Evaluation of antimutagenic and protective effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parkinsonia aculeata</Emphasis> L. leaves against H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> induced damage in pBR322 DNA

The in vitro antimutagenic and DNA protecting potential of organic (methanol, hexane, n-butanol) and aqueous extract/fractions of Parkinsonia aculeata L. (Fabaceae) was investigated by employing Ames assay and DNA nicking assay. DNA damage by hydroxyl radicals was effectively inhibited by all the extract/fractions. A marked antimutagenic effect was observed against 4-Nitro-o-phenylenediamine and sodium azide (direct acting mutagens) and 2-Aminofluorene (indirect acting mutagen) in TA98 and TA100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. In Ames assay, two different modes of experiments i.e. pre-incubation and co-incubation were performed and it was observed that all the extract/fractions showed better results in the pre-incubation as compared to co- incubation mode. Out of all the extract/fractions tested, n-butanol fraction was found to be the most effective in preventing DNA damage and inhibiting mutagenesis. UHPLC analysis of extract/fractions revealed presence of polyphenols such as gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, umbelliferone, coumaric acid, rutin, and ellagic acid etc. DNA protecting and antimutagenic activity of this plant could be attributed to presence of these polyphenols. The results of this study indicate the presence of potent antioxidant factors in Parkinsonia aculeata L, which are being explored further for their mechanism of action.     

GC/MS and LC/MS analysis,and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of various solvent extracts from Mirabilis jalapa tubers

The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of various solvent extracts from Mirabilis jalapa tubers (MJT) were investigated using various in vitro assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents varied from 21.45 to 364.6 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dried extract and 5.2 to 71.6 mg quercetin/g dried extract, respectively. Water extract of MJT was the most potent antioxidant in all assays used, followed by methanol extract. The five solvent extracts were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Water extract was the most effective with minimum inhibitory concentration <200 μg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus and Enterococcus faecalis. Only water extract showed antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporium and Fusarium granularium. GC/MS analysis of MJT dichloromethane and methanol extracts showed that oleic acid and β-sitosterol were, respectively, the major compounds. LC/MS analysis of the aqueous extract showed a high content of flavanol and flavonol compounds. Phenolic acids such as ferulic and caffeic acid were also detected.To our knowledge, this is the first report on the chemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of phenolic extracts from M. jalapa tubers (MJT). The results of the present work indicate that MJT extracts could be used as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents in the food preservation and human health.     

In vitro antioxidant,antimicrobial and antiproliferative studies of four different extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus,Gynura procumbens and Ficus deltoidea

BackgroundMedicinal plants are important source of drugs with pharmacological activities. Therefore, there is always rising demands to discover more therapeutic agents from various species. Orthosiphon stamineus, Gynura procumbens and Ficus deltoidea are high valued medicinal plants of Malaysia contain rich source of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The aims of the present study were to evaluate anti-oxidant, antimicrobial and anti-proliferative effects on A549, HePG2 and MCF7 cell lines of four different extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus, Gynura procumbens and Ficus deltoidea.MethodologyThe leaves of all selected plants were extracted with methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol separately with simple cold maceration. Antioxidant activity of all crude extracts were quantitatively measured against DPPH and Ferric Reducing Assay. Antimicrobial evaluation was done by Microdilution and MTT assay and antipoliferative activity of all extracts of selected plant were evaluated against A549, HePG2 and MCF7 cell lines.ResultsResults showed that methanol extract exhibited highest percentage free radical scavenging activity of almost all extracts of selected plants. Antimicrobials results showed chloroform and methanol extracts of O. stamineus extract were the two most active extracts against resistant MRSA but not S. aureus. Only methanol extract of G. procumbens showed antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens. Chloroform and methanol extracts of F. deltoidea elicited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus but not MRSA. Antiproliferative activity against three tested cell lines results showed that ethyl acetate extract of O. stamineus showed good effect whereas methanol extract of F. deltoidea and G. procumbens exhibited good antiproliferative activity.ConclusionsThe results of the present investigation demonstrated significant variations in the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects of different solvent extracts. These data could be helpful in isolation of pure potent compounds with good biological activities from the extracts of plants.     

Antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effects of aerial parts extract from Korean crowberry (Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum)

Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.) is a wild berry commonly found in the northern hemisphere. Crowberry fruits have been suggested as good resources for functional applications in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, but the high polyphenolic content in crowberry leaves also indicates crowberry aerial parts as potential dietary health supplements. In this study, therefore, the biological activities of the aerial parts of Korean crowberry (E. nigrum var. japonicum) were investigated. Antioxidant activity was measured by three different assays on DPPH free radical scavenging, reducing power, and total antioxidant capacities. Dose-dependent antioxidant activities were exhibited by crude methanol extract and its fractions, suggesting that the crude methanol extract and EtOAc fraction possessed strong antioxidant activities and capacities. In addition, the crude methanol extract and EtOAc strongly inhibited α-glucosidase activity and suppressed the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediator and nitrite oxide from LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. These findings provide valuable evidence for the potential of such parts as good dietary sources of natural antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibitory, and anti-inflammatory components, suggesting that using the non-edible parts (e.g., leaves and stems) of crowberry can be a potential natural avenue for improving human health.     

In-vitro antibacterial,antioxidant potentials and cytotoxic activity of the leaves of Tridax procumbens

The present study explored the phytochemicals, antibacterial, antioxidant and cytotoxic effect of Tridax procumbens leaves. The leaves were dried and extracted with various organic solvents. The leaves contained the phytochemicals such as alkaloids, carbohydrates, polyphenols and tannins respectively. Antimicrobial potentials of the extracts were determined by performing the disc diffusion techniques. Results revealed that different organic solvents extracts namely methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts documented comparatively good activity against the studied microbial strains. The methanol extract of leaves of T. procumbens showed combatively better antioxidant potential. The tested plant leaf extract showed high activity against human lung cancer cells than breast cancer cell lines. 250 µg/ml plants extract showed 84 ± 2.8% toxicity against human lung cancer cells.     

Design,synthesis and molecular modeling studies of new series of s-triazine derivatives as antimicrobial agents against multi-drug resistant clinical isolates

Three novel series of s-triazine derivatives, including thirty-five new compounds 2a-d, 3a-3p, 4b-d, 5b-d, 6d-6d, and 7a-7f were synthesized comprising a diversity of substituents based on the structure of Astrazeneca arylaminotriazine DNA gyrase B inhibitor. The antimicrobial activity was determined for all compounds against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans using the two-fold serial dilution technique and against reference standards Ampicillin for the antibacterial screening and Clotrimazole regarding the antifungal evaluation. The tested compounds showed strong to moderate antibacterial inhibitory action and weak antifungal activity. Compounds 3j and 6b were the most potent antibacterial agents against the tested strains and multi-drug resistant (MDR) clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA1) with minimal toxicity in comparison to the reference drugs. In silico molecular properties calculations and molecular docking study for 3j and 6b revealed that both compounds could be considered as promising antibacterial DNA gyrase B inhibitors.     

Screening of anti-inflammatory phytocompounds from Crateva adansonii leaf extracts and its validation by in silico modeling

Anti-inflammatory phytocompounds from Crateva adansonii DC leaf extracts were identified by GCMS analysis and its anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated by in silico molecular docking study against inflammatory molecular targets. Three different (Aqueous, Methanol and Petroleum ether) dried leaf extracts of Crateva adansonii were obtained from soxhlet extraction method. Preliminary phytoconstituents analysis of three different leaf extracts of C. adansonii confirmed the presence of various major classes of bioactive phytoconstituents such as polyphenols (tannins and flavonoids), steroids, alkaloid, coumarin, carbohydrate and terpenoids. Among three leaf extracts, methanolic leaf extract possess highest total phenolic content of 77?±?1.65?µg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of dry weight of leaf extract, subsequently methanolic leaf extract also shows maximal in vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH scavenging activity) of 71.22?±?1.32% among three different leaf extracts. GC–MS analysis of petroleum ether leaf extract revealed the presence of nine phytocompounds representing 95.43% peak area percentage, among nine identified phytocompounds three phytocompounds of C. adansonii possess anti-inflammatory property namely phytol, 1-Hexyl-2-Nitrohexane and 2-Isopropyl-5-Methylcyclohexyl 3-(1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-Oxobutyl)-Coumarin-4-Yl Carbonate were chosen for in silico molecular docking study against four inflammatory receptor targets (COX-2, TNFα, IL-1β and IL-6) and they shows less binding energy with highest docking score ranging from ?15.9500 to 5.0869. The present study substantially indicated and proven that anti-inflammatory potential of phytocompounds from C. adansonii leaf extracts which can be exploited for commercial designing of novel anti-inflammatory drug to treat various inflammatory disorders.     

Synthesis,evaluation and molecular docking studies of amino acid derived N-glycoconjugates as antibacterial agents

Six amino acid derived N-glycoconjugates of d-glucose were synthesized, characterized and tested for antibacterial activity against G(+)ve (Bacillus cereus) as well as G(−)ve (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacterial strains. All the tested compounds exhibited moderate to good antibacterial activity against these bacterial strains. The results were compared with the antibacterial activity of standard drug Chloramphenicol, where results of A5 (Tryptophan derived glycoconjugates) against E. coli and A4 (Isoleucine derived glycoconjugates) against K. pneumoniae bacterial strains are comparable with the standard drug molecule. In silico docking studies were also performed in order to understand the mode of action and binding interactions of these molecules. The docking studies revealed that, occupation of compound A5 at the ATP binding site of subunit GyrB (DNA gyrase, PDB ID: 3TTZ) via hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions may be the reason for its significant in vitro antibacterial activity.     

Detection of antimicrobial substances from larvae of the black soldier fly,Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Maggots have become highly successful in the treatment of non‐healing wounds and multidrug‐resistant pathogen infections. The main objective of this study was to extract antibacterial substances from larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens. To induce immune responses, we septically injured the larvae with a contaminated needle. Lyophilized H. illucens larvae were homogenized and extracted with acidic methanol. We examined the antifungal and antibacterial effects of the low molecular weight antimicrobial factors within the larval extract on the growth of a broad range of microorganisms, including Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Gram‐negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, we isolated the anti‐MRSA substances from the larval extract using high performance liquid chromatography. These investigations revealed that the larval extract possessed a broad‐spectrum of antibacterial activity, demonstrating that secretions of H. illucens larvae prove useful in the fight against MRSA and can potentially be a source of novel antibiotic‐like compounds for infection control.     

Loranthus acaciae: Alternative medicine for β-lactamase producer and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Recently, we reported high antibacterial efficiency of Loranthus acaciae (LA) against different standard strains of bacteria including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Therefore, this study aimed to confirm the effectiveness of LA against clinically isolated Staphylococcus aureus (SA) including β-lactamase producer (Blac) and MRSA. Forty-eight SA isolates collected from various clinical samples were used in this study. Antibiotics susceptibility profile was determined for twenty different antibiotics using automated Microscan Walkaway 96 Plus system as recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. This system also identified β-lactamase producers and MRSA. In the meantime, LA ethanolic extract was fractionated using liquid–liquid fraction method to hexane, dichloromethane DCM and methanol 80% fractions. Antimicrobial activities of LA extract and fraction were performed with agar well diffusion method for all SA isolates, MIC and MBC were also recorded. Phytochemical screening for various phyto-constituent classes of LA ethanolic extract was determined. Out of 48 SA isolates, Cefoxitin-positive MRSA represent 31 (64.6%), Blac 17 (35.4%), and 41 (85.4%) were multidrug-resistant SA, which was resistant at least to one antibiotic from three different categories. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin and penicillin. Antimicrobial activities of LA extract and fractions revealed that ethanol extract was active against all isolated SA with inhibition zone ranged from 33 ± 2.00 to 25 ± 3.05 mm. While DCM exhibited the largest inhibition zone range from 37 ± 3.00 to 33 ± 2.00 mm. This study is first of its kind conforming the high antibacterial activity of LA against SA isolated from a different source of infection. The study concluded that LA extract and fractions are active and give positive result for all isolated SA. Therefore, suitable pharmacological formulation of LA extract as a promising antibacterial agent for the treatment of SA infection should be given extreme priority.     

