Phototoxicity in vitro and safety in vivo of the emulsion photosensitizer based on furanocoumarins of Heracleum sosnowskyi.

The use of plants such as giant hogweed as raw materials for the manufacture of dosage forms has been little explored. In this study, we utilized furanocoumarins from the Heracleum sosnowskyi plant to create an experimental emulsion dosage form (EmFHS). The EmFHS was finely dispersed (481.8 nm ± 71.1 nm), shelf-stable, and contained predominantly 8-methoxypsoralen at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. Phototoxicity analysis of EmFHS for THP-1 cells under UV (365 nm) irradiation showed an IC50 of 19.1 µg/ml (24 h) and 6.3 µg/ml (48 h). In relation to spheroids (L929), EmFHS exhibited a phototoxic effect in the concentration range of 31.25-125 µg/ml8-MOP. A full phototoxic effect was observed 48 h after UV irradiation. The phototoxic effect of EmFHS in vitro was dose-dependent and comparable to the effect of emulsion synthetic 8-methoxypsoralen and chlorin e6 solution. EmFHS cytotoxicity was caused solely by UV radiation, and toxicity in the dark was minimal. EmFHS, administered at a dose of 3 mg/kg8-MOP, was found to be safe after a single intravenous administration to rats. It had a photosensitizing effect in the form of local photodermatitis when exposed to UV irradiation at a dose of 44 J/cm2. The biokinetics of emulsion furanocoumarins showed that the phototoxic effect of EmFHS is due to the high penetration ability of the emulsion into cells of spheroids. At the same time, it has a low degree of cumulation when administered intravenously. The obtained data suggest that EmFHS may be a promising treatment for PUVA therapy of various dermatological diseases. Additionally, the plant Heracleum sosnowskyi shows potential as a basis for creating new dosage forms with phototherapeutic effects.

Development of biomaterials based on chitosan-gelatin nanofibers encapsulated with Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil and Heracleum persicum extract for extending the shelf-life of vacuum-cooked beef sausages.

The aims of the current study were to encapsulate Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil (ZEO, 0%, 0.15%, and 0.25%) and Heracleum persicum extract (HPE, 0%, 0.25%, and 0.5%) into the chitosan-gelatin (CH-GE) nanofibers through the electrospinning process to improve the shelf-life of vacuum-cooked beef sausages through 70 days of refrigerated storage. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that all nanofibers appeared thin, well-defined, smooth, and possessed uniform thread-like fibers without any beads or nodule formations. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study confirmed the molecular interaction between encapsulated compounds and CH-GE nanofibers. The X-ray diffraction analysis of nanofibers showed an increase in crystallinity after incorporating ZEO and HPE into the polymer. Treated sausages with CH-GE-ZEO 0.25%-HPE 0.25% and CH-GE-ZEO 0.25%-HPE 0.5% showed significantly lower microbial population and lipid oxidation than the control group during the experiment period (P < 0.05). Sausages formulated with designated CH-GE nanofibers had better microbial, chemical, and sensory properties compared to sausages treated with pure ZEO/HPE during refrigerated storage. The findings also showed that treated sausages with CH-GE-ZEO 0.25%-HPE 0.5% had the highest color, odor, texture, and overall acceptability after 70 days of refrigerated storage conditions. Therefore, this treatment could be applicable for the prolonged storage conditions during cooked beef sausage production.

Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch., C.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall. fruit essential oil: content, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer cell line.

BACKGROUND: One of the most important aromatic species of the Apiaceae family is Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch., C.A.Mey. & Avé-Lall, which used as a spice and condiment in food. It is widely used in traditional Iranian medicine due to its anti-toxic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the essential oil of this plant in terms of content and ingredients, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity. METHODS: The fruit of H. persicum was collected in June 2019 from Maragheh region of Kashan, Iran. The essential oil was extracted by water distillation using Clevenger for 3 h. Identification analysis of H. persicum fruit essential oil (HPFEO) components was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Evaluation of the effect of the HPFEO on the growth and proliferation of ovarian cancer cell line (OVCAR-3) was performed using MTT colorimetric method. Its antimicrobial activity was evaluated by agar diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungal lethality concentration (MBC/MFC). RESULTS: The results of analysis of the HPFEO by GC-MS showed that there were 35 compounds with 99.54% relative content. Hexyl butyrate (35.24%), octyl 2-methylbutyrate (11.65%), octyl isobutyrate (9.23%), and octyl acetate (8.42%) were the predominant compounds. Examination of cell survival showed that the viability of cells decreased depending on the concentration of the HPFEO in 24 h and had value of IC50 ~ 12.08 µg/ml against OVCAR-3 cell line. The strongest inhibitory activity of the HPFEO was against Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella paratyphi-A serotype (MIC < 62.50 µg/mL). Also, the strong inhibitory and lethal activity of this essential oil against Candida albicans (MIC and MBC 250 µg/mL was one degree weaker compared to nystatin (MIC = 125 µg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, HPFEO, in addition to its traditional use, may have a strong and potential potential for the production of anti-proliferative and antimicrobial drugs.

