Germacrane-type sesquiterpenoids from the flowers of Chrysanthemum indicum with hepatoprotective activity.

Two new germacrane-type sesquiterpenoids, chrysanthemolides A (1) and B (2), and four known germacrane-type sesquiterpenoids, hanphyllin (3), 3ß-hydroxy-11α,13-dihydro-costunolide (4), costunolide (5), and 6,7-dimethylmethylene-4-aldehyde-1ß-hydroxy-10(15)-ene-(4Z)-dicyclodecylene (6), were isolated and identified from the flowers of Chrysanthemum indicum. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated via high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Meanwhile, all the isolates were tested for their hepatoprotective activity in tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) injured AML12 cells. Compounds 1, 2, and 4 showed significant protective effects at 40 µM, comparable with the positive control resveratrol at 10 µM. As the most potent one, compound 1 was chosen for further studies. Compound 1 dose-dependently increased the viability of t-BHP-injured AML12 cells. Furthermore, compound 1 decreased reactive oxygen species accumulation, while increased glutathione level, heme oxygenase-1 level and superoxide dismutase activity, through anchoring in the binding site of Kelch domain of the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) to promote the dissociation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 from Keap1 and translocation to nuclei. In summary, germacrane-type sesquiterpenoids from C. indicum might be further developed to protect liver against oxidative damage.

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Eugenia patrisii Vahl, E. punicifolia (Kunth) DC., and Myrcia tomentosa (Aubl.) DC., Leaf of Family Myrtaceae.

Essential oils (EOs) were extracted from Eugenia patrisii, E. punicifolia, and Myrcia tomentosa, specimens A and B, using hydrodistillation. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to identify the volatile constituents present, and the antioxidant capacity of EOs was determined using diphenylpicryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. For E. patrisii, germacrene D (20.03%), bicyclogermacrene (11.82%), and (E)-caryophyllene (11.04%) were identified as the major constituents of the EOs extracted from specimen A, whereas specimen B primarily comprised γ-elemene (25.89%), germacrene B (8.11%), and (E)-caryophyllene (10.76%). The EOs of E. punicifolia specimen A contained ß-Elemene (25.12%), (E)-caryophyllene (13.11%), and bicyclogermacrene (9.88%), while specimen B was composed of (E)-caryophyllene (11.47%), bicyclogermacrene (5.86%), ß-pinene (5.86%), and γ-muurolene (5.55%). The specimen A of M. tomentosa was characterized by γ-elemene (12.52%), germacrene D (11.45%), and (E)-caryophyllene (10.22%), while specimen B contained spathulenol (40.70%), α-zingiberene (9.58%), and γ-elemene (6.89%). Additionally, the chemical composition of the EOs was qualitatively and quantitatively affected by the collection period. Furthermore, the EOs of the studied specimens, especially specimen A of E. punicifolia, showed a greater antioxidant activity in DPPH rather than TEAC, as represented by a significantly high inhibition percentage (408.0%).

Chemical composition and biological activities of an essential oil from the aerial parts of Artemisia Gmelinii weber ex Stechm.

The aerial parts of Artemisia gmelinii Weber ex Stechm were collected from the northeast of China. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC-MS. A set of 66 compounds were identified representing 99.1% of the oil composition. The major compounds in the oil were cyclobutaneethanol, endo-borneol, germacrene D, eucalyptol, selin-6-en-4α-ol, bisabolone oxide A, caryophyllene and terpinen-4-ol. Moreover, the essential oil was evaluated for its antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticholinesterase activities in vitro. Additionally, the antioxidant potential of the oil was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS assays. The oil showed good antidiabetic activity with an IC50 of 63.2 µg/mL, which was similar to that of the positive control acarbose, and weak anticholinesterase activities. These findings demonstrated that the essential oil of Artemisia gmelinii may be a good natural antidiabetic.

Mutagenic and cytostatic activities of the Xylopia laevigata essential oil in human lymphocytes.

Hydro-distilled essential oil from leaves of Xylopia laevigata was characterized by GC-MS. Twenty-seven components were identified and the oil's major constituents comprised germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, (E)-caryophyllene and germacrene B. The cytotoxicity of the essential oil of X. laevigata (EOXL), determined by MTT and mitotic index methods in cultured human lymphocytes was observed in all tested concentrations. Cultures treated with EOXL demonstrated significant increase in the frequencies of micronuclei in the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay (CBMN) and reduction of the cytokinesis-block proliferation index (CBPI) rates. Results demonstrated the cytostatic and mutagenic effects of EOXL, the latter for the first time.

