Investigation of composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic characteristics from Juniperus sabina and Ferula communis extracts.

Plants have been one the most valuable sources of biologically active compounds. This study investigates the chemical composition, as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of methanolic and ethanolic extracts from Juniperus sabina and Ferula communis leaves, grown in Cyprus. Total phenolic and flavonoids content of methanol and ethanol extracts were quantified. Chemical constituents of the leaf extracts were analysed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Mome inositol was the predominant component in the J. Sabina's extracts. The most dominant component in F. communis ethanolic extract was phytol, while in FCL methanolic extract 1,3,4,5 tetrahydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic acid. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging ability. Antioxidant activity results revealed concentration dependent activity for methanolic and ethanolic extracts from the plant leaves. Antibacterial activity of plant extracts was tested against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria using disk diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration methods. Cytotoxic activity of plant extracts were evaluated on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, where they demonstrated their potential on the viability of both cell lines. The biological activity revealed by plants is due to the bioactive compounds found in the extracts. These bioactive components could be used as anticancer drug candidates.

Biosynthesized ZnO Nanoparticles Using Albizia lebbeck Extract Induced Biochemical and Morphological Alterations in Wistar Rats.

Nano-based particles synthesized via green routes have a particular structure that is useful in biomedical applications as they provide cheap, eco-friendly, and non-toxic nanoparticles. In the present study, we reported the effect of various concentrations of Zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized using A. lebbeck stem bark extract (ZnO NPsAL) as stabilizing agent on rat biochemical profiles and tissue morphology. Adult Wistar rats weighing 170 ± 5 g were randomly classified into eight groups of five rats each; Group A served as a control fed with normal diet and water. Groups B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, and E were treated with 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg of the 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 M biosynthesized ZnO NPsAL and zinc nitrate daily by the gavage method, respectively. The rats were anesthetized 24 h after the last treatment, blood samples, kidney, heart, and liver tissues were collected for biochemical and histopathological analysis. The rats mean body weight, serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, urea, bilirubin, protein, albumin, globulin, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and high-density lipoprotein were significantly altered with an increased concentration of biosynthesized ZnO NPsAL when compared with the control group (p < 0.05; n ≥ 5). Furthermore, histopathological analysis of treated rats' kidney, heart, and liver tissue revealed vascular congestion, tubular necrosis, inflammation, and cytoplasmic vacuolation. Biosynthesized ZnO NPsAL showed significant alteration in biochemical parameters and tissue morphology in rats with increasing concentrations of the nanoparticles.

Effect of extraction temperature and solvent type on the bioactive potential of Ocimum gratissimum L. extracts.

Ocimum gratissimum is a shrub that belongs to the Lamiaceae family of plants. Despite the known biological activities and ethnomedicinal applications, comparative evaluation of the effects of different extraction techniques on the chemical and bioactive properties of O. gratissimum extracts has not yet been performed. This study adopted different analytical techniques to determine the effect of extraction temperature and solvent type on the phytochemical and bioactive properties of O. gratissimum extracts. Chemical profiling showed increased concentrations of compounds for both the ethanolic and methanolic extracts compared to the water extracts. The results also revealed that the extraction temperature had an effect on the total phenolic content and radical-scavenging properties of the different extracts. The antioxidant kinetic modeling achieved the best fit when using the second-order kinetic model. Methanolic extracts had the highest levels of antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhimurium. At high concentrations, all extracts lowered the viability of the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. In conclusion, the chemical and bioactive properties of all extracts showed significant dependence on the extraction temperature and solvent type. With proper extraction methods, they boast a wide range of promising applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, and food industries.

Chitosan And N, N, N-Trimethyl Chitosan Nanoparticle Encapsulation Of Ocimum Gratissimum Essential Oil: Optimised Synthesis, In Vitro Release And Bioactivity.

