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Potato plants and their tubers in Egypt are affected by one of the most renowned soil-borne pathogen, Ralstonia solanacearum, that caused brown rot in potato tubers and wilt in plants. There is no efficient therapeutic bactericide so; control of bacterial wilt is very rough. The study investigated three different concentrations of seven essential plant oils under in vitro and in vivo conditions as a result of their effects on Ralstonia solanacearum growth and their possibility use as potato seed pieces dressing for controlling bacterial wilt disease incidence. In vitro, anise oil at the three tested different concentrations (0.04, 0.07, and 0.14% vol/vol) was the most effective one inhibiting the growth of T4 and W9 isolates of Ralstonia solanacearum then pursued by thyme, lemongrass, and clove oils. On the other hand, rocket oil at the tested concentration was the least effective one followed by fennel oil. However, wheat germ oil was not completely effective. In vivo, experiment revealed that anise oil at the three concentrations significantly reduced disease incidence and severity in sponta and hermes potato cultivars and their effect was associated with increase of peroxidase, polyphenoloxidase, phenols and the foliar fresh weight of treated plants as well as the weight of tubers/plant followed by thyme and lemongrass oils compared to the infected untreated control. Morphological differences in bacterial cell structure have been observed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Anise oil at higher concentration caused of cell wall rupture and degraded cellular components.

Adas telah dibudidayakan di Indonesia sebagai tanaman bumbu dan tanaman obat. Adas dapat menghasilkan minyak adas, yang merupakan hasil penyulingan dari serbuk buah adas yang kering dan masak, sedangkan daun adas lebih banyak dimasak untuk dijadikan sayur. Salah satu enzim yang berperan penting dalam pemecahan oligosakarida dan disakarida menjadi monosakarida sehingga siap untuk diabsorbsi adalah enzim ?-amilase. Penghambatan terhadap enzim ?-amilase dapat menunda dan memperlama waktu cerna karbohidrat, menyebabkan penurunan laju absorbsi glukosa dan mencegah peningkatan kadar plasma glukosa postpandrial. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui ekstrak etanol daun adas (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) memiliki aktivitas penghambatan enzim ?-amylase menggunakan Elisa Reader. Metode penelitian eksperimental diterapkan untuk menguji ekstrak etanol senyawa metabolit sekunder dari daun adas terhadap penghambatan aktivitas enzim ?-amilase. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa nilai IC50 pada ekstrak daun adas sebesar 7,87 ?g/mL sedangkan IC50 akarbose sebagai pembanding sebesar 14,80 ?g/mL. Sebagai kesimpulan, bahwa ekstrak etanol daun adas dapat digunakan dalam menurunkan kadar gula dalam darah.

Insecticidal, repellent and fumigant activities of Rosemary [Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae)], Daphne [Laurus nobilis (Lauraceae)], Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea (Asteraceae), Marjoram [Origanum majorana (Lamiaceae)], Basil [Ocimum basilicum (Lamiaceae)] and Fennel [Foeniculum vulgare (Apiaceae)] extracts were tested against Sitophilus granarius (Col.: Curculionidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Col.: Tenebrionidae) under laboratory conditions. The composition of essential oils extracted from the plants was also determined. Eucalyptol and Terpinyl acetate were the main components of Daphne oil. Similarly, the main components of Basil oil were Methyl cinnamate, Linalool and Eucalyptol, whereas Camphor and Eucalyptol were the main constituents of Rosemary oil. Likely, γ-Terpinene and β-Terpineol were the main components of Marjoram oil, while Estragole was the main component in Fennel oil. The β-Cubebene and Caryophyllene were the main components of Echinacea oil. Echinacea and Basil oils exhibited high contact toxicity against S. granarius. Basil oil caused 99.59% mortality of S. granarius 24 h after application, whereas Echinacea oil caused 99.59% mortality 72 h after application. In single-dose fumigant toxicity assays, Rosemary oil exhibited 58.41% fumigant activity against S. granarius after 24 h, whereas Fennel oil indicated 100% fumigant toxicity against T. castaneum. All essential oils showed repellent effects against both the pests. The essential oils caused 34.12–95.29% decrease in the progeny production of F1 generation of T. castaneum, while the decrease in the F1 generation of S. granarius ranged between 84.27 and 98.88%. It is concluded that essential oils of Fennel, Rosemary, Echinacea and Basil could potentially be used for the control of studied stored grain pests.

Latar Belakang: Demam adalah suatu keadaan dimana suhu tubuh diatas normal yaitu diatas 38°C. Demam dapat diredakan dengan pengobatan sintetis dan pengobatan tradisional, salah satu tanaman obat yang dapat digunakan dalam pengobatan tradisional untuk mengendalikan demam adalah bawang merah (Allium Cepa var. Ascalonicum). Tujuan Penelitian: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membuat tisu basah dari bawang merah (Allium Cepa var. Ascalonicum) dengan minyak adas (Oleum Foeniculum Vulgare) sebagai kompres demam instan atau siap pakai yang mengandung bahan alami. Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian tindakan (Action Research) menggunakan instrumen penelitian berupa lembar observasi dan angket uji kesukaan. Sediaan dibuat dengan komposisi antara bawang merah : minyak adas (12:1, 12:2, 12:3). Hasil: Menunjukkan hasil sediaan tisu basah yang tahan lama dan stabil selama 3 minggu penyimpanan pada suhu ruangan 20°C-25°C secara uji organoleptik dengan proposi formula yang paling disukai responden adalah formula 3 dengan penambahan minyak adas sebanyak 3 ml yaitu aroma 84% dan warna 88%. Simpulan: Tisu basah stabil dalam penyimpanan selama 3 minggu pada suhu ruangan dan sediaan yang paling disukai oleh masyarakat yaitu formula ketiga dengan penambahan minyak adas sebanyak 3 ml.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of foliar application of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts (control, 2.5% and 5% aqueous MLE, 2.5% and 5% ethanolic MLE) and/or benzyladenine (control, 50, 100 and 200 ppm BA) on the growth, fruit and oil yield and its main components and chemical constituents of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, Mill.) plants. The obtained results revealed that treated fennel plants with MLE and/or BA resulted in a significant increase in the vegetative growth, number of umbels/plant, fruit and oil yield per plant and feddan as well as total carbohydrates in fruits, chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents in leaves compared to untreated plants. Generally, the application of moringa leaf extracts was more effective than BA treatments. The individual treatment of aqueous MLE at 5% or BA at 100 ppm gave the best results of the previous mentioned characteristics followed by 5% ethanolic MLE or 50 ppm BA compared to the control and the rest of tested individual ones. The highest values of all studied parameters were obtained by using 5% aqueous or ethanolic MLE combined with 100 ppm BA. The increments were 91.1% and 85.3% in fruit yield/feddan, 52.5% and 46.3% in volatile oil percentage and 192.4% and 172.0% in oil yield/feddan, respectively over the control. The G.C. analysis of the volatile oil showed that the major component of volatile oil was methyl chavicol (estragole) with concentration range from 77.5% to 87.3%. The minor compounds were myrcene and limonene. The best treatment for decreasing the concentration of methyl chavicol (77.5%), which is undesirable component in fennel oil resulted from the combination of 5% aqueous MLE plus 100 ppm BA. Therefore, it could be recommended that spraying fennel plants with 5% aqueous MLE plus 100 ppm BA for obtaining higher vegetative growth, fruit and oil yield.