Fabrication of nano-encapsulated angelica (Heracleum persicum) essential oil for enriching dairy dessert: Physicochemical, rheological and sensorial properties.

In this study, the nanoemulsions containing angelica essential oil (AEO) was used as a novel nano-carrier for enrichment of dairy dessert. Firstly, oil-in-water nanoemulsions were prepared by different levels of GE (1%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) as the dispersed phase, Tween 80 as surfactant with a constant surfactant to essential oil ratio (1:1), and distillated water as a continuous phase. Droplet size, free radical scavenging capacity, antimicrobial activity against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus (25923 ATCC)) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli H7 O157 (700728 ATCC)) were evaluated for produced nanoemulsions. The mean droplet size of nanoemulsion increased from 75 to 95 nm and antioxidant capacity also enhanced from 15.4% to 30.2% by increasing AEO level from 1% to 15%. Antimicrobial analysis by disk diffusion methods for nanoemulsions containing different levels of AEO cleared that nanoemulsions with high levels of AEO showed the stronger antimicrobial activity against both used bacteria and especially more activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The results of the total count and yeast and mould count show that the nanoemulsions with different levels of AEO have been effective on the number of microorganisms, particularly during storage. The incorporation of pure essential oil and nanoemulsions with different levels of AEO did not affect significantly the pH of different dessert samples however, they affected the dry matter and free radical scavenging capacity. Adding of nanoemulsions with different levels of AEO to the desserts had a considerable effect on the rheological properties including apparent viscosity, G', G", Tan δ and complex viscosity and all samples showed shear-thining behaviour. Results from organoleptic characteristics (taste, odour colour, mouthfeel and total acceptance) showed that enriched samples by nanoemulsions, particularly with higher level of AEO had higher sensorial scores. In general, samples containing free AEO (not encapsulated) had the lower scores in all organoleptic characteristics.

Effects of nano-chitosan coatings incorporating with free/nano-encapsulated essential oil of Golpar (Heracleum persicum L.) on quality characteristics and safety of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

This study investigated the effect of nano-chitosan coating containing free/nano forms of Heracleum persicum L. essential oil (HPEO) on microbial, chemical and sensory properties of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at 4 °C during storage. In this study, nanoliposomes were prepared using different soy lecithin/cholesterol ratios (30:30, 40:20, 50:10 and 60:0) and sonication-hydration techniques with sizes of 78.70-123 nm. Liposome with a ratio of 50:10 had the greatest EE%. The zeta potantial was between -5.62 ± 0.28 to -3.71 ± 0.31 mV. The index of polydispersity and encapsulation efficiency (EE) were 0.452-0.481 and 51.93-68.13 %, respectively. Based on the results of microbiological and chemical analyses, samples treated with with nanochitosan/nano essential oil (NCS-NEO) had a better effect at the end of the study than other samples (NCS-EO, NCS and control). For NCS-NEO treatment at the end of storage time, analysis the value of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) and peroxide value (PV) were, 27.95 (mg/100 g), 6.9, 0.37 (mEq/kg), 5.13 (mg MDA/kg), respectively, and the total pseudomonads count (TPC), total viable counts (TVC) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were, 8, 6.8, and 6.5 CFU/g, respectively. Further, the NCS-NEO treatment (at the end of study) achieved the highest sensory characteristics. HPEO encapsulation decreases diffusion rates, so improving activity of antioxidant and antimicrobial, and characteristics of sensory. This study suggested that coating nano forms of HPEO with NCS could be used to enhance shelf life of rainbow trout fish.

Essential Oil Variability in Iranian Populations of Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fischer: A Rich Source of Hexyl Butyrate and Octyl Acetate.

Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fischer seeds are a rich source of essential oils (EOs) with high antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. In order to determine the phytochemical variability in various Iranian H. persicum populations, seed samples were collected from 10 different climatic locations. The current study indicated that hexyl butyrate (20.9-44.7%), octyl acetate (11.2-20.3%), hexyl-2-methylbutyrate (4.81-8.64%), and octyl 2-methyl butyrate (3.41-8.91%) were the major components of the EOs. The maximum (44.7%) and the minimum (20.9%) content of hexyl butyrate were obtained from Kaleibar and Sari populations, respectively. Moreover, the octyl acetate content ranged from 2% (in Mahdasht) to 20.3% in Torghabeh population. The CA and PCA analysis divided the 10 Iranian H. persicum populations into three major groups. Populations from Khanghah, Kaleibar, Shebeilo, Showt, Mahdasht, and Amin Abbad showed a distinct separation in comparison with the other populations, having high contents of hexyl butyrate (39.8%) and low contents of octyl acetate (13.5%) (Chemotype II). According to correlation analysis, the highest correlation coefficient was among habitat elevation and hexyl butyrate content. In addition, the mean annual precipitation was negatively correlated with the content of hexyl butyrate. Although octyl acetate content showed high correlation with soil EC and mean annual temperature, it was not statistically significant. In general, in order to have plants with a high content of hexyl butyrate, it is recommended to harvest these plants from regions with high altitude and low rainfall such as Kaleibar.

Comparative Content, Biological and Anticancer Activities of Heracleum humile Extracts Obtained by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Method.

As the safety and effectiveness of synthetic drugs remain in doubt, researchers are trying to develop natural medicines from medicinal plants. Herein, ethyl acetate, methanol and water extracts from the Heracleum humile plant were obtained by an ultrasonic-assisted extraction process and the aim was to evaluate some biological effects of the extracts due to the limited data on the pharmacological properties of Heracleum humile in the literature. Weak antibacterial activity was observed on tested bacterial species. The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration values ranged from 250 to 500 µg/mL. In addition, cytotoxic activity was determined using the MTT test. The strongest findings were determined for ethyl acetate extract on the MDA-MB-231 cell lines at the 48th  hour (IC50 :97.94 µg/mL), followed by the MCF-7 cell lines at the 24th  hour (IC50 :103.9 µg/mL). All extracts of Heracleum humile contained mainly flavonoids, phenolic acids and their derivatives, i. e., well-known compounds that possess numerous biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial etc. The study results could provide important information that Heracleum humile could be a potential candidate as a natural enzyme inhibitor. It can be concluded that these extracts could be useful in the elementary step of improving novel plant-derived multifunctional pharmaceuticals.

A new coumarin isolated from the roots of Heracleum dissectum Ledeb.

A new coumarin named (9 R, 10 R)-9, 10-dihydro-10-hydroxy-9-methoxy-bergapten (1) and 13 known compounds (2-14) were isolated from the roots of Heracleum dissectum Ledeb., in which compounds (2-13) were obtained from H. dissectum for the first time. Their structures were illuminated by HR-ESI MS, 1 D and 2 D NMR, optical rotation and comparison with literatures. All compounds were evaluated against hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell lines and the results showed that candinol C (8) had moderate cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells with IC50 value at 57.6 ± 1.1 µM.

Heracleum moellendorffii roots inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory mediators through the inhibition of NF-κB and MAPK signaling, and activation of ROS/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.

BACKGROUND: Heracleum moellendorffii roots (HM-R) have been long treated for inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, backache and fever. However, an anti-inflammatory effect and the specific mechanism of HM-R were not yet clear. In this study, we for the first time explored the anti-inflammatory of HM-R. METHODS: The cytotoxicity of HM-R against RAW264.7 cells was evaluated using MTT assay. The inhibition of NO and PGE2 production by HM-R was evaluated using Griess reagent and Prostaglandin E2 ELISA Kit, respectively. The changes in mRNA or protein level following HM-R treatment were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. RESULTS: HM-R dose-dependently blocked LPS-induced NO and PGE2 production. In addition, HM-R inhibited LPS-induced overexpression of iNOS, COX-2, IL-1ß and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells. HM-R inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB signaling activation through blocking IκB-α degradation and p65 nuclear accumulation. Furthermore, HM-R inhibited MAPK signaling activation by attenuating the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38 and JNK. HM-R increased nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 and HO-1 expression. However, NAC reduced the increased nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 and HO-1 expression by HM-R. In HPLC analysis, falcarinol was detected from HM-R as an anti-inflammatory compound. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that HM-R may exert anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK signaling, and activating ROS/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. These findings suggest that HM-R has a potential as a natural material for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Phytotoxic Effect of Invasive Heracleum mantegazzianum Essential Oil on Dicot and Monocot Species.

