Milica Kostić

Chemical profile and antioxidative and antimicrobial activity of juices and extracts of 4 black currants varieties (Ribes nigrum L.).

UNLABELLED The aim of this article was to determine the chemical composition (anthocyanin and ascorbic acid contents, total phenols, and tannins), and the antioxidative, and antimicrobial activities of the juices and methanol extracts of 4 varieties-Tenah, Triton, Ben Sarek, and Ometa. The juices were made during 2008, 2009, and 2010 from the berries grown on the same location. Statistically significant differences were found in all the tested parameters of each variety for every year. Ometa variety exhibited the best antioxidative activity. The highest ascorbic acid value had Tenah juice from 2010 (211 mg/100 g) and Ben Sarek methanol extract (656 mg/100 g). Delphinidin-3-ruthenoside was the dominant anthocyanin in Triton, Tenah, and Ben Sarek variety during all 3 y and Ometa in 2010 where Ometa in 2008 and 2009 had slightly higher content of cyanidin-3-ruthenoside. The minimum inhibitory and microbicidal concentrations ranged from MIC/MBC(MFC) = 62.5 to 500 mg/mL for juices and 0.4 to 500 mg/mL for extracts. There was no significant difference in the effect of the juices against Gram(+) and Gram(-) bacteria. All the extracts acted in lower concentrations than juices. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Data contained in this article provide an insight into the effects the weather condition has on the content of the bioactive compounds in genetically different types of black currants, during the 3-y observation period. This article is relevant to the commercial application of black currants-based dietary supplements.

Antimicrobial activity of selected plant species of Genera arbutus l., Bruckenthalia rchb., Calluna salisb. and Erica l. (Ericaceae)

SUMMARY Uvae ursi folium (Arctostaphylos uva ursi, Ericaceae) is the best known and most widely used herbal urinary antiseptic. In traditional medicine, other Ericaceae species are also used for the treatment of urinary tract infections. The present study investigates antimicrobial activity of five species of Ericaceae family native to the Balkan Peninsula: Arbutus unedo, Bruckenthalia spiculifolia, Calluna vulgaris, Erica arborea and Erica carnea. Ethanolic extracts were tested against 10 different gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by the disc diffusion technique, where standard tetracycline, streptomycin and penicillin discs and discs containing crystal violet (1 mg/ml) and solvent (70.0% v/v ethanol) were used as controls. The most prominent antibacterial effect was achieved on Staphylococcus aureus with extracts of Calluna vulgaris and Erica carnea. Tested samples showed no activity against the gram-negative strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Inhibitory effects on the growth of gram-positive bacteria were more potent. The exception is Arbutus unedo ethanol extract which exhibited certain activity against a laboratory strain of wild Escherichia coli. Antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extracts against 10 tested strains of bacteria in disc diffusion assay was generally weak, even for sample in which HPLC determination confirmed the presence of arbutin (secondary metabolite responsible for most of the antibacterial activity of Uvaeursi folium). Sažetak Najpoznatiji i najviše korišćeni biljni uroantiseptik je list uve, Uvaeursi folium (Arctostaphylos uva ursi, Ericaceae). U tradicionalnoj medicini često se i druge vrste familije Ericaceae spominju u lečenju urinarnih infekcija. Provera antimikrobne aktivnosti izvršena je za sledeće biljne vrste ove familije koje samostalno rastu u flori Balkanskog poluostrva: Arbutus unedo, Bruckentalia spiculifolia, Calluna vulgaris, Erica arborea i Erica carnea. Antimikrobna aktivnost etanolnih ekstrakata listova ispitivana je diskdifuzionom metodom, korišćenjem 10 sojeva gram pozitivnih i gram negativnih bakterija, pri čemu su kao kontrole korišćeni standardni diskovi tetraciklina, streptomicina i penicilina, kao i diskovi sa rastvorom kristalvioleta (1 mg/ml) i rastvarača (70.0% v/v etanol). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli i Klebsiella pneumoniae nisu osetljive ni na jedan od ispitivanih ekstrakata. Kao najbolji rezultati mogu se izdvojiti aktivnosti ekstrakta Calluna vulgaris i Erica carnea na bakterijski soj Staphylococcus aureus. Testirani uzorci uglavnom ispoljavaju antimikrobnu aktivnost prema gram pozitivnim sojevima. Izuzetak je etanolni ekstrakt vrste Arbutus unedo, koji ispoljava određenu antimikrobnu aktivnost prema laboratorijskom soju Escherichia coli. Antimikrobna aktivnost etanolnih ekstrakata prema 10 testiranih bakterijskih sojeva u diskdifuzionoj metodi je veoma slaba, čak i za uzorak za koji je HPLC analizom utvrđeno prisustvo arbutina (sekundarni metabolit odgovoran za uroantiseptično dejstvo lista uve).

