Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Odontotermes sp. (Isoptera: Termitidae) a potential source of antioxidant: the two most preferred edible insects of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Abstract Antioxidant potential of weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina (adult & brood) and termite odontotermes sp, the two common species of insects used as food by tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India. Our findings highlight the antioxidant potential of these two insects. DPPH scavenging activity IC50 (µg/ml) ranged from 59.559 (ant adult) to 66.30 (termite). Termite species scored higher ABTS scavenging activity (IC50: µg/ml), Ferric reducing power (TPEE µg/g) and phenols (mg GAE/g) (18.70, 36.60 and 626.92) than weaver ant adult (52.57, 211.21 and 369.69) and ant brood (33.34, 114.32, 486.04). On the other hand, ant adult scored higher flavonoid (mg RTE/g) (663.4) than its brood (387.2) and termite species (58.0). Ant brood contained substantial amounts of phenols and flavonoid, comparatively higher than phenols of ant adult and flavonoid of termite. These two insects may serve as an ideal dietary food supplement for handling oxidative stress and as replacement for some conventional food products. However, further study is needed to find out the bio-active compound at individual species level.

AbstractPresent study describes rapid in vitro propagation of Caralluma tuberculata, a traditional medicinal plant, and antioxidant potential of calli and plants extracts. The highest callus induction rate (93.3%) with maximum weight of calli 5.2 g was achieved from shoot tip explants on MS medium supplemented with 9.04 μM 2,4-D and 4.44 μM BA. The maximum shoot induction rate (71.1%) with mean number of shoots 3.66 ± 1.53 and 4.6 cm average shoot length was observed on 13.32 μM BA, 4.52 μM 2,4-D and 2.89 μM GA3 appended in MS medium. The developed shoots were best rooted in the presence of 5.07 μM IAA with 3.0 ± 0.15 roots per plantlet. The plants were successfully acclimatized under in vivo conditions. The plants and calli extracts exhibited good antioxidant activities, however, plant extract activities were more pronounced. The phenolic compounds in plant and calli extracts were 0.16% and 0.057%, respectively. While the flavonoids were 0.092% in plant and 0.039% in calli extract. Total Phenolics, flavonoids; DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power potential distributed among different fractions depending upon polarity of the solvent. The highest DPPH scavenging activity and reducing power was exhibited by water fractions; 4.95 mg/mL and 0.729 OD at 10 mg/mL, respectively. The micropropagation protocol can be successfully used for large-scale multiplication and conservation of germplasm of this threatened plant. Furthermore, antioxidant value describes importance of this valuable plant as food and medicine.

Poultry waste is an abundant renewable source for the recovery of several value-added metabolites with potential industrial applications. This study describes the production of protease on poultry waste, with the subsequent use of the same poultry waste for the extraction of antioxidants. An extracellular protease-producing strain was isolated from Cuddalore coast, India, and identified asStreptomycessp. MAB18. Its protease was purified 17.13-fold with 21.62% yield with a specific activity of 2398.36 U/mg and the molecular weight was estimated as 43 kDa. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 8–10 and temperature 50–60°C and it was most stable up to pH 12 and 6–12% of NaCl concentration. The enzyme activity was reduced when treated with Hg2+, Pb2+, and SDS and stimulated by Fe2+, Mg2+, Triton X-100, DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), sodium sulphite, andβ-mercaptoethanol. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of protease were evaluated usingin vitroantioxidant assays, such as DPPH radical-scavenging activity, O2scavenging activity, NO scavenging activity, Fe2+chelating activity, and reducing power. The enzyme showed important antioxidant potential with an IC50value of78±0.28 mg/mL. Results of the present study indicate that the poultry waste-derived protease may be useful as supplementary protein and antioxidant in the animal feed formulations.