Spreading of the plant species in new areas is supported by the hypothesis in which chemicals produced by alien species are allopathic to native plants. A novel weapon hypothesis was tested by using essential oil of dangerous alien species Heracleum mantegazzianum in laboratory conditions. Aboveground plant material was collected in south-east part of Slovakia, dried and hydrodistilled for essential oil isolation. Dominant compounds as octyl acetate (62.6%), hexyl 2-metylbutyrate (10.7%), hexyl isobutyrate (7.5%) and hexyl butyrate (6.5%) were identified by GC-MS. Potential phytotoxic activity was tested on three dicot plant species garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and on one monocot plant species wheat Triticum aestivum L. Germination of the seeds of model plant species after influencing by different doses of essential oil of H. mantegazzianum as well as the roots length was evaluated. Lepidium sativum L. and Raphanus sativus L. were generally not sensitive to applied doses of essential oil although a little stimulation effect at some concentrations prevailed over inhibition effect. Similarly, in monocot species Triticum aestivum L., stimulation was visible in both root length and root number at two or one highest doses, respectively.

Chemosystematic Significance of Essential Oil Constituents and Furanocoumarins of Underground Parts and Fruits of Nine Heracleum L. Taxa from Southeastern Europe.

The composition of the essential oils and the furanocoumarin profiles of CH2 Cl2 extracts from underground parts and fruits of nine Heracleum taxa (Apiaceae) from Southeastern Europe were statistically analyzed to evaluate their chemosystematic significance. Eight investigated taxa (H. orphanidis and members of H. sphondylium group: H. sphondylium, H. sibiricum, H. montanum, H. ternatum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. pollinianum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii and H. verticillatum) belong to the type section of the genus. Additionally analyzed taxon, H. austriacum subsp. siifolium, belongs to H. sect. Wendia. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils was performed by GC-FID and GC/MS, and of the furanocoumarins by LC/MS. Furanocoumarins were identified using standards and/or based on UV, MS, 1 H- and ROESY NMR spectra. Multivariate statistics (PCA, nMDS, UPGMA) of analyzed metabolites showed that the investigated taxa were grouped according to their taxonomic classification. PCA revealed the significance of some monoterpenes and (Z)-falcarinol of the underground parts oils, octyl esters of the fruit oils, and most of the total of 12 identified furanocoumarins.

Large Scale Geographical Mapping of Essential Oil Volatiles in Heracleum (Apiaceae): Identification of Novel Compounds and Unraveling Cryptic Variation.

Conspecific populations of plants in their native range are expected to show considerable variation due to long-term ecological and evolutionary factors. We investigated the levels of secondary metabolites in Heracleum including H. persicum a valuable medicinal plant to depict the magnitude of cryptic variation and the potential significance of novel chemical traits. The essential oil volatiles from fruits of 34 populations from different species of Heracleum in Iranian distribution range and a native of H. sphondylium and an invasive population of H. persicum from Norway were analyzed with GC/MS. Out of 48 compounds identified, a contrasting pattern in the level of two major compounds, octyl acetate and hexyl butyrate was found among all studied species. Interestingly, a significant geographic pattern was observed; the hexyl butyrate/octyl acetate ratio was high (range 1.8 - 3.2) in the northwestern Iranian populations of H. persicum compared to that in northern and central populations (range 0.3 - 0.9). Four populations from Zagros mountains also exhibited a unique composition. Anethole was found in two populations of H. persicum from central Zagros, which has not been previously reported for essential oil of fruits of Heracleum so far. The results suggest high efficiency of large scale sampling from distribution range of species in identifying novel compounds. The unique pattern of geographic structuring also provides novel information to unravel cryptic variation in Heracleum.

Simple yet effective: Historical proximity variables improve the species distribution models for invasive giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum s.l.) in Poland.

