Carvacrol, an aromatic terpenic compound, known to be antimicrobial was grafted onto gold surfaces via two strategies based on newly-synthesized cross-linkers involving either an ester bond which can be cleaved by microbial esterases, or a covalent ether link. Surface functionalizations were characterized at each step by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). The two functionalize...

Carvacrol and thymol have been widely studied for their ability to control food spoilage and to extend shelf-life of food products due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. However, they suffer from poor aqueous solubility and pronounced flavoring ability that limit their application in food systems. These drawbacks could be surpassed by encapsulation in cyclodextrins (CDs). Applic...

Commercial Oregano oils with high concentrations of carvacrol have been vigorously promoted as antiviral agents effective against colds and ‘flu, including the pandemic H1N1 virus. However there seems to be no evidence to support these claims. Furthermore, since carvacrol itself is known to be toxic, so-called “carrier oils”, such as olive oil, have been included in formulations to ameliorate t...

BACKGROUND Plant allelochemicals released into the soil can significantly impact the performance of associated plant species thereby affecting their competitive ability. Soil microbes can potentially affect the interaction between plant and plant chemicals by degrading the allelochemicals. However, most often plant-plant chemical interactions are studied using filter paper bioassays examining t...

A simple and rapid Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy method was developed to determine the main essential oil components (carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene) in the antimicrobial LDPE films incorporated with oregano (Origanum vulgare) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oils. The ATR-FTIR spectrum of pure active components (carvacrol, thymol and p-cymene) was characterized, and the r...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by irreversible airflow obstruction and inflammation. Natural products, such as monoterpenes, displayed anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities and can be used as a source of new compounds to COPD treatment. Our aim was to evaluate, in an elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema in mice, the effects of and underlying mec...

Eight substances that are main components of the essential oils from three Mediterranean aromatic plants (Verbena officinalis, Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare), previously found active against some phytopathogenic Fungi and Stramenopila, have been tested in vitro against five etiological agents of post-harvest fruit decay, Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium italicum, P. expansum, Phytophthora c...

Cerebral parenchymal arterioles (PA) regulate blood flow between pial arteries on the surface of the brain and the deeper microcirculation. Regulation of PA contractility differs from that of pial arteries and is not completely understood. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that the Ca(2+) permeable vanilloid transient receptor potential (TRPV) channel TRPV3 can mediate endothelium-dependent ...

Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) is a plant found in Mexico and Central America that is traditionally used as a medicinal herb. In the present study, we investigated the antiviral activity of the essential oil of Mexican oregano and its major component, carvacrol, against different human and animal viruses. The MTT test (3-4,5-dimethythiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) was conduct...

Active edible films were prepared by adding carvacrol into sodium caseinate (SC) and calcium caseinate (CC) matrices plasticized with two different glycerol concentrations (25 and 35 wt%) prepared by solvent casting. Functional characterization of these bio-films was carried out by determination of some of their physico-chemical properties, such as colour, transparency, oxygen barrier, wettabil...