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Aromatherapy in the control of stress and anxiety

Publication . Dias, Paula; Pedro, Luís G.; Pereira, Olívia R.; Sousa, Maria João

Background: Currently, complementary and alternative medicine emerge as important therapies in the prevention and treatment of various health problems. In view of this, the present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of essential oils in reducing stress and anxiety levels in aromatherapy users, at a clinic of Bragança, Portugal. Methods: A study was performed with 36 individuals divided in two distinct groups: “aroma group” and “control group”. Individuals of "aroma group" were treated with a mixture of essential oils of Lavandula angustifolia Mill and Matricaria recutita L. applied with Effleurage massage while the individuals of "control group" received only Effleurage massage. Stress and anxiety levels of all individuals participating in the study were evaluated before and after the treatment. Additionally, the chemical composition of the essential oils was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. Results: In the aromatherapy assay, the “aroma group” showed a significant decrease of 12% and 30%, in stress and anxiety levels, respectively, in the “control group” this decrease was lower (3.3% and 2.6% for stress and anxiety levels, respectively). Conclusion: In this study, aromatherapy was effective in stress and anxiety levels reduction and linalool, the major compound of the essential oil mixture, may be positively contributing for these effects.

2017Journal article

Open access

Volatiles compounds composition: Stevia field plants in mediterranean conditions, greenhouse plants and plants in vitro

Publication . Goes, Hugo; Barroso, Marisa; Rodrigues, M.A.; Arrobas, Margarida; Pedro, Luís G.; Sousa, Maria João

A major concern about public health is the control of obesity. The search for new natural sweeteners, as an alternative to synthetic compounds like cyclamates or aspartame, brought Stevia rebaudiana (Compositae), a sweet plant native to South America, to the attention of the scientific community. S. rebaudiana has been produced mainly for its stevioside compounds but it contains other metabolites with potential therapeutic benefits such as alkaloids, hydroxycinnamic acids, oligosaccharides or essential oils. The characterization of the chemical profile of micropropagated plants, as well as greenhouse and field grown plants, is important to ensure the quality of the plants to supply to Stevia growers. Multiplication rate and fresh weight were determined for plants micropropagated in MS media A with sucrose (20g.L-1) and without growth regulators and MS media B with kinetin (0.5mg.L-1) and sucrose (20g.L-1). Apart from spontaneous rooting rate determination, induction of plant rooting by auxin shock, using IBA (2mg.mL-1), was also evaluated. Acclimatization in greenhouse was performed with hydro atomization nozzles working every 10 minutes. Plants on the field were fertilized by a nutrient solution with N, P2O5, K2O and B. In vitro multiplication rate was 300% per month, fresh weigh after a 4 week subculture was 0.9g. Spontaneous rooting rate was less than 4% after 4 months but induced rooting achieved 30% of plants with developed root system after 1 week and 70% after 2 weeks. Acclimatization rate was 100% after 2 weeks. Acclimatization was performed in greenhouse with 360º hidroatomizing spires working each 10 minutes and the acclimation rate in the greenhouse was of 100% for both medium after 2 weeks. There were extraction of essential oils with Clevenger apparatus for Yield purposes with average yield values below 0.6 %. In Clevenger, six samples were from Vilariça region and two from micro propagation, one was MS medium without growth regulators and the other was MS medium with 0.5 mg/L kinetin. In LN the extractions from four different sources, that are represented in figure 6. The essential oil identification was between 75,5 and 83% for the three samples and the results are not very different in the compounds. Volatiles identification revealed identical composition in all samples, with α-pinene (11-31%), bicyclogermacrene (5 19%), trans-β-farnesene (7-15%), β-elemene (6-10%) and β-caryophyllene (3-10%) as major compounds. Cultivated Stevia shows the higher value in the sequiterpenes hydrocarbons (54,4%), oxygen-contaning monoterpenes (3,2%) and oxygen-contaning sequiterpenes (7,1%). In vitro Stevia Media A and B the value are only very different in monoterpene hydrocarbons and other compounds, but the other value are very similar or exactly the same. In general cultivated and greenhouse. Stevia have higher values for sequiterpenes and the in vitro Stevia have higher values for monoterpenes.