Objectives: Taxus wallichiana, the member of family Taxaceae is used for the cure of various ailments by a large ethnic population native to the forests in Kashmir valley. The aim of this study is to evaluate antioxidant potential and hepatoprotective action of T. wallichiana as claimed by the ethnic population segment. Methods: Antioxidant potential of different T. wallichiana extracts was evaluated by estimating the total phenolics, 1,1-diphenyl -2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power, microsomal lipid peroxidation (LPO), and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity through standard protocols. Hepatoprotective activity of T. wallichiana was determined by evaluation of liver marker enzyme (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase) levels using standard protocols and by histological analysis of rat liver tissues of different animal groups against CCl4 induced liver damage. Results: Phenolic content expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE/g) was found maximum in case of ethanolic extract (153.34 mg GAE/g), followed by extracts of methanol (149.24 mg GAE/g), hexane (134 mg GAE/g), ethyl acetate (128.9 mg GAE/g), chloroform (121.37 mg GAE/g), and aqueous (113.00 mg GAE/g). At concentration of 700 μg/ml, DPPH radical scavenging activity of methanol extract was 88.29% with IC50 (212.00 μg/ml), aqueous (82.47%) with IC50 (258.29 μg/ml), and ethyl acetate (79.57%) with IC50 (301.80%μg/ml). The reducing power of the extracts increased in a concentration dependent manner. At concentration of 700 μg/ml, 79%, 68%, and 56% inhibition was observed with extracts of methanol, aqueous, and ethyl acetate on microsomal LPO with IC50 values of 126.09, 168.83, and151.96 μg/ml, respectively. Superoxide radical scavenging activity of T. wallichiana extracts increased in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values 170.30 μg/ml (methanol), 257.00 μg/ml (aqueous), and 297.55 μg/ml ethyl acetate extract. T. wallichiana extracts exhibited antioxidant effects on calf thymus DNA damage. The results further depict the hepatoprotective action of T. wallichiana extract at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg and were comparable with that of standard treatment comprising 50 mg/kg-day of Vitamin C, a known hepatoprotective agent. The data were substantiated with histopathological studies of rat liver sections. Conclusion: These results comprehensively depict that T. wallichiana extracts are endowed with the free radical sequestering potential and be employed as potential antioxidant and hepatoprotective arsenal against many oxidative stress linked diseases. 

The present study was to analyze the antioxidant activity and the responsible chemical constituents in Cephalotaxus oliveri Mast. aerial parts. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl), ABTS [2,2?-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline- 6-sulfonic acid)], reducing power and total phenolic content assays indicate that the methanol extract of the aerial parts is the most potent radical-scavenger and reducing agent with the highest level of phenolic content among the test extracts. The highly positive linear correlations implicate that the four assays have similar capacity to predict the antioxidant potential of the aerial parts and phenolic compounds present contribute significantly to DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and reducing power of the extracts. The plant also displayed considerable superoxide anion radical scavenging activity. LC-MS/MS and GC-MS analyses resulted in the identification of 22 compounds in the methanol extract, among which are 15 phenolic compounds. The total amount of the phenolic compounds in the methanol extract determined by HPLC method was more than 5622.39 ?g/g dry weight. The considerable antioxidant potential and a high content of phenolic antioxidants suggest that C. oliveri aerial parts are a potential source of natural antioxidants.

Beneficial properties of shade trees of tea plantations other than their medicinal properties have been extensively studied. This research was initiated to explore the properties of some shade trees with special emphasis on their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Leaves from shade tree like Dalbergia sissoo (DS), Cassia siamea (CS), Derris robusta (DR), Leucaena leucocephala (LL), Acacia lenticularis (AL) and Melia azedarach (MA) were used for the study. Characterization of shade tree leaves by determination of moisture, crude fibre and ash content and tests of non polar – polar solvent extracts for steroid, tannins, cardiac glycosides and coumarin, free radical scavenging, ferric reducing power, NO scavenging activities, quantification of Flavonoids and antibacterial activity were conducted. The average moisture, crude fibre and ash percentage of shade tree plants were found to be 62.95, 11.28 and 1.86 respectively. Methanol, ethanol, acetone and ethyl acetate respectively proved to be the most potent solvent for various phytochemical extractions as it gave positive results for tests like tannin, steroid, cardiac glycosides and coumarin. AL (91.46%), DR (92.69%), LL (94.32%) and MA (93.34%) leaf extracts showed a high level of DPPH scavenging activity in their water extracts. In DS (88.11%) and CS (83.23%) maximum DPPH scavenging activity was observed in Diethyl ether and Methanol extracts respectively.  Acetone extracts were more active than the water extracts in exhibiting ferric reducing power and NO scavenging activity. Summation of the quantity revealed that DS showed maximum presence of flavonoids and acetone as most potential for isolation of flavonoids. The decreasing order of summative antibacterial activity was recorded in DS, followed by CS, DR, AL, MA and LL. Chloroform showed the highest summative inhibition zone followed by ethanol, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, acetone, water,  hexane, benzene and methanol. The antioxidant and antibacterial potential of shade trees were established.

