Nematicidal and larvicidal activities of the essential oils from aerial parts of Pectis oligocephala and Pectis apodocephala Baker

The chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of Pectis apodocephala and Pectis oligocephala were analyzed by GC-MS. The essential oils of these species were predominantly constituted by monoterpenes. Geranial (42.9-44.5%), neral (32.2-34.2%) and alpha-pinene (10.7-11.4%) were the main constituents in the oil of P. apodocephala, while p-cymene (50.3-70.9%) and thymol (24.4-44.7%), were the prevalent compounds in the oil of P. oligocephala. The essential oils were tested against the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and Aedes aegypti larvae survival. The results obtained show that both essential oils exhibited significant activity and could be considered as potent natural namaticidal and larvicidal agents.     

Common herbs,essential oils,and monoterpenes potently modulate bone metabolism

During our survey of herbs looking for activity on bone metabolism, we found that the dried leaves of sage strongly inhibit bone resorption. Therefore, we investigated several common herbs rich in essential oils (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and essential oils extracted from these herbs and other plants (oils of sage, rosemary, juniper, pine, dwarf pine, turpentine, and eucalyptus) as well as their monoterpene components (thujone, eucalyptol, camphor, borneol, thymol, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, bornylacetate as well as menthol) and found that they inhibit bone resorption when added to the food of rats. Pine oil, used as a representative essential oil, protects an osteoporosis model, the aged ovariectomized rat, from bone loss. The monoterpenes borneol, thymol, and camphor are directly inhibitory in the osteoclast resorption pit assay. Nonpolar monoterpenes may require metabolism to be active in vitro, for example, cis-verbenol, a metabolite of alpha-pinene occurring in human urine, inhibits osteoclast activity in contrast to the parent compound. Within 30 min borneol inhibits the formation of actin rings, a characteristic of resorbing osteoclasts indicating cell polarization. Both the in vitro and the in vivo effects of borneol are reversible. Our study demonstrates for the first time that essential oils and monoterpenes are efficient inhibitors of bone resorption in the rat.     

The ability of selected plant essential oils to enhance the action of recommended antibiotics against pathogenic wound bacteria

The aim of this work was to characterize the ability of essential oils to support antibiotics against pathogenic bacteria in wounds. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria obtained from wound infections were identified according to standard microbiological methods. Essential oils were analysed by GC–FID–MS. The susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics, essential oils and their combination was assessed using the disc-diffusion method. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration of the essential oils were established by the micro-dilution broth method. Although cinnamon, clove, thyme and lavender essential oils were found to have the greatest antibacterial activity when used alone, the greatest additive and synergistic effects against pathogenic wound bacteria in combination with recommended antibiotics were demonstrated by basil, clary sage and rosemary oils.     

Pharmacognostic research of some species of Achillea. Note 1. Volatile oils analysis

We established the hydrodistilled essential oil yields from the dried flower heads of A. collina J. Becker ex Reichenb. (collected in Austria and Romanina), A. millefolium L. (s.l.) (Romania) and of three mixtures of some species belonging to the Achillea millefolium L. group. Constitutents of the essential oils were studied by GC method. The main components of the monoterpene fraction of the oils were 1.8 cineol, camphor, and borneol. The main active principle of the volatile oil, chamazulene, was in highest concentration (53%) in the essential oil hydrodistilled from A. collina collected in Austria. The results obtained for a mixture of some species (Plafar Boto?ani) differ from literature data in the presence of bisabolol, which have not been found so far in Achillea species.     

市售复合调味品五香粉和咖喱粉的精油抑菌作用

通过水蒸气蒸馏法提取市售五香粉和咖喱粉的精油,测定了两种精油对几种常见细菌、霉菌、酵母菌的抑菌活性(抑菌圈直径大小、最低抑菌浓度(MIC值))及气态防腐效果,探讨和比较了两种精油的抑菌作用.结果表明,五香粉和咖喱粉精油有不同程度的抑菌作用,五香粉精油的抑菌能力高于咖喱粉精油.以色谱 质谱联用法(GC/MS)分析鉴定出五香粉和咖喱粉精油中主要成分,并分析比较了它们主要成分的差异与其抑菌活性大小之间的关系.     

Clinical aromatherapy

Essential oils, made out of natural aromatic molecules, are endowed with so many physiological and pharmacological properties that they find applications in almost every field of medicine, not only curatively but also from a preventative medicine point of view. Although the perception of, and reaction to, essential oils seems to be slightly different between women and men, all people of all ages benefit from aromatherapy. Provided that the practitioner has the relevant information and has undergone the appropriate training, and that the aromatic extracts used conform to medical quality criteria, aromatherapy and aromatology can bring real complementary help to many patients, far beyond the anti-stress massage approach.

Aromatherapy can provide a useful complementary medical service both in healthcare settings and in private practice, e.g. in cancer care, dementia, and depression. There are also many indications for the useful and successful application of essential oils, especially for men, such as stress, sleep disorders, back pain, urinary tract infections, rectal abscess, and sexual health.     

The medical treatment of overactive bladder

Overactive bladder, very frequent in neurological disorders, leads to very distressing symptoms such as urgency, frequency and incontinence which may dramatically impair the patient's quality of life. The medical approach is essentially pharmacological but the management of the nociceptive factors must not be neglected. In the mild urinary dysfunctions, bladder training can be advised. The pharmacological treatment aims at reducing the parasympathetic activity or at deafferenting the bladder. The antimuscarinic agents are an essential part of the treatment. Oxybutynin is the most widely used medication but recent agents like tolterodin have a better tolerability. Other drugs can also be used such as desmopressin, flavoxate. New molecules are under experiment (darifenacin). In case of troublesome side-effects or resistance to oral medications, local treatments are considered. Intravesical oxybutynin has been tried but has a short-lived efficacy. Intravesical instillation of capsaicine or resiniferatoxin blocks C-fibres afferents and leads to clinical and urodynamic improvement. Recently, injections of botulinum-A toxin in the detrusor have been advocated aiming at blocking the transmission of parasympathetic impulse. The first studies report encouraging results. All these local treatments resulting in bladder paresis are recommended for patients performing self-catheterization. Should these treatments fail, other therapeutic approaches are considered such as intrathecal treatment, neuromodulation, before deciding on neurosurgical or urosurgical procedures.     

Effects of plants and plant products on the testis

For centuries, plants and plant-based products have been used as a valuable and safe natural source of medicines for treating various ailments. The therapeutic potential of most of these plants could be ascribed to their anticancer, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antispasmodic, analgesic and various other pharmacological properties. However, several commonly used plants have been reported to adversely affect male reproductive functions in wildlife and humans. The effects observed with most of the plant and plant-based products have been attributed to the antispermatogenic and/or antisteroidogenic properties of one or more active ingredients. This review discusses the detrimental effects of some of the commonly used plants on various target cells in the testis. A deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms of action of these natural compounds could pave the way for developing therapeutic strategies against their toxicity.     

Essential oils and metal ions as alternative antimicrobial agents: a focus on tea tree oil and silver

The increasing occurrence of hospital‐acquired infections and the emerging problems posed by antibiotic‐resistant microbial strains have both contributed to the escalating cost of treatment. The presence of infection at the wound site can potentially stall the healing process at the inflammatory stage, leading to the development of a chronic wound. Traditional wound treatment regimes can no longer cope with the complications posed by antibiotic‐resistant strains; hence, there is a need to explore the use of alternative antimicrobial agents. Pre‐antibiotic compounds, including heavy metal ions and essential oils, have been re‐investigated for their potential use as effective antimicrobial agents. Essential oils have potent antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant and other beneficial therapeutic properties. Similarly, heavy metal ions have also been used as disinfecting agents because of their broad spectrum activities. Both of these alternative antimicrobials interact with many different intracellular components, thereby resulting in the disruption of vital cell functions and eventually cell death. This review will discuss the application of essential oils and heavy metal ions, particularly tea tree oil and silver ions, as alternative antimicrobial agents for the treatment of chronic, infected wounds.     

Plant medicines of Indian origin for wound healing activity: a review

Research on wound healing drugs is a developing area in modern biomedical sciences. Scientists who are trying to develop newer drugs from natural resources are looking toward the Ayurveda, the Indian traditional system of medicine. Several drugs of plant, mineral, and animal origin are described in the Ayurveda for their wound healing properties under the term Vranaropaka. Most of these drugs are derived from plant origin. Some of these plants have been screened scientifically for the evaluation of their wound healing activity in different pharmacological models and patients, but the potential of most remains unexplored. In a few cases, active chemical constituents were identified. Some Ayurvedic medicinal plants, namely, Ficus bengalensis, Cynodon dactylon, Symplocos racemosa, Rubia cordifolia, Pterocarpus santalinus, Ficus racemosa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Berberis aristata, Curcuma longa, Centella asiatica, Euphorbia nerifolia, and Aloe vera, were found to be effective in experimental models. This paper presents a limited review of plants used in Ayurvedic medicine.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Ocimum canum Sims. and Ocimum selloi Benth

This work describes the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the volatile oils of Ocimum canum and Ocimum selloi, both occurring in Jequié/BA, northeastern Brazil. The plants were collected in the winter/2005 and summer/2006, the oils extracted by steam distillation and further analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 30 and 31 compounds was identified from the oils of O. selloi and O. canum, respectively. It was observed that the oil content of O. canum showed variation during the seasons, while the oils of O. selloi did not. Methylchavicol and linalool were the main chemical components found in the aerial parts and leaves of O. canum. This finding permitted to characterize this specimen as a new chemotype of O. canum. Regarding the aerial parts of O. selloi, eugenol, 1,8-cineole, transcaryophyllene and linalool were identified as their major components. All extracted oils from the aerial parts showed biological activity against gram-positive cocci – Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 – but only the O. canum one showed activity against gram-negative bacilli – Escherichia coli ATCC 25922.     

Folk uses and pharmacological properties of Casearia sylvestris: a medicinal review

Folk uses and scientific investigations have highlighted the importance of Casearia sylvestris extracts and their relevant bioactive potential. The aim of this work was to review the pharmacological properties of C. sylvestris, emphasizing its anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-ophidian and antitumor potentialities. Ethanolic extracts and essential oil of their leaves have antiulcerogenic activity and reduce gastric volume without altering the stomach pH, which corroborates their consumption on gastrointestinal disorders. Leaf water extracts show phospholipase A(2) inhibitory activity that prevents damage effects on the muscular tissue after toxin inoculation. This antiphospholipasic action is probably related to the use as an anti-inflammatory, proposing a pharmacological blockage similar to that obtained with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on arachidonic acid and cyclooxygenase pathways. Bioguided-assay fractionations lead to the identification of secondary metabolites, especially the clerodane diterpenes casearins (A-X) and casearvestrins (A-C), compounds with a remarkable cytotoxic and antitumor action. Therefore, the C. sylvestris shrub holds a known worldwide pharmacological arsenal by its extensive folk utilization, exciting searches for new molecules and a better comprehension about biological properties.     

