Effect of cytokinins on in vitro multiplication, volatiles composition and rosmarinic acid content of Thymus leucotrichus Hal. shoots

An efficient in vitro multiplication protocol was designed to Thymus leucotrichus, a subshrub and perennial herb growing naturally in the Northwest of Turkey. Of all basal media studied, Murashige and Skoog medium was found to be superior to the others, providing higher shoot formation and the maximum shoot length. Varying concentrations of cytokinins, i.e., 6-benzyladenine, thidiazuron, 2-isopentenyladenine and kinetin were supplemented in the nutrient media to observe their effects on shoot development and biomass. Rosmarinic acid content and volatile compositions of both naturally growing plants and in vitro multiplied plantlets were also evaluated. 6-benzyladenine (1.0 mg/L) and kinetin (0.5 mg/L) were found to be optimum for shoot number and shoot elongation, respectively. Thidiazuron (1.0 mg/L) was superior for biomass production. Rosmarinic acid content of in vitro multiplied plants was found to be higher than that of wild plants, reaching a maximum with 0.5 mg/L 2-isopentenyladenine, which yielded 10.15 mg/g dry weight. The highest thymol content was obtained with 1.0 mg/L kinetin (55.82%), while thidiazuron (0.1 mg/L) increased carvacrol production (12.53%). Overall, Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L kinetin was determined to be the most favorable medium studied.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of New Phthalocyanine Complexes and Electrochemical and Spectroelectrochemical Behaviour of Cobaltphthalocyanine

A novel phthalocyanine bearing oxygen donor atoms on the peripheral positions has been synthesised by cyclotetramerisation of ( E)-4-(4-cinnamoylphenoxy) phthalonitrile and its nickel, zinc, cobalt, copper and lead derivatives prepared. The thermal stabilities of the phthalocyanine compounds have been determined and their possible biological activities (antibacterial, anticandidal and antifungal) studied. The effects of substituent on the electrochemical and in situ spectroelectrochemical behaviour of cobaltphthalocyanine have been investigated and an in situ electrocolorimetric method was applied to investigate the colour of the electrogenerated anionic and cationic forms of the complex.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract of Hippomarathrum microcarpum (Bieb.) from Turkey

Hippomarathrum microcarpum grows wild in eastern Anatolia, Turkey, and is a plant utilized as food by people. In this study, the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract from H. microcarpum and its essential oil composition were investigated. The essential oil, which has bornyl acetate, caryophyllene oxide, and beta-caryophyllene as its main components, exhibited activity against eight bacteria, nine fungi, and a yeast, Candida albicans, with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 62.50 to 125 muL/mL; the methanol extract showed weak activity. The antioxidant activity of these extracts was assessed by the beta-carotene bleaching test and the 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test. The inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation was very weak for both extracts tested. The inhibition percentages were found to be 22.9 and 33.5% for methanol and essential oil, respectively, at the concentration of 2 g/L. The oil scavenged DPPH at higher concentrations (IC50 = 10.69 +/- 0.05 mg/mL), but the methanol extract exhibited no activity. The total phenolic content of the methanol extract was found to be 4.7 +/- 0.1%.

[Can garlic (Allium sativum) extract be used as scolocidal agent?]

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been used in the public health in some of treatments for years. The most important chemical compounds of garlic are sulphide (alisin, ajoen and diallysulphure) compounds. Allisin is described as antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic and anticarsinogenic agent and many works practice on it. But its antiscolocidal effect has not been worked yet. In our work, whether garlic extract has effects both direct and daughter vesicules to protoscolex is searched. In the study during the surgery daughter vesicules and protoscolex which are acquired from liver cyst hydatique and extracts which obtained from garlic grown in the Kastamonu region are used. Viability determination is work at using 0.1% eozin solution. In 50% mg/ml concentration garlic extract to protoscolex' in 15 minutes, in 25% mg/ml concentration 20. minutes and 12.5% mg/ml concentration in 30 minutes have full effect. While it has full effect in 20. minutes to protoscolex into the vesicules within the 50% mg/ml 12.5 mg/ml concentration, there has been 80% viability in 40 minutes.

Thein vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts ofAchillea biebersteini Afan.(Asteraceae)

The essential oil and methanol extracts from A. biebersteinii Afan. (Asteraceae) were evaluated for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in vitro. The oil showed stronger antimicrobial activity than the extracts. Their antioxidant features were also evaluated using diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), inhibition of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals and inhibition of the lipid peroxidation assays. Particularly, polar subfraction of the methanol extract showed antioxidant activity. The GC-MS analysis of the oil has resulted in the identification of 23 components; piperitone, eucalyptol, camphor, chrysanthenone and borneol were the main components. Antimicrobial activity tests carried out with the fractions of the oil showed that the activity was mainly observed in those containing eucalyptol and camphor, in particular, followed by borneol and piperitone.

In vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oils and various extracts of Thymus eigii M. Zohary et P.H. Davis

This study was designed to examine the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and various extracts obtained from aerial parts of Thymus eigii. The essential oil was particularly found to possess stronger antimicrobial activity, whereas other nonpolar extracts and subfractions showed moderate activity and polar extracts remained almost inactive. GC-MS analysis of the oil resulted in the identification of 39 compounds, representing 93.7% of the oil; thymol (30.6%), carvacrol (26.1%), and p-cymene (13.0%) were the main components. The samples were also subjected to a screening for their possible antioxidant activity by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and beta-carotene-linoleic acid assays. In the former case, the polar subfraction of the methanol extract was found to be superior to all extracts tested, only 16.8 microg/mL of which provided 50% inhibition, whereas all extracts, particularly the polar ones, seem to inhibit the oxidation of linoleic acid in the latter case. These data were further supported by total phenolics analysis, indicating that the antioxidative potential of the extracts was closely related to their phenolic constituents.

Effects of Rhus coriaria L (Anacardiaceae) on lipid peroxidation and free radical scavenging activity

In order to evaluate the antioxidant potential of Rhus coriaria L. (Anacardiaceae), a well-known spice, the methanolic extract (water-soluble part) was prepared and investigated using free radical-generating systems in vitro. The IC(50) value of the extract for lipid peroxidation was estimated as 1200 microg/mL in the Fe(+2)-ascorbate system while those for superoxide-scavenging activity in the xanthine-xanthine oxidase method and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity in the deoxyribose decomposition method were 282.92 microg/mL and 3850 microg/mL, respectively. These data suggest that the methanolic extracts of Rhus coriaria L. fruits have considerable antioxidant activity against free radicals and lipid peroxidation in vitro, a fact that may encourage in vivo studies.

Antimicrobial activity of essential oil and methanol extracts ofAchillea sintenisiiHub. Mor. (Asteraceae)

The essential oil, obtained by Clevenger distillation, and water-soluble and water-insoluble parts of the methanol extracts of Achillea sintenisii Hub. Mor. were individually assayed for their antimicrobial activities against 12 bacteria and two yeasts, Candida albicans and C. krusei. No activity was exhibited by the water-soluble subfraction, whereas both the water-insoluble subfraction of the methanol extracts and the essential oil were found to be active against some test microorganisms studied. Since the essential oil possessed stronger activity than the other extracts tested, it was further fractionated and the fractions were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity, followed by GC-MS analysis, resulting in the identification of 32 compounds which constituted 90.2% of the total oil. The GC-MS analysis of the oil and its fractions revealed that the main components of the oil, e.g. camphor and eucalyptol, possessed appreciable activity against C. albicans and Clostridium perfringens. The fi ndings presented here also suggest that the other constituents of the oil, e.g. borneol and piperitone can also be taken into account for the activity observed.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. (Asteraceae)

The in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. (Asteraceae) were investigated. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 36 compounds constituting 90.8% of the total oil. Eucalyptol, camphor, alpha-terpineol, beta-pinene, and borneol were the principal components comprising 60.7% of the oil. The oil strongly reduced the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (IC(50)=1.56 micro g/ml) and exhibited hydroxyl radical scavenging effect in the Fe(3+)-EDTA-H(2)O(2) deoxyribose system (IC(50)=2.7 micro g/ml). It also inhibited the nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation of rat liver homogenate (IC(50)=13.5 micro g/ml). The polar phase of the extract showed antioxidant activity. The oil showed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium perfringens, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Candida krusei while water-insoluble parts of the methanolic extracts exhibited slight or no activity. This study confirms that the essential oil of Achillea millefolium possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in vitro.

In vitro antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts of herbal parts and callus cultures of Satureja hortensis L

The present study was designated to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil, obtained by using a Clevenger distillation apparatus, water soluble (polar) and water insoluble (nonpolar) subfractions of the methanol extracts from aerial parts of Satureja hortensis L. plants, and methanol extract from calli established from the seeds using Gamborg's B5 basal media supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (1.0 ppm), 6-benzylaminopurine (N(6)-benzyladenine) (1.0 ppm), and sucrose (2.5%). The antimicrobial test results showed that the essential oil of S. hortensis had great potential antimicrobial activities against all 23 bacteria and 15 fungi and yeast species tested. In contrast, the methanol extract from callus cultures and water soluble subfraction of the methanol extract did not show antimicrobial activities, but the nonpolar subfraction had antibacterial activity against only five out of 23 bacterial species, which were Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus fecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Antioxidant studies suggested that the polar subfractions of the methanol extract of intact plant and methanol extract of callus cultures were able to reduce the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl to the yellow-colored diphenylpicrylhydrazine. In this assay, the strongest effect was observed for the tissue culture extract, with an IC(50) value of 23.76 +/- 0.80 microgram/mL, which could be compared with the synthetic antioxidant agent butylated hydroxytoluene. On the other hand, linoleic acid oxidation was 95% inhibited in the presence of the essential oil while the inhibition was 90% with the chloroform subfraction of the intact plant. The chemical composition of a hydrodistilled essential oil of S. hortensis was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)/flame ionization detection (FID) and a GC-mass spectrometry system. A total 22 constituents representing 99.9% of the essential oil were identified by GC-FID analaysis. Thymol (29.0%), carvacrol (26.5%), gamma-terpinene (22.6%), and p-cymene (9.3%) were the main components.

