The volatile oils of Tugeres ternifloru H.B.K. and T. laxu Cabrera from wild populations growing in mountainous regions of Argentina were examined. The main monoterpenes of both species were p-ocimenes, tagetones and tagetenones.
In a first experiment, four doses (ranging between 0.04 and 0.45 mg/kg of body weight) of the essential oil from Tagetes minuta L. were subcutaneously injected in two-day-old chicks and a dose-response curve assessed for escape performance in a T-maze test. The 0.1, 0.25 and 0.45 mg/kg doses impaired the first escape performance suggesting an anxiogenic-like effect of the essential oil. After 3 h the same chicks were tested for a second escape performance, without being injected again, and no differences were observed compared to controls, suggesting that the essential oil did not affect retention. Furthermore, the effects of the essential oil were observed in the three sections of the T-maze apparatus. So, the performance was impaired in the isolation chamber section, suggesting the induction of increased anxiogenic behaviour, and also in the mirror section, suggesting that the social reinstatement behaviour was modified by an increased anxiety level. Changes in the principal corridor section were not observed, suggesting that the locomotor activity was not affected by these oil doses. The second escape performance was not affected in any of the T-maze sections, confirming that these doses did not affect learning ability. In a second experiment, a middle dose of the essential oil (0.25 mg/kg) increased the tonic immobility reaction in 15 days old chicks similarly to an anxiogenic dose of FG 7142 (1 mg/kg), while an anxiolytic dose of diazepam (0.08 mg/kg) did not affect this behaviour. Taken together, the present results suggest that the essential oil from Tagetes minuta L. may exert a negative modulation on the GABAergic function without affecting the learning ability.
The hydrodistilled essential oil of saw powder of Brachylaena hutchinsii Hutch was analyzed by GCIMS. Twenty six compounds representing 94.7% of the oil were identified. The main components of the oil were hydrocarbons sesquiterpenes, caryophyllene (19.1%), j3-cubebene (15.5%), cis-calamenene (10.5%) and a-copaene (9.0%). The oil exhibited antimicrobial activity, which was comparable to that of gentamycin against Proteus mirabilis. It also showed some activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus and Enterococcus faecalis.
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