• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2010

The seed powder of Abrus precatorius L. has traditionally been used as oral contraceptive agent by the women in some rural areas in Bangladesh. The present study aimed to examine the antifertility activity of A. precatorius seed extracts in experimental female rats. Finely ground seeds were extracted with aqueous acetone followed by successive partitioning with n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), methanol (MeOH) and water. Water suspended crude seed powder, organic fractions of acetone extract and a standard contraceptive drug ($Nordette^{(R)}28$) were separately administered orally to the female rats for 30 days. n-Hexane, EtOAc and MeOH solubles at the doses of 2, 4 and 6 mg/rat/day, respectively and crude seed powder at 100 mg/rat/day exhibited 100% antifertility activity with lowest levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and $17{\beta}$-estradiol. Histological study of ovary and uterus of these rats exhibited reduced number of developing follicles and increased number of atretic follicles in the ovary, and fewer uterine glands with shrunken morphology, reduced endometrial height, poor vascularity and compact stroma in uterus. However, the activities of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase and the body weight of the rats remained almost unaffected in all the seed extract treated rats compared to control. These results suggest that A. precatorius seed extracts reduced the levels of serum FSH, LH and $17{\beta}$-estradiol probably by affecting hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The reduced levels of these hormones might have affected the oestrous cycle, follicular development, and subsequently the establishment of pregnancy in treated rats.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2015

Seaweed Sargassum horneri extracts were obtained using supercritical carbon dioxide ($SC-CO_2$) and different solvents. $SC-CO_2$ was kept at a temperature of $45^{\circ}C$ and pressure of 250 bar. The flow rate of $CO_2$ (27 g/min) was constant during the entire 2-h extraction period, and ethanol was used as a cosolvent. Six different solvents [acetone, hexane, methanol, ethanol, acetone mix methanol (7:3), and hexane mix ethanol (9:1)] were used for extraction and agitated by magnetic stirring (250 rpm) in the dark at $25^{\circ}C$ for 20 h; the ratio of material to solvent was 1:10 (w/v). Antioxidant properties of S. horneri extracted using $SC-CO_2$ with ethanol and different solvents have shown good activity. The highest activity belongs to $SC-CO_2$ with ethanol extracted oil, showing DPPH, ABTS, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid levels of $68.38{\pm}1.21%$, $83.51{\pm}1.25%$, $0.64{\pm}0.02mg/g$, and $5.57{\pm}0.05mg/g$, respectively. The S. horneri extracts showed a significant correlation between the antioxidant activity and phenolic content. Based on these results, the $SC-CO_2$ extract (ethanol) of the seaweed extract from brown seaweed may be a valuable antioxidant source.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.137-142
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• 2003

This study was carried out to examine the effects of gamma irradiation on the color removal, antioxidation, DPPH radical scavenger, and antimicrobial activity of Schizandra fructus extracts by different solvents. Schizandra fructus was extracted by hot water, ethanol, acetone and methanol, and the extracts were irradiated 10, 20 and 30 kGy with gamma rays. Hunter color L-value was increased by irradiation in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in brighter color for all solvents used. The a and b values were decreased by irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. Antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract of Schizandra fructus against soybean oil was the highest. The free radical scavenging activity was the strongest in hot water extract. All solvent extracts from Schizandra fructus had the strongest antimicrobial activities to B. subtilis, B. natto, B megaterium, S. aureus, Sal. typhymurium and E. coli. These results suggested that Schizandra fructus extracts have a strong potential as natural food preservatives and cosmetic raw materials. Furthermore, irradiation may not influence adversely on biological activites of the extracts when irradiated up to 30 kGy.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.173-177
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• 1997

For the utilizing of tannins in the functional foods and natural inhibitor against browning reaction by tyrosinase in foods, inhibition effect against tyrosinase of tannins from Korean green tea was determined. Acetone extract from Korean green tea showed inhibition effect against tyrosinase. The gallocatechin compounds showed higher inhibition effect than the catechin compounds. In terms of stereo isomers, (-)-epicatechin compounds had higher inhibition effect than the (+)-catechin compounds. The monomer had higher inhibition effect than the dimer.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.498-503
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• 2005

