Effects Of Ethanol Research Articles

Anticancer, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytogenetic Effects of Ethanol Leaves Extract of Carthamus tinctorius

Total polyphenol contents (TPCs), Total flavonoids contents (TFCs) and antioxidant activity (AA)% of ethanol leaves extract (ELEs) of Carthamus tinctorius was investigated, represented by the detection of the antibacterial activity against some pathogenic microbes, as well as the cytotoxicity assay (MTT) and programmed cell death (Apoptosis) by DAPI assay was studied on MCF-7 cell line. Regarding the activity against bacteria, the results showed that the greatest effect of the (ELEs) was on the growth of Gram+ve Staphylococcus aureus bacteria with a diameter of the inhibition zone reached (31 mm), followed by Gram-ve bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-ve E.coli with an inhibition zone diameter reaching to (22.66 and 22.33 mm) respectively, The lowest effect recorded on the growth of C. albicans, the diameter of the inhibition zone reached to (21,33 mm). As for the effectiveness against oxidative stress and programmed death, the results showed that the extract had a good effect on cancer cells by causing a shrink and destroy them. All these findings were significantly correlated with the concentration of the total content of phenols and flavonoids in the extract. It was also observed that a clear effects of cytogenetic indicators represented in the drooped in the blastogenic index (BI) and the mitotic index (MI) increased by increasing the concentration. This concentration-dependent cytotoxic action is much like the plant alkaloids in chemotherapies.

Assessment of ethanol and nicotine interactions using a reinforcer demand modeling with grouped and individual levels of analyses in a long-access self-administration model using male rats.

Previous reports have indicated the reciprocal effects of nicotine and ethanol on their rewarding and reinforcing properties, but studies using methodological approaches resembling substance use in vulnerable populations are lacking. In our study, rats first self-administered ethanol, and their sensitivity to ethanol's reinforcing effects was assessed using a reinforcer demand modeling approach. Subsequently, rats were equipped with intravenous catheters to self-administer nicotine, and their sensitivity to nicotine's reinforcing effects was evaluated using the same approach. In the final phase, rats were allowed to self-administer ethanol and nicotine concurrently, investigating the influence of one substance on the rate of responding for the other substance. Group analyses revealed notable differences in demand among sucrose, sweetened ethanol, and ethanol-alone, with sucrose demonstrating the highest demand and ethanol-alone exhibiting greater sensitivity to changes in cost. At the individual level, our study finds significant correlations between rats' demand for sucrose and sweetened ethanol, suggesting parallel efforts for both substances. Our individual data also suggest interconnections in the elasticity of demand for sweetened ethanol and ethanol-alone, as well as a potential relationship in price response patterns between ethanol and nicotine. Furthermore, concurrent self-administration of ethanol and nicotine at the group level displayed reciprocal effects, with reduced responding for nicotine in the presence of ethanol and increased responding for ethanol in the presence of nicotine. This study provides valuable insights into modeling the co-use of ethanol and nicotine and assessing their interaction effects using reinforcer demand modeling and concurrent self-administration or noncontingent administration tests. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex interplay between ethanol and nicotine and have implications for elucidating the underlying mechanisms involved in polydrug use.

Spidroins under the Influence of Alcohol: Effect of Ethanol on Secondary Structure and Molecular Level Solvation of Silk-Like Proteins.

Future sustainable materials based on designer biomolecules require control of the solution assembly, but also interfacial interactions. Alcohol treatments of protein materials are an accessible means to this, making understanding of the process at the molecular level of seminal importance. We focus here on the influence of ethanol on spidroins, the main proteins of silk. By large-scale atomistically detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and interconnected experiments, we characterize the protein aggregation, secondary structure changes, molecular level origins of them, and solvation environment changes for the proteins, as induced by ethanol as a solvation additive. The MD and circular dichoroism (CD) findings jointly show that ethanol promotes ordered structure in the protein molecules, leading to an increase of helix content and turns but also increased aggregation, as revealed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and light microscopy. The structural changes correlate at the molecular level with increased intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The simulations reveal that polar amino acids, such as glutamine and serine, are most influenced by ethanol, whereas glycine residues are most prone to be involved in the ethanol-induced secondary structure changes. Furthermore, ethanol engages in interactions with the hydrophobic alanine-rich regions of the spidroin, significantly decreasing the hydrophobic interactions of the protein with itself and its surroundings. The protein solutes also change the microstructure of water/ethanol mixtures, essentially decreasing the level of larger local clustering. Overall, the work presents a systematic characterization of ethanol effects on a widely used, common protein type, spidroins, and generalizes the findings to other intrinsically disordered proteins by pinpointing the general features of the response. The results can aid in designing effective alcohol treatments for proteins, but also enable design and tuning of protein material properties by a relatively controllable solvation handle, the addition of ethanol.

Evidence for involvement of the alcohol consumption WDPCP gene in lipid metabolism, and liver cirrhosis

Biological pathways between alcohol consumption and alcohol liver disease (ALD) are not fully understood. We selected genes with known effect on (1) alcohol consumption, (2) liver function, and (3) gene expression. Expression of the orthologs of these genes in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster was suppressed using mutations and/or RNA interference (RNAi). In humans, association analysis, pathway analysis, and Mendelian randomization analysis were performed to identify metabolic changes due to alcohol consumption. In C. elegans, we found a reduction in locomotion rate after exposure to ethanol for RNAi knockdown of ACTR1B and MAPT. In Drosophila, we observed (1) a change in sedative effect of ethanol for RNAi knockdown of WDPCP, TENM2, GPN1, ARPC1B, and SCN8A, (2) a reduction in ethanol consumption for RNAi knockdown of TENM2, (3) a reduction in triradylglycerols (TAG) levels for RNAi knockdown of WDPCP, TENM2, and GPN1. In human, we observed (1) a link between alcohol consumption and several metabolites including TAG, (2) an enrichment of the candidate (alcohol-associated) metabolites within the linoleic acid (LNA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) metabolism pathways, (3) a causal link between gene expression of WDPCP to liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. Our results imply that WDPCP might be involved in ALD.

Theoretical Study of the Photophysical and Photochemical Properties of 1H‐Benzimidazole and 2‐Ethyl‐7‐nitro‐5‐Substituted 1H‐Benzimidazoles

AbstractTheoretical study of the photophysical/photochemical properties of 1H‐benzimidazole and its derivatives was carried out using APFD, B3LYP, CAM‐B3LYP and PBE0 density functionals with 6‐311+G(2d,p) basis set. The effects of ethanol, 1,4‐dioxane, acetonitrile and water was investigated by means of Integral Equation Formalism of the Polarizable Continuum Model (IEPCM) in the framework of Self‐Consistent Reaction Field (SCRF). The results obtained show that S2 state of the 1H‐benzimidazole molecule is more acidic than the S0 state as the N5−H11 bond length increased to ~ 1.01 Å. At B3LYP/6‐311+G(2d,p) level of theory, the excitation energy of 1H‐bensimidazole molecule in ethanol from S0 to the S2 state was calculated to be 273 nm (4.54 eV). The electronic energy for this transition was calculated to be 0.131 a.u. and observed to occur between π→π* orbitals. Calculations with the PBE0, APFD and B3LYP functionals reproduced the experimental dipole moment in 1,4‐dioxane, with values of 4.09, 4.09 and 4.07 Debye respectively. However, the dipole moments of the 2‐ethyl‐7‐nitro‐5‐substituted‐1H‐benzimidazoles were calculated to be higher for electron donating groups (EDGs) than those bearing electron withdrawing groups (EWGs). In addition, the molecular polarizability was observed to increase with decreasing energy gap. Local excitation (LE) and charge‐transfer (CT) were observed to mediate the mechanisms of electronic excitation in 2‐ethyl‐7‐nitro‐5‐substituted‐1H‐benzimidazoles.

