Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity based on polymorphism of cedrol in mice.

Alternate forms of drug crystals display different physicochemical properties. These include stability, dissolution rate, bioavailability and solubility, which can affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. It is therefore important to compare the crystal forms of cedrol to obtain optimal anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. This study, for the first time, obtained and reports three novel forms (I-III) of cedrol polymorphs. The three forms of cedrol were recrystallized from seven organic solvents by slow cooling or volatilization and identified by thermal analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Form I originated from acetone and cyclohexane. Form II was obtained from ethanol, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile and n-hexane. Form III was recrystallized from methanol. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the three crystalline forms were evaluated by acetic acid induced writhing in mice, the hot plate method, carrageenan induced mouse paw edema models, Xylene-induced mouse ear edema models and cotton pellet-induced mouse granuloma models. Experimental results revealed that the highest performance was achieved from Form I. These findings are of great significance during the early research study of cedrol polymorphs.

Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Pear Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in Chinese Pear Orchards.

Pear psyllids are among the most damaging pests in pear orchards, but little knowledge exists of psyllid species in cultivated pear orchards in China. In this study, DNA sequence analyses of the 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) DNA regions were performed to identify pear psyllids from 28 regions of 20 provinces in China and to classify their genetic relationships to understand the origin of the species. The results showed that Cacopsylla chinensis Yang et Li (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) was found in most pear orchards in China, but Cacopsylla qianli (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) was found in only the cities of Guiyang (Guizhou province) and Xiangyang (Hubei province). The results for the 16S rDNA and COI regions were similar. Based on the nucleotide sequences and phylogenetic analyses of 16S rDNA and COI, C. chinensis could be divided into three groups: lineages I, II, and III. Based on 16S rDNA and COI, lineage II showed approximately 4% and 3% difference from lineage I, and lineage III showed approximately 12% and 9% difference from lineage I, respectively. C. chinensis lineage I was found in most provinces of China, while C. chinensis lineage II samples were mainly found in the Bohai rim region of China, and lineage III samples were found in Northeast China. The results of this study will provide information to pear producers regarding effective control measures to prevent further damage from pear psyllids.

Hair growth promotion effect of cedrol cream and its dermatopharmacokinetics.

Topical use of cedrol ethanol has been reported to have a beneficial effect on hair loss. However, the use of cedrol has been limited by application-related issues, such as poor water solubility and volatile features. Therefore, the present study developed a cream formulation of cedrol and evaluated various physicochemical parameters of the prepared cream. The optimized cedrol cream was selected after orthogonal tests and determined further. The dermatopharmacokinetics were studied to investigate the absorption difference between cedrol cream and cedrol ethanol after dermal application, and the concentrations of cedrol in skin were analysed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. By comparison, the area under the curve (AUC0-24 h) of cedrol cream was almost three times higher than that of cedrol ethanol. Moreover, this study was undertaken to evaluate the hair growth promoting efficacy of cedrol cream in C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats. Macroscopic assessment and alopecia score showed that C57BL/6 mice treated with cedrol cream showed a faster production of pigmentation and a higher score at different growth stages than other groups. The hair length of the cedrol cream-treated group was much longer than those of the cedrol ethanol and minoxidil groups. Histological analyses indicated that in the cedrol ethanol group, most follicles of the C57BL/6 mice were in the catagen phase, whereas nearly 83% of hair follicles in the cedrol cream group remained in the anagen phase. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that the cream formulation of cedrol has a stronger hair growth promotion effect, gave no irritation and was safe for topical administration.

Insecticidal Potential of Clove Essential Oil and Its Constituents on Cacopsylla chinensis (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in Laboratory and Field.

