Phyto-chemical and biological activity of Myristica fragrans,an ayurvedic medicinal plant in Southern India and its ingredient analysis

The major aspects of using plant-derived medications are significantly safer and secure than synthetic ones. The n-hexane seed extract of ayurvedic medicinal plants Myristica fragrans was also utilized as food ingredients have analyzed for phytochemical existence by Gas Chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Twenty-three phytoconstituents were identified with elemicin (24.44%) as the major constituent. Lipid peroxidase, catalase and DPPH assays were performed using the isolated elemicin and the results revealed significant antioxidant activity. The antibacterial study revealed that elemicin showed MIC of 31.25 μg/mL against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhi, and 62.5 μg/mL against Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus. Elemicin exhibited better antifungal activity against Candida tropicalis and Aspergillus flavus than Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum and Trichophyton rubrum. The study implies that the elemicin isolated from Myristica fragrans possess promising bioactive properties and can be crucially utilized in the development of therapeutic agents and food preservatives.     

Entrainment analysis of the circadian locomotor activity rhythm in specimens of the crayfish, Faxonella clypeata, having activity peaks at different times of the solar day.

Locomotor activity rhythms in the crayfish, Faxonella clypeata, were recorded under conditions of controlled light and temperature. In LD 12:12, dark active rhythms with a major activity onset at lights-off, and bimodally active rhythms with onsets at both lights-on and lights-off were recorded. In DD, most of the LD dark active rhythms retained the lights-off activity onset. However, among the majority of the LD bimodally active crayfish, only the lights-on activity peak persisted in DD. A small number of the LD bimodal rhythms remained bimodal in DD. DD records revealed free-running period lengths both greater and less than 24 hrs. An hypothesis stating that the two recorded LD rhythms represent two basically different rhythmic types is presented. The dark active crayfish appear to entrain to the lights-off position, but the bimodally rhythmic crayfish appear to entrain to the lights-on position.     

Impact of an exotic vine Clematis vitalba (F. Ranunculaceae) and of control measures on plant biodiversity in indigenous forest,Taihape, New Zealand

The exotic vine, Clematis vitalba L. (F. Ranunculaceae), has been in forest reserves around Taihape in the Rangitikei Ecological Region of the central North Island, New Zealand, for about 70 years. Before this weed was abundant, Taihape forests were rich in species of indigenous vascular plants, especially woody species. Clematis vitalba and its control are contributing to a loss of forest structure and of indigenous biodiversity at the ecosystem and species levels, to a lack of recruitment of indigenous species, to an influx of other weeds and to changes in growth forms of indigenous shrubs. Species that have disappeared or become uncommon in forest with C. vitalba tend to be those that are nationally threatened or uncommon, have restricted distributions or are biogeographically significant. Current control of C. vitalba in the Taihape forest is piecemeal and long-term. It is based on mechanical and chemical methods, followed by grazing with sheep to prevent regeneration. Recommendations are made for rapid removal of C. vitalba from all untreated parts of the reserve, followed by manual control or spot- spraying, permanent removal of sheep, control of other serious weeds and implementation of a restoration programme.     

Epigenetic chromatin modifiers in barley: I. Cloning, mapping and expression analysis of the plant specific HD2 family of histone deacetylases from barley, during seed development and after hormonal treatment

Epigenetic phenomena have been associated with modifications of chromatin structure. These are achieved, in part, by histone post-translational modifications including acetylations and deacetylations, the later being catalyzed by histone deacetylaces (HDACs). Eukaryotic HDACs are grouped into three major families, RPD3/HDA1, SIR2 and the plant-specific HD2. HDAC genes have been analyzed from model plants such as Arabidopsis , rice and maize and have been shown to be involved in various cellular processes including seed development, vegetative and reproductive growth and responses to abiotic and biotic stress, but reports on HDACs from other crops are limited. In this work two full-length cDNAs ( HvHDAC2-1 and HvHDAC2-2 ) encoding two members of the plant-specific HD2 family, respectively, were isolated and characterized from barley ( Hordeum vulgare ), an agronomically important cereal crop. HvHDAC2-1 and HvHDAC2-2 were mapped on barley chromosomes 1H and 3H, respectively, which could prove useful in developing markers for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. Expression analysis of the barley HD2 genes demonstrated that they are expressed in all tissues and seed developmental stages examined. Significant differences were observed among tissues and seed stages, and between cultivars with varying seed size, suggesting an association of these genes with seed development. Furthermore, the HD2 genes from barley were found to respond to treatments with plant stress-related hormones such as jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA) implying an association of these genes with plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. The expression pattern of HD2 genes suggests a possible role for these genes in the epigenetic regulation of seed development and stress response.     

β-Resorcylic acid derivatives with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity from Lasiodiplodia sp. ZJ-HQ1, an endophytic fungus in the medicinal plant Acanthus ilicifolius

Three new β-resorcylic acid derivatives, compounds 1–3, along with six known analogues (4–9) were isolated from an endophytic fungus Lasiodiplodia sp. ZJ-HQ₁ derived from medicinal plant Acanthus ilicifolius. Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, high resolution mass spectrometric (HREIMS) data, and X-ray crystallography. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by the modified Mosher’s method. Compounds 1–7 showed more potent inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase activity than the clinical α-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose.