Theeshan Bahorun- PhD
- Chair at Mauritius Research Council and University of Mauritius
Theeshan Bahorun
- PhD
- Chair at Mauritius Research Council and University of Mauritius
About
146
Publications
66,620
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8,350
Citations
Introduction
Current institution
Mauritius Research Council and University of Mauritius
Current position
- Chair
Additional affiliations
January 2017 - April 2017
Independent Researcher
Position
- Chair
January 2012 - March 2016
Independent Researcher
Position
- National Research Chair
January 2012 - March 2016
Independent Researcher
Position
- National Research Chair
Publications
Publications (146)
Objective:
Inflammatory phenomena and increase in oxidative stress in cell physiopathology progression render therapeutic strategies based on nutritional antioxidants necessary. It was thus aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the pomegranate mesocarp extract (PME) on differentiation of preadipocytes to adipocytes in the presence/absence of hyd...
Marine fungi represent an important proportion of the microbial diversity in the oceans. They are attractive candidates for biotechnological purposes and industrial applications. Despite an increasing interest in mycology, marine fungi associated with sponges and algae have been poorly studied in Mauritius. The objectives of this study were to: 1)...
Marine sponges belonging to the genus Neopetrosia represent a quasi-inexhaustible source of novel cytotoxic compounds. Yet studies delineating their molecular mechanisms of action in cancer cells remain scarce. We investigated the cytotoxic and apoptosis inducing potential of the Mauritian marine sponge Neopetrosia exigua derived crude extract, hex...
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Gopeechund A, Bhagooli R, Neergheen VS, Bahorun T. 2023. Antioxidant and photo-physiological acclimatisation in tropical macroalgae at sites with distinct nutrient levels. Indo Pac J Ocean Life 7: 79-90. The antioxidant efficacy, Total Phenolic Contents (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Contents (TFC) were investigated at Gis Gris with Lower Nutrient level...
Epidemiological and clinical studies have evidenced the crucial role of vegetables and mushrooms for our health. Vegetables and mushrooms are usually cooked before consumption which induces many physicochemical changes in foods. A change in the phytochemical content might alter the health benefits of the food. In this regard, the impact of domestic...
Tropical forests of the islands of the West Indian Ocean region, have a rich and diverse collection of unique plants containing a multitude of chemical scaffolds that can potentially be developed into medicinal agents. Till date, endemic plants from the Mascarene Archipelago have been undervalued but they hold significant economic and biomedical po...
Marine fungi are largely associated with second most inhabitants of the marine ecosystem such as sponges and algae. They are important colonizers and play vital ecological roles, such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and symbiosis with other organisms. High throughput sequencing methods have been used successfully to reveal unknow...
Extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) of microbial origin are polymers with great potential for research and industrial applications. In this study, a sulphated EPS from Alcaligenes faecalis, previously isolated from Mauritius seawater, was investigated for its antioxidant potential using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ferric reducing capac...
Nutraceuticals and natural health products globally represent one of the fastest growing sectors of research and development leading to novel products intended for disease risk reduction and human health promotion. The global nutraceutical market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD 722.5 billi...
Nutraceuticals and natural health products globally represent one of the fastest growing sectors of research and development leading to novel products intended for disease risk reduction and human health promotion. The global nutraceutical market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD 722.5 billi...
Flowering plants from the Syzygium genus have long been used in different ethnomedicinal systems worldwide and have been under scrutiny for their biological activities. Syzygium coriaceum, an endemic plant of Mauritius has been poorly studied for its potential application against cancer. Herein, Syzygium coriaceum leaf extract has been investigated...
The Mauritian waters harbour micro-organisms that have successfully adapted to their environment; however, the mycobiota associated with algae and sponges have been poorly studied and are awaiting to be identified and exploited. This study focusses on the fungi associated with the sponge Haliclona sp. and two brown algae Turbinaria conoides and Sar...
Purpose of the study: Marine fungi of Mauritius have been poorly studied. There are numerous reports on the bioactive secondary metabolites that are produced by fungi around the world. Yet, research on the molecular characterisation and the pharmaceutical potential of marine fungi in Mauritius is rather scanty.
Method: The samples, which consisted...
Objective:
It was aimed at comparing the glycating capacities of glucose and ribose in bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-glycation activity of pomegranate mesocarp extract (PME). The protective mechanism of PME against ribosylated BSA (BSARIB)-induced toxicity was also investigated.
Methods:
BSA was incubated with glucose or ribose in the pres...
Tropical forests constitute a prolific sanctuary of unique floral diversity and potential medicinal sources, however, many of them remain unexplored. The scarcity of rigorous scientific data on the surviving Mascarene endemic taxa renders bioprospecting of this untapped resource of utmost importance. Thus, in view of valorizing the native resource,...
Whilst the pharmacological potential of Syzygium species is well reported in the literature, data on the Mauritian endemic Syzygium species is limited. Thus, the in vitro antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties of three endangered Syzygium species, endemic to Mauritius, were investigated. Leaves samples of the three species were exhaustively...
Tropical forests constitute prolific sanctuary of unique floral diversity and potential medicinal sources, however, many of them remains unexplored. Herein, seven Mascarene endemic plants leaves were extracted and evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant properties and antiproliferative effects on a panel of cancer cell lines using MTT and clonogen...
Mushrooms, both edible and medicinal have received considerable attention against cancer due to their polysaccharides, polysaccharides-protein complexes and low molecular weight secondary metabolites content. Every year, millions of people die because of this disease. Existing cancer therapies are poised with questions of efficacy, toxicity and adv...
Diet composition has been speculated to play a marked role on insulin resistance and hence on increasing the risk to the development of several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are among the top leading causes of death worldwide, and there is a dire need to un...
Marine macroalgae have attracted unprecedented interest as health food and additives, predominantly because of the plethora of biological activities, including anticancer activities. This review presents an updated and comprehensive status of macroalgal anticancer activities based on in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. The interplay between...
The evaluation of herbal extracts’ toxicity profiles are crucial when validating their therapeutic potential. Hence, an in vitro model using embryonic dorsal aorta region from day 11 mice embryo and cKit+ cells from B6 mice bone marrow was used to evaluate the hematotoxicity of three Mauritian endemic medicinal plants. At high concentration, all th...
In the above-mentioned paper, the wrong figure was provided for figure 6.
Purpose
The marine environment harbours diverse bacterial species which can be exploited for the production of valuable compounds such as exopolysaccharides (EPS) which hold promises for biotechnological applications. The coastal waters of Mauritius is a relatively underexplored marine environment and in this study, isolated bacterial species were...
Terrestrial plants have contributed massively to the development of modern oncologic drugs. Despite the wide acceptance of Mauritian endemic flowering plants in traditional medicine, scientific evidence of their chemotherapeutic potential is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro tumor cytotoxicity of leaf extracts from five Mauritian e...
The simplistic morphological characteristics of Carica papaya fruit or “pawpaw” should not be the cause for underestimating its potential as a nutraceutical. The market for papaya has been expanding at a staggering rate, partly due to its applicability as a biofortified product, but also due to its phytochemical properties and traditional health be...
The simplistic morphological characteristics of the Carica papaya, papaya or ‘pawpaw’ should not be the cause for underestimating its potential as a nutraceutical. The market for papaya has been expanding at a staggering rate, partly due to its applicability as a biofortified product, but mostly for its phytochemical properties and traditional heal...
The Mauritian endemic plants represent untapped resources, which must be probed into to establish therapeutic activities. This study aimed at determining a broad spectrum of in vitro bioactivities of twelve endemic plants. Total phenolics, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins were determined spectrophotometrically and by High Performance Liquid Chromat...
Marine sponges (Phylum Porifera) have consistently been a prolific source of new marine natural products with unprecedented chemical scaffolds and potential pharmaceutical applications. Other than their chemical diversity, these compounds possess remarkable bioactivities. This great potential has aroused applications of sponge natural products as t...
Functional foods contain biologically active ingredients associated with physiological health benefits for preventing and managing chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A regular consumption of functional foods may be associated with enhanced anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, insulin sensitivity, and anti-cholesterol functions,...
Ethnopharmacological relevance
The Mauritian endemic flora has been recorded to be used as medicines for nearly 300 years. Despite acceptance of these endemic plants among the local population, proper documentation of their therapeutic uses is scarce. This review aims at summarising documented traditional uses of Mauritian endemic species with exi...
This study aimed at investigating and comparing the anti-diabetic potential of black and green teas. Biochemical analyses indicate higher antioxidant potency, significantly correlated to phytochemicals present, in green teas compared to black teas. Both extracts afforded similar level of protection to erythrocytes against peroxyl radical-induced ly...
Tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya, mango, and beverages such as green or black teas, represent an underestimated source of antioxidants that could exert health-promoting properties. Most food processing technologies applied to fruit beverages or teas result in an impairment of inherent nutritional properties. Conversely, we hypothesise that la...
In line with literature documenting the pluripotent activities of tropical fruits, this study evaluated the antioxidant effects of Carica papaya fruit extracts at cellular level. Investigations using cellular models of oxidative stress provided complementary evidence of the antioxidant activities of papaya fruit. At 2 mg dry weight ml⁻¹, extracts o...
Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance has led research to focus on discovering new antimicrobial agents derived from the marine biome. Although ample studies have investigated sponges for their bioactive metabolites with promising prospects in drug discovery, the potentiating effects of sponge extracts on antibiotics still remains to be ex...
The protective potential of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) mesocarp extract (PME) on a cell model mimicking diabetes-like oxidative stress exposed to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was investigated. The polyphenolic antioxidant rich PME afforded protection to erythrocytes from AAPH radical-induced lysis and si...
Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) has been valued for its medicinal properties since ancient times and is still being used in folk medicine across the world. The different anatomical parts of pomegranate have been professed with different health benefits in different indigenous cultures and associated traditional medicine. The dietary nature of pome...
Understanding susceptibility to bleaching may indicate how corals cope with increasing seawater temperatures resulting from climate change. In Belle Mare lagoon, Mauritius, Acropora muricata colonies at reef sites but not near the coast exhibited bleaching. We compared seawater temperatures and light intensity both on a summer day and a winter day...
The hepatoprotective potential of edible mushrooms from Mauritius, namely Pleurotus sajor-caju and Agaricus bisporus was evaluated using an N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis Balb/c mice model. Mushroom extracts restored normal weight in MNU treated mice over a 3 month supplementation period. Blood parameter analyses indicate...
Morinda citrifolia L. commonly known as noni is used by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to the plethora of pharmacological activities of its metabolites. In Mauritius, the fruits of M. citrifolia are used in folk medicine against a number of indications. The present study aimed at evaluating the antioxidant activity of ripe and unrip...
The search for biomarkers to detect the earliest glimpse of cancer has been one of the primary objectives of cancer research initiatives. These endeavours, in spite of constant clinical challenges, are now more focused as early cancer detection provides increased opportunities for different interventions and therapies, with higher potential for imp...
The linear-leafed water primrose (Ludwigia hyssopifolia), with its distinctive yellow flowers and matted undergrowth, is easily recognized along paddy fields and tropical wetlands especially in South and South-East Asia. Also known as the seedbox because of its distinctive dimorphic seeds, it has the potential of being an invasive pest and is class...
The consumption of green tea is epidemiologically associated with a reduction in diabetic nephropathy; however its prophylactic effect remains unclear in an oxidative stress-‐associated diabetic milieu. The energy metabolism of HEK-‐293 cell, pretreated with variable concentrations of green tea, was evaluated under different hydrogen peroxide (H2...
Natural plant products continue to be of increasing interest due to the wide range of health benefits they confer to humans. Citrus fruits have been extensively studied for their health-promoting potential and have been widely applied in the medical and food industry. Kumquat, a tropical fruit originally included in the genus Citrus has been classi...
One of the main limitations for breeding purposes and optimum germplasm management in litchi is the confusion in cultivar denomination among different litchi-producing countries and germplasm collections worldwide that results in a high number of homonymies and synonymies. In this work, we have characterized 88 litchi accessions conserved in three...
The seasonal variations in the polyphenolic contents and potential
antioxidant activities of seven seaweed species (Padina gymnospora, Gracilaria
salicornia, Palisada papillosa, Galaxaura rugosa, Enteromorpha intestinalis, Codium
arabicum and Dictyosphaeria cavernosa) and five seagrass species (Syringodium
isoetifolium, Halodule uninervis, Thalasso...
Chemotherapy
to
patients
with
cancer
remains
an
effective
mode
of
treatment
of
the
disease,
but
it
is
associated
with
many
side
effects
including
mild
or
dose-‐limiting
toxicities
such
as
alopecia,
myelosuppression,
gastrointestinal
dysfunctions,
neurologic
toxicities,
and
immune
suppression
which
results
in
infections
and
cancer
cell
proliferatio...
In
view
of
the
high
prevalence
of
type
2
diabetes
mellitus,
this
study
aimed
at
determining
the
total
plasma
antioxidant
capacity
of
type
2
diabetic
patients
with
and
without
macrovascular
complications.
The
erythrocyte
catalase
level
was
also
evaluated
because
of
the
implication
of
catalase
as
a
risk
factor
in
diabetes.
90
age-‐,
gender-‐
and
bo...
Type
2
Diabetes
Mellitus
is
associated
with
elevated
blood
glucose
level,
abnormal
abdominal
fat
deposition,
insulin
resistance
and
a
number
of
complications
including
embryopathy,
cardiovascular
diseases,
nephropathy,
neuropathy,
microangiopathy
and
retinopathy.
Complications
extending
to
the
central
nervous
system
may
have
a
deteriorating
effect...
The role played by dietary factors on health status has long been recognized but it has been only recently that epidemiological, clinical and cell-culture studies have provided a clearer insight on the chemical and physiological mechanisms of the effects of bioactive food constituents on human health. Citrus fruits are rich in phytochemicals which...
With the unprecedented increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, cancers, cardiovascular disorders and diabetes have attained pandemic proportions with limited distinction between developed and developing countries. The emerging pandemic is driven by the combined effects of population ageing, rising levels of obesity and inactivity,...
Tea has been considered a palatable beverage for over 4,000 years before the scientific community advocated its therapeutic potential. It is a complex mixture containing a range of compounds from simple phenolics to complex tannins, many of which have well-recognized biological properties. Epidemiological and experimental investigations have provid...
Fermented papaya preparation (FPP) is a “natural health product.” The high incidence of dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, and oral microbial infection cases among patients with diabetes mellitus continues to prevail. The potential role of FPP against common oral microbiota (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, and Lactobacillus acidop...
A pilot study involving 30 Type II diabetic subjects with no macrovascular and microvascular complications and 30 healthy subjects from the Republic of Mauritius was conducted to assess the erythrocyte catalase level and the plasma antioxidant activity in diabetic condition. The total antioxidant capacity was determined using the ferric reducing an...
Context and objective:
Tobacco smoke and nitrostable foods containing N-methyl N-nitrosourea (MNU) are among the primary causes of liver cancer. To substantiate the beneficial claims ascribed to Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa (Rutaceae), the hepatoprotective potential of its leaf extract was studied using an MNU-induced hepatocarcinogenesis model in B...
The deleterious effects of lipid autoxidation are of major concern to the food industry and can be prevented by food antioxidants. In this vein, the phenolic contents and antioxidant potential of traditional plants of Mauritius such as P. betle L. (Piperaceae), M. koenigii L. Sprengel. (Rutaceae), O. gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae), O. tenuiflorum L. (L...
Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a fruit crop with a clear niche for expansion in countries with subtropical climates. One of the main limitations for breeding purposes and optimum germplasm management in this species is the confusion in cultivar denomination among different producing countries and germplasm collections worldwide. Litchi cultivar...
Epidemiological studies have argued that green tea could mitigate diabetes and its complications. This study investigated the phytophenolic profile of Mauritian green tea and its antioxidant propensity. The effect of green tea on the risk factors: waist-hip ratio, glucose level, arterial pressure, antioxidant status, and alanine aminotransferase (A...
Punica granatum L. has a long standing culinary and medicinal traditional use in Mauritius.
This prompted a comparative study to determine the bioefficacy of the flower, peel, leaf, stem, and seed extracts of the Mauritian P. granatum.
The flower and peel extracts resulting from organic solvent extraction exhibited strong antioxidant activities w...
Natural products as disease remedies have a history of near 5,000 years (India, China and Greece), and even today, in this advanced technological age, a revival of interest is being witnessed in the use of natural or plant-based therapeutic agents for the treatment of several pathological conditions. Citrus fruits have been utilised as a traditiona...
Clinical evidence and cellular models have shown an inverse relationship between the intakes of plant and fruit based diets and oxidative stress, suggesting the suitability of natural antioxidants in the management of diabetes mellitus and its complications.
A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at the Cardiac Centre, SSRN Hospital,...
A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial determined the effect of Mauritian black tea consumption on fasting blood plasma levels of glucose, lipid profiles and antioxidant status in a normal population.
The study group (71%) consumed 3 x 200 ml of black tea infusate/day for 12 weeks without additives followed by a 3 week wash-out. The con...
In 400 B.C. Hippocrates said, Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food. Despite technological and cultural advances, the essence of these words has seen contemporary resurgence through renewed interest in food and their ability to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Thus, the search for novel and effective cancer chemoprevent...
The pulp extracts of twenty-one varieties of citrus fruits (oranges, satsumah, clementine, mandarins, tangor, bergamot, lemon, tangelos, kumquat, calamondin and pamplemousses), commonly grown in Mauritius, were characterised in terms of their total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), polyphenol composition and vitamin C contents. Total p...
The polyphenolic profile of a leaf extract of the Mauritian endemic plant, Eugenia pollicina, was assessed as a source of natural antioxidants. The amounts of flavan-3-ol derivatives determined by HPLC, were in the order of (−)-epicatechin (EC) > (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) > (+)-catechin (C) > (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) with the levels...
The flavedo extracts of twenty-one varieties of citrus fruits (oranges, satsumah, clementine, mandarins, tangor, bergamot, lemon, tangelos, kumquat, calamondin and pamplemousses) grown in Mauritius were examined for their total phenolic, flavonoid and vitamin C contents and antioxidant activities. Total phenolics correlated strongly with the trolox...
Diabetes is a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated pathology, with a worldwide prevalence estimated to double by 2030. A major effort has been launched to find therapeutic means to improve health conditions of diabetic patients. Recent data show that supplemental natural antioxidants represent a potential strategy as adjunct therapy. Despite the...
Introduction. Litchi has gained considerable economic importance in Mauritius as it is highly prized on the local and export markets for its size, colour and flavour, although no characterisation work has been performed so far. Materials and methods. In order to optimise litchi germplasm management in Mauritius, we evaluated 34 litchi accessions fr...
Natural phytochemicals derived from dietary sources or medicinal plants have gained significant recognition in the potential management of several human clinical conditions. Much research has also been geared towards the evaluation of plant extracts as effective prophylactic agents since they can act on specific and/or multiple molecular and cellul...
Cultivated bananas (Musa spp.) are mostly diploid or triploid cultivars with various combinations of the A and B genomes inherited from their diploid ancestors Musa acuminata Colla. and Musa balbisiana Colla. respectively. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to establish the relatedness of 27 accessions in the Mauritian Musa g...
