Chemical profile, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Pinus heldreichii Christ. Distributed in Bulgaria.

Pinus heldreichii Christ. (Bosnian pine), a Tertiary relict and Balkan sub-endemic, has not been comprehensively studied for its essential oil (EO) profile and bioactivity of its different plant parts. This study aimed to determine the EO yield, composition and antimicrobial activity from different parts of P. heldreichii at three different populations (mountains) in Bulgaria. Furthermore, the study assessed the antioxidant activities of plant tissue, including leaves (needles), twigs wood, male and female cones. The EOs yield from different plant parts ranged from 0.09 % (leaves) to 0.74 % (wood of twigs), with monoterpenes being the predominant class. Limonene, α-pinene, ß-caryophyllene, germacrene D, ß-pinene, and ß-myrcene were detected in the EO extracted from all analyzed trees. However, these compounds were not found in the EO extracted from all plant parts of the same trees. Four chemical groups (chemotypes) were identified for EO from twigs, and three chemotypes were identified for EO from leaves. The chemotypes were based on the percent ratio of the main EO constituents (>5 %). Leaves tissue showed the highest values in terms of polyphenols and flavonoids, as well as higher ABTS radical scavenging activity, while the highest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus was seen in the EOs obtained from twigs. This is the first study to identify several chemotypes based on leaf and twigs EO of P. heldreichii distributed in Bulgarian flora. Furthermore, the EO of twigs tips (TT), male cones (MC), and wood of one-two-year-old twigs (WT) of the same trees were reported for the first time. The total polyphenol, flavonoid content, and radical scavenging activity of tissues of annual twigs wood and biennial twigs wood, leaf tissue, MC tissue, and the twigs tips tissue is also reported for the first time in the accessible literature. These findings highlight the potential of P. heldreichii to provide EOs with varying compositions and bioactivities, making them suitable for nutraceutical, pharmacological, and potentially food additive applications. Furthermore, the identification of chemotype accessions in this study suggests their selection for the development of new forest crop as a source for natural products with desirable composition and bioactivity.

Essential Oil Composition of Seven Bulgarian Hypericum Species and Its Potential as a Biopesticide.

Hypericum species and especially H. perforatum L. are well known for their therapeutic applications. The present study assessed the essential oil (EO) composition, and antifungal and aphid suppression activity of seven Bulgarian Hypericum species. The EOs were analyzed by GC-MS-FID. Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, H. perforatum, H. maculatum, and H. hirsutum were used. Additionally, the EO composition of H. perforatum extracted via hydrodistillation (ClevA) and via commercial steam distillation (Com) were compared. The second experiment compared the EOs of H. perforatum, H. cerastoides, H. rumeliacum, H. montbretii, and H. calycinum (flowers and leaves) extracted via hydrodistillation and collected with n-hexane. Overall, the EO constituents belonged to four classes, namely alkanes, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and fatty acids. The main class for compounds in H. maculatum and H. perforatum (section Hypericum) were sesquiterpenes for both experiments except for H. perforatum (Com). Hypericum montbretii (section Drosocarpium) EO had monoterpenes (38.09%) and sesquiterpenes (37.09%) as major groups, while H. hirsutum EO (section Taeniocarpium) contained predominately alkanes (67.19%). Hypericum hirsutum EO contained cedrol (5.04%), found for the first time in Hypericum species. Fatty acids were the main compounds in H. cerastoides (section Campylopus), while monoterpenes were the most abundant class in H. rumeliacum and H. calycinum EOs. α-Pinene and germacrene D were the major EO constituents of all analyzed Hypericum species except for H. hirsutum and H. cerastoides. Hypericum perforatum EO (Com) had significant repellent and insecticidal activity against two aphid species, Rhopalosiphum padi (Bird Cherry-oat aphid) and Sitobion avenae (English grain aphid) at concentrations of 0%, 1%, 2.5%, 3.5%, 4.5%, and 5%. The tested EOs did not show significant activity against selected economically important agricultural fungal pathogens Fusarium spp., Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum spp., Rhizoctonia solani, and Aspergillus sp. The EO of the Hypericum species found in the Bulgarian flora could be utilized for the development of new biopesticides for aphid control.

Effects of Essential Oil Fumigation on Potato Sprouting at Room-Temperature Storage.

As a global staple, potato plays an important role in meeting human dietary needs and alleviating malnutrition. Potato sprouting during storage is a major issue that threatens food security by increasing food waste and must therefore be controlled. Biopesticides, including essential oils (EOs), have a history of use as potato sprout suppressants, and interest in their use has been renewed in response to stricter regulations on CIPC, the dominant chemical sprout suppressant over the last half-century. We evaluated twenty-one EOs as potential sprout suppressants in cv. Ranger Russet potatoes at room-temperature storage. Treatment with Artemisia herba-alba EO was the most effective at suppressing both sprout length and sprout number over a 90-day storage period. GC­MS­FID analysis of A. herba-alba EO revealed the presence of α-thujone, hexadecenoic acid, ß-thujone, camphor, sabinene, and camphene at amounts >1%. Cistus ladanifer, Ocimum basilicum, Ormenis mixta, and Salvia sclarea EOs significantly reduced sprout length for shorter storage periods, whereas Cinnamomum zeylanicum (bark) and Laurus nobilis EOs also significantly reduced sprout number. Syzygium aromaticum (clove) EO did not significantly suppress sprouting at room temperature. These results indicate the potential of certain EOs to be used as sprout suppressants for room-temperature potato storage, providing needed alternatives for both organic and conventional potato industries.

Melissa officinalis L. as a Sprout Suppressor in Solanum tuberosum L. and an Alternative to Synthetic Pesticides.

The goal of this research was to screen plant essential oils (EOs) as sprout inhibitors or suppressors in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Three controlled environment experiments were conducted to screen 18 EOs and several pure compounds as sprout inhibitors. The EOs were applied using the wicked method on potato cv. Gala in 19 L plastic containers. The results indicated that Melissa officinalis L. EO inhibited sprouting, while Coriandrum sativum L. seed oil and the EO blend of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and Salvia sclarea L. suppressed sprouting. The EOs of interest were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and/or a flame ionization detector (GC-FID); the detailed chemical profiles are provided. The M. officinalis EO was fractionated into seven fractions, and these were tested on minitubers. We identified two fractions (F and A) that suppressed potato sprouting better than the whole oil. The GC-MS-FID analyses of M. officinalis EO fraction A identified myrcene, Z-ocimene, E-ocimene, trans-caryophyllene, and α-humulene as the main constituents, while the main constituents of fraction F were α-terpineol, ß-citronellol, and geraniol. The pure isolated compounds, together with the major compound in M. officinalis EO (citral), were tested for sprout suppression on three potato cultivars (Ranger Russet, Terra Rosa, and Dakota TrailBlazer), which revealed that ß-citronellol reduced the sprout length and the number of sprouts in all three cultivars, while citral and (+)-α-terpineol reduced the sprout length and the number of sprouts in Ranger Russet relative to the two controls in all three cultivars. Myrcene had a stimulating effect on the number of sprouts in Cv. Terra Rosa. However, none of the pure compounds suppressed sprouting completely or were comparable to the EO of M. officinalis.

Streptomyces distallicus, a Potential Microbial Biolarvicide.

Infected mosquitos from the genus Aedes have become one of the world's most influential contributors to human morbidity and death. To explore new biopesticides with activity against Aedes aegypti, Streptomyces distallicus, a species related to the subspecies group of Streptomyces netropsis, was investigated. Six metabolites, aureothin, allo-aureothin, deoxyaureothin, 4',7-dihydroxy isoflavone, 2-methyl-5-(3-indolyl)oxazole, and 2-ethyl-5-(3-indolyl)oxazole were isolated, and chemical structures, were elucidated based on one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy analyses and HRMS. The A. aegypti larvicidal activity of these compounds was evaluated. Only two isomeric compounds, aureothin and allo-aureothin, showed larvicidal activity against A. aegypti with LC50 values of 1.5 and 3.1 ppm for 24 h post-treatment, respectively, and 3.8 and 7.4 ppm for 48 h post-treatment, respectively. The crude extract of S. distallicus also demonstrated potent larvicidal activity with LC50 values of 1.46 and 1.2 ppm for 24 and 48 h post-treatment, respectively. Deoxyaureothin, a furan ring reduced form of aureothin, showed no activity against A. aegypti. The hybrid imported fire ants activity of aureothin was also evaluated, but it did not show any activity at the highest dose of 62.5 µg/g. Described here is the first report on a bioassay-directed investigation of the secondary metabolites of S. distallicus and biological evaluation of isolated compounds aureothin and its isomer and intermediates as potential microbial larvicides. S. distallicus and crude extracts thereof are a promising source of potential microbial biolarvicides.

