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Antioxidant and Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition Activities of Cynomorium songaricum Extracts
Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant activities and xanthine oxidase inhibition effects of water and ethanol extracts of Cynomorium songaricum. The ethanol extract of C. songaricum (EE) contained more phenolic and flavonoid compounds than the water extract (WE). The antioxidant activities of the extracts were increased as the concentration of the extract increased. The WE has better effectiveness than the EE for DPPH free radical scavenging activity and nitrite scavenging ability. The nitrite scavenging abilities of WE were 90.02% ( 653.15 /mL) at conditions of pH 1.2 and 2,000 /mL, and 84.34% ( 817.17 /mL) at pH 3.0. The EE has more effective SOD-like activity and XO inhibition than WE. The SOD-like activity of EE was 81.47% at a concentration of 2,000 /mL, was 951.70 /mL. The xanthine oxidase inhibition of the EE, with an of 112.47 /mL, is greater than that of ascorbic acid, which was 192.50 /mL (p
... CSR aqueous extract scavenges DPPH free radicals and nitrates more effectively than ethanol extract. In contrast, ethanol extract inhibits xanthine oxidase (XO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) more effectively than aqueous extract [75]. ...
Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CSR) belongs to the family Cynomoriaceae. It is a perennial succulent parasitic herb with a reddish-brown coloration, predominantly submerged in sand and lacking chlorophyll. Traditionally, it has been used in ethnic medicine to treat various diseases, such as gastric ulcers, indigestion, bowel movements, and improving sexual function. To comprehensively collect CSR data, extensive literature searches were conducted using medical, ecological, and scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). This article summarizes and categorizes research on the uses, phytochemical characteristics, pharmacological activities, and toxicity of ethnic medicine, with the aim of establishing a solid foundation and proposing new avenues for exploring and developing potential applications of CSR. So far, a total of 98 compounds have been isolated and identified from CSR, including flavonoids, terpenes, steroids, and other compounds. It is worth noting that flavonoids and polysaccharides have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, these compounds also show good application prospects in anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-fatigue, anti-diabetes, and other aspects. Although extensive progress has been made in the basic research of CSR, further research is still needed to enhance the understanding of its mechanism of action and explore more unknown compounds. Our review indicates that CSR has broad prospects and deserves further research.
The aerobic oxidation of xanthine by rat liver supernatant was greatly stimulated by the addition of methylene blue or of
NAD+: the latter was reduced during the reaction. Storage of the supernatant at -20° brought about an enhancement of the xanthine
oxidation rate measured without addition of cofactors. A similar "activation" was caused by prior incubation at 37° of the
unfractionated liver homogenate, or of the supernatant separated after sonic disruption of the homogenate. The same effect
was obtained by treatment with solvents, or by prior incubation at 37° of the supernatant in the presence of proteolytic enzymes
or under anaerobic conditions. The presence of xanthine accelerated the effect of proteolytic enzymes and of anaerobiosis.
Only the changes caused by anaerobiosis could be reversed by incubating the supernatant in air before the assay.
The reaction rate was apparently unaffected by these treatments if activity of the enzyme was measured in the presence of
methylene blue or of NAD+. The latter, however, was not reduced during the oxidation of xanthine by "activated" supernatants stored at -20° if the
reaction was run in the presence of oxygen. If the reaction was in anaerobiosis, uric acid and a corresponding amount of NADH
were formed by fresh, supernatant, and by supernatants activated at -20° or by prior incubation in anaerobiosis, but not by
supernatant activated by trypsin.
The hypothesis is formulated that most of the xanthine oxidase of rat liver supernatant is a dehydrogenase (Type D), and may
be converted (activated) into an oxidase (Type O).
Leaf extract of Stevia rebaudiana promotes effects on certain physiological systems such as the cardiovascular and renal and influences hypertension and hyperglycemia. Since these activities may be correlated with the presence of antioxidant compounds, leaf and callus extracts of Stevia rebaudiana were evaluated for their total phenols, flavonoids content and total antioxidant capacity. Total phenols and flavonoids were analyzed according to the Folin–Ciocalteu method and total antioxidant activity of water and methanolic extracts of stevia leaves and callus was assessed by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay as well as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The total phenolic compounds were found to be 25.18 mg/g for stevia leaves and 35.86 mg/g for callus on dry weight basis. The flavonoids content was found to be 21.73 and 31.99 mg/g in the leaf and callus, respectively. The total antioxidant activity was expressed as mg equivalent of gallic acid, ascorbic acid, BHA and trolox per gram on dry weight basis. Total antioxidant activity found was ranged from 9.66 to 38.24 mg and 11.03 to 36.40 mg equivalent to different standards in water and methanolic extract of stevia leaves, respectively. In case of stevia callus, it was found to be 9.44 to 37.36 mg for water extract and 10.14 to 34.37 mg equivalent to standards for methanolic extract. The concentrations required for 50% inhibition (IC50) of DPPH radicals were 11.04, 41.04 and 57.14 μg/mL for gallic acid, trolox and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), respectively. The percent inhibition of DPPH radical of various extracts of stevia leaves and callus found were ranged from 33.17% to 56.82%. The highest percent of inhibition was observed in methanolic extract of callus.
