RECENT RESEARCH induced seizure model . There is an ever growing interest in improvement of treatment outcomes in epilepsy and also in the development of newer therapeutic options , especially in the population of patients that do not attain seizure relief from available antiseizure medications ( ASMs ). According to research , gut microbiota can alter brain function and development . Increasing evidence suggests disrupting the delicate symbiotic balance existing between the gut and brain results in disease conditions . Also , the oil from Ocimum basilicum L ., ( BO ) has been proven scientifically to significantly block clonic seizures induced by PTZ and picrotoxin in seizure models .
Methods : The microbiota of mice were depleted or altered by administering cocktail antibiotics and individual antibiotics respectively . DNA was isolated from mouse stool , and then the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid ( 16S rRNA ) gene was quantitatively amplified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR ). Amplicons were sequenced to determine the phylogenetic make-up of the bacteria involved . Metabolic profiles of the serum and stool of mice were determined using Proton ( 1H ) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ( NMR ) spectroscopy .
Results : Cocktail antibiotic pretreatment significantly reversed the anticonvulsant effect of BO by increasing frequency and duration of seizures but did not affect latency to seizure . In mice pre-treated with single antibiotics , the anticonvulsant effect of BO was lost as latency to seizures , frequency and duration of seizures increased compared to mice that received only BO . Assessment of the phylogenetic make-up of the microbiota in antibiotic pre-treated mice showed a distorted composition of the microbiota compared to the control group .
Conclusion : Depletion of the microbiota significantly reversed the anticonvulsant actions of BO . The concentrations of short chain fatty acids ( SCFAs ) was higher in stool than in the serum of the mice . Administration of BO probably does not influence the microbial composition within the mouse microbiota . The elevated ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes in microbiota-depleted groups might have contributed to the reversal of anticonvulsant actions of BO .
Mahendran G , Vimolmangkang S . Chemical compositions , antioxidant , antimicrobial , and mosquito larvicidal activity of Ocimum americanum L . and Ocimum basilicum L . leaf essential oils . BMC Complement Med Ther . 2023 ; 23 , 390 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-023- 04214-2
Background : Ocimum americanum L . ( O . americanum ) and Ocimum basilicum L . ( O . basilicum ) are highly valued aromatic medicinal plants . Their leaves are widely used as spices in traditional cuisine . Their essential oils ( EOs ) are extensively used in food , cosmetic , and pharmaceutical industries . This study aimed to investigate the main chemical profiles of O . americanum and O . basilicum leaf EOs and assess their effects on antibacterial , antioxidant , and larvicidal properties .
Methods : EOs were extracted from the leaves of O . basilicum and O . americanum using steam distillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus . The chemical constituents of the EOs were analyzed using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry . 2,2-Diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl ( DPPH ), ferric reducing antioxidant power ( FRAP ), and metalchelating techniques were used to assess the free-radical scavenging capability of the oils . The extracted oils were also tested for their antibacterial activities via a disk-diffusion test and the broth microdilution method . Furthermore , the mosquito larvicidal ( Aedes aegypti ) activity was tested using standard protocols .
Results : Camphor ( 33.869 %), limonene ( 7.215 %), longifolene ( 6.727 %), caryophyllene ( 5.500 %), and isoledene ( 5.472 %) were the major compounds in O . americanum leaf EO . The EO yield was 0.4 %, and citral ( 19.557 %), estragole ( 18.582 %) camphor ( 9.224 %) and caryophyllene ( 3.009 %) were the major compounds found among the 37 chemical constituents identified in O . basilicum oil . O . basilicum exhibited a more potent antioxidant activity in DPPH , FRAP , and 2,2 ′ -azino-bis ( 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonic acid tests than O . americanum . The zones of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration of the oils in the microdilution and disk diffusion methods were 8.00 ± 0.19 mm to 26.43 ± 2.19 mm and 3.12 – 100 µ g / mL , respectively . At 400 ppm , O . basilicum and O . americanum EOs demonstrated larvicidal activity , with mortality ratios of 73.60 % ± 0.89 % and 78.00 % ± 1.00 %, respectively . Furthermore , after 30 min of exposure to O . americanum and O . basilicum EOs , the larval death rates were 73.60 % ± 0.89 % and 78.00 % ± 1.00 %, respectively .
Conclusions : The findings revealed that the EOs extracted from the leaves of O . basilicum and O . americanum exhibited reasonable antioxidant , antibacterial , and mosquito larvicidal potentials , and can be used as alternative medicine for the treatment of human health and larvicidal mosquito control .
Herbal medicine
Takla SS , Shawky E , Mahgoub YA et al . Tracking the effect of roasting and fermentation on the metabolites of licorice root ( Glycyrrhiza glabra L .) using UPLC-MS analysis combined with multivariate statistical analysis . BMC Complement Med Ther . 2023 ; 23 , 419 . https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12906-023-04239-7
Background : Roasting , honey-roasting and fermentation are the most common pre-processing procedures of licorice roots . They were shown to noticeably change the composition of extracts . In this work , the common alterations in licorice secondary metabolites by processing were interpreted . Comprehensive metabolic profiling of different studied samples was undergone .
Methods : UPLC-QqQ-MS / MS analysis coupled to various chemometric analysis models was implemented to unravel the effect of different pre-processing procedures on the chemical profile of licorice samples .
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