Radix Pseudostellariae is one of the most popular Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for promoting the immune system, treating asthenia after illnesses with a long history in China and some other Asian countries. Rapid discrimination of R. Pseudostellariae according to geographical origin is crucial to pharmacodynamic action control. FT-NIR spectroscopy and supervised pattern recognition was attempted to discriminate R. Pseudostellariae according to geographical origin in this work. LDA, ANN and SVM were used to construct the discrimination models based on PCA, respectively. The number of PCs and model parameters were optimized by crossvalidation in the constructing model. The performances of three discrimination models were compared. Experimental results showed that the performance of SVM model is the best among three models. The optimal SVM model was achieved when 5 PCs were used, discrimination rates being 100% in the training and 88% in prediction set. The overall results demonstrated that FT-NIR spectroscopy has a high potential to discriminate qualitatively R. Pseudostellariae according to geographical origins by means of an appropriate supervised pattern recognition technique.

The antioxidant activity, neuroprotective effect and acetylcholinesterase activity of the dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water extracts of seeds, leaves and roots of Galeopsis ladanum L. were investigated. Ethyl acetate, methanol and water extracts of leaves showed the highest antioxidant activity (DPPH). Methanol and water extracts of seeds and the water extract of roots showed neuroprotective effect on hydrogen peroxide induced apoptosis in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Some dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and water extracts exhibited antiacetylcholinesterase activity by TLC.

The ethanol extracts from the fresh-water algae; Chara hispida L., Cladophora glomerata (Dilw.) Kόtz, C. fracta (Dilw.) Kόtz, Spirogyra gratiana Transeau, Mougeotia sp. (C.A. Agardh), Vaucheria sessilis (Vauch.) De Candolle, Geminella mutabilis (Breb.) Wille, the fresh-water plants; Ranunculus rionii Lagger and Ceratophyllum demersum L., as well as the marine algae; Sciniaia furcellata (Turn.) J. Agardh, Dictyota dichotoma (Huds.) Lam., Padina vickersiae Hoyt, Halopteris scoparia (L.) Sauvagau, and the sea grass; Posidonia oceanica (L.) Dell. were assessed in vitro for their antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity test at 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg ml -1 and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg ml −1 concentrations. Total phenolic contents of the extracts were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau's reagent. The extracts were further analyzed qualitatively by LC-DAD-MS. S. gratiana had the best antioxidant activity, followed by R. rionii. LC-DAD-MS showed rich gallic acid and its ethyl ester contents in S. gratiana , while prosperous vitamin C content has been detected in P. oceanica for the first time in this study. S. gratiana possessed the highest inhibition (42.5±2.28%) at 2.0 mg ml −1 against AChE.

In this study we aimed to determine the antioxidant effects of Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.), which is commonly used in both chocolate and cocoa drinks all over the world , on lipid peroxidation, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), glutathione (GSH) and protein oxidation levels in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) treated for male Wistar rats. Two control groups and one treatment group of rats were formed. The control groups were nourished with a standard diet, while the Cocoa group was nourished with standard diet which was enriched with % 6 by weight dried Cocoa powder. After three months, a single dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) was performed in Control II (CCl4 ) and Cocoa groups (1ml/kg, as 20% in olive oil) intraperitoneally and single dose of olive oil was administered (1ml/kg,i.p.) in the same way as rats in Control I group. They were sacrificed two hours later. Lipid peroxide levels in liver, protein oxidation in liver, glutathione levels in liver, ALT and AST in plasma were measured. Cocoa decreased liver lipid peroxide, liver glutathione levels and plasma ALT and AST activities previously increased by CCl4 treatment, to the Control I levels The protein oxidation levels in the rats in the Cocoa group compared with the rats in CCl4 treated control group were found to have significantly lessened. These fi ndings suggest that cocoa has strong antioxidant activity because of the fact that cocoa inhibits liver injury.