Nitric oxide contrasts with most intercellular messengers because it diffuses rapidly and isotropically through most tissues with little reaction but cannot be transported through the vasculature due to rapid destruction by oxyhemoglobin. The rapid diffusion of nitric oxide between cells allows it to locally integrate the responses of blood vessels to turbulence, modulate synaptic plasticity in neurons, and control the oscillatory behavior of neuronal networks. Nitric oxide is not necessarily short lived and is intrinsically no more reactive than oxygen. The reactivity of nitric oxide per se has been greatly overestimated in vitro because no drain is provided to remove nitric oxide. Nitric oxide persists in solution for several minutes in micromolar concentrations before it reacts with oxygen to form much stronger oxidants like nitrogen dioxide. Nitric oxide is removed within seconds in vivo by diffusion over 100 microns through tissues to enter red blood cells and react with oxyhemoglobin. The direct toxicity of nitric oxide is modest but is greatly enhanced by reacting with superoxide to form peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Nitric oxide is the only biological molecule produced in high enough concentrations to out-compete superoxide dismutase for superoxide. Peroxynitrite reacts relatively slowly with most biological molecules, making peroxynitrite a selective oxidant. Peroxynitrite modifies tyrosine in proteins to create nitrotyrosines, leaving a footprint detectable in vivo. Nitration of structural proteins, including neurofilaments and actin, can disrupt filament assembly with major pathological consequences. Antibodies to nitrotyrosine have revealed nitration in human atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia, septic and distressed lung, inflammatory bowel disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The degradation of nitrite and the inhibition towards formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines by melanoidins, produced from the glucose-glycine system were investigated at various conditions. The degradation of nitrite was highest at pH 1.2 (29%), when the ratio of melanoidins to nitrite was 1: 3. The inhibition towards formation of nitrosamines by melanoidins had the same tendency as the degradation of nitrite, the inhibition also being highest at pH 1.2 (99%). In addition, melanoidins after nitrite treatment exhibited a little higher mutagenicity and much stronger desmutagenicity than those of the original melanoidins. The change of the structure of melanoidins after treating with nitrite was also investigated by HPLC and CP-MAS NMR.
METHODS for measuring antioxidants and appraising antioxidant activity appear to be of two general types. If the chemical nature of the antioxidant is known, one may strive for a test specific for the compound or group of interest; for example, the nitroprusside test for sulphydryl groups. Alternatively one may observe the inhibition of some natural oxidative process such as the β-oxidation of fats, as a function of the added antioxidant.
The autoxidation of pyrogallol was investigated in the presence of EDTA in the pH range 7.9–10.6.
The rate of autoxidation increases with increasing pH. At pH 7.9 the reaction is inhibited to 99% by superoxide dismutase, indicating an almost total dependence on the participation of the superoxide anion radical, O2·−, in the reaction. Up to pH 9.1 the reaction is still inhibited to over 90% by superoxide dismutase, but at higher alkalinity, O2·− -independent mechanisms rapidly become dominant.
Catalase has no effect on the autoxidation but decreases the oxygen consumption by half, showing that H2O2 is the stable product of oxygen and that H2O2 is not involved in the autoxidation mechanism.
A simple and rapid method for the assay of superoxide dismutase is described, based on the ability of the enzyme to inhibit the autoxidation of pyrogallol.
A plausible explanation is given for the non-competitive part of the inhibition of catechol O-methyltransferase brought about by pyrogallol.
