The selected parts of four medicinal plants, Achillea millefolium, Hibiscus rosasinensis, Linum usitatissimum and Pluchea lanceolata were extracted in absolute methanol to determine their analgesic activity. Analgesic activity was assessed on intact mice by tail flick latency via the tail immersion method. The analgesic activities of these plant extracts were compared with acetylsalicylic a...

Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is a major acid component of the tropical plants Garcinia cambogia and Hibiscus subdariffa. (2S,3S)-HCA from G. cambogia was shown to be a potent inhibitor of ATP citrate lyase (EC4.1.3.8), which catalyzes the extramitochondrial cleavage of citrate to oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA. (2S,3R)-HCA from H. subdariffa inhibits alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase, leading to red...

The response of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) to Zn/Cd contamination in soil was investigated using pot experiment. Plants were grown on soils containing increasing doses of two metals. Zn and Cd were applied alone or combined. Growth parameters as well as content of photosynthetic pigments, and photosynthetic performance were determined. Soil and plant tissue were analyzed by atomic absorptio...

Three varieties of Hibiscus sabdariffa were analyzed for their phytochemical content and inhibitory potential on carbohydrate-digesting enzymes as a basis for selecting a variety for wine production. The dark red variety was chosen as it was highest in phenolic content and an aqueous extract partially inhibited α-glucosidase (maltase), with delphinidin 3-O-sambubioside, cyanidin 3-O-sambubiosid...

The complete genome sequence of the first Japanese isolate of hibiscus latent Singapore virus (HLSV-J) was determined. The genomes of HLSV-J and a reported isolate from Singapore had only 86.7% nucleotide identity, while the encoded proteins shared amino acid identities of more than 95%.

Whitney et al. (Reports, 2 January 2009, p. 130) investigated the mechanism of iridescence in hibiscus and tulip flowers and suggested that bumblebees are able to use this iridescence as a pollination cue. However, their study failed to isolate iridescence from other coincident visual cues, leaving open questions regarding the importance of iridescent stimuli in foraging-based associative learn...

The tyrosinase inhibitory activity of methanol extracts of the leaves of 39 plant species growing on the seashore of Iriomote island (Okinawa, Japan) was investigated. The extracts of Hibiscus tiliaceus, Carex pumila, and Garcinia subelliptica showed potent activity among them. The inhibitors in the extract of Garcinia subelliptica were purified by assay-guided fractionation to give two biflavo...

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), an environmental friendly and economic fiber crop, has a certain tolerance to abiotic stresses. Identification of reliable reference genes for transcript normalization of stress responsive genes expression by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is important for exploring the molecular mechanisms of plants response to abiotic stresses. In this study, nine candida...

Hibiscus aridicola (Malvaceae) is an endangered ornamental shrub endemic to the dry-hot valleys of Jinsha River in southwest China. Only four natural populations of H. aridicola exist in the wild according to our field investigation. It can be inferred that H. aridicola is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild and an urgent conservation strategy is required. By using a modified biot...

Milled Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) seeds of the UMKL cultivar were analyzed for proximate composition, water and oil absorption capacity, and the influence of storage conditions on storage stability. The storage stability was determined under four types of conditions: light/oxygen (air) (LO), light/nitrogen (LN), darkness/oxygen (air) (DO), and darkness/nitrogen (DN) while monitoring for s...