Currently, the use of essential oils for behavioral manipulation of insects is being investigated for its potential application in integrated pest management programs. Thus, we identified the chemical composition of Eucalyptus globulus (Labill) and Foeniculum vulgare Mill. essential oils and evaluated its effect on the Aegorhinus superciliosus behavior, an important fruit tree pest in the south of Chile. The oils were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and then were evaluated in olfactometric bioassays in order to establish whether they have any effect on the insect behavior. Finally, we determined the electrophysiological activities associated with behavior studies using electroantennography. The GC-MS analysis indicated the presence of 17 compounds from eucalyptus oil being its major constituent’s eucalyptol (63.6%) and α-pinene (18.9%). For fennel oil, 16 volatile constituents were identified, being anethole (50.8%), estragole (19.5%), and fenchone (11.1%) the dominant compounds. The olfactometric bioassays revealed that eucalyptus oil was attractive for both sexes of A. superciliosus whereas fennel oil was only attractive to the females (P ≤ 0.05). The main compounds, eucalyptol and anethole, were attractive to females (P ≤ 0.05) and electrophysiologically active for both sexes of the insect. In conclusion, the components attractive identified in the present study could be the starting point for the development of effective attractant lures for controlling the raspberry weevil in southern Chile.

Background/Aim: Aim of this study was to develop efficient mosquito repellent by combining fennel oil (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) and cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum burmannii Blume) in a gel preparation form. Methods: Effectiveness of each oil and its combination as viral repellents was tested by the World Health Organization's Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) method. Repellent was prepared in gel form. Evaluation of gel preparation included organoleptic properties, homogeneity, pH, viscosity, flow properties, acute skin irritation test and effectiveness test as mosquito repellent. Results: The mosquito protection test for cinnamon oil showed that cinnamon oil was most effective at concentration of 15 % (96.85 %), and fennel oil at 24 % concentration (79.26 %). Within 6 hours, gel made of 24 % fennel oil and 15 % cinnamon oil combination gave protection against 53.49 % mosquitoes. Conclusion: The combination of cinnamon oil and fennel oil can be formulated into gel form with satisfying physical and chemical characteristics and effectiveness against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for 6 hours.

Foeniculum vulgare (F. vulgare) Mill, commonly known as fennel, belongs to the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) family, biennial or perennial herbs disseminated in Mediterranean region and central Europe. This herbal medicine (HM) is considered as a traditional HM, and its parts have been studied. In this survey, essential oils from seeds collected from three various regions (Kerman, Golestan, and East Azerbaijan Provinces) of Iran were prepared with hydro-distillation and their components were analyzed with gas chromatography (GC) and chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the essential oils were examined with disk-diffusion method on Muller–Hinton agar and Subaru-dextrose Agar, respectively. Additionally, the MTT assay was assessed on breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The expression of apoptosis-related genes, Bax and Bcl2, was determined using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The major fractions of essential oils identified by GC and GC/MS included trans-anethole (78.47%, 49.64%, 78.68%), fenchone (10.5%, 8.4%, and 10.2%), and limonene (5.9%, 6.70%, and 5.6%), respectively. Fennel oil collected from three various places exerted inhibitory effects on the bacterial growth and higher cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cancer cell line. In addition, the essential oil increased the expression of Bax, but decreased Bcl2 gene expression significantly (P

Background: The relation between menopausal status and diabetes mellitus remains controversial. However, clinical trials suggest that menopause would speed the progression to diabetes. Reproductive tract dysfunction is a recognized consequence of diabetes obesity syndrome (DOS). Therefore, a possible association between obesity, diabetes mellitus and abnormalities of female reproductive function may occur. Nowadays traditional medicinal plants and spices are commonly used for their possible effects as hypoglycaemic, antidiabetic and folliculogenic agents instead of using synthetic drugs. Recent studies suggest that bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) are promising grafts to treat a variety of diseases, including reproductive dysfunction.Aim of the work: The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic implication of MSCs and fennel ingestion on ovarian diabetically induced senile rats.Materials & Methods: 24 senile female albino rats were used in this study. They were divided into 4 equal groups: control group, diabetic group, diabetic/MSCs group and diabetic/ MSCs /fennel oil group. Treatments were continued for 8 weeks, and ovarian samples were collected for histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructure studies.Blood glucose levels were estimated and serum hormonal analyses were performed.Results: Induction of diabetes caused variable sizes of typical ovarian follicular cysts and elevation of blood glucose level. Stem cell transplantation showed some amelioration in the ovarian structure and blood glucose level. Administration of both MSCs and fennel oil had the ability to lower the blood glucose level and restore ovarian structure in diabetic rats.Conclusion: The use of MSCs in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering makes them a promising therapy to treat diabetes mellitus complications. Fennel essential oil could be given to diabetic patients to ameliorate diabetes in addition to its use as a fertility enhancing agent.

Alternaria leaf spot disease has been a concern during a tomato production in greenhouse. In vitro antifungal activities of vapours of four plant essential oils, cinnamon oil, fennel oil, origanum oil and thyme oil, were investigated during in vitro conidial germination and mycelial growth of Alternaria alternata causing the tomato leaf spots to find eco-friendly alternatives for chemical fungicides. The four plant essential oils showed different antifungal activities against in vitro conidial germination of A. alternata in dose-dependent manners, and cinnamon oil vapour was most effective to suppress the conidial germination. The four plant essential oils showed similar antifungal activities against the in vitro mycelial growth of A. alternata in dose-dependent manners, but low doses of thyme oil vapour slightly increased in vitro mycelial growth of A. alternata. Necrotic lesions on the A. alternata-inoculated tomato leaves were reduced differently depending on kinds and concentrations of plant essential oils. Delayed conidial germination and germ-tube elongation of A. alternata were found on the tomato leaves treated with cinnamon oil and origanum oil vapours at 6 hpi. These results suggest that volatiles from cinnamon oil and origanum oil can be provided as alternatives to manage Alternaria leaf spot during the tomato production eco-friendly.

