Polyacetylenes from Radix et Rhizoma Notopterygii Incisi with an Inhibitory Effect on Nitric Oxide Production In Vitro

Notopterygium roots (Qiang Huo) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating colds, inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and as an analgesic. The anti-inflammatory activity of the roots ofNotopterygium incisum has been evaluated by testing the inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production by inducible nitric oxide synthase. The apparent authenticity of the sample was checked by DNA sequence comparison. Using activity-guided isolation, different compounds were isolated and structurally characterized by means of NMR and mass spectroscopy. Eight polyacetylenes could be identified and were tested on their inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages using the Griess assay. Different 3-hydroxy allyl polyacetylenes exhibited significant activity (IC50: 8-acetoxyfalcarinol, 20.1 µM; falcarindiol, 9.2 µM; 9-epoxyfalcarindiol, 8.8 µM; and crithmumdiol, 23.6 µM)

THE VARIABILITY OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION IN THE SAGE COLLECTION OF THE GENEBANK GATERSLEBEN

Genebanks are valuable resources for ex-situ conservation and breeding of economic plants and wild plant relatives. Analysing plant secondary compounds of such collections delivers useful information about the variability (heterogeneity) in the collection and enables plant breeders to pre-select accessions when breeding for specific plant secondary compounds like essential oil content and/or composition. For garden sage (Salvia officinalis L.), 10 individual plants of each of the 19 accessions available in the genebank were analysed for their essential oil content and composition. The essential oil content was in the range of 0.8% to 2.4%. The essential oil composition was comparable to results already published with the exception of two accessions, which were very low in α-thujone (3%) and β-thujone

Effect of Glomus mosseae on concentrations of rosmarinic and caffeic acids and essential oil compounds in basil inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum f.sp basilici

This study investigated the potential of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae to protect basil (Ocimum basilicum) against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. basilici (Fob). It was hypothesised that G. mosseae could confer a bioprotective effect against Fob as a result of increases in leaf rosmarinic (RA) and caffeic acids (CA) or essential oil concentrations. Glomus mosseae conferred a bioprotective effect against Fob by reducing plant mortality to 20% compared to 33% in non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants. This bioprotective effect was not related to improved phosphorus (P) nutrition, as AM and NM plants treated with Fob had similar shoot P concentrations (6 and 8 mg g-1 dry weight (DW), respectively). Both AM and NM plants treated with Fob had similar leaf and root RA and CA concentrations. Furthermore, phenolic (40-70 mg CA g-1 DW) or essential oil concentrations (0.1-0.6 mg g-1 DW) were not increased in plants treated with the AM fungus and Fob. Therefore, the bioprotective effect conferred by G. mosseae was not a result of increases in the phytochemicals tested in this study. However, under the AM symbiosis, basil plants treated with Fob had lower methyleugenol concentrations in their leaves (0.1 mg g-1 DW) than NM plants treated with the pathogen (0.6 mg g-1 DW). © 2008 The Authors.J.-P. Toussaint, M. Kraml, M. Nell, S. E. Smith, F. A. Smith, S. Steinkellner, C. Schmiderer, H. Vierheilig and J. Nova