Search Results (26)

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), spotted-wing drosophila, poses a significant threat to soft-skinned fruit crops in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Oceania, as well as in Asia. The application of chemical insecticides is the primary control strategy for D. suzukii; however, resistance has developed with the indiscriminate use of chemical insecticides. Essential oils, considered potential alternatives to pesticidal strategies, exhibit potent toxic and sublethal behavioral effects against numerous pests, including D. suzukii. Clary sage oil repels a variety of agricultural and household pests; however, whether it has a repellent effect against D. suzukii remains unknown. Here, we found that clary sage oil exhibited dose-dependent repellency against D. suzukii adults in a T-maze assay, a two-choice assay and a two-choice attraction assay. Also, clary sage oil showed a significant repellent effect against D. suzukii larvae. Next, we explored the chemical constituents of clary sage oil by GC-MS and identified two major constituents, linalyl acetate (40.03%) and linalool (23.02%). Furthermore, the behavioral assays of linalyl acetate and linalool showed that both compounds conferred comparable repellency against D. suzukii adults and larvae. Finally, we found clary sage oil, linalyl acetate, and linalool elicited EAG responses in D. suzukii, especially clary sage oil, suggesting the repellency was mediated by the olfactory system. These findings indicate that D. suzukii shows olfactory-based behavioral avoidance of clary sage oil, linalyl acetate, and linalool. Clary sage oil and its major constituents may be possible alternatives in the management of D. suzukii. Full article

Plant essential oils are important alternatives in green integrated pest management. This study examined the chemical composition, bioactivity, and control efficacy of four Lamiaceae essential oils (EOs) against Thrips flavus Schrank in laboratory conditions with the goal of exploiting plant-derived insecticides to control Thrips flavus. The four EOs tested were marjoram oil (Origanum majorana L.), clary sage oil (Salvia sclarea L.), perilla leaf oil (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.), and spearmint oil (Mentha spicata L.). All these EOs exhibited a certain degree of insecticidal activity against Thrips flavus. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) was determined after treatment by the leaf-dipping method in laboratory bioassays, and its values were 0.41 mg/mL for marjoram oil, 0.42 mg/mL for clary sage oil, 0.43 mg/mL for perilla leaf oil, and 0.54 mg/mL for spearmint oil. In the pot experiment, the number of dead insects was recorded at 1, 3, and 7 days post-application, and the control efficacy of EOs against Thrips flavus was calculated. The concentration of 900.00 g a.i.·hm⁻² of spearmint oil was 100% lethal against Thrips flavus after treating potted plants for seven days. The Y-tube olfactometer method was used to test for the attraction or repellent response of EOs against Thrips flavus. The spearmint oil significantly attracted female adults in the olfactory test. Furthermore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to examine the chemical composition of the EOs. Linalool (24.52%), isopropyl myristate (28.74%), (+)-limonene (32.44%), and (+)-carvone (70.3%) were their primary ingredients. The findings suggest that all four EOs are highly effective against Thrips flavus and may be a possible alternative in the management of Thrips flavus, especially when considering reducing the use of synthetic pesticides. Full article

High light (HL) intensity has a substantial impact on light energy flow and partitioning within photosynthetic apparatus. To realize the impact of HL intensity on zinc (Zn) tolerance mechanisms in clary sage (Salvia sclarea L., Lamiaceae) plants, we examined the effect of the altered chlorophyll and nutrient uptake under excess Zn supply on the response mechanism of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry. Eight-week-old clary sage plants were treated with 5 μM Zn (control) or 900 μM Zn in Hoagland nutrient solution. Leaf elemental analysis for Zn, Mn, Mg, and Fe was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), whereas PSII functioning under HL was evaluated by chlorophyll fluorescence imaging analysis. Exposure of S. sclarea plants to 900 μM Zn increased leaf Zn accumulation and decreased leaf Mg and chlorophyll. The decreased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) provided evidence of the photoprotection offered by the smaller light-harvesting antennae due to the reduced chlorophyll. The increased Mn after Zn exposure corresponded with higher efficiency of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) that was significantly correlated with the maximum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry (Fv/Fm). An increased electron transport rate (ETR) coincided with increased leaf Fe, which is known to play a vital role in the enzymes engaged in ETR. The decreased (32%) NPQ after an 8-day exposure to Zn caused an increased (10%) quantum yield of non-regulated energy loss in PSII (Φ_NO), indicative of an increased singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production. It is suggested that the decreased NPQ induced acclimation responses of clary sage plants to HL and excess Zn by increasing ¹O₂ production. The reduced (18%) excess excitation energy (EXC) at PSII and the increased (24%) quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Φ_PSII) and ETR indicated improved photosynthetic efficiency under excess Zn and HL intensity. Therefore, the exposure of medicinal plants to excess Zn not only boosts their photosynthetic efficiency, enhancing crop yields, but can also improve Fe and Zn content, ameliorating the human health deficiency of these two essential micronutrients. Full article

