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Browsing by Author "Faleiro, Leonor"

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  • Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition Activity of Portuguese Thymus Species Essential Oils
    Publication . Dandlen, S. A.; Miguel, Maria Graça; Duarte, J.; Faleiro, Leonor; Sousa, M. J.; Lima, A. S.; Figueiredo, A. C.; Barroso, J. G.; Pedro, L. G.
    Thymus species are commonly known in Portugal as thyme and they are currently used as culinary herbs, as well as for ornamental, aromatizing and traditional medicinal purposes. The essential oils isolated from the Portuguese Thymus caespititius (Sect. Micantes), T. camphoratus and T. capitellatus (Sect. Thymus, Subsect. Thymastra), T. carnosus, T. zygis subsp. sylvestris and T. zygis subsp. zygis (Sect. Thymus, Subsect. Thymus) were evaluated for acetylcholinesterase inhibition capacity. A great variability in activity was detected in the assayed essential oils, even among oils isolated from a same species with different geographical origins, such as T. caespititius. T. zygis subsp. zygis essential oil showed the strongest acetylcholinesterase inhibition capacity with an IC50 = 1.1 mu g/ml.
    2011Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Ammoides pusilla (Apiaceae) and Thymus munbyanus (Lamiaceae) from Algeria essential oils: chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities
    Publication . Tefiani, C.; Riazi, A.; Youcefi, F.; S, Azza; Gago, Custódia; Faleiro, Leonor; Pedro, L. G.; Barroso, J. G; Figueiredo, A. C.; Megias, C.; Cortes Giraldo, I.; Vioque, J.; Miguel, Maria Graça
    The chemical composition, and antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-proliferative activities of the essential oils of Ammoides pusilla (Apiaceae) and Thymus munbyanus (Lamiaceae), collected in Algeria, were studied. Cumin alcohol (44%), p-cymene (18%), limonene (14%), thymol (11%) and gamma-terpinene (7%) predominated in A.pusilla essential oil, whereas carvacrol (71%) was dominant in T.munbyanus essential oil. The antibacterial activity of A.pusilla and T.munbyanus essential oils was studied by the agar diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Thyphimurium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The tested bacteria were more susceptible to T.munbyanus essential oil. Ammoides pusilla essential oil was the most effective for scavenging the free radicals. Ammoides pusilla essential oil also had the best reducing power as well as the highest lipid peroxidation inhibition. Thymus munbyanus essential oil showed the best anti-proliferative activity of human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1).
    2015Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of essential oils isolated from Thymbra capitata L. (Cav.) and Origanum vulgare L.
    Publication . Faleiro, Leonor; Miguel, Maria Graça; Gomes, Sónia; Costa, L.; Venancio, F.; Teixeira, A.; Figueiredo, A. C.; Barroso, J. G.; Pedro, L. G.
    Antilisterial activities of Thymbra capitata and Origanum vulgare essential oils were tested against 41 strains of Listeria monocytogenes. The oil of T. capitata was mainly constituted by one component, carvacrol (79%), whereas for O. vulgare three components constituted 70% of the oil, namely, thymol (33%), gamma-terpinene (26%), and p-cymene (11%). T. capitata essential oil had a significantly higher antilisterial activity in comparison to O. vulgare oil and chloramphenicol. No significant differences in L. monocytogenes susceptibilities to the essential oils tested were registered. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of T. capitata essential oil and of carvacrol were quite similar, ranging between 0.05 and 0.2 mu L/mL. Antioxidant activity was also tested, the essential oil of T. capitata showing significantly higher antioxidant activity than that of O. vulgare. Use of T. capitata and O. vulgare essential oils can constitute a powerful tool in the control of L. monocytogenes in food and other industries.
    2005Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Antimicrobial activity of essential oils isolated from Portuguese endemic species of Thymus
    Publication . Faleiro, Leonor; Miguel, Maria Graça; Ladeiro, F.; Venancio, F.; Tavares, R.; Brito, J. C.; Figueiredo, A. C.; Barroso, J. G.; Pedro, L. G.
