garlic
Protection of liver microsomal membranes from lipid peroxidation by garlic extract.

Horie T, Murayama T, Mishima T, Itoh F, Minamide Y, Fuwa T, Awazu S.

Garlic extract, the ethanol-soluble fraction of garlic, prevented formation of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances and fluorescent substances during lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes. Lipid peroxidation increased the fluorescence anisotropy of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene labelled to the microsomes while this increase was prevented by the garlic extract. It thus seems probable that the garlic extract serves to maintain membrane fluidity. These effects were dependent on its concentration and particularly prominent on exceeding a certain concentration of garlic extract. These results suggest its possible role of protecting the membranes from lipid peroxidation.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2616668&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Toxic effects of garlic extract and garlic oil in rats.

Joseph PK, Rao KR, Sundaresh CS.

Significant rise in urea and D-aspartate aminotransferase and inhibition of alkaline phosphatase in serum were observed in rats fed garlic extract (2 ml/100 g body wt, intragastrically) for 10 days. The liver showed histological changes. Garlic oil feeding (10 mg/100 g body wt, intragastrically) after 24 hr fasting was found lethal. The cause of death appears to be acute pulmonary oedema. On histological examination, all the organs of the dead rats revealed severe congestion. However, similar feeding of garlic oil was well tolerated by rats in the fed state. Also, 24 hr fasted rats could tolerate this dose of garlic oil, provided they were previously adapted to garlic oil feeding.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2620938&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Studies on the antimutagenic activities of garlic extract.

Knasmuller S, de Martin R, Domjan G, Szakmary A.

Institute of Experimental Cancer Research, University of Innsbruck, Austria.

Experiments with Salmonella tester strains indicated that aqueous garlic extract possesses antimutagenic properties toward ionizing radiation, peroxides, adriamycin, and N-methyl-N'-nitro-nitrosoguanidine. The assumption that radical scavenging garlic constituents, i.e., molecules with sulfur moieties, might be responsible for the inhibitory effect of aqueous extract toward mutagenesis induced by radiation and radiomimetic compounds was confirmed by the results of subsequent experiments; 1) garlic extract attenuated the lethal effects of gamma-rays on repair-deficient E. coli strains; 2) the garlic constituent allicin (thio-2-propene-1-sulfinic acid S-allyl ester) is partly responsible for the reduced radiation-induced mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TA 102. No such inhibitory effects were detected with alliin (S-allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide) or cysteine; 3) aqueous garlic extract inhibited hydrogen-peroxide-induced lipid peroxidation. Results obtained in preliminary experiments with Chinese hamster ovary cells suggest that the antimutagenic properties of garlic extract are not restricted to procaryotic cells.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2661224&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
[Growth of Clostridium botulinum in media with garlic (Allium sativum)]

[Article in Spanish]

Gimenez MA, Solanes RE, Gimenez DF.

Catedra de Microbiologia Agricola e Industrial, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.

The effect of garlic on the growth and toxin formation of Clostridium botulinum (GT) was studied in A) crude juice obtained from a pool of cloves by i) crushing, ii) pressing out and iii) filtration, and B) minced garlic (6 to 8 pieces per clove). For both, "white" and "red" garlic varieties were used. The juice (pH 5.7 to 6.0, for different batches) was activated 30 min at 37 degrees C and diluted (log 2) in PGY broth (g%: peptone (Difco) 1.0; glucose 0.5; yeast extract (Difco) 0.5; pH 7.3). A small drop from a 18 h at 37 degrees C chopped meat medium culture of a highly toxigenic autochthonous strain (110) of C. botulinum type A, was transferred to the juice dilutions, incubating anaerobically 15d at 37 degrees C. As a control of the inhibitory effect of the juice, four microorganisms were cultured 48 h at 37 degrees C in the juice dilutions (Table 1). Clove pieces were suspended to 50% (w/v) either in PGY broth or distilled water without pH adjustment. Aliquots were heated in water bath 15 min at 100 degrees C. After seeded with the A 110 strain, duplicate tubes and their controls were incubated 15 d at 37 degrees C in aerated and anaerobic conditions (Table 2). Titers of botulinum toxin were empirically estimated by the time to death of a pair of mice injected with 0.5 ml each, via IP, observed 72 h. Results are shown in tables 1 and 2. Garlic reduces (in undiluted juice, traces or 3 to 5 DL50/ml were recorded in separate experiments) but not inhibit GT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3051126&dopt=Abstract garlic



garlic
Evidence for the mechanism by which garlic inhibits platelet aggregation.

Srivastava KC.

Aqueous extract of garlic inhibited aggregation induced by ADP, collagen, arachidonate (AA), epinephrine and calcium ionophore A23187 in a dose-dependent manner. In an attempt to clarify the mechanism of inhibition of aggregation, metabolism of arachidonic acid in platelets was examined in the presence of garlic extract. It was found that: garlic reduced the formation of thromboxane from exogenous AA; garlic inhibited the phospholipase activity; garlic inhibited the formation of thromboxane and lipoxygenase products formed in platelets prelabelled with AA; and garlic inhibited the incorporation of arachidonate into platelet phospholipids. These effects may explain, in part, inhibition of platelet aggregation. Further, since garlic was also effective in inhibiting aggregation induced by calcium ionophore A23187 it may be suggested that the antiaggregation effect may be related to intraplatelet mobilization of calcium. Inhibition of epinephrine-induced aggregation by garlic extract may suggest that it may be inhibiting uptake of calcium into platelets thereby lowering cytosolic calcium concentrations. Thus garlic appears to be in possession of components which might exert their effects at various stages involved in the process of platelet aggregation.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3088604&dopt=Abstract garlic