Sheep’s second cheese whey (SCW), the by-product resulting from whey cheese production, was used as a component of cheese coatings containing oregano (Origanum compactum) and clary sage (Salvia sclarea) essential oils (EOs). SCW powder was obtained by the ultrafiltration/diafiltration of SCW followed by reverse osmosis and freeze drying. The coatings were produced with a mixture of SCW and whey protein isolate (WPI) using glycerol as plasticizer. Model cheeses were produced with cow´s milk and those containing SCW:WPI coatings; those with and without EOs were compared to controls without coating and with a commercial coating containing natamycin. At the end of ripening (28 days), the cheeses containing EOs presented higher water activity (ca. 0.930) and moisture content, as well as lower titratable acidity. Concerning color parameters, significant differences were also observed between products and as a result of ripening time. However, the use of SCW:WPI coatings did not significantly influence the color parameters at the end of ripening. Regarding texture parameters, the cheeses containing SCW:WPI coatings presented significantly lower values for hardness, chewiness, and gumminess. Significant differences were also observed for all microbial groups evaluated either between products and as a result of ripening time. In all cases, lactobacilli and lactococci counts surpassed log 7–8 CFU/g, while the counts of yeasts and molds increased steadily from ca. log 3 to log 6 CFU/g. The lowest counts of yeasts and molds were observed in the samples containing natamycin, but nonsignificant differences between products were observed. In conclusion, SCW:WPI cheese coatings can successfully substitute commercial coatings with the advantage of being edible packaging materials manufactured with by-products. Full article

As byproducts of essential oil distillation, hydrolates are used in natural cosmetics/biomedicine due to their beneficial skin effects. However, data on their safety with relevant biological targets, such as human skin cells, are scarce. Therefore, we have tested nine hydrolates from the Lamiaceae family with skin fibroblasts that are responsible for extracellular collagenous matrix builds. Thyme, oregano, and winter savoury hydrolates showed several times higher total phenolics, which correlated strongly with their radical scavenging and antioxidative capacity; there was no correlation between their viability profiles and the reducing sugar levels. No proteins/peptides were detected. All hydrolates appeared safe for prolonged skin exposure except for 10-fold diluted lavender, which showed cytotoxicity (~20%), as well as rosemary and lavandin (~10%) using viability, DNA synthesis, and cell count testing. Clary sage, oregano, lemon balm, and thyme hydrolates (10-fold diluted) increased fibroblast viability and/or proliferation by 10–30% compared with the control, while their viability remained unaffected by Mentha and winter savoury. In line with the STITCH database, increased viability could be attributed to thymol presence in oregano and thyme hydrolates in lemon balm, which is most likely attributable to neral and geranial. The proliferative effect of clary sage could be supported by alpha-terpineol, not linalool. The major volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with cytotoxic effects on fibroblasts were borneol, 1,8-cineole, and terpinene-4-ol. Further research with pure compounds is warranted to confirm the roles of VOCs in the observed effects that are relevant to cosmetic and wound healing aspects. Full article

