€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****ARCHIVES OF ORAL BIOLOGY***** Homer KA Manji F Beighton D Inhibition of protease activities of periodontopathic bacteria by extracts of plants used in Kenya as chewing sticks (mswaki). In: Arch Oral Biol (1990) 35(6):421-4 ISSN: 0003-9969 Extracts from five plants used as chewing sticks, and tannic acid, gallic acid and methyl ester of gallic acid, were tested for their ability to inhibit proteolytic activities of three strains of Bacteroides gingivalis, three strains of Bacteroides intermedius and two strains of Treponema denticola. Aqueous extract from the plants Rhus natalensis and Euclea divinorum were the most inhibitory of those tested, inhibiting by 50% the proteolytic activity of the test organisms, at concentrations of up to 200 micrograms/ml. Tannic and gallic acids had similar effects at concentrations of less than 10 micrograms/ml, while the methyl ester of gallic acid was less inhibitory. These findings suggest that extracts from plants used as chewing sticks may possess enough inhibitory components to interfere with the virulence and growth of periodontopathic bacteria in vivo, provided they are able to gain access to the subgingival sites such bacteria preferentially inhabit. Registry Numbers: EC 3.4 (Peptide Hydrolases) 149-91-7 (Gallic Acid) 99-24-1 (methyl gallate) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****CONTACT DERMATITIS***** Sasseville D Nguyen KH Allergic contact dermatitis from Rhus toxicodendron in a phytotherapeutic preparation. In: Contact Dermatitis (1995 Mar) 32(3):182-3 ISSN: 0105-1873 [No Abstract Available] Registry Numbers: 53237-59-5 (urushiol) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY***** Homer KA Manji F Beighton D Inhibition of peptidase and glycosidase activities of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides intermedius and Treponema denticola by plant extracts. In: J Clin Periodontol (1992 May) 19(5):305-10 ISSN: 0303-6979 Aqueous extracts from 5 plants used widely in Kenya as chewing sticks (mswaki) for the control of oral hygiene were tested for their ability to inhibit extracellular peptidase and glycosidase enzyme activities produced by the periodontopathic bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis (formerly Bacteroides gingivalis), Bacteroides intermedius and Treponema denticola. The plants studied were Rhus natalensis, Cupressus hisitanica, Sida cordifolia, Olea africana and Euclea divinorum. Protease activities, including glycylprolyl dipeptidase and trypsin-like activities of P. gingivalis, chymotrypsin-like and glycylprolyl dipeptidase activities of B. intermedius and the trypsin- like activity of T. denticola, were particularly affected by extracts from Rhus natalensis and Euclea divinorum. Glycosidase activities were generally less affected with the notable exceptions of the inhibition of beta-mannosidase activity of P. gingivalis by all extracts and the inhibition of neuraminidase activity of T. denticola by Rhus natalensis and Euclea divinorum. Generally, these same proteolytic and glycosidic activities were inhibited by tannic acid and to lesser extents by gallic acid and gallic acid methyl ester. An inhibitory component, present in all extracts, exhibited physical and chemical properties identical to those of tannic acid. The inhibition of these enzyme activities is likely to reduce the virulence of these periodontophathic bacteria and to reduce the rate of dental plaque formation. Registry Numbers: EC 3.2.1. (Glycoside Hydrolases) EC 3.4.21 (Serine Proteinases) 149-91-7 (Gallic Acid) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY AND ONCOLOGY***** Novick NL Bosniak SL The failure of immunotherapy with dinitrochlorobenzene and Rhus extract for recurrent conjunctival squamous papillomas. In: J Dermatol Surg Oncol (1986 Jun) 12(6):602-5 ISSN: 0148-0812 A 25-year-old white male is described who presented with recurrent conjunctival squamous papillomata. Despite prior reports of successful dinitrochlorobenzene use for tropical immunotherapy, its failure in our patient, and the first documented attempt to employ Rhus oleoresin (poison ivy/oak) extract for topical conjunctival immunotherapy is reported. The role of topical immunotherapy in treating recurrent conjunctival