The hypolipidemic effects of ethanol extract of A. graveolens L. (Apiaceae) were investigated. Forty adult male albino rats weighing about 260 g each, were divided into four groups (n = 10). Experimental animals were gavaged at doses of 213 and 425 mg/kg body wt. for sixty consecutive days. Extract showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and significant increase (p<0.05) in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in the treated groups. The oral administration of ethanol extract of A. graveolens revealed good hypolipideamic effects in adult male albino rats. The results have given a considerable agreement to the traditional use of A. graveolens in the treatment of hyperlipidemia; it could possibly lead to appropriate changes in blood lipid profiles.

Ludwigia genus belongs to family Onagraceae, is an edible medicinal plant and is also used as a vegetable by the local people in Southwestern China. Some species of this plant, has been used as a traditional treatment for edema, nephritis, and hypertension. Phytochemical study of the CH₂ Cl₂ : MeOH (1:1) extract of the aerial parts of Ludwigia stolonifera afforded a megastigmane glycoside named, roseoside. The structure was determined by comprehensive NMR studies including DEPT, COSY, HMQC, HMBC and MS.

Rosa canina L. fruits (Rosaceae) are used to treat diabetes in Anatolia traditionally. In this study, the ethanol extract of R. canina fruits and its fractions were screened for their antioxidant, hypoglycaemic and antidiabetic activities. The ethanol extract that was administered for 7 days possessed a remarkable hypoglycemic effect at 250 mg/kg dose in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Then it was fractionated through successive solvent extractions to yield CHCl ₃ Fr., EtOAc Fr., n -BuOH Fr. and R-H ₂ O Fr. respectively. These fractions were administrated to normal plus glucose hyperglycemic rats. Additionally the subacute antidiabetic activities of the fractions were studied in diabetic rats for 7 days. The experimental data indicated that R-H ₂ O Fr. Possessed significant antidiabetic activity (50-62%) in diabetic rats. Also, a minor hypoglycemic effect was observed in normoglycemic plus glucose-hyperglycemic animals treated with R-H ₂ O Fr. (15%). In vitro antioxidant experiments revealed that EtOAc Fr. Showed the highest radical scavenging activity on DPPH (79.5±0.4%), whereas CHCl 3 Fr. exhibited the maximum reducing power. The highest total phenolic content was observed in CHCl ₃ Fr. (18.5±0.6% gallic acid equivalent g/g fraction) but no correlation was observed between the antidiabetic activity of fractions and their phenolic contents. Our findings support the traditional usage of R. canina fruits as a folk remedy in the treatment of diabetes in Turkey.

Sambucus ebulus is a native botany and exists in large amount in Iran and consists of anti-cancer substances such as ebulin (RIP-II, ribosome inactivated protein-II), flavonoids, etc. Isolation and identification of some potent anti-tumor compounds from medicinal plants, has motivated researchers to screen different parts of plant species for anti-tumor effects. In previous studies, anti-inflammatory effects of n-hexane and methanolic extracts of S. ebulus , nephro- and hepato-toxic effects of ethylacetate extract of this plant and evaluation of role of vitamins C and E on prevention of cellular and pathological disorders induced by the ethyl acetate extract was performed and reported. So, cytotoxic activity and IC₅₀ of specific concentrations of ethyl acetate extract of fruits of S.ebulus on 4 normal and cancer cell lines was studied. Also, Etoposide, a chemotherapeutic drug, was administered to control positive group. The normal cell lines were CHO and rat fibroblast and cancer cell lines were HepG2 and CT26. The cytotoxic effects and IC₅₀ of the extract on the cell lines were studied followed by MTT assay. The results showed that the ethyl acetate extract of Sambucus ebulus possesses lower IC₅₀ in the cancer cell lines in comparison with the normal cell lines. On the other hand, the extract possesses higher IC 50 in comparison with Etoposide on all 4 normal and cancer cell lines (P<0.05), but it manifested a good cytotoxic compound which can introduce as an anticancer compound.

Wild grown European elderberry ( Sambucus nigra ) plants are widespread in different parts of Turkey and have been used in folk medicine so a long time. Some selected physico-chemical characteristics such as berry weight, protein, pH, total acidity, soluble solid, reducing sugar, vitamin C, total antioxidant capacity (FRAP assay), total phenolic and total anthocyanins of four pre-selected wild grown European elderberry fruits were investigated. Significant differences on most of the chemical content were detected among the genotypes used. The genotype AR2 had the highest protein content (2.91%), while AR4 had the lowest protein content (2.68%). The genotypes with the highest total antioxidant capacity, total phenolic and total anthocyanin content were AR2 (6.37 mmol/100 g fw; 432 mg GAE/100 g fw and 283 mg cyaniding-3-glucoside/100 g fw). The results showed that European elderberry very rich in terms of health components

Phytochemical study of the roots of Sonchus oleraceus L. (Astraceae) Growing in Egypt, afforded loliolide 1 for the first time from the genus Sonchus in addition to 15-O- β -glucopyranosyl-11 β ,13-dihydrourospermal A 2 , ursolic acid 3 , lupeol 4 and β-sitosterol- 3-O-glucopyranoside 5 for the fi rst time from the plant. The biological evaluation of the isolated compounds showed cytotoxic activity of 1 and 2 against PC33 and L5187Y cell lines, in addition to antibacterial activity against S.aureus , B. subtilis , E. Coli and N. gohnorea . The structures of the compounds were elucidated using 1D ( ¹ H and ¹³C), 2D (H-H COSY, H S QC and HMBC) NMR and MS spectroscopic data.

Three blood orange varieties, Moro Blood, Sanguinello and Cara Cara grown together in Mediterranean region of Turkey were characterized for their total lipid, fatty acids, sugars, organic acids, vitamin C, total phenols, total flavonoid contents and aroma compounds. The total phenol content of blood orange varieties was in range of 441.0 to 527.0 mg/L, expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). Total flavonoid concentrations ranged from 121.70 to 239.80 mg/L. The order of vitamin C, expressed as mg per 100 mL among different blood orange varieties was Sanguinello (41.59 mg)>Cara Cara (34.24 mg)>Moro Blood (31.83 mg). Moro Blood variety had the highest total lipid ratio (2.01 %), and followed by cv. Cara Cara (0.65 %) and cv. Sanguinello (0.59 %), respectively. Sixteen fatty acids were detected in blood orange varieties and C18:2 (linoleic acid) was predominant for all varieties ranged from 23.15 to 31.83 %. A total of 46 aroma compounds were identifi ed in juices and among varieties, cv. Cara Cara had the highest number of aroma compounds. The study revealed that dietary intake oranges may supply substantial health components.

Abrus precatorius L. known as Indian liquorice is a common deciduous vine containing sweet principle compound known as glycyrrhizin. Hence it can be used as a very good substitute for Liquorice. Genetic transformation has proved to be an effective way to enhance secondary metabolites in plant cell cultures. The transformation of Abrus precatorius L. mediated by Agrobacterium rhizogenes was studied using three bacterial strains i.e. MTCC 532, MTCCC 2364 and NCIM 5140. Putative hairy roots were obtained after the transformation. The effects of bacterial strains, bacterial concentration, acetosyringone and co-cultivation pH on transformation of Abrus were investigated. Co-cultivation with Strain MTCC 532 for 2 days with 100 µmol L ^-1 acetosyringone at pH 6.5 provided the optimal conditions under which transformation frequency approached 84%.

Grain samples of Cicer arietinum (Chickpea), Zea mays (Maize), Cajanus cajan (Pigeon pea), Hordeum vulgare (Barley), Oryza sativa (Rice) and Sorghum vulgare (Millet) were procured from various retailers of market were subjected to their mould profile. During mycoflora analysis, 1297 fungal isolates were recorded from the food commodities. The least number of fungal isolates (189) were detected from H. vulgare while highest (244) from Z. mays. The genus Aspergillus was found to be most dominant encountered in all the samples, followed by Cladosporium cladosporoides, Alternaria alternata and Penicillium species. The highest percent relative density was recorded in case of Aspergillus flavus (36.24) followed by A. niger (28.45) and C. cladosporoides (10.95) while the lowest was found in case of Trichoderma viride (1.16). Some of the A. flavus isolates were toxigenic secreting aflatoxin B ₁ . The survey reveals that the contamination of food commodities with storage fungi and mycotoxin is alarming and appropriate quality control measures should be taken urgently. The essential oil of Thymus vulgaris L. showed highest antifungal efficacy. The thyme oil absolutely inhibited the mycelial growth of A. flavus at 0.7µl ml ^-1 . The oil also showed significant antiaflatoxigenic efficacy as it completely arrested the aflatoxin B ₁ production at 0.6µl ml ^-1 . Thyme oil as fungitoxicant was also found superior over most of the prevalent synthetic fungicides. The findings recommend the thyme oil as potential botanical preservative in eco-friendly control of biodeterioration of food commodities during storage.