Chemical investigation of different extracts and essential oil from the tubers of (Tunisian)Cyperus rotundus. Correlation with their antiradical and antimutagenic properties

The mutagenic potential of aqueous, Total Oligomers Flavonoids (TOF), ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts as well as essential oil (EO) obtained from tubers ofCyperus rotundus L. was assessed by “Ames assay”, usingSalmonella tester strains TA98 and TA100, and “SOS chromotest” usingEscherichia coli PQ37 strain with and without an exogenous metabolic activation system (S9). None of the different extracts showed a mutagenic effect. Likewise, the antimutagenicity of the same extracts was tested using the “Ames test” and the “SOS chromotest”. Our results showed thatC. rotundus extracts have antimutagenic effects withSalmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains towards the mutagen Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), as well as withE. coli PQ37 strain against AFB1 and nifuroxazide mutagens. A free radical scavenging test was used in order to explore the antioxidant capacity of the extracts obtained from the tubers ofC. rotundus. TOF, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts showed an important free radical scavenging activity towards the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. These extracts showed IC50 values of respectively 5, 20 and 65 μg/ml. The beneficial effects of TOF, ethyl acetate, methanol and essential oil extracts ofC. rotundus have been assessed by antioxidant and antimutagenic activities.     

Computational Ranking of Yerba Mate Small Molecules Based on Their Predicted Contribution to Antibacterial Activity against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The aqueous extract of yerba mate, a South American tea beverage made from Ilex paraguariensis leaves, has demonstrated bactericidal and inhibitory activity against bacterial pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of two unique fractions of yerba mate aqueous extract revealed 8 identifiable small molecules in those fractions with antimicrobial activity. For a more comprehensive analysis, a data analysis pipeline was assembled to prioritize compounds for antimicrobial testing against both MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus using forty-two unique fractions of the tea extract that were generated in duplicate, assayed for activity, and analyzed with GC-MS. As validation of our automated analysis, we checked our predicted active compounds for activity in literature references and used authentic standards to test for antimicrobial activity. 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde showed the most antibacterial activity against MRSA at low concentrations in our bioassays. In addition, quinic acid and quercetin were identified using random forests analysis and 5-hydroxy pipecolic acid was identified using linear discriminant analysis. We also generated a ranked list of unidentified compounds that may contribute to the antimicrobial activity of yerba mate against MRSA. Here we utilized GC-MS data to implement an automated analysis that resulted in a ranked list of compounds that likely contribute to the antimicrobial activity of aqueous yerba mate extract against MRSA.     

Phytochemical profiling,antioxidant and antibacterial efficacy of a native Himalayan Fern: Woodwardia unigemmata (Makino) Nakai

Present work elucidates the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Woodwardia unigemmata (Makino) Nakai along with chemical characterization using its aqueous (AEW), methanol (MEW), and hexane (HEW) extracts. Chemical profile of different extracts was illustrated by using Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Antioxidant activities were tested using DPPH and FRAP assays, total phenolic and flavonoid content by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride method, respectively. Further, antibacterial activity against six plant and four animal pathogenic bacteria was analyzed by employing the disc diffusion assay. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of catechol (21.96%), glycerol (20.22%), n-pentadecanoic acid (6.95%), glyceryl monoacetate (6.35 %), ethyl acetimidate (5.39 %) and 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydromaltol (5.36%) in AEW; β-sitosterol (17.39%), pentadecanoic acid (9.81%), vitamin E (7.82%) and glycerol (7.05%) in MEW; γ-sitosterol (33.45%), vitamin E (10.04%) and campesterol (7.32%) in HEW as major constituents. Maximum phenolics (873 ± 6.01 mgGAE/g dry extract) as well as flavonoids (151 ± 11.44 mgQE/g dry extract) content was found in MEW, which also showed remarkable antioxidant potential (IC₅₀ 6.07 ± 1.4 µg/ml for DPPH and 768 ± 10.4 mg AAE/g dry extract for FRAP assay. In antibacterial activity, maximum inhibition (15 ± 0.9 mm) was observed for HEW against R. solanacearum, followed by AEW against A. tumefaciens and X. phaseoli (11 ± 0.3 mm each). MEW was found positive only against A. tumefaciens. Significant minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value observed for AEW against L. monocytogenes (10 mg/ml). Polar extracts had remarkable antioxidant potential, while non-polar extract did show significant antibacterial activity. Further, GC- MS reports indicated that this traditionally useful fern species can be an excellent source of biologically active compounds.     