Antibacterial activities of water and 70% ethanol extracts of Terminalia chebula Retz were investigated. Fractions were prepared by step-wise fractionation of water and 70% ethanol extracts using acetone, hexane, chloroform and butanol. Butanol fraction showed best antibacterial activities. Water and 70% ethanol extracts of T. chebula Retz. had significantly high pyrogallol content among 13 phenolic compound analysed by HPLC, and pyrogallol (standard) showed highest activities against several food spoilage microorganism.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.418-422
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• 1993

For the purpose of utilizing tannins in the functional foods and crude drugs the xanthine oxidase inhibition of tannins isolated from Korean green tea was determined. Acetone extract from Korean green tea showed inhibitory effect against the xanthine oxidase. The galloyl tannins showed higher inhibitory activity against xanthine oxidase than the nongalloyl tannins. In terms of stereo isomers, (-)-epicatechins had higher inhibitory activity than the (+)-catechins. The synergistic activity was also observed. Tannins isolated from Korean green tea appeared to be incompetitive inhibitor against the xanthine oxidase.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.25-30
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• 1987

In order to investigate the effect to antioxygenic substances in Pine Needles on the photooxidation of linoleic acid (linoleic acid 100mg/10ml ethanol) added antioxidants and antioxygenic substances in Pine Needles was irradiated by the tungsten lamp attached with red fitter. The Photo oxidation of linoleic acid (LA) was conformed with Lea method and rhodan method. The following results were obtained: 1. Photooxidation of LA was greatly increased the presence of photosensitizer. However the Photo oxidation of LA without photosensitizer was smoothly increased by the irradiation. 2. The Photo oxidation of LA without irradiation occured quite lately whether photosensitizer was present or absent. 3. Photooxidation of LA under the presence of photosensitizer was inhibited by the addition of $dl-{\alpha}-tocopherol$ and the acetone fraction of methanol extract of Pine Needles but inhibited by BHT. Photooxidation of LA increased gradually as the addition of BHT increased but decreased gradually as that of acetone fraction increased.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.86-88
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• 2005

Antifungal activity of the extracts of plants and marine microalgae against Magnaporthe grisea was investigated. Acetone extracts of promegranate rind, leek seed, and maize husk demonstrated high antifungal activity against M. grisea. MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of acetone extracts of promegranate rind, leek seed, and maize husk was 100 ng/ml, $50\;{\mu}g/ml,\;and\;100\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. Ethanol extract of Amphiprora gigantea showed antifungal activity against M. grisea with MIC of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.160-163
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• 2006

A total number of 31 types of seaweed were assessed with regard to their effects on the proliferation of mouse spleen and thymus cells in a culture, using an MTT reduction assay. Acetone:dichloromethane (1:1) extracts of three seaweed plants: Derbesia marina, Sargassum sp., and Hisikia fuziformis, exhibited significantly positive effects on the survival of mouse spleen and thymus cells in vitro. The acetone:dichloromethane (1:1) extracts of Sargassum sp., in particular, much more potent effects on thymus cell activation than did any of the other types of seaweed. However, the methanol extracts of Sargassum ringgoldianium and Chondrus crispus exerted a stimulatory influence only on the proliferation of mouse spleen cells, whereas the methanol extracts of Grateloupia lanceolata exhibited significant cell proliferation properties in both spleen and thymus cells.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.289-293
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• 2011

The antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities of methanol, pretanol, and acetone extracts of Eupausia superba were investigated and their bioactivities compared. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis[3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid] ($ABTS^+$) radical-scavenging activities and reducing power assays were used to determine antioxidant activities, and Ellman's colorimetric methods were applied to evaluate cholinesterase inhibitory activity. Although all extracts were positive, Acetone extract of E. superba showed the highest activities. However, these showed moderate or no inhibitory activity against butyrylcholinesterase. Moreover, the total carotenoid contents of the organic solvent extracts followed the same order as their antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. These results suggest that E. superba is a potential source of natural antioxidants and cholinesterase inhibitors.