The effects of climatic conditions and geographical locations on the volatile flavor compounds of fig (Ficus carica L.) fruit from Iran

The effects of climatic conditions and geographical locations on the volatile flavor compounds of Ficus carica fruit were investigated in this study. Fruit flavor compounds were extracted by using ultrasound (US) water bath apparatus and eluted by n-pentane, diethyl ether (1:2) solvent and then analyzed by gas  chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Fifty-one fruit compounds and fifty fruit compounds in the Garmsar and Karaj location, respectively including aldehydes, alcohols, esters, ketones, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and other compounds were indentified and quantified. The major flavor compounds of F. carica fruit obtained from Garmsar and Karaj location were P-cymene, decanol, carvacrol, tricosane, tetracosane, pentacosane, heptacosane, octacosane and  nonacosane. Compared with Karaj location, Garmsar showed the highest content of aldehydes and alcohols. Since the aldehydes and alcohols content of F. carica fruit is considered as one of the more important indicators of high quality; climatic conditions and geographical locations apparently have a profound influence on F. carica volatile quality.Key words: Ficus carica L., fig fruit, flavor compounds, climatic conditions, geographical locations,  ultrasound

Chemical composition of the essential oils of Citrus sinensis cv. valencia and a quantitative structure-retention relationship study for the prediction of retention indices by multiple linear regression

The chemical composition of the volatile fraction obtained by head-space solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME), single drop microextraction (SDME) and the essential oil obtained by cold-press from the peels of C. sinensis cv. valencia were analyzed employing gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components were limonene (61.34 %, 68.27 %, 90.50 %), myrcene (17.55 %, 12.35 %, 2.50 %), sabinene (6.50 %, 7.62 %, 0.5 %) and α-pinene (0 %, 6.65 %, 1.4 %) respectively obtained by HS-SPME, SDME and cold-press. Then a quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) study for the prediction of retention indices (RI) of the compounds was developed by application of structural descriptors and the multiple linear regression (MLR) method. Principal components analysis was used to select the training set. A simple model with low standard errors and high correlation coefficients was obtained. The results illustrated that linear techniques such as MLR combined with a successful variable selection procedure are capable of generating an efficient QSRR model for prediction of the retention indices of different compounds. This model, with high statistical significance (R2 train = 0.983, R2 test = 0.970, Q2 LOO = 0.962, Q2 LGO = 0.936, REP(%) = 3.00), could be used adequately for the prediction and description of the retention indices of the volatile compounds

Application and limitation of molecular data and essential oil content in identification of Leutea elbursensis Mozaff in northern Iran

In this paper, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, genetic structure and the chemical composition of essential oils of four populations belonging to Leutea elbursensis and Leutea petiolaris, two species endemic to northern Iran, are analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS data showed that all accessions of L. elbursensis formed a monophyletic clade, and L. elbursensis was a sister to the rest of Leutea species. Results of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis performed on the total genome showed that all individuals presented in the study belonged to two different genetic clusters. The individuals belong to L. petiolaris had a different genetic structure and yielded no traceable amount of essential oils. The essential oil obtained from the ripe fruits of L. elbursensis yielded 0.5–0.6% of volatile essential oils. In total, 15–29 volatile natural components were identified on the basis of their mass spectra characteristics and retention indices, in which α-pinene (33.18–43.22%), β-pinene (32.4–40.9%) were the major constituents. Our results indicate that L. elbursensis is a distinct species, segregated from the other species based on morphology, ITS data and AFLP profile. In addition, despite the relatively uniform genetic structure of L. elbursensis, the chemical composition of essential oil could be highly affected by different factors

Chemical composition of the essential oils of Citrus sinensis cv. Valencia and a quantitative structure-retention relationship study for the prediction of retention indices by multiple linear regression

