This work demonstrated the immunological and antioxidant activities of Thaumatococcus daniellii leaf extracts and their potential as the pharmaceutical factor for the treatment of some pathological disorders such as cancer, leucopenia, cells inflammation, dietary, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disease and other immunological and oxidative stress disorders.36 albino rats of average weight 140 ± 5 g were randomly grouped into 6 with six rats per group. The rats in group A (positive control) received only 0.1% DMSO. The rats in the negative control (group B) received pyrogallol (immunosuppressor) + 0.1% DMSO for 7 days and challenged with 0.1ml Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC). The test groups (C to F) also received pyrogallol + 0.1% DMSO for 7 days and were also challenged with SRBC for a period of 72hours after which they were treated with High and Low doses of either petroleum ether or water extracts of Thaumatococcus danielii for 21days. The assessment of immunomodulatory activity was carried out using Carbon Clearance Test. Haematological/ immunological parameters, Spleen and Plasma antioxidant parameters like Catalase (CAT), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPX) Activities, Lipid Peroxidation (LPO) and Malonaldehyde (MDA) concentrations were also determined. Result unveiled a significant (p<0.05) increase in the phagocytic index of both high doses of water and petroleum ether extracts compared to the negative control group. There were no significant (p<0.05) changes in the Heamatological parameters and plasma catalase, but there was a significant change in the white blood cell (WBC) count and also an improvement in the spleen and plasma antioxidant parameters. Further study is required to understand the mechanism of action of both extracts in order to exploit it in immunomodulation.

Terminalia catappa L. (Indian almond) is an underutilized crop rich in minerals, but investigation and information on the bioavailability of minerals and the presence of anti-nutritional factors in the nut are lacking. Several traditional foodprocessing methods are used domestically to enhance the bioavailability of micronutrients and decrease the effects of anti-nutrients in plant-based diets. This study was carried out to determine the effect of thermal processing on antinutritional factors and in vitro digestibility of minerals of Terminalia catappa nuts. The mineral concentration (Na, Ca, P, Mg, Cu, Fe, and Zn) of raw and processed T. catappa seed were determined. The mineral concentration of the raw T. catappa nut was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of processed nuts. The pressure cooking led to the highest loss in mineral content, followed by boiling, drying, and roasting in descending order. A similar pattern was observed in the digested sample except for Ca and P, which occurred the least in boiled nuts. Mineral digestibility was generally low in the raw T. catappa nut. The various processing methods employed had different effects on the digestibility of the different minerals. There was a reduction in the concentration of the anti-nutrients in the processed samples. The highest reduction in tannin and phytic acid occurred in boiled samples, followed by pressurecooked and roasted ones. The thermal processing methods which enhanced the digestibility of minerals of T. catappa nut were those that showed the greatest significant reduction of the anti-nutrients in the nuts of Terminalia catappa.

Background and Objective: Medicinal plants are widely known as sources of potential that are used in traditional medicine. The effect of Crinum glaucum (C. glaucum) aqueous extract on the lipid profile of endotoxin-induced rats was evaluated. Methodology: Fifty Wistar rats (male and female) were divided randomly into five groups (n = 5). Group 1 is the control group. Group 2 was administered C. glaucum aqueous extract (1000 mg/kg body weight). Group 3 was endotoxin-induced with 1 ml/kg body weight single dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 4 hours. Group 4 was given LPS (4 hours) and treated with C. glaucum aqueous extract. Group 5 was administered C. glaucum aqueous extract, LPS, and C. glaucum aqueous extract. At the end of administration, blood and organs (brain, heart, lungs, liver, and kidney) were harvested for the lipid profile (triglyceride, cholesterol, and phospholipid) assay analysis using a spectrophotometric method. Results: The reduction of cholesterol, triglyceride, and phospholipid concentrations is the hallmark of endotoxin, as revealed in this study. While C. glaucum administration significantly (p<0.05) reduced cholesterol concentrations, there was an up- or down-regulation of triglyceride and phospholipid concentrations in the male compartments compared to the control. A similar trend was observed in the female compartment. Data also revealed that while LPS causes a reduction in lipid profiles, the administration of C. glaucum reverses the effect. Conclusion: The findings of the research suggest that C. glaucum has an ameliorative and therapeutic effect in improving lipid dysfunctions.

This study investigated the synthesis, characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea.  The aqueous leaf extract of J. carnea was used as a potential reducing and capping agent. To identify the compounds responsible for the reduction of silver ions, the functional groups present in the plant extract were subjected to FTIR. The in vitro antioxidant activity of synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated in terms of ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2`-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) free radicals scavenging assays. The surface plasmon resonance confirmed the formation of AgNPs with maximum absorbance at kmax = 446 nm. FTIR revealed the biological macromolecules of J. carnea leaf extract involved in the synthesis and stabilization of AgNPs. UV-Visible spectrophotometer showed absorbance peak in the range of 436-446 nm. The silver nanoparticles exhibited moderate antioxidant activities compared to standard antioxidants (ascorbic acid and BHT). These results confirmed this protocol as simple, eco-friendly, nontoxic and an alternative for conventional physical and chemical methods. It can be concluded that J. carnea leaf extract can be used effectively in the production of potential antioxidant AgNPs which could be useful in various bio-applications such as cosmetics, food and biomedical industry.