Chemical and microbiological characterization of tinctures and microcapsules loaded with Brazilian red propolis extract

The aim of this study was to characterize tinctures and microcapsules loaded with an ethanol extract of red propolis through chemical, physicochemical and microbiological assays in order to establish quality control tools for nutraceutical preparations of red propolis. The markers(isoflavonoids, chalcones, pterocarpans,flavones, phenolic acids, terpenes and guttiferones) present in the tinctures A and B were identified and confirmed using LC/ESI/FTMS/Orbitrap. Four compositions(A, B, C and D) were prepared to contain B tincture of the red propolis with some pharmaceutical excipients and submitted to two drying processes, i. e.spray-drying and freeze-drying to obtain microcapsules loaded with the red propolis extract. The tinctures and microcapsules of the red propolis were submitted to the total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity tests.The antibacterial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) were tested using Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25293 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 strains. The tinctures and microcapsules presented high flavonoid quantities from 20.50 to 40.79 mg/100 mg of the microcapsules. The antioxidant activity and IC50 were determined for the tinctures A and B(IC50: 6.95 μg/m L and 7.48 μg/m L), the spray-dried microcapsules(IC50: 8.89–15.63 μg/m L) and the freeze-dried microcapsules(IC50: 11.83–23.36 μg/m L). The tinctures and microcapsules were proved to be bioactive against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria with inhibition halos superior to 10 mm at concentration of 200 μg/m L and MIC values of 135.87–271.74 μg/m L using gram-positive strain and 271.74–543.48 μg/m L using gram-negative strain. The tinctures and microcapsules of the red propolis have a potential application for nutraceutical products.

Efficacy and Safety of Ginkgo Biloba Tincture(银杏叶酊) Combined with Conventional Medication in the Treatment of Cerebral Infarction: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective:To analyze the efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba tincture combined with conventional medication in the treatment of cerebral infarction by systematic evaluation.Methods:Searched the randomized controlled trials of Ginkgo biloba tincture in treating cerebral infarction.English literatures were searched from PubMed,EMbase,Cochrane Library and Web of Science,and Chinese literatures were searched from Chinese Biomedical Literature Database(CBM),China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),China Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP)and Wanfang Medical Database.At the same time,we searched dissertations,conference papers,and found relevant unpublished research results reports.Literature quality was evaluated using a"bias risk assessment tool"and Meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 software(from the Cochrane Collaboration).A total of 29 literatures were retrieved,and finally 4 literatures meeting the standards were included.There were 455 samples involved,including 244 cases in the experimental group and 211 cases in the control group.Results:①Effectiveness analysis:The total effective rate of Ginkgo biloba tincture combined with routine treatment was better than that of the control group[RR=1.26,95%CI(1.07,1.47),P=0.005].The hematocrit of Ginkgo biloba tincture combined with conventional treatment was significantly better than that of conventional treatment alone(P<0.05),The neurological deficits of Ginkgo biloba tincture combined with routine therapy was significantly improved(P<0.05).After Ginkgo biloba tincture combined with conventional therapy,the scores of mini-mental state examination(MMSE),activity daily living scale(ADL)and MOSSF-36 quality of life scale were significantly better than those of the control group(P<0.05).②Safety analysis:3 articles reported the safety of medication.There was no obvious change in blood routine,liver and kidney function results and no adverse reactions in the experimental group and the control group.Conclusion:The above results indicated that Ginkgo biloba tincture combined with conventional treatment can improve the total effective rate of patients with cerebral infarction,and it is safe and has no adverse reactions.However,the number of literatures included in this study is small,and the quality of controlled trials is not good.It is still necessary to adopt clinical controlled trials with reasonable design,outcome indicators in line with international social norms and large sample content to further improve the evidence level of clinical research.

Alternative Control of Alternaria Brown Spot in Tangerine

Alternaria brown spot is considered the main disease of tangerines in the State of Paraiba. The objective of work was to evaluate vegetal tinctures from bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and guava (Psidium guajava) leaves, as an alternative control for Alternaria brown spot in tangerine. The effects of vegetal tinctures were tested in leaves and fruits (detached) of tangerine “Dancy” inoculated with tangerine pathotype of Alternaria alternata. The effect of tinctures on mycelium growth and spore germination of the pathogen was tested. Tinctures at 20% concentration promoted reduction of disease severity. A reduction of 80% in the diameter of leaf lesions was observed for bitter melon tinctures and 75.3% for guava tinctures. In fruits, the reduction was 48.4% (bitter melon tinctures) and 43.3% (guava tinctures). Guava tinctures, starting at a concentration of 5%, inhibited 100% of mycelium growth of tangerine pathotype of A. alternata, while the use of bitter melon tinctures inhibited 100% of mycelium growth starting at a concentration of 10%. The greater sensitivity to tinctures observed when these were added to the culture medium when compared to inoculation in leaves and fruits may be explained due to the higher exposition of the pathogen to the active principle when the vegetal tinctures were added to the culture medium, than when tinctures were sprayed over the vegetal surface in fruits and leaves. The number of germinated spores decreases 76.7% and 82% when using tinctures from guava and bitter melon (20%). Tinctures from bitter melon and guava are potential tools for alternative management of the Alternaria brown spot in tangerine “Dancy”.

