aqueous

In this study, a sports drink was prepared with the addition of different concentrations of Spirulina platensis (0.05%, 0.125%, and 0.25% w/w). Spirulina biomass was extracted by ethanol, ethanol/water, and water and added to a sports drink. During storage time (21 days, 4°C), the chemical properties of these drinks such as antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, and total sugar were evaluated. The lowest and highest amount of total sugar also was observed in the control sample, and sports drink containing 0.25% aqueous extract, respectively. After 21 days of storage, total sugar decreased by 40%, 27.25% and 38% for samples containing 0.25% alcoholic, water and hydroalcoholic extracts. The ascorbic acid content of sports drinks was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the treatment sample in the comparison with control sample. Content of ascorbic acid was highest in sports drinks containing 0.25% aqueous extract and decreased (up to 1.3mg/100cc) with storage. The addition of spirulina increased the antioxidant activity of the sports drink. Among the sports drinks containing alcoholic, water and hydroalcoholic extracts, minimum control of free radicals, respectively pertained to the samples containing 0.05% of Spirulina extract (18.31, 23.33 and 22.11) after 21 days of storage. Also, the antioxidant properties of the sports drink samples decreased during storage time. According to the findings of this research, the addition of spirulina extract to sports drinks improves their nutritional and antioxidant characteristics.

Active search for plants with diverse antioxidant and pharmacological properties capable of counteracting the deleterious effects of free radical-mediated pathologies, is still evolving. The current study investigates the phytochemical screening, antioxidant mechanisms and gas-chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis of leaf extract of Sida acuta.

Experimental: 

Powdered leaves of the plant was extracted in ethanol, methanol and water. Total phenolic and flavonoids contents of the extracts were measured using established protocols. Also, free radical scavenging activity against 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide radicals (NO•.) as well as the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were also evaluated. Furthermore, the structure and relative abundance of bioactive compounds in the methanolic leaf extract of Sida acuta was determined on GC-MS.

Results indicated that the total phenol and flavonoids content is significantly (P<0.05) higher in methanolic extract when compare with extracts from other solvents. Additionally, DPPH radical scavenging potency and FRAP of the extract is in the order; methanolic> aqueous> ethanolic, while the aqueous extract elicits significant NO• radical scavenging properties when compared with other solvents. The GC-MS chromatogram of the methanolic leaf extract of the plant reveals the presence of 23 bioactive compounds. Taking together, the relative abundance of phytochemical contents and antioxidant capacity of Sida acuta leaves is partly contingent on the choice of extraction solvent.

Recommended applications/industries:

 The presence of various bioactive compounds justifies the use of the plant for diverse remedies in traditional medicine and the need for further studies.

Diclofenac is one of the drug compounds that is known as an emerging contaminant in aqueous solutions. Studies have shown that biological treatment is not sufficient to treat these compounds and new methods such as adsorption should be used to prevent contamination of aquatic environments. One of the native absorbers in this regard is the pumice. This study aimed to investigate the removal of diclofenac from aqueous solutions using magnesium chloride modified pumice.

In this experimental study, with a practical approach, the required adsorbent was prepared from pumice. Magnesium chloride was used for pumice modification. The experiments were performed in a closed system at laboratory temperature. In this study, the effect of variables, adsorbent dose, contact time, and pH on diclofenac removal was investigated. Diclofenac was analyzed by KNAUER model HPLC at a wavelength of 254 nm.

Modified pumice by magnesium chloride was able to remove 95.83% of diclofenac (20 mg/l) at a concentration=1 g/l for 15 minutes at pH=5. Comparison of modified and natural pumice performance in 5, 10, 15, 30, 40 minutes with an average of 89.52% of modified pumice removal, compared to 48.15% of natural pumice removal, which was 1.86 times more efficient.

Pumice can be used as a cheap, available, and highly effective adsorbent for the removal of diclofenac from aqueous solutions.

 Plantago psyllium has long been utilised as a medicinal agent worldwide. The current study aims to evaluate the in vivo antimicrobial effects of aqueous P. psyllium and a hydro-alcoholic extract of P. psyllium on Helicobacter pylori as well as the effects of these extracts on liver and kidney in a rat model.

A total number of 50 female Sprague Dawley rats were experimentally infected (Except for the negative control group). The rats were divided into five groups of 10. The groups were treated by Aqueous and Hydro-Alcoholic P. psyllium leaf extracts. Subsequently, H. pylori antigens which were present in the in rats’ stool were measured using a serological assay. To diagnose the pathogenicity of the kidney and liver, blood samples which had been taken before and after treatment, were tested for renal and hepatic enzymes by Analyzer Electrolyte and Sysmex KX-21N.

Following the amoxicillin treatment, the levels of aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of the treated rats were compared with those of the control group, and a significant difference was observed (P<0.05). Antigen decrease was observed in all of the groups treated with amoxicillin (P=0.0004), aqueous, and hydro-alcoholic extracts (P<0.05). Antigen decrease in the stool was observed in all groups, which indicates that treatment with the herbal extract could affect the infected rats.

 P. psyllium hydro-alcoholic extract can be applied as a selective treatment for H. pylori infection. Hopefully, experiments suggested that the mentioned extracts could positively affect the process of disease recovery.

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial properties of aqueous and methanolic extracts, as well as essential oils of red beet leaves. The leaves were purchased from local farms in Isfahan province, Iran. After drying the leaves, their extracts were obtained by water and methanol as solvent, and also essential oils of the leaves were extracted through the hydro-distillation method. Antibacterial activity of the extracts and essential oils was determined against five foodborne bacteria by disc-diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration method. Moreover, the antifungal activity of the samples was examined by the contact phase method against five fungi species. The aqueous extract of red beet leaves did not show any antimicrobial activity against the studied species, whereas the methanolic extract inhibited the growth of four strains of the bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidis. Essential oil had an inhibitory effect against B. cereus, S. enteritidis, and S. aureus. Furthermore, the aqueous and methanolic extracts and essential oils had a variable degree of antifungal activity against all tested fungi. However, the methanolic extract and essential oils had a stronger antifungal effect than the aqueous extract.