Effect of various concentrations of common organic solvents on the growth and proliferation ability of Candida glabrata and their permissible limits for addition in drug susceptibility testing.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetone, ethanol, and methanol are organic solvents commonly used for dissolving drugs in antimicrobial susceptibility testing. However, these solvents have certain antimicrobial activity. Currently, standardized criteria for the selection and dosage of drug solvents in drug susceptibility testing research are lacking. The study aims to provide experimental evidence for the selection and addition limit of drug solvents for the in vitro antifungal susceptibility test of Candida glabrata (C. glabrata). According to the recommendation of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M27-A3, a 0.5 McFarland C. glabrata suspension was prepared and then diluted 1:1,000. Next, a gradient dilution method was used to prepare 20%, 10%, 5%, and 2.5% DMSO/acetone/ethanol/methanol. The mixture was plated onto a 96-well plate and incubated at a constant temperature of 35 °C for 48 h. The inhibitory effects of DMSO, acetone, ethanol, and methanol on C. glabrata growth and proliferation were analyzed by measuring optical density values at 600 nm (OD600 values). After 48 h incubation, the OD600 values of C. glabrata decreased to different extents in the presence of the four common organic solvents. The decrease in the OD600 values was greater with increasing concentrations within the experimental concentration range. When DMSO and acetone concentrations were higher than 2.5% (containing 2.5%) and methanol and ethanol concentrations were higher than 5.0% (containing 5.0%), the differences were statistically significant compared with the growth control wells without any organic solvent (P < 0.05). All four organic solvents could inhibit C. glabrata growth and proliferation. When used as solvents for drug sensitivity testing in C. glabrata, the concentrations of DMSO, acetone, ethanol, and methanol should be below 2.5%, 2.5%, 5%, and 5%, respectively.

Research on azeotropic breaking extraction technology for High-Value chemicals from wash oil

In response to the challenge of achieving high-purity separation within a mixture containing acenaphthene, dibenzofuran, fluorene, and biphenyl in coal tar wash oil fractions, the azeotropic behavior of this mixture was investigated through phase equilibrium experiments to elucidate the azeotropic system. Once the azeotropic system was identified, attention shifted to intermolecular forces, and simulation calculations utilizing the Lennard-Jones potential energy function were employed to reveal the mechanism underlying high-purity separation in the azeotropic system. Building upon this foundation, the feasibility of solvent crystallization was explored as a means to break the azeotrope and achieve high-purity separation. This involved a thorough analysis of the intermolecular interactions between the crystallization solvent and the mixture system. Ethanol, methanol, and pentanol were chosen as potential solvents for conducting solvent crystallization experiments.Results demonstrate that ethanol performs admirably within the solvent crystallization method, exhibiting a high degree of crystallization selectivity for acenaphthene. On the other hand, pentanol demonstrates advantages in the separation and crystallization for removing biphenyl. Using ethanol as the solvent for crystallization, the acenaphthene content can be refined to 99.17%, while the biphenyl content can be reduced to a mere 0.002%. These findings underscore the effectiveness of ethanol as a solvent in effectively addressing the azeotropic challenge arising from the coexistence of biphenyl and acenaphthene, ultimately achieving an efficient separation of the targeted substances. Considering both crystallization selectivity and yield, ethanol emerges as the most suitable crystallization solvent for this intricate multi-component system. This study presents a practical solution for the efficient separation of acenaphthene, dibenzofuran, fluorene, and biphenyl—all of which constitute azeotropic systems within the heavy distillate fraction of wash oil.

Evaluation of toxicological effects of ketamine and ethanol on the kidney of albino rats. Biochemical and Histopathological study

Evaluation of toxicological effects of ketamine and ethanol on the kidney of albino rats. Biochemical and Histopathological study

Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure alters adult exploratory and affective behaviors, and cerebellar Grin2b expression in C57BL/6J mice

Binge drinking is one of the most common patterns (more than 90%) of alcohol consumption by young people. During adolescence, the brain undergoes maturational changes that influence behavioral control and affective behaviors, such as cerebellar brain volume and function in adulthood. We investigated long-term impacts of adolescent binge ethanol exposure on affective and exploratory behaviors and cerebellar gene expression in adult male and female mice. Further, the cerebellum is increasingly recognized as a brain region integrating a multitude of behaviors that span from the traditional primary sensory-motor to affective functions, such as anxiety and stress reactivity. Therefore, we investigated the persistent effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) on exploratory and affective behaviors and began to elucidate the role of the cerebellum in these behaviors through excitatory signaling gene expression. We exposed C57BL/6J mice to AIE or air (control) vapor inhalation from postnatal day 28–42. After prolonged abstinence (>34 days), in young adulthood (PND 77+) we assessed behavior in the open field, light/dark, tail suspension, and forced swim stress tests to determine changes in affective behaviors including anxiety-like, depressive-like, and stress reactivity behavior. Excitatory signaling gene mRNA levels of fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein (FMR1), glutamate receptors (Grin2a, Grin2b and Grm5) and excitatory synaptic markers (PSD-95 and Eaat1) were measured in the cerebellum of adult control and AIE-exposed mice. AIE-exposed mice showed decreased exploratory behaviors in the open field test (OFT) where both sexes show reduced ambulation, however only females exhibited a reduction in rearing. Additionally, in the OFT, AIE-exposed females also exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior (entries to center zone). In the forced swim stress test, AIE-exposed male mice, but not females, spent less time immobile compared to their same-sex controls, indicative of sex-specific changes in stress reactivity. Male and female AIE-exposed mice showed increased Grin2b (Glutamate Ionotropic Receptor NMDA Type Subunit 2B) mRNA levels in the cerebellum compared to their same-sex controls. Together, these data show that adolescent binge-like ethanol exposure altered both exploratory and affective behaviors in a sex-specific manner and modified cerebellar Grin2b expression in adult mice. This indicates the cerebellum may serve as an important brain region that is susceptible to long-term molecular changes after AIE.

Ethanol-induced atrial fibrillation results from late INa and can be prevented by ranolazine

Abstract Background Ethanol consumption is the most important self-triggered cause of atrial fibrillation (AF). As abstinence often fails, alternative therapies are needed. CaMKII-activation upon ethanol with consecutive Ca2+-leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) appears to be an important pathomechanism for ethanol-induced AF, but is not a druggable target. CaMKII has previously been shown to induce late sodium current (late INa) which could be proarrhythmogenic. Purpose We hypothesized that late INa might be involved in the development of AF upon acute ethanol exposition and that thus, the antianginal drug ranolazine (an inhibitor of late INa) could be repurposed to prevent ethanol-induced AF. Methods Acute effects of ethanol were investigated in vivo and in vitro as compared to vehicle. The occurrence of AF in vivo was assessed by programmed electrical stimulation in mice. To test the role of late INa, we used ranolazine in vivo and in vitro, as well as tetrodotoxin in vitro. We measured late INa and cytosolic sodium concentration, recorded stimulated action potentials and spontaneous delayed afterdepolarizations (DAD), and assessed SR Ca2+-leak by recording Ca2+-sparks. Mechanistically, we inhibited CaMKII using AIP and used NaV1.5 S571A mice to specifically investigate the role of CaMKII-mediated late INa. Human biopsies were acquired during surgery and were used for cell isolation or chunk incubation. Results Ethanol acutely induced late INa, sodium overload, SR Ca2+-leak and delayed afterdepolarizations in isolated atrial cardiomyocytes, as well as atrial fibrillation in vivo (10 of 10 mice). All of these cellular ethanol effects were prevented by pharmacologic inhibition of late INa. Importantly, ranolazine prevented the development of AF upon ethanol exposure in vivo. Mechanistically, CaMKII-activation and, accordingly, CaMKII-dependent NaV1.5 phosphorylation (S571) were increased by ethanol exposure. Indeed, the phosphoresistant NaV1.5 S571A mutation prevented late INa, SR Ca2+-leak and in vivo AF upon ethanol, demonstrating a critical role of CaMKII-mediated NaV1.5 phosphorylation for acute ethanol effects. Conclusion We show that ethanol acutely induces late INa upstream of arrhythmogenic SR Ca2+-leak and delayed afterdepolarizations, dependent on NaV1.5 S571 phosphorylation, leading to atrial fibrillation in vivo. Importantly, these effects as well as AF in vivo can be prevented using the late INa inhibitor ranolazine. We suggest that this antianginal drug could be repurposed to prevent ethanol-induced AF.Late INa (Patch-Clamp)In vivo AF (programmed stimulation)

