Chemical Composition, Enantiomeric Analysis, AEDA Sensorial Evaluation and Antifungal Activity of the Essential Oil from the Ecuadorian Plant Lepechinia mutica Benth (Lamiaceae).

This study describes the GC-FID, GC/MS, GC-O, and enantioselective GC analysis of the essential oil hydrodistilled from leaves of Lepechinica mutica (Lamiaceae), collected in Ecuador. GC-FID and GC/MS analyses allowed the characterization and quantification of 79 components, representing 97.3% of the total sample. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (38.50%) and monoterpene hydrocarbons (30.59%) were found to be the most abundant volatiles, while oxygenated sesquiterpenes (16.20%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (2.10%) were the minor components. In order to better characterize the oil aroma, the most important odorants, from the sensorial point of view, were identified by Aroma Extract Dilution Analysis (AEDA) GC-O. They were α-Pinene, ß-Phellandrene, and Dauca-5,8-diene, exhibiting the characteristic woody, herbaceus, and earthy odors, respectively. Enantioselective GC analysis of L. mutica essential oil revealed the presence of twelve couples and two enantiomerically pure chiral monoterpenoids. Their enantiomeric excesses were from a few percent units to 100%. Moreover, the essential oil exhibited moderate in vitro activity against five fungal strains, being especially effective against M. canis, which is a severe zoophilic dermatophyte causal agent of pet and human infections.

Dietary Supplementation of Hericium erinaceus Increases Mossy Fiber-CA3 Hippocampal Neurotransmission and Recognition Memory in Wild-Type Mice.

Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. is a medicinal mushroom capable of inducing a large number of modulatory effects on human physiology ranging from the strengthening of the immune system to the improvement of cognitive functions. In mice, dietary supplementation with H. erinaceus prevents the impairment of spatial short-term and visual recognition memory in an Alzheimer model. Intriguingly other neurobiological effects have recently been reported like the effect on neurite outgrowth and differentiation in PC12 cells. Until now no investigations have been conducted to assess the impact of this dietary supplementation on brain function in healthy subjects. Therefore, we have faced the problem by considering the effect on cognitive skills and on hippocampal neurotransmission in wild-type mice. In wild-type mice the oral supplementation with H. erinaceus induces, in behaviour test, a significant improvement in the recognition memory and, in hippocampal slices, an increase in spontaneous and evoked excitatory synaptic current in mossy fiber-CA3 synapse. In conclusion, we have produced a series of findings in support of the concept that H. erinaceus induces a boost effect onto neuronal functions also in nonpathological conditions.

Fungal biodiversity in the periglacial soil of Dosdè Glacier (Valtellina, Northern Italy).

Periglacial areas are one of the least studied habitats on Earth, especially in terms of their fungal communities. In this work, both molecular and culture-dependent methods have been used to analyse the microfungi in soils sampled on the front of the East Dosdè Glacier (Valtellina, Northern Italy). Although this survey revealed a community that was rich in fungal species, a distinct group of psychrophilic microfungi has not been detected. Most of the isolated microfungi were mesophiles, which are well adapted to the sensitive climatic changes that occur in this alpine environment. A discrepancy in the results that were obtained by means of the two diagnostic approaches suggests that the used molecular methods cannot entirely replace traditional culture-dependent methods, and vice versa.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the volatile fractions from leaves and flowers of the wild Iraqi Kurdish plant Prangos peucedanifolia FENZL.

The volatile fractions isolated from Prangos peucedanifolia FENZL leaves and flowers were investigated for their phytochemical composition and biological properties. Flower and leaf hydrodistillation afforded 3.14 and 0.49 g of yellowish oils in 1.25 and 0.41% yields, respectively, from dry vegetable materials. According to the GC-FID and GC/MS analyses, 36 (99.35% of the total oil composition) and 26 compounds (89.12%) were identified in the two oils, respectively. The major constituents in the flower volatile fraction were ß-pinene (35.58%), α-pinene (22.13%), and ß-phellandrene (12.54%), while m-cresol (50.38%) was the main constituent of the leaf volatile fraction. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated against several bacterial and fungal strains, on the basis of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the micro- and macrodilution methods. The two volatile fractions showed moderate antifungal and antibacterial activities, especially against Trichophyton rubrum (MIC of 2×10(3) µg/ml), Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC≤1.9×10(3) µg/ml for all).

Candidemia: species involved, virulence factors and antimycotic susceptibility.

We investigate the characteristics of the Candida species involved in BSI episodes in our Institute, their phospholipase and protease activity and the susceptibility pattern towards the main antifungal agents currently available. From January 2009 to December 2010 we documented a total of 59 episodes of candidemia. The incidence of candidemia was 32% in General Surgery, 22% in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 13% in Oncology and 10% in Gastroenterology. C. albicans was the most common species (32 cases=48%), followed by C. glabrata (17 cases=26%) and C. parapsilosis (12 cases=18%), a significant production of phospholipase in all strains of C. albicans was detected. Among Candida non-albicans species, the production of this enzyme only occurred in 1/12 strains of C. parapsilosis. The expression acid protease production was detected in 48% of C. albicans and no strains of Candida non-albicans. All species of Candida were susceptible to amphotericin B. The rate of susceptibility to fluconazole was 100% for albicans and C. parapsilosis. Decreased susceptibility to fluconazole was mostly seen with C. glabrata, which was 76.5% susceptible in a dose-dependent manner. The echinocandins showed a good performance for C. albicans, and maintained a good MIC distribution in C. glabrata.

Phytochemical researches and antimicrobial activity of Clinopodium nubigenum Kunth (Kuntze) raw extracts

The essential oil of the species Clinopodium nubigenum (Kunth) Kuntze, Lamiaceae, was analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID, taking into account the more recent literature. Among the seventy compounds identified, the majority are oxygenated monoterpenoids. The essential oil, tested for antimicrobial activity, resulted effective in vitro against Candida albicans. From the aqueous MeOH extract of the aerial parts of the plant two nonvolatile compounds, named schizonepetoside A and schizonepedoside C, have been isolated. They are rare glycosyl terpenoids, which were previously isolated from only one plant, but never found before in the genus Clinopodium.

Direct sequencing of Scedosporium apiospermum DNA in the diagnosis of a case of keratitis.

The present report describes the diagnostic strategy followed in a case of keratomycosis. Together with conventional methods, a molecular strategy that involved the direct sequencing of an amplified portion of the genome encompassing the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 regions and sequence analysis was used. The data highlight the diagnostic role of molecular techniques, in parallel with conventional methods, in the management of ocular infections of fungal aetiology.