Phytochemical investigation and antitumor activity of coumarins from Sicilian accession of Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. roots.

Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area being present in Crete, Greece, Albania, and probably in Macedonia. From the roots of this accession of species, not previously investigated, four coumarins, grandivittin, aegelinol benzoate, felamidin and aegelinol, and two terpenoids, (2E)-3-methyl-4-[(3-methyl-1-oxo-2-buten-1yl)oxy]-2-butenoic acid and pressafonin-A, were isolated and spectroscopically characterized. The last one was never detected in Ferulago species. The evaluation of the anti-tumor effects of F. nodosa coumarins on colon cancer HCT116 cells showed only a modest effect on reduction of tumor cell viability. For aegelinol, the reduction of colon cancer cell viability already appears with 25 µΜ, while using 50 e 100 µM doses of marmesin the residual viability amounted to 70% and 54%, respectively. This effect resulted more evident at higher doses of compounds (at 200 µM from 80% to 0%). The most effective compounds resulted coumarins lacking ester group.

The chemical composition of the essential oils of two Mediterranean species of Convolvulaceae: Convolvulus althaeoides subsp. tenuissimus collected in Sicily (Italy) and Calystegia silvatica collected in Algeria.

Convolvulus L. and Calystegia R.Br. are two closely related genera of the Convolvulaceae family distributed in Asia, Mediterranean, Macaronesia, East Africa, and Arabia, including about 210 and 30 accepted species, respectively, of flowering plants, present as trees, shrubs, and herbs. The ethnomedical use of Convolvulus species dates to 1730s as they displayed profuse medicinal properties. In the present study, the not previously investigated chemical compositions of the essential oils from aerial parts of Convolvulus althaeoides subsp. tenuissimus (Sm.) Bat., collected in Sicily, and Calystegia sylvatica (Kit.) Griseb., collected in Algeria, were evaluated by GC-MS. The main components of the essential oil of the first one were ß-caryophyllene (28.68%), γ-muurolene (23.75%), and γ-elemene (17.55%), whereas the C. silvatica essential oil was shown to be rich of valeranone (10.77%), viridiflorol (9.45%), and germacrene D (8.61%). Furthermore, a complete literature review on the ethno-pharmacological uses of Convolvulus and Calystegia species was performed.

The chemical composition of the aerial parts essential oil of Pulicaria odora (L.) Rchb. growing in Sicily (Italy).

The genus Pulicaria Gaertn. (Asteraceae) comprises more than ninety-two species as annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, distributed in Africa, Europe, and Asia, and concentrated mainly in the Mediterranean region. Several species have been used in the traditional medicine of many countries. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Pulicaria odora (L.) Rchb., present in the Mediterranean region and collected in Sicily, was analysed by GC-MS. No papers have been previously published on the essential oil of the aerial part of this species. The result showed the presence of large quantity of carbonyl compounds (25.29%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (23.28%) and thymol derivatives (16.76%). Chemical considerations with respect of other oils of Pulicaria taxa were carried out.

The chemical composition of the aerial parts' essential oil of Nepeta apuleji Ucria (Lamiaceae) growing in Sicily (Italy).

The genus Nepeta L. (Lamiaceae) comprises about 300 species as annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, spread in central and southern Europe, the Near East, central and southern Asia, and some areas of Africa. Several species have been used in the traditional medicine. In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of two populations of Nepeta apuleji Ucria collected in Sicily, a rare species, growing also in South Spain and NW Africa, were analysed by GC-MS. No one has been previously worked and published on the essential oil of this species. Main constituents of the two oils of the two populations were the monoterpenes ß-pinene (11.6-6.3%) and γ-terpinene (9.4-5.0%), and the sesquiterpenes ß-caryophyllene (11.9-9.8%) and germacrene D (1.8-13.0%). The chemical profile of the two essential oils presented herein and they compared with previously investigated Nepeta taxa oils, reported in the article.

Chemical composition of the essential oils of three taxa of Cytisus growing wild in Sicily, Italy.

The genus Cytisus is native Canary Islands, Europe to Mediterranean, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and several species of the genus are used in folk medicine of different countries. In this work the chemical composition of the essential oils from the aerial parts of three taxa of this genus growing wild in Sicily, Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link, C. villosus Pourr. and C. aeolicus Guss., has been investigated. No one report has been published on the Sicilian accession of the former two species, and, at the best of our knowledge, C. aeolicus is devoid of any chemical investigation. Cytisus scoparius and C. aeolicus essential oils have similar composition characterised by the occurrence of almost the same amount of compounds belonging to "other" class (59.5-52.0%) and carbonyl compounds (22.2-19.6%). Cytisus villosus showed a different composition with hydrocarbons as the main class (52.0%), totally absent in the other two species.

The chemical composition of the aerial parts essential oil of Stachys ocymastrum L. Briq. (Lamiaceae) growing in Sicily (Italy).

The genus Stachys L. (Lamiaceae) comprises more than 300 species as annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, spread in temperate regions of Mediterranean, Asia, America, and Southern Africa. Several species have been used in the traditional medicine to treat stress, skin inflammations, gastrointestinal disorders, asthma, and genital tumours. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Stachys ocymastrum L. Briq., belonging to section Olisia, endemic of the Western Mediterranean and Greece and collected in Sicily, was analysed by GC-MS. No one report has been previously published on any European accession of this species. The result showed the presence of large quantity of the diterpenoid phytol (23.80%). Other metabolites present in high quantity were ß-caryophyllene (17.95%), geranyl-α-terpinene (13.26%) and trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (9.85%). Chemical considerations with respect all the other oils of Stachys taxa, belonging to section Olisia studied so far, were carried out.

The chemical composition of the aerial parts essential oil of Phagnalon sinaicum collected in the Negev Desert (Israel).

The genus Phagnalon Cass. (Asteraceae) is widely distributed from Macaronesia in the West to the Himalayas in the East, from South France and Nord Italy to Ethiopia and Arabian Peninsula. Species of this genus have been used in folk medicine of many countries as medicinal herbs and they are also used such as food. The extracts and the essential oils (EOs) of these plants have reported antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor, etc. properties and they have different biological applications. Phagnalon sinaicum Bornm. and Kneuck. is a very rare plant native of Middle East. It grows primarily in the desert or dry scrubland biome. Its EO, never previously investigated, was analysed by GC-MS. The EO was very rich in oxygenated monoterpenes, with artemisia ketone (20.40%), α-thujone (19.36%), and santolina alcohol (13.29%) as main constituent. Some considerations with respect to all the other EOs of Phagnalon taxa studied so far were carried out.

The chemical composition of the aerial parts essential oil of Plectranthus ornatus growing wild in Israel.

Plectranthus L'Hér is a large genus of Lamiaceae family comprising of ca. 300 species distributed through the tropical and warm regions of the Old-World, including Africa, from Ethiopia to Tanzania, Asia and Australia. Several species are edible, and some ones have been also used as traditional medicinal of several countries. Phytochemical investigations on non-volatile metabolites of species of this genus indicated them of source of diterpenoids with abietane, phyllocladanes, kaurene skeleton. Plectranthus ornatus Codd. is an invasive, ornamental and traditional medicinal plant native of Central-East Africa, which was spread around the world by Portuguese, especially in the Americas. In the present communication, the aerial parts of P. ornatus, identified wild for the first time in Israel, were analysed for the composition of its essential oil, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Considerations with respect to all the other essential oils of P. ornatus accessions were carried out.