Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites was used as a traditional medicine to treat many inflammatory diseases for centuries. However, its effects on the inflammatory response are not yet characterized. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activities of L. spinosa leaf extract in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. We found that ethanol extracts of L. spinosa leaves showed anti-oxidant activity due to the presence of high levels of polyphenolic compounds. Treatment with the leaf extract significantly repressed the production of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, L. spinosa leaf extract treatment prevented activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway by inhibiting nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha (IκBα) degradation. Furthermore, the mitogen-activated kinase and phosphoinositide-3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathways were suppressed upon treatment with the leaf extract. In addition to suppressing inflammatory factors, the extract also activated the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme-oxygenase-1 pathway. We propose that L. spinosa leaf extract has the potential as an effective therapeutic agent for alleviating oxidative stress and excessive inflammation.

Anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum spp. makes heavy losses for post-harvest mangoes of Cat Hoa Loc variety during storage, packaging, and transportation. The synthetic fungicides are commonly used to control the disease, but they are not safe for consumers’ health and environment. This study was aimed to investigate the use of essential oils (EOs) as the safe alternative control. Pathogen was isolated from the infected Cat Hoa Loc mangoes and identified by morphology and DNA sequencing of the ITS region. Six EOs (cinnamon, basil, lemongrass, peppermint, coriander, and orange) were chemically analyzed by GC–MS. The antifungal activity of EOs was studied in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the isolated pathogen was Colletotrichum acutatum. Cinnamon, basil, and lemongrass EOs effectively inhibited the growth of C. acutatum in descending order of cinnamon, basil, and lemongrass. However, they (except basil oil) severely damaged fruit peels. The antifungal activity was closely related to the main compounds of EOs. Basil EOs effectively controlled anthracnose development on Cat Hoa Loc mangoes artificially infected with C. acutatum, and its effectiveness was comparable to that of fungicide treatment. Consequently, basil EOs can be used as a biocide to control anthracnose on post-harvest Cat Hoa Loc mangoes.

The flowers of M. velutina were extracted with ethanol to obtain a crude extract that was consecutively extracted using n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and water. The crude extract and fractions were studied for the chemical composition and antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. The extracts had various phytoconstituents, namely steroids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids and glycosides. The aqueous extract had the highest total polyphenol (12.6 mg GAE/g extract) and total flavonoid (205.6 mg QE/g extract) content. The aqueous extract exhibited the strongest antioxidant activities in the ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (EC₅₀ = 4.0 µg/mL), reducing power assay (EC₅₀ = 78.1 µg/mL), 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid radical cation assay (EC₅₀ = 48.2 µg/mL), total antioxidant capacity assay (EC₅₀ = 8.7 µg/mL) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay (EC₅₀ = 9.3 µg/mL). The aqueous extract showed the strongest inhibitory effect on the activity of α-amylase (IC₅₀ = 376.6 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 69.7 μg/mL). The results showed that the aqueous extract of M. velutina flowers can be a promising candidate for the control of diabetes and oxidative stress. This is the first report about the chemical components and antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of M. velutina flower extracts.

Background: The spread of drug resistance in malaria parasites and the limited number of effective drugs for treatment indicates the need for new anti-malarial compounds. Current assays evaluating drugs against Plasmodium falciparum require expensive materials and equipment, thus limiting the search for new drugs, particularly in developing countries. This study describes an inexpensive procedure that is based on the advantage of a positive correlation between the haemozoin level of infected erythrocytes and parasite load. Methods: The relationship between parasitaemia and the haemozoin level of infected erythrocytes was investigated after converting haemozoin into monomeric haem. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of chloroquine, quinine, artemisinin, quinidine and clotrimazole against P. falciparum K1 and 9A strains were determined using the novel assay method. Results: The haemozoin of parasites was extracted and converted into monomeric haem, allowing the use of a colorimeter to efficiently and rapidly measure the growth of the parasites. There was a strong and direct linear relationship between the absorbance of haem converted from haemozoin and the percentage of the parasite (R² = 0.9929). Furthermore, the IC₅₀ values of drugs were within the range of the values previously reported. Conclusion: The haemozoin-based colorimetric assay can be considered as an alternative, simple, robust, inexpensive and convenient method, making it applicable in developing countries.

Response surface methodology was used to estimate the optimum extraction parameters, for which the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of Avicennia officinalis L. extract were the highest. Based on the 3D surface plots and regression analysis of the independent variables, the optimal conditions for the ultrasound-assisted extraction were as follows: methanol content, 55.27%; liquid-to-solid ratio, 14:1 (mL/g, v/w); temperature, 48.8 °C, and time, 9.66 min. Optimal extraction conditions were applied to validate the quantification. The bioactive compounds from the Avicennia officinalis L. extract were identified through ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector for the first time. These methods were applied to quantify phenolic acids and flavonoids from A. officinalis extracts collected at six different locations in Vietnam. The results showed that the concentrations of these compounds varied from 0.319 ± 0.022 to 3.524 ± 0.125 mg/g in the methanol extract. The result showed that cinnamic acid is the major compound in A. officinalis collected in Vietnam. In the present study, an optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction was first designed to improve the content of phenolic acids and flavonoid compounds from A. officinalis. Additionally, the bioactive compounds from the A. officinalis extract were identified through UFLC-DAD for the first time.