Metabolite profiling and antidiabetic attributes of ultrasonicated leaf extracts of Conocarpus lancifolius

Objective:To profile the secondary metabolites and to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of hydroethanolic leaf extracts of Conocarpus lancifolius.Methods:The various hydroethanolic extracts of Conocarpus lancifolius leaf were prepared by ultrasonication assisted freezedrying.Total phenolic contents,flavonoid contents,antioxidant activity,α-glucosidase andα-amylase inhibitions of leaf extracts were determined.The metabolite profiling was accomplished by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis.The antidiabetic assessment of the most potent extract was carried out by measuring the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect in the high fat diet-fed diabetic albino mice.The blood glucose level,haemoglobin,total cholesterol,high-density lipoproteins(HDL)and low-density lipoproteins(LDL)were determined.Results:The 60%ethanolic extract exhibited the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents of(349.39±2.13)mg GAE/g dry extract and(116.95±2.34)mg RE/g dry extracts,respectively,and the highest DPPH scavenging activity with an IC50 value of(32.87±1.11)μg/mL.The IC50 values forα-glucosidase andα-amylase inhibitions were(38.64±0.93)μg/mL and(44.80±1.57)μg/mL,respectively.UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis confirmed the presence of gallic acid,ellagic acid,corilagin,kaempherol-3-O-rutinoside,caffeic acid derivative,isorhamnetin and galloyl derivatives in the 60%ethanolic extract.Plant extract at a dose of 450 mg/kg body weight reduced blood glucose level,total cholesterol,LDL and HDL,and increased haemoglobin in alloxan-induced diabetic mice,Conclusions:Conocarpus lancifolius leaves are proved as a good source of biologically functional metabolites and possess antidiabetic activity which may be further explored to treat diabetes.

The Allelopathic Potential of <i>Conocarpus lancifolius</i>(Engl.) Leaves on Dicot (<i>Vigna sinensis</i>L.), Monocot (<i>Zea mays</i>L.) and Soil-Borne Pathogenic Fungi

Aqueous leaf extract and pulverized leaf tissue were tested for allelopathic effects on seed germination, seedling growth traits and net photosynthesis of corn (Zea mays L.) and bean (Vigna sinensis L.) The chemical constituents of the leaf extract were determined by GC-MS and the efficacy of the leaf extract to control some soil-borne fungal pathogens was also evaluated. The leaf extract inhibited germination, radicle and plumule lengths, root and shoot growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis and nutrient uptake in both crops. In corn and bean plants growth inhibition was proportional to the concentrations of the extracts (2.5% - 7.5%). Seed germination was associated with water uptake and the solute potential of the extracts. Leaf extracts also reduced of chlorophyll content, and stressed photosynthetic function by reducing photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and electron transport rate (ETR) of PS II in corn and bean plants. Corn was more tolerant to the leaf extract than bean plants. The GC-MS analysis detected thirty one and thirty three compounds in winter and summer leaf extracts, respectively. The majority was phenolic compounds. Mycelia growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersicon, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Rhizoctonia solani was inhibited and in 10% extract the fungi died. The extract however, had no effect on Trichoderma harzianum. Leaf extract of C. lancifolius exhibited both herbicidal and fungicidal properties but cannot be recommended for biological control of soil borne fungal plant pathogens because it has the potential to physiologically stress or damage cultivated plants or crops.