Antioxidant activity of sequential extracts of black pepper, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon was determined by DPPH assay, phosphomolybdate method and ferric reducing power method and compared with that of the synthetic antioxidant BHA. The results revealed that methanol extract of cinnamon has highest antioxidant potential followed by chloroform extract of turmeric. The antioxidant potential was also correlated with total phenol content.  

Oil extracted from Persea Americana seed was assayed for its physiochemical properties and antioxidant potential using various standard methods. The oil content of the seed was found to be < 10%. Brownish-red color oil was liquid at room temperature, with specific gravity of 0.91±0.02 g/mL. Other physiochemical parameters determined were; acid value (4.51±0.08 mgKOH/g), %FFA (2.26±0.08), peroxide value (2.40±0.57 mgO2/Kg), ester value (31.26±0.03 mgKOH/g), saponification value (35.76±0.07 mgKOH/g) and iodine value (23.5±0.07). The results of the antioxidant activities of the seed oil showed that the flavonoid content (80.00±1.41 mgQE/g) was ~10 folds higher than the phenolic content (8.27±0.06 mgGAE/g). The DPPH radical scavenging value was found to be 51.54±0.25% with an IC50 value of 4.68±0.02 mg/mL and reducing power with an average absorbance of 0.85±0.01 and an IC50 value of 0.001±0.02 mg/mL. Gallic acid showed better antioxidant activities than the oil studied. The results obtained in this study showed that Persea Americana seed oil has nutritional, industrial as well as medicinal potentials.

Background: NSAIDs are the most widely prescribed medications worldwide for their anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic effects However, their chronic use can lead to several adverse drug events including GI toxicity. The selective COX-2 inhibitors developed as gastro-sparing NSAIDs also suffer from serious adverse effects which limit their efficacy. Objective: Local generation of reactive oxygen species is implicated in NSAID-mediated gastric ulceration and their combination with H2 antagonists like famotidine reduces the risk of ulcers. The objective of this work was to design and synthesize novel methanesulphonamido isoxazole derivatives by hybridizing the structural features of NSAIDs with those of antiulcer drugs (ranitidine, famotidine, etc.) to utilize a dual combination of anti-inflammatory activity and reducing (antioxidant) potential. Method: The designing process utilized three dimensional similarity studies and utilized an isoxazole core having a potential for anti-inflammatory as well as radical scavenging antioxidant activity. The compounds were assayed for their antiinflammatory activity in established in vivo models. The in vitro antioxidant activity was assessed in potassium ferricyanide reducing power (PFRAP) assay employing ascorbic acid as the standard drug. Results: Compounds (5, 6, 9 and 10) showed anti-inflammatory activity comparable to the standard drugs and were also found to be non-ulcerogenic at the test doses. Compounds 6-10 exhibited good antioxidant effect in the concentration range of 1.0-50.0 µmol/ml. The test compounds were also found to comply with the Lipinski rule suggesting good oral absorption. Conclusion: A new series of isoxazole based compounds is being reported with good anti-inflammatory activity coupled with antioxidant potential as gastro-sparing anti-inflammatory agents.

Background: Plant in Rhododendron genus that contains phenolic compounds has been used in traditional medicine and revealed considerable biological activities. Objective: Isolation and identification of antioxidant natural products from Rhododendron ungernii. Methods: Rhododendron ungernii Trautv. flowers were collected and dried in shade. The dried flowers were extracted with methanol for 3 days. The solvent was removed by reduced pressure to yield the extract which was subjected to column chromatography (Sephadex LH-20, C18 reversed phase column) to isolate catechin-7-O-glucoside (1), quercetin-3-O-β-galactoside (2), quercetin-3-O- β-xyloside (3), farrerol (4), myricetin (5), and quercetin (6). The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods such as 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, and LC-TOF/MS. DPPH scavenging effect, ABTS+ scavenging activity, and reducing power (FRAP) were performed for antioxidant assays of isolated natural compounds. Results: Isolated flavonoids displayed the outstanding antioxidant activities. Catechin-7-O-glucoside (1) and quercetin-3-O-β-galactoside (2) (IC50, 3.66 µg/mL) had the most DPPH• scavenging effect among the compounds. The highest ABTS•+ scavenging activity (IC50, 1.41 µg/mL) and reducing power effect (6.05 mmol TE/g comp) were observed for myricetin (5). Conclusion: R. ungernii extract and isolated compounds could be a promising antioxidant for food and pharmaceutical industries.