Chemical characterization by GC-MS and in vitro activity against Candida albicans of volatile fractions prepared from Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia abrotanum, Artemisia absinthium and Artemisia vulgaris

BACKGROUND: A large number of essential oils is reported to have significant activity against Candida albicans. But the different chemical composition influences the degree of their activity. The intention of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and the activity against Candida albicans of volatile oils obtained from Artemisia dracunculus, A. abrotanum, A. absinthium and A. vulgaris (Asteraceae). The aim of the study was to identify new chemical compounds that have effect against C. albicans. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation or extraction with dichloromethane (a new procedure we developed trying to obtain better, more separated compounds) from air dried above ground plant material and analyzed by GC-MS. Additionally commercial essential oils from the same species were tested. The Candida albicans inhibition studies were carried out by the paper disc diffusion method. RESULTS: The essential oils shared common components but presented differences in composition and showed variable antifungal activity. Davanone and derivatives thereof, compounds with silphiperfolane skeleton, estragole, davanone oil, β-thujone, sabinyl acetate, herniarin, cis-chrysanthenyl acetate, 1,8-cineol, and terpineol were the main components of Artemisia volatiles. CONCLUSIONS: Among the volatile fractions tested those from A. abrotanum containing davanone or silphiperfolane derivatives showed the highest antifungal activity. The in vitro tests revealed that the Artemisia oils are promising candidates for further research to develop novel anti-candida drugs

Chitosan for fungal diseases control

The use of chitosan is a promising alternative; it can be applied in many fields based on its biological activity and easy-to-obtain procedures. Such it was used in agriculture, environmental protection, pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. The fungicidal activity of the chitosan against Fusarium graminearum, Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus orizae were done by using the plate growth rate method

In vitro testing of salicylanilide derivatives against some fungal and bacterial strains

Twelve N-(2-bromo-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-benzamide and N-(4-bromo-phenyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide derivatives were tested for antimicrobial activity against 6 bacterial strains, S. aureus (ATCC 25923), E. coli (ATCC 25922), P. aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), S. pyogenes (ATCC 19615), S. flexneri (ATCC 12022), S. typhimurium (ATCC 14028) and 2 fungal strains, C. albicans (ATCC 10231), C. parapsilopsis (ATCC 22019), using the Disk diffusion method for susceptibility testing, according to the Standard Rules for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing using Impregnated Disks [1]. In vitro testing was performed in plates, containing microcomprimates with Nystatin for the antifungal activity and Gentamicin for the antimicrobian activity as positives controls, alongside blank filter papers impregnated with DMSO as negatives controls and filter papers impregnated with 10 µL of 20 g/L stock solution of each compound. A 10-2 dilution of the fresh Candida cultures and a 10-2 fresh bacteria culture was used to perform the assay, an inoculum equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland standard. The Petri plates so seeded and the respective specimens with the extract were incubated at 30 °C for Candida species and 37 °C in case of the bacterial strains, for 24-48 hours. Tests were performed in duplicate. Finally, the interpretation of the result, the ratio of the antimycotic and antibacterial effect of the tested compounds, was achieved by measuring the diameter of the analyzed culture inhibition zones (including the diameter of the disc – 5mm) in millimeters. The results are presented as the average of three determinations as well as the standard deviation and a percentage representation of the efficacy of the compounds in relation to the effectiveness of the positive control. The tested compounds presented no effect against S. aureus, S. flexneri, S. typhimurium and C. parapsilopsis at the tested concentration. The results indicated that the N-(2-bromo-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-benzamide derivatives were more active against the tested microbes, inhibition zones of 6-10 mm being obtained, although the most effective compound against S. pyogenes proved to be N-(4-bromo-phenyl)- 2-hydroxy-benzamide (14 mm inhibition zone)

Protocol developing for identification of vegetal matrices used in ammodytes ammodytes freeze-dried venom adulteration

Presence of corn flour adulteration was detected by extracting the DNA from 25mg of freeze dried venom and using it as template in PCR amplification with zein specific primers known to be highly specific for corn species. The obtained amplicon was purified from agarose gel and sequenced in order to further confirm the presence of corn specific DNA sequences. The sequence thus obtained was uploaded in a DNA Data Base, and aligned with the reference zein sequence. The 99% of similarity between the two sequences enables us to confirm the corn flour adulteration in the analyzed venom sample

Life style and structure differences between species of freshwater fish

It has been recommended that people eat fish rich in unsaturated fats at least twice a week to reduce the risk of heart disease. Fish consumption is significant, mainly from fish living in ocean saltwater. However, in countries without sea like Hungary, the richness of freshwater fish has developed a wide range of cooking techniques for fish with different nutrition. We suspect that muscle structure differences have not yet been investigated. The difference in fatty acid composition of African catfish and Siberian sturgeon is known, but no morphological studies have been performed on their muscle structure. The aim of this study was to compare the structure differences between freshwater fish with different lifestyles. The organization of muscle structure was monitored in meat by means of cytochemistry combined with scanning electron microscopic studies on tissues of two different species, and the techno-functional parameters measured. The filleted muscles of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) were compared after fresh and fast freeze. The associated complex structure of muscle in both species appeared different. One is a tightly closed muscle mass, while the other is a soft structure, which shows a different degree of softness of the meat after baking. In both species, the right muscle structure is beneficial under extreme environmental conditions. The different skeletal structure in fish needs altered processing, which we wish to continue with further testing and to prepare tasty food for consumers and use in dietetics

