Current Research on Biosciences and Biotechnology

Physicochemical properties, antimicrobial activity, and contaminants in personal care products from Bangladesh

Zeba Samiha — 2025-08-31

Personal care products help maintain hygiene and appearance by cleansing and protecting the skin and hair, supporting overall health and barrier function. The research was aimed at evaluating the quality of different locally available skin care products. This study assessed the physicochemical properties, antimicrobial activity, and the presence of Na⁺ and K⁺ ions in various personal care products (PCPs), including face washes, shower gels, and shampoos available in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It also evaluated the total active ingredient content, saponification, acid, and iodine values, the presence of plastic microbeads, and heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). Antibacterial susceptibility tests against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were conducted using the Agar Diffusion Method. Na⁺ and K⁺ ions were quantified using a flame photometer. Active ingredient levels, saponification, acid, and iodine values were determined through titrimetric methods. The shapes of plastic microbeads were examined with a stereo-microscope, and their composition was analyzed spectrophotometrically. Heavy metals were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The pH of the samples ranged from 4.62 to 10.23. Shampoos exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity, while face washes were the least effective. Na⁺ concentrations varied from 49.45 to 218.74 mgL^-1, and K⁺ levels ranged from 1.3 to 125.60 mgL^-1. Saponification values were in between 160.0 and 700.0 mgg^-1, and acid values ranged from 0.9 to 11.0 mgg^-1. Microbeads were either spherical or irregular, composed mainly of polyamide, polyethylene, and polyester. Lead concentrations varied between 0.75 and 7.54 mgL^-1, with face washes containing high levels. Cadmium was below detection limits. The study highlights the need for careful selection of PCPs, considering their potential adverse effects on skin health and hygiene.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis of some bioactive compounds in commercial herbal products derived from Moringa oleifera L.

Amrianto — 2025-08-31

Moringa oleifera is widely recognized as a “miracle tree” due to its nutritional, medicinal, and environmental benefits. Its diverse phytochemical content underlies significant pharmacological effects. However, conventional HPLC methods for analyzing multi-component compounds in M. oleifera are often time-consuming and lack sensitivity, particularly for compounds present at low concentrations. To address this, we developed and validated an analytical method using UPLC-ESI-MRM/MS combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Method validation covered linearity, sensitivity (LOD, LOQ), accuracy, and precision, while UAE was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken Design. Seven phytochemical compounds—rutin, hyperoside, nicotiflorin, astragalin, niazirin, quercetin, and kaempferol—were quantified in various M. oleifera products including dried powder, herbal tea, extracts, and capsules. The validated method showed linearity between 1.56–500 µg/mL, LOD values of 0.036–0.094 µg/mL, LOQ values of 0.0108–0.2850 µg/mL, with accuracy and precision within ±15%. Optimal extraction was achieved at a solvent ratio of 1:30, temperature of 40 °C, and extraction time of 17.85 min. UPLC-ESI-MRM/MS enabled rapid separation and detection of all seven compounds within 15 minutes, significantly improving resolution compared to UV-based HPLC. In addition, three abundant flavonoids were confirmed as the main flavonoids present in Moringa, mainly rutin, hyperoside and nicotiflorin. On the other hand, niazirin can be considered as the specific marker for Moringa leaves. These results demonstrate that UPLC-ESI-MRM/MS, coupled with optimized UAE, provides a sensitive, rapid, and reliable approach for profiling M. oleifera phytochemicals, supporting its quality assessment and potential applications in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

Chemical and biological activity studies of fruit of Cucumis melo L.

Tirthankar Biswas — 2025-08-31

Cucumis melo L. from the family Cucurbitaceae is native to Southeast Asian countries, and very well-liked fruit due to its ginormous medicinal and nutritive value. The DCM extract of the powdered fruit sample of C. melo L. was subjected to different chromatographic techniques to isolate secondary metabolites. a-spinasterol, a-spinesteryl acetate, trilinolein and oleic acid were isolated and their structures were elucidated by comparing the data obtained from ¹H NMR (400 MHz) and ¹³C NMR (100 MHz) spectra with reported data for corresponding compounds. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total antioxidant capacity and DPPH radical scavenging activity were found to be the highest for methanolic extracts (14.25 ± 0.83 mg GAE/g, 9.2 ± 0.58 mg QE/g, 33.77 ± 1.58 mg AAE/g of dry extractives, and IC₅₀ value of 11.13 µg/mL respectively) compared to n-hexane and DCM extracts.

Development of an efficient and eco-friendly method for mitragynine enrichment

Rizal Febriandi — 2025-08-31

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is rich in mitragynine, a bioactive alkaloid with antinociceptive, sedative, and antimicrobial activities, and potential benefits for alleviating alcohol dependence. This study aimed to develop a safe, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and efficient method for enriching mitragynine using macroporous resins. Extraction was performed via maceration with 70% ethanol, and the performance of macroporous resins (PAD610 and PAD900) was evaluated in terms of adsorption and desorption characteristics using UPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that the adsorption and desorption processes followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that mitragynine adsorption is influenced by coexisting compounds in the extract. Isothermal adsorption analysis demonstrated good agreement with the Freundlich model, with R² values of 0.9973 for PAD610 and 0.9905 for PAD900, suggesting multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces. Under optimized conditions, macroporous resin enrichment effectively increased mitragynine content, yielding 753 mg for PAD900 and 303 mg/g for PAD610. Additionally, a flow rate of 3 BV/hour was identified as optimal for large-scale applications. This study demonstrates that macroporous resins provide an efficient and scalable approach for mitragynine enrichment from M. speciosa extract, offering a promising method for the preparation of high-purity bioactive compounds.

Bioconversion of inorganic selenium to organic selenium in the black soldier fly (BSF) larvae

Rolina Anna Erica Sihombing — 2025-08-31

Selenium is one of the essential micronutrients needed to fulfil livestock nutrition, which can be found in inorganic and organic forms. Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae can potentially be used as a natural converter from inorganic selenium to organic selenium. However, the capacity and response of BSF larvae to convert selenium are still unknown. This study aims to determine the effect of inorganic selenium administration on BSF larvae. The research method was the determination of selenium concentration by UV-Vis spectrophotometry method based on the variation in the age of inorganic selenium administration in BSF larvae to the growth of BSF larvae, and the accumulation of selenium in BSF larvae, with variations in age of 0, 4, 8, and 12 days of age given sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃) and control without administration of sodium selenite from the beginning to the end of rearing. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the growth performance of BSF larvae and the accumulation of selenium in BSF larvae in the age variation experiment of BSF larvae when given sodium selenite. Based on the acquisition of larval mass, the growth rate of BSF larvae in the control treatment, with sodium selenite at 1 mg/kg, was 0.129, 0.093, 0.037, 0.156, and 0.128 mg/day at 0, 4, 8, and 12 days, respectively. These results indicate that inorganic selenium administration to BSF larvae can occur during the rearing period. In the experiment of variation in the concentration of inorganic selenium given to BSF larvae, the growth rate of BSF larvae was significantly higher (p < 0.05) when given 1000 mg/kg of sodium selenite, which was 0.467 mg/day.