Lavender Information - Study 1Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2008 Aug;33(15):1821-4.[Antimicrobial activity and GC-MS analysis of essential oil from lavender extracted by supercritical CO2 extraction and hydrodistillation] [Article in Chinese] Chen WQ, Jin JZ. College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, China. cwq135790@sina.com OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antimicrobial activity in vitro and chemical composition of essential oil from lavender extracted by supercritical CO2 extraction (SFE-CO2) process and hydrodistillation. METHOD: The antimicrobial activities against 4 bacteria and 4 fungi strains of these two oils were evaluated by using the agar disc diffusion and agar dilution method to determine the inhibition zone, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC). A GC-MS method was established to determine the chemical components of essential oils. RESULT: These two oils presented remarkable antimicrobiat activities against all tested strains in vitro. Compared with the hydrodistillation product, SFE-CO, oil showed better antimicrobial activity against either bacteria or fungi of which MIC values were 0.63-3.33 g x L(-1) and the MBC/MFC values were 1.04-5.00 g x L(-1). By GC-MS analysis, 34 and 29 compounds identified cover 95.51% and 98. 39% of total peak area of substances appeared. The main differences between SFE-CO2 oil and hydrodistillation oil were the amounts of linalyl acetate and 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-4-hexen-1-ol acetate. CONCLUSION: Results presented here may suggest that the essential oil of lavender extracted by SFE-CO2 possesses has better antimicrobial properties, and therefore it is a potential source of antimicrobial ingredients for pharmaceutical industry. PMID: 19007006 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Lavender Information - Study 2Chem Biodivers. 2009 Aug;6(8):1283-92.Chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of Lavandula pedunculata (Miller) Cav. Zuzarte M, Gonçalves MJ, Cavaleiro C, Dinis AM, Canhoto JM, Salgueiro LR. Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra. The chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of Lavandula pedunculata (Miller) Cav., harvested in North and Central Portugal, were investigated. The essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The minimal-inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal-lethal concentration (MLC) of the essential oils and of their major constituents were used to evaluate the antifungal activity against different strains of fungi involved in candidosis, dematophytosis, and aspergillosis. The oils were characterized by a high percentage of oxygenated monoterpenes, the main compounds being 1,8-cineole (2.4-55.5%), fenchone (1.3-59.7%), and camphor (3.6-48.0%). Statistical analysis differentiated the essential oils into two main types, one characterized by the predominance of fenchone and the other one by the predominance of 1,8-cineole. Within the 1,8-cineole chemotype, two subgroups were well-defined taking into account the percentages of camphor. A significant antifungal activity of the oils was found against dermatophyte strains. The essential oil with the highest content of camphor was the most active with MIC and MLC values ranging from 0.32-0.64 microl/ml. PMID: 19697345 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Lavender Information - Study 3J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Mar;15(3):275-9.The antimicrobial activity of high-necrodane and other lavender oils on methicillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA). Roller S, Ernest N, Buckle J. Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Thames Valley University, Brentford, UK. sibel.roller@tvu.ac.uk OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of several lavender oils, used singly and in combination, on methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA). METHODS: Four chemically characterized essential oils from Lavandula angustifolia, L. latifolia, L. stoechas, and a necrodane-rich L. luisieri were assessed for their antibacterial activity using the disc diffusion method. RESULTS: All four lavender oils inhibited growth of both MSSA and MRSA by direct contact but not in the vapor phase. Inhibition zones ranged from 8 to 30 mm in diameter at oil doses ranging from 1 to 20 microL, respectively, demonstrating a dose response. At any single dose, the extent of inhibition was very similar irrespective of the chemical composition of the oils or the strain of S. aureus used. Several binary combinations of the oils were tested, and the results showed that the necrodane-rich L. luisieri oil interacted synergistically with L. stoechas (high in 1,8-cineole, fenchone, and camphor) and L. langustifolia (rich in linalool and linalyl acetate) to produce larger inhibition zones than those produced using each oil individually. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that combinations of lavender oils should be investigated further for possible use in antibacterial products. PMID: 19249919 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Lavender Information - Study 4Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2008 Aug;33(15):1821-4.[Antimicrobial activity and GC-MS analysis of essential oil from lavender extracted by supercritical CO2 extraction and hydrodistillation] [Article in Chinese] Chen WQ, Jin JZ. College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, China. cwq135790@sina.com OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antimicrobial activity in vitro and chemical composition of essential oil from lavender extracted by supercritical CO2 extraction (SFE-CO2) process and hydrodistillation. METHOD: The antimicrobial activities against 4 bacteria and 4 fungi strains of these two oils were evaluated by using the agar disc diffusion and agar dilution method to determine the inhibition zone, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC). A GC-MS method was established to determine the chemical components of essential oils. RESULT: These two oils presented remarkable antimicrobiat activities against all tested strains in vitro. Compared with the hydrodistillation product, SFE-CO, oil showed better antimicrobial activity against either bacteria or fungi of which MIC values were 0.63-3.33 g x L(-1) and the MBC/MFC values were 1.04-5.00 g x L(-1). By GC-MS analysis, 34 and 29 compounds identified cover 95.51% and 98. 