    Aims: Thymus species are wild species mostly found in the arid lands of Portugal. Possible antimicrobial properties of Thymus essential oils have been investigated. The chemical composition of the essential oils and the antimicrobial activity of Thymus mastichina (L) L. subsp. mastichina , T. camphoratus and T. lotocephalus from different regions of Portugal were analysed. Methods and Results: Hydrodistillation was used to isolate the essential oils and the chemical analyses were performed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC coupled to mass spectrometry. The antimicrobial activity was tested by the disc agar diffusion technique against Candida albicans , Escherichia coli , Listeria monocytogenes , Proteus mirabilis , Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus . Pure linalool, 1,8-cineole and a mixture (1:1) of these compounds were included. Linalool, 1,8-cineole or linalool/1,8-cineole and linalool/1,8-cineole/linalyl acetate were the major components of the essential oils, depending on the species or sampling place. The essential oils isolated from the Thymus species studied demonstrated antimicrobial activity but the micro-organisms tested had significantly different sensitivities. Conclusions: The antimicrobial activity of essential oils may be related to more than one component. Significance and Impact of the Study: Portuguese endemic species of Thymus can be used for essential oil production for food spoilage control, cosmetics and pharmaceutical use. Further studies will be required to elucidate the cell targets of the essential oil components.
    2003Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Dittrichia viscosa subsp viscosa on Helicobacter pylori
    Publication . Silva, D.; Denham, E.; Faleiro, Leonor; Miguel, Maria Graça; Cavaleiro, C.; Salgueiro, L. R.
    Dittrichia viscosa subsp. viscosa (Compositae) is found on edges, wood clearings and in waste places of the Iberian Peninsula. Aerial parts of D. viscosa were collected at flowering phase in September-October 2001 around Lisbon, Portugal and the essential oils isolated by hydro-distillation for 4 h using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The oils were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Preliminary examination of the essential oils allowed the identification of 32 components. Only four components reached percentages over 5%: fokienol (11.8%), T-muurorol (7.9%), (E)-nerolidol (5.5%) and delta-cadinene (5.0%). The essential oils were tested against Helicobacterpylori and Listeria monocytogenes. Essential oils did not have antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes. The essential oil at 0.88 to 22.22 mu g.ml(-1) did not inhibit the growth of H. pylori, affected the growth slightly at 44.40 mu g.ml(-1), and completely inhibited the growth at 88.80 to 133.20 mu g.ml(-1) Results show that use of D. viscosa essential oil in the treatment of gastric disorders caused by H. pylori can be effective.
    2005Conference object Open access Show more
  • Antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity and intracellular growth inhibition of Portuguese Thymus essential oils
    Publication . Dandlen, S. A.; Lima, A. S.; Mendes, M. D.; Miguel, Maria Graça; Faleiro, Leonor; Sousa, M. J.; Pedro, L. G.; Barroso, J. G.; Figueiredo, A. C.
    Thyme essential oils are well recognized by their excellent biological activities and the antimicrobial activity of Portuguese thyme essential oils has been investigated with promising results, particularly against food borne pathogens. In this study the potential antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of five species of Thymus (Lamiaceae), namely Th. caespititius Brot., Th. camphoratus Hoffmanns. & Link, Th. capitellatus Hoffmanns. & Link., Th. carnosus Boiss. and Th. zygis L. was evaluated against Candida albicans, Haemophilus influenza, Helicobacter pylori, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica and Streptococcus pneumoniae. H. pylori strains were the most susceptible bacteria, particularly to the essential oils of Th. caespititius (Planalto Central), Th. zygis (Rebordaos) and Th. caespititius (Pico) which minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 0.05 to 0.08 mg. mL(-1). Th. caespititius essential oil from Planalto Central or its main component, carvacrol significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the intracellular growth of H. pylori, and showed no citotoxicity to the gastric cell line. Our results suggest the potential of this essential oil and its main component as a promising tool as anti-Helicobacter agent potentiating the eradication of this important gastroduodenal pathogen.
    2011Journal article Open access Show more
  • Antimicrobial, antiviral and antioxidant activities of ‘‘água-mel’’ from Portugal
    Publication . Miguel, Maria Graça; Faleiro, Leonor; Antunes, Maria Dulce; S, Azza; Duarte, Joana; Silvério, Ana R.
    ‘‘Água-mel’’ is a honey-based product produced in Portugal for ancient times. Several attributes have been reported to ‘‘água-mel’’ particularly in the alleviation of simple symptoms of upper respiratory tract. Samples of ‘‘água-mel’’ from diverse beekeepers from different regions of Portugal were studied in what concerns antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiviral properties. The amounts of phenol and brown pigment were also evaluated and correlated with the antioxidant activities. A great variability on the levels of these compounds was found among samples which were responsible for the variability detected also on the antioxidant activities, independent on the method used. Generally, antioxidant activity correlated better with brown pigments’ amount than with phenols’ content. The antimicrobial activity found for ‘‘água-mel’’ samples confirm the virtues reported by popular findings. In addition, this work also reveals the antiviral properties of ‘‘água-mel’’ evidenced by a decrease on the infectivity of the Qb bacteriophage.