In this work, nanoemulsion-based delivery system was developed by encapsulation of fennel essential oil. A response surface methodology was used to study the influence of the processing conditions in order to obtain monomodal nanoemulsions of fennel essential oil using the microchannel homogenization technique. Results showed that it was possible to obtain nanoemul-sions with very narrow monomodal distributions that were homogeneous over the whole observation period (three months) when the appropriate mechanical energy was supplied by microfluidization at 14 MPa and 12 passes. Once the optimal processing condition was established, nanoemulsions were formulated with advanced performance xanthan gum, which was used as both viscosity modifier and emulsion stabilizer. As a result, more desirable results with enhanced physical stability and rheological properties were obtained. From the study of mechanical spectra as a function of aging time, the stability of the nanoemulsions weak gels was confirmed. The mechanical spectra as a function of hydrocolloid concentration revealed that the rheological properties are marked by the biopolymer network and could be modulated depending on the amount of added gum. Therefore, this research supports the role of advanced performance xanthan gum as a stabilizer of microfluidized fennel oil-in-water nanoemulsions. In addition, the results of this research could be useful to design and formulate functional oil-in-water nanoemulsions with potential application in the food industry for the delivery of nutraceuticals and antimicrobials. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CTQ2015-70700-P

It is universally known as fennel and by more than 100 other names, and has been used medicinally throughout the world since ancient times. Hippocrates and Dioscorides mentioned fennel as diuretic and emmenagogue, and the juice was supposed to sharpen the eyesight. As one of the ancient Saxon people’s nine sacred herbs, fennel was credited with the power to cure, and was valued as a magic herb. In the Middle Ages it was draped over doorways on Midsummer’s Eve to protect the household from evil spirits. It is one of the most commonly consumed herb by more than a quarter of Italian pregnant women every day for at least 3 months during pregnancy, and one of the most frequently quoted plants in The Chilandar Medical Codex, the best preserved medieval Serbian manuscript on European medical science from the 12th to 15th centuries. In Europe and Mediterranean countries, fennel is traditionally used as antispasmodic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, secretomotor, secretolytic, galactagogue, as eye lotion, and antioxidant remedy and integrator; topically, fennel powder is used as a poultice for snakebites. In Portugal, it is highly recommended for treatment of diabetes, bronchitis and chronic coughs, and for kidney stones. In Unani medicine, it is used to open liver and spleen obstructions, relieve flatulent colic, and to induce diuresis and menstruation. In traditional Iranian medicine, it has been used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Boiled or roasted roots are used for the treatment of gonorrhea in East Africa. In TCM, it is used to relieve chills, abdominal distension, vomiting and diarrhea. Fennel infusion is approved for GI disorders use in Europe since Nov. 2005 by the HMPC of the European Medicines Agency. Fennel contains d-pinene, camphene, d-α-phellandrene, dipentine, anethole, fenchone, methyl chavicol, aldehydes, and anisic acid. Bergapten, columbianetin, osthenol, psoralen, scoparone seselin, vanillin, β-sistosterol and stigmasterol have also been identified in fruits. In general, fennel oil extracted by either distillation-extraction or supercritical fluid extraction shows similar compositions, with trans-anethole, estragole, and fenchone as the main components.

Fennel is one of the most significant medicinal and aromatic herbs. It is used as a culinary ingredient and has an essential role as a raw material in the pharmaceutical industry. Many researchers across the world are working to increase the active components in the essential oil of medicinal and aromatic plants under organic farming. Growth promoters are one of the most effective methods for stimulating secondary metabolite production under organic agriculture. The objectives of this study were to investigate how foliar sprays of yeast extract (Y) and/or chitosan-oligosaccharide (CHO) affected the growth and yield of organic fennel (Foeniculum vulgare spp. vulgare Mill.) and if these applications can stimulate the production of pharmaceutical active ingredients in fennel fruits. Fennel foliage was subjected to foliar spray of Y at concentrations of 0 (Y0), 2 (Y1), and 4 (Y2) g L−1, and CHO at concentrations of 0 (CHO0), 60 (CHO1), and 120 (CHO2) mg L−1 twice. The results revealed that both Y and CHO treatments promoted growth parameters and leaf pigments content. Total phenols and nutritional content (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) in fennel fruits were also improved. Furthermore, Y and CHO treatments enhanced fruit and oil productivity. Foliar spraying with Y and/or CHO, as well as their combination, resulted in significant modification in main pharmacological active components in fennel essential oil. Treated plants with Y1 had the lowest proportion of estragole (24.61 %), an undesirable component in fennel oil, and the highest concentration of anethole (64.50 %), which improved the oil quality. While treated plants with CHO1 or CHO2 displayed an increase in estragole content by about 33.34 and 46.59 % compared with Y1-plants, respectively. These new findings demonstrated that applying Y2 or CHO at both levels not only increased fennel growth and yield, but also contributed to increasing estragole and decreasing anethole concentration, and both had a negative impact on essential oil quality. However, applying Y1 enhanced fennel productivity as well as essential oil quality.

Introduction: Postmenopausal obesity sounds an alarm for women’s health, since it serves as a predominant risk factor for many chronic diseases leading to reduced life expectancy and increased health problems.The relation between menopausal status and diabetes mellitus remains controversial. Reproductive tract dysfunction is a recognized consequence of diabetes obesity syndrome (DOS). Therefore, a possible association between obesity, diabetes mellitus and abnormalities of female reproductive function in several respects may occur.Nowadays traditional medicinal plants and spices are commonly used for their possible effects as hypoglycaemic, antidiabetic and folliculogenic agents instead of using synthetic drugs.Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic implication of fennel ingestion in ovarian changes in diabetically induced senile rats.Materials and Methods: A total of 24 senile female albino rats were divided into 4 equal groups: control group, fennel oil receiving group, diabetic group and diabetic/fennel oil ingested group. Treatments were continued for 8 weeks, then ovarian samples were collected from all rats for histological, immunohistochemical and ultra-structural studies. Blood glucose levels were measured to confirm hyperglycemia and to follow the disease progression. Serum analyses for hormonal assay were also estimatedResults: STZ injection caused typical ovarian follicular cysts of variable sizes together with elevation of blood glucose level. Fennel oil administration to diabetes-induced group showed some amelioration in the ovarian structure and blood glucose level.Conclusion: Fennel essential oil could ameliorate diabetes with its use as a fertility enhancing agent. Fennel has folliculogenesis effect consistent with its use in folk medicine as a fertility enhancing agent.

