ABSTRACT
The effects of thymol and carvacrol and the essential oil of Lippia gracilis on caulinary shoots of heliconia were evaluated. After disinfection, the shoots were inoculated into MS medium and subjected to the treatments with 420 µL L-1 of essential oil (EO) of L. gracilis; 420 µL L-1 of thymol; 420 µL L-1 of carvacrol; 210 µL L-1 of thymol and 210 µL L-1 of carvacrol. The control treatment consisted of the MS medium without any phytoregulators. The main components of EO from L. gracilis are carvacrol, ρ-cimene, and thymol. Seven days after the initiation of the experiments, 36.3% of the control treatment shoots were necrotized, but 90% of the caulinary shoots exposed to EO, thymol, or carvacrol appeared necrotized. Transmission electron microscopy of the shoots revealed that the treatment with EO, thymol, or carvacrol caused the destruction of the plasma cell membranes, and the cell organelles and the nucleus were hardly evident. The EO and its main constituent were toxic to caulinary shoots of heliconia.
O efeito do timol, carvacrol e óleo essencial de Lippia gracilis foi observado sobre ápices caulinares de heliconia. Após a desinfestação os ápices foram inoculados em meio MS com os tratamentos de 420 µL L-1 do óleo essencial (OE) de L. gracilis; 420 µL L-1 de timol; 420 µL L-1 de carvacrol; 210 µg L-1 de timol e 210 µL L-1 de carvacrol. O tratamento controle consistiu de meio MS sem fitorreguladores. Os principais componentes do OE foram carvacrol, ρ-cimeno e timol. Sete dias após o início do experimento 36,3% dos ápices submetidos ao tratamento controle e 90% dos ápices caulinares expostos ao EO, timol ou carvacrol necrosaram. A microscopia eletrônica de transmissão dos ápices caulinares revelou que os tratamentos com OE, timol e carvacrol provocaram desestruturação da membrana plasmática das células. As organelas e o núcleo não estavam evidentes. O OE e seus principais constituintes foram tóxico para os ápices caulinares de helicônias.
Subject(s)
Oils, Volatile/adverse effects , Rosmarinus/classification , Heliconiaceae/classification , Monoterpenes , Microbiology , Anti-Infective AgentsABSTRACT
Several species of the genus Hyptis have presented medicinal characteristics and are frequently indicated to treat gastro intestinal infections, gramps and pain, as well as for skin infections. Three harvests were carried out using six H. pectinata accessions, and the following characteristics were evaluated: plant height, canopy diameter, leave length (L) and width (W), L/W relation and dry weight of leaves and stem. The accession SAM006 have presented highest leave dry matter yield when the three harvests were summed. The aqueous leaf extracts of the same six H. pectinata accessions were tested for anti-edematogenic effect using the carrageenin-induced rat paw edema at doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg. The extracts administered orally had a significant anti-edematogenic effect. The dose of 200 mg/kg of accessions SAM004 and SAM005 had a stronger effect reducing the edema by 19.6 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively. Similar results were obtained using higher dosages of the aqueous extract of the accessions SAM002, SAM003 and SAM006. It can be concluded that the accessions SAM004, SAM005 and SAM006 are promising genotypes for a plant breeding program that aims the development of a cultivar with highest leave yielding and anti-edematogenic effect.
ABSTRACT
Sickle cell disease has a worldwide distribution and is a public health problem in Brazil. Although vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) is one of the most important clinical features of the disease, there are still several steps of its pathogenesis which are unknown. The increase of the chemotactic factor interleukin 8 (IL-8) has been reported to be involved in sickle cell disease crisis, but this has not been demonstrated conclusively. In the present study we analyzed serum IL-8 levels by ELISA and hematological parameters and hemoglobin patterns by standard techniques in 23 (21 SS and 2 SC) Brazilian patients with sickle cell syndromes during VOC caused by different inducing factors, 22 (21 SS and 1 SC) sickle cell patients out of crisis, and 11 healthy controls. Increased IL-8 levels were observed in 19 of 23 VOC patients (79.2 percent), 3 of them with more than 1,000 pg/ml. Seventeen of 22 (77.3 percent) non-crisis patients showed low IL-8 levels (less than 15 pg/ml). Healthy controls had low IL-8 levels. A significant difference in serum IL-8 levels was observed between crisis and non-crisis sickle cell patients (P<0.0001). There was no correlation between IL-8 levels and hematological data or hemoglobin patterns. High serum IL-8 levels were observed in VOC patients independently of the crisis-inducing factor. We conclude that in the studied population, IL-8 concentration may be a useful VOC marker, although the mechanism of the pathogenic process of sickle cell VOC syndromes remains unclear