فرزانه زندی

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a well-known commercial medicinal plant with wide usage.

During our ongoing aims for the selection and breeding programs of Iranian licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) populations, in the present study, total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and biological activities of the leaf extract of eight selected plant populations cultivated in the north of Tehran were investigated.

The TPC and TFC were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride reagents, respectively. The antioxidant potential of the leaf extracts was measured through the evaluation of their power to reduce the Fe3+-TPTZ complex to Fe2+-TPTZ. The antibacterial activity was also assessed according to the broth micro-dilution method to determine minimum inhibitory concentration.

The results indicated that TPC varied from 6.18 ± 0.33 (mg GAE/g DW) in Bajgah population to 14.91 ± 1.17 (mg GAE/g DW) in Ilam population. The highest TFC was observed in Ilam (17.04 ± 1.25 mg rutin/g DW) and Marvest (15.06 ± 1.77 mg rutin/g DW) populations, respectively, without statistically significant differences. The maximum antioxidant activity was associated with the Ilam (532.18 ± 12.61 µmol Fe/g DW) population, confirming the antioxidant potential of phenolic and flavonoids compounds. The leaf extracts of Eghlid, Marvest, Ilam, and Bojnourd populations were exhibited outstanding antibacterial activity against S. aureus.

The licorice leaf extracts showed more inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus than Escherichia coli.

Oil pollutions as a consequence of increasing consumption of petroleum، have a tremendous effect on water and soil ecosystems and their microflora. In this study the diversity in physiological parameters، including growth rate، photosynthesis، chlorophyll-a and phycobiliproteins content، between cyanobacterial strains flora isolated from oil-polluted and non-polluted areas، were assessed. To this end، strains were isolated and purified. The experiments were carried out on logarithmic phase cultures of the isolates in suitable liquid media. The chlorophyll and phycobiliproteins contents were determined using a colorimetric method. Photosynthesis was measured by Oxyview apparatus. Growth rates were calculated based on dry weights. Under laboratory conditions، the photosynthesis activity and the chlorophyll content of isolates from oil-polluted sites were significantly lower than non-polluted isolates. On the other hand، the growth rate average of strains from oil-polluted sites was significantly higher than non-polluted strains. Also despite the higher phycobiliproteins content in non-polluted isolates، there was no significant difference in any of these pigments between the two groups. Altogether the results showed that in response to petroleum stress، the cyanobacteria restore the decrease in their chlorophyll content and photosynthesis activity by increasing their biomass. In fact the response is the reflects of restructuring cyanobacterial flora from sensitive autotrophic species to oil-pollution resistant mixotrophic species in the polluted ecosystems that in addition to photosynthesis are able to use crude oil as an energy source for their growth requirements، hence overcome the energy loss due to reduction of photosynthesis and even increase growth rate than non-oil-pollution isolates.

Production of antimicrobial compounds by cyanobacterial strains, isolated from oil-polluted and non-polluted areas in Khozestan Iran was investigated, comparatively. For this purpose antimicrobial activities of supernatant and methanolic extracts from liquid cultures of strains Phormidium tenue ISC24, Leptolyngbya sp. ISC25, Nostoc sp. ISC26, Phormidium sp. ISC27, Nostoc entophytum ISC32, Chroococcus pallidus ISC39 and Nostoc sp. ISC62 from oil-polluted samples, and strains Fischerella ambigua ISC4, Calothrix sp. ISC11, Microcheate tenera ISC13, Nostoc sp. ISC17, Chroococcus minutus ISC35, Leptolyngbya sp.ISC38 and Spirulina sp. ISC6 from non-polluted samples, were measured against different gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and fungal strains using a disc diffusion method. Except for fungal strains of Saccharomyces Cerviciae and Candida albicans, the isolates from non-polluted areas had a higher frequency of antimicrobial activity. In this group, the maximum frequency of effects was observed on B. subtilis with 9 cases, and the minimum frequency was observed on S. cervisiae with only 1 case. Also in the isolates from non-polluted areas, considerable antibacterial effects were observed on gram negative bacteria. The strongest antimicrobial activity from the isolates collected from non-polluted areas belonged to the supernatant extracts of Spirulina sp. ISC6 on Bacillus sabtilis, with 26 millimeters inhibition zone. B. subtilis and S. cervisiae, each with 6 positive effects, showed the maximum frequency of susceptibility to the extracts from the isolates from oil-polluted areas. In this group the strongest effects were observed from the supernatant extracts of Chroococcus pallidus ISC39 and Phormidium tenues ISC24 on S. cervisiae with 22 and 20 millimeters inhibition zone diameter, respectively. The antibacterial effects against gram negative bacteria were not considerable in these isolates. In general, a significant distinction in the antimicrobial activity between oil-polluted and non-polluted isolates was observed in the frequency of effects and also in the types of susceptible bacterial or fungal strains.

Molluscum contagiosum is an infectious viral disease. The necessity to do this research in primary school of Kerman is mainly based on the high occurrence of the molluscum contagiosum (MC) among children, though an increase of the incidence of MC in adults with AIDS and immune deficiencies has also been reported. Among 1181 girls and 1440 boys, 75 were infected with MC; 29 (2.45%) and 46 (3.1%) cases were infected respectively, however these differences were not statistically significant. The effect of factors such as age, sex, parent’s level of education and occupation, and the size of family on the incidence of MC were studied. In this research the overall incidence of MC was 2.9%, but the highest rate of incidence was among children at the age of 6. Furthermore the incidence among children in public schools were more than private schools and children from families with low education and also larger families was higher, though these differences were not statistically significant.