The effect of essential oils on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using a dressing model

Patchouli, tea tree, geranium, lavender essential oils and Citricidal™ (grapefruit seed extract) were used singly and in combination to assess their anti-bacterial activity against three strains of Staphylococcus aureus: Oxford S. aureus NCTC 6571 (Oxford strain), Epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus (EMRSA 15) and MRSA (untypable). The individual essential oils, extracts and combinations were impregnated into filter paper discs and placed on the surface of agar plates, pre-seeded with the appropriate strain of Staphylococcus. The effects of the vapours of the oils and oil combinations were also assessed using impregnated filter paper discs that were placed on the underside of the Petri dish lid at a distance of 8 mm from the bacteria. The most inhibitory combinations of oils for each strain were used in a dressing model constructed using a four layers of dressings: the primary layer consisted of either Jelonet™ or TelfaClear™ with or without Flamazine™; the second was a layer of gauze, the third a layer of Gamgee and the final layer was Crepe bandage. The oil combinations were placed in either the gauze or the Gamgee layer. This four-layered dressing was placed over the seeded agar plate, incubated for 24 h at 37 °C and the zones of inhibition measured. All experiments were repeated on three separate occasions. No anti-bacterial effects were observed when Flamazine™ was smeared on the gauze in the dressing model. When Telfaclear™ was used as the primary layer in the dressing model compared to Jelonet™, greater zones of inhibition were observed. A combination of Citricidal™ and geranium oil showed the greatest-anti-bacterial effects against MRSA, whilst a combination of geranium and tea tree oil was most active against the methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (Oxford strain). This study demonstrates the potential of essential oils and essential oil vapours as antibacterial agents and for use in the treatment of MRSA infection.     

The influence of diazepam on the dosage of muscel-relaxants during anaesthesia.

The literature on anaesthesiological studies performed to investigate a possible sparing effect of diazepam on the dosage of muscle-relaxants during anaesthesia is reviewed. Despite some conflicting results it can be concluded that diazepam exerts such an effect, thus allowing between 8 and 30% of the amounts of muscle-relaxants, depending on the type of anesthesia used, to be spared. This conclusion is also supported by the results of pharmacological studies in animals, using the head drop method. The mechanism of this effect is discussed on the basis of the relevant published pharmacological evidence from "in vitro" studies and from both animal and human "in vivo" studies. From these reports it is concluded that diazepam, at therapeutic doses, does not act on neuromuscular transmission and that this sparing effect does not result from direct pharmacological interaction with neuromuscular blocking agents. Some studies indicate a minimal action of the product on the skeletal muscle fibre, but this also is not related to the sparing effect. It is furthermore concluded that his sparing effect of diazepam on the dosage of muscle-relaxants during anesthesia is due to a summation of muscle-relaxant actions exerted at different levels of the nervous system, those of diazepam being mainly exerted at the spinal and brainstem level and consisting in inhibition of polysynaptic reflex activity, enhancement of presynaptic inhibition, and depression of gamma-motoneuron activity.     

Two US practitioners' experience of using essential oils for wound care

Though essential oils are a proven antiseptic, little work has investigated their use on chronic wounds. This article describes the progress and problems of a small study of five patients, who were treated with lavender and chamomile essential oils.     

GC-MS法测定熏衣草精油的化学成分

利用超临界CO2萃取技术和水蒸气蒸馏法提取熏衣草精油，用GC-MS技术对其进行化学成分分析，分别鉴定出34种和29种化合物，占出峰物质总数的95．5l％和98．39％．两种精油成分主要区别在于乙酸薰衣草酯和乙酸芳樟酯的质量分数相差较大，且第五个主成分不同，分别为异丁酸叶醇酯和α-松油醇。     

Effect of monoterpenes on the formation and activation of osteoclasts in vitro.

Monoterpenes, present in aromatic plants, are known to inhibit bone resorption in vivo. In this in vitro study, they inhibited the activation of osteoclasts only at high concentrations but inhibited the formation at much lower concentrations. Therefore, monoterpenes may act in vivo directly on osteoclastogenesis. INTRODUCTION: Monoterpenes are the major components of essential oils, which are formed in many plants. Typically, they are found in herbs and certain fruits. When fed to rats, they inhibit bone resorption by an unknown mechanism. In this study, their effect on the activity and formation of osteoclasts in vitro was studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of monoterpenes on the development of osteoclasts was studied in co-cultures of bone marrow cells and osteoblasts and in cultures of spleen cells grown with colony stimulating factor (CSF)-1 and RANKL. In cultures of primary osteoblasts, alkaline phosphatase activity and levels of mRNA encoding RANKL and osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNA (RT-PCR), and in osteoblast and spleen cell cultures, lactate dehydrogenase activity, a measure of toxicity, were determined. The activity of isolated rat osteoclasts was determined by counting the osteoclasts with actin rings using histofluorometry. RESULTS: The monoterpenes inhibited the formation of osteoclasts more strongly in co-cultures (> or = 1 microM) than in cultures of spleen cells (> or = 10 microM). They had a minor effect on osteoblasts. Toxic effects were not observed. The inhibition of the formation of osteoclasts was not reversed by the addition of farnesol and geranylgeraniol, excluding an effect of the monoterpenes through the mevalonate pathway. A high concentration of 1 mM was required to inhibit the activation of osteoclasts. This effect, shown for menthol and borneol, was reversible. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the monoterpenes inhibit bone resorption in vivo through a direct effect on the formation of osteoclasts acting mainly on the hemopoietic cells.     

Sperm aggregation by water extracts from two Bursera species

Some plants have more than the common utility value, as is the case of some members of the Bursera species such as the Mexican copal, a plant used for worship. Water extracts of several plants have vaginal contraceptive properties. The authors evaluated the sperm agglutinating activity of two Bursera species on human and boar sperm. Extracts from stems and leaves were obtained. Capacitated sperm samples were used in all cases. There were different agglutinating capacities, which were not observed in the vehicle-only samples. The most frequent sperm agglutination response was that involving the heads. Agglutinating activity was higher from stem- than leaf-derived extracts. The results indicate that proteins present in the extracts are responsible for the aggregation of sperm heads.     

Influence of tides and winds on fishing techniques and strategies in the Mamanguape River Estuary, Paraíba State, NE Brazil

This work was carried out in two small fishing communities, Barra de Mamanguape and Tramataia, Northeastern Brazil. The aim was to study these traditional fishermen's knowledge and perception about tide and wind classifications, as well as their fishing strategies and techniques. Our research methodology involved various techniques: free interviews and semi-structured ones, guided tours and direct observations. The results obtained show the fishermen's classification of the tides according to the phases of the moon: 'breaking tide', 'flushing tide', 'dead tide' and 'big tide' designated technically these last as neap tide and spring tide, respectively. Wind is also an essential factor for the fishermen to make successful catches, and they classify it according to direction: North, South, East, Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest. The data show that fishermen's knowledge can also be useful in devising plans for management and conservation studies for this estuary.     

Molecular identification of the renal H+,K+-ATPases.

The pharmacological properties of H+,K+-ATPase activity described in the kidney were not necessarily consistent with the properties of the well-characterized gastric H+,K+-ATPase. Recent molecular biology experiments suggest that renal H+,K+-ATPase activity may be the product of several closely related P-type ATPases. At least 3 different pumps containing the HKalpha1, HKalpha2a, and HKalpha2c subunits have been detected in rabbit kidney. The current view is that these HKalpha subunits arose through gene duplication early in evolution and the proteins evolved their differing activities over time. The HKbeta protein associates with HKalpha1 in gastric tissues and is the likely mate for the HKalpha1 subunit in renal tissues. Three distinct beta subunits have been implicated as possible partners for the HKalpha2 subunits, but it remains to be determined which beta subunit predominantly associates with the HKalpha2 subunits in vivo. Sequence analysis suggests the beta subunit was constrained by size and shape of the protein rather than specific amino acid content during the course of evolution. Multiple H+,K+-ATPases in the kidney may be an important adaptation providing redundancy for the essential physiological function of maintaining ionic balance.