Effect of essential oil of Anthemis mauritiana Maire & Sennen flowers on intestinal smooth muscle contractility.

The aim of the present study is to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from the flowers of Anthemis mauritiana Maire & Sennen (EOAM) and to investigate its antispasmodic effects on intestinal smooth muscle. The phytochemical composition was revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Eighteen compounds were identified representing 90.56% of the oil. The major constituents were described as alpha-pinene (27.02%), sabinene (15.25%), cedrenol (14.53%) germacrene (9.61%) geraniol formate (6.82%), and caryophylene (5.38%). EOAM (10-100 microg/ml) elicited reversible relaxation of spontaneous contractions of isolated rabbit jejunal smooth muscle preparations, and similarly inhibited contractions induced by high-potassium solution ([K(+)](o) = 76 mM) and carbachol (10(-6) M) with IC(50) values of 14.98 and 27.29 microg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, EOAM exhibited an inhibitory effect on the dose-response curves induced by carbachol and CaCl(2) on rat jejunum preparations. These results clearly demonstrated the antispasmodic effect of EOAM which was strongly suggested to be mainly due to an inhibitory effect on Ca(2+) influx through the membrane of jejunal smooth muscle cells.

Enzymatic detoxification of jojoba meal and effect of the resulting meal on food intake in rats.

When defatted jojoba meal is used as animal food, it causes food-intake reduction and growth retardation. Detoxification procedures by chemical, microbiological, and solvent extraction methods are reported by several authors. Here we report a successful detoxification of jojoba meal using enzymes. We establish reaction conditions that yield new meal which has the same nutritional qualities in proteins as the original meal. The enzymatic reaction gives rise to one major compound to which the structure of an amide is assigned on the basis of IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectra. The effect of the resulting jojoba meal on the food intake in rats is checked. In contrast, the detoxified meal containing the amide derivatives shows no toxicological activity since rats receiving oral administration of the obtained meal show normal growth. Thus, it is expected that this meal could be used as an animal feed ingredient.

Cytotoxic effect and electrophysiological activity of S-irniine, a synthesised isomer of the natural R-irniine, on human MRC-5 fibroblasts.

Numerous original alkaloids are present in tubers of Arisarum vulgare Targ. a species belonging to the Araceae family known in Morocco for its toxicity. Some previous works deal with the activity of these natural compounds as R-irniine. As the enantioselective total synthesis of irniine has been realised, the R- and S-forms were obtained and this last one could be tested. Thus, a study of the cytotoxicity and the electrophysiological activity of S-irniine was carried out on human MRC-5 fibroblasts. A cytotoxic effect of S-irniine at 40 microg/mL was detected on MRC-5 fibroblasts. An electrophysiological study was also carried out on the MRC-5 cells by using the patch-clamp technique and no effect of this compound at this concentration on the outward potassium current of MRC-5 fibroblasts was observed. Thus, this study showed, as it was for R-irniine, that the cytotoxicity of S-irniine was not explained by an effect on the potassium currents.