Dracunculus

Tarragon has a great potential to be a healthy functional food ingredient thanks to its rich antioxidant, phenolic compounds, and nutrient content. The possibility of enriching bread with tarragon was investigated. For this aim, tarragon powder was used at the rates of 0, 2, 4 and 6% instead of wheat flour. In this study, the effects of substitution on the rheological properties of bread dough and color, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, texture, sensory, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis of bread samples were performed...

The genus Dracunculus contains numerous species of subcutaneous parasites of mammals and reptiles. In North America, there are at least three mammal-infecting species of Dracunculus . Reports of Dracunculus infections have been reported from river otters ( Lontra canadensis ) since the early 1900s; however, little is known about the species infecting otters or their ecology. Most reports of Dracunculus do not have a definitive species identified because females, the most common sex found due to their larger size and location in the extremities of the host, lack distinguishing morphological characteristics, and few studies have used molecular methods to confirm identifications...

Artemisia dracunculus: L. ( A. dracunculus ) is a popular vegetable and spice cultivated across many Middle Eastern countries. The herb's aqueous extract has significant folkloric medicinal importance for treating various disorders. Hence, the present investigation aimed to investigate A. dracunculus hydrophilic extract phytochemical constituents and pleiotropic biological potentials, as no previous studies have investigated the antilipase and anti-α-amylase effects of the A. dracunculus plant. Total phenol content and phytochemical screening assays were performed utilizing standard analytical methods...

INTRODUCTION: Tarragon, with the scientific name of Artemisia dracunculus, is a perennial herbaceous plant with a wide spectrum of pharmacologic properties. In the current investigation, BALB/c mice were used to examine the immunomodulatory effects of hydroalcoholic extract of tarragon (HET). METHODS: Mice were treated with hydroalcoholic extract of Artimisia dracunculus (HET) at two doses (250 and 500 mg/kg) for 14 days. The host hematological parameters, spleen cellularity histopathology, hemagglutination titer assay (HA), delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels produced by spelenocytes, and the proliferation of lymphocytes were assayed...

In this study, the potential use of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil in bio-applications was investigated. Firstly, the phytochemicals from Artemisia dracunculus were analyzed by different methods. Secondly, the Artemisia dracunculus essential oil was incorporated into the hydrogel matrix based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and agar (A). The structural, morphological, and physical properties of the hydrogel matrix loaded with different amounts of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil were thoroughly investigated...

Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a chronic disease that is primarily found in the arid and poor areas of our planet where water supply systems consist of open wells. This parasitic disease is transmitted to humans not only through the consumption of water contaminated with crustaceans harbouring larvae of Dracunculus medinensis , but also through the ingestion of paratenic (frogs) or transport hosts (fish). The natural progression of the disease is caused by adult worms invading connective tissues, leading to blistering and ulceration of the extremities, approximately one year after infection...

A new species of Dracunculus is described in wild neotropical otters, Lontra longicaudis , occurring in Corrientes, Argentina, based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Worms were located in the subcutaneous tissue from two of five investigated otters. Dracunculus jaguape n. sp. is differentiated from the 14 species of Dracunculus described from mammals and reptiles by the prominent dorsal and ventral papillae on the head; deirids posterior to nerve ring; male with long needlelike spicules and presence of gubernaculum; and long first stage larva...

The effort to eradicate Dracunculus medinensis, the etiologic agent of dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, commenced at CDC in 1980. In 1986, with an estimated 3.5 million cases worldwide in 20 African and Asian countries, the World Health Assembly called for dracunculiasis elimination. The Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was established to help countries with endemic dracunculiasis reach this goal. GWEP is led by The Carter Center and supported by partners that include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and CDC...

Nematode species of the genus Dracunculus (Spirurida: Dracunculoidea) infect tissues and body cavities of reptiles, domestic and wild carnivores, and humans. The definitive hosts acquire the infection by ingesting intermediate (i.e., cyclopoid copepod) or paratenic (i.e., amphibians and fishes) hosts. Here we report the jaguar (Panthera onca) as a potential new host for Dracunculus sp. The nematode was collected from an ulcerated cutaneous nodule on the left anterior limb of a female jaguar in the municipality of Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil...

Among the plants that exhibit significant or established pharmacological activity, the genus Artemisia L. deserves special attention. This genus comprises over 500 species belonging to the largest Asteraceae family. Our study aimed at providing a comprehensive evaluation of the phytochemical composition of the ethanol extracts of five different Artemisia L. species (collected from the southwest of the Russian Federation) and their antimicrobial and nematocide activity as follows: A. annua cv. Novichok., A. dracunculus cv...