Sex and individual differences in the effect of chronic low-dose ethanol on behavioral strategy selection.

The development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD) involves impaired behavioral control and flexibility. Behavioral inflexibility includes an inability to shift behavior in response to changes in behavioral outcomes. Low levels of ethanol drinking may promote the formation of inflexible, habitual reward seeking, but this may depend on the timing of ethanol exposure in relation to learning. The goal of this study was to determine whether a history of low-dose ethanol exposure promoted contingency-insensitive sucrose seeking and altered behavioral strategy selection. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were trained to perform a response (lever press) for sucrose on two different reinforcement schedules: one that is thought to promote inflexible responding (random interval) and one that maintains flexible responding (variable ratio [VR]). Following instrumental training each day, mice were exposed to saline or low-dose ethanol (0.5 g/kg; i.p.) either proximal (1 h after) or distal (4 h after) to learning. Mice were then tested for sensitivity to changes in contingency in a contingency degradation test. A history of low-dose ethanol exposure shifted behavioral strategy selection, as measured by reward tracking behavior, but this depended on sex and reinforcement schedule history. Both male and female mice used different strategies depending on the reinforcement schedule, but only males exhibited ethanol-induced shifts in strategy selection. A history of low-dose ethanol exposure did not impact contingency sensitivity in males but promoted insensitivity in females specifically on the VR lever. Female mice show distinct behavioral effects of repeated, low-dose ethanol exposure as compared to males, with sex differences in the use of reward tracking strategies to guide behavior. Future studies should investigate sex differences in the neural consequences of chronic low-dose ethanol exposure that may underlie behavioral changes.

The effects of propolis on doxorubicin-induced hepatorenal damage: a comparison of ethanolic and oily extracts of propolis

ABSTRACT The protective effect of ethanolic propolis extract (PE) in the toxic effects of doxorubicin (DOX), a chemotherapy drug, has been reported previously. Since ethanol usage has some restrictions, in the present study, olive oil as an alternative to ethanol has been tested in DOX-induced hepatorenal injury and the effectiveness of the two extracts were compared. Male rats were orally given PE or oily propolis extract (PO) for 15 days (50 mg/kg/day) and DOX was injected (15 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) on the 13th day. The animals were sacrificed and then hepatorenal oxidative stress and functional parameters were evaluated. DOX-induced reduction in hepatorenal functions and oxidative stress were significantly reduced in both propolis treatment groups. Treatment with PO was more effective in reducing DOX-induced oxidative stress, yet both extracts showed similar efficacy in improving hepatorenal functions. We suggest that the PO could be preferred to avoid the side effects of ethanol.