Chemical investigation and biological activities of the essential oil of Knema kunstleri Warb. from Malaysia.

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Knema kunstleri Warb. (Myristicaceae) was investigated for the first time. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and fully characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, 36 components were identified in the essential oil, which made up 91.7% of the total oil. The essential oil is composed mainly of ß-caryophyllene (23.2%), bicyclogermacrene (9.6%), δ-cadinene (7.3%), α-humulene (5.7%), and germacrene D (4.3%). The essential oil showed moderate activity towards DPPH free-radical scavenging and lipoxygenase inhibition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the composition and bioactivities of the essential oil report concerning the genus Knema.

Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) characterization and evaluation of antibacterial bioactivities of the essential oils from Piper arboreum Aubl., Piper aduncum L. e Piper gaudichaudianum Kunth.

The objective of this study was to determine the chemical profile and to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the essential oils of Piper species and modulation of the antibiotic activity, using the microdilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration. The chemical components were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, which revealed ß-copaen-4-α-ol (31.38%), spathulenol (25.92%), and germacrene B (21.53%) as major constituents of the essential oils of Piper arboreum, Piper aduncum, and Piper gaudichaudianum, respectively. The essential oils analyzed in this study did not present a clinically relevant activity against standard and multiresistant Escherichia coli. However, in the case of multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus, there was a significant activity, corroborating with reports in the literature, where Gram-positive bacteria are more susceptible to antimicrobial activity. The essential oils modulated the effect of the antibiotics norfloxacin and gentamicin, having on the latter greater modulating effect; however, for erythromycin, no statistically significant effect was observed. In conclusion, the results obtained in this study demonstrated that the essential oils of the analyzed Piper species present an inhibitory effect against S. aureus and modulate antibiotic activity, most of which presents synergistic activity.

Essential Oil Variation within Warburgia salutaris-A Coveted Ethnomedicinal Aromatic Tree.

Warburgia salutaris, known as 'Pepper bark', is an ethnomedicinally important tree found in the southern regions of Africa. A total of 75 fresh leaf specimens of W. salutaris (n=40 wild and 35 cultivated) were collected from the Limpopo (wild) and KwaZulu-Natal provinces (cultivated), two distinct locations in South Africa. In this study, the leaf essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation were characterized using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection (GC/MS/FID). More than 15 compounds, accounting for 90-99 % of the total oil composition were identified. The analysis revealed that myrcene (0.6-65.3 %), (E)-ß-ocimene (nd-56.9 %), (Z)-ß-ocimene (nd-19.1 %), α-pinene (nd-19.1 %) and limonene (nd-11.7 %) are major constituents of W. salutaris essential oils. Chemometric analysis revealed two major chemotypes within the essential oils with a modeled variation of approximately 60 %. Linalool and germacrene D were revealed as markers associated with the wild-harvested oils, while cultivated oils were distinguished by higher levels of limonene and α-humulene. The intra-population variation indicated two chemically distinct chemotypes from three different populations, however, the season of harvest did not have a direct influence on the chemical profiles of the essential oils.

Sesquiterpenes rich essential oil from Garcinia celebica L. and its cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities.

Garcinia celebica L., locally known as "manggis hutan" in Malaysia is widely used in folkloric medicine to treat various diseases. The present study was aimed to examine the chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves of G. celebica L. (EO-GC) and its cytotoxic and antimicrobial potential. EO-GC obtained by hydrodistillation was analysed using capillary GC and GC-MS. Twenty-two compounds were identified, dominated by α-copaene (61.25%), germacrene D (6.72%) and ß-caryophyllene (5.85%). In the in vitro MTT assay, EO-GC exhibited significant anti-proliferative effects towards MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with IC50 value of 45.2 µg/mL. Regarding the antimicrobial activity, it showed better inhibitory effects on Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria and none on the fungi and yeasts tested.

Composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil of Artemisia annua L.