Antioxidant, α-amylase inhibitory and oxidative DNA damage protective property of Boerhaavia diffusa (Linn.) root

Boerhaavia diffusa Linn. of family Nyctaginaceae is a known traditional medicinal plant and has been used in the treatment of many free radical mediated diseases. Excessive formation of free radicals, either reactive oxygen species (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) is responsible for damaging various biomolecules like DNA, lipids and proteins. The present investigation was initially carried out to explore the possible link between antioxidant, oxidative DNA damage protective and α-amylase inhibitory property of B. diffusa root extract and their bioactive fraction. Our results illustrated an enhanced DPPH radical scavenging activity/antioxidant power of methanol root extract (IC₅₀ < 250 μg/ml) than ethanol (IC₅₀ = 250 μg/ml) and aqueous extract (IC₅₀ > 250 μg/ml). In addition, the methanol root extract also showed better oxidative DNA damage protective activity and α-amylase inhibitory property than ethanol and aqueous root extract. Phytochemical screening of B. diffusa ethanol and methanol root extract showed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides and terpenoids in large amount. By means of repetitive preparatory TLC and HPLC the potent antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory fraction was isolated from methanol root extract. Our results illustrated that DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ < 250 μg/ml) and oxidative DNA damage protective and α-amylase inhibitory activity of the isolated/purified bioactive compound from methanol extract were significantly closer to that of crude extract, which in turn confirm that antioxidant and antidiabetic property of methanol root extract resides in this fraction and established a significant correlation between antioxidant and inhibitory α-amylase property of this bioactive fraction compound. These profound effects of B. diffusa methanol root extract and its purified fraction against oxidative plasmid DNA damage, antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activity may explain its extensive use in daily life and possible health benefits.     

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Crude Extracts and Essential Oils of Syzygium cumini Leaves

This research highlights the chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of essential oils and various crude extracts (using methanol and methylene chloride) from Syzygium cumini leaves. Essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The abundant constituents of the oils were: α-pinene (32.32%), β-pinene (12.44%), trans-caryophyllene (11.19%), 1, 3, 6-octatriene (8.41%), delta-3-carene (5.55%), α-caryophyllene (4.36%), and α-limonene (3.42%).The antioxidant activities of all extracts were examined using two complementary methods, namely diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power (FRAP). In both methods, the methanol extract exhibited a higher activity than methylene chloride and essential oil extracts. A higher content of both total phenolics and flavonoids were found in the methanolic extract compared with other extracts. Furthermore, the methanol extract had higher antibacterial activity compared to methylene chloride and the essential oil extracts. Due to their antioxidant and antibacterial properties, the leaf extracts from S. cumini may be used as natural preservative ingredients in food and/or pharmaceutical industries.     

The possible role of probiotics as dietary antimutagens

Possible antimutagenic actions of probiotics - mainly lactic acid bacteria - were examined using in vitro and in vivo test systems.In the Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium TA1538 beef extract and nitrosated beef extract were used as mutagens. L. casei showed high antimutagenic activity on mutagenicity induced by nitrosated beef extract only without S9 mix, whereas Omniflora (a lyophilized preparation of lactobacilli and E. coli and its cellfree culture broth exhibited antimutagenic action only on beef extract.The actions of probiotics were more homogeneous when living animais were used in the tests. Using busulfan as a mutagen both the chromosome aberration test (with Chinese hamster bone marrow cells) and the micronucleus test (with bone marrow cells of Chinese hamsters and mice) showed strong anticlastogenic action when L. casei, Omniflora or yoghurt (with living bifiobacteria) were given orally at the same time as the mutagen. Lactobacilli were effective also after i.p. injection. Cell-free culture broths had no or only weak antimutagenic effects. Mutagen-induced chromosome aberrations and micronuclei were reduced by up to 80% by the lactobacilli.     

