RESUMO
Background: Using natural oral supplements is one of the methods of complementary medicine that has been widely welcomed in the last decade Since studies have reported contradictory results for effectiveness of herbal medicines during menopause and no other more effective herbal medicine has been suggested yet, the researchers of this study decided to compare the fennel and Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) and their effect on menopause problems and sex hormones. Materials and Methods: The present study was a triple-blinded, controlled clinical trial with 125 participants randomly assigned to. An intervention group received fennel, another intervention group received evening primrose oil, and the placebo group received placebo twice daily for 8 weeks. Pre-intervention and post-intervention results were obtained using hormonal assay and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Results: In this study, the mean follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol levels changed significantly in the fennel and EPO groups compared to placebo (p < 0.001). The difference in the mean FSH score between the fennel group and EPO group was not significant (p = 0.304), but the difference in the mean estradiol level between these groups was significant (p = 0.043). Moreover, there was a significant difference in the mean MRS score between the intervention groups before the intervention (p < 0.05). However, the difference in the mean MRS score between the fennel and EPO groups was not significant after the intervention (p = 0.322). Conclusions: Consumption of fennel and EPO can significantly change FSH, estradiol, and psychological menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women.
RESUMO
(1) Background: The control of mosquitoes with essential oils is a growing demand. (2) Methods: This study evaluated the novel larvicidal and adulticidal activity of fennel and green tea oils and their nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) against Culex pipiens (C. pipiens) in the laboratory, field conditions and evaluated their effect against non-target organisms. SLN type II nanoformulations were synthesized and characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential and transmission electron microscope. (3) Results: The synthesized NLCs showed spherical shaped, homogenous, narrow, and monomodal particle size distribution. The mortality percent (MO%) post-treatment (PT) with 2000 ppm for 24 h with fennel oil and NLC fennel (NLC-F) reached 85% (LC50 = 643.81 ppm) and 100% (LC50 = 251.71), whereas MO% for green tea oil and NLC green tea (NLC-GT) were 80% (LC50 = 746.52 ppm) and 100% (LC50 = 278.63 ppm), respectively. Field trial data showed that the larval reduction percent of fennel oil and NLC-F reached 89.8% and 97.4%, 24 h PT and the reduction percent of green tea oil and NLC-GT reached 89% and 93%, 24 h PT with persistence reached 8 and 7 days, for NLC-F and NLC-GT, respectively. The adulticidal effects showed that NLC-F and NLC-GT (100% mortality) were more effective than fennel and green tea oils (90.0% and 83.33%), with 24 h PT, respectively. Moreover, their reduction of adult density after spraying with LC95 X2 for 15 min, with fennel oil, NLC-F, and green tea oil, NLC-GT were 83.6%, 100%, 79.1%, and 100%, respectively, with persistence (>50%) lasting for three days. The predation rate of the mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, and the bug, Sphaerodema urinator, was not affected in both oil and its NLC, while the predation rate of the beetle, Cybister tripunctatus increased (66% and 68.3%) by green tea oil and NLC-GT, respectively. (4) Conclusions: NLCs nanoformulation encapsulated essential oils was prepared successfully with unique properties of size, morphology, and stability. In vitro larvicidal and adulticidal effects against C. pipiens supported with field evaluations have been performed using essential oils and their nanoformulations. The biological evaluation of nanoformulations manifested potential results toward both larvicidal and adulticidal compared to the essential oils themselves, especially NLC encapsulated fennel oil which had promising larvicidal and adulticidal activity.