Alchemilla vulgaris agg. (Lady's mantle) from central Balkan: antioxidant, anticancer and enzyme inhibition properties

The current study was designed to evaluate the phytochemical profile and biological properties (antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and cytotoxic activity) of methanolic, ethanolic, ethyl-acetate and water extracts of Alchemilla vulgaris from Southeast Serbia (central Balkan) which was traditionally used to alleviate and treat many diseases. Bioactive compounds were characterized by LC-MS/MS technique and biological properties were evaluated using antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and cytotoxic assays. Twenty-six phenolic compounds were quantified in methanolic, ethanolic, ethyl acetate and water extracts, whereas the highest yields were found in ethyl-acetate (EA) extract (gallic acid, caffeic acid, catchin, quercetin). This extract has also shown the greatest antioxidant, anticancer and inhibitory enzyme activities which were demonstrated for the first time in this study. The obtained results indicated that Alchemilla vulgaris from South Serbia possesses high potential for pharmaceutical applications

Essential-oil composition of parsley and celery conventionally and organically grown in Vojvodina

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.) are aromatic umbelliferous plants widely used as spices in the human diet due to the presence of essential oils. The chemical composition of the essential oils of aromatic plants can vary depending on the geographical origin, type of soil and agricultural practices [1,2].                In the present study, the influence of location (type of soil) and agricultural practices on the chemical composition of essential oils of parsley and celery leaf was investigated. The samples of both organically and conventionally grown plants were collected from different locations in the province of Vojvodina. The essential oil was isolated by hydrodistillation and then subjected to GC-MS analysis. Identification of chemical constituents was based on a comparison of their retention indices and mass spectra with spectral libraries and literature data. The main components of the essential oils obtained from parsley leaves were 1,3,8-menthatriene (22.8-50.9%), myristicin (12.8-36.8%), β-phellandrene (14.1-29.0%), and β-myrcene (1.4-12.7%). Celery leaf essential oils were mainly composed of β-phellandrene (41.7-72.6%), limonene (10.2-31.1%), and β-pinene (4.8-19.3%). The results obtained showed that there was no significant difference in the qualitative composition between the samples from different locations as well as between those grown in the conventional or organic way. On the other hand, the relative amount of particular compounds significantly varied between the samples in general, thus the correlation between their content and cultivation conditions or soil type could not be established.                In conclusion, the way of production has no specific effect on the qualitative composition of parsley and celery essential oils, although it can affect the relative quantity of their constituents

Satureja hortensis L. essential oil causes Acinetobacter baumannii membrane disruption

Essential oils are promising antimicrobial agents against various bacteria, including Acinetobacter baumannii, a highly resistant clinical opportunistic pathogen with an increasing prevalence. The traditional application of the aromatic and medicinal plant Satureja hortensis L. (Lamiaceae) as a natural remedy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, nausea, diarrhea, and various infectious diseases is well known. The aim of the study was to determine the antimicrobial activity and potential target site for S. hortensis essential oil against A. baumannii. The effect of the essential oil was determined using the microdilution broth method. The determined minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC=1 µl mL-1) showed that S. hortensis essential oil possesses a significant anti-A. baumannii effect. The A. baumannii reference strain ATCC 19606 cells in the exponential growth phase were treated for 3 h at 37 °C with MIC of S. hotensis essential oil and examined by scanning electron microscopy. The electron micrographs highlighted the occurrence of collapsed cells with perforations, cell content leakage, cell debris, but also cell autoaggregation (Fig. 1B). The autoaggregation was further confirmed by an autoaggregation test: untreated cells (Fig. 1A) were partially autoaggregative, while the treated cells were highly autoaggregative, as a result of changes of the cell surface properties. Thus, the essential oil affected the membrane systems of A. baumannii cells, causing structural changes of the bacterial cells. Since A. baumannii strains are susceptible to S. hortensis essential oil, the oil possesses a great potential in the control of growth of this species