The antioxidant activities and total phenolic contents of 30 Chinese medicinal plants were evaluated using the ferric reducing antioxidant power assay and the Folin–Ciocalteu method, respectively. The Chinese medicinal plants were extracted by the traditional method, boiling in water and also in 80% methanol. A significant and linear correlation coefficient between the antioxidant activity and the total phenolic content was found in both aqueous (R2 = 0.7917) and methanol (R2 = 0.7584) extracts. Phenolic compounds are thus a major contributor of antioxidant activity. Comparing the extraction efficiency of the two methods, the boiling water method extracted phenolic compounds more efficiently, and antioxidant activity of the extract was higher. It was found that the Chinese medicinal plants Rhodiola sacra Fu, the stem of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. and the root of P. multiflorum Thunb. possessed the highest antioxidant activities and thus could be potential rich sources of natural antioxidants.
Propolis is extensively used in Argentine folk medicine. Alcoholic extracts of propolis from different regions of Argentina were prepared. The extracts were analysed for the determination of total flavonoid content (from 13.3 to 42.6 mg/g of propolis) by using the aluminum nitrate method, UV spectrophotometry and thin layer chromatography. All of them contained high total flavonoid content. It was also observed that all samples of ethanolic extracts of propolis showed free radical-scavenging activity in terms of scavenging of the radical DPPH but the highest activities were found for samples from Tucumán and Santiago del Estero. In all cases with 20 μg/ml of soluble principles, the percentage of DPPH degradation was different (Banda Oeste: 67.5%; Verónica: 45%; Forres: 35%; Saenz Peña: 20% and Juan José Castelli: 55%). These results may justify their use as a source of natural antioxidants.
In traditional Chinese medicine a number of herbs are used to alleviate the symptoms of aging, among them the stems of Cynomorium songaricum, Cynomoriaceae. This study evaluated the protective effect of different extracts of C. songaricum on staurosporine-induced apoptotic cell death in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. Staurosporine (100 nm) reduced cell viability to about 55%. The ethyl acetate fraction of C. songaricum significantly attenuated staurosporine-induced cell death at concentrations of 100 and 10 microg/mL. On the other hand, the dichloromethane as well as water fractions showed no protective effects. In order to further analyse the protective mode of action, the superoxide anion scavenging activity of two extracts was evaluated in a xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. In this system, the EtOAc extract showed a good scavenging activity (IC(50) value 2.9 microg/mL) without inhibition of xanthine oxidase. In conclusion, the results prove the neuroprotective activity of C. songaricum extracts in vitro, thus supporting its traditional use.
Toxic doses of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a phenolic antioxidant commonly used as a food additive, are known to produce lung damage. In this study, 3 days after a single ip injection of 62.5, 215, or 500 mg/kg BHT in mice there was a dose-dependent increase in lung weight. This concentration dependence with injected BHT was accompanied by increases in lung DNA and nonprotein sulfhydryl levels and in whole lung tissue enzyme activities of glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, GSH reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and superoxide dismutase. The increased enzyme activities are considered to correspond to inflammatory and proliferative pulmonary changes resulting from acute lung cell injury and necrosis, which have been described previously, and cannot be construed as evidence for a primary oxidant-induced pulmonary lesion. The mechanism of BHT-induced lung changes may not be related to the antioxidant property of BHT, since vitamin E, n-propyl gallate, ethoxyquin, N,N'-p-phenylenediamine, and the structurally similar compound, butylated hydroxyanisole did not appear to produce the gross anatomical or biochemical lung changes observed with BHT.
The detergent-induced amplification of lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence of O2-, generated by xanthine oxidase or microsomal NADPH oxidase was studied. An assay system is described which is at least 10 times more sensitive than normal lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence due to the amplification by high concentrations of octylphenylpolyethylene glycol (Triton X-100). Compared to the superoxide dismutase-sensitive reduction of acetylated cytochrome c, a 3750-fold lower amount of microsomal protein was necessary to produce an O2- signal 10-fold above the background. In contrast to cytochrome c reduction, detergent-amplified chemiluminescence of lucigenin was completely inhibited by superoxide dismutase and therefore more selective for O2-. The membrane-bound and Triton X-100-solubilized NADPH oxidase from microsomes of macrophages was activated by ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid and inhibited by Ca2+ and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The membrane-bound enzyme showed a Km value of 1.35 microM, which decreased to 0.95 microM after the addition of 12% (g/g) Triton X-100. The Km and Vmax values of soluble xanthine oxidase were not influenced by Triton X-100, indicating that the enzyme activities were not impaired by the high concentrations of detergent.
