Gastroprotective effects of Polygonatum odoratum in rodents by regulation of apoptotic proteins and inflammatory cytokines.

In an increasing interest in natural antiulcer compounds that may have gastric healing effects and possibly prevent ulcer recurrence, Polygonatum odoratum appears as a strong candidate. The gastroprotective potentials of P. odoratum rhizome extract (PORE) were explored on ethanol-induced gastric ulceration in rats. Sprague Dawley rats were caged in 5 groups, normal and ulcer control rats received CMC (1% carboxymethyl cellulose). Omeprazole (20 mg/kg) was given to reference Rats. Experimental rats were treated with 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg PORE, respectively. After an hour, the normal control rats received 1% CMC, whereas rat groups 2-5 were given absolute ethanol by oral gavage. After 60 min, rats received anesthesia and were sacrificed. Dissected gastric tissue was analyzed by histopathological and immunohistochemical techniques. PORE treatment significantly lowered the ethanol-induced gastric injury, as shown by up-surging gastric pH and mucus content, reduced leukocyte infiltration, lower ulcerative areas in mucosal layers, and increased antioxidants (SOD and CAT) and (MDA) levels. Furthermore, PORE pre-treated rats showed significantly increased expression of the Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), HSP-70 protein, and decreased Bax protein in their gastric epithelial layers. PORE treatment showed an important regulation of inflammatory cytokines shown by decreasing the TNF-a, and IL-6 and increasing the IL-10 values. The detected biological activity of PORE is encouraging and presents the scientific evidence for its traditional use as a gastroprotection agent however further studies are required to determine the exact phytochemicals and mechanism pathway responsible for this bioactivity.

Floral markers and biological activity of Saudi honey.

The objectives of this research were to identify certain chemical compounds that may be used as fingerprints of Saudi honey and to evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Eleven Saudi 'monofloral' honey samples were analyzed and evaluated. Non-phenolic compounds, such as 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one, methyl 3-hydroxyhexanaote and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde were present in different types of tested honey samples. Glyceraldehyde was only detected in five of the honey samples tested. The most promising result was the detection of an alkaloid (by using GC-MS) in only two types of Saudi honey samples. This alkaloid may be of great importance and has the potential to be used as a fingerprint marker for the botanical sources of the various honey samples tested. This alkaloid was present in Toran and Saha. The detected compound is 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine-6-carboxylic acid, which may originate from the degradation of folic acid as identified by previous studies. These findings can be used as a gateway to obtain a fingerprint for these two types of honey samples and can potentially be used to track any impurities in honey sold on the market. All of the tested honey samples showed antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The highly effective activity was in Toran honey against Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Shafalah honey was effective against MRSA and Acinetobacter baumannii which showed bactericidal effects at concentrations 70-100%. This study also examined the antioxidant activity of honey samples using the DPPH assay. DPPH values of tested honey samples varied between 53.93 ±â€¯0.21%, as the highest value and 5.89 ±â€¯0.125%, as the lowest value. Significant correlations between the antibacterial and the antioxidant activities of the tested honey samples were noticed. The corresponding total phenolic contents (TPC) values supported the fact that phenolic compounds enhanced the antibacterial activity. The study revealed that some of the locally produced honey samples, specifically Zaitoon, Shaflah, Saha, Rabea Aja and Bareq contained the monosaccharides called glyceraldehydes which was the precursor to produce methylglyoxal (MGO) compound, which has antibacterial effects as documented in several previous studies. There was no clear relationship between these activities and the sum total of phenolic compounds present in Saudi honey.

Nutritional value and chemical composition of Sudanese millet-based fermented foods as affected by fermentation and method of preparation.

BACKGROUND: Although kissra and hulu-mur are well known millet-based foods in Sudan, the effect of fer- mentation and methods of preparation on their chemical compositions has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the method of preparation and the composition of kisra, and hulu-mur. METHODS: The effect of fermentation and method of preparation on the composition, and mi- crobiological load were examined in millet flour during the preparation of Sudanese fermented foods (kisra & hulu-mur). RESULTS: A significant (P < 0.05) difference in the composition of millet flour and millet-based fermented foods was observed. Protein was significantly increased as a result of fermentation, while oil and carbo- hydrates were decreased. Most minerals increased significantly after the addition of spices to the hulu-mur batter. The total amino acid in millet flour (97.98 g 100 g-1 protein) was influenced by fermentation and preparation method, as it decreased to 86.09 and 88.7 g 100 g-1 protein, in millet batter and kisra, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Kisra, and hulu-mur were found to have apparent dietary qualities, in spite of some compounds being lost during their production.

Determination of aflatoxin levels in Sudanese edible oils.

Fifty-six samples of groundnut, sesame and cottonseed oils form factories, and traditional mills were collected from several localities in Kordofan, Gezira and Khartoum states, Sudan and assessed for aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)), aflatoxin B(2) (AFB(2)), aflatoxin G(1) (AFG(1)) and aflatoxin G(2) (AFG(2)), using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) was detected in eight samples representing 14.3%, the highest incidence of aflatoxin contamination occurred in sesame (7 out of 16 samples, 43.75%) followed by groundnut (1 out of 28 samples, 3.57%) while no aflatoxin contamination was detected in cottonseed oil. Aflatoxin B(1) levels in sesame oil samples ranged from 0.2-0.8 microg/kg and were 0.6 microg/kg in groundnut oil samples. All aflatoxin contaminated samples are unrefined. This paper reports the findings of the first exploratory investigation on presence of aflatoxins in Sudanese edible oils collected from three states.