2016Conference object

Open access

Development of an anti-aging gel with natural products: hydro-alcoholic extracts and essential oils of two species of Salvia ssp

Publication . Goes, Hugo; Meireles, Estela; Pereira, Olívia R.; Fernandes, Conceição; Sousa, Maria João; Pedro, Luís G.

Salvia officinalis L. and Salvia elegans are perennial plants belonging to Lamiaceae family. New reviews are highlighted pharmacological results attributed to S. officinalis, including anticancer,anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antidementia, hypoglycemic,and hypolipidemic effects. The phytochemicals reported from S. officinalis have been isolated from its essential oil, and infusion preparation. More than 120 components have been characterized in the essential oil of S. officinalis (Ghorbani Esmaeilizadeh, 2017). The objective of this study was to create two anti-ageing gels (Carbopol and Methylcellulose) using essential oil of S. officinalis and hydroalcoholic extracts of S. officinalis and S. elegans. The essential oil was use as preservative and the hydroalcoholic extracts was the bioactive compounds, since it is rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant capacity. These formulas were put through several tests: stability, physic/chemical, and acute toxicity evaluations. The toxicity test was established using Daphnia magna with objective of LC50 determination after 12 hours. Young daphnids are exposed to a range of concentrations of oil extracts, as well as hydroalcoholic extracts. For S. officinalis five oil concentrations were tested (0.15% to 2.50%) and for S. officinalis and S. ellegans three hydroalcoholic extracts concentrations were tested (1.25%, 2.5%, 5%). Considering S. officinalis, results suggest a decrease toxicity with time exposition, probably due to light or/and oxygen. Considering hydroalcoholic extracts, values of LC50 obtained suggest that, although same pattern, S. ellegans exhibit lower toxicity comparing S. officinalis. Finally, results of Stability Test showed that all samples keep their original properties.

2018Conference object

Open access

Protective effect of Crataegus monogyna Jacq. ethanolic extracts in oxidant-induced DNA damage evaluated through comet assay with human peripheral lymphocytes

Publication . Barreira, João C.M.; Costa, Carla Sofia; Teixeira, João Paulo Fernandes; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Oliveira, Beatriz

