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Undergraduate Theses

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    The pharmacological screening of Moringa oleifera Lam.
    Burgos, Karen J. (Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 1998-07)
    Moringa oleifera, Lam, or malunggay, belongs to Family Moringaceae. The medicinal value of this plant has long been recognized in folk medicine. Not all the claims, however, are proven scientifically. This study aimed to (1) test the crude extracts from the seeds and leaves of M. oleifera for pharmacological properties and (2) to compare its efficacy with the drugs commonly used to alleviate particular ailment. Phytochemical assay for alkaloid using Culvenor-Fitzgerald method was done to test the presence of alkaloids. The dried seeds and young leaves were extracted with methanol and concentrated under reduced pressure at 45°C. The resulting extracts were partitioned and used for the different assays: Brine shrimp assay for cytotoxicity, Acetic acid-induced writhing assay for analgesic activity, Charcoal tracing assay for antispasmodic activity and paper disc diffusion method for antimicrobial activity. Result showed that only the seeds have alkaloids. Toxicity test revealed that the seeds are practically non-toxic but the leaves were toxic with an LC50 of 550 μg/mL after 24 hours of exposure. Of the two extracts, only the leaves exhibited analgesic activity although not as effective as Mefenamic Acid in reducing pain. The leaf extract, was also found active against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The seed extract was active only against B. subtilis. Both extracts, however, are not as effective as the antibiotic drug, Amoxicillin. Results also showed that both extracts do not have antispasmodic activity. The study confirmed the antimicrobial and analgesic activities for the use of the leaves of this plant in folk medicine.
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    Isolation and purification and bioactive components from the fruit of Morinda citrifolia
    Barbarona, Hazel M. (Division of Phyisical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2000-10)
    Phytochemical screening done on the fruit of “noni” Morinda citrifolia revealed the presence of saponins and the absence of alkaloids. Sequential extraction of active components of noni using n-hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate solvents gave yields of 0.09%, 0.31% and 0.11% as yields respectively. Crude methanolic concentrate of the noni fruit was subjected into four bioactivity tests. Toxicity bioassay showed 251.19 g/ml to be the LC50. Antimicrobial bioassay showed that S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli, and P. auruginosa organisms have no activity against the crude methanolic concentrate. In analgesic bioassay, the crude methanolic concentrate (16.37) is no better or has the same activity with the positive control mefenamic acid (17.51) based on the percentage reduction in squirms of the Swiss Websters mice. Antispasmodic activity showed that the crude methanolic concentrate of the fruit (55.47%) is as active as the positive control, loperamide (58.02%). In the three fractions, antispasmodic activity of n-hexane and dichloromethane have greater effect than the positive control (loperamide) while ethyl acetate has the same activity with it. The percentages traveled by charcoal in n-hexane (39.929) and dichloromethane (45.908) were lower than that of the positive control, loperamide (60.130) and ethyl acetate fraction (48.352). Antispasmodic bioassay on n-hexane purified through Vacuum Liquid Chromatography showed that the nine fractions (F1-F9) showed no significant difference with the positive control. Thin Layer Chromatography showed the presence of mono-, di-, and triterpenes; steroid glycosides and saponins in the noni fruit extract.