Chemical Constituents and Biological Properties of Genus Doronicum (Asteraceae)

The genus Doronicum, belonging to tribe Senecioneae (Fam. Asteraceae), is found mainly in the Asia, Europe and North Africa. This genus of plant has always been used in traditional medicinal treatments due to the many biological properties shown such as killing parasitic worms and for relieving constipation, as well as to improve heart health, to alleviate pain and inflammation, to treat insect bites, etc. According to the World Flora the genus Doronicum contains 39 subordinate taxa.[1-3] The purpose of this article, which covers data published from 1970 to 2021 with more than 110 articles, aims to carry out a complete and critical review of the Doronicum genus, examining traditional uses and reporting the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activity shown from crude extracts or essential oils, and from single isolated compounds. Furthermore, critical considerations of the published data have been highlighted by comparing them with the results obtained from species of other genus belonging to the Asteraceae family

The Application of the Essential Oils of Thymus vulgaris L. and Crithmum maritimum L. as Biocidal on Two Tholu Bommalu Indian Leather Puppets

The chemical profile of the Thymus vulgaris (Lamiaceae) essential oil (EO) was investigated in order to evaluate its biological properties against microorganisms affecting two Tholu Bommalu, typical Indian leather puppets stored at the International Puppets Museum “Antonio Pasqualino” of Palermo, Italy. A GC–MS analysis, using both polar and apolar columns, was used to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of the Thymus vulgaris and Crithmum maritimum essential oils in vapor phase to disinfect heritage leather puppets. Pieces of leather artifacts that were affected by different bacterial colonies were exposed to EO under vacuum and static evaporation conditions. The results presented showed that the vaporization of essential oil was an efficient method in the disinfection of natural skins, eradicating microorganism in short times. T. vulgaris EO in the 50% solution showed excellent inhibitory activity against isolated bacteria with both methods, but the obtained results suggest that the vacuum method allowed for faster exposition of the artifacts to the biocide. Furthermore, the biocidal properties of the essential oil of a Sicilian accession of Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) aerial parts were compared and investigated. The results of the latter essential oil showed a poor activity against the isolated micro-organism

GC and GC-–MS Analysis of Volatile Compounds From Ballota nigra subsp. uncinata Collected in Aeolian Islands, Sicily (Southern Italy)

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of Ballota nigra subsp. uncinata (Beg.) Patzak collected in Sicily was evaluated by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry. The main components of the oil were (E)-phytol (20.0%), alpha-pinene (9.0%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (5.7%), and alpha-selinene (5.1%). Cluster analysis of the essential oil compositions of all the taxa belonging to B. nigra s.l. group was performed

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. and Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. Mucilage-Based Painting Binders for Conservation of Cultural Heritage

The possibility of using materials from the waste of agricultural products for the conserva- tion of cultural and artistic heritage has led to important technological developments on mortars, plasters, colors, and other applications. In this experimental work, we investigated the binding properties of mucilage obtained from two different species of the genus Opuntia, both collected in Sicily, Italy: Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. and Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. Through chemical acid hydrolysis, and subsequent spectroscopic analysis conducted at 13C-NMR, the main monosaccharide composition of both mucilage was studied, identifying considerable compositional differences. In fact, the mucilage of O. ficus indica had similar total amounts of arabinose (23.65%), galactose (20.87%), and glucose isomers (23.89%), while that of O. stricta was characterized by significant amounts of arabinose (36.48%) and galactose (32.31%) units. The samples were obtained by dispersing pigments on the mucilage and applying the obtained tempera by a brush onto both paper and chalk supports, in order to observe if the colors changed with different substrates. Colorimetric analysis, measuring ∆E, showed how the same pigment modifies its aspect depending on the binder used. After a two-week UV ageing process, pigments that had dispersed in O. stricta changed their aspect more than those dispersed in O. ficus-indica. Overall, it is also evident how ∆E data for organic pigments are higher than those for inorganic ones

Conversion of Organic Dyes into Pigments: Extraction of Flavonoids from Blackberries (Rubus ulmifolius) and Stabilization

The blackberry’s color is composed mainly of natural dyes called anthocyanins. Their color is red–purple, and they can be used as a natural colorant. Anthocyanins are flavonoids, which are products of plants, and their colors range from orange and red to various shades of blue, purple and green, according to pH. In this study, the chemical composition of an extract obtained from blackberries was defined by LC-ESI/LTQOrbitrap/MS in positive and negative ionization mode. Furthermore, we investigated the adsorption process of blackberry extract using several inorganic fillers, such as metakaolin, silica, Lipari pumice, white pozzolan and alumina. The pigments exhibit different colors as a function of their interactions with the fillers. The analysis of the absorption data allowed the estimation of the maximum adsorbing capacity of each individual filler tested. Through thermogravimetric measurements (TGA), the thermal stability and the real adsorption of the organic extract were determine

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Prangos ferulacea Essential Oils

