Castor oil methyl esters contains nearly 90% ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy-cis-9-octadecenoic acid). Hydrogenated castor oil methyl esters finds several applications in coating, lubricants formulations and pharmaceutical areas. The present study reports a fast, simple, efficient and continuous hydrogenation of enriched castor oil methyl ester (ECME) using 10% Pd/C catalyst at different pressures ...

Ricin is a highly toxic, dichain ribosome-inactivating protein present in the seeds of Ricinus communis (castor), grown principally as a source of high quality industrial lubricant and as an ornamental. Because of its presence in industrial byproducts and its documented use for intentional poisoning, there is a need for analytical methodology to quantify ricin in both castor extracts and food m...

BACKGROUND Ricinus communis (castor bean) is a species included into the Euphorbiaceae family, common to all the warm regions of the world. Although the allergenicity of its seed is well known, references are scarce regarding the role played by its pollen as a pneumo-allergen. OBJECTIVES To carry out an aerobiological study of this pollen in the Málaga area (southern Spain); describe the phys...

introduction: artemisia dracunculus l. belongs to asteraceae family, and is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine as a remedy for gastrointestinal disturbances. this study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of essential oil of a. dracunculus (eoad) on the rat alimentary tract. methods: the eoad was extracted by clevenger apparatus using hydrodistillation. ld50 was calculated...

OBJECTIVE In the search for long-acting testosterone preparations suited for substitution therapy of hypogonadal men, testosterone undecanoate (TU) dissolved in either tea seed oil or castor oil was investigated. DESIGN In study I, 1000 mg TU in tea seed oil (125 mg/ml) were injected in equal parts into the gluteal muscles of seven hypogonadal men. In study II, 1000 mg TU in castor oil (250 m...

Cat's claw (Doxantha unguis-cati L.) vine accumulates nearly 80% palmitoleic acid (16:1Delta9) plus cis-vaccenic acid (18:1Delta11) in its seed oil. To characterize the biosynthetic origin of these unusual fatty acids, cDNAs for acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-ACP) desaturases were isolated from developing cat's claw seeds. The predominant acyl-ACP desaturase cDNA identified encoded a polypepti...

AIM The use of traditional medicine as an alternative source of cure for many ailments has played an important role in health care delivery in both developing and developed countries. Byrsocarpus coccineus Schum and Thonn (Connaraceae) is used in traditional medicine for treatment of various disease conditions, including diarrhea. The anti-diarrhea activity of the root bark aqueous extract of B...

Purpose To evaluate the polymer doped rods behavior with bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite for possible application as a fracture fixing method. Methods Twenty eight Rattus norvegicus Wistar underwent bone defect for access to the femoral medullary canal and distributed into three experimental groups: group A - doped castor bean polymer with bioactive glass; group B - castor bean polymer and; ...

Accidental and intended Ricinus communis intoxications in humans and animals have been known for centuries but the causative agent remained elusive until 1888 when Stillmark attributed the toxicity to the lectin ricin. Ricinus communis is grown worldwide on an industrial scale for the production of castor oil. As by-product in castor oil production ricin is mass produced above 1 million tons pe...

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is cultivated mainly for biodiesel production because of its oil-rich seeds; it is assumed to be an anemophylous species. But pollination deficit can lead to low productivity often attributed to other reasons. In this paper, we investigated pollination requirements, pollination mechanism, occurrence of pollination deficit, and the role of biotic pollinators in ...