Academic literature on the topic 'Marrubium Biological control'

The hepatoprotective activity of Marrubium vulgare against cyclophosphamide toxicity in Wistar rats was evaluated. Adult male rats were divided into 4 groups of 6 each: a control group, a group injected with cyclophosphamide (150 mg·kg−1) for 3 days, a group orally given a M. vulgare aqueous extract ((500 mg of dry leaves)·kg−1·day−1) for 30 days then treated with cyclophosphamide, and a group receiving only M. vulgare for 30 days. After 33 days of treatment, activities of alanine amino transferase (ALAT), aspartate amino transferase (ASAT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined in serum. Moreover, lipid peroxidation level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in liver. Alterations of these hepatic biomarkers and increased lipid peroxidation confirmed cyclophosphamide-induced liver toxicity. Cyclophosphamide also decreased the enzymatic defense system against oxidative stress. However, when this drug was administered in rats given M. vulgare extract, all the biological parameters underwent much less alteration. Administration of M. vulgare extract was found to be beneficial by attenuating cyclophosphamide-induced liver damage. The protective effect of the plant is mainly attributed to its antioxidant properties and the existence of phenolic acids and flavonoids, as highlighted by HPLC-based analysis.

Marrubium vulgare L. and Marrubium deserti de Noé have been widely used by the local population for wound healing and disinfection. The arial parts of both species were reported to relieve pain and inflammation. However, insufficient data in the literature supports the traditional use of these species. For this, the present study investigated the in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of methanolic extracts prepared from Marrubium vulgare L. and Marrubium deserti leaves in order to confirm their traditional use. The total phenolic and flavonoids content were also measured by Folin– Ciocalteu’s and aluminium chloride methods, respectively. And the anti-inflammatory activity was tested using several in vivo models including: xylene ear edema test, paw edema induced by carrageenan assay and anti-pleuritic test. The results showed that methanol extracts prepared from both species contain many secondary metabolites known for their interesting biological activities. Crude extracts had high levels of polyphenols (195 ± 0.06 mg GAE/g extract; 184 ± 0.78 mg GAE/mg of extract) and flavonoids (93.12 ± 0.17 mg QE/g extract; 28.48 ± 0.40 μg QE/mg of extract) for Marrubium vulgare and Marrubium deserti, respectively. The assessment of anti-inflammatory activity showed that the oral administration of MeOHE at a dose of 200 mg/kg to rats treated with carrageenan causes a significant decrease (87.3 ± 0.25%; 86.4%) of inflammation compared with standard diclofenac (positive control) which showed 85.52 ± 0.47% of protection. In the xylene ear edema test and antipleuretic assay, MeOHE showed significant antiinflammatory activity. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the species Marrubium vulgare and Marrubium deserti have potent in vivo anti-inflammatory effects and could constitute an important source of therapeutic agents. However, further biological investigations are required in order to elucidate their mechanisms of action.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-198) The horehound plume moth (Wheeleria spilodactylus Curits), an agent introduced to control the invasive weed horehound (Murrubium vulgare L.), was used as a model system to investigate factors believed to influence the successful establishment of an introduced natural enemy. Retrospectively tests the use of generic population viability analysis and decision making tools for determining optimal release strategies for the horehound plume moth in South Australia and to compare outcomes with the emprical data collected during the course of this project

Bibliography: leaves 244-262. Releases of classical biological control agents targeting weeds often fail to establish in the field. This thesis tested the importance of climate matching, predation, release technique, laboratory adaptation and inbreeding using two model systems; the bitou tip moth Comostolopsis germana, for the control of the weed Chrysanthemoides monilifera; and the plume moth Wheeleria spilodactylus for the control of horehound Marrubium vulgare. The hypothesis tested was that the moths failed to establish because they were poorly adapted to South Australia's Mediterranean climate. The bitou tip moth failed to establish primarily due to ant predation, but was also found to be poorly adapted to host plants suffering from moisture stress. A collection of imported French moths reared in the laboratory since 1992 were found to be suffering from inbreeding depression. Both Spanish and French moths imported in 1996 and 1997 performed well in the field, in contrast to predictions on climate matching on the basis of temperature and rainfall.ð -`

Bibliography: leaves 244-262.
262 leaves : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Releases of classical biological control agents targeting weeds often fail to establish in the field. This thesis tested the importance of climate matching, predation, release technique, laboratory adaptation and inbreeding using two model systems; the bitou tip moth Comostolopsis germana, for the control of the weed Chrysanthemoides monilifera; and the plume moth Wheeleria spilodactylus for the control of horehound Marrubium vulgare. The hypothesis tested was that the moths failed to establish because they were poorly adapted to South Australia's Mediterranean climate. The bitou tip moth failed to establish primarily due to ant predation, but was also found to be poorly adapted to host plants suffering from moisture stress. A collection of imported French moths reared in the laboratory since 1992 were found to be suffering from inbreeding depression. Both Spanish and French moths imported in 1996 and 1997 performed well in the field, in contrast to predictions on climate matching on the basis of temperature and rainfall.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied and Molecular Ecology, 2001