Sesquiterpenes from the leaves of Laurus nobilis L.
Ten sesquiterpenes, together with 12 known compounds were isolated from leaves of Laurus nobilis L. Based on spectroscopic analyses, the 10 compounds were determined to be eudesmane lactones and their corresponding methyl esters. Most of these compounds exhibited moderate-to-significant cytotoxicity towards K562 leukemia cells. One compound had a higher cytotoxicity than doxorubicin, while other compounds had moderate to no activity.
New sesquiterpene lactones from Laurus nobilis leaves as inhibitors of nitric oxide production.
Two new metabolites 5alphaH,7alphaH-eudesman-4alpha,6alpha,11,12-tetraol (1) and 1beta,15-dihydroxy-5alphaH,7alphaH-eudesma-3,11(13)-dien-12,6alpha-olide ( 2) have been isolated from the methanolic extract of Laurus nobilis L. leaves. Their structures were determined through analysis of their one- and two-dimensional NMR spectral data ((1)H- and (13)C-NMR, DEPT, COSY, HMQC, HMBC and ROESY). The relative stereochemistry is proposed on the basis of combined J-based configuration analysis and ROESY data. In addition, three known sesquiterpene lactones santamarine (3), reynosin (4) and costunolide (5) along with blumenol C (6) were isolated and identified by spectral means. The isolated compounds 1 - 6 were found to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophages. The most active compound 2 potently inhibited NO (2)(-) release with an IC (50) value of 0.8 microM.
Reference values for some haematological, haematochemical, and electrophoretic parameters in the Girgentana goat
The purpose of this study was to determine haematolog ical, haematochemical, and electrophoretic reference values for the Girgentana goat in order to form a basis for clinical interpretation. The study included 348 female Girgentana goats aged from 1 to 6 years. The animals were divided into 3 groups: goats aged 1-2 years (group A), goats aged 3-4 years (group B), and goats aged 5-6 years (group C). Blood samples were collected from each animal every morning at the same time (0800) by means of jugular venipuncture, and red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (NEU), lymphocyte (LYM), monocyte (MONO), eosinophil (EOS), and basophil (BASO) counts, and haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume percent (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW) were recorded. Additionally, the concentration of some haematochemical parameters, including alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamine-transferase (γ-GT), creatinine, β-hydroxybutyrate, urea, non- esterified fatty acids (NEFA), potassium, sodium, and chloride, and the electrophoretic profile (albumin, α1-globulins, α2-globulins, β-globulins, γ-globulins, total proteins and albumin:globulins ratio) were determined. Statistical analysis (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)), followed by Bonferroni's test, showed that there were significant differences only in RBC, MCV, EOS, ALT, AST, creatinine, γ-GT, sodium, urea, NEFA, γ-globulins, and the albumin:globulins ratio (P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant). The values determined in the present study contribute to the knowledge of the reference ranges for the Girgentana goat and can be used for monitoring health and disease diagnosis.