Shajarahtunnur Jamil

A new prenylated dihydrochalcone from the leaves of Artocarpus lowii

A new prenylated dihydrochalcone, 2′,4′-dihydroxy-4-methoxy-3′-prenyldihydrochalcone (1), along with two known compounds, 2′,4′,4-trihydroxy-3′-prenylchalcone (2) and 2′,4-dihydroxy-3′,4′-(2,2-dimethylchromene)chalcone (3) were isolated from the leaves of Artocarpus lowii. The structures of 1–3 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and by comparison with data reported in the literature. Compounds 1–3 showed strong free radical scavenging activity towards 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) measured by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry.

Essential oil of Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. from Malaysia

Abstract The essential oil of Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. from Malaysia obtained by hydrodistillation of the rhizomes was analyzed by a combination of GC and GC/MS. Twenty-six components have been identified, of which the major constituents were found to be curzerenone (24.6%), 1,8-cineole (11.0%), camphor (10.6%), zedoarol (6.3%), isocurcumenol (5.8%), curcumenol (5.6%) and furanogermenone (5.5%). The structure elucidation of the sesquiterpenes were confirmed by IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopies.

Oxidative Dimerization of o-Aminophenol by Heterogeneous Mesoporous Material Modified with Biomimetic Salen-Type Copper(II) Complex

Copper(II) N,N′-bis[4-(N,N-diethylamino)salicylidene]ethylenediamine (CAS) complex, which has the metal–ligand coordination “CuN2O2” that mimics the galactose enzyme active site, was synthesised and incorporated onto the organo-modified MCM-48. The supported CAS catalyst successfully catalysed the conversion of o-aminophenol to 2-amino-3H-phenoxazon-3-one in the presence of aqueous peroxide as oxidant. The catalytic performance of the CAS supported on organo-modified MCM-48 was found highly affected by the temperature, the type of aqueous peroxide and reaction solvent used.Graphical AbstractA salen-type copper complex of N2O2 donor ligand was synthesised and incorporated onto the modified MCM-48. The corresponding supported catalysts are active in the oxidation of o-aminophenol to 2-amino-3H-phenoxazin-3-one in the presence of peroxide as an oxidant.

Rhizome oil of Curcuma ochrorhiza Val.

The chemical composition of the rhizome oil of Curcuma ochrorhiza isolated by hydrodistillation was analyzed by capillary GC, GC/MS and 1H-NMR. The main constituents found in the oil were furanogermenone (53.14%), germacrone (9–62%) and β-elemene (8.84%, camphor (6.31%) and isofuranodiene (5.61%).

Cytotoxic Activities against Breast Cancer Cells of Local Justicia gendarussa Crude Extracts

Justicia gendarussa methanolic leaf extracts from five different locations in the Southern region of Peninsular Malaysia and two flavonoids, kaempferol and naringenin, were tested for cytotoxic activity. Kaempferol and naringenin were two flavonoids detected in leaf extracts using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The results indicated that highest concentrations of kaempferol and naringenin were detected in leaves extracted from Mersing with 1591.80 mg/kg and 444.35 mg/kg, respectively. Positive correlations were observed between kaempferol and naringenin concentrations in all leaf extracts analysed with the Pearson method. The effects of kaempferol and naringenin from leaf extracts were examined on breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468) using MTT assay. Leaf extract from Mersing showed high cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values of 23 μg/mL and 40 μg/mL, respectively, compared to other leaf extracts. Kaempferol possessed high cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values of 23 μg/mL and 34 μg/mL, respectively. These findings suggest that the presence of kaempferol in Mersing leaf extract contributed to high cytotoxicity of both MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cancer cell lines.

Isobutylamides from Piper ridleyi

Abstract Extraction of the stems and leaves of Piper ridleyi with ether afforded N - iso butyl-15-(3′,4′-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2 E ,4 E ,12 E -pentadecatrienamide (ridleyamide), as well as the known amide, retrofractamide, and sterols.

Antioxidant Activity and ROS-Dependent Apoptotic Effect of Scurrula ferruginea (Jack) Danser Methanol Extract in Human Breast Cancer Cell MDA-MB-231

Scurrula ferruginea (Jack) Danser is one of the mistletoe species belonging to Loranthaceae family, which grows on the branches of many deciduous trees in tropical countries. This study evaluated the antioxidant activities of S. ferruginea extracts. The cytotoxic activity of the selected extracts, which showed potent antioxidant activities, and high phenolic and flavonoid contents, were investigated in human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) and non-cancer human skin fibroblast cells (HSF-1184). The activities and characteristics varied depending on the different parts of S. ferruginea, solvent polarity, and concentrations of extracts. The stem methanol extract showed the highest amount of both phenolic (273.51 ± 4.84 mg gallic acid/g extract) and flavonoid contents (163.41 ± 4.62 mg catechin/g extract) and strong DPPH• radical scavenging (IC50 = 27.81 μg/mL) and metal chelation activity (IC50 = 80.20 μg/mL). The stem aqueous extract showed the highest ABTS•+ scavenging ability. The stem methanol and aqueous extracts exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-231 cells with IC50 of 19.27 and 50.35 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the extracts inhibited the migration and colony formation of MDA-MB-231 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Morphological observations revealed hallmark properties of apoptosis in treated cells. The methanol extract induced an increase in ROS generation and mitochondrial depolarization in MDA-MB-231 cells, suggesting its potent apoptotic activity. The present study demonstrated that the S. ferruginea methanol extract mediated MDA-MB-231 cell growth inhibition via induction of apoptosis which was confirmed by Western blot analysis. It may be a potential anticancer agent; however, its in vivo anticancer activity needs to be investigated.

Flavonoids from the leaves and heartwoods of Artocarpus lowii King and their bioactivities

Abstract A new dihydrochalcone, 2′,4′-dihydroxy-3,4-(2″,2″-dimethylchromeno)-3′-prenyldihydrochalcone (1) together with 4-hydroxyonchocarpin (2), isobavachalcone (3), 4′,5-dihydroxy-6,7-(2,2-dimethylpyrano)-2′-methoxy-8-γ,γ-dimethylallyflavone (4), artocarpin (5) and cycloheterophyllin (6) were successfully isolated from the leaves and heartwoods of Artocarpus lowii King (Moraceae). The structures of these compounds were fully characterised using spectroscopic methods and by direct comparison with published data. These compounds were tested for their antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Compound (1) displayed moderate antioxidant activity towards DPPH and tyrosinase inhibitory activities with SC50 value of 223.8 μM and IC50 value of 722.5 μM, respectively. Among the isolated compounds, cycloheterophyllin (6) showed the most potential antioxidant activity with SC50 value of 320.0 and 102.8 μM for ABTS and DPPH radicals scavenging activities, respectively, and also exhibited highest FRAP equivalent value of 4.7 ± 0.09 mM. Compound (6) showed tyrosinase inhibitory activity with the IC50 value of 104.6 μM.

Essential Oils from the Malaysian Citrus (Rutaceae) Medicinal Plants

This review article appraises the extraction methods, compositions, and bioactivities of the essential oils from the Citrus species (family: Rutaceae) endemic to Malaysia including C. aurantifolia, C. grandis, C. hystrix, and C. microcarpa. Generally, the fresh peels and leaves of the Citrus species were extracted using different methods such as steam and water distillation, Likens-Nikerson extraction, solvent extraction, and headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME). Most of the Citrus oils were found to be rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons with limonene (1) as the major component identified in the peels of C. aurantifolia (39.3%), C. grandis (81.6%–96.9%), and C. microcarpa (94.0%), while sabinene (19) was the major component in the peels of C. hystrix (36.4%–48.5%). In addition, citronellal (20) (61.7%–72.5%), linalool (18) (56.5%), and hedycaryol (23) (19.0%) were identified as the major components in the oil of C. hystrix leaves, C. grandis blossom and C. microcarpa leaves, respectively. The C. hystrix essential oil has been experimentally shown to have antimicrobial and antifeedant activities, while no bioactivity study has been reported on the essential oils of other Malaysian Citrus species.

The Rhizome Oil of Kaempferia rotunda Val.

Abstract The chemical composition of the rhizome oil of Kaempferia rotunda isolated by hydrodistillation was analyzed by capillary GC and GC/MS. The main constituents found in the oil were pentadecane (25.4%), bornyl acetate (24.9%), benzyl benzoate (15.3%) and camphor (12.1%).