K. Habibi; H. Rafati; A. Ahmadiani; A. Aliahmadi; M. Diederich
Abstract
Inflammation is one of the body’s defensive reactions against microorganisms and allergens. The NF-κB pathway is an essential component of the inflammatory responses involved in a number of respiratory tract diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In traditional ...
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Inflammation is one of the body’s defensive reactions against microorganisms and allergens. The NF-κB pathway is an essential component of the inflammatory responses involved in a number of respiratory tract diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In traditional medicine, Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (Myrtaceae) is used in inhalation therapy for respiratory tract infections and inflammation. In this study, the anti-inflammatory activity of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil and its impact on the NF-κB pathway was evaluated. A rat model of carrageenan-induced hind paw edema was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of E. globulus oil. Essential oil was injected intraperitoneally at doses of 0.5-3 mg/kg. An in vitro model based on a luciferase reporter gene construct (with repeats of a consensus NF-κB coding sequence) was used for investigation of the inhibitory effects of oil on the NF-κB pathway at concentrations of 100-250 μg/ml in Human chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) cells. E. globulus oil significantly reduced rat hind paw edema (P<0.05) at doses of 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg at 1 to 3 h after carrageenan injection. The maximal reduction in edema was 58%. E. globules oil inhibited TNFα-induced NF-κB activity significantly (P<0.01) at a concentration of 250 μg/ml. The findings of the present study show that E. globulus essentialoil is a potent anti-inflammatory natural product, whose effects could be mediated through the NF-κB pathway.
M. Dejam; R. Ataollahi; S. Sadat Khaleghi
Abstract
Worldwide, large amounts of herbicides are used for weed control. Problems due to the use of these herbicides have forced researchers to find more suitable methods for management of weeds. Some plants including Eucalyptus species have allelopathic properties that could be used in production of natural ...
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Worldwide, large amounts of herbicides are used for weed control. Problems due to the use of these herbicides have forced researchers to find more suitable methods for management of weeds. Some plants including Eucalyptus species have allelopathic properties that could be used in production of natural herbicides for weeds management. This investigation was performed in order to use Eucalyptus globulus Labill. leaf extracts to control Physalis alkekengi L. weed. The experiment included five types of solvent extracts consisting of aqueous, methanolic, ethyl acetate, acetonic and benzene and different concentrations of extracts at five levels (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 gram per liter). Results showed that, in all solvent extracts, the inhibition level on germination and seedling growth increased by increasing the concentration of the extract. Among the extracts, methanolic and benzene extracts showed the highest allopathic effects, while aqueous and acetonic extracts showed the lowest one. According to the results, methanolic extract showed strong inhibitory effects on germination and seedling growth of P. alkekengi L. Therefore, it is possible to use methanolic extract at concentrations of 5 and 10 g/lit for controlling P. alkekengi L. Although benzene extract at high concentrations showed no strong inhibitory effect on germination, it was extremely effective in reduction of seedling growth that could be considered in management program of P. alkekengi L. control.
