BACKGROUND The key enzyme in the process of melanin biosynthesis is tyrosinase. Skin hyperpigmentation and browning of foods are undesirable phenomena which tyrosinase represents. Therefore, tyrosinase inhibitors have been used increasingly for medicinal and cosmetic products. OBJECTIVES In this study, inhibitory effects of four plants including: physalis alkekengi L., Alcea rosea L., Bunium ...

Several pre-germination treatments were given to Cyclamen persicum Mill. seed with the objective of improving germination percentage, speed, and uniformity. Soaking seed in water and in gibberellic acid improved germination speed, but the latter reduced survival. Etridiozole, benomyl, thiram, and sodium hypochlorite treatments did not reduce or delay germination as has been reported elsewhere, ...

BACKGROUND A number of medicinal plants have been used to treat various immunological diseases. Nitric oxide (NO) has an important regulatory role in the various types of inflammatory processes. OBJECTIVE To investigate the NO modulatory activity of the extracts of several medicinal plants native to Iran including Dracocephalum kotschyi, Linum persicum, Dionysia termeana, Salvia mirzayanii, F...

Ercan Yildiz Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, [email protected] Daron Acemoglu Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, [email protected] Asuman Ozdaglar Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, [email protected] Amin...

Two new diterpenes, named sibiriquinone A (1) and B (2), along with four known diterpenes have been isolated from the aerial part of Veronicastrum sibiricum. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopy. The isolated compounds showed significant immunosuppressive activities.

The rapid spread of invasive plants makes their management increasingly difficult. Remote sensing offers a means of fast and efficient monitoring, but still the optimal methodologies remain to be defined. The seasonal dynamics and spectral characteristics of the target invasive species are important factors, since, at certain time of the vegetation season (e.g., at flowering or senescing), plan...

background: iran is a land of great heritage of ancient medical scholars. herbal medicines, as a basement of treatment of diseases have been clearly described in the medical texts of these scholars including rhazes, avicenna, and others. numerous plants are introduced in these texts to treat those diseases likely to be infective ones. few attempts have been made to evaluate ethnopharmacological...