background: cumin ( cuminum cyminum l . [family apiaceae]) seed essential oil is reported to have antiseptic activity. until now the antiviral properties of cumin seed extracts on viruses such as herpes simplex virus-1 (hsv-1) have not been studied. the objective of this study was to investigate the in vitro effects of aqueous, methanolic and hydroalcoholic extracts of cumin seed on hsv-1 growt...

Antimicrobial efficiency of Melia azedarach L. a medicinal plants (leaf extracts) were examined using Methanol, Ethanol, Petroleum ether and water, as solvents and tested against eight human pathogens like Bacteria: Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Fungi: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium oxisporum, Rhizopus stolonifer using agar we...

The resazurin assay utilising microtitre-plate, described by Drummond and Waigh in 2000, has been modified to achieve more accuracy in the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of natural products, including crude extracts, chromatographic fractions or purified compounds against various bacterial strains. This modified resazurin method is simple, sensitive, rapid, r...

A series of benzofuran derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their inhibitory activites were measured against the SIRT1-3. The enzymatic assay showed that all the compounds showed certain anti-SIRT2 activity and selective over SIRT1 and SIRT3 with IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) values at the micromolar level. The preliminary structure-activity relationships were analyzed ...

15-Deoxyspergualin (DSG) inhibited growth of mouse EL-4 lymphoma cells with an IC50 0.02 microg/ml. Even though the cells were treated with DSG for only 4 hours and then washed, the antiproliferative effect lasted long with an IC50 0.4 microg/ml. DSG has spermidine and guanidine moieties in its structure. One decomposed element containing guanidine moiety inhibited the growth at higher doses th...

The effects of α-arbutin on the monophenolase and diphenolase activities of mushroom tyrosinase were investigated. The results showed that α-arbutin inhibited monophenolase activity but it activated diphenolase activity. For monophenolase activity, IC50 value was 4.5 mmol · L(-1) and 4.18 mmol · L(-1) of α-arbutin could extend the lag time from 40.5 s to 167.3 s. Alpha- arbutin is proposed to b...

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) is a critical immunoregulatory enzyme responsible for the metabolism of tryptophan during inflammation and disease. Based upon a pyranonaphthoquinone framework, the first examples of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) inhibitors containing a carborane cage are reported. The novel closo-1,2-carboranyl-N-pyranonaphthoquinone derivatives display low μM bindin...

Chemical investigation of the endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. 16-5B cultured on Czapek's medium led to the isolation of four new metabolites, aspergifuranone (1), isocoumarin derivatives (±) 2 and (±) 3, and (R)-3-demethylpurpurester A (4), together with the known purpurester B (5) and pestaphthalides A (6). Their structures were determined by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. The...

OBJECTIVES To compare the in vitro activities of vancomycin and linezolid against methicillin resistant Staphyloccus aureus in our set up to help in formulating a better empirical treatment and reduce the emergence of vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS The study was conducted over a period of 6 months (1st July 2009-31st Dec 2009). Fifty Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus a...