Essential Oil Yield, Composition, and Bioactivity of Sagebrush Species in the Bighorn Mountains.

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) are dominant wild plants in large areas of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and they include several species and subspecies. The aim was to determine if there are significant differences in essential oil (EO) yield, composition, and biological activity of sagebrush within the Bighorn Mountains, U.S. The EO yield in fresh herbage varied from 0.15 to 1.69% for all species, including 0.25-1.69% in A. tridentata var. vaseyana, 0.64-1.44% in A. tridentata var. tridentata, 1% in A. tridentata var. wyomingensis, 0.8-1.2% in A. longifolia, 0.8-1% in A. cana, and 0.16% in A. ludoviciana. There was significant variability in the EO profile between species, and subspecies. Some EO constituents, such as α-pinene (0-35.5%), camphene (0-21.5%), eucalyptol (0-30.8%), and camphor (0-45.5%), were found in most species and varied with species and subspecies. The antioxidant capacity of the EOs varied between the species and subspecies. None of the sagebrush EOs had significant antimicrobial, antimalarial, antileishmanial activity, or contained podophyllotoxin. Some accessions yielded EO with significant concentrations of compounds including camphor, eucalyptol, cis-thujone, α-pinene, α-necrodol-acetate, fragranol, grandisol, para-cymene, and arthole. Therefore, chemotypes can be selected and possibly introduced into culture and be grown for commercial production of these compounds to meet specific industry needs.

Jasmonates promote enhanced production of bioactive caffeoylquinic acid derivative in Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. hairy roots.

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. is widely used in traditional medicine for treatment of hepatitis, poisoning from snake bites and viral infections. Pharmacological studies confirmed its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. The efficacy of E. prostrata (L.) L. extracts has been correlated to phenylpropanoids such as flavonoids, coumestans and caffeoylquinic acid derivatives. In this work, the production of wedelolactone, demethylwedelolactone and 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-diCQA) in hairy root cultures of E. prostrata (L.) L. C19 clone was increased after addition of eliciting agents jasmonic acid (JA) or methyl jasmonate (MeJA) at multiple concentrations. Cultures elicited with 100 µM of JA saw a 5.2 fold increase in wedelolactone (from 0.72 to 3.72 mg/g d.w.), a 1.6 fold increase in demethylwedelolactone (from 5.54 to 9.04 mg/g d.w.) and a 2.47 fold increase in 3,5-diCQA (from 18.08 to 44.71 mg/g d.w.). Obtained data validate the potential of E. prostrata (L.) L. hairy root cultures as a production system of wedelolactone, demethylwedelolactone and especially 3,5-diCQA, which has recently been reported to possess activity against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) by in silico computational studies. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11240-021-02201-4.

Essential Oil Composition and Bioactivity of Two Juniper Species from Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb and J. sabina L. contain essential oil (EO), while J. sabina also contains podophyllotoxin, which is used as a precursor for anti-cancer drugs. Two studies were conducted. The first assessed the variability in the EO profile and podophyllotoxin concentration of the two junipers, depending on the location and tree gender. The main EO constituents of J. excelsa were α-cedrol, α-limonene and α-pinene, while the constituents in J. sabina were sabinene, terpinen-4-ol, myrtenyl acetate and α-cadinol. The podophyllotoxin yield of 18 J. sabina accessions was 0.07-0.32% (w/w), but this was not found in any of the J. excelsa accessions. The second study assessed the effect of hydrodistillation (Clevenger apparatus) and steam distillation (in a semi-commercial apparatus) on the EO profile and bioactivity. The extraction type did not significantly alter the EO composition. The EO profiles of the two junipers and their accessions were different and may be of interest to the industry utilizing juniper leaf EO. Breeding and selection programs could be developed with the two junipers (protected species) in order to identify chemotypes with (1) a high EO content and desirable composition, and (2) a high concentration of podophyllotoxin in J. sabina. Such chemotypes could be established as agricultural crops for the commercial production of podophyllotoxin and EO.

Secondary metabolites of Thymelaea hirsuta, a plant collected from the Sicilian Island of Lampedusa.

An investigation of the secondary metabolites was carried out on Thymelaea hirsuta collected from Lampedusa, the largest island of the Pelagie archipelago, located about 100 km from the North African coast and 200 km from the coast of Sicily. Ten compounds were isolated and found to belong to different classes of natural products as chromenes, cyclohexanones, furanyl, bis-furanyl and furanone polyphenols, and acrylates. Compounds 7, 8, 9 and 10 were slightly phytotoxic to lettuce reaching phytotoxicity of 1 (7, 8 and 9) and 2 (10) using a 1-5 point scale. None of the compounds were active against Agrostis stolonifera L., a perennial grass of the Poaceae family. Tested against three Colletotrichum species (C. acutatum, C. fragarie and C. gloeosporioides) pathogenic for agricultural plants, only compound 6 had activity against all three species, but it was not as active as captan, the commercial fungicide used as a positive control.

Essential Oil Yield and Composition of the Balkan Endemic Satureja pilosa Velen. (Lamiaceae).

Satureja pilosa Velen. senso lato is a Balkan endemic plant that is not well characterized and is found on rocky outcrops of limestone base in Stara Planina (the Balkan Mountains) and the Rhodope Mountains. The objective of this study was to assess the variability of essential oil (EO) content and composition of S. pilosa collected at 33 locations across the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria using advanced statistical methods including cluster analysis. The EO content in dried aboveground biomass varied from 0.52% to 2.03%. More than 21 EO constituents were identified, belonging to the groups of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The monoterpenes were the predominant class, comprising 84.8% to 96.1% of the total EO. Thymol and carvacrol were the major constituents of the phenolic monoterpenoids. Thymol varied from 36.6% to 67.1% and carvacrol varied from 52.4% to 93.0% of the total oil. p-Cymene also varied widely, from 9.6%-34.0%. There were significant variations between locations and within a location in the EO content and composition. This study identified several chemotypes: (1) thymol and p-cymene; (2) thymol, p-cymene and γ-terpinene; (3) carvacrol and p-cymene; (4) carvacrol, p-cymene and γ-terpinene; and (5) carvacrol. This is the first comprehensive study on the endemic plant S. pilosa that identified several chemotypes based on the EO composition. The S. pilosa EO from the five different chemotypes exhibited larvicidal and mosquito repellent activity against Aedes aegypti. The identified chemotypes can be utilized for the development of new varieties with desirable compositions to meet specific industry needs and new mosquito management control products.

Utilization of Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) Seed Hydrodistillation Time to Produce Essential Oil Fractions with Varied Compositions and Pharmacological Effects.

The intent of this study was to utilize distillation timeframes (DT) of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) essential oil (EO) to generate fractions with differential chemical compositions and bioactivity. Ten fractions were captured at the following distillation timeframes: 0.0-0.5, 0.5-1.0, 1.0-2.5, 2.5-5.0, 5.0-10, 10-30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-120, and 120-240 min. In addition, a control EO was collected from a straight 0-240 min non-stop distillation. ANOVA and advanced regression modeling revealed that the produced EO fractions possess substantial variation in the concentration of potentially desired compounds. The concentrations (%) of α-phellandrene, 3-carene, p-cymene, limonene, α-thujene, α-pinene, camphene, sabinene, ß-pinene, and myrcene decreased, while the concentrations (%) of α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, terpinolene, and myristicin increased in later DT fractions. Nutmeg EO showed some antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum D6, but did not exhibit significant antifungal activity. In general, nutmeg seed oil yields increased with an increase of DT. These results may be utilized by industries using nutmeg EO.

Citrullus ecirrhosus: Wild Source of Resistance Against Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) for Cultivated Watermelon.

Members of the highly polyphagous Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) species complex cause major crop damage by feeding and by transmitting plant viruses. The Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) of the B. tabaci complex is by far the most problematic whitefly affecting crops including cultivated watermelon (Citrullus lanatus; Cucurbitaceae: Cucurbitales). Watermelon cultivars share a narrow genetic base and are highly susceptible to whiteflies. We studied the potential of C. ecirrhosus, a perennial desert species that can be hybridized with C. lanatus, as a source of whitefly resistance for cultivated watermelon. The results of this study indicate that C. ecirrhosus offers resistance (although not total) against the MEAM1 B. tabaci based on, at least, antibiosis and antixenosis. Whitefly performance concerning developmental survival, body size attainment, and nonpreference were suppressed on C. ecirrhosus compared with the watermelon cultivar 'Sugar Baby'. Also, our olfactometer results indicated that the adults were less attracted to leaf volatiles of C. ecirrhosus. Although there is a pungent odor associated with the leaves of C. ecirrhosus, the leaf volatiles had no toxic effect on adult whitefly survival as compared with cultivated watermelon. We also demonstrated that plants of C. ecirrhosus can be clonally propagated from vine cuttings of the parent plant. Using traditional breeding procedures, C. ecirrhosus was hybridized with C. lanatus and viable F1 and F2 seeds were produced. This is the first report of pest resistance in C. ecirrhosus. This wild species offers a source of resistance against whiteflies for the improvement of cultivated watermelon.

Antimycobacterial and antimalarial activities of endophytic fungi associated with the ancient and narrowly endemic neotropical plant Vellozia gigantea from Brazil

BACKGROUND Endophytic fungi, present mainly in the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota phyla, are associated with different plants and represent important producers of bioactive natural products. Brazil has a rich biodiversity of plant species, including those reported as being endemic. Among the endemic Brazilian plant species, Vellozia gigantea (Velloziaceae) is threatened by extinction and is a promising target to recover endophytic fungi. OBJECTIVE The present study focused on bioprospecting of bioactive compounds of the endophytic fungi associated with V. gigantea, an endemic, ancient, and endangered plant species that occurs only in the rupestrian grasslands of Brazil. METHODS The capability of 285 fungal isolates to produce antimicrobial and antimalarial activities was examined. Fungi were grown at solid-state fermentation to recover their crude extracts in dichloromethane. Bioactive extracts were analysed by chromatographic fractionation and NMR and displayed compounds with antimicrobial, antimycobacterial, and antimalarial activities. FINDINGS Five fungi produced antimicrobial and antimalarial compounds. Extracts of Diaporthe miriciae showed antifungal, antibacterial, and antimalarial activities; Trichoderma effusum displayed selective antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium intracellulare; and three Penicillium species showed antibacterial activity. D. miriciae extract contained highly functionalised secondary metabolites, yielding the compound epoxycytochalasin H with high antimalarial activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum, with an IC50 approximately 3.5-fold lower than that with chloroquine. MAIN CONCLUSION Our results indicate that V. gigantea may represent a microhabitat repository hotspot of potential fungi producers of bioactive compounds and suggest that endophytic fungal communities might be an important biological component contributing to the fitness of the plants living in the rupestrian grassland.

Biological activities of ophiobolin K and 6-epi-ophiobolin K produced by the endophytic fungus Aspergillus calidoustus.

Endophytic fungi represent ubiquitous microbial organisms able to live in the tissues of different plants around the world and represent a prolific source of bioactive metabolites. In the present study, the endophytic fungus Aspergillus calidoustus was isolated from the medicinal plant Acanthospermum australe (Asteraceae), and identified using molecular, physiological and morphological methods. A methylene chloride crude extract of A. calidoustus has been produced and subjected to antifungal bioassay-directed fractionation which resulted in the isolation of the two bioactive compounds: ophiobolin K and 6-epi-ophiobolin K. These pure compounds displayed antifungal activity against fungal plant pathogens, protozoal activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, and cytotoxic activity against human tumoral cell lines. The results show that A. calidoustus was able to produce the antifungal and cytotoxic metabolites ophiobolin K and 6-epi-ophiobolin K, which may help the fungus to colonise and occupy the substratum as well as survive in natural environments.

Distillation Time as Tool for Improved Antimalarial Activity and Differential Oil Composition of Cumin Seed Oil.