The objective of the present investigation was to develop a validated HPTLC method for the determination of oleanolic acid as marker in the Methanolic extract of fruits of Randia dumetorum Lamk. Analysis of oleanolic acid was performed on TLC aluminium plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F-254 as the stationary phase. The mobile phase consists of Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Glacial acetic acid (7:3:0.1 v/v/v). Linear ascending development was carried out in twin trough glass chamber. The plate was sprayed with 10% sulphuric acid, heated at 110°C and immediately scanned at 540nm using Camag TLC scanner III. The system was found to give compact spots for oleanolic acid (R _f value of 0.58 ± 0.01). The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r ² = 0.9922 ± 0.0002 in the concentration range 50-500ng per spot. The mean value (± S.D) of slope and intercept were 5.989 ± 0.0491 and 211.547 ± 4.5092 respectively. According to ICH guidelines the method was validated for precision, recovery, robustness and ruggedness. The limits of detection and quantification were 10 ng/spot and 30 ng/spot respectively. The oleanolic acid content of methanolic extracts was 3.45%. Recovery values from 99.38 - 100.79 % showed excellent reliability and reproducibility of the method. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the method is reproducible and selective. Since the proposed mobile phase effectively resolves oleanolic acid, the developed HPTLC method can be applied for identification and quantification of oleanolic acid in herbal extracts and formulations.

Berberis (Family: Berberidaceae), a genus of stiff shrubs, is distributed in temperate and subtropical parts of Asia, Europe and America. Berberis aristata DC is one of the chief sources of the drug (Rasaut) which is useful in the treatment of jaundice and enlargement of spleen. Alkaloids, terpenoids, flavanoids, sterols, anthocyanins, vitamins and carotenoids have been characterized from the different parts of the plant. Berberine is considered to be its active ingredient besides palmatine, jatrorhizine, berbamine, etc. In spite of its use as an ingredient of several formulations, the precise and sensitive analytical method for quantification of berberine is not available. A precise, sensitive and reproducible method using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was developed to quantify berberine alkaloid in the root samples of B. aristata. The separation was carried out using C-18 column and mobile phase used was acetonitrile and water (1:1). The detection was performed using UV-VIS detector. The proposed method can be used for detection, monitoring and quantification of berberine in B.aristata. Differential antifungal activity against three common forest pathogens was also quantified in varied sources of B. aristata.

Adhatoda vasika (Family: Acanthaceae) commonly known as vasaka has been used in traditional system of medicine for several respiratory tract ailments. Vasicine and vasicinone are the important alkaloids of vasaka having bronchodilatory and expectorant effect. In the present study we have tried to develop callus cultures of vasaka from leaf, petiole and nodes by using different plant growth regulator (PGR) combinations. The best PGR combination in terms of growth index, bioactive secondary metabolite content and repeatability to induce callus was determined. Secondary metabolite recovered from callus was identified using a standard sample of vasicine by chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. MS medium prepared with 10.7µM NAA (Naphthalene acetic acid) and 2 .2µM 6BA (6 benzylaminopurine) showed 90% repeatability to induce callus with 7th day callus induction and secondary metabolite concentration of 3.2 % on gram dry weight basis. An attempt to increase secondary metabolite concentration using cell suspension culture was tried and a rise in alkaloidal content was obtained during a period of one month study. Organogenesis was established using nodes as an explant and shoots were observed after 18 days. The results of the present study revealed that the developed callus, shoot and root invitro cultures can be used as alternative source for production of vasaka alkaloids of pharmaceutical interest.

