In Brazil, Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K. Jansen, popularly known as “jambu”, has been used by some communities from Amazon region to treat toothache. In this study we examined the antinociceptive effect ...of the ethanolic extract obtained from the flowers of Acmella oleracea (EEAO) in animal models of nociceptive (chemical and thermal) and neuropathic (partial sciatic nerve ligation) pain.
Adult male mice were treated by intraperitoneal route (i.p.) with EEAO before the induction of nociceptive response by formalin, capsaicin and cinnamaldehyde, thermal heat hyperalgesia (hot plate test) and mechanical allodynia (traumatic sciatic nerve injury). Acute toxicity and non-specific sedative effects were evaluated.
EEAO (10, 30 and 100mg/kg) reduced both neurogenic and inflammatory phases of the formalin- and also capsaicin- and cinnamaldehyde-induced orofacial nociception. Interestingly, EEAO at 100mg/kg (i.p.) also reversed capsaicin-induced heat hyperalgesia assessed as the latency to paw withdrawal in the hot plate test. Also in the hot plate test, paw withdrawal latency was increased by EEAO (100mg/kg) and this response was only partially reversed by naloxone. Furthermore, EEAO (100mg/kg) also reduced mechanical allodynia caused by partial sciatic nerve ligation for 3h. The estimated LD50 value was 889.14mg/kg and EEAO did not alter the locomotion of animals in the open-field test.
Taken together, our data show that EEAO produces prevalent antinociceptive effects and does not cause adverse effects. The presence of N-alkylamides, including spilanthol, suggests that the therapeutic effect of EEAO is related to its highest anesthetic activity.
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The use of edible flowers in cooking dates back to ancient times, but recently it is gaining success among the consumers, increasingly attentive to healthy and sustainable foods of high quality, ...without neglecting taste, flavour, and visual appeal. The present study aims to deepen the knowledge regarding the mineral composition of edible flowers, an aspect not widely investigated in scientific literature. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn have been determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES) in flowers belonging to a wide variety of species. The study highlights that some floral species are characterized by significantly higher concentrations of certain trace elements, e.g., the flowers of
for Mn, those of basil (
) and of pumpkins (
and
) for Cu and Sr, and those of orange daylily (
) for Ni. Potentially toxic elements are present at low concentrations, often below the limit of the detection for Cd, Co, Ni, V. In all samples, Cd and Pb are well below the maximum permitted levels in foodstuffs. It can be concluded that the edible flowers analyzed can be considered a good source of essential elements and do not present risks for the consumer health as for the mineral composition.
Com o objetivo de avaliar a influência de doses de nitrogênio e fósforo na cultura do Jambu, foi instalado experimento na fazenda experimental da APTA Polo Vale do Ribeira utilizando-se sementes da ...cultivar Nazaré. Os tratamentos foram conduzidos em blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 4 x 4, e quatro repetições dos seguintes tratamentos: quatro doses de nitrogênio, (0; 37,5; 75 e 112,5 kg ha-1 N), quatro doses de fósforo (0; 75; 150 e 300 Kg ha-1 de P2O5). O solo foi inicialmente preparado recebendo calagem e adubação de plantio conforme recomendação em função da analise de solo. Após essas operações foi feito o transplante das mudas no espaçamento de 0,50 x 0,50 m e aplicado os tratamentos. A área útil da parcela foi de 1,0 m x 1,0 m. Foram analisadas as massas frescas e secas de folhas e flores, e o número de flores. A produção de matéria fresca e seca das folhas e flores foi influenciada pela adubação. Houve efeito das doses de nitrogênio, que proporcionaram aumento linear em todas as variáveis analisadas e, para a adubação fosfatada, a dose com 75 Kg ha-1 de P2O5 proporcionou a maior produção do número de flores e na massa fresca e seca das flores.
Acmella oleracea is a promising cosmetic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical ingredient, and plants with high levels of active compounds are needed in the market. Cultivation can be valuable if ...sufficient levels of alkylamides are present in plant material. In this regard the application of biostimulants can be an innovative approach to increase yield of cultivation or bioactive compound levels. A. oleracea plants were cultivated in Northern Italy in an experimental site using three different types of biostimulants, triacontanol-based mixture (Tria), an extract from plant tissues (LL017), and seaweed extract (Swe). Plants were grown in the field in two different growing seasons (2018 and 2019). After treatments inflorescences were harvested and the quali-quantitative analysis of alkylamides and polyphenols was performed. Treated and control plants were compared for yields, morphometric measurements, quali-quantitative composition in secondary metabolites. Overall results show that both triacontanol-based mixture and the LL017 positively influenced plant growth (Tria >+ 22%; LL017 >+ 25%) and flower production (Tria >+ 34%; LL017 >+ 56%). The amount of alkylamides and polyphenols in flowers were between 2.0–5.2% and 0.03–0.50%, respectively. Biostimulant treatments ensure higher cultivation yields and allow maintenance of the alkylamide and polyphenol levels based on % (w/w), thus offering an advantage in the final quantity of extractable chemicals. Furthermore, data revealed that samples harvested in late season show a decrease of polyphenols.
The secondary metabolism of plants is affected by several factors, including the type of cultivation and light, which directly interfere with photosynthesis, causing changes in the content and ...composition of secondary plant metabolites. Thus, this study sought to answer whether the light lengths of red light emitting diodes (LED), as well as different cultivation methods, can cause changes in the chemical composition of the essential oil of
Acmella oleracea
. The experimental design was divided into four treatments. T1: in vitro using LED lights for indoor cultivation; T2: in vitro with red LED light; T3: in pot with LED lights for indoor cultivation and T4: in pot with red LED light. All treatments were kept in a biochemical oxygen demand oven for 45 days. Leaf material was collected, essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation, with subsequent chemical characterization by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that
trans
-cariophyllene (13.04% and 8.89%) and 2-tridecanone (16.45% and 15.09%) compounds were directly affected by red LED light, in both in vitro (T2) and in pot (T4) treatments. The major compound α-cadinol (18.75%) and 4-epi-cubedol (29.11%) were directly affected by the treatment T3. The results indicated that red light and cultivation methods significantly influenced the chemical composition of
A
.
oleracea
essential oil.
Key message
Red LED light affected the production of secondary metabolites in
Acmella oleracea
.
Trans
-cariophyllene and 2-tridecanone were affected by red LED light in both cultivation treatments.
Water availability influences plant metabolism during the various stages of development, especially in the period between germination and seedling emergence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ...effect of water deficit during the germination process on seeds of A. oleracea. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomised design, with four replications of 50 seeds. The treatments were arranged in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, with the first factor consisting of the osmotic potentials (-0.2, -0.4, -0.6, -0.8 and distilled water for the potential 0.0 MPa) and the second factor consisting of two lots of seed. The germination test was carried out on substrates moistened with solutions of mannitol and polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) at the various potentials, in a Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) germinator at a temperature of 30°C and under constant light. The test was evaluated daily for 14 days, considering the seeds that had a root length equal to or greater than two millimetres as having germinated. The variables under analysis were germination, germination speed index, seedling length and seedling dry weight. The germination process of A. oleracea is compromised at water potentials of -0.2 MPa and -0.4 MPa when submitted to PEG and mannitol respectively. Seeds from Lot 1 were more tolerant to the water deficit than were those from Lot 2.
Background. Chronic pain is a condition where pain persists for months or even years. Nowadays, several drugs comprising of medical cannabis are utilized for chronic pain relief. Even if there are ...some associated side effects, the use of supplements can widen the reliable tools available for improving an individual’s quality of life. Objective. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy in terms of pain intensity, psychological well-being, and quality of life of a new dietary supplement in chronic pain subjects under current treatment with medical cannabis. Methods. In this pilot study, 48 medical cannabis-treated subjects were supplemented with a dietary supplement containing a combination of standardized Zingiber officinalis and Acmella oleracea extracts in phytosome (Mitidol), coenzyme Q10 phytosome (Ubiqsome), and group B vitamins (B1, B6, and B12), twice daily for 90 days. In order to explore the benefits of the product as an adjuvant supplementation for pain relief, the pain intensity, measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS), the pain type, and quality, evaluated by the Italian Pain Questionnaire (QUID) and the possible reduction of therapeutic and/or painkiller doses were recorded. Results. After 90 days, significant pain relief was detected in almost 70% of the subjects receiving the new dietary supplement, with sensory, emotional, and pain amelioration in one-third of them. A reduction in both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) doses was also observed after 3 months of supplementation. These findings demonstrate new perspectives for the use of an innovative dietary supplement that combines Acmella and Zingiber extracts, Coenzyme Q10, and group B vitamins resulting in a beneficial long-term adjuvant in cannabis-treated pain subjects.
Agricultural products such as fruit, vegetables, and cereal are believed to be some of the most crucial sources of certain phytonutrients necessary for humans, such as vitamins, dietary fibers, and ...minerals. However, agricultural products are prone to quality deterioration during storage under ambient temperatures. Currently, the annual post-harvest loss rate of agricultural products can reach up to 20–30%. Owing to their perishable nature, the development of processing and preservation technologies for agricultural products is an important research topic closely associated with the national economy and people’s livelihoods that has attracted ever-increasing attention. In view of the prominent issues of high energy consumption, high costs, serious pollution, and low-quality properties in agricultural product manufacturing, our journal mainly focuses on research articles on novel techniques and the underlying mechanisms of the processing, preservation, and quality control of agricultural products, so as to promote the upgrading and updating of the agricultural product industry.
Motivated by the culinary and ethnopharmacological use of Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K. Jansen, this study aimed to unveil new chemical compounds from its essential oil (EO). Acmella oleracea, known for ...its anesthetic and spicy properties, has been used in traditional medicine and cuisine, particularly in Northern Brazil. Through a detailed GC-MS analysis, 180 constituents were identified, including 12 tentatively identified long-chain α-keto esters of various acids. Additionally, 18 new esters were synthesized for structural verification. This research expands the known chemical diversity of A. oleracea EO, providing a basis for potential pharmacological applications. The identification of new natural products, including homologs and analogs of acmellonate, underscores the EO’s rich chemical profile and its potential for novel bioproduct development.
The plant Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K.Jansen (Asteraceae), locally known as jambu, is widely used in Legal Amazon in local dishes and in folk medicine. A polysaccharide (SC) was isolated from this ...plant, following aqueous extraction, which contained uronic acid, galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, and glucose in a 15:2:1:1:0.5 molar ratio and had a Mw 226,000g/mol. Methylation analysis and NMR spectroscopy indicated that SC is a rhamnogalacturonan composed of a long chain of →4)-6-OMe-α-d-GalpA-(1→, interspersed with some α-l-Rhap residues, partly substituted by side-chains of type II arabinogalactans. SC significantly inhibited ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats with an ED₅₀ of 1.5mg/kg, indicating that SC acts as gastroprotective agent.
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