Student Researchers' Society Topics

Co-supervisor: Dr. HORVÁTH, Györgyi

Co-supervisor: Dr. FARKAS, Ágnes

Bacterial biofilms are complex structures, which contribute significantly to the development of antibiotics resistance. The antibacterial activity of honey has already been proven, however, less research was done regarding honey’s inhibitory effect on bacterial biofilms.

The student researcher will study the inhibition of biofilms by various unifloral honeys, compare the activity of different honey types, and explore the mechanisms responsible for the inhibitory effect. Using in vitro microbiological methods, the student will examine the membrane degradation effect and anti-quorum-sensing activity of honeys, as well as monitor the temporal changes of honey’s efficiency with time-kill studies.

Co-supervisor: NAGY-RADVÁNYI, Lilla

Honey is applied both in traditional and official healing practices. However, the medicinal value of different types of honeys may vary to a large degree. The student researcher will analyze the antioxidant and/or antimicrobial activity of unifloral honeys in various in vitro test systems, as well as to compare the biological activity of honeys of different botanical origin.
 

Ethnobotany deals with the traditional knowledge and use of the medicinal plants in isolated regions. Several areas are not provided by permanent medical service or pharmacy, therefore rural people have to know and collect the plants from their environment in their everyday life. The study includes field work to collect these data by interviews, to find new taxa or drug parts for further laboratory (histological and phytochemical) analyses. These studies are of primary importance in the search for new indications and use of some plants, which are currently not supported by scientific evidence.

Co-supervisor: Dr. CSIKÓS, Eszter

Bitter cola (Garcinia kola) is an important medicinal plant widely used across West African countries. Its seeds and leaves are used in folk medicine, many herbal formulations and have potential therapeutic benefits due to the activity of various bioactive compounds. The aim of this work is to collect all relevant information known about the species from scientific literature and to indicate the most interesting research that would be necessary to perform. The study may serve as a potential base for further research on G. kola. 

Co-supervisor: Dr. PAPP, Nóra

Histological features can play an essential role in correct identification of medicinal plants and their drug parts. This research will focus on the histological characters of vegetative or generative plant parts, investigated by various microtechniques, including the proper collection and storage of selected plant samples, the preparation of leaf surface casts and sections, as well as mounting and dyeing preparations. The preparations will be studied with light microscopy, and their histological data will be analyzed by different softwares.

The use of medicinal herbs and medicinal preparations has a long tradition in Hungary, and they are currently widely known and applied in everyday life for different purposes. However, the use of some herbs during pregnancy can have harmful effects and, in larger doses, can lead to abortion. The aim of our work is to collect data on the harmful effects of wild herbs that are native to Hungary and on the contraindications of herbal preparations.

Co-supervisor: Dr. HORVÁTH, Györgyi

Co-supervisor: Dr. HELYES, Zsuzsanna

Today more and more people are affected by respiratory infections and inflammations. In these cases essential oils are used by inhalation, but this application is mainly based on ethnomedicinal experiences. Therefore the investigation of the anti-inflammatory effect of essential oils is required, which is one of the most important fields of drug development and pharmacy. The investigation will focus on the respiratory anti-inflammatory activity of essential oils in animal model (mice) and the student can learn several pharmacological methods. The student’s work will be organized at the Department of Pharmacognosy and the Institute of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy.

Co-supervisor: Dr. BALÁZS, Viktória Lilla

We are surrounded by a variety of poisonous plant species, which can cause mild to severe intoxications when different plant parts or extracts enter the body. In most cases the active compounds of toxicologically important plant species are known, however, the concentration of these substances may vary as a function of plant organ, habitat or season. The research will focus on determining the toxicological importance of a selected poisonous plant species (based on case studies), and will include the phytochemical analysis of samples from various locations and time periods. Another option is the survey of poisonous plant species in a selected area (natural vegetation or residential area), highlighting their toxicological significance.

Co-supervisor: Dr. GULYÁS, Gergely

Curcumin is a hot topic in contemporary research, as it shows very interesting biological effects regarding its tumor disease related activities, beside being a well known antioxidant and radical scavenger. Carotenoids, on the other hand, are a traditional research focus in the Research Group for Carotenoids with long tradition at our university. The covalent coupling of the two mentioned molecular moieties might lead to the enhancement in the antioxidant effects and possible further advantageous synergistic interactions widening the spectra of the individual biological properties. To be able to examine this proposed combination, the organic synthesis of the conjugates is underway and provides the prospective student an insight into the organic synthesis methods in theory and in practice.