Mechanisms of the defense system against genotoxic damage, with emphasis on free-radical processes, are presented. Components of the defense system, interrelationships between components, and the stages in defense are discussed. Examples of free-radical mechanisms of protective agents (mannitol, DMSO) and repair agents (thiols and antioxidants), and the kinetics of their reactions are reviewed. Future trends in the development of novel protective agents are invoked.
Angelicin, a coumarin isolated from the aerial parts of Heracleum thomsoni, showed nonspecific spasmolytic activity in a variety of in vivo and in vitro test models and was also orally active. In most of the test systems it was found to be equipotent to papaverine.
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were evaluated for possible promoting activity for urinary bladder carcinogenesis in male F344 rats initiated by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN). The rats were treated with 0.01 or 0.05% BBN in the drinking water for 4 weeks and then administered 2% BHA or 1% BHT in the diet for 32 weeks. Surviving rats were killed at the end of week 36 of the experiment. The incidences of cancer and papilloma and the average number of cancers, papillomas and papillary or nodular hyperplasias (PN hyperplasias) per 10 cm of basement membrane were significantly increased in the group receiving BHA following initiation by 0.05% BBN compared with the group given BBN only. BHT also significantly increased these lesions of the bladder, but not the average number of cancers, in rats treated with 0.05% BBN. The ability of four antioxidants, BHA, BHT, sodium L-ascorbate (ascorbate) and ethoxyquin, to promote the induction of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT)-positive foci initiated by diethylnitrosamine (DENA) in the liver of F344 rats was tested. Rats were given a single i.p. injection of 200 mg/kg body weight of DENA, and 2 weeks later the animals were exposed to 2% BHA, 1% BHT, 5% ascorbate or 1% ethoxyquin, respectively, in the diet for 6 weeks. All animals were subjected to partial hepatectomy at the end of week 3. The number of gamma-GT-positive foci in the groups fed either BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin after DENA were significantly decreased compared with the control group. These findings show that BHA and BHT are promoters for the urinary bladder carcinogenesis initiated by BBN, but that these and other antioxidants significantly inhibit the induction of gamma-GT-positive foci in the liver.
The purpose of this article is to explain what oxygen radicals are, how transition metals are involved in their formation and reactivity, and the role played by radicals and metals in some disease states.
The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity of natural antioxidants was evaluated by measuring the inhibition of pyrogallol autoxidation that is catalyzed by the superoxide radical. Among 22 water-soluble antioxidants tested, L-ascrobic acid, L-ascorbic acid 6-palmitate, glutathione (reduced form), (+)-catechin, and (-)-epicatechin showed effective SOD-like activity. To analyze lipophilic antioxidants, an optically clear organic system composed of diethyl ether, surfactant (dioctyl sulfosuccinate, AOT) and water, called reverse micelles, was developed. The optimum concentrations of AOT, water and pyrogallol for determining SOD-like activity were found to be 50 mM, 1.3 M, and 40 mM, respectively. After proving that pyrogallol autoxidation was mediated by the superoxide anion in that system, the SOD-like activity of 24 lipophilic antioxidants was measured. Cinnamon oil, gamma-oryzanol, extract of rosemary leaf, L-alpha-lecithin, and L-alpha-cephalin exhibited activity, although the activity of some antioxidants could not be measured because of the intense color or low solubility.
The recent explosion of interest in the bioactivity of the flavonoids of higher plants is due, at least in part, to the potential health benefits of these polyphenolic components of major dietary constituents. This review article discusses the biological properties of the flavonoids and focuses on the relationship between their antioxidant activity, as hydrogen donating free radical scavengers, and their chemical structures. This culminates in a proposed hierarchy of antioxidant activity in the aqueous phase. The cumulative findings concerning structure-antioxidant activity relationships in the lipophilic phase derive from studies on fatty acids, liposomes, and low-density lipoproteins; the factors underlying the influence of the different classes of polyphenols in enhancing their resistance to oxidation are discussed and support the contention that the partition coefficients of the flavonoids as well as their rates of reaction with the relevant radicals define the antioxidant activities in the lipophilic phase.
An HPLC method for evaluation of the free radical-scavenging activity of foods by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) is reported. The activity was evaluated by measuring the decrease of DPPH detected at 517 nm. By using this novel method, we determined the free radical-scavenging activity of several antioxidants: ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, Trolox, and cysteine. The results gave good correlation between the radical-scavenging activity determined by HPLC and by conventional colorimetry. This methodology was applied to determine the free radical-scavenging activity of 8 beverages. The activity of coffee was the highest, followed by red wine, green tea, oolong tea, black tea, rosé wine, white wine, and orange juice. The results well agree with those of previous reports. This method is expected to be useful for a simple and rapid determination of free radical-scavenging activity in colored foods, because coloring substances in foods do not interfere with the measurement.
