C. van Baren

Topical anti-inflammatory activity of Gentianella achalensis

The anti-inflammatory activity of the petrol, dichloromethane and methanol extracts from Gentianella achalensis flowering plant were studied using 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema in mice and carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. Only the dichloromethane extract and its F2 fraction (at 1 mg/ear) showed marked anti-inflammatory activity in TPA-induced ear edema test. No effects were seen on carrageenan-induced edema. Oleanolic and ursolic acid, isolated from F2, may account for the observed topical anti-inflammatory effects.

Chemical Composition of the Leaf Oil of Satureja odora and Satureja parvifolia

ABSTRACT The leaf oils of Satureja odora (Gris.) Epl. And S. parvifolia (Phil.) Epl. (Lamiaceae), two endemic species of Argentina, were investigated by GC and GC/MS. Both species showed great difference in their composition, the main compounds being pulegone (61.5%) in S. odora and carvacrol (34.0%), carvacryl acetate (14.7%), p-cymene (14.0%) and γ-terpinene (11.3%) in S. parvifolia.

Influence of Polyphenol Levels on the Perception of Aroma in Vitis vinifera cv. Malbec wine

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of two ranges of polyphenols naturally present in Malbec wine, high concentrations (4.5-7.2 g/L) and low (1.4-3.2 g/L), on the perception of aroma. Samples with a maximum ethanol level of 13.5% were taken from the fermentation tanks before the clarification and filtration process. A Quantitative Descriptive Analysis of wines was assessed by ten trained assessors, and HS-SPME-GC-MS and physicochemical analyses were performed. The intensities of fruity (P < 0.01), citrus (P < 0.01), strawberry (P < 0.05), cooked fruit (P < 0.01) and floral (P < 0.01) aromas decreased when the level of polyphenols increased. Neither volatile compounds nor physicochemical analyses were significant in the two groups of wines.

In vitro antiplasmodial activity of extracts of Argentinian plants

Fifteen extracts from nine selected Argentine medicinal plants were tested for their antiplasmodial activity in vitro by assessing their ability to inhibit the uptake of [3H]-hypoxanthine into the Plasmodium falciparum K1 pyrimethamine/chloroquine resistant strain. The methanol extract of Satureja parvifolia showed good antiplasmodial activity (IC(50) 3 microg/ml). Inhibition of the growth of P. falciparum was also observed with aqueous extracts of Buddleja globosa and S. parvifolia.

Composition of the essential oil of Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden growing in Argentina

Abstract The oils obtained of the leaves of three clones of Eucalyptus dunnii growing in Castelar, Prov. de Buenos Aires (Argentina) were analyzed by GC, GC/MS, IR and olfactive evaluation. The oils were found to be “eucalyptol or medicinal” types, with a percentage of 1,8-cineole ranging from 47.8–57.6%. Other main constituents were α-pinene (10.0–16.5%), α-terpineol (2.9–8.2%) and globulol (5. 3-6. 6%). Twenty five minor compounds were also identified and aproximately 90% of the oil composition was determined.