Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine

730–734

Authors: Aioub Sofizadeh, Hamideh Edalat, Mohammad Reza Abai, Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd

Objective: To determine fauna and some ecological aspects of Anopheles mosquitoes in northeast of Iran. Methods: In this descriptive study, 3 villages in Kalaleh County were selected in different geographical zones. Anopheles mosquitoes were collected biweekly from May to October using standard dipping method for larvae, and hand catch, total catch, artificial pit shelter as well as night-biting collections on human and animal baits for adults. Results: Totally 399 larvae and 2602 adults of Anopheles mosquitoes were collected and identified as 2 species: Anopheles superpictus s.l. (An. superpictus s.l.) and Anopheles maculipennis s.l. The dominant species was An. superpictus s.l. (92.1%). Activity of these mosquitoes found to be started from middle of May and extended till September with two peaks of activity in July and August. Conclusions: An. superpictus s.l. as one of the main malaria vectors in Iran as well as some other parts of the world is the dominant species in the study area. This species has high potential for transmission and possibility of establishing a transmission cycle with low abundance. Other species, Anopheles maculipennis s.l. also has introduced as a malaria vector in northern parts of Iran. As this Anopheles is a complex species, genetic studies are recommended to determine the members of this complex in the study area.

740–744

Authors: Rosella Camere-Colarossi, Gabriela Ulloa-Urizar, Dyanne Medina-Flores, Stefany Caballero-García, Frank Mayta-Tovalino, Juana del Valle-Mendoza

Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial and cytotoxic effect of Myrciaria dubia (Camu camu) (M. dubia) methanol extract, against Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175) (S. mutans) and Streptococcus sanguinis (ATCC 10556) (S. sanguinis). Methods: Two methanol extracts of M. dubia were prepared in vitro, from the seeds and pulp. Ten independent tests were prepared for each type of extract, using 0.12% chlorhexidine solution as positive control. Agar diffusion test was used by preparing wells with the experimental solutions cultivated in anaerobic conditions for 48 h at 37
C. Meanwhile, the minimum inhibitory concentration and the cytotoxic effect over MDCK cell line was found. Results: A higher antibacterial effect was observed with the methanol seed extract with an inhibitory halo of (21.36 ± 6.35) mm and (19.21 ± 5.18) mm against S. mutans and S. sanguinis, respectively. The methanol extract of the pulp had an effect of (16.20 ± 2.08) mm and (19.34 ± 2.90) mm, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the pulp extract was 62.5 mg/mL for both strains, whereas for the seed antibacterial activity was observed even at low concentrations. The CC50 of the seeds extract was at a higher concentration than 800 mg/mL and 524.37 mg/mL for the pulp extract. Conclusions: The experimental findings demonstrated the antibacterial effect of the methanol extract of M. dubia against S. mutans and S. sanguinis. These extracts were not cytotoxic at high concentrations.

751–754

Authors: Azis Saifudin, Alfian Mahardika Forentin, Arini Fadhilah, Kuswandi Tirtodiharjo, Witri Dyah Melani, Devita Widyasari, Tri Agus Saroso

Objective: To search an herbal material, capable of inhibiting plaque producing bacteria Streptococcus mutans. Methods: Twenty materials comprising 10 flowers and 10 rhizomes were extracted with 70% ethanol. Their activity was then examined at a concentration of 10% (w/v) against Streptococcus mutans in vitro on Mueller–Hinton media. Erythromycin (Oxoid, 20 mg disc) was used as a positive control. Meanwhile, to establish a fingerprint guide for authentication or quality control, the most potent material was further analyzed regarding its chemical constituents by means of reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Results: Of the tested samples, Sesbania grandiflora (S. grandiflora) flower and Costus speciosus rhizome extracts showed the most potent activity with inhibited zone diameters of 18.5 and 14.8 mm, respectively. On the other hand, other extract plants showed a diameter zone in the range of 0.5–10.6 mm or being inactive (diameter = 0 mm). The activity of S. grandiflora was comparable to that of erythromycin (diameter = 18.0 mm). The best separation was achieved on HPLC system with acetonitrile-water with a ratio of 2:8, and a flow rate at 0.5 mL/min. TLC, meanwhile, was featured on chloroform– methanol (8.5:1.5) as a mobile system. Conclusions: S. grandiflora flower is a promising material to be developed as the active ingredient of anti-plaque toothpaste as well as mouthwash solution. The developed HPLC and TLC system can be used for a further standard in its material authentication as well as for a fingerprinting of quality control during the manufacturing process.

760–766

Authors: Amina Benabdallah, Chaabane Rahmoune, Mahieddine Boumendjel, Oumayma Aissi, Chokri Messaoud

Objective: To investigate the total phenolics, flavonoids and tannins content and the in vitro antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts of six wild Mentha species which are Mentha aquatica, Mentha arvensis, Mentha piperita, Mentha pulegium, Mentha rotundifolia and Mentha villosa. Methods: The Folin–Ciocalteu method was used to determine the total phenols content while flavonoids were estimated according to the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. To evaluate tannins content, vanillin and HCl were added to methanolic extracts. The antioxidant potential was measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating and the inhibition of b-carotene bleaching assays. Results: The methanol extracts of Algerian mints were rich in phenolic compounds and exhibited powerful antioxidant activity ranging from 7.5 mg/mL to 44.66 mg/mL, which varied significantly among species. Mentha aquatica stood out with efficient antioxidant ability which was correlated to the high total phenolics content, followed by Mentha arvensis and Mentha piperita with very close values, comparing to Mentha pulegium, Mentha rotundifolia and Mentha villosa with lowest values. Conclusions: These results show that methanolic extracts of Mentha species from Algeria have a great potential of polyphenols which can be used as a natural food preservative and antioxidant source.

