Chemical Characterization of the Essential Oil Compositions of Mentha spicata and M. longifolia ssp. cyprica from the Mediterranean Basin and Multivariate Statistical Analyses.

This present study aims to characterize the essential oil compositions of the aerial parts of M. spicata L. and endemic M. longifolia ssp. cyprica (Heinr. Braun) Harley by using GC-FID and GC/MS analyses simultaneously. In addition, it aims to perform multivariate statistical analysis by comparing with the existing literature, emphasizing the literature published within the last two decades, conducted on both species growing within the Mediterranean Basin. The major essential oil components of M. spicata were determined as carvone (67.8%) and limonene (10.6%), while the major compounds of M. longifolia ssp. cyprica essential oil were pulegone (64.8%) and 1,8-cineole (10.0%). As a result of statistical analysis, three clades were determined for M. spicata: a carvone-rich chemotype, a carvone/trans-carveol chemotype, and a pulegone/menthone chemotype, with the present study result belonging to the carvone-rich chemotype. Carvone was a primary determinant of chemotype, along with menthone, pulegone, and trans-carveol. In M. longifolia, the primary determinants of chemotype were identified as pulegone and menthone, with three chemotype clades being pulegone-rich, combined menthone/pulegone, and combined menthone/pulegone with caryophyllene enrichment. The primary determinants of chemotype were menthone, pulegone, and caryophyllene. The present study result belongs to pulegone-rich chemotype.

A comprehensive assessment of the cholinergic-supporting and cognitive-enhancing effects of Rosa damascena Mill. (Damask rose) essential oil on scopolamine-induced amnestic rats.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by gradual loss of cognitive abilities (dementia) and is a major public health problem. Here, we aimed at investigating the effects of Rosa damascena essential oil (RDEO) on learning and memory functions in a rat model of amnesia induced by scopolamine, as well as on changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) expression, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the extracted brain tissues. METHODS: The control, amnesia (scopolamine, 1 mg/kg/i.p.) and treatment (RDEO, 100 µL/kg/p.o. or galantamine, 1.5 mg/kg/i.p.) groups were subjected to Morris water maze and new object recognition tests. AChE activity was assayed by ELISA, and M1 mAChR and BDNF concentration changes were determined by western blotting. Also, using computational tools, human M1 mAChR was modeled in an active conformation, and the major components of RDEO were docked onto this receptor. RESULTS: According to our behavioral tests, RDEO was able to mitigate the learning and memory impairments caused by scopolamine in vivo. Our in vitro assays showed that the observed positive effects correlated well with a decrease in AChE activity and an increase in M1 mAChR and BDNF levels in amnestic rat brains. We also demonstrated in an in silico setting that the major components of RDEO, specifically -citronellol, geraniol, and nerol, could be accommodated favorably within the allosteric binding pocket of active-state human M1 mAChR and anchored here chiefly by hydrogen-bonding and alkyl-π interactions. CONCLUSION: Our findings offer a solid experimental foundation for future RDEO-based medicinal product development for patients suffering from AD.

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects of Calcium Hydroxide Mixed with Two Different Essential Oils.

BACKGROUND: Calcium hydroxide is a routinely used material for root canal disinfection during root canal treatment. Natural products have great potential in terms of their antibacterial effects. This study aimed to establish an effective alternative intracanal medicament using Origanum dubium (O. dubium) and Mentha spicata (M. spicata) essential oils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: O. dubium and M. spicata, collected from Lefke, Cyprus, were separately subjected to hydrodistillation. The obtained essential oil compositions were analysed simultaneously by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compositions were then divided into groups and mixed with calcium hydroxide at a 1:1 concentration; after that, the pastes were tested on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Candida albicans (C. albicans), which are the most common resistant pathogenic microorganisms in the root canal. The antibacterial activity of the pastes was measured using a disk diffusion assay. RESULTS: The GC and GC-MS analyses revealed that O. dubium and M. spicata had major compositions of carvacrol (75.8%) and carvone (71.3%), respectively. Antimicrobial activity was found to be significantly higher when study groups with O. dubium essential oil were applied to both E. faecalis and C. albicans. The results also show that M. spicata, together with calcium hydroxide, demonstrated a significant antifungal effect on C. albicans when incubated for 72 h. CONCLUSIONS: M. spicata was found to be an effective antimicrobial agent on C. albicans, whereas O. dubium was found to be very effective on both E. faecalis and C. albicans. These data demonstrate that these natural essential oils may be promising candidates for alternative intracanal medicament in future routine clinical applications.

Fatty acid composition and anticancer activity in colon carcinoma cell lines of Prunus dulcis seed oil.

CONTEXT: Almond oil is used in traditional and complementary therapies for its numerous health benefits due to high unsaturated fatty acids content. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the composition and in vitro anticancer activity of almond oil from Northern Cyprus and compared with almond oil from Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Almond oil from Northern Cyprus was obtained by supercritical CO2 extraction and analyzed by GC-MS. Almond oil of Turkey was provided from Turkish pharmacies. Different concentrations of almond oils were incubated for 24 and 48 h with Colo-320 and Colo-741 cells. Cell growth and cytotoxicity were measured by MTT assays. Anticancer and antiprolifetarive activities of almond oils were investigated by immunocytochemistry using antibodies directed against to BMP-2, ß-catenin, Ki-67, LGR-5 and Jagged 1. RESULTS: Oleic acid (77.8%; 75.3%), linoleic acid (13.5%; 15.8%), palmitic acid (7.4%; 6.3%), were determined as the major compounds of almond oil from Northern Cyprus and Turkey, respectively. In the MTT assay, both almond oils were found to be active against Colo-320 and Colo-741 cells with 1:1 dilution for both 24 h and 48 h. As a result of immunohistochemical staining, while both almond oils exhibited significant antiproliferative and anticancer activity, these activities were more similar in Colo-320 cells which were treated with Northern Cyprus almond oil. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Almond oil from Northern Cyprus and Turkey may have anticancer and antiproliferative effects on colon cancer cells through molecular signalling pathways and, thus, they could be potential novel therapeutic agents.