The antioxidant activity of extracts from Capparis spinosa L. buds was evaluated using different in vitro tests: ascorbate/Fe(2+)-mediated lipid peroxidation of microsomes from rat liver; bleaching of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical; and autoxidation of Fe(2+) ion in the presence of bathophenanthroline disulfonate. The methanolic extract showed strong activities in all of these in vitro tests. The amount of total phenols was determined in the methanolic extract. In addition, the level of rutin was calculated as 0.39% (w/w) by HPLC analysis. Our findings indicate the following: (a) the antioxidant efficiency of the methanolic extract may be attributed to its phenolic content; and (b) the antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract was maintained after removal of glucosinolates, confirming that these compounds do not interfere with the antioxidant properties of the extract. The results obtained from this study exalt the nutritional value of the flowering buds (capers) which are widely used as a source of flavor.

We have studied the effect of WIN 55,212-2 (a psychoactive cannabinoid agonist), cannabinol (a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid agonist), SR141716A, a cannabinoid CB1 antagonist, and SR144528, a cannabinoid CB2 antagonist, on gastric emptying in the rat. WIN 55,212-2 (0.1-5 mg/kg, i.p.) and cannabinol (0.1-25 mg/kg, i.p.) dose-dependently delayed gastric emptying while SR141716A (1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) and SR144528 (1 mg/kg) were without effect. SR141716A (1 mg/kg), but not SR144528 (1 mg/kg), counteracted the inhibitory effect of the two cannabinoid agonists. These results suggest that cannabinoid agonists delay gastric emptying through activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors, while the endogenous cannabinoid system does not seem to modulate gastric motility.

activity of a methanol extract and isolated constituents of Mitracarpus scaber, a species used in folk medicine by West African native people, was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans strains. The mitracarpus methanol extract possesses both antibacterial and antimycotic activities (minimum inhibitory concentration-MIC 31·25 and 62·50 mg ml −1 , respectively). This extract was subsequently fractioned and monitored by bioassays leading to the isolation of seven compounds screened for antibacterial and antimycotic activities. Among these compounds, gallic acid and 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid inhibited the growth of Staph. aureus (MIC 3·90 and 0·97 mg ml −1 ). 4-Methoxyacetophenone and 3,4,5-trimethoxyacetophenone effectively inhibited C. albicans (MIC 1·95 mg ml −1 ). The other compounds (kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, rutin and psoralen) which were also isolated showed low antibacterial and antimycotic activities (125-500 mg ml −1 ).

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Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau fruits have been traditionally utilized, in Calabria (Italy), as a popular remedy for their hypolipidemic properties. C. bergamia juice total phenol content (2474.35+/-38 microg/mL) was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method; moreover, HPLC analysis led to the identification of naringin (520 ppm), neoeriocitrin (370 ppm), and neohesperidin (310 ppm). The present study was designed to investigate the hypolipidemic effects of C. bergamia juice and its protective effect on liver of hyperlipidemic rats. Chronic administration of C. bergamia (1 mL/rat/day) provoked a significant reduction in serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels; moreover, histopathological observations showed, in rats submitted to C. bergamia treatment, a protection of hepatic parenchyma. In addition, fecal neutral sterols and fecal bile acid excretion was found to be increased after C. bergamia treatment. These results suggest that the hypocholesterolemic effect of C. bergamia may be mediated by the increase in fecal neutral sterols and total bile acids excretion. In addition to the hypolipidemic effect, the juice shows radical scavenging activity in the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test; probably the two effects are related. These observations suggest that the positive intake of C. bergamia may reduce the risk of some cardiovascular diseases through its radical scavenging function and hypocholesterolemic action.

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