Los pólenes de gramíneas y su relación con manifestaciones alérgicas en Costa Rica / Pollen of gramineae and its relation with allergic effects in Costa Rica

La alergia al polen es un problema sanitario importante en Costa Rica. Este volumen presenta una revisión junto con nuevos datos sobre el tema, para el cual no parece haber estudios igualmente detallados en otros países latinoamericanos, Junto a la descripción de los métodos de muestreo se presenta además una introducción a los otros trabajos agrupados en este suplemento. Se comparó cien sujetos sanos, no alérgicos, con 480 pacientes de rinitis, conjuntivitis, asma bronquial y/o dermatitis atópica. El polen de la familia Poaceae es el principal en cuanto a sensibilización alérgica Tipo I, porque (1) porduce gran cantidad de polen, (2) se encuentra en variedad de climas y hábitats y (3) sus proteínas son particularmente alergénicas. En 1986, un 0.33 por ciento de la población del país se convirtió en nuevos pacientes de alergia, y la tendencia es al aumento. Los métodos normales resultaron satisfactorios al ser aplicados a polen congelado con una vida activa media de tres años. Las pruebas epicutáneas se realizaron por dos años consecutivos usando únicamente mezclas de extractos la primera etapa y luego extractos de cada especie para una segunda etapa. Todos 1/10 p/v, glicerinados.

Comparison of the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of twenty unsaturated sesquiterpene dialdehydes from plants and mushrooms.

Twenty unsaturated sesquiterpene dialdehydes were tested for antimicrobial, algaecidal, cytotoxic, and mutagenic activity. In addition to the known antifungal activity, polygodial (1) also exhibited antibacterial and cytotoxic activity; epipolygodial (2) was slightly less active. The most active compounds were: isovelleral (7), isoisovelleral (8), velleral (20), and methylmarasmate (6). With the exception of velleral (20), they also exhibited mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome assay. Derivatization to less polar compounds usually increased the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects and reduced mutagenicity, while the introduction of hydroxyl groups had the reverse effect.

Chemical, physiological, and toxicological aspects of the essential oil of some species of the genus Bystropogon.

The composition of the essential oils of Bystropogon plumosus, B. origanifolius var. palmensis, B. wildpretii, B. maderensis, and B. canariensis var. smithianus were studied by GLC and GLC/MS. The first four species provide relatively similar oils characterized by monoterpene ketones as the main constituents while the last species is quite different with main constituents consisting of mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. In B. plumosus the ontogenetic variation of the monoterpene ketones was studied for a period of four years. During this time the behaviour of pulegone was inversely correlated with that of menthone and isomenthone. Pulegone was the most active compound of the monoterpene ketones in antimicrobial tests using three species of bacteria and fungi, respectively.

Effects of fluorine emission on agricultural products surrounding an aluminum factory.

The F concentrations of precipitate dust, agricultural products, and fingernail and hair at the surrounding Al factory were investigated. The F content of dust ranged from 15400 to 42500 micrograms/g dry weight, 190,000 to 380,000 micrograms/g Al. Rice grain contained about 3.4 times more F than that in the control area, but some kinds of agricultural products, egg plants (S. melongena L.), mulberry plants (M. japonica Bailey non Sieb.), and soy beans (G. max (L.) Merrill) were almost equal to that of controls. Also, the high F concentration in the hair and nails of some workers was affected by available F contents in the emission from the factory as well as food and water surrounding the aluminum factory compared with those of control area.

Saponins of the ivy plant, Hedera helix, and their leishmanicidic activity.

Antileishmanial activity is reported for the first time for saponins of ivy, Hedera helix L., in vitro on promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania tropica. The compounds tested were an extract containing 60% of saponic complex (CS 60), the bidesmosides hederasaponin B, C, and D (saponin K10), their corresponding monodesmosides alpha-, beta-, and delta-hederin, and hederagenin. CS 60 and bidesmosides have shown no effect. Monodesmosides were found to be as effective on promastigote forms as the reference compound (pentamidine). Against amastigote forms only hederagenin exhibited a significant activity which was equivalent to that of the reference compound (N-methylglucamine antimonate).