Background: Aromatherapy is usually used to stimulate labor. However, its specific physiological effects have been scarcely examined. We evaluated whether an aromatherapy footbath increases oxytocin levels in term pregnant women. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, low-risk term pregnant women in Japan underwent aromatherapy using a footbath (1) infused with clary sage and lavender essential oils, (2) infused with jasmine oil, or (3) with no infused oils (control group). The primary outcome was the salivary oxytocin level. The secondary outcomes were uterine contractions and cortisol levels. Results: In the clary sage and lavender group (n = 28), the oxytocin level increased significantly after the footbath (p = 0.035). The jasmine group (n = 27) and control group (n = 27) exhibited trends toward a respective increase and decrease in the oxytocin level; however, the changes in the oxytocin levels between the clary sage and lavender group and the control group showed no significance difference. There were no significant differences in the changes in the uterine contractions and cortisol levels between the experiment and control groups. Conclusions: The changes in the oxytocin levels in the clary sage and lavender group did not differ significantly with those in the control group, possibly because of the small sample size. Further studies are required to examine the effects of repeated aromatherapy footbaths to stimulate labor. Full article

Clary Sage extracts are of industrial interest: in particular, sclareol shows a strong pharmaceutical potential. Supercritical fluid extraction was used to recover compounds of interest from a Salvia sclarea L. waxy n-hexane extract (“concrete”), using semi-continuous fractionation and a multi-step extraction strategy. Multi-step extraction experiments were carried out in two phases: the first one operated at 90 bar and 50 °C; the second one at 100 bar and 40 °C. GC-MS traces showed that during the first extraction step, only lighter compounds (e.g., monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and derivatives) were collected, whereas, in the second step, only sclareol and related compounds were recovered. By adjusting operating conditions (temperature and pressure), selective extraction of different families of compounds was accomplished, with no further need for post-processing of the products. Moreover, using two separators in series, the compounds of interest were fractionated from paraffins and, by changing the operating conditions, the extraction yield increased from about 6.0% to 9.3% w/w as CO₂ density increased. Full article

The use of medicinal plant species and their products is widespread in the field of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the traditional use of Salvia sclarea L., clary sage, finding the possible mechanisms of its spasmolytic and bronchodilator actions in in vitro conditions supported by molecular docking analysis, along with the antimicrobial effects. Four dry extracts were prepared from the aerial parts of S. sclarea, using absolute or 80% (v/v) methanol by the method of a single-stage maceration or an ultrasound-assisted extraction. Characterization of the bioactive compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography indicated the presence of significant amounts of polyphenolics, with rosmarinic acid as the prevalent one. The spontaneous ileal contractions were best inhibited by the extract prepared with 80% methanol and maceration. The same extract was superior in the carbachol- and KCl-induced tracheal smooth muscle contractions, being the strongest bronchodilator agent. The most powerful relaxation of KCl-induced ileal contractions was achieved with the extract made of absolute methanol by maceration, while the 80% methanolic extract made with the ultrasound method generated the best spasmolytic effects in the acetylcholine-induced ileal contractions. Docking analysis suggested that apigenin-7-O-glucoside and luteolin-7-O-glucoside exhibited the highest binding affinity to voltage-gated calcium channels. Gram (+) bacteria were more susceptible to the effects of the extracts, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, in contrast to Gram (−) bacteria and Candida albicans. This is the first study to point out the influence of S. sclarea methanolic extracts on the gastrointestinal and respiratory spasm reduction, paving the way for their potential place in complementary medicine. Full article

Essential oils have been known about since ancient times and have been used in aromatherapy. Nowadays, their applications also cover the medicine and food industries due to their wide spectrum of bioactivity, including antioxidant properties. Thus, the estimation of essential oils’ antioxidant properties is of practical interest. Phenolic compounds and terpenes are the major antioxidants present in essential oils according to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Total antioxidant parameters are a good alternative to the characterization of individual components by GC-MS, allowing the avoidance of a time-consuming and expensive procedure. Coulometric titration with electrogenerated bromine and ferricyanide ions has been used for the estimation of the total antioxidant capacity and the ferric reducing power of essential oils for the first time. Data on the reaction of individual antioxidants (volatile phenolics and terpenes) with coulometric titrants confirm the applicability of the method for the characterization of essential oils’ antioxidant properties. The essential oils clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, lavender, ginger, anise, basil, bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, marjoram, neroli, rosemary, thyme, and clary sage of various trademarks (total 27 samples) are investigated. The data are compared to the standard parameters (antioxidant activity towards 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and the total phenolic contents). Positive correlations with coefficients from 0.7051 to 0.9558 confirm the accuracy of the coulometric approach. Moreover, the ferric reducing power reflecting the phenolic antioxidant content can be used for all samples of essential oils, while the Folin–Ciocalteu method for total phenolic contents is applicable to four essential oils only. Another advantage of coulometry titration is the possibility of automation and its rapidity, making it an attractive tool for screening purposes in routine practice. Full article

