The effects of the ethanol extract of Cordia myxa leaves on the cognitive function in mice.

BACKGROUND: Cordia myxa L. (Boraginaceae) is widely distributed in tropical regions and it's fruits, leaves and stem bark have been utilized in folk medicine for treating trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. A population-based study showed that T. cruzi infection is associated with cognitive impairments. Therefore, if C. myxa has ameliorating activities on cognitive function, it would be useful for both T. cruzi infection and cognitive impairments. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the effects of an ethanol extract of leaves of C. myxa (ELCM) on memory impairments and sensorimotor gating deficits in mice. The phosphorylation level of protein was observed by the Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The administration of ELCM significantly attenuated scopolamine-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice, as measured by passive avoidance test and novel object recognition test. Additionally, in the acoustic startle response test, we observed that the administration of ELCM ameliorated MK-801-induced prepulse inhibition deficits. We found that these behavioral outcomes were related with increased levels of phosphorylation phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3ß) in the cortex and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in the hippocampus by western blot analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ELCM would be a potential candidate for treating cognitive dysfunction and sensorimotor gating deficits observed in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.

Comparative study of the phenolic profile, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of leaf extracts of five Juniperus L. (Cupressaceae) taxa growing in Turkey.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative evaluation of some biological properties of methanol and water extracts of leaves of five Juniperus taxa growing in Turkey: J. communis L. var. communis (Jcc), J. communis L. var. saxatilis Pall. (Jcs), J. drupacea Labill. (Jd), J. oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus (Joo), J. oxycedrus L. subsp. macrocarpa (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball. (Jom). The antioxidant properties were examined in vitro; both in the DPPH and in the reducing power tests, Joo methanol extract resulted the most active (IC50 = 0.09 ± 0.01mg/mL and ASE/mL = 2.56 ± 0.06). In the TBA assay, Jcs methanol extract exhibited the highest activity (IC50 = 4.39 ± 0.47 µg/mL). The extracts displayed bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and Jd methanol extract resulted the most effective (MIC = 19.53 µg/mL); no effect on the S. aureus biofilm formation was observed. The extracts resulted non-toxic in the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. Finally, the phenolic profile of the methanol extracts was characterized by HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS.

Activity evaluation on Ribes species, traditionally used to speed up healing of wounds: With special focus on Ribes nigrum.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ribes species are usually evergreen shrubs, represented by eight species in Turkey. Although they are known for their fruits with commercial importance, their leaves have been used as folk remedy in various areas in Turkey by rural population owing to their wound healing potential. AIM OF THE STUDY: In the present study we aimed to assess the wound healing activity of the leaves of Ribes species growing in Turkey, namely, Ribes alpinum L., R. anatolica Behçet, R. petraeum Wulfen, R. multiflorum Kit. ex Romer & Schultes, R. nigrum L., R. orientale Desf., R. rubrum L., R. uva-crispa L. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wounds were surgically induced on the dorsal parts of the rats and mice. Prepared herbal ointments were topically applied onto the wounds once daily. The effects of the extracts were evaluated by measuring the breaking strength and percentage of reduction in wounded area by comparing the results with the registered reference ointment, FITO Krem®. Histopathological and antioxidant assays were also conducted. Since, R. nigrum was determined to be the most active species, we further investigated the wound healing potential of the subextracts of the methanol extract of R. nigrum leaves. RESULTS: R. nigrum and R. multiflorum extracts significantly increased wound breaking strength. Significant reduction in the areas was determined for the wounded tissues treated with the ointments of R. nigrum and R. multiflorum extracts. Oxidative Stress Index was found to be lowest for R. orientale, R. nigrum and R. multiflorum. Among the subextracts of R. nigrum, ethyl acetate subextract was found to have promising effect. CONCLUSIONS: Methanol extracts of leaves of R. nigrum and R. multiflorum demonstrated significant wound healing effect. We can suggest that ethyl acetate subextract of R. nigrum may be a potential candidate to be used for the development of a wound healing agent.

11-Hydroxy-2,4-cycloeudesmane from the Leaf Oil of Juglans regia and Evaluation of its Larvicidal Activity.

Leaves of Juglans regia L. collected from two different locations [Adana (A) and Ankara (B)] from Turkey were subjected to hydrodistillation in a Clevenger type apparatus to yield the essential oils (EOs). GC/MS and GC-FID analyses revealed that the A EO was rich in thymol (23.1%), while caryophyllene oxide (33.8%) was found as the main constituent of B EO. Both contained P-eudesmol (1.4% - 9.5 %), (E)-geranyl acetone (3.7% - 5.8%) and the eudesmane type constituent juglaterpene A (3.1% - 11.0%). Using a HP Innowax preparative capillary column connected to a preparative fraction collector, an unknown constituent, juglaterpene A (1, 1 l-hydroxy-2,4-cycloeudesmane), was isolated in a rapid one-step manner with > 94.0% purity. Structure determination was accomplished from ID- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic data. Oil B demonstrated significant larvicidal activity against 1st instar Aedes aegypti L.

Influence of surface sealant agents on the surface roughness and color stability of artificial teeth.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Although various surface sealant agents are available and recommended for chairside polishing procedures, their effect on the surface roughness and color stability of denture teeth is not clear. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of sealant agents on the surface roughness and color stability of various denture tooth materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty disk-shaped specimens were prepared for each type of denture tooth material (SR Vivodent, PMMA; Vitapan, reinforced-PMMA; SR Phonares II, composite resin). The specimens were assigned to 4 groups according to the surface treatment used (n=20): surface sealant agents (Palaseal; Heraeus Kulzer GmbH, Optiglaze; GC Corp Biscover; Bisco Inc) and a conventional laboratory polishing technique (control group). A thermal cycling procedure was applied for half of the specimens (n=10). The surface roughness (Ra) values of thermocycled and nonthermocycled specimens were measured with a profilometer. The CIELab color parameters of both thermocycled and nonthermocycled specimens were measured with a spectrophotometer at baseline and after 7-day storage in a coffee solution. The color differences were calculated from the CIEDE2000 (ΔE00) formula. Data were statistically analyzed with 3-way ANOVA and the Tukey HSD test (α=.05). RESULTS: The type of tooth material, surface treatment technique, and their interactions were significant for Ra values, and each variable and their interactions were also significant for ΔE00 values (P<.05). Thermal cycling had a significant effect only on ΔE00 values (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Palaseal and Optiglaze sealant agents provided smoother and more color-stable denture tooth surfaces than the conventional polishing technique. The use of the Biscover agent with SR Vivodent and Phonares II teeth increased the Ra values. The color of conventionally polished SR Vivodent and Phonares II teeth changed more with thermal cycling.