Artemisia annua L. is an annual Eurasian desert-steppe plant. The composition of essential oils found in Artemisia annua from Russian (Buryatian) flora was analyzed in this work using gas chromatography mass-spectrometry method. Artemisia ketone, ß-selinene, caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, germacrene D were the main components of the analyzed essential oils. The comparison of own and literature data showed that the essential oils of A. annua conditionally could be divided into "Asian" and "European" groups. Our samples, referring to "Asian" profile, exhibited higher antiradical activity in comparison with data from previously published studies.

Chemical composition of essential oils from different parts of Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) Marchand and their in vitro antibacterial activity.

In Brazilian folk medicine, Protium heptaphyllum is used to treat inflammatory conditions and to hasten wound repair. This paper aims to investigate the chemical composition and the in vitro antibacterial effects of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from P. heptaphyllum leaves and ripe and unripe fruits against a representative panel of oral pathogens. The GC-FID and GC-MS analysis revealed that the major components determined in P. heptaphyllum essential oils were myrcene (59.0%), ß-elemene (17.2%), limonene (12.9%), spathulenol (12.6%), α-cubebene (11.6%), germacrene D (10.6%), trans-nerolidol (9.8%), and α-cadinol (8.8%). The essential oils of the ripe and unripe fruits showed the strongest antibacterial activity against the anaerobic bacteria Prevotella nigrescens (MIC = 50 µg/mL). The leaf essential oil displayed very promising activity against Streptococcus mutans (MIC = 50 µg/mL) and Streptococcus mitis (MIC = 62.5 µg/mL). The antibacterial activity of EOs against oral pathogens is also described for the first time. [Formula: see text].

Ocotea pulchellaas an alternative against schistosomiasis: chemical analysis, development of nanoemulsion and biological control activity / Ocotea pulchellacomo una alternativa ante esquistosomiasis: análisis químico, desarrollo de una nanoemulsión y actividad en control biológico

The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of the essential oil (EO) from Ocotea pulchella leaves as an alternative in the control of schistosomiasis. It was tested O. pulchella EO nanoformulation to assess its activity against adult Biomphalaria glabrata, their spawning and Schistossoma mansoni cercariae. Additionally, the EO chemical composition was investigated by gas-chromatography. Nanoemulsion were elaborated by the low energy method. The adult mollusks, their spawning and cercariae were placed in contact with nanoemulsion to calculate lethal concentrations. Myristicin, bicyclogermacrene and α-Pinene were the main substances in the EO. Nanoemulsion caused mortality of adult B. glabrata, its egg embryos and S. mansoni. These results suggest the use of this nanoemulsion as an alternative in the control of the schistosomiasis cycle.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el potencial de los aceites esenciales (AE) de las hojas de Ocotea pulchellacomo una alternativa en el control de esquistosomiasis. Se probó una nanoformulación de AE de O. pulchellapara evaluar su actividad ante adultos de Biomphalaria glabrata, sus huevos y cercarías de Schistossoma mansoni. La nanoemulsión fue elaborada por el método de baja energía. Los moluscos adultos, sus huevos y cercarías se colocaron en contacto con la nanoemulsión para calcular concentraciones letales. Los compuestos mayoritarios en el AE fueron miristicina, biciclogermacreno y α-pineno. La nanoemulsión causó mortalidad en adultos de B. glabrata, sus huevos y a S. mansoni. Los resultados sugieren el uso de esta nanoemulsión como una alternativa en el control del ciclo de esquistosomiasis.

Influence of environmental factors on the volatile composition of two Brazilian medicinal plants: Mikania laevigata and Mikania glomerata.