Abstract: The chemical composition of the volatile fraction obtained by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME), single drop microextraction (SDME) and the essential oil obtained by cold-press from the peels of C. sinensis cv. Valencia were analyzed employing gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC--MS). The main components were limonene (61.34, 68.27 and 90.50 %), myrcene (17.55, 12.35 and 2.50 %), sabinene (6.50, 7.62 and 0.5 %) and α-pinene (0, 6.65 and 1.4 %) respectively obtained by HS-SPME, SDME and cold--press. Then a quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) study for the prediction of retention indices (RI) of the compounds was developed by application of structural descriptors and the multiple linear regression (MLR) method. Principal components analysis was used to select the training set. A simple model with low standard errors and high correlation coefficients was obtained. The results illustrated that linear techniques such as MLR combined with a successful variable selection procedure are capable of generating an efficient QSRR model for prediction of the retention indices of different compounds. This model, with high statistical significance (R 2 train = 0.983, R 2 test = = 0.970, Q 2 LOO = 0.962, Q 2 LGO = 0.936, REP(%) = 3.00), could be used adequately for the prediction and description of the retention indices of the volatile compounds

Phytochemical Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by Two Techniques Using Saturaja rechengri Jamzad Extract: Identifying and Comparing in Vitro Anti-Proliferative Activities

Purpose: A lot of plants are available which can produce nanoparticles used in medicine, life sciences, and the pharmaceutical industry. The present study aims to introduce safe biological and eco-friendly methods for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using Saturaja rechengri Jamzad extract, which can replace traditional chemical methods. In addition, the chemical nature and antimicrobial activities were identified and accordingly the anticancer effects of AgNPs was successfully reported on colon cancer cells (HT-29). Methods: Light and ultrasound, as two green chemistry techniques were first used for AgNPs synthesis. Then, morphological and crystalline structure of AgNPs was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, respectively. In addition, functional groups were determined by using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum. Further, a maximum adsorption of AgNPs was observed in UV-visible spectrum. In the next stage, antibacterial activity of green synthesized AgNPs was evaluated against two pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Finally, the cytotoxicity of AgNPs on HT-29 at different concentrations and times of AgNPs was determined by MTT assay. Results: The findings indicated that the synthesis of AgNPs by ultrasonic technique leads to smaller particle size and more distribution. Based on the results of MTT test for calculating the IC50%, the anti-proliferative effects of the light and ultrasound AgNPs were observed on HT-29 cell lines depending on the dose and time. Finally, the AgNPs had the most cytotoxicity HT-29 cell lines at 100 μg/ml concentration although the lowest toxicity effect was reported on HEK-293 cell lines at the same conditions. Conclusion: The change in the concentration, physical and chemical properties of AgNPs including the form and size of particles, and their type of covering and fields can influence the induction of cytotoxicity and morphological change in the treated cells. The present research opens a new horizon on the development of new biological and cytotoxicity agents

Chemical composition analysis of the essential oil of Solanumn nigrum L. by HS/SPME method and calculation of the biochemical coefficients of the components

AbstractThe volatile constituents of the essential oil of wild Solanumn nigrum L. obtained from the Kurdistan of Iraq were extracted by head-space/solid-phase micro-extraction (HS/SPME) and were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Of a total of twenty compounds in the oil, all of them were identified. The main components were as follows: Dillapiole (22.22%), α-Cadinol (16.47%), para-Cymene (10.01%), (E)-1-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one or β-damascenone (9.08%), α-Phellandrene (8.48%), β-Pinene (5.93%), α-Bisabolol acetate (4.53%), (Z,E)-4,6,8-Megastigmatriene (4.09%), Phytol (2.49%), Linalyl butanoate (2.13%), 8-methylene-tricyclo[3.2.1.0(2,4)]octane (2.60%) and Limonene (2.03%). Some physicochemical properties, such as the logarithm of calculated octanol–water partitioning coefficients (logKow) and total biodegradation (TBd in mol/h) were calculated for compounds 1–20 from S. nigrum L

Protocol Design for Large–Scale Cross–Sectional Studies of Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non–Communicable Diseases in Iran: STEPs 2016

