Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction

A review of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their human health effects

Reprint of: Extracellular matrix as a biological scaffold material: Structure and function.

Unbiased Stereology. Three‐Dimensional Measurement in Microscopy.

Clearly, the possibility that Van Peenen's statements are correct exists, but no molecular geneticist would contend that these assertions have been established, in any but a very few cases, which appear at present to be atypical. The educated lavman, for whom this book is intended, will find the author's leaps from the level of the quoted material into sophisticated physical chemistry and back again disconcerting at least, if not completely confusing. It can be said, however, that the authors have assembled an excellent group of illustrations; lecturers in elementary genetics wishing to locate clear illustrations to use as slides would do well to look in this book first.

Animal Tissue Techniques.

Chitin ranks next to cellulose as the most important bio-polysaccharide which can primarily be extracted from crustacean shells. However, the emergence of new areas of the application of chitin and its derivatives are on the increase and there is growing demand for new chitin sources. In this study, therefore, an attempt was made to extract chitin from the house cricket (Brachytrupes portentosus) by a chemical method. The physicochemical properties of chitin and chitosan extracted from crickets were compared with commercial chitin and chitosan extracted from shrimps, in terms of proximate analysis in particular, of their ash and moisture content. Also, infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis were conducted. The chitin and chitosan yield of the house cricket ranges over 4.3%-7.1% and 2.4%-5.8% respectively. Chitin and chitosan from crickets compares favourably with those extracted from shrimps, and were found to exhibit some similarities. The result shows that cricket and shrimp chitin and chitosan have the same degree of acetylation and degree of deacetylation of 108.1% and 80.5% respectively, following Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The characteristic XRD strong/sharp peaks of 9.4 and 19.4° for α-chitin are common for both cricket and shrimp chitin. The percentage ash content of chitin and chitosan extracted from B. portentosus is 1%, which is lower than that obtained from shrimp products. Therefore, cricket chitin and chitosan can be said to be of better quality and of purer form than commercially produced chitin and chitosan from shrimp. Based on the quality of the product, chitin and chitosan isolated from B. portentosus can replace commercial chitin and chitosan in terms of utilization and applications. Therefore, B. portentosus is a promising alternative source of chitin and chitosan.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-605X/aa9dde/pdf

Extraction and physicochemical characterization of chitin and chitosan isolated from house cricket.

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the antioxidant activity of methanolic and chloroformic extracts of Momordica charantia (MC) fruit. In this study, the total antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities in methanolic and chloroformic were measured by ferric thiocyanate (FTC), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) methods. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the MC extracts were also evaluated. The total antioxidant activity results indicated that, the inhibition percent of methanolic extract was significantly higher than the inhibition percent of chloroformic extract in the FTC and TBA methods. A higher IC50 value for free radical scavenging was found for methanolic extract when compared with chloroformic extract. Methanolic extract contained a significantly higher concentration of total phenols and flavonoids when compared with chloroformic extract. Methanolic extract contained more potent antioxidant and high polyphenol compounds when compared with chloroformic extract. The present study, confirmed that, the type of solvent has an important role in detecting plant compounds. The natural plant antioxidants and phenolics compounds in MC have the capability of being used in food systems to preserve food quality.

/pdf/determination-of-antioxidant-activity-in-methanolic-and-1rzw0sofx1.pdf

Determination of antioxidant activity in methanolic and chloroformic extracts of Momordica charantia

A simple and low-cost method for the synthesis of calcium carbonate nanoparticles from cockle shells was described. Polymorphically, the synthesized nanoparticles were aragonites which are biocompatible and thus frequently used in the repair of fractured bone and development of advanced drug delivery systems, tissue scaffolds and anticarcinogenic drugs. The rod-shaped and pure aragonite particles of 30 ± 5 nm in diameter were reproducibly synthesized when micron-sized cockle shells powders were mechanically stirred for 90 min at room temperature in presence of a nontoxic and nonhazardous biomineralization catalyst, dodecyl dimethyl betaine (BS-12). The findings were verified using a combination of analytical techniques such as variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VPSEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray analyser (EDX). The reproducibility and low cost of the method suggested that it could be used in industry for the large scale synthesis of aragonite nanoparticles from cockle shells, a low cost and easily available natural resource.

/pdf/facile-synthesis-of-calcium-carbonate-nanoparticles-from-4e1q254uxr.pdf

Facile synthesis of calcium carbonate nanoparticles from cockle shells

Summary. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of Momordica charantia (MC) fruit aqueous extract on pancreatic histopathological changes in neonatal STZ-induced type-II diabetic rats. Diabetes mellitus was induced in one day Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats using a single intrapretoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (85 mg/kg body weight) and monitored for 12 weeks thereafter. The diabetic rats were separated into three groups, as follows: the diabetic control group (i.e. nSTZ), the diabetic group (i.e. nSTZ/M) - which was orally given 20 mg/kg of MC fruit extract, and the diabetic group (i.e. nSTZ/G) - that was treated with glibenclamide, 0.1 mg/kg for a period of four weeks. At the end of treatment, the animals were sacrificed and blood samples were collected from the saphenous vein to measure the blood glucose and serum insulin level. The pancreatic specimens were removed and processed for light microscopy, electron microscopy examination and immunohistochemical study. The results of this study showed that MC fruit aqueous extract reduced the blood glucose level as well as glibenclamide and increased the serum insulin level in the treated diabetic rats (P<0.05). The fruit extract of MC alleviated pancreatic damage and increased the number of s-cells in the diabetic treated rats (P<0.05). Our results suggest that oral feeding of MC fruit extract may have a significant role in the renewal of pancreatic s-cells in the nSTZ rats.

/pdf/effects-of-momordica-charantia-on-pancreatic-37g756zmnw.pdf

Effects of Momordica charantia on pancreatic histopathological changes associated with streptozotocin-induced diabetes in neonatal rats.

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of Momordica charantia (MC) fruit aqueous extract on the liver histopathological changes in neonatal rats streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus type II. Diabetes mellitus was induced in one day old neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats with STZ (85 mg/kg) and monitored for 12 weeks thereafter. The diabetic rats were separated into three groups as follows: the diabetic control group (nSTZ), the MC treated diabetic group (nSTZ/M), and the glibenclamide treated diabetic group (nSTZ/G). At the end of the treatment, blood glucose, serum insulin, alanine amino transferases (ALT) and aspartate amino transferases (AST) level was measured. Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was measured in the plasma and liver. The liver samples were processed for light microscopy examination. The results showed a reduction of blood glucose, ALT and AST, and increment of insulin level in the nSTZ/M and nSTZ/G rats. Administration of MC reduced the MDA concentration in plasma and liver of the nSTZ/M rats. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity was improved in the nSTZ/M and nSTZ/G groups. The degenerative changes in liver were alleviated in the nSTZ/M and nSTZ/G groups. These results suggested that MC fruit aqueous extract may have a significant role in alleviating liver damage in the nSTZ-diabetic rats.

/pdf/the-effects-of-momordica-charantia-on-the-liver-in-2x3jg1nnij.pdf

A. B. Z. Zuki

Papers

Extraction and physicochemical characterization of chitin and chitosan isolated from house cricket.

Determination of antioxidant activity in methanolic and chloroformic extracts of Momordica charantia

Facile synthesis of calcium carbonate nanoparticles from cockle shells

Effects of Momordica charantia on pancreatic histopathological changes associated with streptozotocin-induced diabetes in neonatal rats.

The effects of Momordica charantia on the liver in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in neonatal rats