Anatomical notes on Marsdenia erecta (Apocynaceae) wood: Is it secondarily woody?

This study deals with the wood of Marsdenia erecta R. Br., which is poorly known from a wood anatomical point of view. M. erecta, a woody-based perennial with numerous herbaceous sprawling stems, is distributed in the south and eastern parts of the Balkan Peninsula (incl. Crete)and Asia Minor to Afghanistan. The study aims at describing the wood anatomy of the species in detail based on IAWA list of microscopic features for hardwood identification, and at determining whether it has paedomorphic wood anatomical features. In M. erecta wood, the typical decreasing age-on-length graphic for vessel elements and exclusively upright and square ray cells provide strong arguments for paedomorphosis and secondary woodiness. However, to make a precise decision, this result based on wood anatomy should be checked with molecular phylogenetic data of the species investigated

Inhibitory potential of the leaves and berries of Myrtus communis L. (myrtle) against enzymes linked to neurodegenerative diseases and their antioxidant actions

The dichloromethane (DCM), acetone, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the leaves and berries of Myrtus communis L. were screened against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and tyrosinase (TYRO), the enzymes linked to neurodegenerative diseases, at 200 μg ml-1. Antioxidant activity was tested using radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) radicals, metal chelation capacity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and phosphomolybdenum-reducing antioxidant power (PRAP) assays. Total phenol and flavonoid quantification of the extracts was calculated spectrophotometrically. The extracts showed a moderate AChE (17.49 ± 3.99% to 43.15 ± 1.55%) and TYRO inhibition (4.48 ± 1.50% to 40.53 ± 0.47%). The leaf extracts were ineffective against BChE, while the berry extracts displayed inhibition between 21.83 ± 3.82% and 36.80 ± 2.00%. The polar extracts exerted remarkable scavenging effect against DPPH and DMPD and also in the FRAP assay, where the DCM extract of the berries had the best metal chelation capacity (79.29 ± 1.14%). This is the first study that demonstrates in vitro neuroprotective effects of myrtle. © 2011 Informa UK, Ltd

Changes in the chemical structure of thermally treated wood

Changes in the chemical structure of hornbeam and uludag fir woods during thermal treatment were investigated at three temperatures (170, 190, and 210 °C) and three durations (4, 8, and 12 hours). After thermal treatment, the extents of degradation in the chemical structure of the samples were determined, and the effects on the chemical composition of hornbeam wood and uludag fir wood were investigated. The data obtained were analyzed using variance analysis, and Tukey's test was used to determine the changes in the chemical structure of uludag fir and hornbeam woods. The results showed that heating wood permanently changes several of its chemical structures and that the changes are mainly caused by thermal degradation of wood polymers. It was found that decreasing of the cellulose and holocelluloses ratio had a favorable effect on the interaction of the wood with moisture. According to the obtained results, hornbeam wood is affected more than uludag fir wood. For each wood, the maximum decreases of holocellulose and ?-cellulose were found at 210°C for 12 hours, and the maximum increase of lignin occurred at the same treatment combination

Chemical constituents of cones and leaves of cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) grown in Turkey

Chemical composition of cones, leaves and seeds of Cupressus sempervirens var. pyramidalis Nyman. and Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis Mill, were investigated. Hydrodistillaton and SPME (solid phase microextraction) methods were used for the essential oil analysis, besides fatty acids were determined. When comparing C. sempervirens var. pyramidalis with C. sempervirens var. horizontalis, the oil yields of cones were found to be 1.31 ml/100g and 1.59 ml/100g but that of leaves 0.45 ml/100g and 0.82 ml/100g, respectively. The outstanding compounds were α-pinene and Δ3carene, found both in leaves and cones by hydrodistillation method. The amounts of α-pinene were determined to be 66.8% in var. horizontalis and 52.5% in var. pyramidalis cones, Δ3-carene was determined as 13.5% and 19.6%. Likewise, α-pinene in leaves was found to be 56.9% and 37.9%, and Δ3-carene 13.5% and 25.3%. Generally, α-pinene, Δ3-carene, β-myrcene, limonene and α-terpinolene were the dominant compounds both in cones and leaves according to SPME method. Lipophilic compounds, such as cupressic acid (horizontalis, 527.1 mg g -1 and pyramidalis, 412.3 mg g-1) and communic acid (horizontalis, 325.7 mg g-1 and pyramidalis, 317 mg g-1) were found in higher quantities on cones than others by hexane extraction. The amounts of cupressic acid or communic acid on seeds of varieties of horizontalis and pyramidalis were found to be 345.4 mg g-1 and 62.1 mg g -1, respectively, or 373.6 mg g-1 and 46.7 mg g -1. © by PSP