A steam distillation extraction kinetics experiment was conducted to estimate essential oil yield, composition, antimalarial, and antioxidant capacity of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seed (fruits). Furthermore, regression models were developed to predict essential oil yield and composition for a given duration of the steam distillation time (DT). Ten DT durations were tested in this study: 5, 7.5, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240, 360, 480, and 600 min. Oil yields increased with an increase in the DT. Maximum oil yield (content, 2.3 g/100 seed), was achieved at 480 min; longer DT did not increase oil yields. The concentrations of the major oil constituents α-pinene (0.14-0.5% concentration range), ß-pinene (3.7-10.3% range), γ-cymene (5-7.3% range), γ-terpinene (1.8-7.2% range), cumin aldehyde (50-66% range), α-terpinen-7-al (3.8-16% range), and ß-terpinen-7-al (12-20% range) varied as a function of the DT. The concentrations of α-pinene, ß-pinene, γ-cymene, γ-terpinene in the oil increased with the increase of the duration of the DT; α-pinene was highest in the oil obtained at 600 min DT, ß-pinene and γ-terpinene reached maximum concentrations in the oil at 360 min DT; γ-cymene reached a maximum in the oil at 60 min DT, cumin aldehyde was high in the oils obtained at 5-60 min DT, and low in the oils obtained at 240-600 min DT, α-terpinen-7-al reached maximum in the oils obtained at 480 or 600 min DT, whereas ß-terpinen-7-al reached a maximum concentration in the oil at 60 min DT. The yield of individual oil constituents (calculated from the oil yields and the concentration of a given compound at a particular DT) increased and reached a maximum at 480 or 600 min DT. The antimalarial activity of the cumin seed oil obtained during the 0-5 and at 5-7.5 min DT timeframes was twice higher than the antimalarial activity of the oils obtained at the other DT. This study opens the possibility for distinct marketing and utilization for these improved oils. The antioxidant capacity of the oil was highest in the oil obtained at 30 min DT and lowest in the oil from 360 min DT. The Michaelis-Menton and the Power nonlinear regression models developed in this study can be utilized to predict essential oil yield and composition of cumin seed at any given duration of DT and may also be useful to compare previous reports on cumin oil yield and composition. DT can be utilized to obtain cumin seed oil with improved antimalarial activity, improved antioxidant capacity, and with various compositions.

Diversity and bioprospection of fungal community present in oligotrophic soil of continental Antarctica.

We surveyed the diversity and capability of producing bioactive compounds from a cultivable fungal community isolated from oligotrophic soil of continental Antarctica. A total of 115 fungal isolates were obtained and identified in 11 taxa of Aspergillus, Debaryomyces, Cladosporium, Pseudogymnoascus, Penicillium and Hypocreales. The fungal community showed low diversity and richness, and high dominance indices. The extracts of Aspergillus sydowii, Penicillium allii-sativi, Penicillium brevicompactum, Penicillium chrysogenum and Penicillium rubens possess antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antitumoral, herbicidal and antiprotozoal activities. Bioactive extracts were examined using (1)H NMR spectroscopy and detected the presence of secondary metabolites with chemical shifts. Our results show that the fungi present in cold-oligotrophic soil from Antarctica included few dominant species, which may have important implications for understanding eukaryotic survival in cold-arid oligotrophic soils. We hypothesize that detailed further investigations may provide a greater understanding of the evolution of Antarctic fungi and their relationships with other organisms described in that region. Additionally, different wild pristine bioactive fungal isolates found in continental Antarctic soil may represent a unique source to discover prototype molecules for use in drug and biopesticide discovery studies.

Pharmacological activities of cilantro's aliphatic aldehydes against Leishmania donovani.

Leishmaniasis is a chronic infectious disease caused by different Leishmania species. Global occurrences of this disease are primarily limited to tropical and subtropical regions. Treatments are available; however, patients complain of side effects. Different species of plants have been screened as a potential source of new drugs against leishmaniasis. In this study, we investigated the antileishmanial activity of cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) essential oil and its main components: (E)-2-undecenal, (E)-2-decenal, (E)-2-dodecenal, decanal, dodecanal, and tetradecanal. The essential oil of C. sativum leaves inhibits growth of Leishmani donovani promastigotes in culture with an IC50 of 26.58 ± 6.11 µg/mL. The aliphatic aldehydes (E)-2-decenal (7.85 ± 0.28 µg/mL), (E)-2-undecenal (2.81 ± 0.21 µg/mL), and (E)-2-dodecenal (4.35 ± 0.15 µg/mL), all isolated from C. sativum essential oil, are effective inhibitors of in vitro cultures of L. donovani promastigotes. Aldehydes (E)-2-decenal, (E)-2-undecenal, and (E)-2-dodecenal were also evaluated against axenic amastigotes and IC50 values were determined to be 2.47 ± 0.25 µg/mL, 1.25 ± 0.11 µg/mL, and 4.78 ± 1.12 µg/mL, respectively. (E)-2-Undecenal and (E)-2-dodecenal demonstrated IC50 values of 5.65 ± 0.19 µg/mL and 9.60 ± 0.89 µg/mL, respectively, against macrophage amastigotes. These cilantro compounds showed no cytotoxicity against THP-1 macrophages.

Dual extraction of essential oil and podophyllotoxin from creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis).

Juniperus horizontalis Moench (Family Cupressaceae), commonly called creeping juniper, is a widely distributed species in the United States and much of Canada. It is potentially a source for two important chemical products, the anticancer drug synthetic precursor, podophyllotoxin and essential oils. The objectives of this study were to ascertain the likelihood of utilizing J. horizontalis needles for the simultaneous production of both (-)-podophyllotoxin and essential oil components and to determine the optimum distillation time (DT) needed for the production of essential oil containing a specific ratio of constituents. Eleven different distillation times were tested in this study: 20, 40, 80, 160, 180, 240, 480, 600, 720, 840, and 960 min. Total essential oil content increased with increasing distillation time from a minimum of 0.023% at 20 min to a maximum of 1.098% at 960 min. The major constituents present in the oil were alpha-pinene, sabinene, and limonene. The percent concentration of sabinene in the essential oil varied from a high of 46.6% at 80 min to a low of 30.2% at 960 min, that of limonene changed very little as a result of distillation time and remained near 30% for all distillation times, whereas the concentration of alpha-pinene was 9.6% at 20 min DT and decreased to 4.2% at 960 min. Post distillation analysis of needles revealed elevated amounts of (-)-podophyllotoxin remaining in the tissue varied in the amount of podophyllotoxin present, from a low of 0.281% to a high of 0.364% as compared to undistilled needles which gave 0.217% podophyllotoxin. As a result of this study, specific essential oil components can now be targeted in J. horizontalis by varying the distillation time. Furthermore, needles can be successfully utilized as a source of both essential oil and podophyllotoxin, consecutively.

Distillation time effect on lavender essential oil yield and composition.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) is one of the most widely grown essential oil crops in the world. Commercial extraction of lavender oil is done using steam distillation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the length of the distillation time (DT) on lavender essential oil yield and composition when extracted from dried flowers. Therefore, the following distillation times (DT) were tested in this experiment: 1.5 min, 3 min, 3.75 min, 7.5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 60 min, 90 min, 120 min, 150 min, 180 min, and 240 min. The essential oil yield (range 0.5-6.8%) reached a maximum at 60 min DT. The concentrations of cineole (range 6.4-35%) and fenchol (range 1.7-2.9%) were highest at the 1.5 min DT and decreased with increasing length of the DT. The concentration of camphor (range 6.6-9.2%) reached a maximum at 7.5-15 min DT, while the concentration of linalool acetate (range 15-38%) reached a maximum at 30 min DT. Results suggest that lavender essential oil yield may not increase after 60 min DT. The change in essential oil yield, and the concentrations of cineole, fenchol and linalool acetate as DT changes were modeled very well by the asymptotic nonlinear regression model. DT may be used to modify the chemical profile of lavender oil and to obtain oils with differential chemical profiles from the same lavender flowers. DT must be taken into consideration when citing or comparing reports on lavender essential oil yield and composition.

Natural products as sources for new pesticides.

Natural products as pesticides have been reviewed from several perspectives in the past, but no prior treatment has examined the impact of natural product and natural product-based pesticides on the U.S. market, as a function of new active ingredient registrations with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thus, EPA registration details of new active ingredients for all conventional pesticide registrations and biopesticide registrations were compiled from the years 1997-2010. Conventional pesticide registrations and biopesticide registrations were examined both collectively and independently for all 277 new active ingredients (NAI) and subsequently categorized and sorted into four types: biological (B), natural product (NP), synthetic (S), and synthetic natural derived (SND). When examining conventional pesticides alone, the S category accounted for the majority of NAI registrations, with 78.0%, followed by SND with 14.7%, NP with 6.4%, and B with 0.9%. Biopesticides alone were dominated by NPs with 54.8%, followed by B with 44.6%, SND with 0.6%, and 0% for S. When examining conventional pesticides and biopesticides combined, NPs accounted for the majority of NAI registrations, with 35.7%, followed by S with 30.7%, B with 27.4%, and SND with 6.1%. Despite the common perception that natural products may not be the best sources for NAI as pesticides, when both conventional and biopesticides are examined collectively, and considering that NP, SND, and B all have origins from natural product research, it can be argued that their combined impact with the EPA from 1997 to 2010 accounted for 69.3% of all NAI registrations.