Bioactive Compounds, Chemical Composition, and Medicinal Value of the Giant Puffball, Calvatia gigantea (Higher Basidiomycetes), from Turkey.

In this study, the compositions of Calvatia gigantea were first analyzed in order to elucidate its chemical basis for development as a health-enhancing food or medicine. This study investigates the chemical composition (nutritional value; phenolic, sugar and fatty acid content; aroma compounds) and antioxidant properties (radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation) of C. gigantea. The results showed that C. gigantea contains phenolic compounds and sugars and is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (67.93%), proteins (34.37%), and carbohydrates (51.97%). The most abundant compounds were gentisic acid (23.26 µg/g; as a phenolic compound), trehalose (9.78 g/100g; as a sugar), and hexanal (34.71%; as an aroma compound). These findings suggest that C. gigantea might be a promising source of medicine and has the potential to be a health food and food supplementary product.

Free amino acid profiling in the giant puffball mushroom (Calvatia gigantea) using UPLC-MS/MS.

Wild edible and medicinal mushroom, Calvatia gigantea, was quantitatively analyzed for the determination of its free amino acids using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The concentrations of total free amino acids, essential and non-essential amino acids were 199.65 mg/100 g, 113.69 mg/100 g, and 85.96 mg/100 g in C. gigantea, respectively. This study showed that C. gigantea, so called a giant puffball mushroom, has free amino acids content. The essential amino acids: tryptophan, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, leucine, threonine, lysine, histidine, methionine, and the non-essential amino acids: tyrosine, 4-hyrdroxy proline, arginine, proline, glycine, serine, alanine, glutamine, glutamic acid, aspargine, aspartic acid were detected.

Chemical composition of the essential oil and hexane extract of Salvia chionantha and their antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities.

The essential oil and methyl ester of hexane extract of Salvia chionantha Boiss. were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Totally, 54 components were detected in the essential oil and all of them were fully determined. Germacrene D (25.03%), ß-caryophyllene (8.71%), spathulenol (5.86%) and α-humulene (4.82%) were identified as the major compounds. In the methylated hexane extract, 3-hydroxy hexadecanoic acid (39.39%), 3-hydroxy tetradecanoic acid (12.66%) and palmitic acid (12.02%) were the major fatty acids elucidated. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil and the hexane extract was determined by using four complementary test systems; namely, ß-carotene-linoleic acid, DPPH() scavenging, ABTS(+)* scavenging, and CUPRAC assays. In ß-carotene-linoleic acid assay, the extract showed 81.2±0.1% lipid peroxidation inhibition at 0.8 mg/mL concentration, while in ABTS(+)* assay the essential oil exhibited 77.4±0.5% inhibition at same concentration. Since, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes are taking place in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, in vitro anticholinesterase activity of the essential oil and the extract was also studied spectrophotometrically. At 0.5mg/mL concentration, the essential oil showed moderate acetylcholinesterase (56.7±1.9%) and butyrylcholinesterase (41.7±2.9%) inhibitory activity, while the extract was only exhibited activity (63.1±0.8%) against butyrylcholinesterase enzyme. Hence, the essential oil may be useful as a moderate anticholinesterase agent, particularly against acetylcholinesterase.

GC-MS analysis of the antioxidant active fractions of Micromeria juliana with anticholinesterase activity.

The aerial parts of Micromeria juliana (L.) Bentham ex Reichb. were extracted with light petroleum, acetone and methanol, successively. The antioxidant activity of different concentrations of the extracts was evaluated using different antioxidant tests, namely total antioxidant (lipid peroxidation inhibition activity), DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, ferric reducing power, and metal chelating. Total antioxidant activity was determined using the beta-carotene-linoleic acid assay. Unexpectedly, the light petroleum extract exhibited strong lipid peroxidation inhibition activity. The extract was fractionated on a silica gel column and the antioxidant activity of the fractions was determined by the beta-carotene-linoleic assay at 25 microg/mL concentration. The fractions that exhibited more than 50% inhibition activity were analysed by GC and GC/MS; thus, the structure of fourteen compounds were elucidated. In addition, acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase inhibitory activities of the extracts were also determined in vitro. The light petroleum and acetone extracts were found to have mild butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.

The effect of temperature on the essential oil components of Salvia potentillifolia obtained by various methods.