Performance characterization of water extracts of Camellia oleifera cake/sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate foam detergent with high foamability

In this study, we hypothesized that an environment-friendly foam detergent with synergistic effects could be synthesized from saponins-rich water extracts (WE) of Camellia oleifera cake, sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate (SLS), citric acid (CA), and ethanol. The ratio of WE and SLS was optimized by comparing the foam properties and cleaning efficiency. The synergistic effect was elucidated by viscosity, surface tension, zeta potential, contact angle, and particle size. The effects of ethanol and CA on the foam properties and cleaning efficiency were also studied, and the potential mechanism was analyzed. The results showed that SLS-WE (3−1) with the strongest foamability had the highest cleaning efficiency (82.8%) for olive oil. This is related to the synergistic effects of surface activity between WE and SLS. The addition of WE improved the foam elasticity and yield stress of the mixture system, thus preventing secondary contamination. The addition of CA (0.1 wt%), ethanol (3.7 wt%), and CA/ethanol (0.1/3.7 wt%) improved the foamability with no negative effect on foam stability. The cleaning efficiency of foam detergent reached 93.7% under the mixture of CA and ethanol. The SLS-WE (3−1) system improved the oil imbibition of foam by reducing surface tension and bubble size. Moreover, the SLS-WE (3−1) foam had a strong wiping motion. Ethanol and citric acid increased cleaning efficiency by improving imbibition and wiping, respectively. The environmentally friendly foam detergent fabricated in this research exhibited high foamability, stability, and cleaning efficiency.

Oxidative Phosphorylation for Aerobic Survival, but Not for Growth: The Peculiar ‘Make-Accumulate-Consume’ Strategy in Zymomonas mobilis

Understanding the energy metabolism and its regulation is one of the clues to metabolic engineering of stress-resistant lignocellulose-converting microbial strains, also including the promising ethanologen Zymomonas mobilis. Z. mobilis is an obligately fermentative, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, carrying an active respiratory chain with low energy-coupling efficiency. Its respiration does not supply energy to aerobically growing cultures on sugary media, yet oxidative phosphorylation has been demonstrated in non-growing cells with ethanol. Here, we show, for the first time, that in respiring, non-growing Z. mobilis cells receiving regular small amounts of ethanol, oxidative phosphorylation significantly contributes to the maintenance of their viability. No improvement of viability is seen in the NADH dehydrogenase (ndh)-deficient respiratory mutant, which is unable to oxidize ethanol. The ethanol effect is also hampered by the protonophoric uncoupler CCCP, or the inhibitor of ATP synthase, DCCD. At higher concentrations (6% v/v), ethanol causes stress that slows down culture growth. By monitoring the activity of several respiratory gene promoters under ethanol stress with the green fluorescent protein reporter system, we demonstrate downregulation of these promoters, in particular the ndh promoter. We speculate that the decrease in respiratory chain activity in response to stress conditions mitigates the production of reactive oxygen species.

MicroRNA-124a regulates the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neurons

Objective This study investigated the effects of microRNA-124a on the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and its underlying mechanism. Methods Flow cytometry was used for isolation and identification of BMSCs. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect gene mRNA expression. Apoptosis was detected using Annexin V-FITC/PI Apoptosis Detection Kit. Cell proliferation ability was tested using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The differentiation of BMSCs into neuron inducers β-thiol ethanol or baicalin formed the basis of the study. Results β-thiol ethanol markedly suppressed the microRNA-124a expression of BMSCs, baicalin markedly induced the microRNA-124a expression of BMSCs and β-thiol ethanol or baicalin promoted apoptosis and reduced the growth of BMSCs. Only the microRNA-124a inhibitor did not affect apoptosis or the differentiation of BMSCs, and it increased the effects of β-thiol ethanol or baicalin on the apoptosis of BMSCs. Conclusion β-thiol ethanol and baicalin treatment could affect microRNA-124a expression in BMSCs. We demonstrated that microRNA-124a promoted the differentiation of BMSCs into neurons.