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) is a medicinal plant that has the potential to be used for phytoextraction of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) from contaminated soils by accumulating these metals in its tissues. Additionally, it has been found to be more tolerant to excess Zn than to Cd stress alone; however, the interactive effects of the combined treatment with Zn and Cd on this medicinal herb, and the protective strategies of Zn to alleviate Cd toxicity have not yet been established in detail. In this study, clary sage plants grown hydroponically were simultaneously exposed to Zn (900 µM) and Cd (100 μM) for 8 days to obtain more detailed information about the plant responses and the role of excess Zn in mitigating Cd toxicity symptoms. The leaf anatomy, photosynthetic pigments, total phenolic and anthocyanin contents, antioxidant capacity (by DPPH and FRAP analyses), and the uptake and distribution of essential elements were investigated. The results showed that co-exposure to Zn and Cd leads to an increased leaf content of Fe and Mg compared to the control, and to increased leaf Ca, Mn, and Cu contents compared to plants treated with Cd only. This is most likely involved in the defense mechanisms of excess Zn against Cd toxicity to protect the chlorophyll content and the functions of both photosystems and the oxygen-evolving complex. The data also revealed that the leaves of clary sage plants subjected to the combined treatment have an increased antioxidant capacity attributed to the higher content of polyphenolic compounds. Furthermore, light microscopy indicated more alterations in the leaf morphology after Cd-only treatment than after the combined treatment. The present study shows that excess Zn could mitigate Cd toxicity in clary sage plants. Full article

Clary sage oil is commonly used in complementary and alternative medicine to treat menopausal symptoms. However, whether sclareol, which is considered to have estrogen-like effects, can be absorbed transdermally remains unknown. Therefore, in this study, we applied sclareol dissolved in jojoba oil to the dorsal skin of male Hos-HR-1 mice 30 min before blood sampling. We examined whether sclareol can be detected in the plasma because of transdermal absorption using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The concentration of sclareol in plasma and liver samples calculated based on the measured sample concentration and the recovery rate was 0.36 ± 0.08 and 1.69 ± 0.32 ppm, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between the plasma sclareol concentration and hepatic homogenate sclareol concentration. Our findings indicate that sclareol is absorbed transdermally and accumulates in the liver. Moreover, the lack of change in plasma blood urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels among the three groups indicates that there was no hepatic or renal damage due to transdermal absorption of sclareol in Hos-HR-1 mice. However, further validation in humans is required because the thickness of the dermis and the number of pores significantly differ between mice and humans. Full article

This study investigated the effects of olfactory stimulation with aroma oils on the psychophysiological responses in women. Ten aromatic oils (lavender, rosemary, rose, eucalyptus, jasmine, geranium, chamomile, clary sage, thyme, and peppermint) were used on 23 women aged between 20 and 60 years. They inhaled the scent for 90 s through a glass funnel attached to their lab apron, 10 cm below their nose, while the pump was activated. Electroencephalography, blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured before and during inhalation of the aroma oils. The relative alpha (RA) power spectrums indicating relaxation and resting state of the brain significantly increased when lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, jasmine, chamomile, clary sage, and thyme oils were inhaled compared to those of before olfactory stimulation. The ratio of alpha to high beta (RAHB), an indicator of brain stability and relaxation, significantly increased when rosemary, jasmine, clary sage, and peppermint oils were inhaled. The relative low beta (RLB) power spectrum, an indicator of brain activity in the absence of stress, significantly increased when stimulated with lavender, rosemary, rose, and geranium scents. Further, systolic blood pressure significantly decreased after introduction of all 10 types of aromatic oils, which indicates stress reduction. Thus, olfactory stimulation with aroma oil had a stabilizing effect on the prefrontal cortex and brain activity and decreased systolic blood pressure. Full article