Thiazolidinediones (TZD) significantly improve insulin sensitivity via action on adipocytes. Unfortunately, TZDs also degrade bone by inhibiting osteoblasts. An extract of Artemisia dracunculus L., termed PMI5011, improves blood glucose and insulin sensitivity via skeletal muscle, rather than fat, and may therefore spare bone. Here, we examine the effects of PMI5011 and an identified active compound within PMI5011 (2',4'-dihydroxy-4-methoxydihydrochalcone, DMC-2) on pre-osteoblasts. We hypothesized that PMI5011 and DMC-2 will not inhibit osteogenesis...

The article 'Guinea-worm (Dracunculus medinensis) infection presenting as a diabetic foot abscess: A case report from Kerala is being retracted based on a letter received from the Director of the National Centre of Disease Control, New Delhi where the centre has objected to the identification of the guinea-worm by the authors only on the basis of morphological observation, without any microscopic and histopathological examination. The author has agreed to the objection and to the withdrawal of the article. This article is therefore being retracted...

In this study, it was aimed to examine the capacity of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with different contents to extract bioactive compounds from tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) plant. For this reason, the total phenolic-flavonoid substance, total proanthocyanidin content and antioxidant/antimicrobial activities of the prepared DES extracts were investigated, as well as the individual phenolic contents and individual amino acid contents. According to the results, DES10 had the highest efficiency in terms of its capacity to extract individual phenolics (approximately 59 mg/100g) and individual amino acids (approximately 2500 mg/kg), and also gave a higher yield compared to ethanol (approximately 44 mg/100g for individual phenolics and about 19810 mg/kg for individual amino acids) and methanol (approximately 58 mg/100g for individual phenolics and approximately 21430 mg/kg for individual amino acids)...

Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi have challenged human health by transmitting several infectious disease agents, such as malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Larvicides, especially in endemic regions, is an effective approach to the control of mosquito-borne diseases. In this study, the composition of three essential oil from the Artemisia L. family was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Afterward, nanoliposomes containing essential oils of A. annua, A. dracunculus, and A. sieberi with particle sizes of 137 ± 5, 151 ± 6, and 92 ± 5 nm were prepared...

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (N-AChRs) mediate fast synaptic signalling and are members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel (pLGIC) family. They rely on a network of accessory proteins in vivo for correct formation and transport to the cell surface. RIC-3 is an endoplasmic reticulum protein that physically interacts with nascent pLGIC subunits and promotes their oligomerization. It is not known why some N-AChRs require RIC-3 in heterologous expression systems, while others do not. Previously we reported that the ACR-16 N-AChR from the parasitic nematode Dracunculus medinensis does not require RIC-3 in Xenopus laevis oocytes...

Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a terrible disease limited, even historically, to the arid and poor areas of our planet and which in the West has always been seen as an exotic disease and therefore has never taken root in the collective imagination. This parasitosis is transmitted to humans by drinking water contaminated with crustacean harboring larvae of Dracunculus m edinensis , a nematode. The natural history of the disease is caused by adult worms invading connective tissues and causing blistering, ulceration and edema...

Due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, the need to find new, efficient antimicrobial agents is rapidly increasing. Therefore, in this study, we report the development of new biocomposites based on zinc-doped hydroxyapatite/chitosan enriched with essential oil of Artemisia dracunculus L. with good antimicrobial activity. Techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used in order to evaluate their physico-chemical properties...

Biochemical processes in the rhizosphere affect the availability and distribution of heavy metals (HMs) in various forms. Rhizosphere soil (RS) and non-rhizosphere soil (NRS) samples were collected from 10 fields under tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) cultivation to investigate the release kinetics and distribution of HMs including cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in five fractions. The cumulative amounts of Cu and Fe released after 88 h were in the following ranges, respectively: 1...

Helminth zoonoses remain a global problem to public health and the economy of many countries. Polymerase chain reaction-based techniques and sequencing have resolved many taxonomic issues and are now essential to understanding the epidemiology of helminth zoonotic infections and the ecology of the causative agents. This is clearly demonstrated from research on Echinococcus (echinococcosis) and Trichinella (trichinosis). Unfortunately, a variety of anthropogenic factors are worsening the problems caused by helminth zoonoses...

The xyloglucans of all aquatic Araceae species examined had unusual structures compared with those of other non-commelinid monocotyledon families previously examined. The aquatic Araceae species Lemna minor was earlier shown to have xyloglucans with a different structure from the fucogalactoxyloglucans of other non-commelinid monocotyledons. We investigated 26 Araceae species (including L. minor), from five of the seven subfamilies. All seven aquatic species examined had xyloglucans that were unusual in having one or two of three features: < 77% XXXG core motif [L...