Quinoline, which consists of benzene fused with N-heterocyclic pyridine, has received considerable attention as a core template in drug design because of its broad spectrum of bioactivity.

This article reviews the excited-state quenching, pro-vitamin A activity and anticarcinogenicity of carotenes and xanthophylls in relation to their chemical structures. Excited-state quenching improved with the length of the conjugated chain structure. Pro-vitamin A activity was dependent on the presence of at least one beta-ionyl ring structure. The effectiveness of carotenoids as antioxidants depended on their ability to trap peroxyl radicals with production of resonance-stabilized carotenyl radicals. The products identified from oxidations of carotenes and xanthophylls with molecular oxygen and other oxidizing agents are presented. The free radical-mediated mechanisms that have been proposed to account for the different classes of products are reviewed.

The deficiency in affordable nourishing foods for neonates after weaning has been major concern in developing countries and this has contributed to increased malnutrition rate, illnesses and even children’s mortality rate. The addition of wheat offal to traditionally affordable ‘Ogi’ as an alternative approach for combating the threats of protein malnutrition in neonates was explored in this work. Wheat offal was added at increasing levels of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 w/w% as fortifying feed with prepared maize-Ogi as meal. Proximate analysis, pasting characteristics, sensory evaluation, nutritive and functional properties of the resulting blends was evaluated using standard methods. Results of proximate analysis showed an increased protein (2.787 – 34.064%), fat (2.282 – 9.015%) and ash (8.913 – 17.171%) contents with increased level of wheat offal from 20 to 100 w/w addition, while decreased carbohydrate content was observed with increased addition of wheat offal. The water absorption capacity increased also with level of wheat offal addition. The pasting characteristics result indicated up to 40% fortification of maize-Ogi with wheat offal as stable blend against retrogradation in terms of setback value and viscosity. The 40% level of fortification was preferred in terms of quality index of taste, texture, color, sourness and appearance. In conclusion, the nutritional indices investigated indicated addition level of wheat offal to 40% limit to solve protein-energy malnutrition and food security issues in neonates.

The need to devise another method of synthesizing nanoparticles from sources that are eco-friendly, non-hazardous and cost effectiveness is of great importance in preventing environmental and health problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of Garcinia kola leaves as reducing and stabilizing agent for silver nanoparticles synthesis. The leaves of Garcinia kola obtained were authenticated, air dried, pulverized and extracted. The extract was mixed with aqueous solution of silver nitrate solution to form silver nanoparticles and were characterized using Ultra violet (UV) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The antibacterial investigation of the synthesized silver nanoparticle was carried out following the disk diffusion method. UV analysis revealed the silver surface plasmon band at 425.18 nm, The FTIR indicated -OH, -C=C- and alkane as the functional groups responsible for the stabilization of the silver nanoparticle formed. The morphological assessment from SEM and TEM analysis confirmed that the silver nanoparticle formed are spherical in shape with an average particle size of 28.80nm.The EDX analysis ascertained that the silver surface plasmon resonance at 2.8–3.2 keV was confirmed the reduction of silver ion (Ag+ to Ag0). The XRD study revealed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles synthesized. The antibacterial investigation showed high inhibition against the growth of tested bacteria.  This study ascertained that the green synthesis of silver nanoparticle without the use of harmful solvent that are offensive to the environment is achievable.  Keywords: Silver nanoparticles, Biosynthesis, Characterization, Antibacterial activity and Garcinia kola.

This study sought to compare the antioxidant properties [1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl (OH) radicals scavenging abilities] and inhibition of Fe 2+ -induced lipid peroxidation and two key enzymes relevant to type-2 diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) of snake tomato (Trichosanthes cucumerina) with two tomato varieties [Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. esculentum (ESC) and Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. cerasiforme (CER)]. Snake tomato (0.84 mg/g) and CER (0.87 mg/g) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher total phenolic content than ESC (0.27 mg/g). However, CER had the highest total flavonoid content of 0.48 mg/g, compared to snake tomato (0.27 mg/g) and ESC (0.15 mg/g). In consonance with the phenolic content, CER and snake tomato had higher DPPH and OH radicals scavenging abilities than ESC. The inhibition of Fe 2+ induced malondialdehyde (MDA) production in rats pancreas revealed that snake tomato had significantly lower inhibitory effect than CER. Furthermore, snake tomato and CER showed stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase [snake tomato (EC 50 = 1.65 mg/ml), CER (EC 50 = 1.32 mg/ml)] than α-amylase [snake tomato (EC 50 = 2.15 mg/ml), CER (EC 50 = 2.39 mg/ml)] activity. The antioxidant properties of snake tomato favourably compared with the cultivars of tomatoes, and its stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase activity than α-amylase activities suggests that snake tomato could be an alternative or complement to the use of lycopersicon tomatoes.

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Nutrition plays a very important role in the health promotion of individuals and brought about a global paradigm shift from pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals. This is due to the high cost, non-availability, and side effects associated with the unregulated consumption of pharmaceuticals. Over the ages, nutraceuticals from food products were reported to contain bioactive compounds with great health and physiological benefits. This report reviews bioactive compounds in selected foods namely ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and garlic (Allium sativum) as potential natural therapeutics for ailments of cancer and heart-related diseases. Analytical profiles, functional activities, and characterization of these compounds were discussed with possible recommendations for the prospective treatment of diseases using these nutraceuticals.