A Therapeutic Approach for Wound Healing by Using Essential Oils of Cupressus and Juniperus Species Growing in Turkey

Juniperus and Cupressus genera are mainly used as diuretic, stimulant, and antiseptic, for common cold and wound healing in Turkish folk medicine. In the present study, essential oils obtained from cones of Cupressus and berries of Juniperus were evaluated for their wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects. In vivo wound healing activity was evaluated by linear incision and circular excision experimental wound models, assessment of hydroxyproline content, and subsequently histopathological analysis. The healing potential was comparatively assessed with a reference ointment Madecassol. Additionally acetic-acid-induced capillary permeability test was used for the oils' anti-inflammatory activity. The essential oils of J. oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus and J. phoenicea demonstrated the highest activities, while the rest of the species did not show any significant wound healing effect. The experimental study revealed that J. oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus and J. phoenicea display remarkable wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities, which support the folkloric use of the plants

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 oC) 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 α-cellulose were found at 210oC for 12 hours, and the maximum increase of lignin occurred at the same treatment combination

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