Staphylea L. is a deciduous ornamental shrub that possesses significant cytotoxic and antibacterial activity, although the chemical composition of its extracts and the identity of the structures responsible for these biological activities are not yet known. In this study we have determined the total phenolic content in chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of four Staphylea species: Staphylea c...

The volatile oil from the stem bark of Scutia buxifolia (Rhamnaceae) has been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. Twenty-one components were identified representing 99.93 % of the total oil composition, spathulenol (35.87%), β-cubebene (17.26%), germacrene D (6.43%), linalool (5.19%), carvacrol (4.05%) were the main components of S. buxifolia essential oil. Antioxidant and anti...

H. Kleszczyńska3, M. Oświęcimskab, S. Witekb and S. Przestalskia a Department of Physics and Biophysics, Agricultural University, Norwida 25, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland b Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Wroclaw, Wyb. Wyspiariskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland Z. Naturforsch. 53c, 425-430 (1998); received January 26/March 16, 1998 Antioxidants, Lipid Oxidation, Erythrocyte Ghost, Qua...

Antioxidants are substances that fight against ROS (reactive oxygen species) and protect the cells from their damaging effects. Production of ROS during cellular metabolism is balanced by their removal by antioxidants. Any condition leading to increased levels of ROS results in oxidative stress, which promotes a large number of human diseases, including cancer. Therefore antioxidants may be reg...

INTRODUCTION A blood test can provide important information about the functional state of the antioxidant system. Malfunction of this system increases the concentration of free radicals and can cause oxidative stress. A difficulty in assessing oxidative stress is the lack of a universal method for determining the antioxidant activity (AOA) of blood components, because of their different nature....

BACKGROUND A plant mixture containing indigenous Australian plants was examined for synergistic antimicrobial activity using selected test microorganisms. This study aims to investigate antibacterial activities, antioxidant potential and the content of phenolic compounds in aqueous, ethanolic and peptide extracts of plant mixture. METHODS Well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)...

BACKGROUND HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are lipid-lowering drugs that also exert pleiotropic vasculoprotective effects via activation of the endothelial NO synthesis. NO induces S-nitrosylation of target proteins. S-Nitrosylation of the antioxidant enzyme thioredoxin was recently shown to enhance its activity, thereby reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species. Therefore, we inves...

BACKGROUND S. sylvestre Wright is an extremely rare plant, found only in the sub-Himalayan Terai region of West Bengal and neighboring Sikkim foot-hills. The plant has never been evaluated for any pharmaceutical properties. The phytochemical status of the plant is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities and analysis of...

Tropical plants are utilized in traditional medicine and are a storehouse of secondary metabolites, some of which display medicinal properties. Five plants were selected for investigation, namely Cassia fistula, Delonix regia, Senna siamea, Spathodea campanulata and Tibouchina granulosa. Extracts of the inflorescence of these plants were prepared and their antioxidant, total phenolics and fatty...