Use of Fruit Essential Oils to Assist Forest Regeneration by Bats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Classification of Aristolochia species based on GC-MS and chemometric analyses of essential oils

Essential oils were obtained from roots of 10 Aristolochia species by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC MS. A total of 75 compounds were identified in the analysed oils. Multivariate analyses of the chemical constituents of the roots enabled classification of the species into four morphological groups. These forms of analysis represent an aid in identification of further specimens belonging to these species. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition and screening of antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cladosporium cladosporioides of essential oils of leaves and fruits of Piper species

This study investigated the composition and antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cladosporium cladosporioides of essential oils of leaves of Piper cernuum, Piper diospyrifolium, Piper crassinervium, Piper solmsianum and Piper umbelata and fruits of P. cernuum and P. diospyrifolium. The essentials oils were analyzed by GC-MS and submitted of the antifungal activity tests. The essential oils of fruits from P. cernuum and leaves of P. crassinervium and P. solmsianum showed potential antifungal activity against C. sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides. In addition, this is the first report of the composition of essential oils of fruits of P. cernuum and P. diospyrifolium.

Composition and antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans of essential oils from leaves of Piper and Peperomia species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Essential oils from leaves of cryptocarya spp from the atlantic rain forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Composition and antifungal activity of essential oils from Piper aduncum, Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum

The composition of essential oils from leaves, stems and fruits of Piper aduncum, P arboreum and P. tuberculatum was examined by means of GC-MS and alltifungal assay. There was a predominance of monoterpenes in P aduncum and P tuberculatum and of sesquiterpenes in P arboreum. P aduncum showed the richest essential oil composition, including linalool. The essential oils from fruits of P. aduncum and R tuberculatum showed the highest antifungal activity with the MIC of 10 mu g as determined against Cladosporium cladosponoides and C. sphaerospermum, respectively. This is the first report of the composition of essential oils from P. tuberculatum.

Influence of different drying temperatures on the amount of essential oils and citral content in Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. - Poaceae

Studies were conducted to show the effect of different temperatures in the drying process on the amount and quality of essential oils of Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. Leaves were harvested in the experimental field of the Agronomical Sciences College, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil in September, 1996. Blades of the leaves were cut in small parts (about 1-1,5 cm length), dried for several days at 30°, 50°, 70° and 90°C, until establishment of the weights. In the following process a hydrodistillation, during 2.5 hours, by Clevenger apparatus, was subsidized to extract the essential oils. A higher amount of oil could clearly be collected with the lower drying temperatures, except at 30°C, affected by fungus growing. Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Rhyzopus sp., Cladosporium sp., Trichoderma sp. and Alternaria sp. were observed in the leaves. The analysis of the oil by GC-MS showed the variation of citral concentration of the treatments (86,1 to 95,2%). The results proved it is worthwhile to spend more time and effort in the production process using longer times of careful drying.

Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from plants used in Brazilian popular medicine

Essential oils from, Salvia officinalis L. (SO), Mentha sylvestris L. (MS), Casearia sylvestris Sw. (CS), Mentha piperita L. (MP), Ocimum micrantum Willd. (OM) and Mentha arvensis L. (MA), plants used in Brazilian popular medicine were extracted using method I, as described in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, in order to obtain the phytochemical profile and to evaluate their antimicrobial activity against the following microorganisms: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Candida albicans and Aspergilus oryzae. Test was made by means of the disk-plaque diffusion test in liquid medium using 1% essential oil. In the disk-plaque diffusion test, all the essential oils exhibited activity against B. subtilis, but OM showed the greatest inhibition zone and was the only one to show activity against S. aureus. Samples of SO, MS, MP, OM and MA were active against M. luteus, E. coli and S. marcescens, while A. oryzae was sensitive to MS, MP, OM and MA. No sample, however, was active against C. albicans. In the liquid medium test, significant results were observed for OM and MA, which inhibited the growth of all microorganisms for 24 hours, and OM continued active against E. coli and A. oryzae until the last reading.

Antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of some spice herbs

Essential oils were obtained from fennel seeds, dill, cumin and coriander. Their antimicrobial activity was tested on isolated clinical specimens of patients treated at the University Hospital of the School of Medicine of Botucatu, SP, UNESP. Microorganisms were grown in BHI (Brain Heart Infusion/Oxoid) at 37oC/18 hours and resuspended in 0,5 Mac Farland's Standard (1,5 x 108 CFU/mL). The diffusion method was performed, putting 10 μl of the essential oils on paper disks (6mm of diameter) (Blank Disks/CECON) at 37oC/24 hours. After this period, the disks were put on plates containing Mueller Hinton Agar (Oxoid) and inoculated with the microorganisms. After 48 hours at 37oC, inhibitory zones were measured (mm) for the respective oils and strains. The essential oil from Anethum graveolens showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (inhibitory zone=18 mm), Salmonella sp. (=11 mm) and E. coli (10 mm). The Cuminum cyminum essential oil was effective against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella sp. and their inhibitory zones were 18, 10 and 23 mm, respectively. Coriandrum sativum oil was active only against Salmonella sp. (18 mm) and Foeniculum vulgare inhibited only E. coli (9 mm).

Electrophysiological responses of Atta sexdens rubropilosa workers to essential oils of Eucalyptus and its chemical composition

The leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908 is the most harmful of the Eucalyptus pests, causing severe losses in wood production through defoliation. Various strategies have been tried and effort spent on the development of methods to control this pest, however no practical and environmentally acceptable one currently exists. In this work the chemical composition of the essential oil of seven Eucalyptus species was identified and the selectivity and sensitivity of antennal receptors of A. sexdens rubropilosa workers to the volatile compounds were determined using the electroantennographic technique (EAG and GC-EAD). Analysis by GC-EAD showed in E. cloesiana and E. maculata, respectively, seventeen and sixteen terpenes that elicited responses in ant workers' antennae, indicating the potential role of the essential oils as allelochemicals that determine the choice of the foraging material. © 2006 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung.