771–777

Authors: Abd El-Moneim Mohamed Radwan Afify, Hazem Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan

Objective: To evaluate three flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (H. rosa-sinensis), Quisqualis indica (Q. indica) and Senna surattensis (S. surattensis) for their antioxidant activity by different methods in addition to total phenolic, flavonoid and pigment contents. Methods: Antioxidant activity of water, ethanol and absolute ethanol extracts of three flowers; H. rosa-sinensis, Q. indica and S. surattensis was evaluated. The antioxidant activity was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, ferrous chelating activity, reducing power, nitric oxide scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity as well as total antioxidant capacity. Total flavonoids, total phenols and total pigments including chlorophylls and carotenoids were measured for the three flowers. Results: The results showed that the highest total antioxidant capacity at concentration of 500 mg/L was found in S. surattensis as 0.479 ± 0.001. Scavenging activity of H. rosasinensis, Q. indica and S. surattensis flower extracts against 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl radical showed the highest activity of (90.20 ± 0.29)% with 500 mg/L. Phytochemical screening of the three flowers extracts were carried out for alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, glycosides, terpenoids, amino acid and mucilages. H. rosa-sinensis showed the total phenolic in water extract of (235.77 ± 14.31) mg/100 g, the other two flowers Q. indica and S. surattensis had the total phenolic in ethanol extracts of (937.70 ± 25.06) and (850.30 ± 13.81) mg/100 g, respectively. On the other hand total flavonoids were identified in absolute ethanol extracts in the three flowers [(32.83 ± 1.34), (49.24 ± 4.87) and (2.79 ± 0.23) mg/100 g, respectively]. Conclusions: The extracts in the constituents of the three flowers could be used as additives as supplement fractions in foods.

785–794

Authors: Fernanda Furlan Gonçalves Dias, Ana Lúcia Tasca Gois Ruiz, Adriana Della Torre, Helia Harumi Sato

Objective: To explore the anti-proliferative activity of purified L-asparaginase from Aspergillus oryzae CCT 3940 (A. oryzae). Methods: L-asparaginase was produced by submerged fermentation and purified to electrophoresis homogeneity by ionic exchanged chromatography in a fast protein liquid chromatographic system. The purified enzyme was characterized and used for the antiproliferative assay against nine tumor cell lines and one non-tumor cell line. Results: The free glutaminase L-asparaginase was purified 28.6 fold. L-asparaginase showed high stability under physiological condition, remaining stable in the pH range 7.0–8.0 after 1 h incubation at temperature range 30–45
C. The Km and Vmax values of purified L-asparaginase were estimated as 0.66 mmol/L and 313 IU/mL, respectively. The purified enzyme could inhibit the growth of a broad range of human tumor cell lines at the concentrations studied. Also, the enzyme from A. oryzae CCT 3940 could inhibit tumor growth of leukemia cell line (K562) with a total growth inhibition value of (3.2 ± 2.5) IU/ mL and did not inhibit the non-carcinogenic human cell line growth at the concentrations studied. Conclusions: The sensitivity of the cells lines to purified L-asparaginase from A. oryzae CCT 3940 appeared to be concentration dependent affording a more significant decrease in cell growth than that observed for the commercial L-asparaginase from Escherichia coli. The L-asparaginase from A. oryzae CCT 3940 has a high potential for pharmaceutical exploitation in the treatment of leukemia.

801–802

Authors: Ouarda Ayadi, Mohamed Gharbi, Mohamed Cherif Benchikh Elfegoun

The authors studied the impact of tropical theileriosis onset on milk yield decrease in 10 local bred cows in Skikda (Northern Algeria) during 2015 summer season. The milk yield decrease estimated weekly during two months was 2.76 L/day/cow corresponding to 31.92% of the total milk yield. This decrease corresponds to 110.5 Algerian Dinars (1.02 US$)/day/diseased cow. The relative variation of milk yield showed a dramatic decrease from 82.72% to 0.76% at Day 21 then became constant. Further studies are needed to improve these estimations of financial losses due to bovine tropical theileriosis in Algeria.

808–814

Authors: Mohamed Amine Gacem, Aminata Ould El Hadj-Khelil

Mycotoxins and their derivatives since their discoveries and until the present time are behind unspecified economic and medical damages. Aflatoxins are classified according to their physical–chemical and toxicological characters in the most dangerous row of the mycotoxins. These aflatoxins are in part responsible, of irreversible medical disasters that are not easily manageable such as cancer of the liver and kidneys, and in the other part, of losses in the stored cereal products. Based on these crucial findings, monitoring of this toxin became imperative in post-harvest food products, during storage, during transformation chain and even during the long phases of conservation. Vigilance of this toxin is delivered by detection methods using very advanced technologies to respond in the shortest possible times. In addition, the knowledge of factors supporting the biosynthesis of aflatoxins such as the temperature, moisture content, concentration of nitrogen and carbon, and the molecules responsible for the genetic control of the synthesis will be reflected later in the choice of bio-control techniques. This control is currently based on new strategies using the bioactives substances of the plants, the lactic bacteria and some strains of actinomycetes that have good inhibiting activity against aflatoxins with fewer side effects on Man. On the other hand, this brief review summarizes the results of new studies demonstrating the toxicity of the toxin, new detection methods and bio-control.