Much attention of preventive medicine research is focused on natural antioxidants. This interest refers not only to isolation and identification of new biologically active molecules for the pharmaceutical industry, but also because of the emergent public interest in using crude plant extracts, such as infusions for self-medication (Krishnaiah et al., 2011). The use of antioxidants, such as the well-known polyphenolic compounds, to prevent genetic damage induced by physical or chemical agents is of considerable interest. This bioactivity might be related to their anticlastogenic effect, due to the presence of specific functional groups. Other antioxidant compounds, such as vitamins C and D, were reported for their DNA-damage decreasing effect, suggesting that reactive oxygen species may be involved in this activity (Benavente-García et al., 2004). Evaluating the antioxidant activity of natural matrices represents one of our primary research challenges (Ferreira et al., 2009). Among hundreds of studied species, Crataegus monogyna Jacq. stood out as being one of the most promising plants due to its high bioactivity. Besides the antioxidant activity, C. monogyna was also studied for the human tumour cells growth inhibitory capacity of its phenolic extracts; furthermore, individual phenolic compounds were fully characterized by high performance liquid chromatography-photo diode array detection-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS), revealing high levels of flavonols, flavones, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and anthocyanins (Rodrigues et al., 2012). However, there is a high limitation in examining if the detected bioactivity is actually transferred from in vitro to in vivo systems (Carocho and Ferreira, 2013). Nevertheless, there have been major advances to accurately measure end products of oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and DNA. Short-term in vitro tests are commonly used to identify genotoxicants and antigenotoxicants. Comet assay, in particular, has been considered to be a useful biomarker to this purpose as it can easily establish a link between natural extracts and DNA repair damage (Cemeli et al., 2009). Although this assay might be carried out virtually with any cell type, lymphocytes are often used as these are in contact with xenobiotics after absorption and have proved to be good surrogate cells (Cemeli et al., 2009). Herein, the potential genotoxic and antigenotoxic effect of ethanolic extracts from different botanical parts of C. monogyna was evaluated by the alkaline comet assay. Extracts were assayed to match the previously determined effective concentrations (EC) corresponding to 25% (EC25), 37.5% (EC37.5), 50% (EC50), 62.5% (EC62.5) and 75% (EC75) of antioxidant activity. Blood samples were obtained from healthy non-smoking donors in EDTA tubes and lymphocytes were isolated by Ficoll density gradient. A pool of lymphocytes was exposed to extract in different concentrations in addition to a positive and negative control for 1h to test for extracts’ genotoxicity. To test for extracts antigenotoxicity, two concentrations were selected and cells were exposed to a mutagenic compound (MMS) and extract concentrations simultaneously for 1 h. In one experiment, comet assay was immediately performed after the exposure period while in the second experiment, cell media were renewed and the comet assay was performed after a recovery-period of 1 h. All experiments were carried out with and without metabolic activation by liver fraction (S9). The results showed significant differences within the assessed botanical parts and also among the assayed concentrations. The performed investigation might be considered as representing a step further in the evaluation of the in vivo bioactive potential of this highly promising species. Furthermore, it has established some practical bases for the evaluation of additional natural matrices with high scoring in bioactivity screening studies.

2015Conference object

Open access

Avaliação de propriedades biológicas em mel dos Açores – atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana

Publication . Machado, Alexandra M.; Miguel, Maria da Graça; Vilas-Boas, Miguel; Faleiro, Maria Leonor; Figueiredo, Ana Cristina

O mel e os seus produtos derivados são geralmente consumidos devido às suas características nutricionais e terapêuticas, bem como igualmente empregues em fragrâncias ou cosméticos [1]. Em Portugal, existem nove denominações de origem protegida de mel reconhecidas, entre as quais a do mel dos Açores [2], cujas propriedades biológicas estão pouco estudadas. O objetivo deste trabalho consistiu no estudo de oito méis dos Açores, provenientes das ilhas de São Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira e Pico, relativamente à quantificação do teor em compostos fenólicos totais e flavonoides, à determinação da atividade antioxidante e anti-inflamatória por métodos espetrofotométricos, bem como o controlo de qualidade microbiológico e a avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana. O teor de fenóis totais variou entre 12 μg e 460 μg equivalentes de ácido gálico (EAG)/g de mel e para os flavonóides entre 0,6 μg e 55 μg equivalentes de quercetina (EQ)/g de mel. A atividade antioxidante determinada pelo método ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) foi relativamente baixa nos oito méis, comparativamente ao padrão utilizado (Trolox), sendo apenas possível determinar o IC50 (concentração de amostra necessária para diminuir ou reduzir a concentração inicial do radical ABTS em 50%) de uma amostra, cujo valor foi 8 mg/mL. Relativamente à capacidade quelante de iões ferro(II), esta foi somente detetada em três amostras de mel, cujas percentagens de inibição variaram entre 5 e 18%. A captação do radical superóxido foi também avaliada. Os valores de IC50 variaram entre 23 e 73 mg/L. A capacidade de inibição da enzima xantina oxidase foi observada em cinco amostras de mel, sendo particularmente elevada numa delas. No que diz respeito ao controlo de qualidade microbiológico dos méis analisados, não foi observada contaminação microbiana. A atividade antimicrobiana dos oito méis foi testada contra Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans e Pseudomonas aeruginosa, tendo sido verificada ação inibitória dos oito méis para Escherichia coli, de quatro méis em Staphylococcus aureus e de três méis em Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Não foi observada atividade inibitória contra Candida albicans.

2018Conference object

Open access