Allium sativum (Meaning pungent) belongs to the Alliaceae family and genus Allium, is generally known in the developing world for its characteristic flavor, a medicinal plant and a source of vegetable oil. Besides, the plant is reported to have various biological activities including hypocholesterolemic, antiatherosclerotic, anticoagulant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-diabetic, anti­tumor agent; used for treating various disease such as inflammation, cardiovascular and liver diseases. The objective of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of Allium sativum on lead induced toxicity in mice. Chronic dose of lead (2 mg/Kg body weight, i.p.), showed significant decrease in antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and the nonenzymatic antioxidant as glutathione (GSH) and total protein content in the liver, kidney and brain. This decrease was accompanied with significant increase in lipid peroxidation and cholesterol level. Also, there were disturbances in the liver, kidney and brain functions manifested by significant changes in their functional markers. Efficacy of garlic to reduce tissue lead concentration was also evaluated. Mostly, all of the investigated parameters were restored nearly to the normal values after raw garlic extract treatment. In conclusion, garlic exerts its effects not only as an antioxidant but also as a sulfur donor. So, garlic has a promising role and it is worth to be considered as a natural chelating agent for lead intoxication.

Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R.Br. extensively used in the Indian system of medicine, is a small deciduous tree of the family Apocynaceae The plant is very useful as stomachic, antidysenteric, carminative, astringent, aphrodisiac and diuretic, used in the treatment of abdominal pain, skin diseases and bilious affections. This plant is reported to have fungicidal, antinociceptive, wound healing, immunomodulatory and antiulcer activity. The major phytoconstituents are triacontanol, tryptanthrin, (â-amyrin, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, (â-sitosterol, cycloartenone, cycloeucalenol, (â-sitosterol, lupeol, wrightial, 14á-methylzymosterol desmosterol and clerosterol. A number of poly herbal formulations containing W. tinctoria is available in market for psoriasis, diarrhoea and dysentery, dandruff and for rejuvenation of joint function. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of sub-acute administration of W. tinctoria bark extract on some haematological, biochemical, histological and antioxidant enzyme status of rat liver and kidney following 21 and 45 days treatment. The animals were observed for gross physiological and behavioural responses, food and water intake and body weight changes. Free radical scavenging activity and histopathology was done on liver and kidney samples. W. tinctoria showed significant hemopoiesis with increase in body weight signifying anabolic effect. It significantly reduced serum SGOT level and increased glucose levels. W. tinctoria caused increased SOD activity of liver along with catalase of both liver and kidney and decreased liver peroxidase (P<0.001). These features indicate that W. tinctoria upto 1000 mg/kg daily dose is safe and has potential to be consumed for long time in management of various diseases.

The present study was aimed to investigate the antioxidant activities of the methanolic extract of Grangea maderaspatana Poir (Compositae). The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated using fi ve in vitro assays and was compared to standard antioxidant (Ascorbic acid). Further, Total phenolic contents of the extract were determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu method in order to evaluate a relationship between the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical constituents. The total phenolic content was found to be 121.45 ± 2.56 μg Gallic acid equivalent of phenol. The extract and ascorbic acid were found to have different levels of antioxidant activity in the systems tested. Methanolic extract of Grangea maderaspatana (GMME) exhibited significant (p<0.05) reducing power ability, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) scavenging activity and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching. In DPPH radical scavenging activity NO scavenging activity,H ₂ O ₂ scavenging activity, and β-carotene bleaching assay the IC 50 values obtained for GMME were found to be 46.55 ± 1.67 μg/mL,120.73 ± 0.694 μg/mL, 30.54 ± 1.11 μg/mL and 209.73 ± 4.63 μg/mL respectively and for Ascorbic acid the IC 50 values were found to be 24.96 ± 1.95 μg/mL, 236.37± 1.394 μg/mL, 57.34± 1.29 μg/mL and 339.16 ± 5.30 μg/mL respectively. The antioxidant property depends upon concentration and increased with increasing amount of the extract. The free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities may be attributed to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds present in the extract. The results obtained in the present study indicate that Grangea maderaspatana is a potential source of natural antioxidants.