Nilufer Vural

Composition, antimicrobial activity and in vitro cytotoxicity of essential oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume (Lauraceae).

The essential oil from the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume was analyzed by GC-MS and bioassays were carried out. Nine constituents representing 99.24% of the oil were identified by GC-MS. The major compounds in the oil were (E)-cinnamaldehyde (68.95%), benzaldehyde (9.94%) and (E)-cinnamyl acetate (7.44%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was investigated in order to evaluate its efficacy against 21 bacteria and 4 Candida species, using disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. The essential oil showed strong antimicrobial activity against all microorganisms tested. The cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the essential oil on ras active (5RP7) and normal (F2408) fibroblasts were examined by MTT assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the oil was quite strong with IC(50) values less than 20 μg/mL for both cell lines. 5RP7 cells were affected stronger than normal cells. Morphological observation of apoptotic cells indicated the induction of apoptosis at the high level of the oil, especially in 5RP7 cells. The present study showed the potential antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic properties of the essential oil of cinnamon bark, indicating the possibilities of its potential use in the formula of natural remedies for the topical treatment of infections and neoplasms.

Biogenic amines produced by Enterobacteriaceae isolated from meat products

Biogenic amines in ground meat and processed meat products are one of the indicators to determine the poor quality raw material. Major histamine forming bacterium was Escherichia coli (strain EC04 with 65.88 mg/100 ml in Brain Heart Infusion medium), followed by the microorganisms Morganella morganii (strain MM4 with 8.40 mg/100 ml and strain MM7 with 8.28 mg/100 ml) and Proteus mirabilis (strain PM02 with 8.76 mg/100 ml), respectively. The highest putrescine production level was found in Citrobacter freundii and Enterobacter spp. strains, followed by Serratia grimesii, Proteus alcalifaciens, E. coli, Escherichia fergusonii, Morganella morganii, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus penneri and Hafnia alvei, respectively. The most important cadaverine producer was E. coli EC03 with a production level of 45.48 mg/100 ml, and of the strains Escherichia vulnaris EV01, Escherichia fergusonii EF06 produced 37.92 mg/100ml and 35.40 mg/100 ml, respectively. On the basis of our results, it can be concluded that the major biogenic amines produced by Enterobacteriaceae are putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine and histamine, both in culture medium and meat products.

Antioxidant phenolic substances of Turkish red wines from different wine regions.

In this study, five biologically phenolic antioxidant Turkish red wines from different regions of Turkey were determined using HPLC with PDA detection. The antioxidant capacities (AC) of the investigated wines are also determined and the relationship between the phenol content and antioxidant capacity is discussed. The results show that Kalecik Karası, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon AC values ranged between 15.8-18.7 mmol/L, 15.8-17.6 mmol/L and 18.1-22.6 mmol/L, respectively. Generally, Cabernet Sauvignon wines not only had higher levels of phenolic antioxidants, such as catechin, epicatechin and gallic acid, but also higher antioxidant capacities compared to Kalecik Karası and Merlot wines. When the results were compared on the basis of geographical area, Aegean red wines were found to contain generally higher levels of biologically important phenolics and thus to have more antioxidant capacity compared to the wines of the other regions studied.

Composition and antimicrobial activity of Juniperus excelsa essential oil

The genus Juniperus (Cupressaceae) consists of 55 species, all of which occur throughout the northern hemisphere of the world [1]; eigth species of them grow in Turkey [2]. Evergreen shrubs and trees in this conifer genus are slow growing and long lived. Various species of juniper are used medicinally with a range of applications from antiseptic to diuretic [3, 4]. Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. is a medium-sized shrub or tree up to 20 m. This species was divided into 2 subspecies (subsp. excelsa and subsp. polycarpos) by Farjon: one with a distribution in southeastern Europe, the Crimea, and mainly southern Turkey to Lebanon; the other a more continental element extending from North Turkey to Kirgizistan and Pakistan [5]. Subspecies excelsa is the subject of this paper. This subspecies is widespread in Turkey but most common in South Anatolia, in dry rocky slopes in hills and mountains at between 150‐2700 m, often forming the tree line in the Taurus mountains [5]. It is locally known as “boylu ardic” tall juniper in Turkey [6]. The chemical composition of the leaf and wood essential oils from Juniperus excelsa were previously reported [7‐9]. In the literature, there are a number of reports on the composition of the essential oil from berries of Juniperus species and their antimicrobial activities [10‐13]. Hexane and methanol extracts of J. excelsa were reported to demonstrate antimicrobial activity against microorganisms, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis [14]. The antimicrobial activity of J. excelsa essential oil against three standard bacterial strains and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been reported [15]. The objective of this study was to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the berries of J. excelsa and its main component, α-pinene, against clinically important microorganisms, including an anaerobic bacterium and the pathogenic yeasts. GS/MS analysis of J. excelsa essential oil resulted in the identification of forty-four constituents [16], representing 91.3% of the oil, as shown in Table 1. The major components were α-pinene (55.5%), α-cedrol (7.7%), sabinene (3.5%), and verbenone (2.4%). Similarly, Topcu et al. reported α-pinene (34.0%) and α-cedrol (12.3%) as the major components in the essential oil from berries of J. excelsa [17]. In another study, the main constituents were found to be α-pinene (29.1%) and carene (29.1%) [15]. The differences in the content of the oils might result from geographical origin, edaphic factors, or harvesting time. Antimicrobial chemotherapy has not achieved the much required success in the eradication of microbial infections because of the antimicrobial resistance developed by most pathogenic microorganisms. The antimicrobial properties of essential oils derived from many plants are under extensive study. The assays were performed as described elsewhere [18]. The results of this study shows that J. excelsa essential oil has a strong activity against the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfingens while exhibiting moderate activity against Staphylococus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium smegmatis , Candida albicans, and Candida krusei (Table 2). The data presented here are consistent with the previous studies which demostrated that α-pinene is a slightly active component [18]. The MICs of the main component of the essential oil, α-pinene, were also determined in parallel experiments, proving that this constituent is responsible for the antimicrobial activity, at least against C. perfringens and yeasts. Each plant extract and essential oil con tain complex mixtures of volatile and non-volatile compounds, and little is known about the effect of interactions between individual constituents on antimicrobial activity. Interactions between these components and known antibiotics may also lead to additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects.

