Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from the rhizomes of Amomum cannicarpum

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the rhizomes of Amomum cannicarpum was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Thirty-four compounds were identified, of which the major components were beta-terpineol (13.4%), beta-pinene (9.4%) and alpha-pinene (6.9%). The essential oil showed significant antimicrobial activity.     

Chemical characterization and biological activity of essential oils from Daucus carota L. subsp. carota growing wild on the Mediterranean coast and on the Atlantic coast

The essential oils and supercritical CO(2) extracts of wild Daucus carota L. subsp. carota growing spontaneously in Sardinia and in Portugal were investigated. The main components in the Sardinian essential oil of flowering and mature umbels with seeds are beta-bisabolene (17.6-51.0%) and 11-alpha-(H)-himachal-4-en-1-beta-ol (9.0-21.6%); instead, the oils from Portuguese samples are predominantly composed of geranyl acetate (5.2-65.0%) and alpha-pinene (3.5-37.9%). Supercritical extracts contain lower amounts of monoterpenes and higher amounts of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Antifungal activities of the Sardinian oils were the highest, particularly for dermatophytes and Cryptococcus neoformans, with MIC values of 0.16-0.64 microL mL(-1).     

Composition and biological activity of essential oil of Achillea ligustica All. (Asteraceae) naturalized in central Italy: Ideal candidate for anti-cariogenic formulations

Essential oil from flowers (FL) and vegetative parts (VP) of Achillea ligustica (Asteraceae), naturalized after cultivation in central Italy, was investigated by GC–FID and GC–MS. The most abundant components were linalool, viridiflorol, β-pinene, 1,8-cineole and terpinen-4-ol. The antioxidant assays (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays, and β-carotene bleaching test) demonstrated a moderate activity of essential oils. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the broth micro-dilution method on 6 microbial strains and showed to be quite strong against the cariogenic Gram-positive Streptococcus mutans, suggesting that this essential oil could be a valid candidate for anti-cariogenic formulations. Moderate cytotoxic activity was observed in assays on four tumour cell lines by MTT assay.     

Radical scavenging activity and composition of raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaves from different locations in Lithuania

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaves, collected in different locations of Lithuania were extracted with ethanol and the extracts were tested for their antioxidant activity (AA) by using ABTS(.)(+) decolourisation and DPPH(.) scavenging methods. All extracts were active, with radical scavenging capacity at the used concentrations from 20.5 to 82.5% in DPPH(.) reaction system and from 8.0 to 42.7% in ABTS(.)(+) reaction. The total amount of phenolic compounds in the leaves varied from 4.8 to 12.0 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) in 1 g of plant extract. Quercetin glucuronide, quercetin-3-O-glucoside and rutin were identified in the extracts.     

Age trends in the genetic parameters of wood density and the relationship with growth rates in hybrid larch (Larix gmelinii var. japonica × L. kaempferi) F1

Age trends in variance components and heritability of overall wood density, earlywood and latewood density, and latewood proportion were investigated in 29-year-old trees of 19 full-sib families of hybrid larch (Larix gmelinii var. japonica × Larix kaempferi) F₁. The age–age correlation and optimum selection age for these traits were also estimated and genetic and phenotypic correlations between wood density and radial growth rate were calculated for each growth ring. Intraring wood density data were obtained using X-ray densitometry. The coefficient of additive genetic variance was stable over all ages, whereas the coefficient of environmental variances gradually decreased with increasing age, resulting in increases in heritability estimates with age for overall density. The latewood proportion had the highest heritability estimates at all ages, ranging from 0.44 to 0.66. Overall density and its various components at 28 years of age showed strong genetic correlations with their respective traits at all younger ages. Optimum selection ages for the wood density traits ranged from 8 to 14 years, at which point maximum gain efficiencies per year were obtained. There were negative correlations between wood density and radial growth rate at early ages, although these relationships tended to be weaker with increasing age. These results suggest that selection at a young age is effective for wood density, but particular care must be taken in selecting trees with an improved radial growth rate because rapid growth will result in a low-density wood product, especially in the early growth period.     

Insecticidal effects of the powdery formulation based on clay and essential oil from the leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clausena anisata</Emphasis> (Willd.) J. D. Hook ex. Benth. (Rutaceae) against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acanthoscelides obtectus</Emphasis> (Say) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

The bioefficacies of essential oil and aromatized clay powder based on the mixture of clay and essential oil extracted from Clausena anisata were evaluated for their insecticidal activities and their effects on progeny production of Acanthoscelides obtectus. Contact toxicity assayed by coating on bean grains showed that these chemicals caused significant mortality of the test insect. Beetle mortality was dose dependant and after 2-day exposure the aromatized clay powder was more toxic (LD₅₀ = 0.069 μl/g grain) than the pure essential oil (LD₅₀ = 0.081 μl/g grain). There was, however, a highly significant loss of toxicity after 24 and 36 h following treatment with essential oil and aromatized powder, respectively. Both aromatized clay powder and pure essential oil considerably reduced the F₁ progeny insect production. The essential oil evoked moderated repellent action and high fumigant toxicity (LC₅₀ = 0.093 μl/cm³) against adults of A. obtectus. These results suggest that the clay powder could be used to stabilize the essential oil to increase its efficacy for use as an alternative to synthetic insecticides.     

Dynamic changes of telomeric restriction fragment (TRF) lengths in cells during the developmental process from embryos to seedlings and a comparison with the embryonal calli in Ginkgo biloba L.

Telomeres are the structures that locate at the terminals of linear eukaryotic chromosomes. They can play essential roles in many cellular processes. The terminal location of Arabidopsis-type TTTAGGG tandem repeats were thought to be highly conserved. The terminal location of Ginkgo biloba L. consisting of TTTAGGG tandem repeats, were confirmed by Bal31 exonuclease degradation and Southern blotting. By comparing telomeric restriction fragment (TRF) lengths at different developmental stages from embryos to seedlings, a fluctuant tendency towards variation was found in these samples. The TRF length of embryos was also compared with that of embryonal calli and an upward trend was discovered in callus culture. The results suggest that there should be a telomerase mechanism or/and ALT mechanism for the maintenance of telomere length.