Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that affects the shape and transportation of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood vessels, leading to various clinical complications. Sickle cell disease is a widesprea...Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that affects the shape and transportation of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood vessels, leading to various clinical complications. Sickle cell disease is a widespread genetic disease in Black Africa. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sickling inhibition activity of Griffonia simplicifolia. Quantitative and qualitative tests were used to determine the major groups of secondary metabolites present in the Griffonia simplicifolia leaves extracts and the modified Emmel test was used to perform the study of sickling inhibition activity. The OECD 423 toxicity study showed that at a single dose of 2000 mg/kg bw, Griffonia simplicifolia leaves extracts are not toxic. All tested substances inhibit erythrocyte falciformation in a dose-dependent manner. The percentages of inhibition were 50.35%, 73% and 94.23% for aqueous extract, hydromethanolic extract and phenylalanine respectively at the concentration of 15 mg/mL. The methanolic extract (70%) had higher activity compared to the aqueous extract. These results suggest that the Griffonia simplicifolia extracts have some potential to be used as alternative antisickling therapy in SCD management.展开更多
Bio-derived oxygenated hydrocarbons, such as mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel), are promising alternatives for alleviating the adverse effects of fossil fuel consumption on climate change and preventing...Bio-derived oxygenated hydrocarbons, such as mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel), are promising alternatives for alleviating the adverse effects of fossil fuel consumption on climate change and preventing petroleum resource depletion. However, the selection of a viable feedstock for competitive biodiesel production remains challenging. Recent studies focusing on Griffonia simplicifolia seeds, the sole plant industrially exploited for 5-hydroxy- tryptophan (5-HTP) extraction, have shown that G. simplicifolia seed oil (GSO) can be solvent-extracted directly from ground seeds or the remaining seed cakes obtained after 5-HTP extraction with quantitative yields. This work documents the conversion of GSO into biodiesel through homogeneous base-catalyzed transesterification. The refractive index and density of the obtained methyl ester mixtures decreased with increasing oil-to-methanol molar ratio, reaction temperature, and time. Under specific conditions, 1.43 wt% FFA oil, 63.5C, 60 min, and 1:9 oil/MeOH molar ratio with 1.2 wt% NaOH or 1.3 wt% KOH as catalysts, optimal reaction conditions were reached. There were no significant differences in the potential for diminution of the refractive index and density between the NaOH and KOH catalysts. The predicted fuel properties based on the fatty acid composition determined by GC-MS showed that G. simplicifolia biodiesel exhibited a cetane index of 50.29, volumetric energy density of 34.97 MJ/L, cloud point of -1.03°C, kinematic viscosity of 4.07 mm<sup>2</sup>/s, and oxidative stability of 0.65 h. Apart from its unfavorable oxidative stability and slightly lower energy density compared to petrodiesel, all other calculated parameters met the current standards. The valorization concept proposed in this study should be integrated into the 5-HTP extraction process, preferably using the remaining dry seed cakes as raw materials to maximize revenue in a bioeconomic and sustainable approach.展开更多
文摘Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that affects the shape and transportation of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood vessels, leading to various clinical complications. Sickle cell disease is a widespread genetic disease in Black Africa. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sickling inhibition activity of Griffonia simplicifolia. Quantitative and qualitative tests were used to determine the major groups of secondary metabolites present in the Griffonia simplicifolia leaves extracts and the modified Emmel test was used to perform the study of sickling inhibition activity. The OECD 423 toxicity study showed that at a single dose of 2000 mg/kg bw, Griffonia simplicifolia leaves extracts are not toxic. All tested substances inhibit erythrocyte falciformation in a dose-dependent manner. The percentages of inhibition were 50.35%, 73% and 94.23% for aqueous extract, hydromethanolic extract and phenylalanine respectively at the concentration of 15 mg/mL. The methanolic extract (70%) had higher activity compared to the aqueous extract. These results suggest that the Griffonia simplicifolia extracts have some potential to be used as alternative antisickling therapy in SCD management.
文摘Bio-derived oxygenated hydrocarbons, such as mixtures of fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel), are promising alternatives for alleviating the adverse effects of fossil fuel consumption on climate change and preventing petroleum resource depletion. However, the selection of a viable feedstock for competitive biodiesel production remains challenging. Recent studies focusing on Griffonia simplicifolia seeds, the sole plant industrially exploited for 5-hydroxy- tryptophan (5-HTP) extraction, have shown that G. simplicifolia seed oil (GSO) can be solvent-extracted directly from ground seeds or the remaining seed cakes obtained after 5-HTP extraction with quantitative yields. This work documents the conversion of GSO into biodiesel through homogeneous base-catalyzed transesterification. The refractive index and density of the obtained methyl ester mixtures decreased with increasing oil-to-methanol molar ratio, reaction temperature, and time. Under specific conditions, 1.43 wt% FFA oil, 63.5C, 60 min, and 1:9 oil/MeOH molar ratio with 1.2 wt% NaOH or 1.3 wt% KOH as catalysts, optimal reaction conditions were reached. There were no significant differences in the potential for diminution of the refractive index and density between the NaOH and KOH catalysts. The predicted fuel properties based on the fatty acid composition determined by GC-MS showed that G. simplicifolia biodiesel exhibited a cetane index of 50.29, volumetric energy density of 34.97 MJ/L, cloud point of -1.03°C, kinematic viscosity of 4.07 mm<sup>2</sup>/s, and oxidative stability of 0.65 h. Apart from its unfavorable oxidative stability and slightly lower energy density compared to petrodiesel, all other calculated parameters met the current standards. The valorization concept proposed in this study should be integrated into the 5-HTP extraction process, preferably using the remaining dry seed cakes as raw materials to maximize revenue in a bioeconomic and sustainable approach.