Effectiveness of Using Natural Materials as a Coagulant for Reduction of Water Turbidity in Water Treatment

Coagulation-Flocculation plays a significant role in drinking water treatment. Laboratory experiments were carried out in order to assess the effectiveness of using Conocarpus Leaves Solution (CLS) as a natural coagulant in conjunction with the synthetic chemical represented by Alum in the water purification. Biological test was carried out to confirm that these leaves are not toxic, followed by optimizing the dosage of alum and then Alum and CLS were applied to the turbid water whose turbidity level has two ranges, (20 - 35) NTU and (90 - 120) NTU, using the JAR Test. The parameters determined before and after coagulation were turbidity, pH and temperature. The experiments showed that the optimum dose of alum coagulant (individually) for high turbid water is about 18 mg/l with PH = 7 and 24 mg/l f with PH = 5 and 9. In addition, for the low turbidity water, the optimum dose of alum was lower than in the high turbid water. In terms of using Alum in conjunction with CLS, at high range of turbidity, the results show that at 33% ratio of leaves solution to alum coagulant, there are 50% and 75% turbidity reduction performed for the PH equal to 5 and 9 respectively. Although about 62% and 65% turbidity reduction were achieved at PH = 7 and PH = 9 in the low range level. However, low reduction in turbidity has occurred when the water PH = 5. The amount of leaves solution added to the water in the water treatment plant is highly important, hence it decreases the amount of using the synthetic chemicals by about 33% of the quantity that required for water treatment and that will help both, the water industry and the human health. More studies need to be achieved in particular different concentration of the Conocarpus leaves solution in order to improve the percentage of using the natural material as a coagulant.

Heavy Metals Accumulation in Trees Grown in Urban and Rural Areas

Since heavy metals are the big concerns for the public health today. Metals play a vital role as structural and functional components of proteins and enzymes in cell. The most important pathway of metals to transport into human is from soil to plant to human, so this study was carried out to measure the contents of heavy metals concentrations in plants leaves from their natural habitats of urban and rural area in Nasiriyah city, Iraq. The study was conducted to investigate the heavy metals content of four plant species of Eucalyptus, Olea, Zizphus and Conocarpus from urban (Nasiriyah city) and rural area (farms north of Nasiriyah). The concentration of heavy metals was tested, including the zinc, copper and lead. Heavy metals were detected using an atomic absorption spectrometer. The results showed that the highest concentration of heavy metals in Olea leaves and Eucalyptus leaves were found from the urban areas. Zn was the most dominant metal whereas Pb had the lowest concentration for all urban and rural area. Among the Eucalyptus, Olea, Zizphus and Conocarpus studied, showed higher heavy metals concentration (Zn, Cu and Pb) than rural area. The results indicated that the Zizphus and Conocarpus leaves of urban and rural area had the lowest heavy metals content compared with Eucalyptus and Olea. The results suggested that Eucalyptus and Olea leaves are good sources to treat the pollution of heavy metals. Our study provides a detailed examination of habitat location and plant species effects on potential of heavy metals in trees.

A Comparative Analysis for a Novel Irrigation Method: Partial Rootzone Drying

Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD) is an irrigation technique which offers a means of modifying the growth and development of crops through relatively simple changes to the method of water delivery. The technique causes the stimulation of physiological responses which are normally associated with water stress and this results in a significant reduction in water use through the production of chemical signals in drying roots. Partial drying of one half of the roots of plants grown with two root systems is rapidly translated into a reduction in transpiration and assimilation of all the crop leaves. The aim of this research is to examine and simulate the novel irrigation method (PRD), which would stimulate the endogenous stress response mechanisms of Conocarpus erectus trees in the pilot area of the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain and wheat and maize crops in the Mashtul Pilot Area (MPA), Egypt using Saltmed model so that vigor is reduced and the efficiency of water use is enhanced. This is to be achieved by the manipulation of the hydration status of parts of a crop’s roots that could be used to control vegetative vigor without detrimental effects on canopy water relations. The PRD technique is researched for wheat as a winter crop and maize as a summer crop in Egypt. The technique causes the stimulation of physiological responses which are normally associated with water stress and this results in a significant reduction in water use through the production of chemical signals in drying roots. The results confirmed an increase in irrigation water use efficiency using PRD comparing with conventional flood irrigation. The research highly recommends applying the PRD method in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and in new reclaimed areas in Egypt to save water and improve crop quality.