Objective. To investigate the antimalarial effects and toxicity of the extracts of the flowers of Tagetes erecta L. and the leaves of Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn. in a mouse model. Methods. To determine the in vivo antimalarial activity of the extracts, mice were intraperitoneally injected with the Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain and then administered T. erecta or S. nodiflora extract daily for 4 days. Parasitemia was observed by light microscopy. For the detection of acute toxicity, the mice received a single dose of T. erecta or S. nodiflora extract and were observed for 14 days. Biochemical parameters of liver and kidney function and the histopathology of liver and kidney tissues of the acute toxicity group were then examined. Results. T. erecta and S. nodiflora crude extracts at a dose of 600 mg/kg body weight significantly suppressed parasitemia in malaria-infected mice by 65.65% and 62.65%, respectively. Mice treated with 400 mg/kg T. erecta and S. nodiflora crude extracts showed 50.82% and 57.67% suppression, and mice treated with 200 mg/kg displayed 26.33% and 38.57% suppression, respectively. Additionally, no symptoms of acute toxicity were observed in the T. erecta- and S. nodiflora-treated groups. Moreover, no significant alterations in the biochemical parameters of liver and kidney function and no histological changes in the liver or kidney tissues were observed. Conclusions. This study revealed that both T. erecta and S. nodiflora extracts have antimalarial properties in vivo with less toxic effects. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of the active compounds from both plants.

Essential oils are volatile fragrance liquids extracted from plants, and their compound annual growth rate is expected to expand to 8.6% from 2019 to 2025, according to Grand View Research. Essential oils have several domains of application, such as in the food and beverage industry, in cosmetics, as well as for medicinal use. In this study, Michelia alba essential oil was extracted from leaves and was rich in linalool components as found in lavender and jasmine oil. The effects of inhaling michelia oil on human brainwaves still need to be elucidated. Ten male and ten female subjects were recruited. Thirty-two-channel electroencephalography was recorded. The raw data were spectrally analyzed for slow alpha, fast alpha, low beta, mid beta, and high beta activities. The results demonstrate that michelia leaf oil could reduce the alertness level observed by beta wave decrease and fast alpha wave activity increase. The inhalation of pure linalool showed virtually identical responses as the michelia oil inhalation. In conclusion, the sedative effects of michelia oil inhalation might originate from its major linalool component.

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Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most important causes of hepatic steatosis, which involves oxidative stress. In particular, increased oxidative stress has been strongly linked to stimulation of the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). This study aimed to investigate whether HO-1 could alleviates alcoholic steatosis in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: 1) the control group, 2) the EtOH group, 3) the EtOH + ZnPP-IX group and 4) the EtOH + Hemin group. Liver histopathology was investigated in weeks 1 and 4 after the start of the treatment period. Alcohol treatment significantly increased the hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, an oxidative stress marker. In addition, it increased the triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in both weeks. Gross examination demonstrated a yellowish and slightly enlarged liver in the alcohol-treated rats. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Oil Red O staining indicated hepatic steatosis, which was characterized by diffuse, extensive fatty accumulation and discrete lipid droplets of variable size in hepatocytes of the alcohol-treated rats. Administration of the HO-1 inducer hemin resulted in upregulation of hepatic HO-1 gene expression, reduced the MDA, triglyceride, ALT and AST levels and alleviated alcoholic hepatic steatosis, whereas administration of the HO-1 inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP-IX) resulted in downregulation of hepatic HO-1 gene expression and could not alleviate alcoholic hepatic steatosis either week. In conclusion, HO-1 could alleviate alcoholic hepatic steatosis in male Wistar rats and may be useful in development of a new therapeutic approach.