Iran supports a great share of biodiversity and floristic endemism for Fritillaria spp. (Liliaceae): A review.

Iran supports a great share of exotic and/or endemic plant genera and species. The genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae) is a precious part of this botanical richness with 19 species, of which 10 are endemic to the country. However, signs are mounting that the country is truly at a crossroads when it comes to preservation of this national wealth. In this regard, an effective conservation strategy should thoroughly consider the classification of Fritillaria, as conservation practices are compromised by knowledge gaps in systematics and taxonomy. As published studies on Fritillaria in Iran have been sporadic and limited in scope, the aim of this review is to provide information necessary to help bridge these information gaps. Our objective is to facilitate increased understanding of the geographic, taxonomic, cytogenetic and phylogenetic status of Iranian Fritillaria, which is vital to meeting the goal of sustainable conservation of the genus in Iran and neighboring areas

Chemical composition and fumigant toxicity of three citrus essential oils against eggs, larvae and adults of Callosobruchus maculatus (Col.: Bruchidae)

The fumigant toxicity of volatile fractions of peel essential oils of the Rutaceae species of Citrus reticulata Blanco, C. limon L. and C. aurantium L. was studied against eggs, larvae and adults of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) at 27 ± 1 ºC and 65 ± 5% RH in darkness. The oils were extracted from the fruit peels using water steam distillation. The essential oils were characterized by a combination of GC and GC/MS analyses. Limonene was the major constituent of the three essential oils. The effect of different concentrations of the essential oil vapors on egg hatchability as well as larval and adult mortality was found to be significant. Citrus reticulata and C. aurantium oils were more toxic on egg hatchability than C. limon extract and caused higher mortality on larvae as well. There was no significant difference between essential oils in terms of adult mortality. The adult beetles were also exposed to the concentrations of 18.5, 37, 55.5 and 74 μl/l air. At the highest concentration (74 μl/l air), C. aurantium oil caused 100% mortality after a 6 h exposure, but the oils from C. reticulata and C. limon caused 38% and 62% mortality, at the identical exposure time, respectively. The results suggest that citrus peel oils can be effectively used as botanical fumigants against various life stages of Ca. maculatus

Extraction methods effects on composition and toxicity of Eucalyptus essential oil

The current investigation was designed to determine the influence of three extraction methods on the composition and insecticidal activity of essential oils extracted from Eucalyptus globulus and E. camaldulensis. The evaluated extraction methods were steam-distillation, steam water-distillation and hydro-distillation. Fumigant toxicity of the extracted essential oils was evaluated against Sitophilus oryzae. The GC and GC–MS methods were used for analyzing the oil chemical composition. Both E. globulus and E. camaldulensis showed significant differences in oil yield (w/w, based on dry weight) with direct steam distillation resulting in low oil yields (0.8%; 0.35%) compared to water distillation (2.35%; 2.22%) and water + steam distillation (2.03%; 1. 53%). We identified nineteen compounds in the essential oils of these species. 1, 8-Cineol (27.67-82%), α-Pinene (4.67-8.13%) and Limonene (2.49-10.53%) were the major components of the oils and the highest amount of 1, 8-Cineol (82%) was obtained with water distillation, while steam-distillation resulted in the lowest amount of Cineol (27%). The results of the toxicity study of the essential oils demonstrated that the highest toxicity (LC50 = 24.89 µL/L air) was observed against S. oryzae populations treated with oils extracted by water distillation. In conclusion, the extraction of Eucalyptus essential oils by hydro-distillation had some priorities over the oil extractions by the other methods because hydro-distillation extracted oil had the highest fumigant activity, high and fast-oil yields as well as high percentage composition of 1,8-Cineol

Eucalyptus oleosa Essential Oils: Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of the Oils from Different Plant Parts (Stems, Leaves, Flowers and Fruits)

Essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the different parts (stems, adult leaves, immature flowers and fruits) of Eucalyptus oleosa were screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and their chemical composition. According to GC-FID and GC-MS, the principal compound of the stem, immature flowers and the fruit oils was 1,8-cineole, representing 31.5%, 47.0% and 29.1%, respectively. Spathulenol (16.1%) and γ-eudesmol (15.0%) were the two principal compounds of adult leaves oil. In the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay, the oils of the four parts showed moderate antioxidant activity. In the ABTS (2,2’-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) assay, the most active part was the adult leaves, with a IC50 value 13.0 ± 0.6 mg/L, followed by stems (IC50 = 43.5 ± 1.4 mg/L). The essential oils showed a better antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and a significant antifungal activity also was observed against yeast-like fungi. A strong correlations between oxygenated monoterpenes and antimicrobial activity (especially 1,8-cineole) were noted (R2 = 0.99, 0.97 and 0.79 for B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans, respectively)

Investigation of Altitude on Morphological Traits and Essential Oil Composition of Nepeta pogonosperma Jamzad and Assadi from Alamut Region

Nepeta is one of the biggest geniuses of Lamiaceae family which N. pungens, N. binaludensis, N. isphanica, N. pogonosperma and N. bracteata has been used traditionally in Iran. Nepeta pogonesperma is one of the endemic Nepeta species in Alamut region (Qazvin Province ). So in this research the aerial parts of Nepeta pogonesperma in full flowering stage were collected from Kheshchal altitudes of Alamut (2400, 2600 and 2800 m). Some main morphological characters of plant were measured. Essential oil were obtained by hydro distillation (Clevenger apparatus) and were analyzed by GC/MS. Results were showed that in high altitude (2800m) the yield and quantity of the essential oil components of plant were increased and the 1,8-cineole had the highest content (80.7%). 19 compounds were identified in the essential oil of this plant, Such as α-Pinene, Sabinene, β-Pinene, Myrcene, δ-3-Carene, ρ-Cymene, Limonene, 1,8-Cineole, Cis-Sabinene hydrate, Terpinolene, Linalool, Cis-p-Menth-2-en-1-ol, Pinocarvone, Borneol, Terpinen-4-ol, α-Terpineol, 4aα-7α-7aβ-Nepetalactone, α-Humulene and Viridiflorol. Variance analysis revealed that there was a significant difference between altitudes in the weight of leaf, stem and flower and total plant weight and oil percentage (α≤0.01).  According to the means comparison of the highest leaf and flower weight were belonged to 2400 and 2600 m with 63.7 and 35.7g, respectively. The maximum amount of oil percentage and 1,8-Cineole were observed in 2400 m with 0.55 and 80.7%, respectively. In this research, there were many changes in altitudes in essential oil combinations, which can be increased the production and performance of Nepetalactone, by applying nature-generated modeling factors

Medicinal plants in traumatic brain injury: Neuroprotective mechanisms revisited

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most prevalent health problem affecting all age groups, and leads to many secondary problems in other organs especially kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and heart function. In this review, the search terms were TBI, fluid percussion injury, cold injury, weight drop impact acceleration injury, lateral fluid percussion, cortical impact injury, and blast injury. Studies with Actaea racemosa, Artemisia annua, Aframomum melegueta, Carthamus tinctorius, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Crocus sativus, Cnidium monnieri, Curcuma longa, Gastrodia elata, Malva sylvestris, Da Chuanxiong Formula, Erigeron breviscapus, Panax ginseng, Salvia tomentosa, Satureja khuzistanica, Nigella sativa, Drynaria fortune, Dracaena cochinchinensis, Polygonum cuspidatum, Rosmarinus officinalis, Rheum tanguticum, Centella asiatica, and Curcuma zedoaria show a significant decrease in neuronal injury by different mechanisms such as increasing superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, suppressing nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB), interleukin 1 (IL‐1), glial fibrillary acidic protein, and IL‐6 expression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of medicinal plants in central nervous system pathologies by reviewing the available literature