39% of total peak area of substances appeared. The main differences between SFE-CO2 oil and hydrodistillation oil were the amounts of linalyl acetate and 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-4-hexen-1-ol acetate. CONCLUSION: Results presented here may suggest that the essential oil of lavender extracted by SFE-CO2 possesses has better antimicrobial properties, and therefore it is a potential source of antimicrobial ingredients for pharmaceutical industry. PMID: 19007006 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Lavender Information - Study 5J Pharm Pharmacol. 2008 Nov;60(11):1515-22.Pharmacological profile of essential oils derived from Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis with anti-agitation properties: focus on ligand-gated channels. Huang L, Abuhamdah S, Howes MJ, Dixon CL, Elliot MS, Ballard C, Holmes C, Burns A, Perry EK, Francis PT, Lees G, Chazot PL. Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand. Erratum in: * J Pharm Pharmacol. 2009 Feb;61(2):267. Dixon, Christine L [added]. Both Melissa officinalis (Mo) and Lavandula angustifolia (La) essential oils have putative anti-agitation properties in humans, indicating common components with a depressant action in the central nervous system. A dual radioligand binding and electrophysiological study, focusing on a range of ligand-gated ion channels, was performed with a chemically validated essential oil derived from La, which has shown clinical benefit in treating agitation. La inhibited [35S] TBPS binding to the rat forebrain gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptor channel (apparent IC50 = 0.040 +/- 0.001 mg mL(-1)), but had no effect on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. A 50:50 mixture of Mo and La essential oils inhibited [3H] flunitrazepam binding, whereas the individual oils had no significant effect. Electrophysiological analyses with rat cortical primary cultures demonstrated that La reversibly inhibited GABA-induced currents in a concentration-dependent manner (0.01-1 mg mL(-1)), whereas no inhibition of NMDA- or AMPA-induced currents was noted. La elicited a significant dose-dependent reduction in both inhibitory and excitatory transmission, with a net depressant effect on neurotransmission (in contrast to the classic GABA(A) antagonist picrotoxin which evoked profound epileptiform burst firing in these cells). These properties are similar to those recently reported for Mo. The anti-agitation effects in patients and the depressant effects of La we report in neural membranes in-vitro are unlikely to reflect a sedative interaction with any of the ionotropic receptors examined here. These data suggest that components common to the two oils are worthy of focus to identify the actives underlying the neuronal depressant and anti-agitation activities reported. PMID: 18957173 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Lavender Information - Study 6Early Hum Dev. 2008 Jun;84(6):399-401. Epub 2007 Nov 28.Lavender bath oil reduces stress and crying and enhances sleep in very young infants. Field T, Field T, Cullen C, Largie S, Diego M, Schanberg S, Kuhn C. Touch Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33101, USA. tfield@med.miami.edu Very young infants were given a bath with or without lavender-scented bath oil. The mothers in the lavender bath oil group were more relaxed, smiled and touched their infants more during the bath. Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma. Lavender Information - Study 7Int J Cardiol. 2008 Sep 26;129(2):193-7. Epub 2007 Aug 8.Relaxation effects of lavender aromatherapy improve coronary flow velocity reserve in healthy men evaluated by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. Shiina Y, Funabashi N, Lee K, Toyoda T, Sekine T, Honjo S, Hasegawa R, Kawata T, Wakatsuki Y, Hayashi S, Murakami S, Koike K, Daimon M, Komuro I. Department of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. PURPOSE: It has been reported that mental stress is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events and impairs coronary circulation. Lavender aromatherapy, one of the most popular complementary treatments, is recognized as a beneficial mental relaxation therapy. However, no study has examined the effect of this therapy on coronary circulation. We aimed to assess the effect of lavender aromatherapy on coronary circulation by measuring coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) with noninvasive transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 30 young healthy men (mean age 34+/-4.7 years, range 24-40 years). Coronary flow velocities in the left anterior descending coronary artery were recorded by TTDE at rest and during hyperemia induced with an intravenous infusion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). CFVR was calculated as the ratio of hyperemic to basal mean diastolic flow velocity. CFVR was assessed at baseline and immediately after lavender aromatherapy (four drops of essential oil diluted with 20 ml of hot water and inhaled for 30 min). Simultaneously, serum cortisol was measured as a marker of stress hormones. To exclude the relaxation effects of rest, the same measurements were repeated in the same volunteers without aromatherapy as a control study. RESULTS: CFVR measurements were obtained in all volunteers (100%). Blood pressure and heart rate responses to ATP infusion were not affected by lavender aromatherapy. Serum cortisol significantly decreased after lavender aromatherapy (8.4+/-3.6 to 6.3+/-3.3, p<0.05), but remained unchanged in controls (9.1+/-3.5 to 8.1+/-3.9, p=ns). In addition, CFVR significantly increased after lavender aromatherapy (3.8+/-0.87 to 4.7+/-0.90, p<0.001), but not in controls (3.9+/-0.8 to 3.9+/-0.8, p=ns). CONCLUSIONS: Lavender aromatherapy reduced serum cortisol and improved CFVR in healthy men. These findings suggest that lavender aromatherapy has relaxation effects and may have beneficial acute effects on coronary circulation. PMID: 17689755 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
|
