Gynecological efficacy and chemical investigation of Vitex agnus-castus L. fruits growing in Egypt.

Flavonoid glycosides, orientin and apigenin 3, 8-di-C-glycosides in addition to, iridoid compound, aucubin were isolated from the ethanolic extract of Vitex agnus-castus fruits. Their structures were identified on the basis of the spectroscopic data. The estrogenic activity of the ethanolic extract in two dose levels 0.6 and 1.2 g kg(-1) per body weight (b.w.) was studied by the vaginal smear, and uterine weight methods for normal and ovariectomized female rats. The extract induced significant increase in the uterine weight of ovariectomized rats at two dose levels comparable to that of control group. The percentages of the total average number of scores were increased significantly too. Significant increases in plasma progesterone and total estrogens levels were shown at the two dose levels when compared to that of control group. On the other side, the extract induced significant reduction in luteinizing and plasma prolactin hormones.

Chemical and biological evaluation of the essential oils of different Melaleuca species.

The essential oils of the fresh leaves of M. ericifolia, M. leucadendron, M. armillaris and M. styphelioides were isolated by a hydrodistillation method and analysed by a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. The essential oil of M. ericifolia contained methyl eugenol (96.84%) as a major constituent, whereas M. leucadendron was rich in 1,8-cineole (64.30%). The essential oil of M. armillaris was rich in 1,8-cineole (33.93%) followed by terpinen-4-ol (18.79%), whereas M. styphelioides was rich in caryophyllene oxide (43.78%) and (-) spathulenol (9.65%). The essential oils of these species possessed antimicrobial and antifungal activities. M. ericifolia exhibited the highest inhibitory effects against Bacillus subtiles and Aspergillus niger. The antiviral activities of the essential oils against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were studied in African green monkey kidney cells (Vero) by a plaque reduction assay. The volatile oil of M. armillaris was more effective as a virucidal (up to 99%) than that of M. leucadendron (92%) and M. ericifolia (91.5%). The effects of the essential oils on the antioxidant system status in carbon tetrachloride treated animals were studied. The essential oil of M. armillaris exhibited a marked antioxidant effect, it improved vitamin E, vitamin C and superoxide dismutase parameters so it can be used as a free radical suppressor.

Safety evaluation of olive phenolic compounds as natural antioxidants.

Free and total polyphenolic compounds were extracted from the fruits and leaves of the Picual cultivar. The safety limits of these compounds were recognized by measuring the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and total lipids of rat serum. The free and total phenolic compounds (400, 800, and 1600 ppm) and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) (200 ppm) were daily ingested for 7 weeks. The administration of olive total and free phenolic compounds at 400 and 800 ppm did not cause any significant changes on ALT and AST activities and serum total lipids. These compounds at 1600 ppm caused significant increase in ALT and AST activities and the content of total lipids. Both olive phenolic compounds were superior to that of BHT in increasing HDL-cholesterol level. Nutritional experiments demonstrated that BHT at 200 ppm caused an enlargement in the kidney and liver of the rat compared with the administration of total and free olive phenolic compounds at 1200 and 1600 ppm. Microscopical examination of kidney and liver tissues of rats administered free and total phenolic compounds at 1200 ppm had the same histological character as that of control rats, while the administration of BHT (200 ppm) and phenolic compounds (1600 ppm) induced severe damage to the tissues of the rat kidney and liver.

Influence of gamma-irradiation and microwaves on the antioxidant property of some essential oils.

The antioxidant property of anise, caraway, cumin and fennel essential oils extracted from untreated, gamma-irradiated and microwaved fruits against sunflower oil oxidative rancidity was evaluated. The fruits were exposed to gamma-irradiation at 10 KGy and to microwaves at low oven power setting for 1 min. The essential oils were added individually (200 ppm) to sunflower oil and the rate of oil oxidation was followed by determining the peroxide value during storage at room temperature. The irradiated and microwaved essential oils exhibited an antioxidant activity and was superior to that of sunflower oil catalysed by a mixture of BHT + BHA (200 ppm) in most cases. The present data show that gamma-irradiation and microwave treatments did not affect the antioxidant property of the essential oils under study. In addition the essential oils extracted from the gamma-irradiated fruits were more effective as an antioxidant in sunflower oil than those produced from microwaved fruits.

Aflatoxin destruction by microwave heating.