Antifungal activity of plant extracts with potential to control plant pathogens in pineapple

Objective:To evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of extracts,resins,oils and mother tinctures from plants against the filamentous fungi Fusarium guttiforme(F.guttiforme)and Chalara paradoxa,and to evaluate the control of the pineapple fusariosis in situ using mother tinctures.Methods:The screening of the antifungal potential of 131 extract forms from 63 plant species was performed in vitro by using plate-hole method.To control pineapple fusariosis in situ,preventive and post-infection treatments were performed on detached pineapple leaves of cv.Perola(susceptible).Results:The quantitative study indicated that among the 49 mother tincture samples analyzed,46% were effective against F.guttiforme and 29% for the Chalara paradoxa.The natural plant extracts,mother tincture of Glycyrrhiza glabra(MTGG1),mother tincture of Myroxylon balsamum(MTBT2),mother tincture of Aloe vera(MTAV3),mother tincture of Allium sativum(MTAS4),resin of Protium heptaphyllum(RESAM5) and crude extracts of Rhizophora mangle(CEMV6),exhibited an antifungal activity against F.guttiforme.In the preventive treatment against pineapple fusariosis,MTAV3,MTAS4 and MTGG1 were statistically similar to the treatment with tebuconazol fungicide.The curative treatments with MTAV3,MTAS4,MTGG1 and MTBT2 presented similar activity to fungicide(P < 0.05).Conclusions:The findings of the present study concluded that mother tinctures can effectively control phytopathogens.The mother tincture extract of Myroxylon balsamum showed antifungal activity and was used here for the first time for inhibition of phytopathogenic fungi.This study paves the way for the development of bioactive natural products with phytosanitary applications,with the added benefits of an environmentally safe and economically viable product.

Keratocyst Odontogenic Tumor (KCOT): Treatment Methods at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University

Many studies have been done about the treatment of KCOT, but the recurrence rate still remains high despite the combination of surgical techniques used, associated with or without the use chemical solutions such as Carnoy’s solution or Cryosurgery. Currently, there is no consensus concerning the therapeutic choice for the KCOT. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the different treatment methods used for the management of KCOT in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University and the results obtained from those treatment methods. Settings and Design: Clinical study was done at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University. Materials and Methods: Analytical retrospective review of 63 cases treated surgically from 2009 to 2015 at the Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University. All cases diagnosed as KCOT and registered in the archives were used. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Of the 63 cases, 55.56% were male and 44.44% female. The sex ratio was 1.25 in favor of male and the average age was 42 years. 81% of the lesions were located in the mandible. Of 40 cases treated by enucleation with peripheral ostectomy, curettage and electric cauterization with application of 2% iodine tincture, no recurrence was found. Of 20 cases treated by the same surgical method but without the application of 2% iodine tincture, recurrence was found in 3 cases (4.76%). 3 cases treated by resection had no recurrence. Significant relation between recurrence and type of treatment was found (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In our series, those cases that were treated by combination of surgical methods used with 2% iodine tincture showed an “improvement” in the reduction of recurrence, suggesting a future question to be examined in experimental study is to test the effectiveness of 2% iodine tincture.

Chemical profiling of Qixue Shuangbu Tincture by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS)

The present study was designed to develop and validate a sensitive and reliable ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-QTOF/MS) method to separate and identify the chemical constituents of Qixue Shuangbu Tincture(QXSBT), a classic traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescription. Under the optimized UPLC and QTOF/MS conditions, 56 components in QXSBT, including chalcones, triterpenoids, protopanaxatriol, flavones and flavanones were identified and tentatively characterized within a running time of 42 min. The components were identified by comparing the retention times, accurate mass, and mass spectrometric fragmentation characteristic ions, and matching empirical molecular formula with that of the published compounds. In conclusion, the established UPLC-QTOF/MS method was reliable for a rapid identification of complicated components in the TCM prescriptions.