Evaluation of microwave digestion and solvent extraction for the determination of trace amounts of selenium in feeds and plant and animal tissues by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

A sensitive method for the accurate determination of Se in agricultural products at sub-ppm levels is described. The proposed procedure involves the wet oxidation of samples by using a mixture of nitric, sulphuric and perchloric acids, co-extraction of Se and added Pd with diethylammonium N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate in chloroform, and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of Se in the organic extract. Atomization and extraction conditions are discussed. Special attention is given to the wet oxidation step, and its advantages in speed and simplicity over conventional heating have been evaluated using an automated microwave digestion system. The results reported, obtained from several reference materials, confirm the accuracy of the method with which a detection limit of 0.002 micrograms g-1 of Se can be achieved.

Estudio de la flora alergénica en el Valle de México. Relación con la sensibilización alimenticia de origen vegetal (primera parte) / Allergenic flora in the Valle de Mexico. Relation with food sensitivity of vegetable origen (Part 1)

Se realizo un analisis descriptivo de las plantas consideradas capaces de producir reaccion alergica por los granos de polen. Se trabajo con 106 especimenes de 30 familias y 79 generos, solo 57 especies contribuyeron a la coleccion con preparaciones fijas de polen acetolizado. Asimismo, se realizaron descripciones morfologicas del grano de polen. Se revisaron historias clinicas, seleccionandose a los pacientes que dieron reaccion positiva a algun polosn (1 101 pacientes) y reaccion positiva a algun alimento. Esto se corroboro con pruebas de ingestion alimentaria de origen vegetal. Las gramineas, leguminosas rosaceas y solanaceas fueron el grupo mas importante de alimentos de origen vegetal que dieron reaccion positiva por ingestion alimentaria y 37.52% a reaccion cutanea.

Spectrophotometric method for the determination of paraquat in water, grain and plant materials.

A sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of paraquat using ascorbic acid (an easily available reducing agent) is described. Paraquat is reduced with ascorbic acid in alkaline solution to give a blue radical ion with an absorbance maximum at 600 nm. Beer's law is obeyed in the range 12-96 micrograms of paraquat in 10 ml of the final solution (1.2-9.6 ppm). The important analytical parameters and the optimum reaction conditions were evaluated. The method was applied successfully to the determination of paraquat in water, grain and plant materials.

4-Hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone: an anti-Pseudomonas and cytotoxic component from Passiflora tetrandra.

4-Hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone is responsible for the anti-bacterial activity of an extract of leaves from Passiflora tetrandra with minimum inhibitory doses (MID) of ca. 10 micrograms/disk against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 4-Hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone is also cytotoxic to P388 murine leukemia cells (IC50 of less than 1 microgram/ml).

What is ethnobotany today?

A review is given of contemporary ethnobotany. Emphasis is placed on the interdisciplinary nature of the subject and most progress is made when botanists, anthropologists, ecologists, chemists, etc. work in close collaboration. Ethnoecology, the study of the management systems of indigenous peoples, is particularly important for its application to the creation of sustainable use systems in the tropics. This must include the study of peasant agriculturalists who have adapted many techniques from cultures that have long been extinct. Quantitative studies of the extent to which rainforest Indians use the forest have provided many data useful for conservation. The study of indigenous medicines is leading to the discovery of new medicines and agrochemicals. When commercial benefit is gained from products derived from information obtained from indigenous peoples, it is essential to ensure that they and their countries benefit from the royalties. There is a great urgency for further ethnobotanical research before indigenous cultures and natural habitats are destroyed.

Action of calycanthine on nervous transmission in cockroach central nervous system.

Calycanthine, the principal alkaloid of the order Calycanthaceae, has been isolated from a species of the genus Psychotria (Rubiaceae) occurring in some Pacific islands. The drug is considered as a very powerful convulsant poison but very little is known about its mechanism of action. The symptoms observed were similar to those of some neuropoisons such as strychnine. The properties of this alkaloid have been investigated on the genesis, conduction, and transmission of the nerve impulse, using giant axons of the cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Calycanthine hydrochloride (10(-5) M), which did not alter nervous conduction in pre- and post-synaptic fibers, significantly reduced the efficacy of the synaptic transmission.