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Thymus pectinatus Fisch. et Mey. Var. pectinatus (Lamiaceae)

The essential oil, obtained by using a Clevenger distillation apparatus, and water-soluble (polar) and water-insoluble (nonpolar) subfractions of the methanol extract of Thymus pectinatus Fisch. et Mey. var. pectinatus were assayed for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. No (or slight) antimicrobial activity was observed when the subfractions were tested, whereas the essential oil showed strong antimicrobial activity against all microorganisms tested. Antioxidant activities of the polar subfraction and the essential oil were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl radical, superoxide radical scavenging, and lipid peroxidation assays. The essential oil, in particular, and the polar subfraction of the methanol extract showed antioxidant activity. The essential oil was analyzed by GC/MS, and 24 compounds, representing 99.6% of the essential oil, were identified: thymol, gamma-terpinene, p-cymene, carvacrol, and borneol were the main components. An antimicrobial activity test carried out with fractions of the essential oil showed that the activity was mainly observed in those fractions containing thymol, in particular, and carvacrol. The activity was, therefore, attributed to the presence of these compounds. Other constituents of the essential oil, such as borneol, gamma-terpinene, and p-cymene, could be also taken into account for their possible synergistic or antagonistic effects. On the other hand, thymol and carvacrol were individually found to possess weaker antioxidant activity than the crude oil itself, indicating that other constituents of the essential oil may contribute to the antioxidant activity observed. In conclusion, the results presented here show that T. pectinatus essential oil could be considered as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant source.

Compositions and the in vitro antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of Achillea setacea and Achillea teretifolia (Compositae)

GC-MS analysis of the isolated essential oils from air-dried aerial parts of Achillea setacea and Achillea teretifolia, an endemic taxon, resulted in the identification of 51 constituents (79.8% of the total oil) and 42 constituents (87.1% of the total oil), respectively. Eucalyptol (1,8-cineole) was the major constituent of both oils studied (18.5 and 19.9%, respectively). The antimicrobial activities of the essential oils were individually evaluated against 14 microorganisms. Both oils exhibited inhibitory effects on Clostridium perfringens, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Candida albicans with a range of minimum inhibitory concentration values extended from 0.28 to 2.25 mg/ml. Camphor and their derivatives, borneol, terpinen-4-ol and eucalyptol (1,8-cineol) can be considered as the main antimicrobial constituents of the oils studied.

Clinical risk factors for fatal diarrhea in hospitalized children

It is important to determine the specific factors for diarrheal deaths in infants & young children to enable the intervention and reduce the mortality rates. This study aimed to identify these factors in children under five years of age, hospitalized with diarrheal complaints. Four hundred diarrheal children were included in the study. Twenty-seven (6.75%) of them died and 373 (93.25%) survived. The nutritional status of the patients was determined using weight for height for age as percentage of Harward Standard. It was found that severe malnutrition (p = 0.000 for weight for height ration < 70% and p = 0.036 for height for age < 85%), co-existent sepsis (p = 0.000), shigella infection (p = 0.0014), hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.0000), hypoglycemia (p = 0.0002), hyponatremia (p = 0.016), hypokalemia (p = 0.0041) and metabolic acidosis (p = 0.0069 for pH < 7.35 and p = 0.000 for HCO3 < 20 moL/l) were significant risk factors for diarrheal deaths in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, young age (under 6 months of age) ¿Odds ratio (OR) 10.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.75, 62.75)¿, moderate or severe dehydration (OR 8.17, 95% CI 1.53, 43.67), severe malnutrition (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.00, 0.22 of weight for height < 70% and OR 0.03, 95% CI 0.00, 0.36 for height for age < 85%), co-existent sepsis (OR 37.26, 95% CI 6.94, 200.06), shigella infection (OR 23.01, 95% CI 3.08, 171.98), hypoalbuminemia (OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.02, 0.54), metabolic acidosis (OR 0.03, 95% CI 0.00, 0.33 of HCO3 < 20 mMol/L) were significant risk factors. It is concluded that, in addition to electrolyte and fluid treatments, prevention of malnutrition, continuation of feeding which lessens weight loss and may prevent fatal hypoglycemia, and early detection and treatment of probable sepsis are important in reducing diarrheal deaths.