Phytochemical analysis and biological activities of the aerial parts of Odontites vulgaris Moench.

In this work, the first specific phytochemical analysis on Odontites vulgaris Moench collected in Central Italy was performed. The aerial parts ethanolic extract was studied and eight compounds were identified: pheophytin a (1), aucubin (2), catalpol (3), shanzhiside methyl ester (4), melampyroside (5), 8-epi-loganin (6), caryoptoside (7) and quinic acid (8). To the best of our knowledge, in this study, compounds (7-8) resulted to be isolated from the genus for the first time. The chemophenetic markers of the family and order were evidenced and several important ecological conclusions could be drawn. The ethanolic extract was also tested for several biological activities showing high effects in the antioxidant, cytoprotective and aflatoxin B1 production inhibitory assays. A brief explanation on these activities under the phytochemical standpoint was also included.

Selenium nanoparticles improved biochemical and physiological properties and antioxidant systems of savoury under drought stress.

To investigate the effectiveness of selenium (Se) and Se nanoparticles (Se-NPs) in improving biochemical and physiological characteristics of savoury in drought stress conditions, a factorial experiment based on the completely randomised design with three replications was used. Results demonstrate that Se-NPs considerably enhanced several biochemical parameters, such as relative water content (RWC), antioxidant enzymes activity, and total soluble protein in drought and normal conditions. At the stress level from 100 to 40% of field capacity, a gradual decrease in chlorophyll and CARs contents was observed and under stress and normal conditions, the application of Se-NPs (10 mg L-1) led to an increase in the content of pigments. Total soluble protein, total phenolic and flavonoid contents showed significant increases in plants treated with Se-NPs under drought stress. Generally, the use of Se-NPs in drought stress conditions can be effective in improving the growth, biochemical, and physiological characteristics of savoury.

Chemical constituents from Cordia myxa L. (Boraginaceae) and their antibacterial activity.

Chemical investigation of Cordia myxa L. (Boraginaceae) resulted in the isolation of the following ten known compounds: 1-naphthaleneacetic-5-carboxy-1,2,3,4,4a,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,2,4a-trimethyl-[1S-(1α,2ß, 4a,8aα)]-acid (1), hexacosanoate-1-glyceryl (2), 3ß-urs-12,20(30)-diene-27,28-dioic acid (3), 3ß-D-glucopyranosylurs-12,20(30)-diene-27,28-dioic acid (4), stigmasterol (5), stigmasterol-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (6), oleanolic-acid (7), 3-O-acetyl-oleanolic acid (8), betulin (9) and spinasterol-3ß-O-D-glucopyranoside (10). The isolated compounds were characterised by using spectroscopic methods, 1D and 2D NMR, mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) and by comparison with the literature data. To the best of our knowledge, compounds 1, 3, 4, 8 and 10 were isolated for the first time from the Cordia genus. This result improves the chemotaxonomy knowledge of the Cordia genus. The antibacterial activities were performed by the Muller-Hinton agar diffusion method. The antibacterial activities were studied on Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Compounds 8 and 9, at 20.0 mg/mL resulted to be effective antimicrobial against E. coli, V. cholerae and P. aeruginosa.

Ternifoliasaponin, a new triterpenoid saponin from the roots of Gardenia ternifolia Schumach & Thonn (Rubiaceae).

A new triterpenoid saponin, Ternifoliasaponin (1), together with four known compounds (2-5) chikusetsusaponin IVa (2), chikusetsusaponin IVa methyl ester (3), bonushenricoside B (4) and Dianoside C (5) were isolated from roots of Gardenia ternifolia Schumach. & Thonn (Rubiaceae). The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. The antibacterial activities of compounds (3), and (4) were performed by the Muller-Hinton agar diffusion method. The antimicrobial activities of the compounds were studied on Salmonella typhi (Enterobacteriaceae), Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa microorganisms. Compound (3) at 25 mg/mL, showed moderately sensitive effect (8.0 ˂ DIZ ˂14.0 mm) on S. typhi, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Compound (4) at 25 mg/mL and compound (3) at 12.5 mg/mL exhibited moderately sensitive effect on S. typhi and S. aureus. Compound (4) inhibited moderately sensitive the S. typhi and P. aeruginosa colonies at 12.5 mg/mL.

In vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of isolated compounds and semisynthetic derivative from aerial parts of Erythrina senegalensis DC.

The current study was conducted to isolate the phytoconstituents from Erythrina senegalensis leaves and stem bark and evaluate their inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase, digestive enzyme related to diabetes mellitus. Phytochemical investigation of the leaves resulted in the isolation of three saponins (3-5), two triterpenoids (7 and 8) and two steroids (10a and 10b) as inseparable mixture, while one saponin (6), one triterpenoid (9) and one mixture of two cinnamates (2a and 2b) were isolated from the stem bark. Except for compounds 2 b, 7, 8, 10a and 10 b all the isolated compounds are reported here for the first time from the genus Erythrina. Acetylation of the mixture of two cinnamates (2a and 2b) led to a new diester derivative (1) trivially called erythrinamate. The extracts and pure compounds (3, 4, 6) showed good α-glucosidase inhibitory activity compared to the standard drug acarbose. The findings suggest that saponins of E. senegalensis could be used to develop potential anti-hyperglycemic drugs.

Characterization of essential oils and volatiles from the aerial parts of Mentha pulegium L. (Lamiaceae) using microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in combination with GC-MS.

Herein, the chemical profiles of the essential oils and volatiles obtained from the aerial parts of Mentha pulegium L. (Lamiaceae) are reported respectively using microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) approaches associated to gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) quantification. Using MAHD-GC-MS and HS-SPME-GC-MS techniques, 30 and 28 constituents were screened in the essential oils and volatiles of M. pulegium L. aerial parts with high prevalence of oxygenated monoterpenes and non-terpene hydrocarbons, respectively. Accordingly, in the characterized chemical profiles, carvone was found to constitute about 56.0% of the oil using the former technique (MAHD), whereas oleic acid (20.1%), carvone (17.7%) along with limonene (16.1%) were found as the major constituent components of the volatile profile using the latter approach (SPME). The two methods might be used in combination to obtain a wider set of information about the chemical composition of one specific plant sample.

Phytochemical analysis on the aerial parts of Teucrium capitatum L. with aspects of chemosystematics and ethnobotany.

The phytochemical analysis on the aerial parts of Teucrium capitatum L. collected from a new population in Central Italy, led to the identification of eight compounds, i.e. pheophytin a (1), poliumoside (2), apigenin (3), luteolin (4), cirsimaritin (5), cirsiliol (6), 8-O-acetyl-harpagide (7) and teucardoside (8) belonging to four different classes of secondary metabolites. Pheophytin a (1) represents a newly identified compound in the genus whereas compounds (7-8) are newly identified compound in the species. The chemotaxonomic and ethnobotanical aspects relative to the presence of these compounds were widely discussed suggesting important conclusions for both.

Leucosceptosides A and B: Two Phenyl-Ethanoid Glycosides with Important Occurrence and Biological Activities.

In this review paper, the occurrence in the plant kingdom, the chemophenetic value and the biological activities associated with two specific phenyl-ethanoid glycosides, i.e., leucosceptoside A and leucosceptoside B, were reported. This is the first work ever conducted on such a subject. Analysis of the literature data clearly led to three important conclusions: leucosceptoside A is much more common in plants than leucosceptoside B; leucosceptoside A exerts more biological activities than leucosceptoside B even if nothing can be generally concluded about which one is actually the most potent; neither of these compounds can be used as a chemophenetic marker. These three aspects and more are discussed in more depth in this work.

A novel pentacyclic triterpene acid from the stem barks of Combretum fragrans F. Hoffm (Combretaceae).

A phytochemical study was carried out on stem bark of Combretum fragrans F. Hoffm., a medicinal plant belonging to the Combretaceae family and used traditionally in the treatment of various ailments. Column chromatography separation on silica gel of the crude methanol extract from stem barks of C. fragrans led to the isolation of a new pentacyclic triterpene acid, with a 3,6-epoxide bridge and trivially named as fragransinic acid (1), along with four known compounds: betulin (2), betulinic acid (3), bellericagenin B (4) and a mixture of ß-sitosterol (5) and stigmasterol (6). Structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses including 1D and 2D NMR, mass spectrometry as well as by comparison with literature data. The above compounds were isolated for the first time from C. adenogonium. Implications for chemosystematics and traditional medicine were briefly discussed.

The Pharmacological Activities of Crocus sativus L.: A Review Based on the Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities of its Phytoconstituents.

Crocus species are mainly distributed in North Africa, Southern and Central Europe, and Western Asia, used in gardens and parks as ornamental plants, while Crocus sativus L. (saffron) is the only species that is cultivated for edible purpose. The use of saffron is very ancient; besides the use as a spice, saffron has long been known also for its medical and coloring qualities. Due to its distinctive flavor and color, it is used as a spice, which imparts food preservative activity owing to its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. This updated review discusses the biological properties of Crocus sativus L. and its phytoconstituents, their pharmacological activities, signaling pathways, and molecular targets, therefore highlighting it as a potential herbal medicine. Clinical studies regarding its pharmacologic potential in clinical therapeutics and toxicity studies were also reviewed. For this updated review, a search was performed in the PubMed, Science, and Google Scholar databases using keywords related to Crocus sativus L. and the biological properties of its phytoconstituents. From this search, only the relevant works were selected. The phytochemistry of the most important bioactive compounds in Crocus sativus L. such as crocin, crocetin, picrocrocin, and safranal and also dozens of other compounds was studied and identified by various physicochemical methods. Isolated compounds and various extracts have proven their pharmacological efficacy at the molecular level and signaling pathways both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, toxicity studies and clinical trials were analyzed. The research results highlighted the various pharmacological potentials such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidepressant, hypolipidemic, and antihyperglycemic properties and protector of retinal lesions. Due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, saffron has proven effective as a natural food preservative. Starting from the traditional uses for the treatment of several diseases, the bioactive compounds of Crocus sativus L. have proven their effectiveness in modern pharmacological research. However, pharmacological studies are needed in the future to identify new mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetic studies, new pharmaceutical formulations for target transport, and possible interaction with allopathic drugs.

Antimicrobial and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of chemical constituents from Gardenia aqualla (Rubiaceae).

An aliphatic alkene namely pentapentacontene (4) was isolated for the first time from a natural source, Gardenia aqualla, along with fourteen other compounds including nonacosanol (1), tetratriacontanol (2), octatriacontanol (3), ß-sitosterol (5) and stigmasterol (6), daucosanol (7), ursolic acid (8), uvaol (9), 3ß,19α,23ß,24α-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (10), lupenone (11), oleanolic acid (12), vanillin (13), vanillic acid (14) and D-mannitol (15). α-glucosidase inhibitory assay revealed that MeOH and EtOAc extracts of leaves had the best activity with IC50 of 9.65 and 20.03 µg/ml respectively. All the tested compounds showed dose dependent inhibition of α-glucosidase and some of them were found to be comparable to acarbose. Compound 10 was the most potent with IC50 = 1.72 µM. It also showed the most interesting antibacterial activity, against the isolate strain of S. typhi and P. aeruginosa and also exhibited the most significant antifungal activities against all the tested yeasts.

A review of the phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology and biological activities of Teucrium genus (Germander).

Teucrium L (Lamiaceae) is mainly distributed in the Mediterranean area. A comprehensive survey in the electronic databases (during 2000-2020 years) with keywords of 'Teucrium' and 'Germander' showed that chemical analyses are available for 27 species, with sesquiterpenoids, iridoids, di and triterpenoids, and phenolic compounds as identified structures. The neo-clerodane diterpenoids as potential chemotaxonomic markers were the main compounds of this genus. As a result, Italy and Turkey have good attempts at phytochemical analysis. The pharmacological activities of different species including antioxidant, cytotoxic activity, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-insect have been summarized. Teucrium polium and Teucrium chamaedrys mainly have been used in digestive problems and diabetes in traditional medicine. Evidence-based clinical trials are needed to confirm the therapeutic properties of this genus. As well to the popularity of Asian and Anatolian species as ingredients in contemporary medicines and products, further research is required in comparison to European species.

An overview of the genus Aloysia Paláu (Verbenaceae): Essential oil composition, ethnobotany and biological activities.

Aloysia Paláu is an important herbal genus from the Verbenaceae family and possesses numerous remedial properties in the folk medicine of Asian, European, and, in particular, South American countries. Only a few reports have discussed some phytochemical characteristics associated with Aloysia species. Right the lack of an exhaustive report prompted us to organize this review article. Accordingly, besides the ethnobotanical knowledge of Aloysia species, their essential oil profiles, phytochemistry of the polar isolated fractions, and the relevant biological activities are discussed in detail.[Formula: see text].

Profiling of the essential oil compositions from the flowers and leaves of Tanacetum fisherae Aitch. & Hemsl., an endemic plant in Kerman province, Iran.

Tanacetum fisherae Aitch. & Hemsl. is an endemic plant growing wild in some brackish regions of Iran. Since there are not enough reports concerning the quantitative and qualitative analyses of its essential oil, it was decided to characterise the respective water-distilled oils obtained from the flowers and leaves of this medicinal plant. Characterisation of the corresponding essential oil profiles revealed that in both of the analysed oils, oxygenated monoterpenes constituted most of the chemical profiles. In this sense, the most prevailing natural compounds in the flower oils were cis-p-2-menthen-1-ol (11.2%), trans-p-2-menthen-1-ol (10.7%), trans-piperitol (7.8%), 1,8-cineole (6.1%), cis-piperitol (3.8%), α-terpineol (3.7%) and terpinene-4-ol (2.1%), whereas the main constituent components of the leaves oils were, respectively, 1,8-cineole (16.7%), cis-p-2-menthen-1-ol (14.6%), trans-p-2-menthen-1-ol (10.4%), trans-piperitol (12.8%), α-terpineol (5.4%), cis-piperitol (2.9%), borneol (2.7%), and terpinene-4-ol (2.1%). In addition, the second rank of natural compound constituting groups was due to oxygenated sesquiterpenes, as well.[Formula: see text].

A Systematic Review on Phytochemistry, Ethnobotany and Biological Activities of the Genus Bunium L.

The aim of this review article is to present, for the first time, an appraisal of the phytochemical, ethnobotanical and pharmacological data on Bunium species. The literature search was conducted using the Scopus, Google Scholar and PubMed databases. The genus Bunium has been found to produce both essential oil (EO), mainly comprising monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, and non-volatile components mainly coumarins and flavonoids. There are several pharmacological activities associated with the Bunium species, especially antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. The chemotaxonomic appraisal of the phytochemical pattern of the genus is in sink with the current classification of the family. Moreover, this review confirms the significant ethnobotanical and pharmacological potential of different Bunium species.

The Genus Haplophyllum Juss.: Phytochemistry and Bioactivities-A Review.

Herein, a comprehensive review is given focusing on the chemical profiles of the essential oils (EOs), non-volatile compounds, ethnobotany, and biological activities of different Haplophyllum (Rutaceae family) species. To gather the relevant data, all the scientific databases, including Scopus, ISI-WOS (Institute of Scientific Information-Web of Science), and PubMed and highly esteemed publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Taylor and Francis, etc., were systematically retrieved and reviewed. A wide array of valuable groups of natural compounds, e.g., terpenoids, coumarins, alkaloids, lignans, flavonoids, and organic acids have been isolated and subsequently characterized in different organic extracts of a number of Haplophyllum species. In addition, some remarkable antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cytotoxic, antileishmanial, and antialgal effects as well as promising remedial therapeutic properties have been well-documented for some species of the genus Haplophyllum.

Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of Daphne sericea Vahl Flowering Aerial Parts Collected in Central Italy.

In this paper, the first phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic extract of Daphne sericea Vahl flowering aerial parts collected in Italy and its biological activities were reported. Eleven compounds were identified i.e., α-linolenic acid (1), tri-linoleoyl-sn-glycerol (2), pheophorbide a ethyl ester (3), pilloin (4), sinensetin (5), yuanhuanin (6), rutamontine (7), syringin (8), p-coumaric acid (9), p-anisic acid (10) and caffeic acid (11). To the best of our knowledge, compounds (1-4, 7-8 and 10) were isolated from D. sericea for the first time during this work, whereas sinensetin (5) represents a newly identified component of the entire Thymelaeaceae family. The extract was found to possess radical scavenging against both DPPH• and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-thylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•+) radicals, with at least a 40-fold higher potency against the latter. Moreover, chelating abilities against both ferrous and ferric ions have been highlighted, thus suggesting a possible indirect antioxidant power of the extract. Although the precise bioactive compounds remain to be discovered, the polyphenolic constituents, including phenolic acids, tannins and flavonoids, seem to contribute to the antioxidant power of the phytocomplex. In addition, the extract produced cytotoxic effects in MDA-MB-231 and U87-MG cancer cell lines, especially at the concentration of 625 µg/mL and after 48-72 h. Further studies are required to clarify the contribution of the identified compounds in the bioactivities of the extract and to support possible future applications.

Curcumin nanoformulations for antimicrobial and wound healing purposes.

The development and spread of resistance to antimicrobial drugs is hampering the management of microbial infectious and wound healing processes. Curcumin is the most active and effective constituent of Curcuma longa L., also known as turmeric, and has a very long and strong history of medicinal value for human health and skincare. Curcumin has been proposed as strong antimicrobial potentialities and many attempts have been made to determine its ability to conjointly control bacterial growth and promote wound healing. However, low aqueous solubility, poor tissue absorption and short plasma half-life due its rapid metabolism needs to be solved for made curcumin formulations as suitable treatment for wound healing. New curcumin nanoformulations have been designed to solve the low bioavailability problem of curcumin. Thus, in the present review, the therapeutic applications of curcumin nanoformulations for antimicrobial and wound healing purposes is described.

Composition and biological activities of the essential oil from a Sicilian accession of Prangos ferulacea (L.) Lindl.

Prangos ferulacea (L.) Lindl. (Fam. Apiaceae), is an orophilous species of eastern Mediterranean and western Asia which possesses several biological properties, which are worthy of exploitation in different fields. With the aim to provide new insights into the phytochemistry and pharmacology of this species, a local accession growing in Sicily (South Italy) was investigated as well. Notably, the P. ferulacea essential oil chemical composition and the antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and cytotoxic activities have been studied. This analysis allowed to identify a new chemotype and to report good biological results for this oil.

Plants adapted to arid areas: specialized metabolites.

Drought stress affects growth, morphological and biochemical properties in plants. To develop resistance and adapt to drought, plants need metabolic changes. Adaptations to stress involve changes to gene expression that activate metabolic processes that promote drought resistance and that may include biosynthesis and accumulation of specialized metabolites. Such adaptations in specialized metabolism may be important mechanisms leading to plant stress resistance and involve production of phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoid and nitrogen containing compounds that are species and genotype specific. Most plants having special metabolites to adapt to drought stress belong to different botanical families. C3, C4 and CAM plants, apply both morphological and metabolic mechanisms to adapt to drought as well as to accumulate specialized metabolites. Generally, medicinal plants increase their functional metabolites content, when exposed to drought stress. During drought stress, transcription factors and related pathways for biosynthesis of phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins as well as for stress jasmonate and abscisic acid stress hormones are activated.