UA Open Access Publishing Fund / Background: Ethnobotanical knowledge continues to be important for treating illness in many rural communities, despite access to health care clinics and pharmaceuticals. However, access to health care clinics and other modern services can have an impact on the distribution of medical ethnobotanical knowledge. Many factors have been shown to be associated with distributions in this type of knowledge. The goal of the sub-analyses reported in this paper was to better understand the relationship between herbal remedy knowledge, and two such factors, age and social network position, among the Yucatec Maya in Tabi, Yucatan. Methods: The sample consisted of 116 Yucatec Maya adults. Cultural consensus analysis was used to measure variation in herbal remedy knowledge using competence scores, which is a measure of participant agreement within a domain. Social network analysis was used to measure individual position within a network using in-degree scores, based on the number of people who asked an individual about herbal remedies. Surveys were used to capture relevant personal attributes, including age. Results: Analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between age and the herbal medicine competence score for individuals 45 and under, and no relationship for individuals over 45. There was an insignificant relationship between in-degree and competence scores for individuals 50 and under and a significant positive correlation for those over 50. Conclusions: There are two possible mechanisms that could account for the differences between cohorts: 1) knowledge accumulation over time; and/or 2) the stunting of knowledge acquisition through delayed acquisition, competing treatment options, and changes in values. Primary ethnographic evidence suggests that both mechanisms may be at play in Tabi. Future studies using longitudinal or cross-site comparisons are necessary to determine the whether and how the second mechanism is influencing the different cohorts.

In vitro cultures of medicinal plants - XI. Elicitation is one of the few strategies that can be used in enhancement of secondary metabolites production from explant cultures. The effect of abiotic elicitor (silver nitrate) on flavonolignan and flavonoid taxifolin production in suspension culture of Silybum marianum L. (Gaertn.) and on isoflavones production in suspension culture of Genista tinctoria L. was tested. Silver nitrate in various concentrations (5.887.10-3 mol/l; 5.887.10-4 mol/l; 5.887.10-5 mol/l) was used as elicitor. Content of secondary metabolites in suspension cultures was determinated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The samples were taken after 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours after elicitor treatment. The highest content of taxifolin production (0.02 %) in suspension culture of Silybum marianum L. (Gaertn.) after silver nitrate (5.887.10-4 mol/l) treatment and 72 h sampling was detected. The highest content of genistin (0.05 %) in suspension culture of Genista tinctoria L. was found after silver nitrate (5.887.10-4 mol/l) treatment and 48 h sampling. The highest content of daidzein (0.09 %) was detected after elicitor (5.887.10-4 mol/l) treatment and 168 h sampling.

Martina Janoutová In vitro cultures of medicinal plants - XII. Abstract The effect of ultrasound (US) as abiotic elicitor on the flavonolignans production in Silybum marianum L suspension culture was investigated. The culture was cultivated in Murashige and Skoog nutritive medium with ( - NAO) (g/l) as growth regulator at 25o C and luminous period 16 h of light and 8 h of darkness. The elicitor - ultrasound by frequency 35kHz and intensity 0,1Wcm-3 for a period 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min has been used. The samples were taken in 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 168 h after US exposition. The control samples were taken in 0 and 48 h. The quantity of flavonolignans was determined by High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest increase of taxifolin content was apparent after 5 min of US elicitation and 48 h sampling (0,04%) - 400%, other increase was apparent after 5 min of elicitation and 72 h sampling. The higher content of silychristin was found after 1 min of US elicitation and 72 h sampling, the same level was observed after 2 min of elicitation and 24 h sampling. The higher level of silydianin was detected after 2 min of US elicitation and 6 h sampling and the silybin B after 2 min of elicitation and 12 h sampling after exposition. Taxifolin and flavonolignans release to the nutrient medium was...

Jan Kubeš Genista tinctoria in vitro - abiotická elicitace Cultures of medicinal plants in vitro - XIII. The plants cultures in vitro contain lesser amounts of secondary metabolites in compare with intact plants. The elicitors can affect these metabolites production. The effect of electric current (50mA) of different voltage (5, 7, 8, 10, 15, 20 and 24 V) and different time exposition (10, 30, and 60 minutes) on content of isoflavones was studied on (Genista tinctoria) suspension culture. The highest concentration of genistin (0.17 %) was measured in suspension culture after 30 min of elicitation by 10 V after 6 hours of cultivation. The highest concentration of daidzein (0.35 %) was found in suspension culture after 60 min of elicitation by 5 V after 24 hours of cultivation. The highest concentration of genistin (1.6 mg/100ml) was measured in medium after 30 min of elicitation by 5 V after 24 hours of cultivation. The highest concentration of daidzein (1.77 mg/100ml) was found in medium after 10 min of elicitation by 24 V after 6 hours of cultivation.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2014. / Unable to load abstract.

MSc (Med) (Pharmaceutical Affairs), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Fifteen traditional medicinal plants, indigenous to southern Africa, that are used to treat various respiratory ailments were screened for their antimicrobial activity and their chemical profiles were documented. Acetone:methanol (1:1) extracts were prepared from the leaves, stems, roots, barks and thorns of the investigated plant species. The antimicrobial activity was determined against pathogens associated with respiratory conditions i.e. Moraxella catarrhalis, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. The MIC values ranged from 0.08 mg/ml to 12 mg/ml. The two pathogens against which the most number of extracts obtained MIC values that were ≤ 1 mg/ml were Moraxella catarrhalis (68% of the extracts) and Bacillus cereus (56% of the extracts). The plant extracts that obtained the five lowest average MIC values against the respiratory pathogens were the root extracts of Terminalia sericea (0.69 mg/ml), leaf and stem extract of Chenopodium ambrosioides (1.04 mg/ml), leaf, stem and flower extract of Leucas martinicensis (1.10 mg/ml), leaf extract of Zanthoxylum davyi (1.29 mg/ml) and the leaf and stem extracts of Lantana rugosa (1.32 mg/ml). For the bioautographic assays, clear zones of inhibition were recorded for Lantana rugosa (leaves and stems) and Vitex rehmannii (leaves) against Staphylococcus aureus and Moraxella catarrhalis. The root extract of Ziziphus mucronata had a clear zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus. The leaf and stem extracts of Chenopodium ambrosioides had a clear zone of inhibition against Moraxella catarrhalis. The chemical profiles that were recorded for the plant extracts comprised of HPLC and TLC chromatograms. The HPLC and TLC profiles resulted in the separation of the chemical constituents thus providing a chemical fingerprint for the plant extracts. Flavonoids were tentatively identified for Acacia sieberiana (leaves), Alepidea amatymbica (roots), Clematis oweniae (leaves), Clerodendrum glabrum (leaves), Heteromorpha arborescens (bark), Peucedanum caffrum (roots B), Vitex rehmannii (leaves) and Ziziphus mucronata (leaves). The TLC chromatograms qualitatively displayed good separation of the compounds present in the plant extracts. The antimicrobial activity recorded for the plant extracts validates their traditional uses to treat various respiratory infections and the chemical profiles provide a reference of the chemical profiles of the plant extracts that can be used in future investigations

Thesis (M.Sc. (Med.))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, 1991

University of Macau / Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences

University of Macau / Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences

University of Macau / Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences