Botanical and genetic characters of Erythrina × neillii cultivated in Egypt

Abstract Erythrina × neillii Mabberley & Lorence, Fabaceae, is a sterile hybrid between E. herbacea L. and E. humeana Spreng. Nothing was traced about its genetic, macro and micromorphology. Therefore, it was deemed of interest to study its botanical characters, in addition to the DNA fingerprint to help in the identification of the plant. The anatomical characters of the old stem and its bark are characterized by the presence of cork cells, bast fibers and sclereids. Pericycle is sclerenchymatous forming crystal sheath. The epidermises of the leaf and young stem are characterized by the presence of anomocytic and paracytic stomata, non-glandular, unicellular and multicellular two armed hairs, and glandular club shaped hair. Calcium oxalate is present in the form of crystal sheath and prisms. Secretory cavities are distributed in the phloem and cortex. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used as one of the molecular methods to differentiate between the samples of Erythrina. The DNA of Erythrina was extracted and analyzed using seven-mer random primers. Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA were recognized. This characterization allows certification of the authenticity of Erythrina × neillii, in order to provide quality control for the plant.

Chemical and biological study of the seeds of Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter.

A chemical study of the red type of the seeds of Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter (Poaceae) led to the isolation of seven compounds from its ethanol extract, namely ß-sitosterol (1), ß-amyrin-3-O-(2'-acetyl(glucoside (2), ß-sitosterol-3-O-ß-D-glucoside (3), naringenin (4), naringenin-4'-methoxy-7-O-α-L-rhamnoside (5), eriodictyol-3',7-dimethoxy-4'-O-ß-D-glucoside (6) and isorhamnetin-3-O-rhamnoglucoside (7), which are reported for the first time in the genus Eragrostis. This is the first report for the isolation of compounds (2) and (6) in nature. The isolated compounds were identified using different spectroscopic methods (EIMS, UV, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, HMQC and HMBC). A proximate analysis revealed the high nutritive value of the seeds: carbohydrates (57.27%), protein (20.9%), essential amino acids (8.15%) with major leucine and lysine (1.71 and 1.35%, respectively), vitamin B1 (1.56 mg/100 g) and potassium and calcium (32.4 and 9.63%, respectively). The seeds yielded 22% w/w of fixed oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids (72.46%), among which oleic acid, was predominant (32.41%), followed by linolenic acid (23.83%). The ethanolic extract and fixed oil of the seeds exhibited anti-hyperlipedaemic and anti-hyperglycaemic activities. Oral administration of the fixed oil for 10 days resulted in a rise in serum calcium levels in rats.

A New Flavonoid C-Glycoside from Celtis australis L. and Celtis occidentalis L. Leaves and Potential Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities.

A major development over the past two decades has been the realization that free radical induced lipid peroxidation and DNA damage are associated with major health problems, e.g. cancer and ageing. Plant-derived antioxidants are increasingly found beneficial in protecting against these diseases. Celtis australis L. and Celtis occidentalis L. are two plants that have a variety of uses in folk medicine but have not been evaluated before for their antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. Therefore, the extracts of both plants' leaves were investigated for these activities, as well as isolation of the bioactive compounds responsible for the activities. Molecular structures of the compounds were elucidated by UV, HRESIMS, 1D ((1)H and (13)C) and 2D ((1)H-(13)C HSQC and (1)H-(13)C HMBC) NMR analyses. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts, n-butanol fractions and the isolated major compound were tested for their antioxidant activity using DPPH radical scavenging assay, xanthine oxidase-induced generation of superoxide radical and lipid peroxidation assay by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) method using rat tissue homogenates. Cytotoxic activities were studied using standard MTT assay. A novel flavonoid C-triglycoside, 4‴-α-rhamnopyranosyl-2″-O-ß-d-galactopyranosylvitexin, was isolated from both plants' leaves, together with seven known flavonoids. The n-butanol fractions and the major compound 2″-O-ß-galactopyranosylvitexin showed significant antioxidant activities, more pronounced than the tested standards BHT and dl-α-tocopherol in most tests. All extracts showed variable cytotoxic activities. This study provides strong evidence for the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the extracts of Celtis australis L. and Celtis occidentalis L. leaves, which were attributed to the polar n-butanol fractions and the major isolated flavonoid 2″-galactosylvitexin.