Therapeutic efficiency of essential oils against Helicobacter pylori infections

Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium found in the stomach, is the cause of more than 90% of duodenal and 80% of gastric ulcers, and the major risk factor for gastric carcinoma and primary gastric lymphoma. Antibiotic therapy for treating H. pylori infections, the only available in current medical practice, has multiple disadvantages: lack of efficacy, development of resistance, adverse effects, and possible recurrence of the disease. Furthermore, the treatment is often associated with gastrointestinal side effects [1]. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the development of new antimicrobial therapeutic agents, more efficient against H. pylori, preferably of natural origin. Good candidates for that purpose are the volatile compounds present in essential oils. Due to the complexity of their composition, bacteria rarely develop resistance toward them [2]. Here, we reported the results of the efficacy of various essential oils, and their mixtures, against H. pylori. The highest in vitro activity was shown by Satureja hortensis, Origanum vulgare subsp. vulgare and O. vulgare subsp. hirtum essential oils. Furthermore, their binary and ternary mixtures exhibited notably higher antimicrobial activities [3]. The activity of the binary mixture of S. hortensis and O. vulgare subsp. hirtum essential oils (2MIX) was confirmed by an in vivo study in a mouse model, where changes in H. pylori colonization were detected by PCR and histological analyses of gastric samples. Furthermore, 2MIX show neither in vitro nor in vivo toxicity and do not have any immunomodulatory or allergic effect [4]

Antioxidant activity relationship of phenolic compounds in Hypericum perforatum L.

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The St John's Wort (<it>Hypericum perforatum</it>; Clusiaceae) has been used in traditional and modern medicine for a long time due to its high content of biologically active phenolics. The purpose of this work was to develop a method for their fractionation and identification, and to determine the most active antioxidant compounds in plant extract.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An LC-MS method which enables fast qualitative and semiquantitative analysis was developed. The composition determined is in agreement with the previous results, where 6 flavonoids, 4 naphthodianthrones and 4 phloroglucinols have been identified. Significant antioxidant activity was determined for most of the fractions by DPPH assay (the lowest IC₅₀of 0.52 μg/ml), NO scavenging (6.11 μg/ml), superoxide scavenging (1.86 μg/ml), lipid peroxidation (0.0079 μg/ml) and FRAP (the highest reduction capacity of 104 mg Fe equivalents/g) assays.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>LC-MS technique has been successfully applied for a quick separation and identification of the major components of <it>H. perforatum </it>fractions. Majority of the fractions analyzed have expressed a very high antioxidative activity when compared to synthetic antioxidants. The antioxidant activity could be attributed to flavonoids and phenolic acids, while phloroglucinols and naphthodianthrones showed no significant activity. It is demonstrated that it is possible to obtain, by fractionation, <it>H. perforatum </it>preparations with significantly increased phloroglucinols-to-naphthodianthrones ratio (up to 95:5).</p

Quantitative HPLC&ndash;UV Study of Lignans in Anthriscus sylvestris

Wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris) is a wild-growing plant from the Apiaceae family, used as a food in Europe and eastern Asia. Due to its high content of lignans known to possess anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antiviral and other activities, it represents a potential functional food. However, quantitative data on lignans are still scarce and limited to deoxypodophyllotoxin, nemerosin and yatein. In this paper, a newly developed and validated reverse-phase HPLC&ndash;UV method was used to evaluate the content of 14 lignans in both aerial parts and roots of A. sylvestris. The most abundant root components were found to be deoxypodophyllotoxin (2.0&ndash;42.8 mg/g), nemerosin (2.0&ndash;23.4 mg/g), yatein (1.1&ndash;18.5 mg/g), podophyllotoxone (0.7&ndash;20.5 mg/g), guaiadequiol (0.8&ndash;8.3 mg/g) and dimethylmatairesinol (0.1&ndash;5.2 mg/g). Despite the high intra-population variability, a general trend of an increased lignan content during plant development could be observed in the root samples, whereas an opposite trend was observed in the herb samples. A validation study indicated that some of the investigated compounds&mdash;7-oxoaryltetralins and dibenzylbutyrolactones&mdash;have low stability and require cold storage in the dark. Furthermore, dibenzylbutyrolactones were confirmed to undergo a fast cis&ndash;trans isomerization; therefore, only the total content of these isomers should be reported

Essential oil composition and antifungal activity of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. obtained by different distillation conditions

The influence of different hydrodistillation conditions was evaluated from the standpoint of essential oil yield, chemical composition and antifungal activity from seeds of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Three hydrodistillation conditions were considered. The main constituents of the oils were: (E)-anethole (72.27%-74.18%), fenchone (11.32%-16.35%) and methyl chavicol (3.78%-5.29%). The method of distillation significantly effected the essential oil yield and quantitative composition, although the antifungal activity of the oils against some fungi was only slightly altered. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.nul