Kinetic modeling of phenolic compounds extraction from nutshells: influence of particle size, temperature and solvent ratio

This paper studies the effects of particle size, temperature and ethanol–water solvent ratio on the extraction of total phenolic compounds (TPC) from peanut, coconut, and macadamia nutshells. Using an I-optimal design, the maximum TPC extraction obtained from the shells ranged from 63.5 ± 1.6 to 76.2 ± 3.1 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per 100 g dry weight (dw) of nutshell. Next, a response surface model (RSM) was developed to describe the relationship between the process parameters and the extracted TPC concentration, in order to predict the optimal extraction conditions. For all of the examined biomasses, the optimal conditions for extraction were predicted at a particle size of 1 mm, temperature of 75 °C and ethanol/water mixture of 54, 53 and 65% ethanol, for peanut, coconut and macadamia nutshells respectively. Particle size seems to be the most important parameter, while temperature appears to be of lesser importance. Besides, the extraction kinetics were assessed by fitting kinetic models on the experimental data. The combined second-order diffusional model provided the best goodness of fit. This model revealed that, at the boundary layer, the effect of washing mechanism of extraction is more important than extraction due to diffusion kinetics. This study provides an understanding of the mass transfer mechanism involved in the TPC extraction process from nutshells, which yields valuable insights that could facilitate the industrial biorefinery of nutshells.Graphical

Effects of Ethanol and Ethyl Acetate Extracts of Garlic (Allium sativum) on the Growth of Escherichia coli Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase

Background: The prevalence of Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESβL) Escherichia coli has increased by 0.91 – 2.31% per year and causes β-lactam antibiotics to be useless. Natural medicines such as garlic can be used to treat antibiotic resistance. It has been reported that garlic ethanol extract can inhibit the growth of Metallo-β-lactamase E. coli, but there have been no reports of garlic ethyl acetate extract activity against resistant bacteria. Objective: This study aims to prove the effect of ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of garlic in inhibiting the growth of ESβL E. coli. Methods: The ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of garlic were prepared in concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100% w/v, and were tested on ESβL E. coli using the disc diffusion assay. This study used a post-test-only control group design with meropenem as the positive control. The effectiveness of both garlic extracts was assessed from the inhibition zones formed around the discs. Phytochemical tests were carried out to see the compound content of garlic extract. Results: All concentrations of garlic ethanol extract were not significantly different in inhibiting ESβL E. coli growth (with inhibition zone diameter 2.82 - 3.30 mm). However, for the ethyl acetate extract, the higher the concentration the higher the activity of the extract in inhibiting ESβL E. coli (p-value &lt;0.05). The best inhibition zone of ethyl acetate extract was 4.18 mm at a concentration of 100%. Meropenem as a positive control produced a 17 mm inhibition zone. The ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of garlic had no difference in the active compound content, both contain tannins, saponins, and essential oils. Conclusion: The ethanol and ethyl acetate extract of garlic had weak potential to inhibit ESβL E. coli growth when compared to meropenem as a control drug.

Social behavior and neuronal activation in adolescent female Fos-LacZ transgenic rats: Impact of acute ethanol challenge and baseline levels of social preference

In human adolescents, females often report drinking for coping reasons to avoid negative affective states. We have shown previously that adolescent female rats with elevated levels of anxiety-like behavior under social test circumstances, indexed via low social preference, are sensitive to anxiolytic effects of ethanol given intraperitoneally (i.p.) in a low-to-moderate dose range. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that patterns of neuronal activation across brain regions implicated in social activity and social preference (used as an index of low versus high anxiety-like social responding) would be affected by acute ethanol differently in adolescent females with high and low social preference, with initial levels of social preference also predicting ethanol-induced changes in social behavior. Adolescent female Fos-LacZ rats were given social interaction tests on postnatal day (P)33 for determination of baseline levels of responding to an unfamiliar social partner and on P35 following administration of 0 or 0.75 g/kg ethanol. Brain tissue was collected, and expression of β-galactoside (β-gal) was used as an index of neuronal activation. Baseline levels of social preference did not predict social responsiveness to an acute ethanol challenge, whereas significant decreases in this social measure that reflects anxiety-like behavioral alterations were evident in adolescent females challenged with ethanol relative to saline-injected controls, suggesting high sensitivity to the anxiogenic effects of ethanol. Ethanol precipitated negative relationships between social preference and prefrontal cortical activation, decreased neuronal activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, but substantially increased β-gal expression in the central amygdala. These results suggest high sensitivity of the prefrontal cortical regions and central amygdala to ethanol-induced alterations in adolescent Fos-LacZ females and provide a background for further phenotyping of neurons activated by ethanol under social test circumstances.