The effects of different concentrations of marjoram oil, thyme oil, (1%, 0.5%, and 0.25%) and their botanical extracts (2%, 1%, and 0.5%) as a nutritional additives offered to silkworm larvae during the 4th and 5th larval instars on food consumption, Approximate weight of digested food (A.D), Approximate digestibility (A.D%), efficiency of conversion of food ingested to body substance (E.C.I%), and efficiency of conversion of food digested to body substance (E.C.D%) were studied. Also, to determine their effects on total carbohydrates and total protein in larval haemolymph. Results showed significant variation in most of the studied parameters of oils and botanical extracts different concentrations compared to control; E.C.D% was found maximum with 0.5% marjoram oil (74.995%) and thyme oil (71.465%), in the botanical extracts 2% of both thyme, and marjoram exhibited the highest ratio (63.170% and 60.975%), respectively compared with control which recorded the minimum (38.830%). The efficiency with which the ingested food is converted into body substances (E.C.I%) 0.5% of marjoram and thyme oils showed the highest efficiency of conversion (21.000% and 20.555%), respectively compared to (13.445%) for the control. 2% of both thyme (19.960%) and marjoram extract (18.845%) showed also the highest ECI% while the control recorded the least result. The highest AD% was shown by control group (43.185%) and AD of the control group exhibited the highest among them (3.400 gm). Results revealed a significant variation between the both larval instars in most parameters. The quantity of food consumed in both oils and extracts varied significantly between the both instars with no significant values among different concentrations of them. Total protein exhibited the highest value when feeding larvae on mulberry leaves supplemented with 0.5% of both marjoram and thyme oils (41.067 and 39.867 mg/ml haemolymph), respectively, and 2% of both thyme and marjoram extracts (36.9 and 36.567 mg/ml haemolymph), respectively while the control group showed the minimum value (22.633 mg/ml haemolymph). The same trend was observed for total carbohydrates. It can be concluded that mulberry leaves fortified with different concentrations of marjoram and thyme oils and extracts were proved to be more efficient in rearing mulberry silkworm as it improved food acquisition, high ingestion, high (E.C.I & E.C.D) and low (A.D),also it increased protein and carbohydrates metabolism.

The fungitoxicity of Foeniculum vulgare herb essential oil was evaluated by mycelial growth inhibition assessment in medium culture. The radial growth of the Alternaria alternata was completely inhibited at the oil levels of 500 and 300 ppm in poisoned food and volatile activity assessments, respectively. Microscopic observations using Light Microscope showed morphogenic changes in the test fungus with 300 ppm of the oil. These changes included a significant loss of conidiation, decrease hyphal diameter and induce cytoplasm condensation. The treatment with the oil also resulted in a highly lobate and bulbous anomalous structure on the hyphal tips. Essential oil of F. vulgare at 500 ppm effectively reduced the percentage of rotted tomatoes in in vivo. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the Fennel oil revealed that it was considered of 25 monoterpenoid compounds of which trans-anethole, estragole, and fenchone as the major components. Findings of the current study suggest that essentia...

The effect of six plant essential oils against three stored grain insects, Sitophilus oryzae, Rhizopertha dominica andTribolium castaneum were studied under laboratory conditions. The tested oils are namely, fennel oil (Foeniculumvulgare), caraway oil (Carum carvi), cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum verum), citronella oil (Cymbopogon winterianus),nutmeg oil (Myristica fragrans) and black cumin oil (Nigella sativa). The result showed that increasing of the oilconcentration and exposure times significantly increased the mortality percentage.Generally, the toxicity of essential oils at all tested concentrations increased with the increasing of exposure time. So,the results indicated that toxicity of all tested essential oil against the three stored grain insects at the high concentrationwas recorded high mortality faster than low concentration.The tested essential oils significantly decreased the different haemocyte counts in tested insects, cinnamon oilmarkedly increased the haemocyte surface areas in the tested insects especially the surface area of oenocytoides in T.castaneum.The recorded results indicate that the essential oils of fennel, caraway, cinnamon and citronella could be applicable tothe management of S. oryzae, R. dominica and T. castaneum adults.

Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is an alkylating agent widely used as an anticancer and immunosuppressive drug. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) essential oil is a traditional medicine used against many diseases. The present work studied the effect of fennel oil against liver damage induced by the anticancer drug, cyclophosphamide (CPA) in albino rats. Animals were divided into 4 groups: group1: control, group2: orally given fennel oil (1 ml/kg body weight once a week for six weeks), group3: treated with CPA (15 mg/kg body weight once a week for six weeks) and group4: treated with CPA and fennel oil. The liver removed for histological and immunohistochemical preparation. Blood was collected and sera were prepared for biochemical analysis. The results revealed that CPA caused histological alterations in the liver including degeneration of hepatic cells, cytoplasmic vacuolation, fatty infiltration and congestion of blood vessels. Immunohistochemical observations revealed that both cell proliferation marker Ki67 and apoptotic marker caspase-3 were increased. Biochemical results revealed increase in the liver enzymes activity ALT and AST. Treating rats with CPA and fennel oil caused an improvement in the histological structure of the liver and decreased Ki67 and caspase-3. Moreover, ALT and AST activity appeared with normal value. It is concluded that administration of fennel oil exhibited ameliorative effect against CPA-induced hepatic toxicity in albino rats. This effect may be attributed to the antioxidant property of fennel oil.

Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is a nitrogen mustard alkylating agent from the oxazaphosphorine group. It is used as an anticancer, anti-neoplastic agents and immunosuppressive agent widely used in chemotherapy. Fennel oil is traditionally used as a treatment for different diseases. The present work studied the effect of Fennel oil on CPA-induced nephrotoxicity in albino rats. Male albino rats were divided into 4 groups; gp1; control, gp2: Each rat was orally given Fennel oil (1 ml/kg body weight once a week for six weeks), gp3: animals were each orally treated with CPA at a dose of 15mg/kg body weight once a week for six weeks, gp4: CPA plus Fennel oil treated group. The obtained results showed that CPA induced histopathological alterations in the kidney including intertubular leucocytic infiltrations,congestion of blood vessels, degeneration of renal tubules and atrophy of glomeruli. Immunohistochemical observations revealed increase in expression of PCNA, caspase-3 and α -SMA. In addition, creatinine and urea levels increased in sera of treated rats. Treating rats with CPA and fennel oil caused an improvement in the histological structure of the kidney and decreased PCNA, caspase-3 and α-SMA. Moreover, creatinine and urea values were decreased. In conclusion, fennel oil showed ameliorative effect against nephrotoxicity of CPA due to its antioxidant activity.

This study assessed the effects of essential oil of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (fennel oil) and of trans-anethole, the main component of fennel oil, on extracellular Ca2+-induced store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) into vascular endothelial (EA) cells and their mechanisms of action. Components of fennel oil were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) in EA cells was determined using Fura-2 fluorescence. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, fennel oil significantly increased [Ca2+]c in EA cells; this increase was significantly inhibited by the Ca2+ channel blockers La3+ and nifedipine. In contrast, fennel oil induced [Ca2+]c was significantly lower in Ca2+-free solution, suggesting that fennel oil increases [Ca2+]c mainly by enhancing Ca2+ influx into EA cells. [Ca2+]c mobilization by trans-anethole was similar to that of fennel oil. Moreover, SOCE was suppressed by fennel oil and trans-anethole. SOCE was also attenuated by lanthanum (La3+), a non-selective cation channel (NSC) blocker; 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borane (2-APB), an inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) receptor inhibitor and SOCE blocker; and U73122, an inhibitor of phospholipase C (PLC). Further, SOCE was more strongly inhibited by La3+ plus fennel oil or trans-anethole than by La3+ alone. These findings suggest that fennel oil and trans-anethole significantly inhibit SOCE-induced [Ca2+]c increase in vascular endothelial cells and that these reactions may be mediated by NSC, IP3-dependent Ca2+ mobilization, and PLC activation.

