Antioxidative and antimicrobial screening of 19 commercial essential oils in Turkey

1st International Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Conference on Culinary Herbs, Antalya, Turkey, 30 April 2009Plant oils have been used for wide variety purposes for many years in Turkey. These essential oils have usage in many areas such as perfumery, cosmetic, food flavoring and folkloric medicine. In the study, 19 commercial essential oils were studied by means of antibacterial and antioxidant capacity. Antibacterial test was performed against S. aureus, S. epidermidis, K. pneumoniae and E. coli using standard disc diffusion method. Penicillin, gentamicin and vancomycin discs were also included. Inhibition zones (mm) were recorded to indicate antibacterial property. Penicillin (44 mm) and vancomycin (14 mm) could inhibit only S. aureus. Except essential oils of Juniperus nana (Ardiç), Ocimum basilicum (Feslegen), Urtica dioica (Isirgan), Foeniculum vulgare (Rezene) ressential oils indicated antimicrobial activity against some of the test microorganims. The most active essential oil was found as Thymus serpyllum (Kekik). It indicated highest inhibition zones for other microorganisms among others. Antioxidant capacities were measured using photochemiluminescence (PCL) method. The highest antioxidant activity was measured for Dianthus caryophyllus (Karanfil) as 547.781 103 ug trolox/mL of oil. It was followed by Thymus serpyllum (Kekik), Lilium candidum (Zambak) and Matricaria chamomilla (Papatya). Especially, Thymus serpyllum and Dianthus caryophyllus have significant antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity therefore it could be suggested for further investigations and applications

Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of Essential Oils of Seed and Leaf from Foeniculum vulgare Mill cultivated in Southeast of Morocco

Analysis of essential oils obtained from the seeds and leaves of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. cultivated in southeast of Morocco revealed that trans-anethole was the major constituent (54.67% in seed oil and 50.60% in leaf oil), followed by estragol (35.33% in seed oil and 30.15% in leaf oil). Other components present in leaf oil included fenchone, linalool and ?-pinene, while seed oil contained fenchone, limonene and ?-terpinen. Besides, minor constituents like camphene, camphor, myrcene, pahllandrene, fenchyl acetate and ?-bisabolene were obtained from seeds and leaves. The essential oils of the seeds and leaves of Foeniculum vulgare were assayed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The seed oil show remarkable antioxidant effect, while the leaf oil exhibits a strong broad spectrum antibacterial activity against all test organisms. Keywords: F. vulgare, essential oil, antibacterial, antioxidant, chemical composition

Volatile Compounds of Pluchea indica Less and Ocimum basillicum Linn Essential Oiland Potency as Antioxidant

This research was conducted to identify volatile compounds of pluchea and basil essential oils and their antioxidant capacity to scavenge a DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazyl) free radical and inhibit lipid peroxidation. Essential oil of pluchea and basil leaves was prepared by hydrodistillation method and then their volatile compounds were identified by GC-MS. The volatile compounds in the essential oil of pluchea leaves consist of 66 components with (10S,11S)-Himachala-3-(12)-4-diene (17.13%) made up the highest proportion of volatile compounds. Basil leaves had 70 volatile components in which the major components were (E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal  (23.98%) and (Z)- 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal (17.35%). Total phenol levels in pluchea and basil essential oils were 275 and 209 ppm, respectively. DPPH scavenging activity of the essential oil of pluchea leaves was lower than that of basil leaves, conversely inhibition activity of lipid peroxidation in palm oil of pluchea essential oil was higher than that of basil leaves

Medicinal properties of Thymus vulgaris essential oil: a review

Globally, the interest in essential oils has been steadily increasing over the last decades due to their beneficial health effects and the wide range of applications that are directly linked to a variety of pharmacological and biological activities. Thymus vulgaris L., also called common or garden thyme is a small perennial herb, which has been used over the years as food additive, but also as a valuable cure in several pathologies. It is believed that the medicinal properties of Thymus vulgaris are attributed to its essential oil, which is a mixture of monoterpenes. Moreover, the therapeutic properties of this essential oil are due to its main compounds, namely the terpenoid thymol and its phenol isomer carvacrol. Several investigations have indicated that thyme oil possesses strong antiseptic, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant effects and therefore, all the aforementioned features make this essential oil a promising remedy in human and veterinary medicine fields. The aim of the present study was to review and highlight the medicinal attributes of Thymus vulgaris essential oil, apart from its nutritional value, in order to identify novel alternative cures in the treatment of both humans and animals diseases

Essential Oil’s Chemical Composition and Pharmacological Properties

Essential oil, sent by nature, is a complex mixture of volatile secondary metabolites. Its composition varies along with many parameters that can lead to misunderstanding of its wonderful pharmacological property. In fact, from post-harvest treatment to the compound’s identification through extraction approaches, the original chemotype of essential oils can be misdescribed. The pharmacological potentials of these oils are well known in the traditional system since time immemorial. Nowadays, some chemotypes of these oils had shown the effect against WHO’s top 10 killer diseases. But the misuses of these essential oils are in part due to the lack of robust and easy analysis strategy that can allow the quality of the essential oils

Utilização de Óleos Essenciais na Agricultura

Essential oils are alternativeto control pathogenic agents, agricultural pests and weeds, with the use of pesticides in agriculture has been an important tool in the control of many pathogenic microorganisms and plants to increase production, but the indiscriminate use of these chemicals has negatively affected the environment and human health. It has been researched lately , demand for new plants with metabolic molecules such as terpenes, alkaloids and phenolic com pounds, in effect; bioinsecticide, biofungicide bioherbicida and plants that can replace chemicals or with low or no residual power and reduce the impact to environment, this manuscript aims to give a comprehensive explanation on the importance of essential oils and their secondary metabolites in plant defense. The use of plants with insecticidal properties, fungicide and herbicide, shows a high potential of this tool in the management of pests, diseases and weeds. For the final insertion and safe botanical products in agriculture, however, more studies are still needed.Os óleos essenciais são uma alternativa para controle de agentes fitopatogênicos, pragas agrícolas e plantas infestantes,com uso de grotóxicos na agricultura tem sido uma ferramenta importante no controle de muitos microorganismos patogênicos em plantas e no aumento da produção, contudo o uso indiscriminado desses produtos químicos tem afetado negativamente ao ambiente e a saúde humana. Tem se pesquisado ultimamente, a procura de plantas com novas moléculas metabólicas como os terpenos, compostos fenólicos e alcalóides, com efeito; bioinseticida, biofungicida e bioherbicida em plantas que podem substituir os produtos químicos ou com baixo ou nulo poder residual e diminuir o impacto ao ambiente,esse manuscrito tem o objetivo de dar uma explanação sobre a importância dos óleos essenciais e seus metabólitos secundários na defesa de plantas. O uso de plantas com propriedades inseticidas, antifúngica e herbicida, evidencia um alto potencial dessa ferramenta no manejo de pragas, doenças e plantas daninhas. Para a inserção definitiva e segura de produtos botânicos na agricultura, entretanto mais estudos ainda são necessários

Revisão sistemática do óleo essencial da espécie Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng.

Essential oils (EOs) are volatile substances, lipophilic, usually odoriferous and liquid due to the pleasant and intense aroma of the most volatile oils found as mixtures. The EOs , depending on the plant family which are extracted, can occur in specialized secretory structures such as the glandular (Lamiaceae), o leíferos channels (Apiaceae), differentiated parenchyma cells (Laureaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae) or lisígenas or esquizolisígenas bags (Pinaceae, Rutaceae). Moreover, they can be stored in various plant organs, such as flowers, leaves, bark, wood, roots, rh izomes, fruits and seeds. These substances have shown satisfactory results in inhibition of a variety of plant pathogenic fungi, and they have attracted scientific interest because they are characterized as natural products recognized as GRAS (Generally Re cognized as Safe) having broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and showing efficacy in controlling of pathogenic and spoilage micro - organisms of importance in vegetables. However, area of the authors have acknowledged that investigations so far are insuf ficient, making the study of SOs a field under construction and very promising. This work was central purpose of reviewing about essential oils as well as its importance to the industry, its applicability and pharmacological activities. Having specific obj ectives update the information on the essential oil of the species Plectranthus amboinicus , and their pharmacological activities. These objectives were achieved through research in search ScienceDirect databases, Biomed, Medline and Google, in addition to bibliographic collection available in the libraries of the Federal University of Paraíba during the years 2005 to 2015. It was observed that in reviewing these objectives were achieved by providing the academic community the state of the art studies on ess ential oils and can serve as a basis for future research.Os óleos essenciais (OEs) são substâncias voláteis, lipofílicas, geralmente odoríferas e líquidas, devido ao aroma agradáv el e intenso da maioria dos óleos voláteis encontradas como misturas . Os OEs, dependendo da família vegetal da qual são extraídos, podem ocorrer em estruturas secretoras especializadas, como pelos glandulares (Lamiaceae), canais oleíferos (Apiaceae), células parenquimáticas diferenciadas (Laureaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae) ou bolsas lisígenas ou esquizolisígenas (Pinaceae, Rutaceae). Ademais, eles podem ser estocados em diversos órgãos vegetais, tais como flores, folhas, cascas, madeira, raízes, rizomas, frutos e sementes. Estas substâncias têm apresentado resultados satisfatórios na inibição de uma variedade de fungos fitopatogênicos, além de terem atraído interesse científico pelo fato de se caracterizarem como produtos naturais reconhecidos como GRAS ( Geralmente Reconhecido como Seguro), possuindo amplo espectro de atividade antimicrobiana e apresentando eficácia no controle de micro - organismos patogênicos e deteriorantes de importância em vegetais . No entanto, autores da área têm reconhecido que as inv estigações até o momento são insuficientes, tornando o estudo dos OEs um campo ainda em construção e muito promissor. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo central realizar uma revisão sobre óleos essenciais, bem como sua importância para a indústria, sua aplicabilidade e at ividades farmacológicas. Tendo , como objetivos específicos a tualizar as informações sobre o ó leo essencial da espécie de Plectranthus amboinicu s, e suas atividades farmacológicas. Tais objetivos foram realizados por meio de pesquisa bus ca nas bases de dados S ciencedirect, B iomed, M edline e G oogle, além do acervo bibliográfico disponível nas bibliotecas da Universidade Federal da Paraíba durante os anos de 2005 a 2015. Observou - se que na revisão tais objetivos foram alcançados, fornecendo a comunidade acadêmica o estado da arte dos estudos sobre óleos essenciais, podendo servir como base para pesquisas futuras

