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Showing papers in "Chemistry & Biodiversity in 2018"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A brief description of collagen, its characteristics, marine sources, extraction, collagen peptides and their biological activities, potential use and application in various field is dealt with.
Abstract: Collagen is the most studied protein with a wide range of applications including pharmaceutical, biomedical, cosmetics, leather, and film industries due to its special characteristics that are high biocompatibility, good bioactivity, and weak antigenicity. Although collagen sources are abundant, the outbreak of varied diseases among land animals posed threat to its utilization in our daily life. Thus, a probe for an alternative source began, which in turn revealed the immense untapped marine sources, such as fish, jellyfish, and some marine Mammals. The present article deals with a brief description of collagen, its characteristics, marine sources, extraction, collagen peptides and their biological activities, potential use and application in various field.

133 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of this study showed a typical fluctuation range in haemolymph and water parameters, related to the water ones; chemical‐physical parameters affected the ions (electrolytes and metals) levels in some period of the year.
Abstract: Faro Lake is a coastal meromictic lagoon with singular characteristics in the Mediterranean (Messina, Sicily - Italy). It is part of the Natural Oriented Reserve of Capo Peloro (38° 15' 57″ N; 15° 37' 50″ E). In this area, traditional mollusc farming activity persists, producing 'autochthonous' mussels. This study reports of the Mytilus galloprovincialis haemolymph chemical profile and water variables determination of 1 year-lasted survey (April 2016 - March 2017). The determinations of electrolytes (Na+ , Cl- , K+ , Ca2+ , Mg2+ , P inorganic) and heavy metals in both Faro lake water and haemolymph have been carried out. Heavy metals are elements with high density and are quite toxic in low concentrations, such as Aluminum (Al), Arsenic (As), Cobalt (Co), Chrome (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Lead (Pb), Tin (Sn), Zinc (Zn). Heavy metals toxicity depends, principally, on bioaccumulation processes. M. galloprovincialis is a good bio-indicator, ideal for assess levels of environmental pollution thanks to its biological, ecological and physiological characteristics. The results of this study showed a typical fluctuation range in haemolymph and water parameters, related to the water ones; chemical-physical parameters affected the ions (electrolytes and metals) levels in some period of the year. The study reports the interactions between biotic (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and abiotic (water parameters) components of Faro Lake, and creates reference data for further future study on the same area or on similar ones.

111 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results showed that Apiaceae may be useful as source of larvicidal compounds to be used for the development of cheap, effective and eco‐friendly insecticidal formulations.
Abstract: Apiaceae are aromatic herbs producing essential oils which are used on an industrial scale for various purposes. Notably, Apiaceae essential oils may replace synthetic insecticides keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution and human poisoning. In the present work, we explored the insecticidal potential of the essential oils from five Apiaceae taxa, namely Sison amomum, Echinophora spinosa, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sphondylium, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. ternatum, and Trachyspemum ammi, as well as their major constituents (sabinene, p-cymene, terpinolene, myristicin, and thymol), against the filariasis vector Culex quinquefasciatus. For the purpose, the essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and their composition was achieved by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Their acute toxicity on third instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus was determined. The two most active essential oils were those from T. ammi fruits and E. spinosa roots, showing LC50 below 20 μl/l and LD90 below 50 μl/l. These oils were dominated by the monoterpene phenol thymol and the phenylpropanoid myristicin, respectively, which showed the strongest larvicidal activity (LC50 of 15.1 and 16.3 μl/l, respectively) among the pure compounds tested. These results showed that Apiaceae may be useful as source of larvicidal compounds to be used for the development of cheap, effective and eco-friendly insecticidal formulations.

51 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study concludes that E. citriodora essential oil might has the potential use as bioherbicide and can constitute an alternative process of weed control.
Abstract: The current study aimed to evaluate the negative allelopathic effect of Eucalyptus citriodora essential oil on some of the most noxious weeds in Algeria (Sinapis arvensis, Sonchus oleraceus, Xanthium strumarium and Avena fatua). Gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and GC/mass spectrometry (MS) were used to define the chemical composition of the oil. Citronellal (64.7%) and citronellol (10.9%) were the major essential oil compounds. Three concentrations of the oil were used for laboratory (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03%) and greenhouse (1, 2 and 3%) experiments. Seed germination and seedling's growth were drastically reduced in response to the oil concentrations where at 0.01 and 0.02% the oil drastically affects the seed germination of the tested weeds and at 0.03% the oil suppresses completely the germination of S. arvensis. The oil also exhibited strong allelopathic effect on the 3 - 4 leaf-stage plants 1 and 6 days after treatment. A completely death of S. arvensis, S. oleraceus and A. fatua and severe injuries on X. strumarium appeared at 3% of the oil. Chlorophyll content and membrane integrity were significantly affected after treatment of the plant weeds representing a severe reduction in total chlorophyll and cell membrane disruption. The study concludes that E. citriodora essential oil might has the potential use as bioherbicide and can constitute an alternative process of weed control.

