Investigation on chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties of essential oil from Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss

Background: Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss is a herb with wide-spread applications. Lorestan traditional healers have applied it for the treatment of rheumatoid diseases and stomach disorders.Materials and methods: Hydrodistillation process was used for essential oil extraction, the extracted essential oil was then analyzed through combination of capillary GC–FID, GC–MS and RI. The in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of this essential oil were examined. Results indicate that the essential oil has a broad range of antimicrobial activity against all of the tested microorganisms.Results: The 50% of cytotoxic concentrations was 26.4 μg/ml and 4266.7 μg/ml for Hela cells and human lymphocytes, respectively. The oil cytotoxicity against the human tumor cell line was far higher than the amount required for human healthy cells. Conversely, the essential oil’s IC50 value of 49.2 μg/ml in the DPPH assay, could be regarded as its strong antioxidant potential.Conclusion: According to the data obtained, it can be concluded that D. kotschyi essential oil could be applied as a safe antibacterial and antioxidant agent for food and pharmaceutical purposes.Keywords: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss, Cytotoxicity, Essential oi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis of Thymus kotschyamus Boiss. & Hohen. in relation with soil elements during spring and autumn in Noujian Watershed (Lorestan province)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are the most important microorganisms of soil having an important role in soil fertility. In this research, the correlation between soil nutrient elements and Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization and spore numbers in the rhizosphere of Thymus kotschyamus Boiss. & Hohen. growing in the three regions (Taf, Vark and Kohkala) of Noujian watershed were studied during spring and autumn. Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis were also determined on vegetative characteristics and essential oil yield of T. kotschyamus.The results indicated that magnesium significant positive correlation with arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi spore density (+0.84) and percentage colonization (+0.92). Soil organic matter no significant linear correlation with arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi spore density and percentage colonization. Potassium negatively correlated with spore density and percentage colonization respectively; -0.85 and -0.90. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization significant linear correlation with dry weight (+0.79). Essential oil yield of T. kotschyamus positively correlated with that of spore density and percentage colonization respectively; +0.93 and +0.91. Given the importance of mycorrhizal symbiosis and compilation this with soil elements, this information can be useful for development of medicinal plants in agricultural ecosystems

INVESTIGATION ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, ANTIMICROBIAL, ANTIOXIDANT, AND CYTOTOXIC PROPERTIES OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM DRACOCEPHALUM KOTSCHYI BOISS

Background: Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss is a herb with wide-spread applications. Lorestan traditional healers have applied it for the treatment of rheumatoid diseases and stomach disorders. Materials and methods: Hydrodistillation process was used for essential oil extraction, the extracted essential oil was then analyzed through combination of capillary GC–FID, GC–MS and RI. The in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of this essential oil were examined. Results indicate that the essential oil has a broad range of antimicrobial activity against all of the tested microorganisms. Results: The 50% of cytotoxic concentrations was 26.4 μg/ml and 4266.7 μg/ml for Hela cells and human lymphocytes, respectively. The oil cytotoxicity against the human tumor cell line was far higher than the amount required for human healthy cells. Conversely, the essential oil’s IC50 value of 49.2 μg/ml in the DPPH assay, could be regarded as its strong antioxidant potential. Conclusion: According to the data obtained, it can be concluded that D. kotschyi essential oil could be applied as a safe antibacterial and antioxidant agent for food and pharmaceutical purposes

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oil from Leutea kurdistanica mozaff

Background and Aim: Leutea kurdistanica mozaff. (Apiaceae) is a perennial herb endemic to Kurdistan province of Iran. The plants of this family are known for diversity in essential oils and economic importance. The goals of the present study were to evaluate chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oils of L. kurdistanica. Materials and Methods: GC-FID and GC-MS were used for compositional analysis of the essential oils.Antioxidant activities of the oil were assessed using DPPH free radical test. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of the oils were assessed by disc diffusion and agar dilution methods. Results: A total of 33 compounds representing 97.3-94.2% of the essential oils were identified. Limonene (25.3%) was the main compound of the oil followed by γ–terpinene (18.1%), elemicin (15.4%) and Δ-3-carene (8.2%). In DPPH assay, the oil has radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 51.4±2.3. The results of antimicrobial tests showed that the oil had remarkable inhibitory effects on the growth of Gram-positive bacteria and fungal strains. Conclusions: Regarding to significant antioxidants and antimicrobial activities of the oil of L. kurdistanica, these oils could be consider as a natural preservative in food and other industries. Although more investigation is needed to clarify the exact compounds responsible for observed biological activities