Antimicrobial activities and phytochemical properties of Blumea balsamifera against pathogenic microorganisms.

Medicinal plants have been widely used in healthcare based on traditional knowledge. We investigated the antimicrobial activities and phytochemical contents of a plant known as Blumea balsamifera (B. balsamifera), which Sabah native people have used for health benefits. Methanolic extracts and fractions of the leaves of B. balsamifera were tested for their phytochemical contents and their antimicrobial activities against four Gram-negative and five Gram-positive strains of bacteria. The extracts of B. balsamifera showed antimicrobial activities against three Gram-positive, and one Gram-negative bacteria, with the zone of inhibition ranging from 7.8 mm±0.41 to 10.5 mm±0.71. Fraction CE.F7 exerted the broadest antimicrobial activity towards four Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. The phytochemical constituents identified in the extracts were alkaloid, flavonoid, steroid, and cardiac glycosides. The plant extract demonstrated antimicrobial activities and contained multiple phytochemical constituents. Further investigations into potential antimicrobial agents containing promising fractions would validate the medicinal properties of B. balsamifera used in Sabah.

Review of Nephelium lappaceum and Nephelium ramboutan-ake: A High Potential Supplement.

Nephelium lappaceum (N. lappaceum) and Nephelium ramboutan-ake (N. ramboutan-ake) are tropical fruits that gain popularity worldwide due to their tastiness. Currently, their potential to be used as pharmaceutical agents is underestimated. Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and aging have high incidence rates in the modern world. Furthermore, pharmaceutical agents targeting pathogenic microorganisms have been hampered by the growing of antimicrobial resistance threats. The idea of food therapy leads to extensive nutraceuticals research on the potential of exotic fruits such as N. lappaceum and N. ramboutan-ake to act as supplements. Phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds that present in the fruit act as potent antioxidants that contribute to the protective effects against diseases induced by oxidative stress. Fruit residuals such as the peel and seeds hold greater nutraceutical potential than the edible part. This review highlights the antioxidant and biological activities (anti-neoplastic, anti-microbial, hypoglycemic actions and anti-aging), and chemical contents of different parts of N. lappaceum and N. ramboutan-ake. These fruits contain a diverse and important chemical profile that can alleviate or cure diseases.

Comparative study of antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of selected edible wild mushrooms.

The present study aims to assess the antioxidant activities (AOA) and total phenolic content (TPC) of water extracts of selected edible wild mushrooms: Pleurotus porrigens, Schizophyllum commune, Hygrocybe conica, and Lentinus ciliatus. The AOA were evaluated against DPPH radical and ABTS radical cation scavenging ability, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and beta-carotene-linoleate bleaching (beta-CB) assays, and the Folin-Ciocalteu method for TPC. BHA was used as reference. P. porrigens showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) DPPH* scavenging ability (90.78 +/- 0.30%) and FRAP (6.37 +/- 0.22 mM FE/100g), while Sch. commune showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) ABTS*+ inhibition activity (94.96 +/- 0.70%) and beta-CB inhibition activity (94.18 +/- 0.17%), respectively. TPC was found in a descending order of P. poriggens > L. ciliatus = Pleurotus ostreatus (cultivated) > H. conica = Sch. commune. Positive correlation was observed between the AOA and TPC. When compared to BHA (2 mM), P. porrigens showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) DPPH* scavenging ability and reducing power, while Sch. commune showed comparable DPPH* scavenging ability and ABTS*+ inhibition activity. All the mushrooms have better ABTS*+ inhibition activity than BHA (1 mM). The beta-CB inhibition activity of BHA was significantly higher than those of edible wild mushrooms. The water extracts of edible wild mushrooms showed potent antioxidant activities compared to BHA to a certain extent.

Parallel and multiplexed bead-based assays and encoding strategies.

Advances in high throughput screening (HTS), together with the rapid progress in combinatorial chemistry, genomic and proteomic sciences have dramatically stimulated the development of a variety tools to enable the drug discovery process to become more efficient. Major future challenges in HTS include obtaining high density and good quality data based on assays that are rapid, reliable, inexpensive, sensitive, simple and miniaturised. This paper reviews the development and role of bead-based assays for HTS including DNA and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays, particularly from a multiplex perspective and evaluating the recent advances in bead-based arrays. The encoding strategies that are commonly used in bead-based assays are highlighted, while the importance of magnetic beads in genomic and proteomic purifications is discussed. In conclusion, bead-based assays offer a powerful promising approach for many aspects of drug discovery.