ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To find out and compare the in vitro antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of two species of mangrove plants.@*METHODS@#Mangrove samples were harvested at the shoreline on the island of Weno, Chuuk State in Micronesia. The phenol content, antioxidant activity (based on DPPH-free radical scavenging) and tyrosinase inhibitory activity in different tissues (leaves, barks and roots) of Rhizophora stylosa (R. stylosa) and Sonneratia alba (S. alba), collected from the island of Weno.@*RESULTS@#Total phenol content ranged from 4.87 to 11.96 mg per g of freeze dried samples. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in R. stylosa bark (85.5%). The highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity was found in S. alba bark. Also, total phenol content and antioxidant activity were higher in methanol extracts than in aqueous extracts.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Taken together, the results of this study proved that mangroves can be excellent sources of antioxidant compounds.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants , Chemistry , Metabolism , Biphenyl Compounds , Enzyme Inhibitors , Chemistry , Metabolism , Lythraceae , Chemistry , Micronesia , Monophenol Monooxygenase , Metabolism , Phenols , Picrates , Plant Extracts , Chemistry , Metabolism , Rhizophoraceae , ChemistryABSTRACT
Objective: To clone the full length cDNA encoding Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS) which played an important role in terpenoid biosynthesis pathway in Sonneratia alba and to provide the basis for the further studies on biosynthesis and gene regulation of terpenoid. Methods: According to the annotation of root transcriptome in S. alba, primers were designed and cDNA of S. alba Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (SaFPS) gene was cloned from S. alba by PCR. Results: The complete coding sequence of SaFPS gene was 1029 bp and encoded a protein of 342 amino acids. The deduced SaFPS amino acid sequence exhibited 86% identity to the FPS of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. The predicted SaFPS shared two conserved functional domains. Phylogenetic analysis on the amino acid sequence of SaFPS with those of other plants showed that SaFPS was closely related to G. uralensis, Medicago truncatula, and Lupinus albus. It showed that SaFPS was highly expressed in flowers while lowly expressed in fruits, stems, and leaves by real-time PCR analysis. Conclusion: The SaFPS gene is cloned from a mangrove tree S. alba for the first time and the expression of SaFPS is tissue specific. This research lays a foundation for studying the gene expression pattern and regulating the functions of SaFPS in terpenoid biosynthesis.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the antimicrobial property of mangrove plant Sonneratia alba (S. alba). Methods: The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion and microdilution methods against six microorganisms. Soxhlet apparatus was used for extraction with a series of solvents, n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol in sequence of increasing polarity. Results:Methanol extract appeared to be the most effective extract while n-hexane extract showed no activity. The antimicrobial activities were observed against the gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), the gram negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans appeared to be not sensitive to the concentrations tested since no inhibition zone was observed. E. coli (17.5 mm) appeared to be the most sensitive strain followed by S. aureus (12.5 mm) and B. cereus (12.5 mm). Conclusions:From this study, it can be concluded that S. alba exhibits antimicrobial activities against certain microorganisms.