Thgoal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the antioxidant olive constituent, oleuropein, on infarct size, oxidative damage, and the metabolic profile in rabbits subjected to ischemia. Oleuropein, 10 or 20 mg/(kg x d), was administered to 8 groups that consumed a normal or hypercholesterolemic diet for 6 wk or only the higher dose for 3 wk. Circulating levels of malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl, nitrite+nitrate, cholesterol, triglycerides, SOD activity, and the metabolic profile were measured using 1H NMR spectra. In rabbits that consumed the normal diet, the infarct size (percentage of infarct to risk areas) was reduced by the administration of 10 mg oleuropein/(kg x d) (16.1 +/- 2.9%) or 20 mg oleuropein/(kg x d) for 3 wk (21.7 +/- 2.2%) or for 6 wk (24.3 +/- 1.3%) compared with the control group (48.05 +/- 2.0%, P < 0.05). Only the higher dose of 20 mg/(kg x d) reduced the infarct size in hypercholesterolemic rabbits (34.7 +/- 4.4% for 6 wk and 34.8 +/- 6.1% for 3 wk) compared with the cholesterol-fed control group (52.8 +/- 2.4%, P < 0.05). Oleuropein decreased the plasma lipid peroxidation product and protein carbonyl concentrations compared with the control groups, in which these factors increased relative to baseline due to ischemia and reperfusion. Furthermore, in rabbits administered oleuropein, RBC superoxide dismutase activity did not change during ischemia and reperfusion. This activity was significantly higher than in both control groups in which it was reduced by ischemia and reperfusion compared with baseline. Treatment for 6 wk with both doses of oleuropein reduced total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. 1H NMR spectra revealed a different profile of glycolysis metabolites in the oleuropein-treated groups compared with the controls. Oleuropein, for 3 or 6 wk, reduced the infarct size, conferred strong antioxidant protection and reduced the circulating lipids. This is the first experimental study in vivo that suggests the possibility of using an olive constituent in the treatment of ischemia.

Malassezia yeasts are commensal microorganisms which under insufficiently understood conditions can become pathogenic. We have previously shown that specific strains isolated from diseased human skin can preferentially produce agonists of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), whose activation has been linked to certain skin diseases. Investigation of skin scale extracts from patients with Malassezia associated diseases demonstrated 10–1000 fold higher AhR activating capacity than control skin extracts. LC/MS/MS analysis of the patients’ extracts revealed the presence of indirubin, 6-formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (FICZ), indolo[3,2-b]carbazole (ICZ), malassezin, and pityriacitrin. The same compounds were also identified in 9/12 Malassezia species culture extracts tested, connecting their presence in skin scales with this yeast. Studying the activity of the Malassezia culture-extracts and pure metabolites in HaCaT cells by Reverse Transcriptase Real-Time PCR revealed significant alterations in mRNA levels of the endogenous AhR-responsive genes Cyp1A1, Cyp1B1 and AhRR. Indirubin and FICZ activated AhR in HaCaT and human HepG2 cells with significantly higher, yet transient, potency as compared to the prototypical AhR ligand, dioxin. In loco synthesis of these highly potent AhR inducers by Malassezia yeasts could have a significant impact on skin homeostatic mechanisms and disease development.

A sensitive and simple method was developed for the classification of wines according to variety, geographical origin, and vintage using NMR-based metabonomics. Polyphenol-rich extracts were prepared from 67 varietal wines from the principal wine-producing regions of Greece, using adsorption resin XAD-4. 1D (1)H NMR spectra obtained from the corresponding extracts were segmented, integrated, and normalized, and the data were subjected to principal component analysis. The chemometric classification of wines according to their phenolic profile allows discrimination between wines from different wineries of the same wine-producing zone and between different vintages for wines of the same variety.

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Oral diseases such as caries and periodontitis are mainly caused by microbial biofilms. Antibiotic therapy has reached its limits with regard to antimicrobial resistance, and new therapeutic measures utilizing natural phytochemicals are currently a focus of research. Hence, this systematic review provides a critical presentation of the antimicrobial effects of various medicinal herbs against in vitro, ex vivo, and in situ formed multispecies oral biofilms. Searches were performed in three English databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CAMbase) and the electronic archives of five German journals from the times of their establishment until October 10th, 2014, with the search terms “(plant extracts OR herbal extracts OR plant OR herb) AND (oral biofilm OR dental biofilm OR dental plaque OR oral disease OR dental disease).” The pooled data were assessed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). Initially, 1848 articles were identified, out of which 585 full-text articles were screened, 149 articles were reevaluated for eligibility and finally, 14 articles met all inclusion criteria. The data of 14 reports disclosed enhanced antiadhesive and antibiofilm activity by the plant extracts obtained from Vitis vinifera, Pinus spp., Coffea canephora, Camellia sinensis, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Galla chinensis, Caesalpinia ferrea Martius, Psidium cattleianum, representative Brazilian plants and manuka honey. Overall, a positive correlation was revealed between herb-based therapies and elimination rates of all types of multispecies oral biofilms. In that context, integrating or even replacing conventional dental therapy protocols with herbal-inspired treatments can allow effective antimicrobial control of oral biofilms and thus, dental diseases.