INTRODUCTION: Mikania laevigata Sch.Bip. ex Baker and Mikania glomerata Spreng. are medicinal plants popularly known as guaco, used for inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, included in pharmaceutical formularies and often used without distinction. However, several studies show that the chemical composition varies between these species, as well as in plants are subjected to different environmental stresses. Few studies have been carried out with the volatile compounds of guaco, even less about the changes in volatile composition due to abiotic variation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to evaluate how volatile compounds vary according to the seasons and at different times of the day and if these compounds are influenced by the variations in the growth conditions such as: temperature, luminosity and water. METHODS: The headspace volatiles of the leaves were sampled by solid phase micro extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Untargeted metabolomic analysis of the resulting chromatograms and chemometrics was applied. The chemical profile of the volatiles of M. laevigata and M. glomerata were different; being clearly separated in the exploratory grouping analyzes (PCA), followed by analysis of variance of the marker compounds of both species. RESULTS: Only M. laevigata contained coumarin, considered to be the chemical marker of both species and to be responsible for the therapeutic activities. There was no significant difference between the morning and afternoon collections of either species. Coumarin, α-pinene and bicyclogermacrene were more intense in the volatiles of M. laevigata throughout the year and responsible for grouping the samples of this species. For M. glomerata, hexanal and 2-hexenal were responsible for grouping the samples and were more intense in all months. The growth conditions tested affected the intensity of specific compounds in the chromatograms. Some compounds were less intense with the increase of the temperature and in the plants subjected to full sunlight. However, certain volatile compounds-such as pinenes-were more intense in plants suffering drought. CONCLUSION: The variation in composition between species of guaco was greater than those observed in the seasonal and cultivation studies, indicating that these species cannot be used indistinctly.

HS-SPME analysis of the volatiles profile of water celery (Apium nodiflorum), a wild vegetable with increasing culinary interest.

Water celery (Apium nodiflorum) is a wild plant traditionally harvested in some Mediterranean areas for being consumed raw. Despite its appreciated organoleptic properties, the aromatic profile of the fresh vegetable remains to be studied. In the present study, volatile compounds from five wild populations were extracted by the headspace-solid phase microextraction technique, analysed by gas cromatography-mass spectrometry, and compared to related crops. The wild species had a high number of aromatic compounds. It was rich in monoterpenes (49.2%), sesquiterpenes (39.4%) and phenylpropanoids (9.6%), with quantitative differences among populations, in absolute terms and relative abundance. On average, germacrene D was the main compound (16.6%), followed by allo-ocimene (11.9%) and limonene (11.1%). Only in one population, the levels of limonene were greater than those of germacrene D. Among phenylpropanoids, dillapiol displayed the highest levels, and co-occurred with myristicin in all populations except one. These differences may have a genetic component, which would indicate the possibility of establishing selection programmes for the development of water celery as a crop adapted to different market preferences. On the other hand, comparison with related crops revealed some similarities among individual volatiles present in the different crops, which would be responsible of the common aroma notes. However, water celery displayed a unique profile, which was in addition quantitatively richer than others. Thus, this differentiation may promote the use of water celery as a new crop.

Circadian variation and in vitro cytotoxic activity evaluation of volatile compounds from leaves of Piper regnellii (Miq) C. DC. var. regnellii (C. DC.) Yunck (Piperaceae).

Aiming detection of circadian variation in the chemical composition of volatiles from Piper regnellii, the leaves were collected during four different periods (8, 12, 16 and 20 h) in the same day. After extraction by hydrodistillation and GC/MS analysis, no significant variation was observed for the main compounds: germacrene D (45.6 ± 1.5-51.4 ± 3.1%), α-chamigrene (8.9 ± 1.3-11.3 ± 2.7%) and ß-caryophyllene (8.2 ± 0.9-9.5 ± 0.3%). Evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity against several cancer and non-tumourigenic cells indicated promising activity, especially to HeLa (human cervical carcinoma) with IC50 ranging from 11 ± 3 to 17 ± 3 µg/mL. The obtained volatile oils were pooled and subjected to fractionation to afford pure ß-caryophyllene, α-chamigrene and germacrene D, being this last compound the more active against HeLa cells with IC50 of 7 ± 1 µg/mL (34 ± 5 µM). Therefore, the predominance of germacrene D in all analysed oils could justify, at least in part, the activity observed for the volatile compounds from P. regnellii leaves.

Salvia broussonetii Benth.: aroma profile and micromorphological analysis.

The volatile profiles (VOC) and the essential oil (EO) composition from the aerial parts of Salvia broussonetii were analysed. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons dominate the VOCs from leaves (95.7%) and flowers (67.6%), followed by monoterpene hydrocarbons (2.6 and 29.7%, respectively). The main common compounds are germacrene D, ß-bourbonene, α-pinene, α-copaene and α-gurjunene, even if with divergent relative abundances. In the leaf EOs the sesquiterpenes prevail, even if not overwhelmingly (about 50.0%), followed by monoterpenes (23.0-35.0%) and by minor fractions of diterpene hydrocarbons and non-terpene derivates. The most abundant common compounds across the two sampling periods are α-pinene, ß-pinene, isobornyl acetate, α-gurjenene, germacrene D and bifloratriene. A morphological characterisation of the trichomes responsible for the productivity in terpenes was also performed. Four different morphotypes were observed on the above ground organs of S. brussonetii: peltates and capitates of type II and III resulted the only producers of volatile substances.

