Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of the essential oil of Pimenta dioica leaves

In this study, we investigated the main constituent, the predominant class and biological activity of the essential oil extracted from the leaves of Pimenta dioica and the pattern of the major constituent against larvae in the third stage of Aedes aegypti. For this reason, we extracted the oil by hydrodistillation, identified its components by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and calculated the lethal concentration (LC50) of the larvicidal activity using the Reed-Muench method. The results show that the oil consists mainly of eugenol, in which the phenylpropanoid class predominated and the lethal concentration, LC50, was 38.86 μg mL-1at a confidence level of 2.25 μg mL-1, while the eugenol standard presented LC5079.75 μg mL-1at a confidence level of 2.10 μg mL-1. Given the facts, we conclude that the oil is more active than the standard and that it has the potential to replace chemical larvicides.

Methods Used to Investigate the Plasmodium falciparum Digestive Vacuole

Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a global health problem as parasites continue to develop resistance to all antimalarials in use. Infection causes clinical symptoms during the intra-erythrocytic stage of the lifecycle where the parasite infects and replicates within red blood cells (RBC). During this stage, P. falciparum digests the main constituent of the RBC, hemoglobin, in a specialized acidic compartment termed the digestive vacuole (DV), a process essential for survival. Many therapeutics in use target one or multiple aspects of the DV, with chloroquine and its derivatives, as well as artemisinin, having mechanisms of action within this organelle. In order to better understand how current therapeutics and those under development target DV processes, techniques used to investigate the DV are paramount. This review outlines the involvement of the DV in therapeutics currently in use and focuses on the range of techniques that are currently utilized to study this organelle including microscopy, biochemical analysis, genetic approaches and metabolomic studies. Importantly, continued development and application of these techniques will aid in our understanding of the DV and in the development of new therapeutics or therapeutic partners for the future.

Albanian Myths and Custom Law in Literature

Mythology plays a very important role in the general culture of the Albanian people, and the influence of the latter is undoubtedly seen in the later literature, developed in different historical periods, while mythology is taken as an important basis for a series of canons both in a structural manner as well as with the inclusion of a number of literary figures. Albanian mythology consists of a complete and diverse catalog of cults and beliefs which together have developed into a rich treasure which from time to time has inspired later Albanian writers, from the Middle Ages to modern ones. This article serves as pamphlet which explains the Albanian mythology in bold lines, including the main constituent elements of this mythology, the impact that this mythology has had on the daily customary life of the Albanian people, as well as the inevitable impact that the latter has had on the literature of the country.

Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils Of Salvia Spp. Leaves

The chemical composition of the hydrodistilled essential oils of four Salvia spp. were analysed by GCMS. Three of them (Salvia aramiensis Rech. fil., Salvia fruticosa Mill., Salvia tomentosa Mill.) analyzed in this study grow naturally in the Hatay flora. On the other hand, S. aramiensis is an endemic plant in Hatay flora. Fourth species (Salvia officinalis L.) is not growing in the flora of Turkey, but is only cultivated. The highest essential oil content (5.31%) was found in S. aramiensis and the least 1.68% was detected in S. officinalis. Eucalyptol was the main constituent for S. aramiensis, S. fruticosa and S. tomentosa. While this component was 58.65% in S. aramiensis, it was determined as 44.70 and 34.97% in S. tomentosa and S. fruticosa, respectively. In S. officinalis, the main constituent was determined as δ-Thujone (33.83%) and camphor (21.46%). Eucalyptol has been identified as the main composition in sage species which is grown in flora. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(4): 1173-1180, 2021 (December)

Action of the natural compound esculetin on Ca2+ movement and survival in prostate cancer cells

Esculetin is derived from coumarin and is shown to be the main constituent of the Chinese herb Cortex Fraxini. The molecular paths underlying the action of esculetin are intensively studied. The outcome of esculetin on Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in prostate cells is unexplored. Fura-2 was used to detect Ca2+ changes. Death was assessed by using WST-1. At doses of 25-100 mM, esculetin evoked [Ca2+]i raises. This signal was lessened by 15% by exclusion of Ca2+. Esculetin (100 μM) induced Mn2+ entry that implied Ca2+ influx. Esculetin-evoked Ca2+ influx was curbed by 50% by nifedipine (1 mM), econazole (0.5 mM) and SKF96365 (5 mM); phorbol 12-myristate 13 acetate (PMA; 1 nM; a protein kinase C [PKC] activator); and GF109203X (2 mM; a PKC inhibitor. In the absence of Ca2+, pretreatment with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ pump inhibitor thapsigargin (1 mM) eradicated esculetin-induced [Ca2+]i raises. U73122, a phospholipase C (PLC) suppressor got rid of esculetin-caused [Ca2+]i rises. Esculetin (20-70 mM) evoked death which was not restrained by treatment with the Ca2+ binder BAPTA/AM. In summary, in PC3 cells, esculetin stimulated [Ca2+]i raises by Ca2+ influx through PKC-sensitive store-operated Ca2+ entry and PLC-associated ER Ca2+ discharging. Esculetin provoked Ca2+-independent cell death.

