No abstract

The distribution of six compounds with three different polyphenol skeletons have been studied in Rosmarinus officinalis: phenolic diterpenes (carnosic acid, carnosol, and 12-O-methylcarnosic acid), caffeoyl derivatives (rosmarinic acid), and flavones (isoscutellarein 7-O-glucoside and genkwanin), each showing a characteristic behavior and distribution during the vegetative cycle. Only in leaves were all six compounds present, and the highest accumulation rate was related with the young stages of development. Rosmarinic acid showed the highest concentrations of all the polyphenols in all organs. The distribution of this acid in leaves, flowers, and stems suggests that in the first stages of flower growth, levels were due to in situ biosynthesis, and in the last stages, the contribution of transport phenomena was increased. The antioxidant activity of six extracts with different polyphenolic composition was evaluated in aqueous and lipid systems. The results clearly suggest that rosemary extracts are excellent antioxidants in both aqueous and lipid systems.

A simple method for extracting ovarian steroids from feces is presented, together with enzyme immunoassay systems for measuring estrogen and progesterone metabolites. Small amounts of feces were combined in a 1:10 proportion with a modified phosphate buffer, shaken for 24 h, centrifuged, and decanted; the supernatant was directly measured for estrogen and progesterone metabolites by enzyme immunoassays. Serum estradiol and progesterone profiles were compared to urinary and fecal profiles in the same animals to determine the degree to which each reflected the ovarian events detectable in serum. The correlation coefficients for the relationship between serum, urinary, and fecal hormones for individual animal cycles were found to be statistically significant in every case but one, where the relationship between serum estradiol and urinary estrone conjugates was not significant. Urinary and fecal measurements were used to determine whether estrogen and progesterone metabolism and excretion varied within and between animals. Variation in unconjugated estrogen and progesterone metabolites was observed in the follicular phase, the luteal phase, and early pregnancy.

Xylem ultrastructural modification and the possible participation of phenolic compounds in the natural defense or resistance mechanisms of olive plants infected with Verticillium dahliae Kleb. were studied. Microscopic study showed that the mycelium propagated and passed from one element to another through the pit. The formation of tyloses and aggregates contributed to obstruction of the xylem lumen. In vivo changes in the levels of these phenolic compounds in infected olive plants and their antifungal activity against Verticillium dahliae Kleb., as revealed by in vitro study, strongly suggest that they are involved in natural defense or resistance mechanisms in this plant material, the most active being quercetin and luteolin aglycons, followed by rutin, oleuropein, luteolin-7-glucoside, tyrosol, p-coumaric acid, and catechin. .