Essential oils (EOs) have a long tradition of use in the medical and cosmetic fields based on their versatile properties, including fungicidal, antiparasitic, and bactericidal effects. Nowadays, with the development of industry and electronics, EOs are increasingly being used in the agricultural and food industries; health industries, including pharmacy and dental medicine; and as cosmetic enhancements. The purpose of this study is to develop a compact and portable platform for the detection of EO type and the concentration levels using knitted silver threads. The method is based on measuring the variation in values of the electrical parameters of the silver threads using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The impedance of the solutions applied on the testing platform was measured in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 200 kHz. The platform was tested using three types of essential oils: tea tree; clary sage; and cinnamon bark oil. Increasing the concentration of essential oils resulted in increasing the electrical resistance of the platform, decreasing the capacitance, and consequently increasing the impedance. The proposed cost-effective platform can be used for the fast determination of the type and quality of essential oils. Full article

Owing to their various application fields and biological properties, natural products and essential oils (EO) in particular are nowadays attracting more attention as alternative methods to control plant pathogens and pests, weeds, and for post-harvest applications. Additionally, to overcome EO stability issues and low persistence of effects, EO encapsulation in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) could represent a promising avenue. Thus, in this work, the EO distilled from two aromatic plants (Salvia sclarea L. and Coriandrum sativum L.) have been evaluated in vitro for their antifungal, herbicidal and insecticidal activities, against major plant pathogens and pests of agronomical importance. Both plants were grown on unpolluted and trace-element-polluted soils, so as to investigate the effect of the soil pollution on the EO compositions and biological effects. These EO are rich in oxygenated monoterpenes (clary sage and coriander seeds EO), or aliphatic aldehydes (coriander aerial parts EO), and were unaltered by the soil pollution. The tested EO successfully inhibited the growth of two phytopathogenic fungi, Zymoseptoria tritici and Fusarium culmorum, displaying IC₅₀ ranging from 0.46 to 2.08 g L⁻¹, while also exerting anti-germinative, herbicidal, repellent and fumigant effects. However, no improvement of the EO biological effects was observed in the presence of β-CD, under these in vitro experimental conditions. Among the tested EO, the one from aerial parts of coriander displayed the most significant antifungal and herbicidal effects, while the three of them exerted valuable broad-range insecticidal effects. As a whole, these findings suggest that EO produced on polluted areas can be of great interest to the agricultural area, given their faithful chemical compositions and valuable biological effects. Full article

Salvia sclarea L. is a Cd²⁺ tolerant medicinal herb with antifungal and antimicrobial properties cultivated for its pharmacological properties. However, accumulation of high Cd²⁺ content in its tissues increases the adverse health effects of Cd²⁺ in humans. Therefore, there is a serious demand to lower human Cd²⁺ intake. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the mitigative role of excess Zn²⁺ supply to Cd²⁺ uptake/translocation and toxicity in clary sage. Salvia plants were treated with excess Cd²⁺ (100 μM CdSO₄) alone, and in combination with Zn²⁺ (900 μM ZnSO₄), in modified Hoagland nutrient solution. The results demonstrate that S. sclarea plants exposed to Cd²⁺ toxicity accumulated a significant amount of Cd²⁺ in their tissues, with higher concentrations in roots than in leaves. Cadmium exposure enhanced total Zn²⁺ uptake but also decreased its translocation to leaves. The accumulated Cd²⁺ led to a substantial decrease in photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry and disrupted the chloroplast ultrastructure, which coincided with an increased lipid peroxidation. Zinc application decreased Cd²⁺ uptake and translocation to leaves, while it mitigated oxidative stress, restoring chloroplast ultrastructure. Excess Zn²⁺ ameliorated the adverse effects of Cd²⁺ on PSII photochemistry, increasing the fraction of energy used for photochemistry (Φ_PSII) and restoring PSII redox state and maximum PSII efficiency (Fv/Fm), while decreasing excess excitation energy at PSII (EXC). We conclude that excess Zn²⁺ application eliminated the adverse effects of Cd²⁺ toxicity, reducing Cd²⁺ uptake and translocation and restoring chloroplast ultrastructure and PSII photochemical efficiency. Thus, excess Zn²⁺ application can be used as an important method for low Cd²⁺-accumulating crops, limiting Cd²⁺ entry into the food chain. Full article