43 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Kinetic study of compound 6g confirmed mixed‐type inhibitory activity towards tyrosinase indicating that it can bind to free enzyme as well as enzyme‐substrate complex, and 6g and 6h derivatives might serve as promising candidates in cosmetics, medicine or food industry, and development of such compounds may be of an interest.
Abstract: A novel series of benzimidazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids containing substituted benzyl moieties were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase. The results indicated that 2-(4-{[1-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methoxy}phenyl)-1H-benzimidazole (6g) and 2-(4-{[1-(4-bromobenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methoxy}phenyl)-1H-benzimidazole (6h) exhibited effective inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 9.42 and 10.34 μm, respectively, comparable to that of kojic acid as the reference drug (IC50 = 9.28 μm). Kinetic study of compound 6g confirmed mixed-type inhibitory activity towards tyrosinase indicating that it can bind to free enzyme as well as enzyme-substrate complex. Also, molecular docking analysis was performed to determine the binding mode of the most potent compounds (6g and 6h) in the active site of tyrosinase. Consequently, 6g and 6h derivatives might serve as promising candidates in cosmetics, medicine or food industry, and development of such compounds may be of an interest.

42 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results demonstrate the antiglycative, antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Achillea species which can be attributed to polyphenols content and the effectiveness on generation of AGEs, thus AchilleA species can be considered as natural sources for slowing down glycation related diseases.
Abstract: A comparative study was carried out on the methanolic extracts from six Achillea species and the examined polyphenols from these plants on the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGE) in vitro. A. pachycephala which was richer in flavonoids (15 mg quercetin/g W) and phenolics (111.10 mg tannic acid/g DW) with substantial antioxidant activity (IC50 = 365.5 μg/ml) presented strong anti-AGE properties. Chlorogenic acid, luteolin, quercetin and caffeic acid were identified as the major polyphenols in the extracts by HPLC. In general, polyphenolic content follows the order of A. pachycephalla > A. nobilis > A. filipendulina > A. santolina > A. aucheri > A. millefolium. Most extracts exhibited marked anti-AGE ability in the bovine serum albumin (BSA)/methylglyoxal (MG) system, though A. pachycephala showed the highest potential. The formation of AGEs was assessed by monitoring the production of fluorescent products and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Diminution in free radical production (assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays) is discussed as potential mechanism for delay or reduced AGE. The results demonstrate the antiglycative, antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Achillea species which can be attributed to polyphenols content and the effectiveness on generation of AGEs, thus Achillea species can be considered as natural sources for slowing down glycation related diseases.

39 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the CBMEOs have antioxidative and anti‐melanogenic activities in all theCBM harvesting stages, resulting in skin‐whitening biological activities and that the levels of their component contents and bioactivities differ among the CBm harvesting stages.
Abstract: In the present study, the chemical compositions and skin whitening-related antioxidant and anti-melanogenic effect of essential oils (EOs) extracted from Chrysanthemum borealeMakino (CBM) (CBMEOs) at vegetative, pre-flowering and full-flowering are investigated and contrasted among the three stages. The yields and components of the CBMEOs were different at each stage. The CBMEOs increased DPPH and ABTs scavenging activities and attenuated the α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-induced tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in B16BL6 cells. Among CBMEO components, eugenol had the highest DPPH and ABTs scavenging activities and cuminaldehyde was the strongest inhibitor of α-MSH-induced tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis. The CBMEOs in each stage showed the different levels of phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 and p38 MAPK. These findings demonstrate that the CBMEOs have antioxidative and anti-melanogenic activities in all the CBM harvesting stages, resulting in skin-whitening biological activities and that the levels of their component contents and bioactivities differ among the CBM harvesting stages. The CBMEOs may have the potential for use in cosmetics and alternative medicine.

