Nada Kovacevic

Preliminary assay on the antioxidative activity of Maydis stigma extracts

Antioxidative effects of Maydis stigma methanolic extracts were studied on the level of lipid peroxidation in liposomes, induced by Fe(2+)/ascorbate system and measured spectrophotometrically by the TBA-test. The most significant inhibition of lipid peroxidation was observed when methanolic extracts of fully developed, mature corn silk were applied. The same test, performed after fractionation of the most active extract, showed that most of the activity was concentrated in fractions with moderate lipophilicity, containing phenolic acids, flavonoid aglyca and resembling monosides.

Preliminary assay on the antioxidative activity of Laurus nobilis extracts

Antioxidative activity of Laurus nobilis leaves, bark and fruit methanolic extracts (crude and defatted) were studied on the level of lipid peroxidation in liposomes, induced by Fe(2+)/ascorbate system and measured spectrophotometrically by the TBA-test. The most significant inhibition of lipid peroxidation was obtained with methanolic extracts of laurel bark (70.6% of inhibition was obtained with 1.0 mg of crude extract).

Anxiety, personality traits and quality of life in functional dyspepsia‐suffering patients

BACKGROUND Psychosocial stressors either acute or more sustained frequently precede the onset and exacerbation of the symptoms of the functional dyspepsia (FD). Depressive mood and quality of life have been already reported for interference in functional dyspepsia suffering patients. METHODS The examination were performed on 60 FD patients (30 females and 30 males), aged 20-79 years, 60 peptic ulcer subjects and 60 healthy volunteers in which we have investigate levels of anxiety and depression, personality traits and quality of life. RESULT According to the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales, the population with FD had the average score which classified them into the group of patients with the moderate depression (20.57 ± 4.45). Personality traits estimation based on data obtained by the Eysenck personality questionnaire revealed higher neuroticism scores in the group with functional dyspepsia. Both parameters, level of the neuroticism and anxiety level, expressed highly significant level of mutual concordance. Patients with functional dyspepsia reported a greater adverse impact of symptoms of emotional distress and food and drink problems. CONCLUSION Results are indicating that the depression and anxiety level is the highest in patients with functional dyspepsia and that anxiety level corroborates with the neuroticism level from the Eysenck scale. Psychological disturbances are influencing the quality of life mostly in patients with dyspepsia in the form of emotional distress and the problem with the food and beverage intake.

Antioxidant activity of yellow dock (Rumex crispus L., Polygonaceae) fruit extract

The methanol extract of ripe Rumex crispus L. fruits was evaluated for its antioxidant potential by assays for ferric‐reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), DPPH‐free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and the influence on lipid peroxidation in liposomes (LP). Considerable activity was observed in all test systems (FRAP: 9.9 mmol Fe2+/g; DPPH IC50: 3.7 μg/mL; LP IC50: 4.9 μg/mL), comparable to that of BHT (FRAP: 8.0 μg/mL; DPPH IC50: 19.4 μg/mL; LP IC50: 3.5 μg/mL), but lower than the activity of ascorbic acid, rutin and quercetin, used as positive control substances. The in vivo effects were evaluated in several hepatic antioxidant systems (activities of LPx, GSH‐Px, Px, CAT and XOD, as well as GSH content), after treatment with the studied yellow dock extract in different doses, or in combination with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Pretreatment with the R. crispus extract inhibited CCl4‐induced oxidative stress by decreasing LPx and increasing GSH content in a dose dependent manner, bringing the levels of antioxidant enzymes to near control values. Copyright

Essential oil of Laurus nobilis from Montenegro

Steam distilled oil from the shoots, separated leaves, and stem, as well as from the flower of laurel (Laurus nobilis), grown in Montenegro, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The yield of essential oil was as follow: 1.4% in young shoots, 1.5% in the separated leaves, and 0.7% in separated stems. The main constituents of all investigated oils were 1,8-cineole, methyleugenol, and α-terpinyl acetate. Besides, α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, and linalool were also present. It was interesting and important for commercial samples of laurel essential oil that there was no significant difference among the essential oil obtained from young shoots and those obtained from leaves and stem. The main constituents of the flower oil were 1,8-cineole (15.7%), β-caryophyllene (9.5%), γ-muurolene (7.1%), α-terpinyl acetate (6.5%), and methyleugenol (3.9%).

The Essential Oil of Valeriana officinalis L. s.l. Growing Wild in Western Serbia

Abstract The oil obtained by hydrodistillation from underground parts of Valeriana officinalis L. s.l., growing wild on Tara Mountain (western Serbia), was analyzed by means of GC/MS. Fifty-three components, representing 90.7% of the oil, were identified. The main characteristic of this valerian essential oil was the presence of valerianol (57.3%) and bornyl acetate (11.3%).