Cacopsylla chinensis (Yang and Li) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is an important pest of pear in China. As an alternative to conventional chemical pesticides, botanicals including essential oils and their constituents could provide an eco-friendly and nonhazardous control method. In this study, the essential oil of clove buds (Syzygium aromaticum) was obtained by hydrodistillation. Five constituents, accounting for 99.89% of the oil, were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the major constituents were eugenol (88.61%) and eugenol acetate (8.89%), followed by ß-caryophyllene (1.89%). In a laboratory bioassay, clove essential oil, commercial eugenol (99.00%) and ß-caryophyllene (98.00%) exhibited strong contact toxicity against the summerform adults of C. chinensis with LD50 values of 0.730, 0.673, and 0.708 µg/adult, and against the nymphs with LD50 values of 1.795, 1.668, and 1.770 µg/nymph, respectively. In contrast, commercial eugenol acetate (98%) had LD50 values of 9.266 µg/adult and 9.942 µg/nymph. In a field trial, clove essential oil caused significant population reductions of 73.01% (4.80 mg/ml), 66.18% (2.40 mg/ml) and 46.56% (1.20 mg/ml), respectively. Our results demonstrated that clove essential oil and its constituents have potential as a source of natural insecticides.

Source of atmospheric heavy metals in winter in Foshan, China.

Foshan is a ceramics manufacturing center in the world and the most polluted city in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in southern China measured by the levels of atmospheric heavy metals. PM2.5 samples were collected in Foshan in winter 2008. Among the 22 elements and ions analyzed, 7 heavy metals (Zn, V, Mn, Cu, As, Cd and Pb) were studied in depth for their levels, spatiotemporal variations and sources. The ambient concentrations of the heavy metals were much higher than the reported average concentrations in China. The levels of Pb (675.7 ± 378.5 ng/m(3)), As (76.6 ± 49.1 ng/m(3)) and Cd (42.6 ± 45.2 ng/m(3)) exceeded the reference values of NAAQS (GB3095-2012) and the health guidelines of the World Health Organization. Generally, the levels of atmospheric heavy metals showed spatial distribution as: downtown site (CC, Chancheng District)>urban sites (NH and SD, Nanhai and Shunde Districts)>rural site (SS, Shanshui District). Two sources of heavy metals, the ceramic and aluminum industries, were identified during the sampling period. The large number of ceramic manufactures was responsible for the high levels of atmospheric Zn, Pb and As in Chancheng District. Transport from an aluminum industry park under light north-west winds contributed high levels of Cd to the SS site (Shanshui District). The average concentration of Cd under north-west wind was 220 ng/m(3), 20.5 times higher than those under other wind directions. The high daily maximum enrichment factors (EFs) of Cd, Pb, Zn, As and Cu at all four sites indicated extremely high contamination by local emissions. Back trajectory analysis showed that the heavy metals were also closely associated with the pathway of air mass. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) method was applied to determine the source apportionment of these heavy metals. Five factors (industry including the ceramic industry and coal combustion, vehicle emissions, dust, transportation and sea salt) were identified and industry was the most important source of atmospheric heavy metals. The present paper suggests a control policy on the four heavy metals Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu, and suggests the inclusion of As in the ceramic industry emission standard in the future.

[Characteristics of volatile organic compounds during haze episode in Foshan city].

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Foshan City were investigated in December 6 to 30 2008. The concentrations of VOCs in haze days were significantly higher than those in no-haze days. Toluene (68.93 microg x m(-3) +/- 37.78 microg x m(-3)) was the most abundant compound of VOCs in haze days and i-pentane (20.59 microg x m(-3) +/- 14.28 microg x m(-3)) was the most abundant compound in no-haze days, respectively. During haze episodes, the diurnal variations of alkanes and alkynes were not significantly; however, alkenes and aromatic hydrocarbon decreased significantly at noon. During no-haze episodes, the diurnal variations patterns of VOCs were stable. Propylene-equivalent concentrations in haze days were significantly higher than those in no-haze days, toluene was the most abundant compound of Propylene-equivalent concentration in haze days, followed by propene and ethene; propene was the most abundant compound in no-haze days, followed by ethene and 1-butene. High concentration of benzene (18.1 microg x m(-3)) in haze days posed a great health threat to public in Foshan city. Both diurnal variation of VOCs and measured ratios indicated vehicular emissions acted as the main sources of most VOCs and other sources like solvent application also contributed to VOCs (benzene and toluene).