Chemical composition, antibacterial and antifungal activity of the essential oil of Thymbra spicata L. from Turkey.

The composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Thymbra spicata L. from Turkey was analysed by GC-MS and its in vitro antimicrobial activity was examined. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of twenty-three constituents, representing 97.04% of the oil. The major compounds detected in the essential oil were carvacrol (60.39%), γ-terpinene (12.95%), and p-cymene (9.61%). The in vitro efficacy of the essential oil against 21 bacteria and seven Candida species was examined using disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. The essential oil demonstrated strong anti-microbial activity in a wide spectrum against most microorganisms, particularly the yeasts tested. This is the first report on the anticandidal properties of the essential oil of T. spicata. In conclusion, this study confirms that T. spicata essential oil could be considered as a natural antimicrobial source.

Niosomes encapsulating paclitaxel for oral bioavailability enhancement: preparation, characterization, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution

Abstract In this study, niosome formulations were prepared and evaluated for their effects on improving the oral bioavailability of paclitaxel (PCT). Niosomes were prepared from Span 40 and coated with bioadhesive carbopol polymers. The niosomes encapsulated 98.7% ± 0.8 of the initially added PCT and their size ranged from 133 ± 6 nm to 320 ± 6 nm. The stability of Carbopol 974P coated niosomes in bile salts was better than uncoated niosomes. Extended release of PCT was observed. After oral administration of formulations to Wistar rats, higher drug plasma concentrations were observed for niosomes comparing to PCT suspension. The high PCT accumulation in intestine and liver obtained after Carbopol 974P coated niosomes administration indicated their potential regarding effective treatment of localized carcinomas in intestine and liver. The relative bioavailability of PCT was increased 3.8- and 1.4-fold by uncoated and Carbopol 974P coated niosomes emphasizing the ability of niosomes on improving the oral bioavailability of PCT.

In Vitro Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Antispasmodic Activities and the Composition of the Essential Oil of Origanum acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietswaart

The radical scavenging, antimicrobial, and antispasmodic activities and the composition of Origanum acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietswaart (Order Labiatte) essential oil were evaluated in vitro. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the oil resulted in the identification of 20 compounds, representing 93.61% of the oil; carvacrol (65%) was the main component. The sample was also subjected to a screening for antioxidant activity by using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and beta-carotene/linoleic acid assays. The essential oil exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Using the agar disk diffusion method, antimicrobial activities of the essential oils were determined for nine microorganisms; antimicrobial activity was shown against eight of them. O. acutidens oil exhibited spontaneous contractions in rat ileum at the 100% level at 0.1 mg/mL level.

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oil of Salvia hypargeia Fisch. & Mey

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of Salvia hypargeia from Turkey. According to the results of GC-EIMS analysis, the major compounds of the oil were determined as Ot-pinene (15.9 %), ß-pinene (22.3 %), pulegone (13.5 %) and ß-ylangene (17.8 %). Essential oil could not show radical scavenging effect in DPPH system. On the other hand, inhibition capacity of the essential oil against linoleic acid oxidation was measured as 21.0 %. In the case of antimicrobial activity, the most sensitive microorganism was B. subtilis which has the lowest MIC value (35.80 µg/ml). This is followed by S. aureus and C. diphteriae (8.45 and 14.20 µg/ml, respectively).

Multi response optimisation of polyphenol extraction conditions from grape seeds by using ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE)

ABSTRACT Multi response optimisation conditions were investigated in grape seeds’ phenolic compounds extraction by using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) methodology. The effect of independent process variables such as EtOH concentration (0–100%), extraction time (0–40 min), solvent:solid ratio (4.5–38.5 mL/g) and extraction temperature (20–60°C) on total phenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of the extracts were studied. The optimum conditions of UAE were determined as follows: EtOH concentration, 61.76%; extraction time 20 min., solvent:solid ratio, 30 mL/g; extraction temperature 50°C. The estimation results of the model and the experimental results for TPC and TAA showed a great similarity.