Purpose: The objectives of this study were to evaluate inhibition activities of acetone, chloroform, ethanol and hot water extracts of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) leaves against Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus niger and, to assess the in vitro antioxidant activities and to discover the active compound profile of chloroform extract of nutmeg leaf. Research Method: Agar well diffusion and agar disc diffusion methods were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity and the antifungal activity of the extracts respectively. Antioxidant activities of the acetone extract were evaluated through DPPH, FRAP, ABTS+ radical scavenging and Ferrous Iron Chelating assays. The total phenolic content (TPC) of the acetone extract was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Findings: All the extracts showed inhibitory activity for the tested bacteria at different intensities and it was found that the selection of the extraction solvent is important to get the maximum inhibition against different bacterium. Acetone and chloroform extract (20%) showed the highest inhibition against A. niger (49.42% and 51.52% respectively). Acetone extract showed strong antioxidant activities, 715.78 ±51.09 in FRAP (mg of Trolox /g of leaves), 65.56±0.93 in DPPH (mg of Ascorbic acid /g of leaves), 31.67± 0.49 in ABTS+ (mg of Trolox equivalent/g of leaves), 10.87±1.85 in Ferrous Ion chelating (mg of EDTA/g of leaves) and, higher percentages of total phenolic content of 895.12 ±44.24 TPC (mg GAE /g of leaves). Myristic acid was detected as the major compound (57.36%) in GC-MS analysis and that may be the major compound responsible that offers a great potential to use as antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant agent of nutmeg leaf. Originality/ Value: Results revealed that the nutmeg leaf possesses marked biological activities and showed a great potential to use for the management of human pathogenic bacteria, plant pathogenic fungi, and oxidative stress-associated chronic diseases.

This study investigated the antiviral activity of aqueous leaf extract of Costus speciosus (TB100) against influenza A. Pretreatment of TB100 in RAW264.7 cells enhanced antiviral activity in an assay using the green fluorescence-expressing influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) virus. The fifty percent effective concentration (EC50) and fifty percent cytotoxic concentration (CC50) were determined to be 15.19 ± 0.61 and 117.12 ± 18.31 µg/mL, respectively, for RAW264.7 cells. Based on fluorescent microscopy, green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression and viral copy number reduction confirmed that TB100 inhibited viral replication in murine RAW264.7 and human A549 and HEp2 cells. In vitro pretreatment with TB100 induced the phosphorylation of transcriptional activators TBK1, IRF3, STAT1, IKB-α, and p65 associated with interferon pathways, indicating the activation of antiviral defenses. The safety and protective efficacy of TB100 were assessed in BALB/c mice as an oral treatment and the results confirmed that it was safe and effective against influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1), A/Philippines/2/2008 (H3N2), and A/Chicken/Korea/116/2004 (H9N2). High-performance liquid chromatography of aqueous extracts led to the identification of cinnamic, caffeic, and chlorogenic acids as potential chemicals for antiviral responses. Further confirmatory studies using these acids revealed that each of them confers significant antiviral effects against influenza when used as pretreatment and enhances the antiviral response in a time-dependent manner. These findings suggest that TB100 has the potential to be developed into an antiviral agent that is effective against seasonal influenza.

Aims: Present study tested the antifungal activity of methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform and hot water extracts of nutmeg leaf, mace, kernel and pericarp at three concentration levels (5, 10 and 20%) against Fusarium oxysporum. Methodology: The agar dilution technique was used and the effect of different concentration of plant extracts on radial growth of reference fungi was evaluated. GC-MS analysis was used for compound analysis. Results: Complete inhibition of F. oxyporum was found at 10% and 20% concentrations of acetone, ethanol and methanol extracts of leaf, mace, and kernel and, chloroform leaf extract. Mace showed the highest inhibition among sample extracts under every solvent. Among the detected compounds, 3-acridinamine was detected from the genus Myristica for the first time in this study. Conclusion: The results showed possible use of M. fragrance against F. oxysporum. Since the mace part was rich with many antifungal compounds such as phthalide, palmitic and oleic acid, myristicin, safrol, α-cubebene and aromandendrene, mace can be used as raw material to develop fungicide against F. oxysporum.

The post-harvest loss of rice during storage due to insect infestation, particularly by rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae), and the utilization of synthetic insecticides for pest management are two major concerns in the current world. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the potential of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) part formulations as alternatives to S. oryzae management. The contact repellent activity of clove part essential oils was tested by the filter paper impregnated method. The fumigation mortality of essential oils was tested, and mortality percentage & LD₅₀ values were computed. Further, the composition of essential oils was analyzed using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry. The yield of clove stem essential oil (5.52%) was significantly higher than leaf essential oil (3.92%). Among two essential oils, stem oil with a 100 µL dose showed the highest repellency (100.00±0.00%) and mortality (96.67±3.33%) while 50 and 75 µL doses caused similar mortality (83.30±3.33%) after 5 days. The lowest LD₅₀ (28.06 µLL^-1) was observed on day 5, indicating the higher toxicity of stem oil. Eugenol (73.73 & 82.56%), β-caryophyllene (24.84 & 16.67%), α.-humulene (0.82 & 0.33%) and 1S, CIS-calamenene (0.14 & 0.03%) were detected as the major components responsible for the repellent and insecticidal potential of stem and leaf essential oils. Hence, clove parts could be potential biopesticides, and clove stem essential oil could be the most effective alternative for rice weevil management.

The demand for edible fats and oils has sparked interest in alternative vegetable oil sources with a focus on health benefits and new industrial applications. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the potential of using underutilized tropical almond (TA) (Terminalia catappa) nut oil as a source of novel dietary lipids. The fatty acid profile of the screw-pressed TA oil was analyzed by a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. Physicochemical properties, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant properties were evaluated and compared with coconut and almond oils extracted under similar conditions. Thermal behavior and shelf life of TA oil were comparatively analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry and Schaal’s oven test respectively. Interestingly the yield of TA oil (48.67 ± 1.76%) was significantly higher than the almond oil (39.0 ± 0.57%). The TA oil contained more than 56% of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly 31.3% oleic and 24.9% linoleic being the predominant fatty acids. Palmitic acid was the predominant (38.9%) saturated fatty acid. The melting and the crystallization temperatures of TA oil were 14.29 °C and (−0.75 °C) respectively while the melting points of almond and coconut oil were −10.63 °C and 24.8 °C. The physicochemical properties including specific gravity, refractive index, peroxide, acid value, and iodine value were comparable with coconut oil, and they were consistent with the CODEX and SLS standards. The estimated shelf life of TA oil was more than nine months. Moreover, TA oil showed significantly higher phenolic content (2.26 ± 0.08 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoid content (10.46 ± 1.47 mg QE/100 g) than almond and coconut oils. Further, TA oil showed antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ of 1574.93 ± 3.44 mg/mL for DPPH, 340.28 ± 1.23 mg/mL for ABTS, and a reducing power of 4.68 ± 0.33 mM Trolox eq/100 g in FRAP assays. Hence, TA oil possessed excellent physicochemical and functional properties suitable to be used as a novel, healthy edible oil.