Effect of Blending Dimethyl Carbonate and Ethanol with Gasoline on Combustion Characteristics

We investigated the effects of blending dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethanol with commercial gasoline on combustion characteristics. Our experimental approach involved using a rapid compression and expansion machine (RCEM) to achieve elevated temperatures and pressures. The fuels containing different volumes of oxygenated hydrocarbons were burned at equivalence ratios of 1.0 or 0.7, an initial temperature of 340 K, and initial pressures of 0.10 or 0.05 MPa. To simulate knocking phenomena, we installed a rectangular channel in the combustion chamber of the RCEM and measured the pressure history inside the chamber. By analyzing the pressure history resulting from the end-gas autoignition, we evaluated the combustion duration and maximum pressure amplitude. Blending both oxygenated fuels with gasoline effectively reduced the maximum-pressure amplitude in the end-gas autoignition, with ethanol exhibiting a more pronounced suppression effect compared to DMC in the same volumetric mixing ratio. At an initial pressure of 0.10 MPa, the combustion durations of DMC/gasoline blends showed non-linear behavior, being shorter than those of pure gasoline and DMC and comparable to those of the ethanol/gasoline blends. However, the blending effect of DMC on combustion durations was greatly mitigated when the initial pressure was reduced to 0.05 MPa. Conversely, the combustion durations for ethanol/gasoline blends showed a nearly monotonic reduction with an increase in the ethanol blending ratio at both initial pressures of 0.10 and 0.05 MPa. Finally, we discussed the differential impact of the blending effect of oxygenated hydrocarbons on combustion characteristics.

The Potential Gastro-Protective Effect of Qaysum (Achillea fragrantissima) Against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Wistar Albino Rats.

Gastric ulcer (GU) is among the peak prevalent syndromes. This study investigates the defensive properties of Achillea fragrantissima (Forssk.) Sch.Bip. extract (AFE) against ethanol-induced stomach lesions. Twenty-eight rats were allocated into negative control, positive control, AFE + ethanol, and omeprazole ethanol. In serum and gastric homogenates, oxidative stress displays (e.g., malondialdehyde (MDA), decreased glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD), and catalase enzyme (CAT)) and inflammatory parameters (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)) were estimated. GU markers (gastric lesions, ulcer index (UI), pH) were evaluated, and gastric histopathological examinations were performed. The positive control cluster exhibited severe gastric mucosal injuries, reduced stomach mucus secretion, and pH of gastric content. Furthermore, AFE-pretreated rats displayed meaningfully increased periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) countenance in their stomach epithelial layers. Pretreatment with AFE reduced stomach lesions, UI, MDA, and TNF-α levels, while mucus, pH, CAT, GSH, and SOD levels increased. Stomach examination showed significant improvement in gastric mucosa reduced edema and leukocyte infiltration of the submucosal level in pretreatment with the AFE and omeprazole groups versus the ethanol group. Additionally, AFE extracts increase the intensity of the stomach epithelium's PAS. The acute toxicity experiment with an advanced dosage of 5 g/kg AFE did not exhibit any signs of toxicity in the rats. In conclusion, the AFE reduced the effect of ethanol on the gastric mucosa, which may be due to its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.