garlic
Differentiation of mouth versus gut as site of origin of odoriferous breath gases after garlic ingestion.

Suarez F, Springfield J, Furne J, Levitt M.

Research Department, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417, USA.

Utilizing the sulfur-containing gases of garlic as probes, we investigated the gut versus mouth origin of odoriferous breath gases. Five individuals ingested 6 g of garlic, and sulfur gases in mouth, alveolar air, and urine samples were measured. The mouth normally contained low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, and dimethyl sulfide. Immediately after garlic ingestion, transient high concentrations of methanethiol and allyl mercaptan and lesser concentrations of allyl methyl sulfide (AMS), allyl methyl disulfide, and allyl disulfide were observed. With the exception of AMS, all gases were present in far greater concentrations in mouth than alveolar air, indicating an oral origin. Only AMS was of gut origin as evidenced by similar partial pressures in mouth, alveolar air, and urine. After 3 h, AMS was the predominant breath sulfur gas. The unique derivation of AMS from the gut is attributable to the lack of gut and liver metabolism of this gas versus the rapid metabolism of the other gases. Breath odor after garlic ingestion initially originates from the mouth and subsequently from the gut.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9950816&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Inhibitory Effects of Heated Garlic on N-Ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced Carcinogenesis in the Duodenum and Jejunum of C57BL/6 Mice.

Shimpo K, Chihara T, Kaneko T, Shinzato M, Beppu H, Hoshino M, Ida C, Shamoto M, Kuzuya H.

Fujita Memorial Institute of Pharmacognosy, Fujita Health University, Hisai, Mie 514-1296, Japan. shimpo fujita-hu.ac.jp

We examined the modifying effects of heated garlic (Allium sativum L.) on N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG)-induced duodenal and jejunal carcinogenesis in mice. Heated garlic powder used in this study was prepared as follows: unpeeled garlic bulbs were blanched in boiling water for 6 min, and then peeled, the cloves being crushed, homogenized, and finally freeze-dried. The garlic powder had almost undetectable alliinase activity and was rich in alliin (the main sulfur compound of heated garlic; 22.1 &mgr;/g dry weight). Male C57BL/6 mice were given ENNG (100 &mgr;/l) in drinking water for the first 4 weeks, and then basal diet (Group 1), or 10% (Group 2), 3% (Group 3) or 1% (Group 4) heated garlic in the diet for 30 weeks. At the termination of the experiment, the incidences of duodenal tumors in Groups 1-3 were significantly lower than those in Group 1, and the multiplicities in Group 2 were significantly lower than those in Group 1. Additionally, the incidences and/or multiplicities of the jejunal tumors in Groups 2 and 4 were also significantly lower than those in Group 1. In this study, we also examined changes in erythrocyte polyamine levels. Values for Group 1 were significantly greater than those in the control group, and this elevation in Group 1 were significantly inhibited by dietary heated garlic (10% in the diet; Group 2). These results indicated that the post-initiation-stage feeding of heated garlic, especially at 10% in the diet, inhibits ENNG-induced duodenal and jejunal carcinogenesis in mice.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12716292&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
[The characteristics of the antibacterial activity of garlic (author's transl)]

[Article in Japanese]

Uchida Y, Takahashi T, Sato N.

It has been found by Cavallito (1944) that garlic (Allium sativum L.) has a strong antibacterial activity and the active principle of garlic is named "Allicin" and it has been confirmed by Stoll et al. (1948) that the allicin is derived from the alliin-alliinase system. Nevertheless, one worker in Japan (1951) stands on another view point which the effective component of garlic is some sugar-proteim because he could not find alliin in the native garlic. We intend to make sure that the alliin is contained in the native garlic, by using Hitachi Amino acid Analyser with Fraction Collecter and compared with garlic of other countrys' production. As the result of examinations, we found that the good amounts of alliin is contained in the native garlic also. The contents of alliin in garlic is varied by the species, the cultivation mode, and the district of production. The form of alliin in the tissue is a free style, and thereupon it is easy to change its chemical conformation by the method of extraction. We compared the relative capacity between 1 allicin unit by Klein (1954) and 1 cup unit by Schmidt et al. (1947). Furthermore we tested the antibiotic spectrum, using the pure crystallized alliin with the sufficient amount of raw alliinase gained by the isoelectric point precipitation and checked upon wide spectrum for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Gram-positive and negative bacteria, and some fungi.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1099271&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
The protective action of essential oils of onion and garlic in cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Bordia A, Arora SK, Kothari LK, Jain KC, Rathore BS, Rathore AS, Dube MK, Bhu N.

The effects of the essential oils of onion and garlic have been investigated in cholesterol-fed rabbits and have been compared with the effects of clofibrate. The marked rise in serum cholesterol and blood coagulability that followed 3 months of cholesterol feeding (0.2 g/kg/day) was significantly reduced by the essential oils of both onion and garlic. Fibrinolytic activity was actually increased even above the normal control levels. The essential oils of onion and garlic (equivalent to 1 g/kg/day of raw bulbs) proved more effective than clofibrate in the usual clinical dose of 33 mg/kg/day. Garlic was even more effective than onion. Cholesterol feeding increased the average lipid content of aorta from 5.95 to 13.75 mg/100 mg dry weight. With addition of clofibrate, onion or garlic the values were 7.79, 6.23 and 5.28 mg/100 ml, respectively. Thus it can be seen that the essential oils effectively prevent lipid acculation in the rabbit oarta.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1156467&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Adjuvant action of garlic sugar solution in animals immunized with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells attenuated with allicin.

Nakata T, Fujiwara M.

Ethanol-insoluble components were extracted from fresh garlic with 0.9% NaCl solution containing streptomycin and penicillin. This extract, containing approximately 10% sugar, 0.3% nitrogen, and 0.4% ash, was termed garlic sugar solution. This garlic sugar solution (Medium 1) was used as the suspending medium for Ehrlich ascites tumor cells attenuated with allicin, the main principle of garlic, and 0.9% NaCl solution containing streptomycin and penicillin (Medium 2) was also used as the suspending medium. Mice of DDD strain were immunized with the attenuated tumor cells suspended in Medium 1 or 2. After immunization, the immunized and control mice were challenged intraperitoneally with viable Ehrlich ascites tumorcells. Animals immunized with the attenuated tumor cells suspended in Medium 1 acquired significantly stronger resistance against the tumor cells than animals immunized with those suspended in Medium 2.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1183776&dopt=Abstract garlic