Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of some thymus species from Romania

Objectives. Thymus species, T. vulgaris, T. serpyllum, T. comosus and T. glabrescens, are medicinal plants from the spontaneous Romanian flora used for their antibacterial, antispasmodic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic properties, especially the plant products obtained from T. vulgaris. The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate the polyphenolic composition, as well as the in vitro antioxidant activity of some ethanolic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of thymus sp. Materials and methods. The polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins contents in the four samples thymus sp. ethanolic extracts were spectrophotometrically determined. The identification of the most important polyphenolic compounds was performed by the method of thin layer chromatography method (TLC). The antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extracts was evaluated in vitro by the DPPH method. Outcomes. Following the analyzes performed, it can be revealed that there are both qualitative and quantitative differences in the polyphenolic composition of the four species of thyme studied, the richest in active principles being T. vulgaris and T. serpyllum. Conclusions. In this paper it has been shown that thyme species are medicinal plants rich in antioxidant polyphenolic active principles, and their use for the treatment of certain diseases can be justified. In addition to the officinal species: T. vulgaris, T. serpyllum, other thyme species from the spontaneous flora of our country can be used in phytotherapy, such as: T. comosus, T. glabrescens

Natural products with antimicrobial activity

University of Medicine and Pharmacy «Iuliu Hatieganu» Cluj-NapocaRezumat. Compușii naturali reprezintă o alternativă importantă în tratamentul antiinfecțios, în contextul extinderii rezistenței microorganismelor patogene la acțiunea antibioticelor. Activitatea antibacteriană a acestor compuși se bazează pe diverse mecanisme: interferența în căile metabolice ale bacteriei prin inhibarea unor enzime, creșterea permeabilității membranei, împiedicarea formării de biofilm etc. Combinarea unor uleiuri volatile sau a unor componente ale acestora cu antibiotice reprezintă o strategie promiţătoare în direcţia combaterii rezistenţei. Pornind de la rezultatele unui număr mare de testări in vitro, se impune extinderea studiilor clinice care să confirme eficacitatea produselor naturale în tratamentul bolilor infecţioase.Abstract. Natural compounds represent a major alternative in the treatment of infections, in the context of enlargement of the pathogenic microorganisms resistance. Antibacterial activity of these compounds is based on various mechanisms: interference in the metabolic pathways of bacteria by inhibiting the enzymes, increasing membrane permeability, preventing the biofilm formation etc. Combination of volatile oils or their major compounds with antibiotics represents a promising strategy to reduce antibiotic resistance. Using a large number of existing in vitro data, it is necessary to extend the clinical trials in order to confirm the efficacy of natural products to treat different infectious diseases

Phytochemical analysis of herbal teas containing caffeic acid

Objectives. The present analysis was to investigate the content of caffeic acid derivatives, antioxidant activity, and the presence of caffeic acid in alcoholic extracts obtained from 16 simple teas from the following medicinal plants: Vaccinium mуrtilluѕ, Camеllia ѕinеnѕiѕ, Coffea arabica, Mеlіssa οffіcіnalіs, Οcіmum basіlіcum, Rοsmarіnus οffіcіnalіs, Salvіa οffіcіnalіs, Ηyssοрus οffіcіnalіs, Αrtеmіsіa absіntһіum, Cynara scοlymus, Calendula officinalis, Cοrіandrum satіvum, Fοеnіculum vulgarе, Carum carvі, Rοsa canіna, Crataеgus mοnοgyna. Materials and methods. The presence of caffeic acid was evaluated using the thin layer chromatography method (TLC). The total content of phenylpropanoids from the medicinal herbs alcoholic extracts was determined using a spectrophotometric method. Outcomes. Results were in the range of 0.046-2.426% caffeic acid derivatives (CAE%). The antioxidant properties were measured using the DPPH radical scavenging mechanism. The results were found to be in the range of 63.93% and 0.38% inhibition level (I%). The greatest antioxidant activity was measured for Camellia sinensis (I = 45.54%), followed by Vaccinium myrtillus (I = 50.289%). Conclusions. In this paper it was shown that these medicinal plants are rich in caffeic acid derivatives with antioxidant action capitalized in the prevention of serious diseases