papillomas is discussed. Registry Numbers: 97-00-7 (Dinitrochlorobenzene) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY***** McCutcheon AR Ellis SM Hancock RE Towers GH Antifungal screening of medicinal plants of British Columbian native peoples. In: J Ethnopharmacol (1994 Dec) 44(3):157-69 ISSN: 0378-8741 One hundred methanolic plant extracts were screened for antifungal activity against 9 fungal species. Eighty-one were found to have some antifungal activity and 30 extracts showed activity against 4 or more of the fungi assayed. The extracts with the greatest fungal inhibition were prepared from Alnus rubra catkins, Artemisia ludoviciana aerial parts, Artemisia tridentata aerial parts, Geum macrophyllum roots, Mahonia aquifolium roots and Moneses uniflora aerial parts. In addition to these, extracts prepared from the following plants also exhibited antifungal activity against all 9 fungi: Asarum caudatum whole plant, Balsamorhiza sagittata roots, Empetrum nigrum branches, Fragaria chiloensis leaves, Gilia aggregata aerial parts and roots, Glehnia littoralis roots, Heracleum lanatum roots, Heuchera cylindrica roots and Rhus glabra branches. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Saxena G McCutcheon AR Farmer S Towers GH Hancock RE Antimicrobial constituents of Rhus glabra. In: J Ethnopharmacol (1994 Apr) 42(2):95-9 ISSN: 0378-8741 The antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract and isolated constituents of Rhus glabra (Anacardiaceae), a species used in folk medicine by North American native people, was evaluated against 11 microorganisms, including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The extract was subsequently fractionated and monitored by bioassays leading to the isolation of three antibacterial compounds, the methyl ester of 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (methyl gallate) (minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) 12.5 micrograms/ml), 4-methoxy-3,5- dihydroxybenzoic acid (MIC 25 micrograms/ml) and gallic acid (MIC > 1000 micrograms/ml). The first two compounds are reported here for the first time from Rhus glabra. Their structures were established using spectroscopic and chemical methods. Registry Numbers: 149-91-7 (Gallic Acid) 4319-02-2 (3,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid) 99-24-1 (methyl gallate) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ McCutcheon AR Ellis SM Hancock RE Towers GH Antibiotic screening of medicinal plants of the British Columbian native peoples. In: J Ethnopharmacol (1992 Oct) 37(3):213-23 ISSN: 0378-8741 One hundred methanolic plant extracts, 96 of which had documented medicinal uses by British Columbian native peoples, were screened for antibiotic activity against 11 bacterial strains. Eighty-five percent were found to have significant antibiotic activity against at least two of the bacteria tested. Ninety-five percent of the plants categorized as potential antibiotics based on their ethnobotanical usage were found to exhibit significant antibiotic activity. Seventy- five were found to be active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 46 were active against an antibiotic supersusceptible strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 18 of these were also active against a wild type strain. The extracts with the broadest spectra of activity were prepared from: Alnus rubra bark and catkins, Fragaria chiloensis leaves, Moneses uniflora aerial parts, and Rhus glabra branches. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ *****PLANTA MEDICA***** Kuo SC Teng CM Lee LG Chiu TH Wu TS Huang SC Wu JB Shieh TY Chang RJ Chou TC 6-Pentadecylsalicylic acid: an antithrombin component isolated from the stem of Rhus semialata var. roxburghii. In: Planta Med (1991 Jun) 57(3):247-9 ISSN: 0032-0943 Bioassay-directed fractionation of the n-hexane extract of the stem of Rhus semialata Murr. var. roxburghii DC (Anacardiaceae) has led to the isolation of 6-pentadecylsalicylic acid. It showed antithrombin activity at 50 micrograms/ml in the amidolytic method. It also prolonged the clotting time in a dose-dependent manner in the clotting assay of thrombin-fibrinogen interaction. Registry Numbers: 16611-84-0 (6-pentadecylsalicylic acid) €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€