INTRODUCTION: The rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has gained increasing attention. There is a great need for reliable data to address such problems. Here, we describe the development of a comprehensive set of executive and scientific protocols and instructions of STEPs 2016. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a large-scale cross-sectional study of Surveillance of Risk Factors of NCDs in Iran. Through systematic proportional to size cluster random sampling, 31,050 participants enrolled in three sequential processes, of completing questionnaires; physical measurements, and lab assessment. RESULTS: Out of 429 districts, samples were taken from urban and rural areas of 389 districts. After applying sampling weight to the samples, comparing the distribution of population and samples, compared classification was determined in accordance with the age and sex groups. Out of 31,050 expected participants, 30,541 participant completed questionnaires (52.31% female). For physical measurements and lab assessment, the cases included 30,042 (52.38% female) and 19,778 (54.04% female), respectively. DISCUSSION: There is an urgent need to focus on reviewing trend analyses of NCDs.To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first comprehensive experience on systematic electronic national survey. The results could be also used for future complementary studies

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight: bold" lang="EN-US">Assessment of heavy metals by ligand-less cloud point extraction in sediment and <i>Holothuria parva </i>(Echinodermata, Holothuroidea) </span>

825-830The concentrations of heavy metals were determined in organs of Holothuria parva and sediment from three stations in the Qeshm, Iran. A ligand-less Cloud Point Extraction (CPE) procedure was used for preconcentration of trace metals as pretreatment step to determination of lead and cadmium by Graphite Furnace Atomic absorption Spectrometry (GFAAS). Concentration of heavy metals in body wall, gut and sediment were obtained 14.05, 5.72 and 41.66 µg/g for lead and 0.722, 0.493 and 3.27 µg/g for cadmium, respectively. Limit of detection (LOD) values of lead and cadmium were 0.037 and 0.028 µg/g, respectively. Relative standard deviation (RSD) for six replicate determinations of lead and cadmium were 2.68% and 1.20%, respectively. Concentrations of lead and cadmium in sediments and organs of sea cucumbers differed significantly, suggesting that this sea cucumber should not be considered as an ideal bioindicator of lead and cadmium pollutants in the sediment

Survey of the impacts of soil and climatic variations on the production of essential oils in Heracleum persicum

Abstract. Hasani R, Mehregan I, Larijani K, Nejadsattari T, Scalone R.2017. Survey of the impacts of soil and climatic variations on the production of essential oils in Heracleum persicum Biodiversitas 18: 365-377.Essential oils have been extracted from different parts of the Heracleum persicum plants (Apiaceae) since many years. However, the effect of the climate and the soil composition on their quality and quantity of the essential oils have never been investigated in this species. For this aim, ten populations of Persian hogweed were selected regarding their different localities in Iran and their essential oils were extracted from dry fruits by hydrodistilation clevenger type, GC-FID and GC-MS analyses. During the sampling of the Heracleum populations, certain climatic and edaphic parameters were also recorded. Within these ten populations, 18 to 43 different oil compounds were identified expanding the diversity of chemical compounds found in Iranian populations. Certain rare molecules as per example the isopropyl-2-methyl butyrate, the isopropyl-3-methyl butyrate, the γ-terpinene or the p-cymene should be considered to categorize the different populations between them within the species. Certain environmental factors (e.g., EC, Cl, P) are related with the production of certain essential oils within the studied populations and are providing crucial information for the production of these oils by this aromatic herb. To conclude, the study of the environment of the populations can help to improve the utility of this aromatic plant, although certain preliminary results have still to be confirmed by controlled-environment experiments. Keywords: Apiaceae, chemotaxonomy, ecological factors, Persian hogwee

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using brown marine seaweed Padina boeregeseni and evaluation of physico-chemical factors

1415-1421Present investigation consists the green nanoparticles prepared by using both fresh and dry marine macroalga of Padina boeregeseni was reported and the physical and chemical factors such as time duration, pH, various mixing ratios of aqueous extract to AgNO3 solution and temperature that play vital role in the nanoparticles synthesis were assess. Maximum synthesis of silver nanoparticles was attained within 30 min at pH 8.5, 70°C and 1mM AgNO3. Characterization of silver nanoparticles was carried out based on UV-Vis spectrophotometry (418 nm). The size of nanoparticles synthesis with average of 43.3 nm was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) crystallography illustrated the silver nanoparticles crystalline nature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) shows that the function groups are hydroxyl, carbonyl, amine and phenol compounds of extract P.boeregeseni are involved in the reduction of aqueous AgNO3. This method of Ag-NPs synthesis does not use any toxic reagents and thus has potential for use in biomedical and agricultural application