Leu-M

Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands.

Epidemiological studies have revealed that a diet rich in plant-derived foods has a protective effect on human health. Identifying bioactive dietary constituents is an active area of scientific investigation that may lead to new drug discovery. Kaempferol (3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one) is a flavonoid found in many edible plants (e.g. tea, broccoli, cabbage, kale, beans, endive, leek, tomato, strawberries and grapes) and in plants or botanical products commonly used in traditional medicine (e.g. Ginkgo biloba, Tilia spp, Equisetum spp, Moringa oleifera, Sophora japonica and propolis). Some epidemiological studies have found a positive association between the consumption of foods containing kaempferol and a reduced risk of developing several disorders such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Numerous preclinical studies have shown that kaempferol and some glycosides of kaempferol have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anti-osteoporotic, estrogenic/antiestrogenic, anxiolytic, analgesic and antiallergic activities. In this article, the distribution of kaempferol in the plant kingdom and its pharmacological properties are reviewed. The pharmacokinetics (e.g. oral bioavailability, metabolism, plasma levels) and safety of kaempferol are also analyzed. This information may help understand the health benefits of kaempferol-containing plants and may contribute to develop this flavonoid as a possible agent for the prevention and treatment of some diseases.

A review on the dietary flavonoid kaempferol.

Essential oils are complex mixtures isolated from aromatic plants which may possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of interest in thye food and cosmetic industries as well as in the human health field. In this work, a review was done on the most recent publications concerning their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. At the same time a survey of the methods generally used for the evaluation of antioxidant activity and some of the mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils are also reported.

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Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils: a short review.

Phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and in vitro inhibitory potential against key enzymes relevant for hyperglycemia and hypertension of commonly used medicinal plants, herbs and spices in Latin America.

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties of different fractions of Moringa oleifera leaves

A phytochemical study of the rhizome essential oils of four different Hedychium species was performed by means of GC and GC/MS analyses. H. ellipticum mainly contained 1,8-cineole, sabinene, and terpin-4-ol, while H. aurantiacum possessed terpin-4-ol, para-cymene, and bornyl acetate as the major entities. Similarly, trans-meta-mentha-2,8-diene and linalool were noticed in H. coronarium. Three different collections (I-III) of H. spicatum showed amazing differences in the relative contents of their essential oils, 1,8-cineole and 10-epi-gamma-eudesmol being identified as markers for samples I and II, terpin-4-ol and sabinene being the major compounds in sample III. The rhizome essential oils of the above species were studied for their antioxidant activities by different methods, including their effect on the chelating properties of Fe(2+), DPPH radical-scavenging activity, and reducing power. Antimicrobial screenings of the oils by the paper-disc method were performed against Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, Pasteurella multocida, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica enterica, and the respective minimum-inhibitory-concentration (MIC) values were determined. The rhizome essential oils from all Hedychium species exhibited moderate-to-good Fe(2+) chelating activity. H. spicatum from collection site III showed a completely different DPPH radical-scavenging profile than the samples from the other collection sites.

Terpenoid compositions, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the rhizome essential oils of different Hedychium species

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the leaf essential oils of Himalayan Lauraceae species.

Iridodial beta-monoenol acetate, isolated from the essential oil of Nepeta leucophylla Benth, and actinidine from N. clarkei Benth were screened for antifungal activities against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium citrinum, and Penicillium viridicatum, all known mycotoxin-producing taxa, and Sclerotium rolfsii and Macrophomina phaseolina, potential soybean pathogens. Iridodial beta-monoenol acetate was most effective against S. rolfsii, while actinidine was highly active against M. phaseolina.

Antifungal activity of new compounds from Nepeta leucophylla and Nepeta clarkei.

In an effort to determine the chemical diversity of the Valeriana genera of the Northwestern Himalaya (Uttaranchal), V. wallichii, V. himalayana (syn. V. dioica), V. pyrolaefolia, and V. hardwickii var. arnottiana were investigated for their terpenoid compositions by means of GC and GC/MS analyses of their essential oils, as well as by one- and two-dimensional NMR studies of the isolates. Our results establish that V. wallichii DC. includes two stable chemotypes, with no mixed population, chemotype I being characterized by the presence of maaliol (1), and chemotype II having patchouli alcohol (2) and 8-acetoxypatchouli alcohol (3) as major compounds. V. hardwickii var. arnottiana was also found to exist as two independent chemotypes. Here, chemotype I is characterized by alpha-kessyl acetate (4), valeracetate (5), and 8-epikessyl glycol diacetate (6), whereas the chemotype-II species contain maaliol (1) and kessanyl acetate (7). V. himalayana Grub. had maaliol (1), valeranone (8), kessane (9), and alpha-kessyl acetate (4) as major compounds, and V. pyrolaefolia Decne. contained patchouli alcohol (2) and valeranone (8) as markers.

Chandra S. Mathela

Papers

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties of different fractions of Moringa oleifera leaves

Terpenoid compositions, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the rhizome essential oils of different Hedychium species

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the leaf essential oils of Himalayan Lauraceae species.

Antifungal activity of new compounds from Nepeta leucophylla and Nepeta clarkei.

Compositional diversity of terpenoids in the Himalayan Valeriana genera.