Suppression of neutrophil accumulation in mice by cutaneous application of geranium essential oil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies suggested that essential oils suppressed the adherence response of human neutrophils <it>in vitro </it>and that intraperitoneal application of geranium oil suppressed the neutrophil accumulation into peritoneal cavity <it>in vivo</it>. Usually, essential oils are applied through skin in aromatherapy in inflammatory symptoms. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of cutaneous application of essential oils on the accumulation of neutrophils in inflammatory sites in skin of mice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Inflammation with accumulation of inflammatory cells was induced by injection of curdlan, a (1→3)-β-D-glucan in skin or peritoneal cavity of mice. Essential oils were applied cutaneously to the mice immediately and 3 hr after intradermal injection of curdlan. The skin with inflammatory lesion was cut off 6 hr after injection of curdlan, and the homogenates were used for myeloperoxidase (MPO: a marker enzyme of neutrophil granule) assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The MPO activity of the skin lesion induced by curdlan was suppressed dose-dependently by cutaneous application of geranium oil. Other oils such as lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree oils also suppressed the activity, but their activities seemed weaker than geranium. Juniper oil didn't suppress the activity</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Cutaneous application of essential oils, especially geranium oil, can suppress the inflammatory symptoms with neutrophil accumulation and edema.</p

Molecular evolutionary analysis of a gender-limited MID ortholog from the homothallic species Volvox africanus with male and monoecious spheroids

Volvox is a very interesting oogamous organism that exhibits various types of sexuality and/or sexual spheroids depending upon species or strains. However, molecular bases of such sexual reproduction characteristics have not been studied in this genus. In the model species V. carteri, an ortholog of the minus mating type-determining or minus dominance gene (MID) of isogamous Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is male-specific and determines the sperm formation. Male and female genders are genetically determined (heterothallism) in V. carteri, whereas in several other species of Volvox both male and female gametes (sperm and eggs) are formed within the same clonal culture (homothallism). To resolve the molecular basis of the evolution of Volvox species with monoecious spheroids, we here describe a MID ortholog in the homothallic species V. africanus that produces both monoecious and male spheroids within a single clonal culture. Comparison of synonymous and nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions in MID genes between V. africanus and heterothallic volvocacean species suggests that the MID gene of V. africanus evolved under the same degree of functional constraint as those of the heterothallic species. Based on semi quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses using the asexual, male and monoecious spheroids isolated from a sexually induced V. africanus culture, the MID mRNA level was significantly upregulated in the male spheroids, but suppressed in the monoecious spheroids. These results suggest that the monoecious spheroid-specific down regulation of gene expression of the MID homolog correlates with the formation of both eggs and sperm in the same spheroid in V. africanus.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)/Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI [15K14590, 16H02518]; National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NNX13AH41G]; National Science Foundation [MCB-1412395]Open access journal.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Semi-quantitative RT-PCR of <i>MID</i> orthologs in three species of <i>Volvox</i> (<i>V</i>.).

<p><b>(</b>A-C) The products of RT-PCR reactions are resolved by agarose gel electrophoresis. The loading volume for each lane was normalized to the quantity of <i>EF1-like</i> (internal control) product. The number of PCR cycles are indicated separately for <i>MID</i> and <i>EF1-like</i>. (D-F) Gel band quantification analyses by ImageJ. Bars show means and standard deviations of three individual experiments.</p

Life cycle diagrams for two related species of <i>Volvox</i>.

<p>Based on Nozaki et al.[<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180313#pone.0180313.ref003" target="_blank">3</a>]. (A) <i>V</i>. <i>reticuliferus</i> (heterothallic, dioecious type). Germination of a diploid zygote yields a single meiotic product: either a female or a male depending on which MT locus is inherited. The algae reproduce asexually and can undergo sexual induction to produce sperm packets (in male lineages) or eggs (in female lineages). (B) <i>V</i>. <i>africanus</i> (homothallic, monoecious with males type). Germination of a diploid zygote yields a single meiotic product that reproduces asexually. Upon sexual induction, a clonal population can produce both spheroids containing sperm packets only (male spheroids) and spheroids containing both eggs and sperm packets (monoecious spheroids).</p

Maximum-likelihood (ML) tree (based on LG model) of 16 full-length MID proteins from colonial volvocine species and two species of <i>Chlamydomonas</i>.

<p>Branch lengths are proportional to the estimated amino acid substitutions, which are indicated by the scale bar above the tree. Numbers above and below branch points indicate bootstrap values (50% or more) of the ML and neighbor-joining (based on the JTT model), analyses, respectively. The sequences of <i>MID</i> orthologs with asterisks (*) were determined in this study; filled circles (●) indicate homothallic strains.</p