The effect of enzyme pre-treatment on extraction yield and quality of volatile oil of fennel seeds were evaluated using various enzymes viz., Celluclast, Pectinex, Viscozyme and Protease. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) studies were conducted to visualize the effect of these enzymes on fennel seed cell walls. The quality of the oil was further evaluated using Gas Chromatography Mass spectroscopy (GC–MS). The enzyme pre-treatment resulted in an increase in yield of oil in the range of 11–22.5% as compared to the control sample. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed a marked difference between the structures of fennel seeds treated with enzymes than the non-treated seeds. GC–MS studies revealed that the flavor composition of the fennel oil remains unchanged even after pre-treatment. From an economic perspective, the results of the present study could be used effectively in the spice industry to increase the extraction yield of volatile oil from fennel seeds.

Menthyl p-anisate is an ester compound which can be used as chemical base of halal fragrance. Synthesis of menthyl p-anisate from Fennel Oil has been conducted. p-an1sate acid was derivative of anethol from fennel oil that undergo oxidation process by KMnO4 at 40°C for 2 hours. Esterification with menthol carried out at 40°C for 7 hours. Identification and determination of structure compound of the product was analysed by spectroscopic methods (FTIR and GC-MS). Organoleptic evaluation of the fragrance was carried out by 20 semi-trained panellists. The result showed that identification of menthyl p-anisate using FTIR indicated the presence of C-O ester at 1223,41 cm−1 and 1180,44 cm−1; and C = O carbonyl at 1689.64 cm−1. However, methyl p-anisate was different from menthol which is shown by mass spectra with the absence of m/z 71 and m/z 57 peak. Organoleptic evaluation suggested that the menthyl p-anisate compound is in range of “fragrant” with score 4,90, “very sharp fragrant” with score 5,90, and acceptance in range of “preferred” with score 5,00. Thus, follow the conclusion that the compound exerted potent ability as chemical component in halal fragrant.

Functional dyspepsia (FD), a functional gastrointestinal disorder, is characterized by persistent or recurrent postprandial upper abdominal discomfort and epigastric pain. The high prevalence of FD and associated healthcare costs suggests that treatment of this condition by methods other than prescribed medicines, such as natural products, could be beneficial. Delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric accommodation play important roles in the development of FD. Anethole (1-methoxy-4-((E)-propenyl)-benzene), a major component of essential fennel oil, has been used as a flavoring, in alcoholic beverage production and in pharmaceutical formulations for many years. In this study, we examined the effects of anethole on delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric accommodation in rodents. Oral administration of anethole improved clonidine-induced delayed gastric emptying but did not affect normal gastric emptying in mice. Fennel oil and Anchu-san (a Japanese herbal medicine containing anethole) also restored delayed gastric emptying. Furthermore, oral administration of anethole stimulated gastric accommodation in rats. These results suggest that anethole could be beneficial for the treatment of FD.

The present study was conducted to assess the antifungal activity of essential oils of medicinal plants Mentha piperita (peppermint), Foeniculum vulgare, Satureja hortensis (Savory), Ferula asafoetida and Cuminum cyminum against Alternaria sp., Bipolaris sorokiniana and Acremonium sclerotigenum. The antifungal activity was evaluated by Broth Microdilution Method. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MICs) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFCs) of the essential oils were compared with Amphotricin B and Captan as standard drug. MIC values for all essential oils were between 1 to 8 mg/mL. MIC value of Fennel essential oil was comparable to MFC value obtained from fungicide Captan. Peppermint essential oil exhibited maximum inhibitory and fungicide activity in concentrations of 2 mg/ml and 4 mg/ml against Alternaria sp. The essential oil was more effective than Fennel against Bipolaris, but MFC values of both essential oils were 4 mg/ml. C. cyminum displayed less susceptibility against all of the fungi. Regarding our finding, peppermint and Fennel oil seem to be a promising solution to control plant diseases.

With the addition of fennel (FEN) oil, a biodegradable film based on polylactic acids (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was developed to possess antimicrobial ability. Barrier property and mechanical property tests were performed on three films, including PLA-PHB film, PLA-PHB film integrated with FEN oil (PLA-PHB-FEN) and ethanol vinyl alcohol (EVOH) film, whereby oxygen transmission rate (OTR), water vapor permeation (WVP), tensile strength and elongation at break were gathered. In addition, active properties including releasing, antibacterial and antioxidant abilities were measured. The profile showed that the mechanical properties of PLA-PHB film were comparable to those of EVOH film, except for the oxygen barrier ability. The FEN oil released from PLA-PHB-FEN film significantly inhibited the growth of E.coli and Staphylococcus by 1.2 and 1.3 Log CFU/g, respectively. PLA-PHB-FEN film showed the potential to be compatible with oily food as the maximum release (38.82 μg/mL) of FEN oil took place in fat simulants (65% ethanol). Afterward, the three films were used on the preservation of oysters for empirical tests. The results showed that the abundance of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were reduced by 1 Log CFU/g in the packaging of PLA-PHB-FEN film, which was supported by pH value and TVB-N level of oysters. Texture profile analysis and free amino acids quantification were also conducted. The data suggested that the PLA-PHB-FEN film could prolong the shelf-life on oysters for 2–3 days while maintaining their quality compared to EVOH film. This study provides insight into biodegradable packaging by which synthetic packaging could be substituted.

The use of crude fennel seed oil in a diesel engine, whose combustion chamber was thermally insulated, with diesel fuel at specific rates was investigated in the present study. A single-cylinder air cooled diesel engine was used as the test engine. Plasma spray method (coated with Cr3C2 in a thickness of 300 µm) was used as the coating method. Since the atomisation and vaporisation of fennel oil are highly affected by the physical properties of the fuel, a preheating process of 100 °C was applied. Crude fennel oil mixed with diesel fuel at 30% and 50% by volume. It was shown that a preheating process of 100 °C provided a proper fuel flow and reduced the viscosity of the funnel oil and additionally, the coating process decreased carbon monoxide (CO), smoke, and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions but increased nitrogen oxides (NOx), thermal efficiency, and exhaust gas temperature (EGT).

Fennel crop has been traditionally used as spice in cooking and fragrances, and in folk medicine for its spectrum of useful properties. Mediterranean is the elective natural cultivation area for this plant with Italy being a leader producer. A limit of this production is due to the high amount of wastes derived still rich of phytochemicals, which are usually underused. Hence, the extraction and characterization of essential oil from residues of fennel horticultural market was investigated to understand the potential profit of their recycling. Forty-eight compounds resulted for fennel oil waste, analysed by GC-FID-MS, with the most abundant among components was anethole. Other constituents contributing to fennel flavour were the monoterpenes limonene and nerol. The exploitation of this oil as a good source of bioactive compounds was assessed by means of its antioxidant power measured with DPPH test.

