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Bio-efficacy of the Essential Oil of Oregano (Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae. Ssp. Hirtum)

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the bioactivity of the essential oil isolated from Origanum vulgare L. (EOv). We analyzed the in vivo anti-inflammatory properties in a mouse-airway inflammation model and the in vitro antimicrobial activity, genotoxicity over the anaphase-telophase with the Allium cepa strain and its cytotoxicity/viability in A549 culture cells. In vivo, EOv modified the levels of tumor necrosis factor -α and viable activated macrophages and was capable to mitigate the effects of degradation of conjugated dienes. In vitro, EOv reduced the viability of cultured A549 cells as well as the mitotic index and a number of chromosomal aberrations; however, it did not change the number of phases. We found that EOv presents antimicrobial activity against different Gram (−) and (+) strains, measured by disc-diffusion test and confirmed with a more accurate method, the AutoCad software. We postulate that EOv presents antibacterial, antioxidant and chemopreventive properties and could be play an important role as bioprotector agent.

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Abbreviations

AMs :

Alveolar macrophages

BALF :

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

CDs :

Conjugated dienes

EOs :

Essential oils

EOv :

Essential oil of Origanum vulgare

PMNs :

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils

TNF-α :

Tumor necrosis factor-α

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Acknowledgments

This research project was performed thanks to the financial support of the Research University Grants Scheme: Universidad Nacional de la Rioja and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (SECyT), Argentina. Agencia Córdoba Ciencia (N° 000113/2011) Argentina. The authors acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Jeff G. Leid, W.L. Gore and Associates for revising the English language.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could constitute as a potential conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Ezequiel Grondona & Andrés A. Ponce

  2. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología, Dpto. de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Gerardo Gatti, Leonardo Rodolfo Sánchez & Virginia Rivero

  3. Fundación para el Progreso de la Medicina, Córdoba, Argentina

    Gerardo Gatti

  4. Cátedra de Microbiología General y de los Alimentos, (IMBIV-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Abel G. López

  5. Cátedra de Microbiología y Virología Médicas. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Oscar Pessah

  6. Cátedra de Química Orgánica y Productos Naturales (IMBIV-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    María P. Zunino

  7. Cátedra de Fisiología Humana, Dpto. Académico de Ciencias de la Salud y Educación, Universidad Nacional de la Rioja, La Rioja, Argentina

    Andrés A. Ponce

Authors
  1. Ezequiel Grondona
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  2. Gerardo Gatti
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  3. Abel G. López
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  4. Leonardo Rodolfo Sánchez
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  5. Virginia Rivero
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  6. Oscar Pessah
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  7. María P. Zunino
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  8. Andrés A. Ponce
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrés A. Ponce.

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Grondona, E., Gatti, G., López, A.G. et al. Bio-efficacy of the Essential Oil of Oregano (Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae. Ssp. Hirtum). Plant Foods Hum Nutr 69, 351–357 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-014-0441-x

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