Speciosa

The mechanical and ballistic performance of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with 10, 20, and 30 vol.% of babassu fibers was investigated for the first time. The tests included tension, impact, and ballistic testing with 0.22 caliber ammunition. The results showed an improvement in tensile strength, elastic modulus, and elongation with the addition of babassu fiber, and the 30 vol.% composite stood out. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the fracture modes of the composites, highlighting brittle fractures in the epoxy matrix, as well as other mechanisms such as fiber breakage and delamination in the fiber composites...

Mitragyna speciosa, more commonly known as kratom, has emerged as an alternative to treat chronic pain and addiction. However, the alkaloid components of kratom, which are the major contributors to kratom's pharmaceutical properties, have not yet been fully investigated. In this study, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry was used to map the biodistribution of three alkaloids (corynantheidine, mitragynine, and speciogynine) in rat brain tissues. The alkaloids produced three main ion types during MALDI analysis: [M + H]+ , [M - H]+ , and [M - 3H]+ ...

INTRODUCTION: Parkia speciosa Hassk., commonly known as bitter bean or twisted cluster bean, is a tropical leguminous plant species native to Southeast Asia. The plant's edible pods have been traditionally used in various cuisines, particularly in Malaysian, Thai, and Indonesian cooking. Apart from being used as a food ingredient, the pods of P. speciosa also have a range of potential applications in other fields, including medicine, agriculture, and industry. The pods are said to have several phytochemicals that hold great therapeutic values such as reducing inflammation, improving digestion, and lowering blood sugar levels...

Doxorubicin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of solid hematological and non-hematological carcinoma. However, its long-term usage could result in side effects, such as cardiomyopathy, chronic heart failure, neurotoxicity and cancer cell resistance. In this study, we reported the sensitivity enhancement of A549 human lung cancer cells on doxorubicin at a low dose (0.1 ppm) in combination with 10-60 ppm of crude and alkaloid extracts derived from the leaves of Kratom ( Mitragyna speciosa (Korth...

Mitragyna speciosa , also known as Kratom, is an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia that has been used in traditional medicine to relieve pain. The primary active alkaloid, mitragynine, found in Kratom leaves affects the same µ-receptor as the opioids. The potential effects of Kratom leaves on humans draw international concerns. The purpose of this study is to develop an efficient extraction method for mitragynine from dried Kratom leaves. Mitragynine was extracted from grounded Kratom leaves by liquid-liquid extraction and detected by an HPLC system with a C-18 column...

Although Chaenomeles is widely used in horticulture, traditional Chinese medicine and landscape greening, insufficient research has hindered its breeding and seed selection. This study investigated the floral phenology, floral organ characteristics, palynology, and breeding systems of Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai. The floral characteristics of C. speciosa were observed both visually and stereoscopically. The microstructures of the flower organs were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Pollen stainability was determined using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Kratom is a preparation from Mitragyna speciosa, which is used as a natural drug preparation for many purposes around the world. However, an overdose of Kratom may cause addiction-like problems including aversive withdrawal states resulting in cognitive impairments via unknown mechanisms. Its main psychoactive alkaloid is mitragynine, showing opioid-like properties. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Here, we analysed the neuropharmacological effects of mitragynine compared with morphine withdrawal in rats and searched for a pharmacological treatment option that may reverse the occurring cognitive deficits that usually aggravate withdrawal...

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a species of large tree that grows in Southeast Asia and is part of the Rubiaceae family. Its fresh leaves are harvested for their medicinal properties and used for their psychoactive effects. Kratom contains many biologically active alkaloids, including mitragynine and 7-OH-mitragynine, which are considered the two most important psychoactive components and constitute approximately 66% and 2% of the total alkaloid content. Other alkaloids are present in the plant, such as speciogynine, speciociliatine and paynantheine, but have less psychoactive activity...

The possible interactions of morphine, paynantheine and speciociliatine alkaloids with ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters was investigated. The compounds were docked against ABCG2 and ABCB1 to predict the binding mode of alkaloids in active binding sites. The cytotoxicity of morphine, paynantheine and speciociliatine for EPG85.257RDB and MCF7MX cells was determined and ABCB1 and ABCG2 gene and protein expression were determined. The binding score of paynantheine to ABCB1 was higher in the docking studies...