Essential oils from medicinal and aromatic plants: A review of the gastroprotective and ulcer-healing activities

Gastric ulcer is an excoriated area of the gastric mucosa. It is among the predominant gastrointestinal chronic diseases. The essential oils represent an important part of the traditional pharmacopoeia in many countries and have been successfully used for gastroprotection and ulcer healing. Thus, this review presents the experimental activity of essential oils traditionally used in the gastric ulcer prevention and treatment, considering their families, part of the plant studied, bioassays, and their mechanisms of gastroprotection and ulcer healing, with the aim of stimulating novel studies in the search for a new phytomedicine to treat gastric diseases. © 2012 The Authors Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology © 2012 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Plant-derived essential oils affecting settlement and oviposition of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biotype B on tomato

The silverleaf whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biotype B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an economically important pest of tomatoes Solanum lycopersicum (L.), causing irregular ripening on fruits and transmitting several plant pathogenic geminiviruses. The management of this pest is commonly based on repetitive spraying with synthetic pesticides, causing serious environmental damages and increase of resistance by insect population. In the present study, essential oils from the leaves of Artemisia camphorata Vill., Ageratum conyzoides L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Br., Plectranthus neochilus Schltr., and Tagetes erecta L. were investigated for their possible repellent and oviposition-deterrent effects against B. tabaci biotype B on tomato. In a multi-choice assay, P. neochilus essential oil was the most active repellent and oviposition deterrent. Essential oils of A. conyzoides and T. erecta significantly deterred the female B. tabaci biotype B from laying eggs on treated tomato leaflets compared with the control. (E)-Caryophyllene (30.67 %) and the monoterpenes α-pinene (15.02 %) and α-thujene (11.70 %) were identified as the major constituents of the essential oil of P. neochilus. Our findings demonstrated the potential of essential oil of P. neochilus and other oils in the reduction of settlement and oviposition of B. tabaci biotype B on tomato. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Database of the Amazon aromatic plants and their essential oils

The aromatic flora of the Amazon has been inventoried for 30 years. In this sense, were made over 500 field trips to collect over 2500 plants and to obtain more than 2000 essential oils and aroma concentrates, all of them submitted to GC and GC-MS. This work led to the creation of a database for the aromatic plants of the Amazon, which catalogs general information about 1250 specimens. The database has allowed the publication of the chemical composition of the oils and aromas of more than 350 species, associated with a larger number of chemical types. The essential oils of many species offer optimum conditions for economic exploitation and use in national and international market of fragrances, cosmetics, agricultural and household pesticides.

The antimicrobial effects of Citrus limonum and Citrus aurantium essential oils on multi-species biofilms

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Citrus limonum and Citrus aurantium essential oils (EOs) compared to 0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX) and 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) on multi-species biofilms formed by Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. The biofilms were grown in acrylic disks immersed in broth, inoculated with microbial suspension (106 cells/mL) and incubated at 37°C / 48 h. After the biofilms were formed, they were exposed for 5 minutes to the solutions (n = 10): C. aurantium EO, C. limonum EO, 0.2% CHX, 1% NaOCl or sterile saline solution [0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl)]. Next, the discs were placed in sterile 0.9% NaCl and sonicated to disperse the biofilms. Tenfold serial dilutions were performed and the aliquots were seeded onto selective agar and incubated at 37°C / 48 h. Next, the number of colony-forming units per milliliter was counted and analyzed statistically (Tukey test, p ≤ 0.05). C. aurantium EO and NaOCl inhibited the growth of all microorganisms in multi-species biofilms. C. limonum EO promoted a 100% reduction of C. albicans and E. coli, and 49.3% of E. faecalis. CHX was less effective against C. albicans and E. coli, yielding a reduction of 68.8% and 86.7%, respectively. However, the reduction of E. faecalis using CHX (81.7%) was greater than that obtained using C. limonum EO. Both Citrus limonum and Citrus aurantium EOs are effective in controlling multi-species biofilms; the microbial reductions achieved by EOs were not only similar to those of NaOCl, but even higher than those achieved by CHX, in some cases.

Characterization of the chemical composition of the essential oils from Annona emarginata (Schltdl.) H. Rainer 'terra-fria' and Annona squamosa L.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi caracterizar a composição química do óleo essencial das folhas de Annona emarginata (Schltdl.) H. Rainer 'terra-fria' e Annona squamosa L. As espécies foram cultivadas em casa de vegetação, com aplicação semanal de solução nutritiva até completar 18 meses, quando se realizaram a colheita e a secagem das folhas para a extração do óleo essencial, analisado por cromatografia gasosa acoplada à espectrometria de massas, para estudo dos perfis químicos. Onze substâncias majoritárias foram encontradas no óleo essencial de A. emarginata: (E)-cariofileno-29,29%; (Z)-cariofileno-16,86%; γ-muroleno-7,54%; α-pineno-13,86%; tricicleno-10,04%. No óleo de A. squamosa, 10 substâncias foram detectadas, entre elas: (E)-cariofileno-28.71%; (Z)-cariofileno-14,46%; α-humuleno-4,41%; canfeno-18,10%; α-pineno-7,37%, e β-pineno-8,71%; longifoleno-5,64%; majoritárias. (E)-cariofileno; (Z)-cariofileno; α-humuleno; canfeno; α-pineno, e β-pineno foram as seis substâncias comuns às duas espécies.