Isogravacridonchlorine: a potent and direct acting frameshift mutagen from the roots of Ruta graveolens.

The furanoacridone alkaloid isogravacridonchlorine has been isolated from the roots of Ruta graveolens, the structure was elucidated by spectroscopic means. Its mutagenic activity and mode of action was characterized without as well as with metabolic activation using different Salmonella typhimurium strains.

Ultraviolet-dependent biological activities of selected polyines of the asteraceae.

A series of eight polyines, isolated from several plants and containing various furanyl, thiophene, and spiro groups, were evaluated for antibiotic, antiviral, and cytotoxic activities in the presence and absence of long wavelength ultraviolet light, UVA. One compound, a furanopolyine, had impressive activity against a range of microorganisms, and membrane-containing viruses, as well as cytotoxic activity. All of these properties were UVA-dependent. Three other similar compounds had different patterns of UV-dependent activity against the various organisms, but some of these could also be of use in therapy of infectious diseases. In contrast, the dehydromatricaria esters and the two spiro compounds had relatively little biological activity.

Selenium in wetlands and waterfowl foods at Kesterson Reservoir, California, 1984.

Kesterson Reservoir (Kesterson) received subsurface agricultural drainwater containing high levels of salts and selenium from farmland in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The accumulation of selenium in wetlands and waterfowl foods at Kesterson was investigated during May, August, and December of 1984. High concentrations of selenium vegetation, and aquatic insects. Mean selenium concentrations in aquatic plants and insects ranged from 1.5 to 170 micrograms/g dry weight and were about 11 to 290 times those found at a nearby reference site. Concentrations in some waterfowl food plants and insects at Kesterson were up to 64 times those reported to be a health hazard to birds. Selenium concentrations were more seasonally variable in aquatic plants than in aquatic insects. Few differences in selenium accumulation were found among ponds. Deposition of selenium in plant parts was not uniform; rhizomes contained higher concentrations than seeds and leaves were intermediate. Most biota bioaccumulated maximum selenium concentrations that were 1,000 to nearly 5,000 times the concentration in the water.

Determination of germanium in some plants and animals.

The Ge contents of plants and animals were investigated by a wet ashing procedure by hydride generation and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry with flow injection. The analytical results obtained indicated that Ge contents widely vary in plant and animal kingdoms in the range of 8-302 ppb.

Differences in the susceptibility of plant membrane lipids to peroxidation.

Peroxidation of three membrane lipid preparations from plants was initiated using Fe-EDTA and ascorbate and quantified as the production of aldehydes and loss of esterified fatty acids. Using liposomes prepared from commercial soybean asolecithin, the degree of peroxidation was shown to be dependent on: the free radical dose, which was varied by the ascorbate concentration; the presence of tocopherol in the liposome; the configuration, of the liposome, multilamellar or unilamellar; and time after initiation. There were dramatic interactions among these factors which led to the conclusion that in comparing the susceptibility of different membrane preparations it is essential to examine the kinetics of the peroxidation reactions. The composition of the liposome was a major determinant of the degree of peroxidation and of the type of degradative reactions initiated by the oxygen free radicals. A fresh polar lipid extract from Typha pollen had very similar fatty acid composition to the soybean asolecithin, but was more resistant to peroxidation as shown by less aldehyde production and increased retention of unsaturated fatty acids after treatment. Similarly, microsomal membranes from the crowns of non-acclimated and cold acclimated winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings had a much higher linolenic acid content than soybean asolecithin but was much more resistant to peroxidation. In the winter wheat microsomes, the loss of esterified fatty acids was not selective for the unsaturated fatty acids; consequently, even with 40% degradation, the degree of unsaturation in the membrane did not decrease. These different reaction mechanisms which occur in plant membranes may explain why measurements of fatty acid unsaturation fail to detect peroxidative reactions during processes such as senescence, aging and environmental stress.