In Vietnam, Mentha aquatica L. is often used as a spice in dishes, fragrance and pharmaceuticals. The tea made from the plants’ leaves has been used as a traditional medicine for fevers, headaches, digestive disorders and mouthwash. The present study aimed to explore the phytochemical profile of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of M. aquatica L. leaves as well as their total phenolics content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity. Various bioactive constituents were detected in M. aquatica L. extracts, including alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoid, tannin, coumarin, anthraquinone and saponin. Furthermore, the total content of phenolics of aquaeous extract was higher than ethanolic extract. We then evaluated the antioxidant capacity of these two extracts by using DPPH and ABTS scavenging assays. Results have shown that the aquaeous extract exhibited scavenging activity more actively against both free radicals, as compared to the aquaeous extract. Overall, the study proposed that M. aquatica L. leaves can be an enriched source of phytochemicals that can be used as natural antioxidants in multiple industries.

The failures of anti-β-amyloid immunotherapies suggested that the very low fraction of injected antibodies reaching the brain parenchyma due to the filtering effect of the BBB may be a reason for the lack of therapeutic effect. However, there is no treatment, as yet, for the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) despite substantial evidence existing of the involvement of TDP-43 protein in the evolution of ALS. To circumvent this filtering effect, we have developed a novel approach to facilitate the penetration of antibody fragments (Fabs) into the brain parenchyma. Leveraging the homing properties of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), we transfected, ex vivo, such cells with vectors encoding anti-β-amyloid and anti-TDP43 Fabs turning them into an “antibody fragment factory”. When injected these cells integrate into the BBB, where they secrete anti-TDP43 Fabs. The results showed the formation of tight junctions between the injected engineered EPCs and the unlabeled resident endothelial cells. When the EPCs were further modified to express the anti-TDP43 Fab, we could observe integration of these cells into the vasculature and the secretion of Fabs. Results confirm that production and secretion of Fabs at the BBB level leads to their migration to the brain parenchyma where they might exert a therapeutic effect.

Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Hs, roselle; Malvaceae) is a common ingredient used in the food and pharmaceutical industries for color and health benefits. Anthocyanins along with protocatechuic acid and quercetin have been recognized as bioactive compounds in Hibiscussabdariffa L. aqueous extracts. In this work, Response Surface Methodology was implemented together with Box-Behnken experimental design to investigate the impacts of process variables on anthocyanin extraction yields from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Roselle) grown in Lam Dong, Vietnam. The effects of three independent variables; namely the extraction temperatures of solvent ethanol (X1); the duration of extraction (X2); solid-liquid ratios (X3) on the total anthocyanins content (Y1) were explored. The optimization model showed that with the solid liquid ratio 7.7:1, extraction time 33.29 min, and temperature 56.9°C, the highest anthocyanin concentration of 186.006 mg/L was obtained. Hibiscussabdariffa L. anthocyanin yield detailed significant correlation with high F values, low P values (<0.0001), and desirable determination coefficient (R2 = 0.9770). The resulting quadratic model could be used to predict yields with given conditions. Actual experimental verification and residual testing revealed that the actual anthocyanin yields could be accurately predicted by the model.