Species distribution models are scarcely applicable to invasive species because of their breaking of the models' assumptions. So far, few mechanistic, semi-mechanistic or statistical solutions like dispersal constraints or propagule limitation have been applied. We evaluated a novel quasi-semi-mechanistic approach for regional scale models, using historical proximity variables (HPV) representing a state of the population in a given moment in the past. Our aim was to test the effects of addition of HPV sets of different minimal recentness, information capacity and the total number of variables on the quality of the species distribution model for Heracleum mantegazzianum on 116000 km2 in Poland. As environmental predictors, we used fragments of 103 1×1 km, world- wide, free-access rasters from WorldGrids.org. Single and ensemble models were computed using BIOMOD2 package 3.1.47 working in R environment 3.1.0. The addition of HPV improved the quality of single and ensemble models from poor to good and excellent. The quality was the highest for the variants with HPVs based on the distance from the most recent past occurrences. It was mostly affected by the algorithm type, but all HPV traits (minimal recentness, information capacity, model type or the number of the time periods) were significantly important determinants. The addition of HPVs improved the quality of current projections, raising the occurrence probability in regions where the species had occurred before. We conclude that HPV addition enables semi-realistic estimation of the rate of spread and can be applied to the short-term forecasting of invasive or declining species, which also break equal-dispersal probability assumptions.

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oil of Zhumeria majdae, Heracleum persicum and Eucalyptus sp. against some important phytopathogenic fungi.

Application of essential oils of medicinal plants is considered a safe and acceptable method for plant disease management to protect plants from pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, in recent study, essential oils (EOs) from Zhumeria majdae, Heracleum persicum (two Iranian endemic plants) and Eucalyptus sp. were assayed for their antifungal potential against ten phytopathogenic fungi, including Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium asiaticum, Fusarium redolens f.sp. dianthus, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lentis, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus tubingensis, Botrytis cinerea and Cladosporium cladosporioides. Chemical composition of these oils was identified by GC-MS analysis. Based on our results, Z. majdae essential oil exhibited the best antifungal activity among tested essential oils, completely inhibiting growth of five fungal species. EOs of Eucalyptus sp. and H. persicum showed moderate and poor antifungal capacity, respectively. GC-MS analysis demonstrated that linalool and camphor were the main components of the essential oils of Z. majdae; furthermore, 1,8-cineole and hexyl ester formed the major portions of Eucalyptus sp. and H. persicum EOs. Due to the significant inhibition of some EOs, additional research about their use for control of plant diseases caused by these fungi is recommended.

Effects of golpar (Heracleum persicum Desf.) and probiotics in drinking water on performance, carcass characteristics, organ weights, blood plasma constituents, and immunity of broilers.

Increasing levels of Heracleum persicum (golpar) in drinking water were studied in broilers. Two hundred and forty-one-day-old male chickens were allocated to one of six treatments: control, without added phytogenics nor probiotics in drinking water, and probiotics at recommended manufacturer's level (P) or 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 ml/l of golpar extract solution (G1, G1.5, G2, and G2.5 treatments, respectively) in drinking water. As a result of this study, no linear or quadratic trends in the feed intake (FI) and feed conversion rate (FCR) due to golpar supplementation were found. Body weight gain, final body weight, and relative carcass weight showed a positive linear response with increasing levels of golpar supplementation. Neither golpar nor probiotics had effects on the percentages of edible parts of the carcass. Golpar supplementation levels caused a linear negative response of the albumin content in blood plasma, whereas both abdominal fat as percentage of carcass weight and uric acid levels in blood plasma linearly increased. The effects on Ig responses were only observed at 42 days of age and were similar in probiotics and the highest level of golpar supplementation. Based on our results, both probiotics and golpar supplementation could improve broiler performance and immune function.

A New Anti-Inflammatory Alkaloid from Roots of Heracleum dissectum.

Using various chromatographic methods, a new piperidinone alkaloid, (3S)-3-{4-[(1E)-3-hydroxyprop-1-en-1-yl]-2-methoxyphenoxy}piperidin-2-one (1), together with 10 known compounds, bergapten (2), xanthotoxol (3), isopimpinellin (4), isobergapten (5), heratomol-6-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (6), scopoletin (7), apterin (8), 3-methoxy-4-ß-d-glucopyranosyloxypropiophenone, (praeroside; 9), tachioside (10) and coniferin (11), were isolated from roots of Heracleum dissectum Ledeb. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties and the detailed interpretation of various spectroscopic data. All the isolated compounds were screened for anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. As the results, compound 1 and 8 showed significantly inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells.

Biological activity and safety profile of the essential oil from fruits of Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier (Apiaceae).

