Undergraduate Theses
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14583/13
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Item 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.Item Meiofaunal assemblages in the mangrove habitat in Taklong Island, Nueva Valencia, GuimarasBocoran, Mary Grace G. (Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 1999-03)Meiofauna are metazoans that can pass through a sieve with a mesh of 0.5mm but retained in a mesh of 0.063mm sieve. These organism are interesting to benthic scientist due to its capacity to determine the extent of pollution in the area and its role in the food web of an ecosystem. This study aims (1) to come up with a list of meiofaunal species present in the mangrove substratum, (2) to determine its density and abundance, and (3) to describe the meiofaunal environment in terms of temperature, salinity , pH, and oxygen content. The study was conducted in the mangrove habitat in Taklong Island Guimaras in February 1997. Thirty core samples were collected with a modified PVC core ( diameter=2.0 cm, length=15cm) from 3 areas: seaward, middle, and landward portions of the mangrove. There were eight broad groupings of meiofauna considered: nematodes, copepods, malacostracans, polychaetes, gastrotrichs, kinorhynchs, sipunculids, and others (including forams). The nematodes, of which there were 2 species observed, were the most abundant and comprised 42.14%. The copepods had 3 species observed and comprised 31.05%, 2 species of polychaetes comprised 5.04%,2species of gastrotrychs comprised 3.86% and malacostracans were 6.66%, kinorhynchs were 3.26%, and sipunculids were 0.89%. Unidentified organism which included foraminiferans, were 8.01 %. Range of meiofaunal density (number of individuals per cm'3 ) in three transects were 0.0042-0.1549 in the seaward area,0.0085-0.0785 in the middle area and 0.0021-0.0679 in the landward area. The nematodes had the highest density, and the sipunculids had the lowest density from the seaward to the landward area.