Anti-inflammatory effect of the Salvia sclarea L. ethanolic extract on lipopolysaccharide-induced periodontitis in rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Salvia sclarea L., clary, is an aromatic plant traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases and conditions. Although it has been primarily used as a stomachic, there are data on traditional use of S. sclarea as an agent against gingivitis, stomatitis and aphthae. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of the study was to examine the effect of the S. sclarea ethanolic extract on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced periodontitis in rats from the immunological and histopathological standpoint. MATERIAL AND METHODS Periodontal inflammation in rats was induced by repeated injections of LPS from Escherichia coli into the interdental papilla between the first and second right maxillary molars. The extract was administered two times a day by oral gavage (200mg/kg body weight). The inflammatory status was assessed by the measurements of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) of gingival tissues and descriptive analysis of histological sections of periodontium. Chemical characterization of the extract was determined using high performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC). Antioxidant activity of the extract was estimated with two in vitro complementary methods: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and β-carotene/linoleic acid models. RESULTS Treatment with S. sclarea extract, compared to the untreated group of the rats, significantly diminished the process of inflammation decreasing the levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, reducing the gingival tissue lesions and preserving bone alveolar resorption. Considerably smaller number of inflammatory cells and larger number of fibroblasts was noticed. The administration of the extract three days earlier did not have significant preventive effects. Rosmarinic acid was the predominant compound in the extract. The extract showed strong antioxidant effects in both test systems. CONCLUSIONS S. sclarea extract manifested anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-induced periodontitis suggesting that it may have a role as a therapeutic agent in periodontal diseases. Having in mind that overproduction of reactive oxygen species is connected to periodontitis, the strong antioxidant capacity may be contributable to anti-inflammatory properties of the extract.

Effects of Extracts of Ginkgo, Onion, and Celery on the Contractility of Isolated Rat Atria

The acute negative inotropic and chronotropic effects of the commercial extract of ginkgo leaf (Gingium®) and ethanolic extracts of onion bulbs and celery root on spontaneous and noradrenalin-stimulated contractions of the Wistar rat atria were investigated. All analyzed extracts exerted negative inotropic effects on the isolated rat atria. Among the tested extracts, the extract of ginkgo showed the strongest negative inotropic effects on rat atria, either in spontaneous or noradrenalin-induced contractions, being more potent than the onion and celery extracts, respectively.

Antispasmodic Effect of Black Currant (Ribes nigrum L.) Juice and its Potential Use as Functional Food in Gastrointestinal Disorders

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relaxative effects of blackcurrant juice on the gastrointestinal smooth muscle in vitro. Materials and Methods: Berries of the blackcurrant cultivar Ometa were used for the preparation of the juice used. The spasmolytic activity of blackcurrant juice was tested on rat ileum isolated from male Wistar rats by monitoring its influence on spontaneous contractions, as well as contractions induced by potassium chloride (KCl), barium chloride (BaCl2), calcium chloride (CaCl2), and acetylcholine (Ach). The results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation obtained in 6 measurements and statistical significance was determined by the Student t test, with p < 0.05 taken as significant. Results: The blackcurrant cultivar Ometa significantly reduced the frequency and the amplitude of spontaneous contractions (57.94 ± 3.44%) and Ach-induced contractions (42.74 ± 5.36%; p < 0.05) of the isolated rat ileum. Cumulative concentrations (0.01–3 mg/mL) of the Ometa juice also reduced contractions of the isolated rat ileum stimulated by KCl (51.46 ± 6.87%), CaCl2 (57.54 ± 6.47%), and BaCl2 (58.54 ± 10.55%). The inhibitory effects of the juice were proportional to the applied concentration. Conclusion: The antispasmodic effect of Ometa cultivar shows that common gastrointestinal disorders could be treated by the functional food.