Plant materials Cereals: Porso millet (Panicum miliaceum) Fruits: Emblic (Embilica officinalis), Banana (Musa paradisiaca), Burmese grape (Baccaurea ramiflora), Carambola (Averrhoa carambola), Elephant apple (Limonia acidissima), Guava (Psidium guajava), Hog plum (Spondias mombin), Honeydew melon (Cucumis melo), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Jambolan (Syzygium cumini), Jambos (Syzygium jambos), Java apple (Syzygium samarangense), Karonda (Carissa carandas), Lakuch (Artocarpus lakoocha), Lychee (Litchi chinensis), Mango (Mangifera indica), Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer), Papaya (Carica papaya), Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Sapota (Manilkara zapota), and Watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) Oil seeds: Linseed (Linum usitatissimum), Red mustard (Bassica nigra), Yellow mustard (Bassica alba), Black sesame (Sesamum indicum), and Brown sesame (Sesamum indicum) Pulses: Black gram (Vigna mungo), Green gram (Vigna radiata), Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), Lentil (Lens culinaris), and Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum) Vegetables: Bean (Phaseolus coccineus), Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia), Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), Brinjal (Solanum melongena), Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), Carrot (Daucus carota), Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Green chilli (Capsicum annuum), Ladies Finger (Abelmoschus esculentus), Onion (Allium cepa), Radish (Raphanus sativus), Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), and Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Spices: Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi), Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis), Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum), Black pepper (Piper nigrum), Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), Coriander leaves (Coriandrum sativum), Cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum), Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Garlic (Allium sativum), Ginger root (Zingiber officinale), Red chilli (Capsicum annuum), Nigella seeds (Nigella sativa), Mace (Myristica fragrans), Sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), Radhuni (Trachyspermum roxburghianum), Turmeric (Curcuma domestica), and White pepper (Piper nigrum) Tea: Green tea (Camellia sinensis), Tea (BT-2) (Camellia sinensis), Tea (Mirzapur) (Camellia sinensis), and Organic tea (Camellia sinensis) Cell and culture The J774.1 mouse macrophage cells line were used for in vitro anti-inflammatory analysis and collected from Japanese Collection of Research Bioresources (JCRB). The J774A.1 cells were maintained in 10% FCS containing Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 100 U/mL penicillin and 100 µg/mL streptomycin. The cells were maintained at 37 °C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air.
Experimental animals Swiss albino mice (5-6 weeks old, 20-30 g) and Long-Evans rats (7-8 weeks old, 100-130 g) of either sex were used for in vivo experiments. They were purchased from the Animal Research Branch of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) and fed with standard rat food obtained from same organization and water ad libitum. To acclimatize the animals to laboratory condition, they were kept in polyvinyl cage under the standard environmental condition of room temperature 23° ± 2° C, 55-10% relative humidity and 12-h light/dark cycle for 7 days. The animals were fasted overnight to maintain the hydration rate constant before the experiment. Ethical Review Committee, Faculty of Biological Science, University of Dhaka approved the research protocol to conduct this study involving experimental animals.
Sample collection and preparation: Functional potentiality of 70 commonly consumed foods comprising cereals, fruits, oilseeds, pulses, spices, tea and vegetables have been evaluated from 2008 to 2015. Samples were collected from local markets and transported in poly-bags to prevent moisture loss to the Food analysis laboratory of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Sciences (INFS), University of Dhaka. After collection and transportation, samples were washed under running water followed by distilled water and then air-dried on kitchen towels to remove the surface water. Homogenization of samples is essential for maximum extraction of the phenolic compounds; consequently, edible portions of the samples, either freeze-dried or oven-dried based on their nature, were pulverized. Highly perishable samples of fruits and vegetables were freeze-dried, while comparatively drier samples of cereals, oilseeds, pulses, and spices were oven-dried for pulverization. Ground samples were then packed in the air-tight packet and stored at -20° C prior to extraction and subsequent analysis.