36 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The essential oil appears to belong to a new chemotype compared to other Mediterranean juniper accessions, as it was favored by geographic isolation of the isles, and compound 8 showed powerful effects towards tumor cell lines, which make it a promising anticancer drug candidate.
Abstract: A comprehensive phytochemical study of Juniperus turbinata (Cupressaceae) collected from La Maddalena Archipelago (Sardinia, Italy) is reported. Both the essential oil and the ethanolic extract obtained from the aerial parts were analyzed. The essential oil appears to belong to a new chemotype compared to other Mediterranean juniper accessions, as it was favored by geographic isolation of the isles. It showed a low content of monoterpene hydrocarbons and α-terpineol, ent-manoyl oxide, 1,10-di-epi-cubenol as the major constituents. The ethanolic fraction contained mainly diterpenoids. Among these, 15-formyloxyimbricatolic acid (7) is a new natural product since it has hitherto been obtained only by synthetic route. The phenolic fraction contained biflavonoids: cupressuflavone (9), followed by minor amounts of amentoflavone (10) and hinokiflavone (11). The essential oil and six purified compounds (1 - 4, 8 and 9) were assessed for biological activities, namely antioxidant (assessed by DPPH· , ABTS·+ and FRAP methods) and cytotoxic effects towards selected human tumor cell lines (MDA-MB 231, A375 and HCT116 cells). Compound 3 exhibited higher radical scavenging activity against ABTS·+ radical than the reference Trolox. Noteworthy, compound 8 showed powerful effects towards tumor cell lines, with IC50 values in the range of 0.060 - 0.201 μm, which make it a promising anticancer drug candidate.

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Xinting Wang1, Jiahui Yu1, Wei Li1, Chunmei Wang1, He Li1, Wenbo Ju1, Jianguang Chen1, Jinghui Sun1 
TL;DR: The chemical composition and antioxidant activity of lignans in Schisandra chinensis andSchisandra sphenanthera from the different locations were investigated in this study, which may provide an experimental basis for the quality control of Schis Sandra.
Abstract: Twenty Schisandra samples were collected from different locations. Contents of 7 lignans in the samples were determined and analyzed by HPLC method coupled with hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), and the antioxidant capacity of Schisandra from the different locations was evaluated by reducing power, ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the content of lignans between Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera. The Schisandra sphenanthera samples in the southwest of China were significantly different from those from the other locations. The antioxidant capacity of Schisandra chinensis was significantly superior to that of Schisandra sphenanthera, and the main antioxidant components were schisandrol A, schisandrol B and schisandrin B based on the result of discrimination analyses. The differences in the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of lignans in Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera from the different locations were investigated in this study, which may provide an experimental basis for the quality control of Schisandra.

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The biocidal tests showed that L. × intermedia IEO was the most active against the insect Spodoptera littoralis and toxic to the tick Hyalomma lusitanicum, IEO of H. officinalis was strongly active against S. littoranis, and finally, S. chamaecyparissus IEOwas a strong antifeedant against the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi.
Abstract: This work presents the biocidal (insecticidal, ixodicidal, nematicidal, and phytotoxic) effects and chemical compositions of three essential oils obtained from the industrial steam distillation (IEOs) of hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.), lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia or L. × hybrida var. Super), and cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus L.). Their chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry showed 1,8-cineole (53%) and β-pinene (16%) as the major components of H. officinalis, linalyl acetate (38%) and linalool (29%) of L. × intermedia; and 1,8-cineole (10%) and 8-methylene-3-oxatricyclo[5.2.0.02,4 ]nonane (8%) in S. chamaecyparissus. The biocidal tests showed that L. × intermedia IEO was the most active against the insect Spodoptera littoralis and toxic to the tick Hyalomma lusitanicum, IEO of H. officinalis was strongly active against S. littoralis, and finally, S. chamaecyparissus IEO was a strong antifeedant against the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi, toxic to H. lusitanicum and with moderate effects against Leptinotarsa decemlineata, S. littoralis, and Lolium perenne.