ANALYSIS OF THE MARKET FOR ANTIGLAUCO-MA DRUGS IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Ассортимент фармацевтической продукции представляет собой большую непрерывно обновляемую структуру, являющейся одной из основных составных фрагментов системы здравоохранения каждого государства. В свою очередь, маркетинговый анализ противоглаукомных препаратов показывает состояние фармацевтического рынка препаратов, применяемых для лечения глаукомы, на исследуемый момент, что позволяет оценить дальнейшие перспективы развития и расширения рынка. The range of pharmaceutical products is a large continuously updated structure, which is one of the main constituent parts of the health care system of each state. In turn, the marketing analysis of antiglaucoma drugs shows the state of the pharmaceutical market for drugs used for the treatment of glaucoma at the moment under study, which makes it possible to assess further prospects for the development and expansion of the market.

Essential Oils from Bolivia. XV. Herzogole, an Original Monoterpene Benzodioxole from an Essential Oil from Pentacalia herzogii (Cabrera) Cuatrec

Over 15 years, with the support of a Canadian funding agency, the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, in Bolivia, undertook a large survey of aromatic plants of the South American country. More than a hundred species were studied under various aspects, including the production and characterization of essential oils. As part of this survey, the chemical composition of an essential oil sample obtained from Pentacalia herzogii (Asteraceae) growing wild in the High Valley region of the department of Cochabamba was determined by a combination of GC and GC-MS measurements. α-Pinene was the main constituent of this essential oil (34%), accompanied by limonene (22%) and germacrene D (7.5%) as well as an important fraction of methoxylated monoterpenoids. They were mainly isomers of thymol methyl ether, accounting for 13% of the chromatogram. A new quantitatively important compound (9%) was identified through NMR and chemical synthesis as 4-isopropyl-6-methylbenzo[d][1,3]dioxole, and designated herzogole, alongside the minor related compound 1-isopropyl-2,3-dimethoxy-5-methylbenzene. The monoterpene benzodioxole featured a distinctive green-phenolic aroma which could raise interest for fragrance use. Since these compounds were not known naturally, a biosynthetic mechanism of their formation was proposed and put in perspective to illustrate the metabolic originality of P. herzogii.

Volatile Composition and Biological Activity of Jordanian Commercial Samples of R. coriaria L. Fruits

The present paper reports the GC-HS-SPME analysis of volatile emission and GC-MS analysis of chemical composition of essential oil of R. coriaria fruits of eight different samples of R. coriaria L. fruits (“sumac” folk name), collected from Jordanian agricultural field and the local market. The analyses show an important variability among the Sumac samples probably due to the origin, cultivation, harvesting period, drying, and conservation of the plant material. The main class of component present in all samples was monoterpenes (43.1 to 72.9%), except for one sample which evidenced a high percentage of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (38.5%). The oxygenated monoterpenes provided a contribution to total class of monoterpenes ranging from 10.1 to 24.3%. A few samples were rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons. Regarding the single components present in all the volatile emissions, β-caryophyllene was the main compound in most of the analyzed samples, varying from 34.6% to 7.9%. Only two samples were characterized by α-pinene as the main constituent (42.2 and 40.8% respectively). Essential oils were collected using hydro-distillation method. Furfural was the main constituent in almost all the analyzed EOs (4.9 to 48.1%), except in one of them, where β-caryophyllene was the most abundant one. β-caryophyllene ranged from 1.2 to 10.6%. Oxygenated monoterpenes like carvone and carvacrol ranged from 3.2–9.1% and 1.0–7.7% respectively. Cembrene was present in good amount in EO samples EO-2 to EO-8. The antioxidant capacities of the fruit essential oils from R. coriaria were assessed using spectrophotometry to measure free radical scavenger 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching (BCB). The essential oils from the fruits of the different samples of R. coriaria exhibited the MIC value ranging from 32.8 to 131.25 µg/mL against S. aureus ATCC 6538 and 131.25 to 262.5 µg/mL against E. coli ATCC 8739. The MIC values of ciprofloxacin were 0.59 and 2.34 µg/mL against S. aureus ATCC 6538 and E. coli ATCC 8739, respectively.