The Antimicrobial Activity of Aliquidambar orientalis mill. Against Food Pathogens and Antioxidant Capacity of Leaf Extracts

Background: Medicinal plants are an important source of substances which are claimed to induce antimicrobial, antimutagenic and antioxidanteffects. Many plants have been used due to their antimicrobial treatments. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of L. orientalis have not beenreported to the present day. The aim of this work was to investigate of the antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of different extracts from L.orientalis.Materials and Methods: The extracts were screened for antimicrobial activity against different food pathogens. These bacteria include 4 Grampositive and 3 Gram negative bacteria and one fungi. The leaf extracts of plant were tested by disc diffusion assay. The MIC was evaluated onplant extracts as antimicrobial activity. In addition to, the plant extracts were tested against the stable DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazylhydrate) free-radical.Results: The acetone, ethanol and methanol extracts of L. orientalis showed maximum inhibition zone of 12 mm against Yersinia enterocolitica,Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition to, the methanol extract displayed a strong antioxidant activity (trolox equivalent= 2.23 mM).Conclusion: L. orientalis extracts have antimicrobial, and antioxidant potential. Our results support the use of this plant in traditional medicineand suggest that some of the plant extracts possess compounds with good antibacterial properties that can be used as antibacterial agents in thesearch for new drugs.Key words: Antimicrobial activity; Antioxidant activity; L. orientalis

An overview of the medicinal plants of Turkey

Plant species have different uses in different countries as well as different areas of the same country (Farnsworth and Soejarto 1991; Plotkin 2000; Hamilton 2004; Halberstein 2005). The relationship between humans and plants has existed since the existence of human beings, and the earliest documented record dates from the Paleolithic age (50,000 BC); plants were found in the grave of a Neanderthal man in the southern part of Hakkari (far southeast edge of Turkey) (Baytop 1984, 1999). © 2012 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

COMPOSITIONAL CHANGES OF MAJOR CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS IN GREEK CAROB PODS DURING DEVELOPMENT

WOS: 000314400800003Because of the strong association with health benefits of some chemical compounds contained in carob fruit the composition of chemical substances of two common type carob pods (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and their changes during fruit developing in two periods of harvesting were reported. Samples were originated from a site near Rethymno, Crete Island, at an altitude of 100 m above the sea level. The moisture content determined through sample's drying in 70 degrees C under vacuum, sugars by HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography), total polyphenols by ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) and fatty acids by gas chromatography (GC) in the fleshy and wild types were determined at three stages of development. Principal sugars found were glucose, fructose and sucrose. The predominant fatty acid was linoleic acid (n-6) followed by oleic, palmitic and then linolenic (n-3) fatty acids. The total unsaturated fatty acids content was two times higher than the content of total saturated fatty acids in fully-developed carob pod. The ratio n-6/n-3 was under 5, showing a good equilibrium between the two essential fatty acids. The fully developed fruits of both varieties revealed lower contents of polyphenols, proteins and sugars compared with their previous growth stages. The fleshy carob pods exceed the wild variety in concentration of proteins, sugars and fatty acids, while the wild variety exceeds the fleshy in polyphenols concentration

PHOTOSYNTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CAROB TREE (CERATONIA SILIQUA L.) AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ITS FRUIT ON DIURNAL AND SEASONAL BASIS

WOS: 000311185700030The photosynthetic capacity of carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and the quality indices of the fruits growing under natural conditions, at Athens and Rethymno in Greece, were measured on diurnal and seasonal basis. The highest photosynthesis is observed during May compared to June and October, which is correlated well with the high developmental rates, the optimal temperatures and water availability. C. siliqua growing at Athens site attained higher photosynthesis parameters than trees growing in Rethymno. The decline of CO2 assimilation rate during the hot and dry season was rather a non-stomatal effect, since it is not accompanied by low stomatal conductance. Photoinhibition damage during June with concomitant reduction in electron transport rate in Photosystem 2 and Photosystem I may occur. Despite the low soil water and the extremely high air temperatures during the June, carob showed an important capacity to control water loss (A/gs). The total sugar content significantly increases with seasonal changes and reaches its highest value in October when pods are fully ripe, while polyphenols and proteins gradually decrease. The climatic conditions prevailing in the Mediterranean basin do not threaten the survival of C. siliqua.GSRTGreek Ministry of Development-GSRT; TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)This work was done with the support from the GSRT and TUBITAK in the frame of Bilateral S&T Cooperation between Greece and Turkey

Investigation of gate material ductility enables flexible a-IGZO TFTs bendable to a radius of 1.7 mm

TFTs on flexible plastic foils have the potential to enable new applications like electronic skins or smart textiles. Due to the temperature sensitivity of plastic substrates, amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) is a promising semiconductor since it provides a carrier mobility ≥10 cm2/Vs when deposited at room temperature. Therefore, a-IGZO TFTs have significantly increased electrical performance compared to organic TFTs, but also suffer from a decreased bendability. Here, focused ion beam (FIB) images are used to identify the gate metal as the dominant factor for the formation of cracks in bent a-IGZO TFTs. Flexible a-IGZO TFTs using a high-k Al2O 3 gate dielectric and different gate contact materials (Cr, Pt, Ti, or Cu) exhibit a similar effective mobility μFE, threshold voltage VTH, and on-off current ratio of: ≈15 cm2/Vs, ≈1 V, and ≥109. Simultaneously, bending experiments confirmed that their bendability depends on the ductility of the gate material. These findings are used to identify Cu as suitable gate material, and to fabricate a-IGZO TFTs on free-standing plastic foil which can be operated at a bending radius of 1.7 mm (1.55% strain), whereas bending shifts μFE and VTH only by + 2%, and - 6 mV. © 2013 IEEE

Effect of bowel resection and high-fat diet on heart CD36/fatty-acid translocase expression in a rat model of short-bowel syndrome

Long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) are the major energy substrates for the heart. In short-bowel syndrome (SBS), LCFA delivery to the myocardium decreases due to fat malabsorption. Fatty-acid translocase (FAT)/CD36 has recently been identified as a LCFA-binding protein in heart tissue. To determine the effects of bowel resection and a high-fat diet (HFD) on myocardial CD36 expression, male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of three groups: sham rats fed normal chow (Sham-NC); SBS rats fed NC (SBS-NC), and SBS rats fed a HFD (SBS-HFD). Control rats underwent transection and anastomosis; SBS animals underwent 75% small-bowel resection. Rats were killed at 3 or 14 days. Total body weight, heart weight, heart-tissue total lipid, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides were determined at death. Total RNA from the myocardium was extracted using TRIZOL reagent. Northern-blot analysis was used to determine FAT/CD36 mRNA. Statistical significance was determined by Student's t -test with P values below 0.05 considered significant. SBS-NC and SBS-HFD rats had significantly lower body weights compared with Sham-NC animals. The heart weights and myocardial total lipid did not vary among experimental groups. Decreases in plasma triglycerides (38.2 ± 3.8 vs 58.8 ± 5.5 mg/dl, P < 0.05) and cholesterol (38.2 ± 6.9 vs 55.3 ± 8.2 mg/dl, P < 0.05) in SBS-NC compared to Sham-NC rats on day 3 was accompanied by a twofold increase ( P < 0.05) in myocardial CD36/FAT mRNA levels. Early exposure to HFD led to increased (vs SBS-NC) plasma cholesterol (82.9 ± 5.7 vs 38.2 ± 6.9 mg/dl, P < 0.05) and triglycerides (62.5 ± 15.6 vs 38.2 ± 3.8 mg/dl, P < 0.05), and a concomitant decrease in CD36/FAT mRNA levels (45.1 ± 17.8 vs 86.6 ± 15%, respectively, P < 0.05). Plasma lipid concentration and myocardial CD36/FAT mRNA levels on day 14 were not significantly different among the experimental groups. In this rat model of SBS, the heart thus reacts to decreased LCFA delivery by increased tissue CD36/FAT mRNA levels and, consequently, active LCFA uptake. A HFD increased plasma lipid concentrations and decreased CD36/FAT levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42197/1/s00383-002-0861-9.pd