Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of volatile components from capitula and aerial parts of Rhaponticum acaule DC growing wild in Tunisia. (1/6)

The chemical composition of the volatile fractions obtained by steam distillation from the capitula (C) and the aerial parts of Rhaponticum acaule DC were analysed by GC-MS. From the 57 identified constituents, representing 95.5% and 96.3% of the two oils, respectively, methyl eugenol, epi-13 manool, beta-ionone, beta-bisabolol, 1-octadecanol, phytol and farnesyl acetate were found to be the main components. Furthermore, the oils were tested against six Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and four phytopathogenic fungi. It was found that oils from both parts of R. acaule, and especially that of C, exhibited interesting antibacterial activity, but no antifungal activity was observed.  (+info)

High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of four Leuzea carthamoides flavonoids. (2/6)

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of four Leuzea carthamoides flavonoids, namely eriodictyol, patuletin, eriodictyol-7-beta-glucopyranoside, and 6-hydroxykaempferol-7-O-(6"-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside), is presented. Using this method, quantitative composition of flavonoids ranged from 0.011% to 0.574% in dried plant material was determined. This method could be used in the future for the quantitative evaluation of major phenolic compounds in L. carthamoides.  (+info)

Life cycle of Puccinia acroptili on Rhaponticum (= Acroptilon) repens. (3/6)

Russian knapweed (Rhaponticum repens) is a rangeland weed pest in the western United States. One candidate fungus for biological control of R. repens is Puccinia acroptili, which causes a rust disease. Understanding the life cycle of candidate rust fungi for weed biological control is an essential component in risk assessments and evaluations, and for P. acroptili such was unknown. For this reason greenhouse studies were undertaken to clarify the life cycle of P. acroptili under artificial conditions. Spermogonia with spermatia developed on R. repens following plant inoculation with teliospores. Artificial transfer of spermatia between spermogonia resulted in the development of aecia with uredinioid aeciospores. Inoculation with aeciospores or urediniospores resulted in uredinia containing urediniospores and occasional amphispores. Telia with teliospores and occasional mesospores developed later. Teliospores produced typical basidia with four basidiospores. These results suggest that the life cycle of P. acroptili is macrocyclic and autoecious. Inoculation with teliospores also frequently resulted in production of sori that were morphologically similar to aecia but which were not associated with spermogonia or the classical transfer of spermatia. The ontology of these sori is unknown. This is the first description of spermogonia and the first report and description of basidiospores, aecia, aeciospores, amphispores and mesospores of P. acroptili.  (+info)

Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of Rhaponticum (Rhaponticum carthamoides D.C. Iljin) and shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa L.). (4/6)

The aim of the study was to determine antimicrobial activity of rhaponticum and shrubby cinquefoil extracts. MATERIAL AND METHODS. Ethanol extract from the leaves of rhaponticum (Rhaponticum carthamoides D.C. Iljin) and shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa L.) was produced at the Department of Food Technology, Kaunas University of Technology. The antimicrobial activity of the viscous extract or rhaponticum and shrubby cinquefoil was evaluated using standard microorganism cultures (bacteria Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 33499, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12459, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Bacillus cereus ATCC 8035 and fungi Candida albicans ATCC 60193). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the examined preparations was determined. RESULTS. Both studied preparations - rhaponticum (Rhaponticum carthamoides D.C. Iljin) and shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa L.) - demonstrated similar antimicrobial activity. The highest sensitivity to the studied preparations was observed in microbes with eukaryotic cell structure: Candida albicans, which is a fungus, and a spore-forming prokaryotic bacterium, Bacillus cereus. The highest resistance was observed in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. CONCLUSIONS. The studied preparations - viscous extracts of rhaponticum and shrubby cinquefoil - are substances with antimicrobial activity against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis) bacteria, spore-forming bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus), and fungi (Candida albicans).  (+info)

Naturally appearing N-feruloylserotonin isomers suppress oxidative burst of human neutrophils at the protein kinase C level. (5/6)

N-feruloylserotonin (N-f-5HT) isomers, isolated from seeds of Leuzea carthamoides (Wild) DC, inhibited dose-dependent oxidative burst in human whole blood and isolated neutrophils in vitro, which were measured by luminol- and/or isoluminol-enhanced chemiluminescence in the following rank order of stimuli: PMA > OpZ > calcium ionophore A23187. In isolated neutrophils that were stimulated with PMA, N-f-5HT isomers were effective against extracellular and intracellular reactive oxygen species. Liberation of ATP, analysis of apoptosis, and recombinant caspase-3 activity revealed that N-f-5HT isomers, used in concentrations up to 100 muM, did not alter the viability and integrity of isolated neutrophils. Western blot analysis documented that in concentrations of 10 and 100 muM, N-f-5HT isomers significantly decreased PMA-induced phosphorylation of PKC alpha/beta II. The results suggest that N-f-5HT isomers are an effective, naturally occurring substance with a potent pharmacological effect on the oxidative burst of human neutrophils. It should be further investigated for its pharmacological activity against oxidative stress in ischemia-reperfusion, inflammation and other pathological conditions.  (+info)

Triterpenoid alpha-amyrin stimulates proliferation of human keratinocytes but does not protect them against UVB damage. (6/6)

Rhaponticum carthamoides plants ("maral root") are widely used in Siberian folk medicine. The present study reports for the first time the presence of pentacyclic terpenoid, alpha-amyrin, in methanol extract from leaves of this plant. alpha-Amyrin induced proliferation of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) by about 18% while other extract components were ineffective. A panel of biochemical and cell-based assays testing the antioxidative and cytoprotective activites of alpha-amyrin indicated no antioxidative activity of this compound. alpha-Amyrin did not protect HaCaT cells against the damage caused by UVB radiation.  (+info)