BACKGROUND: The encapsulation of plant essential oils (EOs) with polymeric materials (e.g. chitosan (CS) and N, N, N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC)) and the further reduction of the polymers into their nano sizes are gaining research interest in nanotechnology due to potential applications in medical drug delivery systems as well as the food and pharmaceutical industry. The present study reports a novel approach for the synthesis of Ocimum gratissimum essential oil (OGEO)-loaded CS and TMC nanoparticles with distinct bioactive and physiochemical properties. METHODS: The OGEO-loaded CS and TMC nanoparticles were characterised using various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The bioactive compounds in Ocimum gratissimum methanolic extract (OG-MeOH) and EOs was evinced with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Total phenolic content (TPC) of OGEO and OG-MeOH was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The in vitro drug release kinetic pattern was ascertained by membrane dialysis, while antioxidant activity was determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrozyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. The disc diffusion method was used for antibacterial activity evaluation, while MTT and a trypan blue dye exclusion assay were used to assess cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. RESULTS: GC-MS analysis revealed components that have not been previously reported for Ocimum gratissimum. The maximum OGEO cumulative drug release percentage in vitro was observed at pH 3 for both OGEO-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (OGEO-CSNPs) and OGEO-loaded N, N, N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles (OGEO-TMCNPs). The antioxidant activity of OGEO-CSNPs and OGEO-TMCNPs never reached a steady state after 75 h. OGEO-TMCNPs exhibited antibacterial activity at a lower concentration for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive food pathogens. In vitro cytotoxicity revealed the increased toxicity of OGEO-TMCNPs on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. CONCLUSION: OGEO-loaded CS and TMC nanoparticles were synthesised using a novel material optimisation approach. The synthesised nanoparticles have shown a promising application in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Albizia lebbeck stem bark, and evaluation of its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities on human breast cancer cell lines.

BACKGROUND: Biocompatibility and stability of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized using plants is an interesting research area of study in nanotechnology, due to its wide applications in biomedical, industrial, cell imaging, and biosensor fields. The present study reports the novel green synthesis of stable ZnO NPs using various concentrations of zinc nitrate (0.01M, 0.05M, 0.1M) and Albizia lebbeck stem bark extracts as an efficient chelating agent. Antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antiproliferative activities of the synthesized NPs on human breast cancer cell lines were evaluated using different assays. METHODS: Characterization of the synthesized ZnO NPs were carried out using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Antimicrobial activity evaluation using disc diffusion method, antioxidant activity using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) free radical scavenging assay and cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 using tryphan blue dye exclusion and MTT assay. RESULTS: The UV-vis spectroscopy result revealed an absorption peak in the range of 370 nm. The involvements of A. lebbeck bioactive compounds in the stabilization of the ZnO NPs were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analysis. Zeta sizer studies showed an average size of 66.25 nm with a polydisparity index of 0.262. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses results revealed irregular spherical morphology and the presence of primarily Zn, C, O, Na, P, and K, respectively. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs revealed strong antimicrobial potentials against various gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial pathogens. Antioxidant activities carried out using H2O2 free radical scavenging assay revealed higher IC50 values of 48.5, 48.7, and 60.2 µg/mL for 0.1M, 0.05M, and 0.01M ZnO NPs, respectively. Moreover, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs showed significant cytotoxic effects on MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines (P< 0.001, n≥3) in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Overall, various concentrations of ZnO NPs were synthesized through a stable, simple, and eco-friendly green route via the use of A. lebbeck stem bark extract. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs showed strong antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity against strongly and weakly metastatic breast cancer cell lines.

Synthesis, characterization, antimicrobial and antimetastatic activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized from Ficus ingens leaf.

Cancer incidence is still increasing due to inadequate responsive treatments. Inertness and biocompatibility of nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts have shown therapeutic applications and make it to be a good anti-cancer candidates. This study is a recent novel spotlight that synthesized silver nanoparticle from Ficus ingens leaf extract (FILE) and studied its anti-metastatic and anti-bacterial activity. The chemical and surface analysis of the synthesized FILE silver nanoparticles (FILE-AgNPs) was studied using UV-visible, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta sizer, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Gas chromatography mass spectrometric (GC-MS) and quantitative photochemical analyses were also carried out. The antimicrobial activity of FILE-AgNPs was found to be effective with MIC of 10 µg/mL for E. coli and 20 µg/mL for S. typhi and B. cereus with significance difference. Toxicity, proliferation and anti-metastatic potential of FILE-AgNPs were studied on MDA-MB 231 cell models using tryphan blue, MTT and wound heal assay, respectively. FILE-AgNPs showed the ability to inhibit metastasis of MDA-MB 231 cells in dose-dependent manner in which 10 µg/mL and 5 µg/mL inhibit by 96% and 75%, respectively. The synthesized FILE-AgNPs are remarkable candidates for treatment of cancer cases and other cancer related cases.