Background The use of herbal products to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease that frequently affects the quality of life (QoL), is still under evaluation. This open pilot study assessed the efficacy of bio-optimized extracts of turmeric and essential fennel oil (Enterofytol®) in IBS patients. Methods A total of 211 patients (14% diarrhea-predominant, IBS-D; 24% constipation-predominant, IBS-C; 62% mixed, IBS-M) were enrolled by general practitioners and completed questionnaires measuring symptom severity and QoL before and after Enterofytol®, two capsules b.i.d. for one month, followed by two capsules q.d. for another month. Results IBS severity index and QoL were inversely related. A significant reduction in the severity index and an improvement in QoL were evident following treatment in all IBS subgroups. IBS-D patients showed the worst clinical picture at entry, with the highest IBS severity index and the lowest QoL score, compared with IBS-C and IBS-M subtypes. IBS-D patients, however, also showed the most pronounced response to therapy, considering both scores. The improvement in the IBS severity index was independent of age and sex. Conclusions Results from this "real-life" study show that the combination of turmeric and essential fennel oil over two months improves both symptoms and QoL in IBS patients, irrespectively of age, sex, initial severity of symptoms and IBS-subtypes, suggesting a potential role for the natural treatment of IBS.

Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is cultivated for its seeds and foliage, which contain essential oil. We hypothesized that the collection of fennel seed oil at different time points during the distillation process may result in fennel oil with distinct composition and bioactivity. We collected essential oil from fennel seed at ten different distillation times, DT (at 2, 7, 15, 30, 45, 75, 105, 135, 165, and 195 min). Estragole (42.8–84.4% of the total oil) was the main constituent throughout the distillation. (−)-α-Pinene (0.12–0.84%) and ( R )-(+)-limonene (6.3–33.5%) were relatively high at initial DT and dropped significantly after the first DT. (−)-Fenchone (0.5–4.1%) showed a near linear decrease until approximately the 165 min DT. If high (−)-α-pinene and ( R )-(+)-limonene oil is desirable, then the oil fraction needs to be captured early in the distillation, at 2 min. Oil with highest estragole concentration may be obtained by collecting the oil eluted between 30 and 45 min. DT had an effect on the oil antioxidant activity; the oil from the control (195 min distillation time) had the highest antioxidant capacity (481 μmol Trolox equivalents/g), whereas the oil fraction sampled at 45 min DT had the lowest capacity (148 μmol Trolox equivalents/g). This study demonstrated an effective method for obtaining fennel seed oil fractions with differential composition and antioxidant capacity.

In this paper, organic–inorganic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/silica (SiO2) hybrid membranes were prepared via phase inversion by a tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) sol–gel process and were used to concentrate fennel oil in herbal water extract. Such characteristics of the hybrid membranes as crystal structure, mechanical properties, thermal stability, morphology, hydrophilicity, and permeation performance were investigated thoroughly. The analytical results showed that the interaction existed between SiO2 nanoparticles and PVDF polymers, and that the thermal and mechanical properties of the hybrid membranes were improved by the introduction of SiO2. Besides, the crystalline structure of PVDF changed from β phase to α phase when TEOS content surpassed 20%. Furthermore, the experimental data indicated that hydrophilicity, permeation, rejection, porosity and mean pore size of the hybrid membranes also increased with ascending TEOS contents, but higher TEOS contents had negative effect on those properties. Finally, the concentration process of fennel oil in herbal water extract through the hybrid membranes was conducted and it proved that the separation performance was effectively improved.

A comprehensive study on essential oil samples of Foeniculum vulgare Miller from Tarquinia (Italy) is reported. A 24-h systematic steam distillation was performed on different harvested samples applying different extraction times. The GC-MS analysis of the residue outcome showed o-cymene, α-phellandrene, α-pinene and estragole as the major constituents. The predominance and continued presence of o-cymene makes this fennel oil a rather unique chemotype. An evident correlation between the antifungal activity and phenological stage is demonstrated. The most active fractions were particularly rich in estragole, as well as a significant amount of fenchone that possibly exerts some additive effect in the expression of overall antifungal potency. Pre-fruiting material produced oil particularly rich in o-cymene. With reference to the duration of the extraction, the maximum amount of oil was released within the first 3 h, whereas the reproductive phase material needed at least 6 h for the extraction.

The insecticidal activity of newly created naturally friendly plant protection products based on plant essential oils emulsified with plant triglyceride oil-based soap were tested against adult individuals of Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta (Poda) under in vitro conditions. Four different plant protection products (ready to be used) on the base of lavender, tobacco, coriander and fennel oil were tested. The products were created at the University of Food Technologies – Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The trials revealed strong insecticidal action of the coriander and lavender oil-based products. Surprisingly, the formulation based on tobacco oil had no effect on T. hirta and neither did the fennel oil-based product. The products were tested for phytotoxicity on two cultivars (Golden Delicious and Jonagold) of five- year-old apple trees using in vitro insecticidal trial concentrations according to standard № 227 of the OECD. There were no phytotoxic effects of the concentrations used.

The aim of this study was to determine the chemical variation in indigenous populations of bitter fennel originating from Iran. Essential oils isolated from the fruits of eight different populations of Foeniculum vulgare var. vulgare from different locations of Iran were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). According to the results, the essential oil content in the fruit varied from 2.7% to 4%. The major chemical constituents exhibited higher differences between the populations. trans-Anethole was found to be the main component of the oil with rates of 46.5% and 84% in fruits and this component was followed by fenchone (9.1–23.8%), which is the second major phenylpropanoid detected in fennel oil. Limonene, estragol (methyl chavicol), γ-terpinene, α-pinene and β-mercene are other main components identified in the fennel oils. trans-Anethole was detected at the highest level (84%) in ‘Zanjan’ population oil and the ‘Marvdasht’ population contained the highest concentration (...