Bats are important pollinators, but they are difficult to study since they are volant and nocturnal. Thus, long-term studies of nectarivorous bats are scarce, despite their potential to help assess trends in bat populations and their pollination services. We used capture rates of nectarivorous bats at chiropterophilous flowers in order to examine temporal trends in bat visitation in an area that is undergoing extensive land use change. We mist-netted at five bat-pollinated plant taxa (Durio zibethinus, Musa acuminata, Oroxylum indicum, Parkia speciosa, and Sonneratia spp...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acetylation modification on the structural, interfacial and emulsifying properties of Millettia speciosa Champ polysaccharide (MSCP). Besides, the influence of acetylation modification on the encapsulation properties of polysaccharide-based emulsion was also explored. Results indicated that modification resulted in a prominent reduction in molecular weight of MSCP and the interfacial layer thickness formed by acetylated MSCP (AC-MSCP) was also decreased, but the adsorption rate and ability of AC-MSCP to reduce interfacial tension were improved...

Millettia speciosa Champ. (MSCP) enjoys widespread recognition for its culinary and medicinal attributes. Despite the extensive history of MSCP cultivation, the disparities in quality and bioactivity between wild and cultivated varieties have remained unexplored. In this study, 20 wild and cultivated MSCP samples were collected from different regions in China. We embarked on a comprehensive investigation of the chemical constituents found in both wild and cultivated MSCP utilizing UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS technology and multivariate analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA)...

Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai ( C. speciosa ) fruit has medicinal and food applications and exhibits beneficial pharmacological properties. This study aimed to explore the hypouricemic effect of C. speciosa fruit extracts on hyperuricemic rats and uncover potential protective mechanisms. The rats were given hypoxanthine (HX, 100 mg/kg) and potassium oxonate (PO, 300 mg/kg) for 14 days to induce hyperuricemia. Subsequently, the rats were orally administered C. speciosa fruits total extract (CSFTE, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) and allopurinol (AP, 10 mg/kg) one hour after exposure to HX and PO...

Whole-genome duplication (WGD), or polyploidy, events are widespread and significant in the evolutionary history of angiosperms. However, empirical evidence for rediploidization, the major process where polyploids give rise to diploid descendants, is still lacking at the genomic level. Here we present chromosome-scale genomes of the mangrove tree Sonneratia alba and the related inland plant Lagerstroemia speciosa. Their common ancestor has experienced a whole-genome triplication (WGT) approximately 64 million years ago coinciding with a period of dramatic global climate change...

We assessed the tolerance, safety margins, and behavioral responses to extreme conditions of the mangrove fiddler crab Leptuca speciosa during a heatwave event (May of 2022), in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. In the field, L. speciosa demonstrated aggregation behavior, congregating in areas that were above the water level to escape the extreme water conditions. In the laboratory, we determined that the upper critical thermal limits (UT99 ) ranged from 40.2 °C and 42 °C. For salinity, the lethal concentration was LC99  = 39 psu...

Co-occurrence a correlation profiles are driven by different factors (exogenous and endogenous) and drawing a profile of association between species based on co-occurrence, without assessing how these species vary in terms of ecological niche can lead to wrong conclusions. The objective was to determine the co-occurrence and correlation patterns of phytophagous insects in canola crop and to evaluate how these patterns varied according to the crop stage (phenology-biotic) and sowing times (agricultural practice-abiotic)...

BACKGROUND: Geological movements and climatic fluctuations stand as pivotal catalysts driving speciation and phylogenetic evolution. The genus Polyspora Sweet (Theaceae), prominently found across the Malay Archipelagos and Indochina Peninsula in tropical Asia, exhibits its northernmost distribution in China. In this study, we investigated the evolutionary and biogeographical history of the genus Polyspora in China, shedding light on the mechanisms by which these species respond to ancient geological and climatic fluctuations...

Background Drug-induced liver injury is a common cause of acute liver failure. Isoniazid (INH) is used as a first-line treatment for tuberculosis. Clinical and experimental studies have reported abnormal liver function after INH therapy. Lagerstroemia speciosa Pers., commonly known as banaba, has been traditionally used to treat various ailments including diabetes and obesity due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Aim To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic banaba leaf extract (EBLE) against INH-induced hepatotoxicity in rats...

Kratom ( Mitragyna speciosa ) is a botanical substance whose leaves produce stimulant- and opioid-like effects. Kratom use has increased precipitously in the United States (U.S.) over the last decade, yet, in our experience, many pharmacists are unfamiliar with this herb. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacists' awareness and knowledge of kratom. This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire to preferentially solicit community pharmacists' knowledge of kratom and collect demographic information...

BACKGROUND: Plant mitochondrial genomes are characterized by high homologous recombination, extensive intergenic spacers, conservation in DNA sequences, and gene content. The Hancornia genus belongs to the Apocynaceae family, with H. speciosa Gomes being the sole species in the genus. It is an siganificant commercial fruit crop; however, only a number of studies have been conducted. In this study, we present the mitochondrial genome of H. speciosa and compare it with other mitochondrial genomes within the Apocynaceae family...