Evaluation of antioxidant and cytoprotective activities of <it>Arnica montana</it> L. and <it>Artemisia absinthium</it> L. ethanolic extracts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Arnica montana</it> L. and <it>Artemisia absinthium</it> L. (Asteraceae) are medicinal plants native to temperate regions of Europe, including Romania, traditionally used for treatment of skin wounds, bruises and contusions. In the present study, <it>A. montana</it> and <it>A. absinthium</it> ethanolic extracts were evaluated for their chemical composition, antioxidant activity and protective effect against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in a mouse fibroblast-like NCTC cell line.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>A. absinthium</it> extract showed a higher antioxidant capacity than <it>A. montana</it> extract as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, Oxygen radical absorbance capacity and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical-scavenging activity, in correlation with its flavonoids and phenolic acids content. Both plant extracts had significant effects on the growth of NCTC cells in the range of 10–100 mg/L <it>A. montana</it> and 10–500 mg/L <it>A. absinthium</it>. They also protected fibroblast cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage, at the same doses. The best protection was observed in cell pre-treatment with 10 mg/L <it>A. montana</it> and 10–300 mg/L <it>A. absinthium</it>, respectively, as determined by Neutral red and lactate dehydrogenase assays. In addition, cell pre-treatment with plant extracts, at these concentrations, prevented morphological changes induced by hydrogen peroxide. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that pre-treatment with <it>A. montana</it> and <it>A. absinthium</it> extracts restored the proportion of cells in each phase of the cell cycle.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>A. montana</it> and <it>A. absinthium</it> extracts, rich in flavonoids and phenolic acids, showed a good antioxidant activity and cytoprotective effect against oxidative damage in fibroblast-like cells. These results provide scientific support for the traditional use of <it>A. montana</it> and <it>A. absinthium</it> in treatment of skin disorders.</p

Analysis of travel time and mode choice shift for non-work stops in commuting: case study of Beijing, China

This paper investigates travel time attributed to non-work stops in multi-purpose commuting trips. Travel time is explained by socio-demographics and spatial attributes, mode shift is also included to analyze the extra travel time, and its trade-off with activity time for four types of non-work stops—eating out, shopping, leisure/social activities, and family/personal/other. Data come from the “Daily Activity and Travel Survey of Beijing 2012”. Descriptive analysis shows that almost 20% of the multi-purpose commuting trips include a mode shift toward a more motorized transport mode than their direct counterparts. Regression results indicate that extra travel time due to detours is significantly related to the activity durations. Regardless of the activity type, longer work duration reduces the travel time. Furthermore, the interaction terms between personal/trip/spatial factors and activities durations show the impacts differ across the activity types. Gender difference is found only for eating out, which suggests that male commuters travel longer for the same amount of activity time. Concerning spatial factors, a greater mix of facilities near workplaces helps to reduce the extra travel time invested for a time unit of shopping and family/personal/other activities. Compared with public transit users, active mode users have shorter travel time for eating out. Timing, work duration and commuting duration as time-budget-related variables show negative impacts on the extra travel time for eating-out, shopping and family/personal/other activities. However, mode shift does not show any significant impact as the hypothesis proposed. Instead of rebalancing the trade-off between travel and activity time, commuters may relocate activity with an expanded opportunity choice set given by a higher mobility level