About ATC/DDD drug clasiffication system

The field of drug utilization research has attracted increasing interest since its infancy in the 1960s. At a symposium in Oslo in 1969 entitled The Consumption of Drugs, it was agreed that an internationally accepted classification system for drug consumption studies was needed. At the same symposium the Drug UtilizationResearch Group (DURG) was established and tasked with the development of internationally applicable methods for drug utilization research.By modifying and extending the European Pharmaceutical Market Research Association (EPhMRA) classification system, Norwegian researchers developed a system known as the Anatomical TherapeuticChemical (ATC) classification. In order to measure drug use, it is important to have both a classification system and a unit of measurement. To deal with the objections against traditional units of measurement, a technical unit of measurement called the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) to be used in drug utilisation studies was developed. The purpose of the ATC/DDD system is to serve as a tool for drug utilization research in order to improve quality of drug use. One component of this is the presentation and comparison of drug consumption statistics at international and other levels. The classification of a substance in the ATC/DDD system is not a recommendation for use, nor does it imply any judgements about efficacy or relative efficacy of drugs and groups of drugs.The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system for veterinary medicinal products, ATCvet, has been developed by the Nordic Council on Medicines (NLN) in collaboration with the NLN’sATCvet working group, consisting of experts from the Nordic countries.The ATCvet system for the classification of veterinary medicines is based on the same overall principles as the ATC system for substances used in human medicine. In most cases an ATC code exists which can beused to classify a product in the ATCvet system. The ATCvet code is then created by placing the letter Q in front of the ATC code. In some cases, however, specific ATCvet codes are created, e.g. antibacterials for intramammary use (QJ51) and immunologicals (QI)

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Potential of Satureja hortensis L. in Fresh Cow Cheese

This study presents data about the chemical composition and antimicrobial effect of Satureja hortensis L. used as both dry plant and essential oil, on fresh cow’s cheese, in order to extend its shelf-life. The proximate and elemental composition of dry plant of Satureja hortensis L. highlights important level of microelements. The content of microelements increases even when small amounts of Satureja hortensis in fresh cheese were added. The addition of Satureja hortensis dry plant leads to an increase in Fe (13.46–65.54%) and Mn (8.33–88.33%) content of fresh cheese, depending on the amount of plant added. The composition of essential oil isolated from Satureja hortensis L. was analyzed by GC-MS and the main compounds found were carvacrol (19.68%), o-cymene (30.86%), and p-cymene (28.07%). In order to use Satureja hortensis L. as natural preservative in food industry, in vitro effect of plant extract and essential oil against Staphylococcus aureus Gram-positive bacteria was tested. The oil of Satureja hortensis L. showed antimicrobial activity at 0.50–1.5%, while the alcoholic extract does not inhibit Staphylococcus aureus mycelial growth. The antimicrobial effect of Satureja hortensis L. dry plant in various proportions (0.5–1.5%) and essential oil (0.1%; 0.25%; 0.5%), on fresh cow’s cheese, was assessed after 3 and 7 days by counting colonies obtained at 30°C. Results have shown that the addition of Satureja hortensis L. dry plant and essential oil led to a reduction in the total number of germs, this reduction being more significant when the essential oil was used. Regarding the effect of Satureja hortensis L. essential oil against Staphylococcus aureus inoculated in fresh cow’s cheese, the results highlight that the essential oil of Satureja hortensis L. may be a natural solution to prevent the development of this bacteria, while the ethanol extract does not prove to be effective

Exploring Ecological Alternatives for Crop Protection Using <i>Coriandrum sativum</i> Essential Oil

Essential oils (EOs) are a natural source of active compounds with antifungal, antimycotoxigenic, and herbicidal potential, and have been successfully used in organic agriculture, instead of chemical compounds obtained by synthesis, due to their high bioactivity and the absence of toxicity. The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of Coriandrum sativum essential oil (CEO) as a potential source of bioactive constituents and its applications as an antifungal and bioherbicidal agent. The CEO was obtained by steam distillation of coriander seeds and GC-MS technique was used to determine the chemical composition. Furthermore, in vitro tests were used to determine the antifungal potential of CEO on Fusarium graminearum mycelia growth through poisoned food technique, resulting in the minimum fungistatic (MCFs) and fungicidal concentrations (MCFg). The antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effect of CEO was studied on artificially contaminated wheat seeds with F. graminearum spores. Additionally, the herbicidal potential of CEO was studied by fumigating monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous weed seeds, which are problematic in agricultural field crops in Romania. The in vitro studies showed the antifungal potential of CEO, with a minimum concentration for a fungistatic effect of 0.4% and the minimum fungicidal concentration of 0.6%, respectively. An increase in the antifungal effects was observed in the in vivo experiment with F. graminearum, where a mixture of CEO with Satureja hortensis essential oil (SEO) was used. This increase is attributed to the synergistic effect of both EOs. Moreover, the synthesis of deoxynivalenol (DON)-type mycotoxins was found to be less inhibited. Hence, CEO has shown an herbicidal potential on weed seeds by affecting inhibition of germination