In vitro shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek (Ficus deltoidea Jack) A valuable Malay Medicinal Plant

Mas Cotek (Ficus deltoidea) is one of the famous Malay medicinal plants and it is categorized as a priority herb under Entry Point Project 1 (EPP1) of National Key Economic Area (NKEA) Agriculture. Different parts of the plant had been used traditionally to treat various ailments. Due to over-exploitation, the population of many medicinal plants in the nature including Mas Cotek is decreasing day by day. This causes a big challenge to the pharmaceutical and herbal industries as they will run out of the source of plant material to support the demand from the consumers. Hence the present study aims to produce a protocol on shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek by using plant tissue culture. Mature nodes of the plant were aseptically cultured onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators like 1.0-3.0 mg/l Kinetin, 1.0-3.0 mg/l BAP, 1.0-3.0 mg/l Kinetin+0.5-1.5 mg/l NAA and 1.0-3.0 mg/l BAP+0.5-1.5 mg/l NAA. 3.0 mg/l BAP was the best medium for shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek as it can produce more shoots either when used singly or in combination with NAA respectively. For the fastest shoot regeneration, MS media with 1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l NAA was more favourable since it can produce shoot within 4 weeks. The protocols developed under this study are highly useful for the mass clonal propagation of Mas Cotek as well as to conserve this valuable medicinal plant for future use

In vitro shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek (Ficus deltoidea Jack) a valuable Malay medicinal plant

Mas Cotek (Ficus deltoidea) is one of the famous Malay medicinal plants and it is categorized as a priority herb under Entry Point Project 1 (EPP1) of National Key Economic Area (NKEA) Agriculture. Different parts of the plant had been used traditionally to treat various ailments. Due to over-exploitation, the population of many medicinal plants in the nature including Mas Cotek is decreasing day by day. This causes a big challenge to the pharmaceutical and herbal industries as they will run out of the source of plant material to support the demand from the consumers. Hence the present study aims to produce a protocol on shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek by using plant tissue culture. Mature nodes of the plant were aseptically cultured onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators like 1.0-3.0 mg/l Kinetin, 1.0-3.0 mg/l BAP, 1.0-3.0 mg/l Kinetin+0.5-1.5 mg/l NAA and 1.0-3.0 mg/l BAP+0.5-1.5 mg/l NAA. 3.0 mg/l BAP was the best medium for shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek as it can produce more shoots either when used singly or in combination with NAA respectively. For the fastest shoot regeneration, MS media with 1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l NAA was more favourable since it can produce shoot within 4 weeks. The protocols developed under this study are highly useful for the mass clonal propagation of Mas Cotek as well as to conserve this valuable medicinal plant for future use

Synthesis of silica/carbon composite from agricultural waste as heterogeneous acid catalysts to produce dioxolane moieties from a biodiesel-derived waste compound

Silica/carbon composites from the carbonization of rice husk have been employed to act as heterogeneous Brønsted acid catalysts. These composites have been used to catalyze the acetalization of phenylacetaldehyde, vanillin, and 2 acetonaphthone with propylene glycol to produce hyacinth, vanilla, and orange blossom scent fragrances. As the carbonization temperatures affect the physicochemical properties and hence their catalytic activity, several characterization techniques and data manipulation have been performed to understand the correlations. Acid density and hydrophilicity has been proved to play a crucial part to obtain an optimized yield of desired products

In vitro shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek (Ficus deltoidea Jack) A valuable Malay Medicinal Plant

Mas Cotek (Ficus deltoidea) is one of the famous Malay medicinal plants and it is categorized as a priority herb under Entry Point Project 1 (EPP1) of National Key Economic Area (NKEA) Agriculture. Different parts of the plant had been used traditionally to treat various ailments. Due to over-exploitation, the population of many medicinal plants in the nature including Mas Cotek is decreasing day by day. This causes a big challenge to the pharmaceutical and herbal industries as they will run out of the source of plant material to support the demand from the consumers. Hence the present study aims to produce a protocol on shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek by using plant tissue culture. Mature nodes of the plant were aseptically cultured onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators like 1.0-3.0 mg/l Kinetin, 1.0-3.0 mg/l BAP, 1.0-3.0 mg/l Kinetin+0.5-1.5 mg/l NAA and 1.0-3.0 mg/l BAP+0.5-1.5 mg/l NAA. 3.0 mg/l BAP wasthe best medium for shoot regeneration of Mas Cotek as it can produce more shoots eitherwhen used singly or in combination with NAA respectively. For the fastest shoot regeneration, MS media with 1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l NAA was more favourable since it can produce shoot within 4 weeks. The protocols developed under this study are highly useful for the mass clonal propagation of Mas Cotek as well as to conserve this valuable medicinal plant for future use.</jats:p

Synthesis of silica/carbon composite from agricultural waste as heterogeneous acid catalysts to produce dioxolane moieties from a biodiesel-derived waste compound

Silica/carbon composites from the carbonization of rice husk have been employed to act asheterogeneous Brønsted acid catalysts. These composites have been used to catalyze theacetalization of phenylacetaldehyde, vanillin, and 2-acetonaphthone with propylene glycol toproduce hyacinth, vanilla, and orange blossom scent fragrances. As the carbonization temperaturesaffect the physicochemical properties and hence their catalytic activity, several characterizationtechniques and data manipulation have been performed to understand the correlations. Acid densityand hydrophilicity has been proved to play a crucial part to obtain an optimized yield of desiredproducts.</jats:p

Bioactivity and pharmacological potential of date palm (phoenix dactylifera L.) against Pandemic COVID‑19: a comprehensive review

A novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), transmitted from person to person, has quickly emerged as the pandemic responsible for the current global health crisis. This infection has been declared a global pandemic, resulting in a concerning number of deaths as well as complications post-infection, primarily among vulnerable groups particularly older people and those with multiple comorbidities. In this article, we review the most recent research on the role of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits (DPFs) to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. The mechanisms underlying this preventive or therapeutic efect are also discussed in terms of bioactivity potentials in date palm, e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-infammatory, neuroprotective, and hemolytic potential, as well as prospect against COVID-19 disease and the potential product development. Therefore, it can be concluded that regular consumption of DPFs may be associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases. Indeed, DPFs have been widely used in folk medicine since ancient times to treat a variety of health conditions, demonstrating the importance of DPFs as a nutraceutical and source of functional nourishment. This comprehensive review aims to summarize the majority of the research on DPFs in terms of nutrient content and biologically active components such as phenolic compounds, with an emphasis on their roles in improving overall health as well as the potential product development to ensure consumers’ satisfaction in a current pandemic situation. In conclusion, DPFs can be given to COVID19 patients as a safe and effective add-on medication or supplement in addition to routine treatments