The present study was carried out to determine the hepatoprotective effect of some herbal oils as Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) and Fennel (foeniculum vulgare) oil seeds against carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) that caused hepatotoxicity in rats. The experiment was performed on 30 adult rat that classified into two main groups, the first main group (6 rats) was kept as control (-ve) group while the second main groups (24 rat) were administered a dose of (2 mL CCL4 /kg b.wt.) twice a week for two weeks to induce chronic damage in the liver then classified into four subgroups (six rats each) as follow, one of them (6 rats) was fed on the basal diet and used as a positive control group (+ve), however, the other three subgroups were fed on basal diets and obtained orally dill oil (1 mL/kg), Fennel oil (1 mL/kg), mixture of (0.5 dill and 0.5 mL/kg fennel) oil, respectively for 4 weeks. The hepatotoxicity produced by CCL4 administration was found to be inhibited by either Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) or Fennel (foeniculum vulgare) oil or by the mixture of both Dill and Fennel oil with evidence of significant (p

Aim To screen the antimicrobial activities of some plant essential oils against clinical isolates of C. albicans causing vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and to investigate the antifungal effect of the most active one against planktonic and sessile cells compared to fluconazole. Methods Screening of biofilm production by C. albicans causing VVC was performed by tissue culture plate method. The antifungal susceptibility of fluconazole was performed by disk diffusion method. Antifungal activities of nine essential oils were screened against strong biofilm-producer, fluconazole-resistant or dose-dependently susceptible clinical isolates and Candida albicans ATCC 10,231 by well diffusion method. Determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of fennel essential oil and fluconazole against planktonic and sessile cells were performed by microdilution methods. Determination of the combined antimicrobial activity of fennel oil and fluconazole was evaluated by checkerboard microdilution assay. Results From 19 C. albicans strains, 10/19 showed strong ability to form biofilms. None of the tested clinical isolates was sensitive to fluconazole. Fennel oil had significantly higher antifungal activities against tested C. albicans compared with other tested oils (P = 0.000). The MICs of fennel oil for planktonic cells ranged from 0.78% to 6.25% with MIC50 of 3.12% and MIC90 of 6.25%, while concentrations ranging between 6.25% and 25% resulted in 50% biofilm reduction. Synergy or addition between fennel oil and fluconazole were detected against 7/11 strains, while no antagonism was detected. Conclusion Fennel oil alone or in combination with fluconazole could provide a promising approach to the management of VVC caused by drug-resistant strains.

This review paper evaluates use of Foeniculum vulgare extracts as a popular female plant in management of different ailments of women. Information in this paper was gathered from accessible sources (PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley, and Google), and traditional books (Persian or English modern traditional books), unpublished data (R&D reports, thesis and dissertation) by keywords based on the words F. vulgare or fennel and women. Efficacy of oral fennel oil in management of dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, menopause, lactation, and polycystic ovary syndrome were confirmed according to results of clinical studies. Results of clinical efficacy of fennel oil on menstrual bleeding is complicated, but results of one meta-analysis study revealed that fennel oil significantly increased means of bleeding in the first menstrual periodic cycle (P = 0.001), while fennel oil had no significant effect on bleeding in the second menstrual cycle (P = 0.67). Topical and vaginal fennel extract (5%) exhibited good efficacy in treatment of sexual function, vaginal atrophy, and hirsutism. Fennel had no effect on bone density, or body mass index of menopause women. Results of clinical studies introduce fennel as a valuable medicinal plant in management of women's ailments, but understanding the mechanism of action could be the subject of future studies.

The development of natural crop protection products as alternatives to the use of synthetic fungicides is currently popular. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antifungal effects of several essential oils against the fungal pathogens, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer, under in vitro condition. Four essential oils (fennel, black caraway, peppermint and thyme) were each tested at five concentrations (0, 200, 400, 600 or 800 μl l−1). In vitro results showed that the essential oil of black caraway and fennel had the highest fungicidal effect against B. cinerea and R. stolonifer, respectively. The growth of B. cinerea was completely inhibited by the essential oil of black caraway at 400 μl l−1. Fennel oil perfectly inhibited growth of R. stolonifer fungus colonies at concentration higher than 600 μl L−1 in potato dextrose agar medium. Percentage of spores germination was the lowest in medium of Fennel and black caraway essential oils, and was the highest in Thyme ones. These results show that pla...

Foeniculum vulgare (Apiaceae) is commonly known as fennel. This herb is well-known worldwide and traditionally used as curative herbal therapy for the treatment of epileptic disease, seizurescarminative, digestive, lactogogue, diuretic, treating respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of present study is to investigate the possible effect of fennel oil against the toxicity of Sodium-Valproic (SVP) in albino rats. In order to assess the protection of fennel oil on SVP induced hepato- and nephro-toxicity, male albino rats were treated with 1ml/kg b.w fennel oil 3days/week for 6weeks. The biochemical analyses of hepatic enzymes were evaluated by estimating blood biomarkers of liver and renal damage along with histological examination. The results obtained from this work showed that treating animals with SVP lead to many histopathological alterations in the liver and kidney tissues. The effect appeared in the liver tissue include leukocyte infiltrations, cytoplasmic vacuolization of the hepatocytes, fatty degeneration and congestion of blood vessels. This commonly used chemical (SVP) caused some unwanted effects on the kidney cortex which histologically observed as degeneration in renal tubules, atrophy of the glomeruli and edema. Biochemical results also revealed an abnormal increase in the enzyme level of AST, SAT, ALP, bilirubin, creatinine and urea-nitrogen, with a noticed decrease in total protein content. However, the results of treated rats with SVP plus fennel oil showed some positive histopathological changes in both the liver and kidney tissues. These results have confirmed that fennel oil has positive effects on the histological structure of the liver and kidney and the biochemical levels of AST, ALT, ALP, bilirubin, total proteins, creatinine and urea. It is concluded that fennel oil has various pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-cancer activity, anti-inflammatory. These valuable effects might be due to the presence of aromatic compounds trans-anethole. This useful properties of fennel plant could be due to its antioxidant activity that prevents the toxicity of SVP.

The Response Surface Analysis using the BBD (Box-Behnken Design) design (Design Expert, Cabit Information Technology Co., Ltd) was applied in identifying the optimal process parameters for the separation and purification of fennel oil using molecular distillation technology. The experiments were carried out based on single factor analysis (feeding rate, evaporation temperature and film wiping speed). The dependent variable second-order regression equation was obtained. The optimal conditions were identified as: feeding rate = 2 drops/second, evaporation temperature = 50°C and film wiping speed = 215 rpm. The concentration of anisole in the extraction under the optimized condition reached 86.69%.

In this study, fennel oil was isolated by hydrodistillation, and the chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectral analysis. The antimicrobial activity of fennel oil against Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated by broth microdilution. A haemolysis assay, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) release assay, western blot, and real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR were applied to investigate the influence of fennel oil on the production of S. aureus virulence-related exoproteins. The data show that fennel oil, which contains a high level of trans-anethole, was active against S. aureus, with MICs ranging from 64 to 256 μg/ml. Furthermore, fennel oil, when used at subinhibitory concentrations, could dose-dependently decrease the expression of S. aureus exotoxins, including α-toxin, Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1).

A research has been conducted to synthesize thiomethylated-C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene using fennel oil as a starting material. The synthesis was carried out in four steps i.e. (1) oxidation of anethole to yield p-anisaldehyde, (2) HCl-catalyzed condensation of p-anisaldehyde with resorcinol, (3) chloromethylation of C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene with paraformaldehyde and HCl in the presence of ZnCl2 to yield tetrakis-chloromethyl-C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene, and (4) reaction of tetrakis-chloromethyl-C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene with thiourea followed by hydrolysis with sodium hydroxide solution to yield tetrakis-thiomethyl-C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene. The prepared compounds were characterized based on melting point, FT-IR, and NMR spectrometers. According to the analysis of 1H-NMR spectrometer, C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene and tetrakis-chloromethyl-C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene were observed in the chair or flattened partial cone conformation, while tetrakis-thiomethyl-C-4-methoxyphenylcalix[4]resorcinarene tend to exist in the crown or cone conformation.

