TLC–densitometry of rosmarinic and caffeic acids in the evaluation of Lamiaceae species growing in Central Europe

A TLC-densitometric method was used for the parallel quantification of rosmarinic acid (RA) and caffeic acid (CA) in crude extracts of Salvia species (Family Lamiaceae), obtained by ultrasonic extraction with 60% methanol. The densitometric measurement was performed in fluorescent mode as it has been published earlier. The applicability of the method has been investigated mainly from the viewpoint of the starting material. Questions are discussed like, what kind of factors should be taken into account, if the drugs are to be characterized, and how the RA and CA contents of samples vary in the plants are discussed. The drugs (plant material) show great differences due to the time of harvest of time, to the organ composition of drugs, to the extraction and storage conditions of the stock-solutions prepared from them. The importance of these parameters is illustrated on Salvia species native to Hungary

Összehasonlító kémiai vizsgálatok a Lamiaceae család és rokonsági körében (elsősorban a Verbenaceae családban) néhány taxonnál különös tekintettel a Salvia, Stachy, Vitex nemzetség másodlagos anyagcseretermékeire. = Comparative chemical investigations on the Lamiaceae and related families (mainly Verbenaceae) with special respect to the secondary metabolites of genera Salvia, Stachy and Vitex.

A Lamiaceae család Erdtman szerinti két alcsaládja közötti kémiai különbségek kerültek megerősítésre. A Nepetoideae alcsaládra számos faj jelentős illóolajtartaloma (pl. Salvia-ban), az abietán típusú diterpének jelenléte, a fenilpropanoid glikozidok és iridoidok hiánya, a jelentős urzol-, oleanol-, és rozmaringsav tartalom a jellemző. Ezzel szemben, az iridoidok, feniletanolid glikozidok, a labdán vázas diterpének jelenléte, az alacsony illóolaj, urzol- oleanolsav tartalom, és a rozmaingsav hiánya a Lamioideae alcsalád sajátja. A hatóanyagok előfordulásában minden típusánál kivételek is jelentkeztek. Ezek alapján a két alcsalád közötti különbségeket tendenciózus és inkább kvantitatív jellegűeknek bizonyulnak. Iridoidokat izoláltunk a Stachys fajokból, diterpéneket a Salvia candelabrum-ból és Ballota nigra-ból, fenilpropanoid glikozidokat a Ballota fajokból. Gázkromatográfiás analitikai módszert dolgoztunk ki az urzol- és oleanolsav elválasztására, TLC/denzitometriás eljárást az iridoidok és a fenilpropanoid glikozidok mérésére. Ezeket a hatóanyagok változékonyságának tanulmányozására, mint pl. a B. nigra esetén, a vegetációs periódus alatt használtuk. Előzetes adatokat nyertünk az izolátumok biológiai hatására. Az iridoidok és más anyagok jelenléte a Verbenaceae (Verbena sp.) és a Lamiaceae családok (Stachys sp.) fajaiban összhangban van a két család közötti szoros rokonsággal. | The chemical differences, between the two subfamilies of Lamiaceae (in Erdtman's system) were confirmed. In the Subfamily Nepetoideae the high essential oil content in a lot of species (e.g. Salvia), the presence of diterpenes of abietane type, lack of phenylpropanoid glycosides and iridoids, the presence of ursolic, oleanolic and rosmarinic acids are typical. In contrast to it in the Subfamily Lamioideae the occurrence of iridoids, phenylpropanoid glycosides, diterpenes of labdane skeleton, law essential oil, ursolic and oleanolic acid contents and the lack of rosmarinic acid were confirmed. Beside these regularities in all type of ingredients exceptions were found. Iridoids of some Stachys species, diterpenoids of Salvia candelabrum and Ballota nigra and some phenylpropanoid glycosides from B. nigra were isolated. Analytical method for the rapid quantitative measurement of iridoids, a gas chromatographic one for parallel measurement of ursolic and oleanolic acids and a LC/densitometric method for the phenylethanolide glycosides have been developed and were applied in studying their variation e.g. in B. nigra during the vegetation period. Preliminary data were obtained on the effectiveness of the isolated compounds of several species. The presence of iridoids of the Verbenaceae species, available in Hungary was confirmed. The occurrence of iridoids and other chemicals in Verbena and Stachys species supports the close relationship between Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae families

Light induced singlet oxygen production and detection generated by bacterial reaction centre-carbon nanotubes composites

Nowadays the photoelectric energy transformation is one of the most promising alternative energy sources. Plants and bacteria have their unique apparatus,the photosynthetic reaction centreprotein (RC)to convert the light into chemical potential. Generation of singlet oxygen accompanying the photochemistry of isolated reaction centre protein of non-sulfur purple bacteria(Rhodobacter(Rb.) sphaeroides) have been studied by measuring oxygen uptake by conventional oxygen electrode. In case of oversaturated illuminating conditionsbesides the RC photochemistry the excess energy is captured by triplet states of chlorophyll molecules. The triplet energyisthen dissipated by heat or by sensitizingthe formation of various reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially by singlet oxygen (1O2). Under these conditions the protein subunits are damaged and the efficiency of photochemistry decreases. The aims of our work are to find conditions in which the concentration of these harmful compounds can be reduced. The possible role of carbon nanotubes (CNT), which are known to quench the singlet oxygen is investigated in the CNT/RC hybrid bio-nanocomposites