Chromolaena odorata L (Asteraceae) is a bad invasive plant, found in the humid tropics and sub-tropics worldwide. It is used against dysentery, diarrhea, malaria, wound healing, headache and toothache in traditional medicine. In the present study, we investigated the antibacterial activities of different leaves extracts of Chromolaena odorata L. (cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and butanol) against four clinical diarrheal strains (Klebsiella oxytoca, Salmonella enterica, Shigella sonnei and Vibrio cholera). We demonstrated that C. odorata leaves extracts show an antibacterial activity between 0.156 and 1.25 mg/mL. Bioassay-guided chromatography by bioautography with iodonitrotetrazolium-based colorimetric assay allowed the isolation and identification of two active compounds. After the combination of RP-HPLC, mass spectrometry analysis, 1D and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, we isolated and characterized two active molecules corresponding to 3',4',5,6,7-Pentamethoxyflavone (Sinensetin) and 4',5,6,7-Tetramethoxyflavone (Scutellareintetramethyl ether).

BackgroundWith the aim of discovering new natural active extracts against malaria parasites, Icacina senegalensis was selected after an ethnopharmacological survey conducted on plants used in traditional malaria treatment in Senegal.MethodsDifferent concentrations of the plant extract and fractions were tested on synchronized Plasmodium falciparum cultures at the ring stage using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. Their haemolytic activity and in vitro cytoxicity were evaluated. The chromatographic profiles of active fractions were also established.ResultsThe plant extract and fractions revealed anti-plasmodial activity (IC50 < 5 μg/mL) with no toxicity (Selectivity indexes >10). The dichloromethane fraction showed stronger anti-plasmodial activity than the total extract.ConclusionAnti-plasmodial activity and toxicity of I. senegalensis are reported for the first time and showed promising results in malaria field research.

The production of high-value chemicals from natural resources as an alternative for petroleum-based products is currently expanding in parallel with biorefinery. The use of lignocellulosic biomass as raw material is promising to achieve economic and environmental sustainability. Filamentous fungi, particularly species, are already used industrially to produce organic acid as well as many enzymes. The production of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes opens the possibility for direct fungal fermentation towards organic acids such as itaconic acid (IA) and fumaric acid (FA). These acids have wide-range applications and potentially addressable markets as platform chemicals. However, current technologies for the production of these compounds are mostly based on submerged fermentation. This work showed the capacity of two species ( and ) to yield both acids by solid-state fermentation and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. FA was optimally produced at by in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (0.54 mg/g wheat bran). The yield of 0.11 mg IA/g biomass by is the highest reported in the literature for simultaneous solid-state fermentation without sugar supplements.

Development of Callosubruchus maculatus (F.) in cowpea seeds (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) can be prevented by sterilization of the adult forms and destruction of the eggs, larvae and pupae using an ionizing treatment at doses less than 100 Gy, without causing unfavorable nutritional consequences. Storage of these cowpea seeds in polyethylene bags of a thickness greater than 100 μm avoids all recontamination by this weevil. Economically, the irradiation of such a foodstuff would certainly be worthwhile in Senegal on the condition that the ionizing treatment would also be profitable for other foodstuffs harvested locally, so as to attain a satisfactory utilization rate for the industrial plant which would be set up in this country.

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