Polyphenols constitute one of the most numerous and ubiquitous groups of plant metabolites and are an integral part of both human and animal diets. Ranging from simple phenolic molecules to highly polymerized compounds with molecular weights of greater than 30,000 Da, the occurrence of this complex group of substances in plant foods is extremely variable. Polyphenols traditionally have been considered antinutrients by animal nutritionists, because of the adverse effect of tannins, one type of polyphenol, on protein digestibility. However, recent interest in food phenolics has increased greatly, owing to their antioxidant capacity (free radical scavenging and metal chelating activities) and their possible beneficial implications in human health, such as in the treatment and prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other pathologies. Much of the literature refers to a single group of plant phenolics, the flavonoids. This review offers an overview of the nutritional effects of the main groups of polyphenolic compounds, including their metabolism, effects on nutrient bioavailability, and antioxidant activity, as well as a brief description of the chemistry of polyphenols and their occurrence in plant foods.
From CH2Cl2 and MeOH extracts of the stems of Cynomorium songaricum RUPR. (Cynomoriaceae), ursolic acid and its hydrogen malonate were isolated as inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease, with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 8 and 6 microM, respectively. Amongst various synthesized dicarboxylic acid hemiesters of related triterpenes, inhibitory activity tended to increase in the order of oxalyl, malonyl, succinyl and glutaryl hemiesters, for triterpenes such as ursolic acid, oleanolic acid and betulinic acid. The most potent inhibition was observed for the glutaryl hemiesters, with an IC50 of 4 microM. From the water extract of the stems of C. songaricum, flavan-3-ol polymers, consisting of epicatechin as their extender flavan units, were also found to be potent inhibitory principles against HIV-1 protease.
Six phenolic antioxidative compounds [5-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercetin 3-galactoside, quercetin 3-glucoside, quercetin 3-(6-malonylglucoside), and quercetin 3-(6-malonylgalactoside) (tentative)] were identified from the leaves of Corchorus olitorius L. (moroheiya) by NMR and FAB-MS. The contents of these phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol in C. olitorius leaves were determined, and their antioxidative activities were measured using the radical generator-initiated peroxidation of linoleic acid. The results obtained showed that 5-caffeoylquinic acid was a predominant phenolic antioxidant in C. olitorius leaves.
Oral vitamin E supplementation has been reported to improve facial hyperpigmentation. alpha-Tocopheryl ferulate (alpha-TF) is a compound of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) and ferulic acid connected by an ester bond. Ferulic acid is also an antioxidant, and could scavenge free radicals induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and thus maintain the long-lasting antioxidative effect of alpha-T. Previously we have reported that alpha-TF inhibited melanogenesis in human melanoma cells. To know whether alpha-TF might be useful as a whitening agent to improve and prevent facial hyperpigmentation, the depigmenting effect of alpha-TF in normal human melanocytes was examined in this study. The results showed that 30 microg/ml of alpha-TF dissolved in 150 microg/ml of lecithin inhibited melanization significantly without inhibiting cell growth. This phenotypic change was associated with the inhibition of tyrosinase and the degree of inhibition was dose dependent. No significant effect on DOPAchrome tautomerase (DT) activity was observed. These results suggest that alpha-TF is a candidate for an efficient whitening agent which suppresses melanogenesis. In this paper, the role of alpha-T and alpha-TF in inhibiting biological reactions induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is also discussed.
Eight phenolic compounds including two new lignan glucopyranosides together with a known alkaloid were isolated from the stems of Cynomorium songaricum RUPR. (Cynomoriaceae). Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral and chemical evidence. The chemotaxonomic significance of these metabolites is discussed.
Cancer prevention and treatment using traditional Chinese medicines have attracted increasing interest. This study characterizes antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer, comprising 112 species from 50 plant families. The improved ABTS(*+) method was used to systematically assess the total antioxidant capacity (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, TEAC) of the medicinal extracts. The TEAC values and total phenolic content for methanolic extracts of herbs ranged from 46.7 to 17,323 micromol Trolox equivalent/100 g dry weight (DW), and from 0.22 to 50.3 g of gallic acid equivalent/100 g DW, respectively. A positive, significant linear relationship between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (all R(2) values>/=0.95) showed that phenolic compounds were the dominant antioxidant components in the tested medicinal herbs. Major types of phenolic compounds from most of the tested herbs were preliminarily identified and analyzed, and mainly included phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, lignans, quinones, stilbenes, and curcuminoids. These medicinal herbs exhibited far stronger antioxidant activity and contained significantly higher levels of phenolics than common vegetables and fruits. Traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer might be potential sources of potent natural antioxidants and beneficial chemopreventive agents.
