Antimicrobial and Other Biomedical Properties of Extracts from Plantago major, Plantaginaceae.

Since ancient times, many scientists and doctors have used various herbs to treat diseases. Conventional drugs often have side effects, and pathogens are becoming resistant to these types of drugs. In such circumstances, the study of traditional medicinal plants is an effective and logical strategy for finding new herbal medicines. One such herb is Plantago major, a perennial plant in the Plantaginaceae family that is found throughout the world. The Plantago major plant has been used as a medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Studies have shown that plant extracts of Plantago major exhibit antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects, and have wound-healing properties. This review collects and presents the results of various studies of Plantago major plant extracts with antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties, which demonstrate a wide range of therapeutic possibilities of Plantago major plant extracts and have a huge potential for use as a medicinal raw material.

Investigation of CO2 Extract of Portulaca oleracea for Antioxidant Activity from Raw Material Cultivated in Kazakhstan.

Medicinal plants remain as an important resource in the fight against many diseases, especially in developing countries. Antioxidants are substances capable of delaying, retarding, and preventing the oxidation of lipids or substances that delay or prevent free radical reactions during lipid oxidation. Natural antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, tocopherol, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids are a safe alternative to chemical antioxidants. In present work, results of antioxidant activity of raw materials from the cultivated plant Portulaca oleracea are presented. The extraction time was optimized to 780 minutes; the yield of extractive substances was 1.25% in the production of CO2 extract under subcritical conditions. For the first time, the antioxidant activity of Portulaca oleracea CO2 extract was determined by the amperometric method. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) chemical analysis of Portulaca oleracea CO2 extract dissolved in hexane revealed 37 components, including a complex mixture of aldehydes, alkanes, alkenes, esters, diterpenes, steroids, vitamin E, and carbohydrates. The investigation results showed that the Portulaca oleracea CO2 extract was promising for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries and had great potential for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by oxidative stress.

Component Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of CO2 Extract of Portulaca oleracea, Growing in the Territory of Kazakhstan.

In the medicine of many countries, the use of herbal healing agents included a significant contribution to improving human health and well-being. Many antibiotics have been widely used to treat infectious diseases caused by various pathogenic bacteria. However, increased multidrug resistance has led to increased severity of diseases caused by bacterial pathogens. Bacteria remain the main causative agents of diseases that cause human death, even in the present day. This cause prompted scientists to investigate alternative new molecules against bacterial strains. The significant interest for the study is Portulaca oleracea L. (family Portulacaceae), a widespread annual plant used in folk medicine. Thus, the production and study of CO2 extract of Portulaca oleracea is an actual problem. Methods. Raw materials were collected from Almaty and Zhambyl regions (Southeast and South Kazakhstan) in phase flowering. Portulaca oleracea herb's CO2 extract was obtained by subcritical carbon dioxide extraction (installation of carbon dioxide flow-through extraction- 5L). The Wiley 7th edition and NIST'02 library were used to identify the mass spectra obtained. The antimicrobial activity study was conducted by the micromethod of serial dilution and disco-diffuse method. Standard test strains of microorganisms were used: Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538-P, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739. Results. The use of carbon dioxide extraction (further CO2 extract) is a promising direction of obtaining total medicinal substances containing biologically active substances, from fractions of volatile esters of various composition and functional purpose until a fraction of fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. In the current study, we obtained CO2 extract at subcritical conditions from aboveground organs of Portulaca oleracea and investigated the component composition for the first time. From 41 to 66 components were identified in the composition of Portulaca oleracea's CO2 extract. Studies of antimicrobial activity showed that CO2 extract of Portulaca oleracea had the expressed effect against clinically significant microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans. Conclusions. This study showed that CO2 extract of Portulaca oleracea's raw material contained biological active compounds exhibiting a significant antimicrobial effect.