ABSTRACT
The chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Pelargonium odoratissimum (L.) L'Hér., Geraniaceae, was determined and the antimicrobial activities against the Aspergillus flavus CML 1816, Aspergillus carbonarius CML1815 and Aspergillus parasiticus CMLA 817 fungi, as well the Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25 992 bacteria were evaluated. The essential oil was isolated by steam distillation using a modified Clevenger apparatus, and its constituents were identified and quantified by GC/MS and GC-FID analyses. In vitro bioanalytical testing was performed using a completely randomized design. The concentrations of essential oil employed ranged from 0.1 to 2 μL.mL-1 (in dimethyl sulfoxide) for the fungus species and from 1 to 500 μL.mL-1 for the bacteria. The diameters of the inhibition zones formed for bacteria and the mean diameters of mycelial growth in perpendicular directions for fungi were measured, followed by calculation of the percentage of inhibition. The essential oil from the leaves of P. odoratissimum furnished methyleugenol (96.80 percent), a phenylpropanoid. This essential oil inhibited the growth of fungi (100 percent inhibition) and exhibited a small effect on the bacteria at the concentrations tested.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Biochemistry/classification , Biochemistry/instrumentation , Biochemistry/methodsSubject(s)
Male , Female , Humans , Biochemistry/classification , Biochemistry/instrumentation , Biochemistry/methodsABSTRACT
Thirty-five natural honey samples from three apicultural regions of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were collected from honeybee hives under various climatic conditions over a two-year period. The beehives were located in the districts of Bom Jesus do Amparo, Baräo de Cocais and Säo Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, all within a 100 km radius of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The pollinic spectrum, color and ash, moisture, K, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn contents were determined. Elemental analysis were done by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Accuracy and precision were verified by recovery tests and relative standard deviation, respectively. The mean mineral contents encountered erre K=1130; Mn=3.88; Fe=2.79; Zn=2.34 and Cu=0.54 ug/g. During the dry season, several species of Eucalyptus pollen grains predominated, with Vernonia pollen grains present in lower abundance. In the rainy season, there was an inversion of dominance. Statistical treatment of results, separeted according to comb and season, showed statistically equivalent means, although some good correlation indices (p=0.05) wereobtained, e.g. between percent Eucalyptus pollen grains and Mn content (O.45O), between Fe and Zn (0.698) and between K and Mn (0.738)
Subject(s)
Eucalyptus , Honey , Minerals , Pollen , Spectrum AnalysisABSTRACT
Se llevó a cabo un estudio para determinar la composición química del aceite de "mandi" (Pimelodus clarias). Los hallazgos revelaron que éste acusa una baja proporción de ácidos grasos esenciales C18:2 y un alto porcentaje de ácido oleico (29:93%); también contiene ácidos grasos poli-insaturados con más de 18 átomos de carbono. De los ácidos de cadena larga, C22:6 está presente en más alto porcentaje (1.94%). Al alimentar a ratas con una dieta cuya fuente de lípidos provenía de aceite de mandi, se encontró que éstas acusaban una reducción de crecimiento en comparación con el de animales que consumieron la dieta control (aceite de maíz). La composición de ácidos grasos del hígado y del corazón de las ratas del grupo experimental presentaban modificaciones. La mayor variación se constató en el porcentaje de C22:6 del músculo cardíaco, en el que se observó un incremento de cinco veces. Puede ser que la reducción del crecimiento y la alteración en los niveles de los ácidos grasos poli-insaturados se deba a una posible deficiencia en C18:2-w6 o a una falta de equilibrio entre C18:2-w6 y C18:3-w3