatty acids in the oil of stored seeds. * CONCLUSIONS: Seeds of S. tryonii require an after-ripening period for germination.

Detection and quantification of ligands involved in nickel detoxification in a herbaceous Ni hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii Bailey.

Field-collected, young plants of Ni hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii, grown in a glasshouse for 20 weeks, were exposed to low- (available Ni concentration in the native serpentine soil, i.e. 60 microg g(-1) dry soil) and high- (external application of 1000 ppm) Ni concentrations in the substrate. Nickel concentration in the freeze-dried leaf tissues increased from 3700 microg g(-1) to 13 700 microg g(-1) with soil Ni supplementation, of which >60% was extracted with dilute acid (0.025 M HCl). Nickel supplementation also elicited a 575%, 211%, and 37% increase in the final concentrations of oxalic, citric, and malic acids, respectively, in leaf tissues. Malic acid was the dominant organic acid, followed by citric and oxalic acids. The molar ratio of Ni to malic acid was 1.0, consistent with a role for malate as a ligand for Ni in hyperaccumulating plants, supporting detoxification/transport and storage of this heavy metal in S. tryonii. The total amino acid concentrations in the xylem sap did not change with Ni supplementation (21.7+/-3.7 mM and 17.9+/-5 mM, respectively, for low- and high-nickel-treated plants). Glutamine was the major amino acid in both the low- and high-Ni-treated plants. The concentration of glutamine decreased by >60%, with a corresponding increase in alanine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid, on exposure to high Ni. A role of amino acids in Ni complexation and transport in S. tryonii is not immediately apparent.

Studies on spatial distribution of nickel in leaves and stems of the metal hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii Bailey using nuclear microprobe (micro-PIXE) and EDXS techniques.

Stackhousia tryonii Bailey is one of the three nickel hyperaccumulators reported from Australia. It is a rare, herbaceous plant that accumulates (Ni) both in leaf and stem tissues. Localisation of Ni in leaf and stem tissues of S. tryonii was studied using two micro-analytical techniques, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS) and micro-proton-induced X-ray emission spectrometry (micro-PIXE). Dimethylglyoxime complexation of Ni was also visualised by bright- and dark-field microscopy, but this technique was considered to create artefacts in the distribution of Ni. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometric analysis indicated that guard cells possessed a lower Ni concentration than epidermal cells, and that epidermal cells and vascular tissue contained higher levels of Ni than mesophyll, as reported for other Ni hyperaccumulators. The highest Ni concentration was recorded (PIXE quantitative point analysis) in the epidermal cells and vascular tissue (5400 µg g-1 DW), approximately double that recorded in palisade cells (2500 µg g-1 DW). However, concentrations were variable within these tissues, explaining, in part, the similarity between average Ni concentrations of these tissues (as estimated by region selection mode). Stem tissues showed a similar distribution pattern as leaves, with relatively low Ni concentration in the pith (central) region. The majority of Ni (73-85% for leaves; 80-92% for stem) was extracted from freeze-dried sections by water extraction, suggesting that this metal is present in a highly soluble and mobile form in the leaf and stem tissues of S. tryonii.

Elemental mapping using PIXE shows the main pathway of nickel movement is principally symplastic within the fruit of the hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii.

• Metal concentrations within reproductive tissues of metallophytes are rarely reported. Here, the spatial distribution of nickel (Ni) within the fruits (seeds) of the Ni hyperaccumulator Stackhousia tryonii was investigated. • Two microanalytical techniques, energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDXS) and nuclear microprobe (micro-proton-induced x-ray emission spectrometry; micro-PIXE) were employed for qualitative and quantitative assessment, respectively, of localized Ni, within the fruits of S. tryonii. The results were compared with quantitative analysis made using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). • Nickel analysis made using micro-PIXE was consistent with bulk (ICP-OES) analysis (at 1800 µg g-1 d. wt), however, a beam resolution of approx. 2 × 2 µm2 allowed tissue localization. Nickel was partitioned to the fruit wall (pericarp) (4433 µg g-1 ), while endospermic and cotyledonary tissues possessed little Ni (309 and 182 µg g-1 d. wt, respectively). • This distribution is consistent with the interpretation that principal pathway of Ni movement within the fruit is symplastic rather than apoplastic (as the filial generation lacks symplastic connection with the parent).