The chemical compositions of the essential oils of Salvia potentillifolia (Lamiaceae) were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The oils were obtained by four different methods (hydrodistillation, steam distillation, and two extraction methods) to investigate the effect of temperature on the volatile compounds. In total, 121 components were detected in the various oils. The major compounds characterized were alpha-pinene (30.2, 31.2, 10.6, and 14.8%) and beta-pinene (15.0, 14.6, 7.6, and 11.4%), respectively. Surprisingly, the percentage concentrations of alpha-pinene and beta-pinene in the hydrodistilled and steam distilled oils were high, even though prepared at high temperature, whereas the contents of both compounds were lower in the essential oils obtained by the extraction methods prepared without added heat. The percentage concentration of 8,13-epoxy-labda-14-en-2-one, a diterpenoid, in the extracted essential oil was 22 times higher than in the hydrodistilled and steam distilled essential oils. However, the concentrations of cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol was four times, and beta-bourbonene and beta-caryophyllene two times superior than their percentage concentrations in the hydrodistilled and steam distilled essential oils.

GC-MS analysis and antimicrobial activity of essential oil of Stachys cretica subsp. smyrnaea.

The essential oil from the aerial parts of Stachys cretica L. subsp. smyrnaea Rech. fil. (Lamiaceae), endemic to Turkey, was investigated by using GC and GC-MS. Thirty-four of 37 components, represented 99.7% of the total oil, were identified. The major components of the essential oil were trans-beta-caryophyllene (51.0%), germacrene-D (32.8%), a-humulene (3.1%), delta-cadinene (2.1%) and delta-elemene (2.1%). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil, trans-beta-caryophyllene and five different extracts of the aerial parts of S. cretica L. subsp. smyrnaea were investigated by the standard disc diffusion method. The essential oil and trans-beta-caryophyllene exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activities. The activity increased with increasing concentrations of the essential oil and the extracts. The essential oil showed antimicrobial activity, particularly against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. The extracts exhibited either moderate or no activity.

Studies on the antioxidant activity of the essential oil and methanol extract of Marrubium globosum subsp. globosum (lamiaceae) by three different chemical assays.

This study is designed to examine the chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant activity of the essential oil and sub-fractions of the methanol extract of Marrubium globosum subsp. globosum. The GC and GC-MS analysis of the essential oil were resulted in the determination of 84 components representing 88.2% of the oil. The major constituents of the oil were spathulenol (15.8%), beta-caryophyllene (9.0%), caryophyllene oxide (7.9%), germacrene D (6.5%), and bicyclogermacrene (3.1%). Antioxidant activities of the samples were determined by three different test systems namely DPPH, beta-carotene/linoleic acid and reducing power assay. In DPPH system, the weakest radical scavenging activity was exhibited by the essential oil (1203.38+/-7.18 microg ml(-1)). Antioxidant activity of the polar sub-fraction of methanol extract was superior to the all samples tested with an EC(50) value of 157.26+/-1.12 microg ml(-1). In the second case, the inhibition capacity (%) of the polar sub-fraction of methanol extract (97.39%+/-0.84) was found the strongest one, which is almost equal to the inhibition capacity of positive control BHT (97.44%+/-0.74). In the case of reducing power assay, a similar activity pattern was observed as given in the first two systems. Polar sub-fraction was the strongest radical reducer when compared with the non-polar one, with an EC(50) value of 625.63+/-1.02 microg ml(-1). The amount of the total phenolics was highest in polar sub-fraction (25.60+/-0.74 microg/mg). A positive correlation was observed between the antioxidant activity potential and total phenolic level of the extracts. On the other hand, total flavonoid content was found equal for the both sub-fractions.

Isolation and characterization of antioxidant phenolic compounds from the aerial parts of Hypericum hyssopifolium L. by activity-guided fractionation.

Dried methanol extract of Hypericum hyssopifolium subsp. elongatum var. elongatum was dissolved in distilled water, and then fractioned by re-extracting with petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate, subsequently. Antioxidant and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activities of these fractions were determined, in vitro. The amounts of total phenolic compounds were also determined. None of these fractions showed antioxidant activity, in contrast water and ethyl acetate fractions acted as prooxidant. However, the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity and the amount of its total phenolic compound was highest, too. Therefore, ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to further separation by chromatographic methods. Thus, five flavonoids (I3,II8-biapigenin, quercetin, quercetin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside, quercetin-3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside) and a napthodianthrone (hypericin) were isolated, and their structures were determined by UV, IR, NMR, and MS spectroscopic methods. All isolated compounds showed antioxidant and DPPH radical-scavenging activities. Although, I3,II8-biapigenin and hypericin were able to show highest antioxidant activity, they had the lowest DPPH radical-scavenging activities. From these results, it can be suggested that these compounds may be used as potential antioxidants. In addition, the petroleum ether fraction was subjected to silica gel column chromatography (CC). Then, n-dotriacontanyl hexadecanoate, bis(2-methylheptyl) phthalate, and beta-sitosterol were isolated from it. It is of interest to present the spectral data of bis(2-methylheptyl) phthalate first time in the present study.