A composition of essential oils obtained from Heracleum mantegazzianum (Apiaceae) was examined using a GC-MS method. n-Octyl acetate (19.92%), n-hexyl-2-methylbutanoate (10.84%), n-octanol (10.13%), n-octyl butanoate (8.88%), n-octyl-2-methylbutanoate (8.01%), n-hexyl acetate (7.11%), n-octyl isobutanoate (5.5%) and n-hexyl isobutanoate (5.43%) were the main compounds. The high-performance counter-current chromatography was applied for purification of aliphatic alcohols and esters. A mixture of n-hexane, acetonitrile and tetr-butyl methyl ether (1:1:0.1, v/v) allowed to obtain n-octanol, n-octyl acetate, n-hexyl-2- methylbutanoate, n-octyl isobutanoate and n-octyl-2-methylbutanoate, with the purity range of 94-99%, in one single 74 min run. The antimicrobial activity was also determined against plant and foodborne pathogens. While n-octanol shares responsibility for the antibacterial activity of the essential oil, n-octyl acetate determines its antifungal action. The cytotoxic activity assessed on two normal kidney fibroblast cell lines: Vero (animal) and HEK-293 (human embryonic), and two human cancer cell lines: FaDu (squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx) and SCC25 (squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue), showed a moderate cytotoxicity with CC50 values ranging from 262.3 to 567.8 µg/mL. Results indicate that normal cell lines were more sensitive to the tested essential oil than cancer cell lines. The antioxidant activity of oil and pure compounds was not significant.

Essential oils of three cow parsnips - composition and activity against nosocomial and foodborne pathogens and food contaminants.

Although some widespread, native cow parsnips (Heracleum L. spp., Apiaceae) had broad medicinal and culinary applications throughout history, the knowledge about their volatile constituents is insufficient. This work investigates the composition and bioactivities of H. sphondylium L. (HSPH), H. sibiricum L. (HSIB) and H. montanum Schleich. ex Gaudin (HMON) essential oils. The composition was tested by GC and GC-MS. (Z)-ß-Ocimene was the most abundant in HSPH (28.9%) and HMON (20.4%) root oils, while in HSIB root oil, ß-pinene (26.2%), methyl eugenol (22.3%) and elemicin (25.6%) prevailed. Leaf and flower oils were dominated by various sesquiterpenes (germacrene D, ß-sesquiphellandrene, (E)-ß-farnesene and/or (E)-caryophyllene) and/or phenylpropanoids (apiole, methyl eugenol, elemicin and/or (Z)-isoelemicin). Octyl acetate (57.5-67.1%) was the main constituent of all fruit oils. The antimicrobial activity was screened by a microdilution method against eight bacteria and eight fungi. The strongest antimicrobial effect, in several cases better than the activity of antibiotics, was shown by HSPH (MICs = 0.12-3.30 mg mL-1) and HMON (MICs = 0.10-1.30 mg mL-1) flower oils against bacteria, and HSIB fruit oil against fungi (MICs = 0.15-0.40 mg mL-1). The MTT test revealed that the oils were not or weakly cytotoxic against human malignant HeLa, LS174 and/or A549 cells (except HSPH root oil; IC50 = 5.72-24.31 µg mL-1) and that tested oils were not toxic against human normal MRC-5 cells (at 200.00 µg mL-1). Significant activity observed against microorganisms that are the common cause of foodborne diseases, food contamination and/or hospital-acquired infections justifies certain traditional uses of the investigated plants and represents a good basis for further research of these Heracleum oils.

Chemical compositions and antioxidant activity of Heracleum persicum essential oil

ABSTRACT In this study essential oil of the aerial parts of Heracleum persicum a spice widely used in Iran was isolated by conventional hydrodistillation (HD) and microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) techniques. The extraction yield was determined and the chemical compositions of essential oils were identified by the application of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The antioxidant activity was determined by two different methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and oven test methods. Although the main compounds of essential oils by the both extraction methods were similar, the essential oil extracted by HD with lower extraction efficiency showed more diverse compounds. The evaluation of antioxidant activity of the essential oil measured by delay in sunflower oil oxidation indicated that the antioxidant activity was dependent on the concentration which increased when higher concentrations of the essential oils were applied. The results of DPPH radical assay also indicated that the percentage of inhibition increased with increasing of essential oil concentration and IC50 value for essential oil extracted by MAHD method was obtained 1.25 mg/mL. Therefore the Heracleum persicum essential oil might be recommended for use as a flavoring agent and a source of natural antioxidants in functional foods, formulation of the supplements and in medicinal due to numerous pharmacological activities.