Search Results (3)

This study investigates the antimalarial potential of extracts and compounds from various plants used in traditional Korean medicine, in response to the increasing resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to standard treatments such as chloroquine and artemisinin. The antimalarial activity screening was conducted on 151 extracts, identifying the top seven candidates, including Geranium thunbergii (50% ethanol and 100% methanol extract), Reynoutria japonica, Amomum villosum (hot water and 50% ethanol extract), Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Platycodon grandiflorum. Among these, G. thunbergii was identified as the top priority for further analysis due to its high antimalarial activity and high yield of bioactive compounds. The plant extracts were fractionated using ethyl acetate, chloroform, and hot water, and their efficacy against P. falciparum was evaluated through IC₅₀ determination and microscopic analysis. The compounds evaluated included ellagic acid, gallic acid, afzelin, quercetin, and protocatechuic acid. Among the tested compounds, ellagic acid showed the most potent antimalarial activity with an IC₅₀ of 1.60 ± 0.09 µM, followed by gallic acid (39.43 ± 1.48 µM) and afzelin (52.77 ± 1.84 µM). In contrast, quercetin (116.8 ± 3.78 µM) and protocatechuic acid (1.23 ± 0.02 mM) exhibited minimal antimalarial effects. Giemsa staining was employed to visualize parasite morphology and confirmed that ellagic acid is effective in inhibiting growth at the late trophozoite stage. These findings suggest that ellagic acid could serve as a promising lead compound for developing a novel antimalarial agent. This study highlights the importance of exploring plant-based compounds as alternative strategies against drug-resistant malaria. Further investigation into the mechanisms underlying the antimalarial activity of these compounds is necessary to fully validate their therapeutic potential. Full article

This study examined the effects of Mentha arvensis (MA) and Geranium thunbergii (GT) extracts in drinking water on the production performance, egg quality, cholesterol content of egg yolk, proximate composition, and sensory qualities of egg and immunity parameters in laying hens. Ninety-six 28-week-old Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly divided into four dietary treatments for 16 weeks. The dietary treatments were (1) control, (2) T1 (0.01% 1 MA:1 GT), (3) T2 (0.05% 1 MA:1 GT), and (4) T3 (0.1% 1 MA:1 GT). Egg production increased significantly with increasing levels of MA and GT. The egg weight was increased in T2, and the feed intake was highest in T2 and T3 (p < 0.05). The Haugh unit and egg shape index were significantly better in T3 and the control than with other treatments (p < 0.05). The content of yolk cholesterol was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in T2 and T3. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the egg proximate composition. A significant increase in the serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and immunoglobulins (IgG and IgA) concentration was observed in the birds fed plant extracts when compared to the control. On average, T2 and T3 showed significantly lower (p < 0.05) concentrations of NH₃ gas from the feces as compared to the control. This study suggests that MA and GT supplementation could improve the laying performance, egg quality, and immunity, and decrease the egg yolk cholesterol content in a dose-dependent manner. Full article

Compared to commonly employed liquid chromatography-based methods, quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) is a recently developed method for accurate quantification of natural compounds in extracts. The simultaneous quantification of ellagitannins and the related polyphenols of Geranium thunbergii were studied using qNMR after a short-term and long-term decoction. The qNMR fingerprint for quantifying ellagitannin was presented in this work. Geraniin was observed in the short-term decoction as a major component while corilagin was the major component of the long-term decoction. An aqueous acetone extract of G. thunbergii after long-term decoction was extracted with diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. Corilagin was found as a major constituent in the ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts. Furthermore, the contents of these polyphenols in G. thunbergii from six locations in Japan and three locations in China were quantified. The contents of geraniin and corilagin in G. thunbergii from Japan were higher than those from China. Our finding raised the possibility that qNMR can be effectively employed as a simple, accurate, and efficient method for quantification of ellagitannins in medicinal plants. Full article