Oil palm drupe which has thick fleshy mesocarp contains rich oil, where storage of oil in it can make up to 80% of its dry mass [1]. Ongoing research interest in oil palms has been focused on the mechanisms of oil pro...Oil palm drupe which has thick fleshy mesocarp contains rich oil, where storage of oil in it can make up to 80% of its dry mass [1]. Ongoing research interest in oil palms has been focused on the mechanisms of oil production in oil palm drupes, while investigation on the ultrastructural morphometry of its oil storage entity, namely lipid body, has received limited attention. By employing microscopy techniques, this study investigated the morphometric of lipid bodies in the mesocarp, kernel and embryo of oil palms drupes at 22 week-after-anthesis (WAA). This study also investigated the relationship between the size of lipid bodies and oil yield of oil palms at the same state of maturity (22 WAA). The structural arrangements of lipid bodies were found to be different among embryo, kernel and mesocarp of oil palms. It was also found that the size of lipid bodies of mesocarp of oil palms was larger compared to other crops. Lipid bodies in both embryo and mesocarp were statistically shown to be larger in low oil-yielding palms.展开更多
Crude extracts of Alpinia conchigera a species from the Malaysian Ginger (Zingiberaceae) family and its fractions obtained from various extraction methods were assayed for melanogenesis inhibition activity and cell vi...Crude extracts of Alpinia conchigera a species from the Malaysian Ginger (Zingiberaceae) family and its fractions obtained from various extraction methods were assayed for melanogenesis inhibition activity and cell viability. The crude extract obtained from the ethanolic extraction and the super critical fluid extraction did not exhibit significant melanin inhibition activity and was shown to be toxic to the melanocyte cells in comparison to the water extract. The crude aqueous extracts displayed melanin inhibition of 96.38 ± 1.60% and cell viability 109.90 ± 8.32% at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. Bioassay guided fractionation was performed on the water extracts to isolate the active compounds. The actives were identified as trans-cinnamaldehyde and chavicol glucopyranoside with both compound showing potent anti-melanogenesis activity. At 4.9 μg/ml, both trans-cinnamaldehyde and chavicol glucopyranoside gave 85% inhibition of melanin formation in vitro with 77% and 97% cell viability respectively. In comparison, kojic acid, a known skin lightening agent showed 90.0% inhibition at 100 μg/mL. The bioactive composition comprising the extract, active fraction, purified compounds or mixture thereof of Alpinia conchigera may be used for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications, particularly for the purposes of reducing skin pigmentation.展开更多
文摘Oil palm drupe which has thick fleshy mesocarp contains rich oil, where storage of oil in it can make up to 80% of its dry mass [1]. Ongoing research interest in oil palms has been focused on the mechanisms of oil production in oil palm drupes, while investigation on the ultrastructural morphometry of its oil storage entity, namely lipid body, has received limited attention. By employing microscopy techniques, this study investigated the morphometric of lipid bodies in the mesocarp, kernel and embryo of oil palms drupes at 22 week-after-anthesis (WAA). This study also investigated the relationship between the size of lipid bodies and oil yield of oil palms at the same state of maturity (22 WAA). The structural arrangements of lipid bodies were found to be different among embryo, kernel and mesocarp of oil palms. It was also found that the size of lipid bodies of mesocarp of oil palms was larger compared to other crops. Lipid bodies in both embryo and mesocarp were statistically shown to be larger in low oil-yielding palms.
文摘Crude extracts of Alpinia conchigera a species from the Malaysian Ginger (Zingiberaceae) family and its fractions obtained from various extraction methods were assayed for melanogenesis inhibition activity and cell viability. The crude extract obtained from the ethanolic extraction and the super critical fluid extraction did not exhibit significant melanin inhibition activity and was shown to be toxic to the melanocyte cells in comparison to the water extract. The crude aqueous extracts displayed melanin inhibition of 96.38 ± 1.60% and cell viability 109.90 ± 8.32% at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. Bioassay guided fractionation was performed on the water extracts to isolate the active compounds. The actives were identified as trans-cinnamaldehyde and chavicol glucopyranoside with both compound showing potent anti-melanogenesis activity. At 4.9 μg/ml, both trans-cinnamaldehyde and chavicol glucopyranoside gave 85% inhibition of melanin formation in vitro with 77% and 97% cell viability respectively. In comparison, kojic acid, a known skin lightening agent showed 90.0% inhibition at 100 μg/mL. The bioactive composition comprising the extract, active fraction, purified compounds or mixture thereof of Alpinia conchigera may be used for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications, particularly for the purposes of reducing skin pigmentation.