Twenty-two extracts from five Lychnophora species and one Lychnophoriopsis species, traditionally used in Brazil as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and to treat bruise and rheumatism were examined for the inhibition of xanthine oxidase (XO), the enzyme that catalyses the metabolism of hypoxanthine and xanthine into uric acid. Sixteen extracts were tested. All of them were found to have excellent XO inhibitory activity, with inhibitions greater than 38% at 100 microg/mL in the assay mixture. The most active plants examined were Lychnophora trichocarpha, Lychnophora ericoides, Lychnophora staavioides and Lychnophoriopsis candelabrum, with inhibitions of 77%, 78%, 66% and 63% at 100 microg/mL, respectively, and IC(50) values of 6.16, 8.28, 33.97 and 37.70 microg/mL, respectively.
Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity was assayed from six species belonging to different families traditionally used for the treatment of gout and related symptoms by indigenous people of India. The aqueous, methanol-water mixture and methanolic extract of these plants were used for the experiment. Of the 18 extracts assayed, 14 extracts demonstrated xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity at 100 microg/ml, among which 10 extracts showed an inhibition greater than 50% and IC(50) values below 100 microg/ml. The methanolic extracts of Coccinia grandis, Datura metel, Strychnos nux-vomica and Vitex negundo showed more than 50% inhibition, hence, they were screened for their in vivo hypouricaemic activity against potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricaemia in mice. Methanolic extracts of Coccinia grandis and Vitex negundo showed a significant decrease in the serum urate level (3.90+/-0.07 mg/dl, P<0.001) and (6.26+/-0.06 mg/dl, P<0.01), respectively, when compared to hyperuricaemic control (11.42+/-0.14 mg/dl). This effect is almost similar to the serum urate level of allopurinol (3.89+/-0.07 mg/dl).
A high-performance capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CE-AD) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the pharmacologically active ingredients in Cynomorium songaricum in this work. Under the optimum conditions, phloridzin, epicatechin, catechin, naringenin, rutin, luteolin, quercetin, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid can be well separated or nearly baseline separated (epicatechin and catechin peaks) within 31 min at the separation voltage of 14 kV in a 50 mmol L(-1) Borax running buffer (pH 9.0). Detection limits (S/N=3) ranged from 5.7 x 10(-8) to 8.5 x 10(-9) g mL(-1) for all nine analytes. This procedure was successfully used for the analysis and comparison of the content difference of C. songaricum samples collected from different places based on their electrophorograms or "electromigration profiles".
Inhibition by ALOE extracts of L-dopa oxidation by mushroom-tyrosinase was examined. 2''- O-Feruloylaloesin and aloesin at concentrations of 0.4 microM showed inhibition of 27 and 30%, respectively. Lineweaver-Burk plots of the concentration of L-dopa in the absence and presence of 2''- O-feruloylaloesin, 0.4 and 0.8 microM, showed that this compound inhibits mushroom-tyrosinase noncompetitively. The K (i) value obtained was 8.5 x 10 (-5) M. 2''- O-Feruloylaloesin and aloesin contents were analyzed by a reversed-phase HPLC, and their seasonal variations were observed.
Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract from pine bark that contains compounds that have anti-oxidative, free-radical scavenging properties. In this work, utilizing cultured B16 melanoma cells (B16 cells), pycnogenol was investigated for its ability to inhibit tyrosinase activity and melanin biosynthesis. We also examined the anti-oxidative power of pycnogenol by measuring its suppressive effect against peroxynitrite (ONOO-), superoxide (.O2), nitric oxide (NO.), and hydroxyl radical (.OH)-scavenging activities using an electron spin resonance spectrometer. Results show that pycnogenol had a strong anti-tyrosinase activity and suppressed melanin biosynthesis. Further, our results showed that through its anti-oxidative properties, pycnogenol suppressed .O2) NO., ONOO-, and .OH in in vitro assays, and reactive species, ONOO-, .O2, and NO., while up-regulating the reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio in B16 cells. Based on the findings, we propose that pycnogenol exerts anti-melanogenic activity via its anti-oxidative actions.
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