Objective:To investigate the percutaneous penetration effect of essential oil of mint from Mentha haplocalyx Briq.on the complex active components in Chinese herbal external preparations,and assess its toxicity on the...Objective:To investigate the percutaneous penetration effect of essential oil of mint from Mentha haplocalyx Briq.on the complex active components in Chinese herbal external preparations,and assess its toxicity on the skin cells.Methods:The cytotoxicity of mint oil on HaCaT keratinocytes and CCC-ESF-1 fibroblasts was measured using an MTT assay.Five model drugs with a wide range of lipophilicity,namely osthole,tetramethylpyrazine,ferulic acid,puerarin,and geniposide,were tested using in vitro permeation studies to investigate the percutaneous penetration enhancement effect of mint oil.Secondary structure alterations of skin stratum corneum(SC)were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).Saturation solubilities and SC/vehicle partition coefficients of the five model drugs with and without mint oil were also determined to understand the potential mechanisms of the essential oil.Results:Half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)values of mint oil were significantly higher in HaCaT and CCC-ESF-1 cell lines than values in the well-established and standard penetration enhancer Azone.Conclusions:Mint oil at proper concentration could effectively facilitate percutaneous penetration of both lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs,and exhibit higher efficiency for moderate hydrophilic drugs.Mechanisms of penetration enhancement by mint oil could be explained with saturation solubility,SC/vehicle partition coefficient and the secondary structure change of SC.展开更多
This work is aimed at investigating regular mint (Mentha × villosa) drying behavior and assessing how the heterogeneous composition of plants affects their drying kinetics. Drying kinetics and sorption isotherms ...This work is aimed at investigating regular mint (Mentha × villosa) drying behavior and assessing how the heterogeneous composition of plants affects their drying kinetics. Drying kinetics and sorption isotherms were evaluated for whole branches and their fractions (leaves and stems). Stems and leaves were characterized by measurement of dimensions, apparent density and initial moisture content. The moisture sorption isotherms were obtained under temperatures of 30°C, 40°C and 50°C for branches, stems and leaves and the data were fitted to the GAB model. Mint branches and their fractions were oven dried at temperatures from 40°C to 70°C?and were obtained kinetic curves for each part. Water sorption patterns were similar for leaves and stems and the GAB model described well the sorption behavior of both materials. At a constant temperature, the drying rates were higher for leaves in comparison to stems and the differences increased as the temperature was raised. Therefore, depending on drying conditions, the moisture distribution in dried branches might be significantly different. Since the leaves constitute the major fraction in branches, the drying rates of branches were closer to those of leaves. The kinetic curves were fitted to a diffusion model based on an analytical solution of Fick’s second diffusion law and to an empirical model based on artificial neural network (ANN). The results showed that the model based on the ANN predicted the drying kinetics of the different parts better than the diffusive model. A single network was built to describe the kinetic behavior of branches and fractions in the whole range of temperatures investigated. The diffusive model based on fitting effective diffusivity did not provide good predictions of moisture content, probably because neither the dependence of effective diffusivity on the moisture content nor the heterogeneity and shrinking of static beds were considered.展开更多
The flow of foreign direct investment(FDI)into a country can benefit both the investing entity and host government.This study employed panel analysis to examine the factors that determine the direction of FDI to the f...The flow of foreign direct investment(FDI)into a country can benefit both the investing entity and host government.This study employed panel analysis to examine the factors that determine the direction of FDI to the fast-growing BRICS(Brazil,Russia,India,China,and South Africa)and MINT(Mexico,Indonesia,Nigeria,and Turkey)countries.First,we used a pooled time-series cross sectional analysis of data from 2001 to 2011 to estimate and model the determinants of FDI for three samples:BRICS only,MINT only,and BRICS and MINT combined.Then,a fixed effects approach was employed to provide the model for BRICS and MINT combined.The results demonstrate that market size,infrastructure availability,and trade openness play the most significant roles in attracting FDI to BRICS and MINT,while the roles of availability of natural resources and institutional quality are insignificant.To sustain and promote FDI inflow,the governments of BRICS and MINT must ensure that their countries remain attractive for investment by offering a level playing field for investors and political stability.BRICS and MINT governments also need to invest more in their human capital to ensure that their economies can absorb substantial skills and technology spillovers from FDI and promote sustainable long-term economic growth.This study is significant because it contributes to the literature on determinants of FDI by extending the scope of previous studies that often focused on BRICS only.展开更多
Mint is a medicinal and aromatic plant. It is very important for the pharmacopoeia, perfumes, confectionery and liquor industry. Some green mint leaves without rods are used as samples. Physical and mechanical propert...Mint is a medicinal and aromatic plant. It is very important for the pharmacopoeia, perfumes, confectionery and liquor industry. Some green mint leaves without rods are used as samples. Physical and mechanical properties of the sample such as the desorption isotherms, the density and volumetric withdrawal are determined. The kinetics of drying, where it follows the changes of the water content of the sample as a function of the drying time for the three temperatures 30, 40 and 50℃, is also presented and discussed.展开更多
A total of 280-day-old broilers （Ross 308） were randomly assigned to seven groups each containing for replicates with 10 chicks. The control group received the corn soybean meal based diet. In the treatment groups t...A total of 280-day-old broilers （Ross 308） were randomly assigned to seven groups each containing for replicates with 10 chicks. The control group received the corn soybean meal based diet. In the treatment groups the basal diet was supplemented with one of following 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% Thyme and Mint extracts. Triglyceride was significantly decreased by addition of 0.2% and 0.4% of Thyme extract （TE）. The TE supplemented diets contained significantly lower cholesterol concentration and low density lipoprotein compared to the control diet. High density lipoprotein content was not significantly affected by dietary treatments. Likewise, differences among groups were not significant for hematocrit and hemoglobin level. The addition of Mint extract （ME） to the broiler diet led to a significant reduction in the triglyceride, cholesterol concentration and LDL. Differences among groups were not significant for HDL, hematocrit, or hemoglobin level. The results showed that both of TE and ME supplementation significantly decreased plasma level of triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol were also numerically increased with the addition of both TE and ME.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81473365)the Innovative Research Team in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine(No.2011-CXTD-13).
