Chemical composition, antifungal, antioxidant and hemolytic activities of Moroccan Thymus capitatus essential oil.

This study aimed to define the chemical composition of Moroccan Thymus capitatus essential oil, and to investigate its in vitro antioxidant and antifungal activities against human pathogenic fungi. Chemical analysis using GC-FID and GC-MS system revealed 28 constituents, representing 99% of total compounds. Oxygenated monoterpenes represented the highest proportion (79.79%), among which carvacrol (75.73%) was the predominant compound, followed by linalol (2.26%). Monoterpene hydrocarbons represented the second major fraction (16.29%): within them, the predominant constituents were γ-terpinene (5,55%), ρ-cymene (5,50%), and ß-caryophyllene (2.73%). Antioxidant activity was performed by DPPH scavenging, ß-carotene bleaching inhibition, and ferric reducing power. T. capitatus revealed pronounced DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50=110.53µg.mL-1), strong ferric reducing ability (EC50=644.4µg.mL-1), and a remarkable degree of protection against lipid peroxidation during ß-carotene bleaching inhibition (IC50=251.76µg.mL-1). Antifungal activity was carried out against Candida, Aspergillus, and Rhizopus species by microdilution method.  T. capitatus   exhibited potent anticandidal activity (MIC=125-500µg.mL-1) and strong inhibition against filamentous fungi (MIC=250-500µg.mL-1). Its hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes had a low toxic effect at concentrations lower than 1250µg.mL-1. The useful antioxidant properties and broad antifungal effect of T. capitatus EO confirm its considerable potential for the food industry and for phytopharmaceutical production.

Chemical Characterization and Several Bioactivities of Cladanthus mixtus from Morocco.

The purpose of this work was to investigate, for the first time to our knowledge, the chemical composition and bioactivity of methanolic extracts (roots, stems, leaves, and flowers) from Cladanthus mixtus (L.) Chevall. that grows wild in northern Morocco (the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region). The phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by spectrophotometer methods, and the composition of derivatized methanolic extracts from C. mixtus using N-O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity was carried out by applying the 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) tests. The micro-dilution technique was chosen to investigate the antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts against two bacterial strains and three fungal species. The results showed that the values of total phenolic and flavonoid contents were found to be higher in flower extracts (30.55 ± 0.85 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g of dried weight (DW) and 26.00 ±1.34 mg of quercetin equivalents (QE)/g DW, respectively). Other groups of chemical compounds were revealed by GC-MS, such as carbohydrates (27.25-64.87%), fatty acids (1.58-9.08%), organic acids (11.81-18.82%), and amino acids (1.26-7.10%). Root and flower methanolic extracts showed the highest antioxidant activity using ABTS (39.49 mg of Trolox equivalents (TE)/g DW) and DPPH (36.23 mg TE/g DW), respectively. A positive correlation between antioxidant activity and polyphenol and flavonoid amounts was found. Antibacterial tests showed that the best activity was presented by the leaf extract against Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) = 20 mg/mL) and Escherichia coli (MIC of 30 mg/mL and MBC of 35 mg/mL). S. aureus was more sensitive to the extracts compared to E. coli. All extracts showed antifungal activity against Trichophyton rubrum, with the best efficacy reported by the flower and leaf extracts (MIC = 1.25 mg/mL and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) = 2.5 mg/mL). In general, extracts of C. mixtus appeared less effective against Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus.

Influence of exogenous polyamines on the secondary somatic embryogenesis of cork oak (Quercus suber L.).

