RESUMO
Dietary fruits and vegetables play a vital role as food and drugs and are the main sources of antioxidant defences against degenerative diseases, such as brain dysfunctions, cardiovascular diseases, immune system deteriorations, and cancers, brought on by oxidative damage. Phyllanthus emblica is a significant herbal remedy used in conventional medicine to recover lost strength and power. In this research, the potential value of Phyllanthus emblica as a food and drug is researched. The total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total tannin contents as well as the nutritional value, vitamin C, vitamin E, and mineral contents of different organs of P. emblica were evaluated. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of extracts and fractions of different organs of P. emblica were determined. A total of eleven flavonoids, simple phenolic, tannin-related phenolic, and tannin molecules were isolated from a hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves and fruits. The structures were identified by spectroscopic data and comparison with the literature values as gallic acid (1), naringenin 7-O-(6â³-O-galloyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), 3,3'-di-O-methyl ellagic acid-4'-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (3), 1-O-galloyl glycerol (4), 1,6-di-O-galloyl-ß-d-glucopyranoside (5), flavogallonic acid bislactone (6), corilagin (7), ethyl gallate (8), urolithin M5 (9), (E)-p-coumaroyl-1-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (10), and 1,2,4,6-tetra-O-galloyl-ß-d-glucopyranoside (11). Among them, compounds 3 and 10 are first isolated from the plant. Molecular docking was performed to investigate the comparative interactions between positive controls (galantamine and donepezil) and selected compounds utilizing acetylcholinesterase (4EY7) as a target receptor. Results exhibited the potency of these compounds against the target receptor. In summary, P. emblica has a wealth of minerals, vitamins C and E, and polyphenolic phytochemicals that may work together to treat infectious disease, prevent and/or treat oxidative-damage-related illnesses including Alzheimer's disease.
RESUMO
The application of plant extracts or plant-derived compounds in the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) was researched. Determining the exact metabolite implicated in the formation of NPs would necessitate comprehensive investigations. Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are gaining a lot of attention because of their unique properties and effectiveness against a wide range of bacteria and fungi, as well as their potential for usage in catalytic, optical, electrical, and microelectronics applications. In the course of this study, we aimed to formulate CuNPs utilizing pure tamarixinin A (TA) ellagitannin isolated from Tamarix aphylla galls. The main particle size of the formed CuNPs was 44 ± 1.7 nm with zeta potential equal to -23.7 mV, which emphasize the stability of the CuNPs. The X-ray diffraction spectroscopy showed a typical centered cubic crystalline structure phase of copper. Scanning electron microscopy images were found to be relatively spherical and homogeneous in shape. The antimicrobial properties of TA, as well as its mediated CuNPs, have been evaluated through well diffusion assays against four bacterial, Bacillus subtilis NCTC 10400, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and two fungal, Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus, strains. The distinctive antimicrobial activities were noted against the fungal strains and the Gram-negative bacterial strains P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and E. coli ATCC 25922. In conclusion, CuNPs mediated by TA can be applied for combating a wide range of bacterial and fungal species especially C. albicans, Asp. flavus, and P. aeruginosa in a variety of fields.
RESUMO
Lung cancer and cutaneous leishmaniasis are critical diseases with a relatively higher incidence in developing countries. In this research, the activity of Carissa macrocarpa leaf hydromethanolic extract and its solvent-fractions (n-hexane, EtOAc, n-butanol, and MeOH) against the lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and Leishmania major was investigated. The MeOH fraction exhibited higher cytotoxic activity (IC50 1.57 ± 0.04 µg/mL) than the standard drug, etoposide (IC50 50.8 ± 3.16 µg/mL). The anti-L. major results revealed strong growth inhibitory effects of the EtOAc fraction against L. major promastigotes (IC50 27.52 ± 0.7 µg/mL) and axenic amastigotes (29.33 ± 4.86% growth inhibition at 100 µg/mL), while the butanol fraction exerted moderate activity against promastigotes (IC50 73.17 ± 1.62), as compared with miltefosine against promastigotes (IC50 6.39 ± 0.29 µg/mL) and sodium stibogluconate against axenic amastigotes (IC50 22.45 ± 2.22 µg/mL). A total of 102 compounds were tentatively identified using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of the total extract and its fractions. The MeOH fraction was found to contain several flavonoids and flavan-3-ol derivatives with known cytotoxic properties, whereas the EtOAc fractions contained triterpene, hydroxycinnamoyl, sterol, and flavanol derivatives with known antileishmanial activity. Molecular docking of various polyphenolics of the MeOH fraction with HDAC6 and PDK3 enzymes demonstrates high binding affinity of the epicatechin 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside and catechin-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside toward HDAC6, and procyanidin C2, procyanidin B5 toward PDK3. These results are promising and encourage the pursuit of preclinical research using C. macrocarpa's MeOH fraction as anti-lung cancer and the EtOAc fraction as an anti-L. major drug candidates.