文摘Objective:To investigate the percutaneous penetration effect of essential oil of mint from Mentha haplocalyx Briq.on the complex active components in Chinese herbal external preparations,and assess its toxicity on the skin cells.Methods:The cytotoxicity of mint oil on HaCaT keratinocytes and CCC-ESF-1 fibroblasts was measured using an MTT assay.Five model drugs with a wide range of lipophilicity,namely osthole,tetramethylpyrazine,ferulic acid,puerarin,and geniposide,were tested using in vitro permeation studies to investigate the percutaneous penetration enhancement effect of mint oil.Secondary structure alterations of skin stratum corneum(SC)were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).Saturation solubilities and SC/vehicle partition coefficients of the five model drugs with and without mint oil were also determined to understand the potential mechanisms of the essential oil.Results:Half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)values of mint oil were significantly higher in HaCaT and CCC-ESF-1 cell lines than values in the well-established and standard penetration enhancer Azone.Conclusions:Mint oil at proper concentration could effectively facilitate percutaneous penetration of both lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs,and exhibit higher efficiency for moderate hydrophilic drugs.Mechanisms of penetration enhancement by mint oil could be explained with saturation solubility,SC/vehicle partition coefficient and the secondary structure change of SC.
文摘This work is aimed at investigating regular mint (Mentha × villosa) drying behavior and assessing how the heterogeneous composition of plants affects their drying kinetics. Drying kinetics and sorption isotherms were evaluated for whole branches and their fractions (leaves and stems). Stems and leaves were characterized by measurement of dimensions, apparent density and initial moisture content. The moisture sorption isotherms were obtained under temperatures of 30°C, 40°C and 50°C for branches, stems and leaves and the data were fitted to the GAB model. Mint branches and their fractions were oven dried at temperatures from 40°C to 70°C?and were obtained kinetic curves for each part. Water sorption patterns were similar for leaves and stems and the GAB model described well the sorption behavior of both materials. At a constant temperature, the drying rates were higher for leaves in comparison to stems and the differences increased as the temperature was raised. Therefore, depending on drying conditions, the moisture distribution in dried branches might be significantly different. Since the leaves constitute the major fraction in branches, the drying rates of branches were closer to those of leaves. The kinetic curves were fitted to a diffusion model based on an analytical solution of Fick’s second diffusion law and to an empirical model based on artificial neural network (ANN). The results showed that the model based on the ANN predicted the drying kinetics of the different parts better than the diffusive model. A single network was built to describe the kinetic behavior of branches and fractions in the whole range of temperatures investigated. The diffusive model based on fitting effective diffusivity did not provide good predictions of moisture content, probably because neither the dependence of effective diffusivity on the moisture content nor the heterogeneity and shrinking of static beds were considered.
文摘The flow of foreign direct investment(FDI)into a country can benefit both the investing entity and host government.This study employed panel analysis to examine the factors that determine the direction of FDI to the fast-growing BRICS(Brazil,Russia,India,China,and South Africa)and MINT(Mexico,Indonesia,Nigeria,and Turkey)countries.First,we used a pooled time-series cross sectional analysis of data from 2001 to 2011 to estimate and model the determinants of FDI for three samples:BRICS only,MINT only,and BRICS and MINT combined.Then,a fixed effects approach was employed to provide the model for BRICS and MINT combined.The results demonstrate that market size,infrastructure availability,and trade openness play the most significant roles in attracting FDI to BRICS and MINT,while the roles of availability of natural resources and institutional quality are insignificant.To sustain and promote FDI inflow,the governments of BRICS and MINT must ensure that their countries remain attractive for investment by offering a level playing field for investors and political stability.BRICS and MINT governments also need to invest more in their human capital to ensure that their economies can absorb substantial skills and technology spillovers from FDI and promote sustainable long-term economic growth.This study is significant because it contributes to the literature on determinants of FDI by extending the scope of previous studies that often focused on BRICS only.
文摘Mint is a medicinal and aromatic plant. It is very important for the pharmacopoeia, perfumes, confectionery and liquor industry. Some green mint leaves without rods are used as samples. Physical and mechanical properties of the sample such as the desorption isotherms, the density and volumetric withdrawal are determined. The kinetics of drying, where it follows the changes of the water content of the sample as a function of the drying time for the three temperatures 30, 40 and 50℃, is also presented and discussed.
文摘A total of 280-day-old broilers （Ross 308） were randomly assigned to seven groups each containing for replicates with 10 chicks. The control group received the corn soybean meal based diet. In the treatment groups the basal diet was supplemented with one of following 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% Thyme and Mint extracts. Triglyceride was significantly decreased by addition of 0.2% and 0.4% of Thyme extract （TE）. The TE supplemented diets contained significantly lower cholesterol concentration and low density lipoprotein compared to the control diet. High density lipoprotein content was not significantly affected by dietary treatments. Likewise, differences among groups were not significant for hematocrit and hemoglobin level. The addition of Mint extract （ME） to the broiler diet led to a significant reduction in the triglyceride, cholesterol concentration and LDL. Differences among groups were not significant for HDL, hematocrit, or hemoglobin level. The results showed that both of TE and ME supplementation significantly decreased plasma level of triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol were also numerically increased with the addition of both TE and ME.
