Chemical compositions by using LC–MS/MS and GC–MS and antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts from leaf and flower parts of Scabiosa columbaria subsp. columbaria var. columbaria L.

The members of the Scabiosa genus are one of the traditional medicinal plants used in the treatment of many diseases, in particular the treatment of scabies. In this study, it was aimed to determine antioxidant activities and chemical composition of methanolic extracts of leaves and flowers of Scabiosa columbaria subsp. columbaria var. columbaria. The phenolic contents of both parts of the plant were analyzed by LC–MS/MS. A total of 6 phenolic compounds were determined and chlorogenic acid was the major compound in both flower and leaf parts of the plants, with 5936.052 µg/g and 8021.666 µg/g, respectively. 6 different methods were used to determine the antioxidant activity of the plant parts. Both leaf and flower parts of the plant showed high antioxidant activity in all tested methods and the antioxidant activity values of the leaf part were measured higher than those of the flower part for four tests. The methanol extracts of the plant parts was analyzed with GC–MS and number of the essential oil compounds in the leaf and flower parts were determined as 17 and 13, respectively. Linalool compound was also found to be common in both parts of the plant. The major compounds of the essential oils were identified as 4-Octadecenal (30.01%) in the flower and carvone (35.44%) in the leaf. In addition, terpene derivatives was determined as 90.32% of the highest essential oil group in the leaf, while this value was determined as 1.42% in the flower. For the flower, aromatics were determined as the main component group with 21.31%.     

Chemical characterization (GC/MS and NMR Fingerprinting) and bioactivities of South-African Pelargonium capitatum (L.) L' Her. (Geraniaceae) essential oil

Chemical fingerprinting of commercial Pelargonium capitatum (Geraniaceae) essential oil samples of south African origin was performed by GC, GC/MS, and (13) C- and (1) H-NMR. Thirty-seven compounds were identified, among which citronellol (32.71%) and geraniol (19.58%) were the most abundant. NMR Spectra of characteristic chemicals were provided. Broad-spectrum bioactivity properties of the oil were evaluated and compared with those of commercial Thymus vulgaris essential oil with the aim to obtain a functional profile in terms of efficacy and safety. P. capitatum essential oil provides a good performance as antimicrobial, with particular efficacy against Candida albicans strains. Antifungal activity performed against dermatophyte and phytopathogen strains revealed the latter as more sensitive, while antibacterial activity was not remarkable against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. P. capitatum oil provided a lower antioxidant activity (IC(50) ) than that expressed by thyme essential oil, both in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene bleaching tests. Results in photochemiluminescence (PCL) assay were negligible. To test the safety aspects of P. capitatum essential oil, mutagenic and toxicity properties were assayed by Ames test, with and without metabolic activation. Possible efficacy of P. capitatum essential oil as mutagenic protective agent against NaN(3) , 2-nitrofluorene, and 2-aminoanthracene was also assayed, providing interesting and significant antigenotoxic properties.     

Are the differences between Stw 431 (Australopithecus africanus) and A.L. 288-1 (A. afarensis) significant?

Recent studies of early hominin body proportions paint a complex evolutionary picture, with multiple instances of reversal in body shape. These interpretations rest heavily upon the inferred limb joint proportions of Australopithecus africanus. For example, the partial skeleton Stw 431 has been suggested to show ape-like joint proportions compared to the A. afarensis specimen A.L. 288-1. This suggests an evolutionary reversal in the more recent A. africanus. However, no study has examined the probability of sampling the differences between Stw 431 and A.L. 288-1 from a single extant hominoid species. The present study compares elbow/hip and elbow/lumbosacral joint size ratios between Stw 431 and A.L. 288-1 using exact randomization, based on chimpanzee and human models of variation. Results indicate that differences in elbow/hip proportions between Stw 431 and A.L. 288-1 can be sampled from a single species. In contrast, differences in elbow/lumbosacral proportions between Stw 431 and A.L. 288-1 show a significantly low probability of being sampled from a single species. Thus, Stw 431 and A.L. 288-1 are not significantly different from each with regard to limb joint proportions, but Stw 431 has a significantly smaller lumbosacral joint. This pattern does not conform to previous interpretations of limb proportions in A. africanus. Low statistical power in the present study may account for the discrepancy. Further research is needed to illuminate the functional implications of variation in relative lumbosacral joint size in early hominins.     

Does genetic population structure of Ambrosina bassii L. (Araceae,Ambrosineae) attest a post-Messinian land-bridge between Sicily and Africa?

