There are three main cattle breeds in Mauritius;the Friesian cows, the Creole cows and the Cross (Creole and Friesians) breeds. The main objective of the study was to differentiate the Creole breeds from the other two...There are three main cattle breeds in Mauritius;the Friesian cows, the Creole cows and the Cross (Creole and Friesians) breeds. The main objective of the study was to differentiate the Creole breeds from the other two breeds thus valorizing and conserving the Creole cow which is in danger of extinction. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and random microsatellite analysis were the two PCR based techniques used. The populations studied consisted of 5 Friesians, 5 Creole breeds and 5 Cross breeds. The breeds were obtained from the Curepipe Livestock Research Station which is the only place where there is a record of Creole cows in Mauritius. Among the 5 Creoles breeds chosen, 2 of them could have been impure breeds due to their morphological characteristics. DNA extraction was carried out from blood taken from the cows selected, and yielded DNA of good quality and quantity. Polymorphic bands were obtained from the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primers and random microsatellite primers and the data obtained were used for constructing a dendogram. From the dendogram obtained, the breeds were separated and the two Creole samples, which were suspected to be impure, formed different clusters from the true Creole breeds. From the results obtained, the Creole breed was easily distinguishable from the other breeds studied using molecular techniques.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of crude and fractionated extracts of the Plakortis nigra(P.nigra)sea sponge from Mauritius sea waters.Methods:Preliminary qualitative che...Objective:To investigate the in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of crude and fractionated extracts of the Plakortis nigra(P.nigra)sea sponge from Mauritius sea waters.Methods:Preliminary qualitative chemical screening of the sponge extracts was conducted by using standard methods while the total phenolic content(TPC)was estimated through the Folin-Ciocalteu method.Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis.The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the broth microdilution method.All sponge extracts were assessed for antioxidant activity via the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging in vitro model.Results:Alkaloids,phenols,steroids,terpenoids,tannins and saponins were detected in the sponge extracts and TPC varied from(2.280±0.072)mg to(12.790±0.236)mg gallic acid equivalents per gram extract(P<0.05).All the extracts inhibited the growth of at least two bacterial strains whilst the most potent in vitro antibacterial activities were observed in the most polar ethyl acetate and butanol fractions(minimum inhibitory concentration values 0.103–0.211 mg/mL)of P.nigra.Each extract scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals while the hexane fraction displayed the highest scavenging ability at(27.50±1.85)%(P<0.05).Antioxidant activity was positively correlated with TPC(R^(2)=0.843).Contrary relationships were also found between antibacterial activity and TPC.Conclusions:The present study validates the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of marine sponge(P.nigra)extracts and depicts the sea sponge as a potential source of pharmaceutical leads against infectious and degenerative diseases.展开更多
文摘There are three main cattle breeds in Mauritius;the Friesian cows, the Creole cows and the Cross (Creole and Friesians) breeds. The main objective of the study was to differentiate the Creole breeds from the other two breeds thus valorizing and conserving the Creole cow which is in danger of extinction. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and random microsatellite analysis were the two PCR based techniques used. The populations studied consisted of 5 Friesians, 5 Creole breeds and 5 Cross breeds. The breeds were obtained from the Curepipe Livestock Research Station which is the only place where there is a record of Creole cows in Mauritius. Among the 5 Creoles breeds chosen, 2 of them could have been impure breeds due to their morphological characteristics. DNA extraction was carried out from blood taken from the cows selected, and yielded DNA of good quality and quantity. Polymorphic bands were obtained from the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primers and random microsatellite primers and the data obtained were used for constructing a dendogram. From the dendogram obtained, the breeds were separated and the two Creole samples, which were suspected to be impure, formed different clusters from the true Creole breeds. From the results obtained, the Creole breed was easily distinguishable from the other breeds studied using molecular techniques.
文摘Objective:To investigate the in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of crude and fractionated extracts of the Plakortis nigra(P.nigra)sea sponge from Mauritius sea waters.Methods:Preliminary qualitative chemical screening of the sponge extracts was conducted by using standard methods while the total phenolic content(TPC)was estimated through the Folin-Ciocalteu method.Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis.The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the broth microdilution method.All sponge extracts were assessed for antioxidant activity via the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging in vitro model.Results:Alkaloids,phenols,steroids,terpenoids,tannins and saponins were detected in the sponge extracts and TPC varied from(2.280±0.072)mg to(12.790±0.236)mg gallic acid equivalents per gram extract(P<0.05).All the extracts inhibited the growth of at least two bacterial strains whilst the most potent in vitro antibacterial activities were observed in the most polar ethyl acetate and butanol fractions(minimum inhibitory concentration values 0.103–0.211 mg/mL)of P.nigra.Each extract scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals while the hexane fraction displayed the highest scavenging ability at(27.50±1.85)%(P<0.05).Antioxidant activity was positively correlated with TPC(R^(2)=0.843).Contrary relationships were also found between antibacterial activity and TPC.Conclusions:The present study validates the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of marine sponge(P.nigra)extracts and depicts the sea sponge as a potential source of pharmaceutical leads against infectious and degenerative diseases.