The antifungal activity of essential oils of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) against two well-known postharvest fungi, Penicillium digitatum and Rhizopus stolonifer, by poison food medium (0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1,000 µL/L) and vapor phase (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 40 µL) methods were assayed. The results showed that in poison food medium thyme oil had greatest antifungal activity against P. digitatum and R. stolonifer at 1,000 and ≥600 µL/L, respectively. In vapor phase, thyme oil at ≥5 µL completely inhibited the mycelial growth of pathogens. Summer savory oil at ≥600 µL/L had a significant inhibitory effect on mycelial growth of R. stolonifer. Fennel oil showed the lowest antifungal activity against the pathogens. All the essential oil treatments completely inhibited the growth of R. stolonifer in vapor phase method. Also R. stolonifer were more sensitive against the essential oils. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that main compounds identified in sweet basil, fennel, summer savory and thyme oils were linalool (65.25%), trans-anethole (64.42%), carvacrol (54.14%) and β-ocimene (12.62%), respectively. Therefore, thyme and summer savory oils have a promising potential to use antifungal agent against fruit and vegetable fungi. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The results of this work show that thyme, summer savory and fennel oils have a high potential to be used as an antifungal agents for control of postharvest phytopatogenic fungi especially in vapor phase method. Therefore, essential oils as safe aromatic compounds that do have not negative effects on human health and environment may be used as a novel and practical tool for preservation of postharvest quality of horticultural crops and are suitable alternative for synthetic fungicides.

Cyclodextrins (CyDs) are cyclic carbohydrates derived from starch. The parent CyDs contain six, seven and eight glucopyranose units and are referred as α-, β- and γ-CyD, respectively. The most important property of the CyDs is the ability to establish specific interactions - molecular encapsulation - with various types of molecules through the formation of non-covalently bonded entities, either in the solid phase or in aqueous solution. These nano-encapsulating agents may form inclusion complexes with essential oils and volatiles, or their components, in order to improve their characteristics, such as transformation of liquid compounds into crystalline form; masking unpleasant smells and tastes of some compounds; improving the physical and/or chemical stability; and stabilizing volatile compounds by reducing or eliminating any losses through evaporation. Complexation has been used to avoid the destruction of certain flavours by processing or, on storage, allowing the use of minor amounts of flavours. The guest molecule is released in the warm moisture of the mouth. Examples are spices, essential oils of vegetable origin and plant flavours, chamomile oil and extract, eucalyptus oil, fennel oil, lemon oil, onion and garlic oil, camphor, menthol, thymol, etc. There are several methods for the preparation of inclusion complexes; kneading, co-precipitation, freeze-drying and spray-drying the most commonly used. Evidence for a guest inclusion into the apolar CyD cavity may be proved by various analytical techniques, including NMR spectroscopy, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism, fluorescence, infrared/FT-IR spectroscopy, thermo-analysis, TLC, mass spectromety, and powder X-ray diffractometry. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Essentail oils and carrier oils are generally used for Aromatherapy. Therefore the toxicity, possibilities of irritations and sensitive reactions and injury of essential oils must be considered for clients and therapists. So that, in this studies a toxicity of jojoba and 4 species essential oils (fennel, mandarine, tea tree and cedarwood) were investigated by the measurement of MTT-assay and sirius red staining. Liver, kidney and brain tell were chosen for the cell viability assay and observation of morphological change. In the result, no cytotoxicity was observed on live., kidney and brain cell at concentration of 0.01 jojoba oil. And lysis and nucleus breaking were not observed at same concentration of jojoba oil on live., kidney and brain cell. fennel oil was showed 50% of cell viability and inhibited cell growth on liver, kidney and brain cell at relatively high concentration compared with the other oils. 50% of liver, kidney and brain cell viability and delayed cell growth of tea tree and mandarine oil were revealed at lower concentration than fennel oil. In cedarwood oil, 50% of liver cell viability at concentration of 0.00067 was showed, but cell viability and cell growth of kidney and beam cell were effected at the lowest concentration compared with other oils. So that, jojoba oil as using of carrier oil may be not harmful. And 3 essential oils from the fennel, tea tree and mamdarine may have very low toxicity, but cedarwood may be used carefully for inhalation. And over dosage of concentrated cedarwood oil should be not directly touched and exposured, and absolute essential oils must be diluted with carrier oils for topical and systematic massage.

Activity of commercially and purified essential oils of aloes, anise, black cumin, caraway, carna-tion, cumin, fennel, garlic, jojoba, lavender, onion, rue and thyme were tested against growth of Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans, caused bacterial angular leaf spot disease of cucumber, in vitro and in vivo. Three essential oils had an inhib-itory effect, based on the determination of the min-imum inhibitory concentrations (MICs 0.25-2.0%). Carnation, fennel and thyme were inhibito-ry at MIC 0.5%. The three mentioned oils showed considerable variation in the inhibitory effect by the disk diffusion method, though the recognized similarity in fumigation treatments. The greatest activity was recorded with thyme (18mm) followed by carnation (15 mm) while fennel showed the low-est effect (9mm). Soaking cucumber seeds of differ-ent cultivars in 2% emulsified oils for a period rang-ing from 0.25 to 4 hours significantly decreased the percentage of germination. Shorter duration of seed soaking, 0.25 to 0.5 hours, showed lower deleterious effect on germination and fennel oil showed greater harmful effect. In greenhouse experiments, the three oils significantly controlled the disease incidence compared to the check treatment, being more pro-nounced for thyme oil followed by fennel and carna-tion oils. Analysis of the essential oils in concern showed eugenol, dieugenol, linolenic acid, methyl chavicol (estragol), anisole and thymol, as an active ingredients.

Increasing attentions have been paid on the application of essential oils and plant extracts for control of postharvest pathogens due to their natural origin and less appearance of resistance in fungi pathogens. In this study, in addition to the chemical analysis of Iranian anise and fennel essential oils, their fungicidal and/or fungistatic effects on two postharvest pathogens were investigated. Essential oils were extracted by means of hydro-distillation and afterwards GC-MS analysis was performed to identify their components. The main constituents were E-anethol (92.9 %), p-alylanisol (2.2 %), Z-α-biosabolene (1.8 %) for anise oil and E-anethol (71.2 %), limonene (8.2 %), Fenchone (8.53 %), Methylchavicol (7.01 %) for fennel oil. Both essential oils exhibited fungistatic effect on Aspegillus niger but fennel was more effective. Satisfactory fungistatic effects against Rhizopus stolinifer, a stubborn pathogen, were observed for fennel oil. Anise oil did not show significant inhibitory effect on...