Total flavonoid contents, reductive ability and radical scavenging activity were studied in the methanol extracts of Arum maculatum L. and Physalis peruviana L. The results revealed that A. maculatum extract had total flavonoids of 535.3±109.9 µg/ml, which was significantly higher than the recorded flavonoids in P. peruviana extract (352.0±12.7 µg/ml). Assessment of reductive ability revealed that both extract were effective in such activity and concentration-dependent. The highest absorbance was found at the concentration 0.64 mg/ml of A. maculatum methanol extract (0.929±0.006), which was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than the corresponding concentration of P. peruviana extract (0.850 ± 0.050) or trolox (0.278±0.010), but the second extract also showed a significant increased absorbance compared to trolox. The results of DPPH radical scavenging activity confirmed those of reductive ability, and again the highest concentration (0.500 mg/ml) of both extracts (A. maculatum and P. peruviana) recorded the best radical scavenging activity (93.33±0.58 and 95.33±2.52%, respectively), which was significantly higher than that of vitamin C (64.67±5.03%). In conclusion, both extracts can be considered as important medicinal plants that have the potential of anti-oxidant and free-radical scavenging activities.
Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a nutritious vegetable that grown all over the world. It is a promising herbal plant, rich in bioactive components. It is considered as medicinal plant due to its nutritional and phytochemical composition, especially high proportion of phenolic compounds. The primary aim of this study was to achieve chemical profile analyses of artichoke for different phytochemcials, especially Scolymoside and Cynaroside. Methanolic crude was extracted from Artichoke leaves by rotary evaporator and separated by column chromatography. The fractions monitored by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), and identified in High-Pressure Liquid Chroma
... Show MoreBiosynthesis of nanoparticles has received considerable attention due to the growing need to develop environmentally benign nanoparticle synthesis processes that do not use toxic chemicals. Therefore, biosynthetic methods employing both biological agents such as bacteria and fungus or plant extracts have emerged as a simple and a viable alternative to chemical synthetic and physical method .It is well known that many microbes produce an organic material either intracellular or extracellular which is playing important role in the remediation of toxic metals through reduction of metal ions and acting as interesting Nano factories. As a result, in the present study Ag NPs were syn
... Show MoreThe present study dealt with taxonomic characters of species Zygophyllum fabago L. in Iraq . this study included the exo-morphological characters which indicated that the species was sub-shrub with solid stem and swallow nodes ,with compound bifoliate and stipulate leaves, the flower is complete and perfect with clawed petals . stamen colored with scaly appendage , fruit capsule with ribs . Anatomical study of vegetative parts indicate that the sclerenchymal tissue was very diffuse in stem such as fibers and sclerides ( stone cells ) , the leaves were bifacial . The geographical distiribution of the species plants was studied . The results supported with photographs
Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by Leishmania parasite, this disease considers a major health problem among worldwide. Treatments available are expensive or with cytotoxic side effect. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of an herbal new compound, called artemisinin, derived from a Chinese plant called Artemisia annua. Various concentrations were studied in vitro against L. tropica amastigotes by chamber counting to investigate its effect on the proliferation of promastigotes. Three incubation periods were adopted (24, 48, 72) hours. The results showed a significant decrease in surviving promastigotes, in parallel with the normal parasite count of untreated promastigotes, along the periods studied. Th
... Show MoreThe species Spongilla lacustris was identified for the first time in Iraq, it was found during winter 1998 in an irrigation canal within the campus of the University of Baghdad (Jadiriah), water is drawn from Tigris river. The specimens were found in water samples of sizes ranging between 5-50 cm with yellowish color . It was found in two habitats , one as attached on submerged aquatic plant Ceratophyllum sp., and the other on the canal bottom (concret material). Some physico- chemical characters were determined including conductivity ,salinity , pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, Ca ,Mg ,anddissolved oxygen. Water quality was fresh , alkaline, hard and well aerated.
The present work included new information about pollen of eighteen Spp. of Stachys L. in Iraq ;showed their importance in diagnostsis.
Pollen shapes in equatorial view were ellipsoid in most spp .and spherical - subspherical , spherical - subprolate and subprolate -
ellipsoid in others; while they were spherical - subspherical in polar
view . Pollen was tricolpate except St.iberica M.B.georgica Rech.f. &
Ten. Which has tetracolpate and that was new for the genus.
The smallest pollen were seen in St.kotschyi Boiss. & Hohen. but the biggest were in St.benthamiana Boiss.
Astragalus mesogitanus is a new recorded species for Iraqi flora, from Onobrychium genus section, was collected from Erbil district, all morphological features were described in details as well as some micromorphological character as the trichomes and were provided with dimensions and plates, section key was also updated which illustrated the importance of standard (corolla) trichomes in species identification. Keywords: Astragalus, Fabaceae, Iraq, New record, Onobrychium, Trichomes.
Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by Leishmania parasite, this disease considers a major health problem among worldwide. Treatments available are expensive or with cytotoxic side effect. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of an herbal new compound, called artemisinin, derived from a Chinese plant called Artemisia annua. Various concentrations were studied in vitro against L. tropica amastigotes by chamber counting to investigate its effect on the proliferation of promastigotes. Three incubation periods were adopted (24, 48, 72) hours. The results showed a significant decrease in surviving promastigotes, in parallel with the normal parasite count of untreated promastigotes, along the periods studied. This stu
... Show MoreFraxinus ornus L. is considered as a special species that is frequently planted as a decorative tree in most of the country. The cross-sections of the root and stem are circular in shape and in the secondary growth stage, the vascular tissue in the root and stem consists of secondary xylem in radial rows and the type of vessels in the xylem are ring pours wood. Epidermal cells of leaves undulate on the upper and lower side, hairs are uniseriate and unicellular and the stomata appeared in the abaxial surface only is anomocytic type. The vertical-section of blade leaf includes upper epidermis and lower epidermis followed by the palisade layer and spongy layers. The cross-section of petiole horseshoe shape and the vascular bundles are cover
... Show MoreThe antimicrobial activity of ginger extracts ( cold-water, hot-water, ethanolic and essential oil ) against some of pathogenic bacteria ( Escherichia coli , Salmonella sp , Klebsiella sp , Serratia marcescens, Vibrio cholerae , Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus sp) was investigated using Disc diffusion method , and the results were compared with the antimicrobial activity of 12 antibiotics on the same bacteria . The results showed that the ginger extracts were more effective on gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative . V. cholerae and S. marcescens,were the most resistant bacteria to the extracts used , while highest inhibition was noticed against Streptococcus sp (28 mm) . The ethanolic extract showed the broadest antibacterial ac
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