Polyurethanes, mainly synthesized by addition reactions of polyols with diisocyanates, have been considered as the most widely used polymers in various industries due to the variety of raw materials, synthetic methods and properties. The high demand, the significant share of the world market and the abundant use of this category of polymers have involved the major consumption of petroleum-based polyols and diisocyanates. Nonetheless, environmental challenges and the crude oil crisis have led to greater interest in renewable resources and systems based on green chemistry. Today, with the synthesis of waterborne polyurethanes) WPUs) and the use of water as a safe solvent, the release of volatile organic compounds and the production of solvent-based systems have been prevented to a considerable extent. The non-toxicity, non-flammability, environmentally friendly, and the wide applications of WPUs in plastics, paints, adhesives, printing ink and biomaterials are among the reasons for further development of these water-based systems. Because there are only a few commercially available diisocyanates in the synthesis of WPUs, it is the choice of polyol which may determine the WPUs properties. The most convenient renewable raw materials are natural oils, polysaccharides, wood and proteins, and vegetable oils which are the most beneficial options and have been widely studied. Today bio-polyols obtained from different vegetable oils have become vital in the synthesis of WPUs. However, castor oil has attracted special attention, as an excellent substitute for petroleum-based polyols and has been used in polyurethane compounds due to its availability, biodegradability and inherent hydroxyl groups. Considering the importance of bio-polyols and their role in the development of vegetable oil-based WPUs, in this article, while briefly introducing WPUs and their synthetic methods, the properties of WPUs based on castor oil, as the only natural polyol, are reviewed. Some green approaches to acquire a clear picture of the current and potential future applications of WPUs based bio-polyols in various fields are introduced.

Background: Considering high complications of labor induction with drugs, finding an easy, inexpensive, confident method for induction of labor is important. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of castor oil on initiation of labor in pregnancies after 40 weeks in Shabihkhani Hospital in Kashan during 2004-2006.Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 200 women after their 40 weeks of pregnancy. Women were divided to two groups (100 women in case group and 100 women in control group). The case group took 60 ml castor oil while control group didn’t take any treatment. The two groups were compared for onset of labor in 24 hours, time of onset of labor, delivery time and method and Apgar score of their newborns by X2, CI, OR and t-tests.Results: Labor was induced in 70% of women in the case group versus 12% in the control group during 24 hours (p<0.001, OR=17.11, CI=8.17-35.84) and vaginal delivery happened in 28% of women in the case and 1% of women in the control group (p<0.001. OR=29.5. CI=5.86-226.4). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the method of delivery and newborns Apgar score.Conclusion: The use of castor oil can induce labor in pregnant women after 40 weeks without any increase in the complications of pregnancy including caesarean section, and drop in Apgar score. To confirm findings, it is recommended to perform further clinical randomized studies.

An electroactive polyurethane coating was prepared through ring opening reaction of epoxy-terminated castor oil-based polyurethane prepolymers with an appropriate amount of an amine-terminated aniline trimer oligomer (AT). A non-electroactive polyurethane coating was prepared by replacing AT with 1, 6-hexamethylene diamine (HDA) as a curing agent. The chemical structure of prepared coatings was fully characterized by a conventional spectroscopic method and their physicochemical properties including chemical resistance, hardness and adhesion strength were also evaluated. The electroactivity behavior of the prepared coatings was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry technique. The corrosion protection properties of electroactive and non-electroactive coatings (MS) were both measured by Tafel polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). According to the Tafel result, a considerable reduction in corrosion current (Icorr) and a more positive shift in corrosion potential (Ecorr) were detected for electroactive polyurethane-coated MS in comparison to those for bare and as well as non-electroactive polyurethane-coated MS. The EIS result indicated higher pore resistance (Rp) and consequently higher corrosion protection for electroactive coating in comparison to non-electroactive polyurethane-coated MS. The higher chemical resistance, hardness, and adhesion strength were recorded for electroactive polyurethane coating. Based on recorded data, it was revealed that the prepared electroactive polyurethane coatings not only could prevent the intrusion of corrosion spices onto the metal surface like a hydrophobic polymer coating, but also could enhance corrosion protection efficiency through redox reactions of their oligoaniline moieties with the metal surface.