Aim of the present work is the analysis (through the study of enzyme polymorphism) of Sicilian and African (Tunisian) populations of Ambrosina bassii, a small perennial endemic to the Central-Western Mediterranean basin, in order to verify if the complex geological history of this part of the Mediterranean area left its mark in the present-day genetic structure of this taxon. Starch gel allozyme electrophoresis of seven putative loci of A. bassii was employed to estimate genetic diversity, genetic structure and gene flow. Populations from Sicily, Tunisia and Sardinia (as outgroup) were sampled. Results show that Sicily populations have 4 private alleles, Sardinia 3, Tunisia just one. One allele is private to both Sardinia and Tunisia, another one to Sardinia and Sicily. Even if there are no alleles private to Sicily and Tunisia, “cluster analysis” (based on Nei's genetic distances), “non-metric multidimensional scaling” (computed on the basis of a matrix with F_ST values between populations) and Bayesian analysis point out a clear isolation of Sardinian populations, and a greater similarity between Sicilian and Tunisian populations compared to Sardinian ones. The strong genetic affinity between populations from Sicily and Tunisia, considering the very low dispersal ability of the species, gives evidence of a recent continuity between the populations as well as between the two areas. Considering also the estimates of divergence times, a post-Messinian terrestrial connection between the two landmasses can be hypothesized.     

Agro-waste derived compounds (flax and black seed peels): Toxicological effect against the West Nile virus vector,Culex pipiens L. with special reference to GC–MS analysis

The development of different approaches to use agricultural residues as a source of high value-added products, become a must, especially after the problems emerged due to their accumulation. This contribution demonstrates the potential of agricultural residues, Linuim usitatissium (flax seed) and Nigella sativa (black seed) peels, as raw materials for the production of bioactive products, botanical insecticides, against Cx. pipiens, with deep analysis to their chemical constituents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the larvicidal efficacies of the three crude extracts (methylene chloride, petroleum ether and methanol 70%) from the two plant waste peels were evaluated for the first time against the late third instar larvae of Cx. pipiens. Results indicated different lethal doses in larvae depending on the efficacy of organic solvent used. For both compounds methanol 70% extracts produced the highest dry yield. The most efficient solvent is petroleum ether in case of both flax and Black seed peels. Petroleum ether extract exhibited the highest toxicity against Cx. pipiens with an LC50 of 69.6383 ppm. The same results for black seed indicated that petroleum ether was the most efficient against Cx. pipiens with an LC50 of 40.7748 ppm. The study revealed for the first time the type of phytochemical constituents presents in peels of flax and black seeds using GC–MS analysis which revealed twenty-eight constituents among extracts of flax and black seed peels ranging from to 58.8711% to 99.99% of the total extracts. GC–MS profiling showed that a five constituents, 9-2-Methyl-Z, Z-3, 13 octadecadienol (terpenoid), 9,17-Octadecadienal, (Z)-, Nonanoic acid, 9-oxo-, methyl ester, 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid Z,Z and Octasiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7,9,9,11,11,13,13,15,15-hexadecamethyl- have insecticidal activity beside many other biological activities as recorded from a variety of botanical extracts. While the constituents like Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester and cis-9-Hexadecenal, both of them are larvicidal, cis-Vaccenic acid and 9-Oxononanoic acid showing only an insecticidal activity beside Undecanoic acid the mosquito repellent. The other six constituents Linoelaidic acid, Oleic Acid, Z-2-Octadecen-1-ol, 1-Methoxy-3-hydroxymethylheptane, Cis-11,14–Eicosadieonic acid-methyl ester and Heptasiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7,9,9,11,11,13,13-tetradecamethyl- are constituents of other plant extracts which showed as a whole an insecticidal activity.     

A Review of: “Bioseparations, (Downstream Processing for Biotechnology) P.A. Belter,E.L. Cussler and W.S. Hu,Wiley Interscience,New York, 1988; hardbound, 368 pages, $39.95”

ABSTRACT

Covalent structural information on membrane proteins is not easily acquired since it is difficult to obtain pure membrane proteins in sufficient quantities. We have therefore examined the Bio-Rad 491 prep cell continuous elution electrophoresis apparatus as a method for providing the quantities of purified , alpha and beta subunits from (Na.K)-ATPase required for these studies. Twenty-four milligrams of crude (Na.K)-ATPase preparation was applied to the prep cell which consisted of a 7% Laemmli separating gel 4.5 cm in length. The prep cell was Y run under constant power and continuous cooling conditions. Those fractions containing the beta subunit were combined and further purified by wheat germ agglutinin affinity"' chromatography. Fractions containing the alpha subunit were combined and did not require further purification. The identity and the degree of purity of the proteins obtained using this approach was assessed utilizing SDS-PAGE, amino acid analysis 375 Copyright 1993 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. * and N-tertninal sequencing. This simple and fast method provides approximately 1.8 milligrams of each purified subunit from 24 milligrams of relatively crude microsomes. Recovery of the alpha and beta subunits from the crude (Na.K)-ATPase preparation was estimated to be 28% and 81%, respectively.