BACKGROUND Vietnam is a country blessed with many medicinal plants widely used as food and for medicinal purposes, and they contain a host of active substances that contribute to health. However, the analysis of chemical constituents of these plant species has not been subject of literature discussion. RESULTS In this study, the chemical compositions of essential oils of four Hedychium specie...

The aim of the study was to investigate the mode of action of (-)-α-pinene in terms of its modulation of antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter jejuni. Broth microdilution and ethidium bromide accumulation assays were used to evaluate the (-)-α-pinene antimicrobial activity, modulation of antimicrobial resistance, and inhibition of antimicrobial efflux. The target antimicrobial efflux systems w...

The secondary compounds of pines (Pinus) can strongly affect the physiology, ecology and behaviors of the bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) that feed on sub-cortical tissues of hosts. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) has a wide natural distribution range in North America (Canada and USA) and thus variations in its secondary compounds, particularly monoterpenes, could affect the ho...

The essential oils from four samples of Teucrium lusitanicum and one sample of Teucrium algarbiensis, grown in Algarve (southern Portugal) were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Seventy-one volatile compounds were identified. Major compounds of T. algarbiensis oil were alpha-pinene (8.3%), sabinene (7.2%), beta-pinene (10.2%), limonene (11.8%)...

This study compared the phytoncides released from Liquidambar formosana Hance forest trees and its seedlings with volatile compounds present in the essential oil. Thirteen volatile compounds were identified in the essential oil of L. formosana. The main components were: α-pinene (40.9%), β-pinene (24.8%), D-limonene (18.3%), α-phellandrene (8.9%), and terpinen-4-ol (8.1%). Using solid-phase mic...

The conversion of geranyl pyrophosphate to (+)-alpha-pinene and to (-)-beta-pinene is considered to proceed by the initial isomerization of the substrate to (-)-(3R)- and to (+)-(3S)-linalyl pyrophosphate, respectively, and the subsequent cyclization of the anti, endo-conformer of these bound intermediates by mirror-image sequences which should result in the net retention of configuration at C1...

Detoxification capacity of enzymes in the liver is thought to be the primary factor governing dietary toxin intake by mammalian herbivores. Recently, toxin absorption in the gut was proposed as an alternative process that also influences toxin intake. We examined the role of the gut in regulating toxin absorption by quantifying excretion of a plant secondary compound in the feces. We hypothesiz...

In the present study, anti-IBV (infectious bronchitis virus) activities of (-)-pinenes were studied by MTT assay, as well as docking and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The CC₅₀ values of (-)-α-pinene and (-)-β-pinene were above 10 mM. And the maximum noncytotoxic concentrations (TD₀) of (-)-α-pinene and (-)-β-pinene were determined as 7.88 ± 0.06 and 6.09 ± 0.31 mM, respectively. The two c...

OBJECTIVES This study describes the toxicokinetics, pulmonary function, and subjective ratings of discomfort in volunteers experimentally exposed to turpentine vapour (a mixture of monoterpenes). The results were compared with similar exposure to single monoterpenes to look in the toxicokinetics and acute effects for signs of interactions between the monoterpenes. METHODS Eight male volunteer...

The white pine cone beetle, Conophthorus coniperda, exhibited dose and enantiospecific responses to alpha-pinene in stands of mature eastern white pine, Pinus strobus, in a seed orchard near Murphy, North Carolina, USA. (-)-alpha-Pinene significantly increased catches of cone beetles to traps baited with (+/-)-trans-pityol. (+)-alpha-Pinene did not increase catches of beetles to pityol-baited t...