Chemical composition of Ivorian Artabotrys insignis leaf oil. Combined analysis including 13C NMR, to quantify germacrene A and ß-elemene.

The chemical composition of leaf essential oil from Artabotrys insignis Engler & Diels collected from Cote d'Ivoire was determined by GC(FID), GC-MS and 13C NMR. The main compounds were ß-elemene (66.8%) and germacrene A (17.1%). The true content of germacrene A/ß-elemene was obtained by combining GC(FID) and 13C NMR data.

Variation in Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oil of Wild Populations of Phlomis olivieri.

Various species of the genus Phlomis have been reported to produce metabolites demonstrating significant pharmacological efficiency. In this study, the essential oils from twelve populations of Phlomis olivieri collected from natural habitats were investigated for their chemical components. The hydrodistillated essential oil analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS. Analyses revealed 27 compounds, constituting 90.52 - 98.51% of the essential oils. Results indicated that the major components of the essential oils from various populations of P. olivieri were germacrene D (26.54 - 56.41%), bicyclogermacrene (6.38 - 30.55%), ß-caryophyllene (5.32 - 24.52%) and α-pinene (1.29 - 15.53%). Principal component analyses (PCA) was used to identify any geographical variations in essential oil composition. Notably, three groups of Iranian P. olivieri populations were determined according to the major compounds. Results of the in vitro antibacterial activity indicated that P. olivieri essential oils showed good inhibitory activities against bacteria, especially Bacillus subtilis. The results of this study gave new insights for cultivation and industrial uses of P. olivieri in Iran.

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil from leaves and rhizomes of Curcuma angustifolia Roxb.

The essential oil extracted from rhizome and leaf of Curcuma angustifolia Roxb. (Zingiberaceae) was characterised by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 32 and 35 identified constituents, comprising 92.6% and 92% of total leaf and rhizome oil, respectively. Curzerenone (33.2%), 14-hydroxy-δ-cadinene (18.6%) and γ-eudesmol acetate (7.3%) were the main components in leaf oil. In rhizome oil, curzerenone (72.6%), camphor (3.3%) and germacrone (3.3%) were found to be the major constituents. Antioxidant capacities of oil were assessed by various methods, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2, 2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and reducing power ability (RPA). Based on the results, the leaf oil showed more antioxidant potential as compared to rhizome oil and reference standards (ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)). Thus, the leaf essential oil of C. angustifolia can be used as an alternative source of natural antioxidant.

Composition of the essential oils of three Uzbek Scutellaria species (Lamiaceae) and their antioxidant activities.

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from aerial parts of Scutellaria immaculata Nevski ex Juz., Scutellaria ramosissima M. Pop. and Scutellaria schachristanica Juz. (Lamiaceae) growing wild in Uzbekistan was analysed by GC and GC-MS. The main constituents of the essential oils from S. immaculata were acetophenone (30.39%), eugenol (20.61%), thymol (10.04%) and linalool (6.92%), whereas constituents of the essential oils fromS. schachristanica were acetophenone (34.74%), linalool (26.98%) and eugenol (20.67%). The S. ramosissima oil is dominated by germacrene D (23.96%), ß-caryophyllene (11.09%), linalool (9.63%) and hexadecanoic acid (8.34%). The essential oils of Scutellaria species exhibited weaker antioxidant effects in DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. In FRAP assay, only eugenol exhibited a substantial reducing power IC50 = 2476.92 ± 15.8 (mM Fe(II)/g).

Essential oil composition of Ajuga comata Stapf. from Southern Zagros, Iran.

The chemical composition of essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Ajuga comata Stapf. was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Thirty-seven components were identified in the oil. (E)-ß-caryophyllene (30.9%), caryophyllene oxide (24.9%), (E)-ß-farnesene (12.6%), ß-eudesmol (3.2%), δ-cadinene (3.1%) and germacrene D (3.0%) were the main compounds in the EOs. The chemical composition of A. comata Stapf. from the Southern Zagros of Iran is reported for the first time.