Castor oil was first noted to have oxytocic properties by ancient Egyptians. Derived from the castor plant Ricinus communis, castor oil may possess properties that are useful are in post-term pregnancies This study was performed at Khatam-Alanbia, hospital in shoushtar city in 1381.In this clinical trail 80 pregnant women, who had indication for induction of labor at term were randomly assigned to the study group (n=40), a single oral dose of castor oil, or assigned to a no treatment group (n=40).The castor oil was administered as a 60 ml dose diluted in orange juice.Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancies with vertex presentation, intact membranes, and gestational age 40-42! week, Bishop Score of 4 or less, no evidence of regular uterine contractions and Gravity 1-2 Exclusion criteria were placenta previa, previous cesarean section or hystratomy, and maternal medical complications. All patients were observed for labor onset or 12 hours after castor oil administration. It labor was not occurred during this time, the patients were transferred to unit for oxytocine stimulation.The 2 groups of women did not differ in maternal age, parity, or gestational age. This study was performed at Khatam-Alanbia, hospital in shoushtar city in 1381. In this clinical trail 80 pregnant women, who had indication for induction of labor at term were randomly assigned to the study group (n=40), a single oral dose of castor oil, or assigned to a no treatment group (n=40). The castor oil was administered as a 60 ml dose diluted in orange juice. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancies with vertex presentation, intact membranes, and gestational age 40-42! week, Bishop Score of 4 or less, no evidence of regular uterine contractions and Gravity 1-2 Exclusion criteria were placenta previa, previous cesarean section or hystratomy, and maternal medical complications. All patients were observed for labor onset or 12 hours after castor oil administration. It labor was not occurred during this time, the patients were transferred to unit for oxytocine stimulation. The 2 group of women did not differ in maternal age, parity, or gestational age. Following the administration of castor oil, 25 of the 40 woman (62.5%) began active labor compared to 3 of the 40 woman (7.5%) receiving no treatment (p<0.001). There was a significant difference in the induction-active phase interval between two groups. (p=0.004). There was a significant difference in the mean change in Bishop Score between two groups (p<0.001). There was a significant difference in the success of induction for labor rate between two groups. (p=0.007). Woman who receive castor oil have an increased likelihood of initiation of labor with in 12 hours compared to woman who receive no treatment.

Background and purpose: Currently different pharmaceutical, of, and surgical, techniques are used for cervical ripening. Castor oil, one of the herbal preparations is also widely used for this purpose but few studies have been reported on its efficacy and safety. Therefore this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of castor oil on cervical ripening.Methods and Materials: This research is a randomized control clinical trial and the study population were all term pregnant women admitted to selected health clinics in Mashad, Iran in 2003 (1382). The study involved 47 pregnant women with gestational age of 40 to 42 weeks, without regular uterine contractions, with Bishop Score of 4 or less, and with no clinical or obstetric complications. The subjects were first selected purposively and then assigned into two control and experimental groups by random allocation. The experimental group received 60cc castor oil while the control group received no intervention. Both groups were followed up for 24 hours for cervical ripening. For data collection, checklists were used for interviews, observation, examination, and fetal movements were recorded. Data analysis was done using chi-quare, Fisher’s test and independent Hest.Results: At the outset, no significant difference was observed in the two groups Bishop score but a significant increase was observed in the Bishop score of the experimental group. A significant increase was seen in the labor initiation ratio of the experimental group but no significant differences were observed between the two groups in their mean Apgar scores and delivery method.Conclusion: According to the finding, the application of 60cc castor oil can assist cervical ripening.

Castor plant (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the most important medicinal plants which are used in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and hygienic industries of many developed countries. The versatile application of castor oil in different industry and recently in food industry has led to much research being done on castor oil. The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of climatic factors on oil content, physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of medicinal castor oil in Azerbaijan region to add on performance of this valuable medicinal plant. Oil extraction yield in the analyzed samples were 35-51%. The results on other physicochemical properties were as follow refractive index (1.404-1.421), chlorophyll content (0.16-0.39 mg pheophytin/kg Oil), acid value (0.29-0.6 mg NaOH/g Oil), peroxide value (below 1), saponification value (167-178 mg KOH/g Oil) and iodine value (75-85 g I2/100 g Oil). In this research, fatty acids of extracted oils were determined by GC. Among determined fatty acids, ricin oleic acid (85.7-88.9%) had the highest level, followed by oleic acid (3.9-4.2%) and linoleic acid (2.2-4.1%) which was related to differences of region climatic factors. The results revealed that climatic factors can be effective on the oil content, physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of castor oil.

Background: Ricinus communis L, commonly known as the castor oil plant, is a valuable traditional medicine that has been used for thousands of years around the world. The plant contains a diverse range of phytochemicals with various medicinal properties, including anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, central analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-viral, and wound healing activities. Its many beneficial compounds make it a valuable natural remedy for numerous health conditions. Objectives: The present study investigated the preventive effect of castor oil on malathion-induced Parkinson's disease (PD)-like behaviors in rats. Methods: Rats were divided into 8 groups: Control (normal saline), malathion (100 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneal injection (IP)), castor oil (0. 05, 0. 1, or 0. 5 mL/kg/day, orally) plus malathion, levodopa (10 mg/kg/day, IP) plus malathion, castor oil (0. 5 mg/kg/day, orally), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) (vehicle of levodopa) groups. All treatments were administered for 28 days, after which neurobehavioral tests such as open field, rotarod, and catalepsy were performed. The activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in serum and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and interleukin (IL)-6 in the striatum were measured at the end of the treatment period to assess the potential effects of castor oil. Results: The finding of this study indicated that malathion-induced neurobehavioral toxicity was together with the increase of MDA, TNFα, and IL-6 levels, a decrease of GSH, and AChE activity that was reversed by treatment with castor oil. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that castor oil may have potential therapeutic effects for PD by improving antioxidant status and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, which are both factors that can contribute to the toxicity of pesticides like malathion. However, more research is needed to fully understand the potential protective effects of castor oil in this context.