Isolation of biologically active constituents from Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori. (family: Moringaceae) growing in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Moringa peregrina is a wild plant that grown in the eastern desert mountains in Egypt. Although, this plant is native to Egypt, no details studies were traced on its chemical composition and biological activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The different fractions of the ethanolic extract of the dried aerial parts of the plants were subjected to fractionation and purification on various silica and sephadex columns for the isolation of the major compounds which were tested for there anticancer activity. The aqueous and ethanolic extract as well as its different fractions were tested for antihyperglycemic effect on Streptozitocin-induced diabetes in rats. RESULTS: Investigation of the different fractions of the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of M. peregrina yielded lupeol acetate (1), ß-amyrin (2), α-amyrin (3), ß-sitosterol (4), ß-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside (5), apigenin (6), rhamnetin (7), neochlorogenic acid (10), rhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside (12), and 6-methoxy-acacetin-8-C-ß-glucoside (13) which were isolated for the first time from the plant. Compound (13) was isolated for the first time from genus Moringa. In addition, quercetin (8), chryseriol-7-O-rhamnoside (9) and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (11) were also isolated. Identification has been established by spectral data (UV, MS, IR, 1H, 1H -1H COSY, and 13C-NMR). The major isolated compounds were found to have valuable cytotoxic activities against breast (MCF 7) and colon (HCT 116) cancer cell lines and their activities were comparable to the reference drug doxorubicin. On the other hand, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts as well as the n-hexane fraction were found to have potent antihyperglycemic effect on Streptozitocin-induced diabetes in rats. CONCLUSION: The Egyptian plant M. peregrina is rich in biologically active ingredients which showed potent cytotoxic activity and also its ethanolic extraxt exert a significant antihyperglycemic effect.

Phytochemical and biological investigation of the extracts of Nigella sativa L. seed waste.

Different extracts of Nigella sativa L. seed waste; aqueous (AE) 200 mg/kg, ethanol 70% (EE) 250 mg/kg and hexane (HE) 10 mg/kg, were evaluated for their hepatoprotective activities. They were administered orally, once daily, for 5 consecutive days. On day 5, liver injury was induced in animals by a single i.p. injection of carbon tetrachloride (10 mg/kg b. w. of 0.25% (v/v). Hepatoxicity produced, was evaluated by both biochemical and histopathological investigations. The aqueous extract attenuated the CCl(4) -induced liver damage likely due to the decrease of proinflammatory cytokines and T-cell proliferation. This was noticed by a significant decrease in both serum and tissue cytokines; tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (INF-γ) and interlukin-beta (IL-1ß), in the markers of liver functions; bilirubin and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and in the oxidative stress markers; malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione content (GSH). Fractionation of this extract was performed and its component, protein, saponin, and polyphenol fractions were evaluated by appropriate analytical procedures. The crude protein of the seed waste reached 36.85% while protein fingerprint showed four bands ranging from 91.97 KD and 29.00 KD. The saponin content was evaluated through the determination of the haemolytic index and reached 15.56 mg/g dry powder. Finally, Folin Ciocalteu method was used for the determination of the total polyphenols. The same biochemical and histopathological studies were again performed on the different fractions of the aqueous extract; protein fraction (PF) 10 mg/kg, saponin fraction (SF) 5 mg/kg and polyphenol fraction (FF) 10 mg/kg. The biochemical changes were improved only by the protein fraction (PF) of the seed waste of Nigella sativa. This was manifested by a significant reduction in both serum and tissue cytokines in the liver markers and in the oxidative stress markers. Moreover, liver histopathology showed that (PF) reduced the incidence of liver lesions including hepatic cells cloudy swelling, lymphocytes infiltration, hepatic necrosis and fibrous connective tissue proliferation induced by CCl(4) in mice. From this study, it is concluded that the protein fraction of the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seed waste exhibited a promising hepatoprotective effect in the management of different liver disorders.