Essential oil

Summary

An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term "essential" used here does not mean indispensable or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism. Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often by using steam. Other processes include expression, solvent extraction, sfumatura, absolute oil extraction, resin tapping, wax embedding, and cold pressing. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, air fresheners and oth

Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil

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Using organic insecticides including plant oils, it is possible to design a new perspective for the control of insect pests. In this research, nanoemulsion formulations of Mentha piperita, wild-type essential oil (EO) were prepared utilizing high-energy ultrasonication process. Physicochemical properties of nanoemulsions were precisely studied by measurement various parameters including pH, viscosity, conductivity, and zeta potential. Experimental design by the aid of response surface methodology (RSM) was used to highlight the physicochemical roles of EO percentage (1% to 5% (v/v)) and surfactant concentration (3% to 15% (v/v)) for achieving minimum droplet diameter with high physical stability. The nanoemulsion formulations were then characterized using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and optical clarity. Afterward, an appropriate model between the variable factors (EO percentage and surfactant concentration) and the response (hydrodynamic particle size) was statistically developed. Under the optimum conditions, nanoemulsion with hydrodynamic particle size less than 10 nm with high physical stability is obtainable. Bioassay experiments were carried out to elucidate the effects of nanoemulsion on the cotton aphid. Synthesized nanoemulsion formulations showed relatively high contact toxicity (average value of LC50 was about 3879.5 +/- 16.2 mu l a.i./L) against the pest. On the basis of the obtained results, prepared nanoemulsion using M. piperita is potentially applicable as organic insecticides against cotton aphid.

2019

Novel Molecular Probes for Non-invasive Optical Imaging of Fatty Acid and Triglyceride Uptake in Living Animals

Grigory Karateev

Molecular imaging allows noninvasive visualization of biological processes in their native environment within living systems. It can give a better understanding of fundamental biology, help in identifying disease mechanisms and visualizing pathological tissues, and enable monitoring disease progression and studying the drug efficacy in intact living organisms. Among various imaging modalities, bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging are powerful techniques that have become essential methods for non-invasive real-time studies of biological processes in vivo. The aim of my thesis was the development of novel fluorescent and bioluminescent probes for in vivo imaging of fatty acid and triglyceride uptake. The goal of my first project was the development of a near infrared fluorescent fatty acid probe for glioma imaging. Some tumors such as glioma may rely on the uptake of extracellular fatty acids. Fatty acids can therefore be considered as targeting molecules for these tumors and could be used to develop tumor-imaging probes. The probe design is based on a near-infrared fluorophore indocyanine green (ICG) that is conjugated to a long-chain fatty acid palmitic acid. The conjugation of ICG to a fatty acid (ICG-FA) was envisioned to improve cell permeability of the fluorophore and its accumulation in glioma. The ICG-FA probe was first evaluated for its ability to mimic the uptake of natural fatty acids in cells and was then applied for glioma imaging studies in vivo, where it showed significant tumor accumulation. As a proof-of-concept, the probe was tested for intraoperative image-guided surgery in a canine patent with mastocytoma, where it allowed intraoperative fluorescence tumor imaging and provided optical guidance for a surgeon during tumor resection. The aim of my second project was the development of bioluminescent triglyceride probes for real-time non-invasive imaging of triglyceride uptake in vivo. Applying an optimized stategy for generating conjugates with luciferin, I developed several bioluminescent triglyceride probes. These imaging tools were validated in cells and mice and were shown to mimic the absorption of natural triglycerides. The developed probes enabled sensitive non-invasive real-time imaging and quantification of triglyceride absorption in living mice. Futhermore, these probes were successfully used to demonstrate the effects of the anti-obesity drug orlistat and the influence of the gut microbiota on the intestinal absorption of triglycerides in vivo. Considering the high importance of triglycerides for human health and nutrition and their implication in several pathologies such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cancer, the bioluminescent triglyceride probes could offer valuable imaging tools for preclinical research.

EPFL2019

Biomimetic Synthesis of (+)-Ledene, (+)-Viridiflorol, (-)-Palustrol, (+)-Spathulenol, and Psiguadial A, C, and D via the Platform Terpene (+)-Bicyclogermacrene

Nicolai Cramer, Duc Tran Ngoc

(+)-Bicyclogermacrene is a strained bicyclic and common sesquiterpene found in several essential oils. A short and good yielding synthesis of bicyclogermacrene proceeding in seven steps is reported. This terpene is used as key platform intermediate for a biomimetic access to several aromadendrene sesquiterpenoids, such as ledene, viridiflorol, palestrol, and spathulenol. Furthermore, bicyclogermacrene is shown to be the terpene component in the synthesis of the meroterpenoids psiguadial A, C, and D.

Wiley-V C H Verlag Gmbh2014

Novel Molecular Probes for Non-invasive Optical Imaging of Fatty Acid and Triglyceride Uptake in Living Animals

Grigory Karateev

EPFL2019