Essential oils are investigated due to their biological activity, and the Amazon rainforest, with its rich biodiversity, is a promising source of therapeutic compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the essential oil from the leaves of as an antifungal agent, thus contributing to the search for alternatives that can address the growing resistance to conventional antifungals. leaves were collected in the Ecuadorian Amazon and their essential oil was obtained by steam distillation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKeratins and corneous proteins are key components of biomaterials used in a wide range of applications and are potential substitutes for petrochemical-based products. Horns, hooves, feathers, claws, and similar animal tissues are abundant sources of α-keratin and corneous β-proteins, which are by-products of the food industry. Their close association with the meat industry raises environmental and ethical concerns regarding their disposal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe marine kingdom is an important source of a huge variety of scaffolds inspiring the design of new drugs. The complex molecules found in the oceans present a great challenge to organic and medicinal chemists. However, the wide variety of biological activities they can display is worth the effort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe genus (Lamiaceae) involves several aromatic shrubs that are distributed only in the American continent, inhabiting mountain areas, mainly in the Andean region of South America. Based on the PRISMA approach, we selected and critically analyzed 48 research articles. From a phytochemical point of view, most of the secondary metabolites reported in spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEssential oils (EOs) and their vapour phase of (Zingiberaceae), (Poaceae), (Lamiaceae), and (Zingiberaceae) of cultivated plants grown in an Amazonian Ecuador area were chemically characterised by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and Head Space-Gas Chromatograph-Flame Ionization Detector-Mass Spectrometry (HS-GC-FID-MS).figure The EOs analyses led to the identification of 25 compounds for (99.46% of the total; ar-turmerone: 23.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlpha-phellandrene is a very common cyclic monoterpene found in several EOs, which shows extensive biological activities. Therefore, the main focus of the present systematic review was to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis of the state of the art regarding its biological activities and pharmaceutical and food applications. In addition, the study identified essential oils rich in alpha-phellandrene and summarized their main biological activities as a preliminary screening to encourage subsequent studies on their single components.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral studies have assessed the potential of essential oils as substitutes for synthetic pesticides, in order to counter insect resistance to commercial pesticides. Piper aduncum L. is a very common shrub in the Amazon Rainforest and in other subtropical areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe essential oil (EO), the methanolic (MeOH), and the 70% ethanolic (70% EtOH) extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Mill. (Ecuador) were chemically characterized through gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array-mass spectrometry detectors (HPLC-DAD-MS) and studied for their in vitro biological activity. The radical scavenger activity, performed by spectrophotometric 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, highlighted significant IC values for the EO, extracts and their main constituents (eugenol and rosmarinic acid).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe term "Salus per aquam (SPA) therapies" refers to therapeutic pathways that includes mud therapy. The therapeutic efficacy of a peloid depends on its chemical and mineralogical composition, as well as its technological properties. Considering the increasing use of clay-based products, it becomes essential to characterize peloids from a qualitative and quantitative point of view.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study carried out the optimisation of the total polyphenol content (TPC) extraction assisted by ultrasound in leaves applying response surface methodology (RSM). Also, the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the extract obtained under the optimal extraction conditions was performed. The effect of the variables like, time of sonication, temperature, ethanol/water ratio and solid/liquid relationship and the interactions between them were analysed through the use of a factorial design 2ˆ4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: The genus Hedyosmum (family: Chloranthaceae) represents an interesting source of natural active compounds, and the 45 species of this genus are widespread in Central and South America and to a lesser extent Southeast Asia (southern China and western Malaysia). Several species are traditionally used in folk medicine. However, the data made available in recent years have not been organized and compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAedes aegypti, the main arbovirus vector of the Yellow fever, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Preventive control efforts have been implemented worldwide aimed at reducing its impact on human health. The recent reduction of chemicals available for vector control due to their negative impact on the environment and human health and the increase in mosquito resistance to insecticides have driven the research community to identify and evaluate sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFhas gained increasing popularity as a food supplement but not in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic area. The aim of this study was the preparation, characterization, and evaluation of extracts from the leaves of as a herbal sun care phytocomplex. Three different extracts of leaves, from Senegal, have been prepared and chemically characterized in the phenolic fraction by HPLC-DAD and Folin-Ciocalteu test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBesides the unquestionable positive effects of solar exposure for human health, UV rays have been widely investigated for toxicology aspects related to excessive UVB and UVA doses, which involve sunburns, skin aging, DNA skin damage and tumorigenesis. At present, synthetic and mineral sunscreens are used to protect against these damages but several natural molecules can provide UV protection, including also synergic effect or enhanced photo stability. Although a large number of herbal extracts and plant origin molecules can deserve potential applications, most of the study reported utilizes different method and different strategies of investigation, making thus difficult to understand the real versus claimed potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNowadays, data concerning the composition of Caryodendron orinocense Karst. (Euphorbiaceae) and Bactris gasipaes Kunth (Arecaceae) seed oils are lacking. In light of this fact, in this paper fatty acids and unsaponifiable fraction composition have been determined using GC-MS, HPLC-DAD (Diode Array Detector), NMR approaches and possible future applications have been preliminary investigated through estimation of antioxidant activity, performed with DPPH test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWild Amazonian basil Ocimum micranthum Willd. (O. campechianum Mill.
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