Faculty of Applied Science

Cytotoxic effects of plants used in the treatment of breast cancer: A systematic review

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Cytotoxic effects of plants used in the treatment of breast cancer: A systematic review Rashmini, S.; De Silva, W. S. Breast cancer is a multifactorial disorder with a major impact on populations worldwide. Because approved medicines such as tamoxifen, fulvestrant, and doxorubicin can produce adverse effects, medicinal plants continue to be investigated as alternative sources of breast-cancer treatments. This systematic review examined articles published from 2015 to 2021 and retrieved through PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The review identified and reorganized evidence on the cytotoxic potency of plant extracts and compounds tested against MCF- 7 and T47D breast-cancer cell lines. Extracts were classified as having high, moderate, or low activity according to their half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), with tamoxifen used as a reference treatment. The highest activity against MCF-7 cells was reported for the methanolic leaf extract of Sideroxylon oxyacanthum (Sapotaceae; IC50 = 0.09±0.02 μg/mL). Asteraceae was the most frequently represented plant family. For T47D cells, the highest activity was reported for Fraction A of the ethyl-acetate leaf fraction of Ficus septica Burm. (Moraceae; IC50 = 2.57 μg/mL). The evidence most frequently concerned Sapotaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Ranunculaceae, Verbenaceae, Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, and Moraceae, whereas fewer data were available for Convolvulaceae, Thymelaeaceae, and Orchidaceae. Further controlled studies are required to validate promising plant-derived cytotoxic candidates and determine their selectivity and mechanisms of action.

Post-harvest management to reduce fruit and vegetable losses for food sustainability: A review

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Post-harvest management to reduce fruit and vegetable losses for food sustainability: A review Mahendranathan, C.; Chamindri Ekanayaka, E.M.M. Post-harvest loss of fruits and vegetables is a major challenge for food security and the reduction of global hunger. In some supply chains, losses can reach approximately 50%, making their prevention essential for sustainably feeding a growing population. Important loss points occur during harvesting, post-harvest handling, marketing, storage, processing, and transportation. These losses arise from interacting mechanical, physiological, pathological, microbial, and environmental factors and are intensified by inadequate infrastructure and handling practices. This review examines the principal causes of post-harvest fruit and vegetable losses and practical ap- proaches for their reduction. Appropriate maturity assessment, careful harvesting and grading, hygienic washing, effective packaging, rapid pre-cooling, improved transport, moisture-retentive packaging, low-temperature storage, and controlled-atmosphere systems can preserve quality and extend shelf life. Affordable technologies such as crate liners, smaller packages, shaded field-packing stations, zero-energy cool chambers, and CoolBot-controlled cold rooms can provide substantial benefits to small-scale producers. Combining suitable pre-harvest practices with careful control of temperature, humidity, atmospheric composition, microbial contamination, and mechanical damage can reduce losses and support a more sustainable food system.

Biodiversity of benthic molluscs in Kaakkaithivu coastal waters, Jaffna estuary, Sri Lanka

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Biodiversity of benthic molluscs in Kaakkaithivu coastal waters, Jaffna estuary, Sri Lanka Piratheepa, S.; Vithusha, A. Benthic mollusc diversity in the northern Jaffna estuary, particularly the coastal waters of Kaakkaithivu, was investigated from July 2018 to January 2019. A total of 266 individuals representing six families and eight species were collected from three sampling sites. The assemblage comprised five gastropods and three bivalves: Terebralia palustris, Cerithidea cingulata, Murex virgineus, Volegalea sp., Morula margariticola, Cardita bicolor, Donax sp., and Dosinia lincta. Shannon–Wiener diversity was highest at Site 1 (1.2303), followed by Site 3 (0.8709) and Site 2 (0.5632). T. palustris (41.00%) and C. cingulata (36.47%) were the most abundant species. The distribution of C. cingulata differed significantly among selected sites (p < 0.05), reflecting differences in site condition and environmental stress. The low diversity and evenness values indicate that the Kaakkaithivu coastal ecosystem is under considerable environmental pressure, particularly at Sites 2 and 3. These baseline data are relevant to ecological assessment, estuarine management, habitat restoration, and control of anthropogenic activities in the Jaffna estuary.

Stability Analysis of Sri Lankan Tea Export Markets Using Markov Chain Approach

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Stability Analysis of Sri Lankan Tea Export Markets Using Markov Chain Approach Kayathiri, T.; Laheetharan, A. Among plantation crops, tea has been playing a significant role in the agrarian economy as it adds substantially to the GDP of thc country. Stability analysis of tea export market by the economic community in any country serves several purposes viz business forecast for wise decisions; the assessment of the growth of the economy; and, the future design of tea plantations. Contribution of the tea production within the agriculture sector leads a dominant role in providing employment opportunities in Sri Lankan economy. "lhe aggregate data of tea export from Sri Lanka to various countries is collected from the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Central bank reports for the period covers from 2009 to 2017. The objective ofthe study is to analyze the dynamic changes oftea export volume from Sri Lanka to tea markets in different countries employing the Markov chain model. The aggregate data from Markov chain models explain that the present observed proportion of one country is stochastically related to recent past observed proportion of the countries including itself. The transition probabilities are estimated using the non-linear programming technique under the minimization of mean absolute deviation method. In addition, the steady state probabilities and mean recurrence times have been obtained. The results have shown Syria and Iraq as the stable destinations for Sri Lankan tea exports. Ihe other traditional importing countries such as Russia, Turkey and Iran have recorded low retention probabilities, indicating unstable export share to these markets. The long run stable probabilities revealed that Sri Lanka retains the trade partnership with traditional importing countries except Syria.