    2013Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Antioxidant activity of six Portuguese thyme species essential oils
    Publication . Dandlen, S. A.; Sofia Lima, A. S.; Mendes, M. D.; Miguel, Maria Graça; Faleiro, Leonor; Sousa, M. J.; Pedro, L. G.; Barroso, J. G.; Figueiredo, A. C.
    The essential oils of Thymus caespititius, T. camphoratus, T. capitellatus, T. camosus, T. pulegioides, T. zygis subsp. zygis and T. zygis subsp. sylvestris collected in different regions of Portugal, including the Azores islands, were evaluated for preventing lipid peroxidation and scavenging free radicals, and hydroxyl and superoxide anions. T. zygis subsp. zygis oil possessed the best capacity for preventing lipid peroxidation (IC(50) = 0.030 +/- 0.003 mg/ml), immediately followed by the oils isolated from T. zygis subsp. sylvestris collected in different regions of Portugal. IC(50) values ranged from 0.066 +/- 0.003 to 0.087 +/- 0.001 mg/ml in oils isolated from samples from Alcanena and Duas Igrejas, respectively. The oils isolated from T. zygis subsp. sylvestris, independent of the harvesting region, were shown to be the most effective for scavenging free radicals (0.358- 0.453 mg/ml). The best capacity for scavenging hydroxyl radicals was found in the oils of T. camphoratus collected in Espartal and of T. caespititius of Lordelo, with IC(50) < 0.5 mg/ml. The low oil amount did not allow IC(50) values for the superoxide anion scavenging determination, therefore considering a unique oil concentration (5 mg/ml), the highest inhibition percentages (>50%) were registered with the essential oils of T. zygis subsp. sylvestris from Duas Igrejas and Covao do Coelho, and of T. capitellatus from Sines. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
    2010Journal article Restricted access Show more
  • Aqueous extracts from tunisian diplotaxis: phenol content, antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities, and impact of exposure to simulated gastrointestinal fluids
    Publication . Bahloul, Nada; Bellili, Sana; AAZZA, Smail; Cherif, Ameur; Faleiro, Leonor; Antunes, Maria Dulce; Miguel, Maria Graça; Mnif, Wissem
    Antioxidants have been considered essential for preventing cell damage by scavenging deleterious free radicals. The consumption of antioxidant-rich plants is associated with a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. This study evaluates the antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activities of aqueous extracts obtained from different parts of Diplotaxis simplex and Diplotaxis harra from Tunisia. The study also aimed to investigate the action of simulated gastrointestinal juice on antioxidant activities of both extracts. The total phenolic, flavone and flavonol, and flavanone and dihydroflavonol contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteau, aluminum chloride and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine colorimetric methods, respectively. The metal ion chelating activity, acetylcholinesterase inhibition capacity, and free radical scavenging potential of the extracts towards ABTS (2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), hydroxyl, superoxide and nitric oxide were also evaluated. The action of simulated gastro-intestinal fluids on the flavone and flavonol content and total antioxidant activity of the flower extracts was surveyed. Extracts from the seeds and flowers of D. simplex and D. harra displayed the highest amounts of phenols (2691.7 and 2694.5 mg Caffeic Acid Equivalent (CAE)/100 mg; 3433.4 and 2647.2 mg CAE/100 mg, respectively) and flavonols/flavones (2144.4 and 2061.1 mg Rutin Equivalent (RE)/100 g; 1922.6 and 1461.1 mg RE/100 g, respectively). The flower and seed extracts exhibited the highest rates of antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activities. A decrease in the flavonoid content and antioxidant activity was observed after extract exposure to simulated saliva. Antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activities were noted to depend on plant species and plant parts. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion is useful in assessing the bio-accessibility of compounds with biological activities from food. The simulated gastrointestinal fluids influenced the flavonoid concentration and antioxidant activity.
    2016-07Journal article Open access Show more
  • Arbutus unedo L.: Chemical and Biological Properties
    Publication . Miguel, Maria Graça; Faleiro, Leonor; Guerreiro, Adriana; Antunes, Maria Dulce
    Arbutus unedo L. (strawberry tree) has a circum-Mediterranean distribution, being found in western, central and southern Europe, north-eastern Africa (excluding Egypt and Libya) and the Canary Islands and western Asia. Fruits of the strawberry tree are generally used for preparing alcoholic drinks (wines, liqueurs and brandies), jams, jellies and marmalades, and less frequently eaten as fresh fruit, despite their pleasing appearance. An overview of the chemical composition of different parts of the plant, strawberry tree honey and strawberry tree brandy will be presented. The biological properties of the different parts of A. unedo and strawberry tree honey will be also overviewed.
    2014Journal article Open access Show more