Essential oils as green pesticides of stored grain insects

Essential oils are naturally occurring phytochemicals produced as secondary metabolite in plants. These are complex mixtures of volatile compounds and generally contain twenty to sixty individual compounds in different concentrations. They are lipophilic in nature and have density lower than water. These interfere with basic metabolic, biochemical, physiological and behavioral functions of insects. Several essential oils and its constituents have been established for their repellent, antifeedant, ovicidal, oviposition inhibitory and developmental inhibitory activities in insects. These insecticides probably interfere with the respiratory and nervous system of the insect to exert its actions. These essential oils provide an alternative source of insect control agents because they contain a range of bioactive chemicals, most of which are selective and have little or no harmful effect on the environment and the non-target organisms including human. Essential oils based formulations can be used as alternative tools in stored-grain insect management. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.352836

Natural and naturally-derived compounds as new chemopreventive agents

Chemoprevention is an approach based on the use of natural or synthetic compounds to inhibit, suppress or reverse the development and progression of cancer. In order to overcome the cancer disease, the identification of chemopreventive compounds is of particular interest. Among them, antimutagens prevent the mutagen-induced DNA-injury or promote the repair and/or the reversion of damage. In addition to antimutagenicity, some agents also act as chemosensitizers, by increasing the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy, when used in combination with chemotherapeutical agents. This approach is very interesting to prevent the development of multidrug resistance (MDR), which makes cancer cells not-sensitive to a broad range of drugs. In this context, present study was aimed at evaluating the potential chemopreventive properties of some natural and naturally-derived compounds, particularly the sesquiterpenes β-caryophyllene (CRY) and β-caryophyllene oxide (CRYO), and the aldehyde α-hexylcinnamal (HCA). The antimutagenic activity was evaluated by the reverse bacterial mutation assay (Ames test), on different strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, both in absence and presence of the S9-metabolic activation system. As mutagens, 2- nitrofluorene (2NF), sodium azide (SA), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), 2-aminoanthracene (2AA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide (4NQO), 1-nitropyrene (1NP), 1,8-dinitropyrene (1,8-DNP) and a sample of condensed smoke (CSC) from standard 3R4F cigarette were used. In addition to antimutagenicity studies, the potential chemosensitizing properties of CRY, CRYO and HCA and their ability to interfere with ABC-transporter function were evaluated, in Caco-2, CEM/ADR5000 and CCRF/CEM human cancer cells. For each compound, low concentrations (IC10 and IC20) were assayed in order to verify their potential additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects with the anticancer doxorubicin. The nature and the extent of the interaction were evaluated by the combination index (CI) and the isobologram analysis, respectively; conversely, the potential enhancement of drug effectiveness was quantified by cytotoxicity enhancement ratio (RR). The interaction between test compounds and ABC-transporters was studied by the rhodamine 123 assay. HCA exhibited an antimutagenic activity against different nitro-compounds and in various experimental protocols, suggesting the involvement of both desmutagenic and bioantimutagenic mechanisms. The sesquiterpenes CRY and CRYO resulted able to inhibit the mutagenicity of CSC, although with different potency and specificity: CRYO was the most potent compound, acting at concentrations about ten-times lower than CRY. The antimutagenicity was highlighted in different strains and in all experimental protocols, suggesting the overlapping of various protective mechanisms; the inhibition of CSC-induced oxidative stress seems to be likely and deserves further investigations. In human cancer cells, the substances produced cytotoxic effects at high concentrations both in resistant and in sensitive cell lines: HCA was the most effective substance, especially in the sensitive CCRF-CEM cells. All the compounds synergistically acted with doxorubicin, although HCA was the most potent: IC20 HCA increased the doxorubicin cytotoxicity of about six, seven and fourthy-seven folds, in Caco-2, CEM/ADR5000, and CCRF-CEM, respectively. In addition, a remarkable inhibition of ABCtrasporter was produced by HCA in the cancer cells tested: the effect was higher than that of the standard inhibitior verapamil. Also CRY and CRYO inhibited the ABC transporters but with lower potency than verapamil. The antimutagenic and chemosensitizing properties of β-caryophyllene, β-caryophyllene oxide and the α-hexylcinnamaldehyde deserves attention and represent a starting point to better evaluate their potential applications in the field of chemoprevention