Giovanni Aliotta

Continuity and change in the Mediterranean medical tradition: Ruta spp. (rutaceae) in Hippocratic medicine and present practices.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Ruta is a genus of Rutaceae family. It features mainly shrubby plants, native to the Mediterranean region and present in traditional medicine of this region since Antiquity. The three most diffused species Ruta chalepensis L., Ruta graveolens L., and Ruta montana (L.) L., are morphologically poorly differentiated and were probably interchangeably used during Antiquity. AIM OF THE STUDY Hippocratic and contemporary medical applications of the Ruta genus in the Mediterranean were compared to check if they result from a continuity of use from the ancient times to nowadays. RESULTS Ruta spp. was mainly employed in medical preparations by Hippocratic physicians as an abortifacient and emmenagogue. In addition to gynaecological conditions, in several treatises of the Corpus HippocraticumRuta spp. were also recommended as a specific remedy against pulmonary diseases. Ruta spp. leaves and also roots and seeds, were administered for internal use by Hippocratic physicians after having been soaked in wine or mixed with honey or its derivatives. Contemporary traditional uses of Ruta spp. have been assessed in detail in the whole Mediterranean area. CONCLUSION Nowadays, Ruta spp. is used to treat different conditions but, as a general rule, the external uses are preferred as the toxicity of the plant is widely acknowledged.

Potential allelochemicals fromPistia stratiotes L.

Among the substances isolated from ethyl ether extract ofPistia stratiotes L., linoleic acid,γ-linolenic acid, (12R,9Z,13E,15Z)-l2-hydroxy- 9,13,15-octadecatrienoicacid, (9S,10E,12Z,15Z)-9-hydroxy-10,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, α-asarone, and 24S-ethyl-4,22-cholestadiene-3,6-dione were found to inhibit the growth of some microalgae in solid medium. Toxicity of α-asarone on the growth of sensitive algal strains in liquid medium is discussed.

In vitro algal growth inhibition by phytotoxins ofTypha latifolia L.

The ether extract ofTypha latifolia L. inhibited the growth of some microalgae. Among the substances chromatographically isolated and characterized from the ether extract, three steroids [β-sitosterol, (20S) 24-methylenlophenol, and stigmast-4-ene-3,6-dione] and three fatty acids [α− linolenic, linoleic, and an unidentified C8∶2] were found to inhibit the growth of some microalgae tested. A selective effect of these substance on blue-green algae (particularly on T 625Synechococcus leopoliensis and on T 1444Anabaena flosaquae) was observed.

Allelochemical activity of phenylpropanes from Acorus gramineus

Abstract Six phenylpropanes have been isolated from the aquatic plant Acorus gramineus and characterized on the basis of their physical features. The most abundant compounds, tested for their allelochemical properties, were found to inhibit some green and blue-green algae.

Three biologically active phenylpropanoid glucosides fromMyriophyllum verticillatum

Abstract Three novel phenylpropanoid glucosides have been isolated from a methanolic extract ofMyriophyllum verticillatum and their structures defined by spectroscopic methods and chemical degradations. The biological activity of these compounds on the cyanobacteriumSynechococcus leopoliensis has been investigated.

Effects of the potential allelochemical α-asarone on growth, physiology and ultrastructure of two unicellular green algae

The effects of the natural phenylpropanoid α-asarone on growth pattern, photosynthesis, respiration and cell structure of two microalgae have been investigated. In cultures ofAnkistrodesmus braunii α-asarone decreases in the medium and induces a lag in growth. Both phenomena were dependent on the number of cells inoculated. By contrast, in cultures ofSelenastrum capricornutum a constant decrease of the growth rate at all inocula was observed and only a slight decrease of α-asarone in the medium occurred. In both algae α-asarone caused an initial inhibition of photosynthesis, followed by a resumption of control values. The respiratory rate ofA. braunii was not significantly affected by α-asarone, whereas inS. capricornutum respiration lowered to 60% of the control in the first 48 h and subsequently rose to values exceeding the controls by 20%. Ultrastructural observations carried out 24 and 72 h after the addition of α-asarone showed modifications of cell wall inA. braunii, an increase in the number of mithocondrial profiles per cell section inS. capricornutum, and an accumulation of electron-dense deposits in the vacuoles of both algae.

Useful Plants in Renal Therapy according to Pliny the Elder

The Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder consists of 37 books, of which 16 are devoted to botany. About 900 plants are named, but many names are synonyms and identification is often impossible. Where identification is possible it is achieved by comparison of the actual names with the vernacular names in related languages or by indirect evidence from their medical use. In this way 130 plants used in renal therapy during Roman times can be identified. Many were eaten as part of the diet, and the distinction between medicinal and edible plants was not clearcut. Pliny was also the first author to comment that wild species are more active than cultivated ones. Most of the plants reported by Pliny are also mentioned by Dioscorides, and more than 30 of them were also listed by Plenck. Several are still quoted in modern pharmacopeias.

Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Urogenital Tract Pathologies According to Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica

The De Materia Medica of the Greek Dioscorides reports about 200 plants used for the treatment of pathologies of the urogenital tract during the 1st century AD. On the basis of explicit and implicit affirmations by Dioscorides, a theoretical system concerning the specific properties of these plants has been attempted. Comparison of the species reported by Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder for renal affections does not support the thesis of a close relationship between De Materia Medica and the Naturalis Historia.

Joseph Jacob Plenck (1735-1807).

Joseph Jacob Plenck (1735-1807) is considered to be the forerunner of modern European dermatology, who also compiled a list of about 800 plants with medicinal uses. Of these about 115 have diuretic properties and are currently included in various pharmacopeias. They were traditionally used to cure ascites of various causes, in urolithiasis, nephritis, cystitis, bladder ulcers, strangury, urinary retention and incontinence. Few of these plants have been fully investigated by modern medicinal chemists, and many are worthy of further study.

Observations on tolerance to heavy metals of four green algae in relation to pH

Abstract The inhibition of growth by different concentration of eight heavy metals: Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni, Se and Tl, in inorganic medium at pH 3 and 6.5, was studied in four green algae: Chlorella protothecoides Kruger, Chlorella saccharophila (Kruger) Migula, Coenochloris sp. and Stichococcus bacillaris Naegeli. The results suggest that pH has an important effect on heavy metal toxicity in algae although it is difficult to establish a relationship between pH and heavy metals.