Prangos ferulacea (L.) Lindl, which belongs to the Apiaceae family, is a species that mainly grows in the eastern Mediterranean region and in western Asia. It has been largely used in traditional medicine in several countries and it has been shown to possess several interesting biological properties. With the aim to provide new insights into the phytochemistry and pharmacology of this species, the essential oils of flowers and leaves from a local accession that grows in Sicily (Italy) and has not yet been previously studied were investigated. The chemical composition of both oils, obtained by hydrodistillation from the leaves and flowers, was evaluated by GC-MS. This analysis allowed us to identify a new chemotype, characterized by a large amount of (Z)-beta-ocimene. Furthermore, these essential oils have been tested for their possible antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. P. ferulacea essential oils exhibit moderate antimicrobial activity; in particular, the flower essential oil is harmful at low and wide spectrum concentrations. They also exhibit good antioxidant activity in vitro and in particular, it has been shown that the essential oils of the flowers and leaves of P. ferulacea caused a decrease in ROS and an increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in OZ-stimulated PMNs. Therefore, these essential oils could be considered as promising candidates for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical preparations

The Essential Oil Compositions of Three Teucrium Taxa Growing Wild in Sicily: HCA and PCA Analyses

The chemical composition and the qualitative and quantitative variability of the essential oils of three taxa belonging to the Teucrium genus were studied. The investigated taxa, that grow wild in Sicily, were Teucrium flavum L. (section Chamaedrys (Mill.) Scheb.), Teucrium montanum and Teucrium capitatum L. of section Polium (Mill.) Scheb. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. In total, 74 compounds were identified. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were found to be the main group for T. flavum (48.3%). T. capitatum consisted essentially of monoterpene hydrocarbons (72.7%), with α-pinene (19.9%), β-pinene (27.6%) and sylvestrene (16.6%) as the most abundant compounds whereas ledene oxide (12.1%), epiglobulol (13.5%) and longifolenaldehyde (14.5%) were identified as the main constituents among the oxygenated sesquiterpenes (63.5%) of T. montanum. Furthermore, a complete literature review on the composition of the essential oils of all the other accessions of these Teucrium taxa, studied so far, was performed. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analyses (PCA) were used in order to demonstrate geographical variations in the composition of the essential oils

A New Bloody Pulp Selection of Myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera L.): Pomological Traits, Chemical Composition, and Nutraceutical Properties

A new accession of myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera L.) from Sicily (Italy) was studied for the first time for its chemical and nutraceutical properties. A description of the main morphological and pomological traits was created as a tool for characterization for consumers. For this purpose, three different extracts of fresh myrobalan fruits were subjected to different analyses, including the evaluation of total phenol (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), and anthocyanin (TAC) contents. The extracts exhibited a TPC in the range 34.52-97.63 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g fresh weight (FW), a TFC of 0.23-0.96 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g FW, and a TAC of 20.24-55.33 cyanidine-3-O-glucoside/100 g FW. LC-HRMS analysis evidenced that the compounds mainly belong to the flavonols, flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, and organic acids classes. A multitarget approach was used to assess the antioxidant properties by using FRAP, ABTS, DPPH, and β-carotene bleaching tests. Moreover, the myrobalan fruit extracts were tested as inhibitors of the key enzymes related to obesity and metabolic syndrome (α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and lipase). All extracts exhibited an ABTS radical scavenging activity that was higher than the positive control BHT (IC50 value in the range 1.19-2.97 μg/mL). Moreover, all extracts showed iron-reducing activity, with a potency similar to that of BHT (53.01-64.90 vs 3.26 μM Fe(II)/g). The PF extract exhibited a promising lipase inhibitory effect (IC50 value of 29.61 μg/mL)

Acaricidal activity of bufadienolides Isolated from Drimia pancration against Tetranychus urticae, and structural elucidation of arenobufagin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside

Chemical characterization of the bulbs of Drimia pancration was conducted to isolate four steroidal saponins (1–4). Earlier, we focused on the structural elucidation of compounds 1–3. Herein, by means of 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, Nuclear Overhauser Effects (NOE), and 2D-NMR spectra, the full stereochemical structure of 4 is reported, and all the 1H and 13C signals are assigned. Com- pounds 1–4 were tested for their acaricidal properties against the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Our results showed excellent activity of compound 1, with an LD50 (μg/cm2) of 0.29 and a LD90 (μg/cm2) of 0.96, whereas compounds 2, 3, and 4 showed moderate activity. Fur- thermore, the acaricidal and cytotoxic properties of the crude extract were also investigated. Of note, after 96 h of exposure, the acaricidal activity of compound 1 was higher than that of the positive control, hexythiazox. Indeed, for compound 1, LD50 and LD90 were 0.29 and 0.96 μg/cm2, respec- tively, while hexythiazox LD50(90) was 18.7 (132.5) μg/cm2. Additionally, D. pancration extract, after 72 h, induced a high cytotoxic effect in HaCaT and THP-1 cell lines, with an IC50 of 7.37 ± 0.5 μg/mL and 3.50 ± 0.15 μg/mL, respectively. Overall, D. pancration can be considered as a green source of novel acaricides effective against mites of agricultural importance, such as T. urticae, pending proper field validation and the assessment of non-target effects on other invertebrate species