Microwaves were used in the present work in order to destroy pure aflatoxins (model system), and yellow corn and peanuts containing aflatoxins (food system). Pure aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) were individually coated on a silica gel and exposed to microwaves at various power settings and periods. The same technique was adopted for peanuts and yellow corn deliberately infected by Aspergillus flavus. The aflatoxins were extracted, fractionated by thin-layer chromatographic technique and quantitatively determined by spectrodensitometry. In all cases, the content of different aflatoxins in the deliberately infected yellow corn was in the decreasing order B1 = G1 > B2 > G2. Infected peanuts were characterized by the highest B1 level, being approximately 3, 2, and 4.4 times as great as that in B2, G1 and G2, respectively. The rate of aflatoxin destruction of model and food systems increased with the increase of microwave oven power setting (low, moderate and high) and exposure time to microwaves.

Comparative Study on the Deterioration of Oils by Microwave and Conventional Heating.

Refined cottonseed oil and hydrogenated palm oil were heated by two methods, conventionally by gas-cooker (deep fat frying) and by microwave energy. Quality assurance methods such as refractive index, color, diene content, acid value, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid value, iodine value, petroleum ether insoluble oxidized fatty acid content, and degree of polymerization were determined. Exposing the oil samples to various heating times and microwave oven power levels caused some hydrolysis to free fatty acids and accelerated the formation of hydroperoxides and secondary oxidation products. The value from each test increased with both the power settings of the microwave oven and the time of heating. In general, the development of rancidity for refined cottonseed oil heated by microwaves was twice as fast as that produced by conventional heating. Also, the chemical values indicating deterioration for refined cottonseed oil were much higher for refined cottonseed oil than for hydrogenated palm oil in all cases. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of fatty acids obtained from the heated oils indicates the occurrence of oxidative degradation and production of short-chain acids.

Antimicrobial Activity of Some Egyptian Spice Essential Oils.

Six spice essential oils (sage, rosemary, caraway, cumin, clove, and thyme) and their basic ingredients were tested for their inhibitory effect against 3 strains of Gram-negative bacteria, 4 strains of Gram-positive bacteria, one acid fast bacterium, and one yeast. Preliminary screening of antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was done using the filter paper disc agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration for each essential oil against various micro-organisms was also measured. Very low concentrations (0.25 - 12 mg/ml) of the various essential oils were sufficient to prevent microbial growth. The data show that Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to the antimicrobial compounds in spices than Gram-negative. The inhibition zones of different microbial growth produced by various essential oils were similar to those produced by their basic compounds. Thyme and cumin oils possessed very strong antimicrobial activity compared with the other essential oils. There was a relationship between the chemical structures of the most abundant compounds in the essential oils under investigation and the antimicrobial activity.

Growth and Aflatoxin Production by Aspergillus parasiticus in a Medium Containing Plant Hormones, Herbicides or Insecticides.

The effect of some widely used plant hormones (indol-3-acetic acid and gibberellic acid), herbicides (gramoxone, stomp and treflan) and insecticides (malathion, actellic and guthion) on Aspergillus parasiticus growth and aflatoxin production in a synthetic medium was studied. Addition of indol acetic acid to the medium increased aflatoxin production more than gibberellic acid. Treflan at 5, 10 and 20 ppm levels caused a highly significant stimulatory effect on A. parasiticus growth and aflatoxin production. In contrast, stomp at 10 and 20 ppm produced the reverse effect. Guthion, an insecticide, caused a marked decrease in fungal growth and aflatoxin production. The inhibitory effect of insecticides under study on both fungal growth and aflatoxin production in effectiveness followed the sequence: guthion>actellic>malathion. At the recommended application rate (10 ppm), with the exception of indol acetic acid and treflan, all compounds suppressed mold growth and aflatoxin production.

Effects of certain antibilharzial and contraceptive drugs on liver functions in rats.

Effects of single and combined administration of contraceptive drug (microvlar-30) and anti-urinary bilharzial drug (metriphonate) as well as anti-intestinal bilharzial drug (oxamniquine) on the liver functions of female albino rats were studied. Metriphonate increased serum globulin content and caused no change in the hepatic cells. Oxamniquine significantly increased the activities of serum transaminases and alkaline phosphatase and caused necrosis in some liver cells. Microvlar-30 exhibited no change on the serum enzymes, while marked increase was found in serum triglyceride and protein levels. The combined administration of metriphonate or oxamniquine with microvlar-30 prevented the increase in the levels of serum triglycerides and proteins. Histopathological examination confirmed the results obtained by chemical analysis.