Potential of Candida utilis to ferment Ecklonia cava by-product for enhanced anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity

In order to utilize the by-product of Ecklonia cava (the remaining biomass of E. cava), microbial fermentation which may result in the production of bioactive compounds using the by-product was applied in this study. The fermentation broth of E. cava by-product fermented with Candida utilis showed enhanced antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and food-borne pathogenic bacteria compared to that of control. To perform a more detailed investigation on the antibacterial activity, the broth was extracted with methanol and further fractionated with organic solvents. After 1 day of fermentation, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction exhibited the highest anti-MRSA activity with minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 64 to 256 μg mL^?1, suggesting that the fermentation of E. cava by-product with C. utilis could enhance antibacterial activity against MRSA. In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that dieckol, eckol, eckstolonol, and triphlorethol-A contents in the EtOAc-soluble extract increased significantly. The anti-MRSA activity of E. cava by-product most probably originated from phlorotannins, and the fermentation of C. utilis may have stimulated the breakdown of phlorotannins or have increased the efficiency in extracting phlorotannins.     

In-vitro antioxidant,antimutagenic and cancer cell growth inhibition activities of Rhododendron arboreum leaves and flowers

In the current investigation, the active principles of the methanol extracts of Rhododendron arboreum leaves (MEL) and flowers (MEF) were investigated with the help of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), amino acid analyzer and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). UHPLC revealed different polyphenols present in the extracts. GC-MS identified 20 phytochemicals in leaves and 17 in the flowers, whereas, amino acid analyzer confirmed 11 amino acids in leaves and 10 in the flowers. The extracts were subjected to the investigation of biological activity through analysis of antioxidant activity in different in vitro assays, antimutagenic activity in Ames assay and cancer cell growth inhibition activity by MTT (3-4,5 dimethylthiazol-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. MEL showed higher antioxidant activity in lipid peroxidation inhibition assay (95.32 ± 0.37%) than MEF (77.09 ± 4.17%) with IC₅₀103.6 µg/ml for MEL and 271.17 µg/ml for MEF. In nitric oxide scavenging assay, an activity of 94.46 ± 0.32% (IC₅₀ 150.13) was observed in MEF followed by 83.71 ± 0.74% (IC₅₀ 179.52) in MEL. The antimutagenic activity of both the extracts was evaluated against sodium azide, 4-nitro-O-phenylenediamine and 2-aminofluorene mutagens in TA-98 and TA-100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. The analysis was carried out using pre- and co-incubation modes. However, both extracts were observed to possess considerable antimutagenic activity against different known mutagens, flowers came out to be more effective than the leaves in terms of % inhibition. The extracts also exhibited significant cancer cell growth inhibition activity, when tested against 3 cancer cell lines namely, Human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), Breast cancer cell line (MCF7) and Lung cancer cell line (A549). In case of HeLa and A549, MEL showed higher activity of 64.62 ± 2.65 and 75.08 ± 1.68% as compared to 53.11 ± 2.84 and 45.92 ± 2.43% in MEL, respectively. The EC₅₀ values for MEL in HeLa and A549 were noted to be 232.76 and 155.38 µg/ml, respectively, whereas, MEF had EC₅₀ of 395.50 µg/ml in HeLa and 660.26 µg/ml in A549. Further, MEF showed higher cytotoxicity in MCF7 cell line (84.93 ± 1.17%) followed by the MEL (73.57 ± 1.27%) with EC₅₀ value of 95.16 µg/ml for MEF followed by 172.19 µg/ml for MEL. The biological activities of the extracts can be attributed to the phyto-constituents identified by sophisticated instruments.The biological activities of the extracts can be attributed to the active principles identified by sophisticated instruments.     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the lichens <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anaptychya ciliaris,Nephroma parile,Ochrolechia tartarea</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parmelia centrifuga</Emphasis>

The aim of this study was to characterize the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the methanol extracts of: Anaptychya ciliaris, Nephroma parile, Ochrolechia tartarea and Parmelia centrifuga. The methanol extract of the P. centrifuga showed a strong antioxidant activity, in comparison to the extracts from A. ciliaris, O. tartarea and N. parile which were relatively weaker. Furthermore, the methanol extract of the lichen P. centrifuga was shown to contain the highest total phenol content (54.19 mg/g of the dry extract). Interestingly, a statistically significant positive relationship between the antioxidant activity and the total phenol content was observed. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against six bacterial and eleven fungi was established for the methanol extracts from each of species of lichens. The methanol extracts of the lichens P. centrifuga and O. tartarea showed the strongest both antibacterial and antifungal activity. Taken together, the results from this study suggest that the lichens P. centrifuga and O. tartarea may be used as a natural source of antioxidants in addition to providing certain antimicrobial features.