Quercus suber L. is the main woody tree species in the Mediterranean basin. The in vitro regeneration from adult material, through primary somatic embryogenesis, is a well-known process, but the use of secondary somatic embryos for plant regeneration remains a very sparsely studied process. The main objective of this work is to explore the cork oak regeneration potential by using the secondary somatic embryogenesis process. Mainly, in this work, we report the polyamine effect. Explants used consisted on primary mature embryos, derived from leaves rejuvenated by epicormic shoot of the Moroccan Quercus suber. Three different polyamines were added to the basal medium, which was composed by macronutrients of N30K, 30 g/l glucose, and 7 g/l agar. Three polyamines, Putrescine, Spermine, and Spermidine, were added to the basal medium at 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 mg/l. Explants were tested after 8 weeks. Morphological analysis showed that the medium with 0.4 mg/l Spermidine provided the best result for secondary embryos, which corresponds to a very significant (p < 0.05) increase of 375%. The number of secondary embryos directly formed was 2.70 ± 0.51. Similarly, the optimum concentrations for high number of clusters (0.50 ± 0.11) and embryo clusters (1.43 ± 0.35) were increased by 145% and 158%. The addition of the polyamine also acted on the quality of embryos formed. A very significant (p < 0.05) increase in the size of secondary embryos was observed compared to the medium without polyamines. Spermidine showed the greatest increase (about 38%).

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.): A Review of Ethnomedicinal Use, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Uses.

Matricaria chamomilla L. is a famous medicinal plant distributed worldwide. It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat all kinds of diseases, including infections, neuropsychiatric, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and liver disorders. It is also used as a sedative, antispasmodic, antiseptic, and antiemetic. In this review, reports on M. chamomilla taxonomy, botanical and ecology description, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, biological and pharmacological properties, possible application in different industries, and encapsulation were critically gathered and summarized. Scientific search engines such as Web of Science, PubMed, Wiley Online, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar were used to gather data on M. chamomilla. The phytochemistry composition of essential oils and extracts of M. chamomilla has been widely analyzed, showing that the plant contains over 120 constituents. Essential oils are generally composed of terpenoids, such as α-bisabolol and its oxides A and B, bisabolone oxide A, chamazulene, and ß-farnesene, among other compounds. On the other hand, M. chamomilla extracts were dominated by phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and coumarins. In addition, M. chamomilla demonstrated several biological properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-parasitic, insecticidal, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. These activities allow the application of M. chamomilla in the medicinal and veterinary field, food preservation, phytosanitary control, and as a surfactant and anti-corrosive agent. Finally, the encapsulation of M. chamomilla essential oils or extracts allows the enhancement of its biological activities and improvement of its applications. According to the findings, the pharmacological activities of M. chamomilla confirm its traditional uses. Indeed, M. chamomilla essential oils and extracts showed interesting antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, anti-pyretic, anti-allergic, and analgesic activities. Moreover, the most important application of M. chamomilla was in the medicinal field on animals and humans.

Phytochemical Compounds and Anticancer Activity of Cladanthus mixtus Extracts from Northern Morocco.

Many of the chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of cancer are molecules identified and isolated from plants or their synthetic derivatives. This work aimed to identify the bioactive compounds using LC-MS and GC-MS and to evaluate the anticancer activity of the methanolic extracts of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers from Cladanthus mixtus. The anticancer activity was evaluated in vitro against two cancer cell lines: human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) and human prostate carcinoma (PC-3), using the MTT assay and microscopic observation. A human normal lung fibroblast (MRC-5) was included to determine the extract's safety for non-tumoral cells. The chemical composition results by LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 24 phenolic compounds. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis allowed the identification of many biomolecules belonging to terpenoids, esters, alcohols, alkanes, fatty acids, organic acids, benzenes, phenols, ketones, carbonyls, amines, sterols, and other groups. The findings suggest that the majority of C. mixtus extracts have antiproliferative activity against two cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and PC-3, and one non-tumoral cell line, MRC-5. The activity was dose-dependent, and the highest effect was obtained with leaf extract in the two cancer cell lines. Moreover, these extracts demonstrated an acceptable toxicological profile against normal cells. Overall, C. mixtus extracts revealed promising antitumor properties provided by their phytochemical composition.

Non-peptide metabolites from the genus Bacillus.

Bacillus species produce a number of non-peptide metabolites that display a broad spectrum of activity and structurally diverse bioactive chemical structures. Biosynthetic, biological, and structural studies of these metabolites isolated from Bacillus species are reviewed. This contribution also includes a detailed study of the activity of the metabolites described, especially their role in biological control mechanisms.