Testing biological actions of medicinal plants from northern Vietnam on zebrafish embryos and larvae: Developmental, behavioral, and putative therapeutical effects.

Evaluating the risks and benefits of using traditional medicinal plants is of utmost importance for a huge fraction of the human population, in particular in Northern Vietnam. Zebrafish are increasingly used as a simple vertebrate model for testing toxic and physiological effects of compounds, especially on development. Here, we tested 12 ethanolic extracts from popular medicinal plants collected in northern Vietnam for their effects on zebrafish survival and development during the first 4 days after fertilization.

Metabolic and genomic analysis deciphering biocontrol potential of endophytic Streptomyces albus RC2 against crop pathogenic fungi.

Plant diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi are one of the leading factors affecting crop loss. In the present study, sixty-one Streptomyces strains were screened for their antifungal activity against relevant wide range fungal pathogens prominent in Vietnam, namely Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium fujikuroi, and Scopulariopsis gossypii. Endophytic strain RC2 was the most effective strain in the mycelial inhibition of the tested fungi.

Efficacy of Alpinumisoflavone Isolated from Fruit in Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-Induced Damage of Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

The skin is an important organ in the human body that protects the body from environmentally hazardous substances. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause inflammatory reactions and degradation of the extracellular matrix leading to skin aging and various cutaneous lesions. This study evaluated the potential of isoflavones isolated from fruit to prevent TNF-α-induced skin inflammation in normal human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs).