Eugenol (C 10 H 12 O 2 or CH 3 C 6 H 3) is a volatile phenolic constituent of clove essential oil obtained from Eugenia caryophyllata buds and leaves, mainly harvested in Indonesia, India and Madagascar. The name supposedly is derived from the scientific name for clove E. caryophyllata tree which has large leaves and flower buds which turn to red color when they are ready for collection. 1,2 Eugenol is the main extracted constituent (70-90%) of cloves and is responsible for clove aroma. 1 Eugenol, a phenylpropanoid, is pale yellow oil with a spicy aroma with the molecular weight of 164.2 g/mol. This molecule is a weak acid which is soluble in organic solvents and specially extracted from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and bay leaf. There are different types of essential oil extracted from parts of clove. The oil derived from the flower buds of clove mainly consists of eugenol (60-90%), eugenyl acetate, caryophyllene and other substances, whereas oil derived from the leaves of the clove tree consists of eugenol (82-88%) and very little eugenyl acetate, and other minor constituents. The oil derived from the twigs of cloves consists of 90-95% of eugenol. Eugenol also can be produced synthetically by the allylation of guaiacol with allylchlorid. 3,4 Since ancient times, clove oil has been used as an antimicrobial, antiseptic and antispasmodic in Chinese traditional medicine. Nowadays, there is also a wide range of use of eugenol for several purposes such as household products, fragrance in soaps and cosmetics, skin care products, flavoring substance for food, dental and pharmaceutical products. 1 Eugenol causes an enhancement in skin penetration of diverse drugs. It is also used in agricultural applications to protect foods from microorganisms such as Listeria monocytogenes and Lactobacillus during storage, as a pesticide and fumigant. 5 Eugenol is useful for treatment of skin infections, skin lesions and inflammatory disorders. However, some reports show Öjenol, Eugenia caryophyllata'nın yaprak ve tomurcuklarından elde edilen, karanfil yağının fenolik yapıdaki uçucu bir bileşiğidir. İlaç, gıda ve kozmetik endüstrisinde sınırlı miktarlarda kullanılan, çok sayıda ürünün işlevsel bir bileşenidir. Türevlerinin lokal antiseptik ve anestezik olarak tıpta kullanımı bulunmaktadır. Geniş aralıktaki farmakolojik etkileri arasında antimikrobiyal, antiinflamatuvar, analjezik, antioksidan ve antikanser etkiler yer almaktadır. Öjenol genel olarak güvenli bir bileşik olarak değerlendirilir ancak çok farklı uygulamaları ve yaygın kullanım alanları nedeniyle, toksisitesi son yıllarda ilgi odağı olmuştur. Öjenolün sitotoksisitesi ve genotoksisitesi konusundaki çalışmalar da yetersiz ve çelişkilidir. Bu derlemede öjenolün farmakolojik ve toksikolojik özellikleri tartışılacaktır. Anahtar kelimeler: Öjenol, karanfil yağı, farmakolojik aktivite, toksisite, sitotoksisite, genotoksisite Eugenol is a volatile phenolic constituent of clove essential oil obtained from Eugenia caryophyllata buds and leaves. It is a functional ingredient of...

Epigenotoxicology is an emerging field of study that investigates the non-genotoxic epigenetic effects of environmental toxicants resulting in alteration of normal gene expression and disruption of cell function. Recent findings on the role of toxicant-induced epigenetic modifications in the development of degenerative diseases have opened up a promising research direction to explore epigenetic therapy approaches and related prognostic biomarkers. In this review, we presented comprehensive data on epigenetic alterations identified in various diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, pulmonary conditions as well as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and bone disease. Although data on abnormalities of DNA methylation and their role in the development of diseases are abundant, less is known about the impact of histone modifications and microRNA expressions. Further, we discussed the effects of selected common environmental toxicants on epigenetic modifications and their association with particular abnormalities. A number of different environmental toxicants have been identified for their role in aberrant DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression. Such epigenetic effects were shown to be tissue-type specific and highly associated with the level and duration of exposure. Finally, we described present and future therapeutic strategies, including medicines and dietary compounds for combating the toxicant-induced epigenetic alterations. There are currently seven histone deacetylase inhibitors and two DNA methyltransferase inhibitors approved for clinical use and many other promising candidates are in preclinical and clinical testing. Dietary compounds are thought to be the effective and safe strategies for treating and prevention of epigenetic pathophysiological conditions. Still more concentrated epigenetic researches are required for evaluation of chemical toxicity and identifying the causal association between key epigenetic alteration and disease.

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Ethephon, a member of the organophosphorus compounds, is one of the most widely used plant growth regulators for artificial ripening. Although million pounds of this chemical is being used annually, the knowledge regarding its molecular toxicity is yet not sufficient. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential developmental toxicity of ethephon using embryonic stem cell model. The mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were exposed to various concentrations of ethephon and the viability, cell cycle alteration and changes in the gene expression profile were evaluated using high-throughput RNA sequencing. Further, the effect of ethephon on neural differentiation potential was examined. The results showed that ethephon at noncytotoxic doses induced cell cycle arrest in mESCs. Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that terms related to cell fate and organismal development, including neuron fate commitment, embryo development and cardiac cell differentiation, were markedly enriched in ethephon-treated cells. Neural induction of mESCs in the presence of ethephon was inhibited and the expression of neural genes was decreased in differentiated cells. Results obtained from this work clearly demonstrate that ethephon affects the gene expression profile of undifferentiated mESCs and prevents neural differentiation. Therefore, more caution against the frequent application of ethephon is advised.

Aim of the study Sepsis has well-documented inflammatory effects on cardiovascular and blood cells. This study is designed to investigate potential anti-inflammatory effects of metformin on cardiac and blood cells 12 and 24 h following cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis. Methods For the purpose of this study, 36 male Wistar rats were divided into six groups: two groups underwent CLP, two groups underwent CLP and received metformin, and two groups only received sham operations. 12 h later, 18 rats (half of rats in each of the three aforementioned groups) were sacrificed and cardiac and blood cells were harvested. Subsequently, 12 h later, the rest of the rats were euthanatized. In all harvested blood and cardiac cells, oxidative stress indicators, antioxidant properties, count of blood cells, neutrophil infiltration, percentage of weight loss and pathological assessment were conducted. Results In our experiment, metformin elevated antioxidant levels, improved function of blood cells and percentage of weight loss. Moreover, in the groups which received metformin, oxidative stress and neutrophil infiltration markers were decreased significantly. Moreover, pathological investigations of cardiac cell injury were reduced in the metformin group. Conclusions Our findings suggest that in CLP induced sepsis model, metformin can improve the function of blood and cardiac cells through alleviating inflammation, improvement of anti-inflammation properties, and enhancement of blood profile, and all these effects are more pronounced after 24 h in comparison with 12 h after induction of sepsis.