Comparative Analysis of Essential Oils of Six Anthemis Taxa from Serbia and Montenegro

The essential‐oil composition of six Anthemis taxa from several populations in Serbia and Montenegro, Anthemis triumfetti (L.) DC., A. tinctoria L., A. austriaca Jacq., A. ruthenica Bieb., A. cotula L., and A. cretica ssp. carpatica (Willd.) Grierson were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The main constituents have been identified as follows: camphor (13.8–15.4%), α‐pinene (5.2–9.3%), β‐pinene (4.9–7.8%), and (E)‐caryophyllene (7.3–9.8%) in three populations, and cis‐chrysanthenol (27.0%) and 1,8‐cineole (8.4%) in one population of A. triumfetti; 1,8‐cineole (9.0–25.8%) in the oils of five populations, and borneol (16.0%) and spatulenol (16.0%) in the oil of one population of A. tinctoria; cis‐chrysanthenyl acetate (17.5–22.0%), β‐pinene (8.6–13.2%), and 1,8‐cineole (7.2–10.4%) in the oils of A. austriaca; germacrene D (8.3–11.3%) and terpinen‐4‐ol (6.3–7.3%) in A. ruthenica oils; β‐cedrene (10.3–19.0%), (E)‐β‐farnesene (7.8–13.5%), and germacrene D (5.2–9.1%) in the oils of A. cotula; cis‐thujone (39.0%), trans‐thujone (13.5%), and yomogi alcohol (7.1%) in the oil of A. cretica ssp. carpatica. The essential oil of A. austriaca was studied for the first time. A cluster analysis based on the relative percentages of all components of the essential oils was used to determine the distances between taxa and populations.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin phenotypes in adult liver disease patients

Abstract Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) is an important serine protease inhibitor in humans. Hereditary alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) affects lungs and liver. Liver disease caused by AATD in paediatric patients has been previously well documented. However, the association of liver disease with alpha-1-antitrypsin gene polymorphisms in adults is less clear. Therefore, we aimed to study AAT polymorphisms in adults with liver disease. We performed a case-control study. AAT polymorphisms were investigated by isoelectric focusing in 61 patients with liver cirrhosis and 9 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The control group consisted of 218 healthy blood donors. A significant deviation of observed and expected frequency of AAT phenotypes from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (chi-square = 34.77, df 11, P = 0.000) in the patient group was caused by a higher than expected frequency of Pi ZZ homozygotes (f = 0.0143 and f = 0.0005, respectively, P = 0.000). In addition, Pi M homozygotes were more frequent in patients than in controls (63% and 46%, respectively, P = 0.025). Our study results show that Pi ZZ homozygosity in adults could be associated with severe liver disease. Presence of Pi M homozygosity could be associated with liver disease via some mechanism different from Z allele-induced liver damage through accumulation of AAT polymers.

Comparative Study of Spasmolytic Properties, Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Content of Arbutus unedo from Montenegro and Greece

Arbutus unedo leaf is used traditionally for gastrointestinal complaints. Ethanol extracts from Arbutus unedo collected in both Montenegro (AuM) and Greece (AuG) were found to decrease the ileal basal tonus, with AuG producing a significantly higher (p < 0.05) reduction in contractile response to acetylcholine. AuM and AuG relaxed 80 mm K+ induced contractions and shifted the Ca++ concentration–response curves to the right, similar to that caused by verapamil, suggesting that the spasmolytic effect was induced through calcium channel inhibition. The antioxidant activity of AuM and AuG and the phenolic content of the extracts and dry plant material were studied, and both extracts were found to possess considerable antioxidant properties. AuG showed a stronger in vitro antioxidative activity in the DPPH assay and in the TBA test. Polyphenol, tannin and flavonoid levels were higher in AuG, supporting the more potent spasmolytic and antioxidative effects, whereas the arbutin content was higher in dry plant material collected in Montenegro. Copyright

Genetic transformation of Rhamnus fallax and hairy roots as a source of anthraquinones

Hairy roots of Rhamnus fallax Boiss. were induced using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4M70GUS. The culture established on Woody plant media (WPM) showed a typical hairy root phenotype: rapid growth, reduced apical dominance and root plagiotropism. Seven clones of R. fallax were selected on the basis of their differences in colour and the root branching. The growth of hairy root culture, measured through gain in fresh mass, was done under 16-h photoperiod or in the dark. An increase in anthraquinone (AQ) content was obtained in clones with yellow and less branched roots, like clone 1 [16.43 mg g−1(d.m.)] and clone 7 [14.21 mg g−1(d.m.)], compared with other analysed transformed and non-transformed tissue. This study presents the first report of successful transformation of any species from family Rhamnaceae by A. rhizogenes and analysis of AQ production in transformed tissue.