30 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Essential oils of Thymus vulgaris, Cymbopogon citratus, and Rosmarinus officinalis were active in interfering with Tat functions, encouraging further studies to identify single terpenes responsible for the antiviral activity.
Abstract: New drugs would be beneficial to fight resistant HIV strains, in particular those capable of interfering with essential viral functions other than those targeted by highly active antiretroviral therapy drugs. Despite the central role played by Tat protein in HIV transcription, a search for vegetable extracts able to hamper this important viral function was never carried out. In this work, we evaluated the chemical composition and possible interference of essential oil from Thymus vulgaris, Cananga odorata, Cymbopogon citratus, and Rosmarinus officinalis with the Tat/TAR-RNA interaction and with Tat-induced HIV-1 LTR transcription. GC/MS Analysis demonstrated the biodiversity of herbal species translated into essential oils composed of different blends of terpenes. In all of them, 4 - 6 constituents represent from 81.63% to 95.19% of the total terpenes. Essential oils of Thymus vulgaris, Cymbopogon citratus, and Rosmarinus officinalis were active in interfering with Tat functions, encouraging further studies to identify single terpenes responsible for the antiviral activity. In view of the quite different composition of these essential oils, we concluded that their interference on Tat function depends on specific terpene or a characteristic blend.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that C. droserifolia EO could provide a hope to produce environment‐friendly bioherbicide as well as a natural resource of antioxidants.
Abstract: People rely on the synthetic chemical pesticides in most of the agricultural practices, which have a serious problem on human health and ecosystem. Essential oil (EO), derived from wild plants, offers a new opportunity to explore eco-friendly green biocides. This study aimed to characterize the chemical constituents of EO from Egyptian ecospecies of Cleome droserifolia (Forssk.) Delile and evaluate its antioxidant and allelopathic potential. The EO was extracted from aerial parts by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. To assess the allelopathic potential, EO concentrations from 50 to 200 μL L-1 were tested on Trifolium repens and three weeds. Antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH. Hydrodistillation yielded 0.64 % of dark yellow oil, which comprises 35 compounds, in which sesquiterpene was a major class and represented by 61.97 % of the total essential oil. Moreover, the dominant sesquiterpenes are cis-nerolidol, α-cadinol, δ-cadinene, and γ-muurolene. The speed of germination index, shoot and root length of clover and weeds were reduced in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 values of C. droserifolia EO on germination of T. repens, Cuscuta trifolii, Melilotus indicus, and Chenopodium murale were 181.6, 183.5, 159.0, and 157.5 μL L-1 , respectively. From the obtained data, we concluded that C. droserifolia EO could provide a hope to produce environment-friendly bioherbicide as well as a natural resource of antioxidants.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Three azulenoid sesquiterpenes were isolated from the Antarctic gorgonian Acanthogorgia laxa collected by bottom trawls and a new brominated C16 linderazulene derivative was also identified, with good antifouling potencies against a wide array of organisms.
Abstract: Three azulenoid sesquiterpenes (1 – 3) were isolated from the Antarctic gorgonian Acanthogorgia laxa collected by bottom trawls at 343 m. Besides linderazulene (1), and the known ketolactone 2, a new brominated C16 linderazulene derivative (3) was also identified. This compound has an extra carbon atom at C(7) of the linderazulene framework. The antifouling activity of compounds 1 and 2 was assayed in the laboratory with Artemia salina larvae, and also in field tests, by incorporation in soluble-matrix experimental antifouling paints. The results obtained after a 45 days field trial of the paints, showed that compounds 1 and 2 displayed good antifouling potencies against a wide array of organisms. Compound 3, a benzylic bromide, was unstable and for this reason was not submitted to bioassays. Two known cembranolides: pukalide and epoxypukalide, were also identified as minor components of the extract.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A hierarchical cluster analysis of 42 chemical compositions of B. carteri oleo‐gum resin essential oils has revealed at least three different chemotypes, i) an α‐pinene‐rich chemotype, ii) anα‐thujene‐ richChemotype, and iii) a methoxydecane‐ rich chemotype.
Abstract: Frankincense, the oleo-gum resin of Boswellia species, has been an important element of traditional medicine for thousands of years. Frankincense is still used for oral hygiene, to treat wounds, and for its calming effects. Different Boswellia species show different chemical profiles, and B. carteri, in particular, has shown wide variation in essential oil composition. In order to provide insight into the chemical variability in authentic B. carteri oleoresin samples, a hierarchical cluster analysis of 42 chemical compositions of B. carteri oleo-gum resin essential oils has revealed at least three different chemotypes, i) an α-pinene-rich chemotype, ii) an α-thujene-rich chemotype, and iii) a methoxydecane-rich chemotype.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The primary structure–activity relationship (SAR) study suggested that the combination of a saturated N‐heterocycle, such as morpholine or 4‐methylpiperidine, and a 1,7,7‐trimethylbicyclo[2.1]heptane scaffold was favorable for antiviral activity.
Abstract: A series of the bornyl ester/amide derivatives with N-containing heterocycles were designed and synthesized as vaccinia virus (VV) inhibitors. Bioassay results showed that among the designed compounds, derivatives 6, 13, 14, 34, 36 and 37 showed the best inhibitory activity against VV with the IC50 values of 12.9, 17.9, 3.4, 2.5, 12.5 and 7.5 μm, respectively, and good cytotoxicity. The primary structure-activity relationship (SAR) study suggested that the combination of a saturated N-heterocycle, such as morpholine or 4-methylpiperidine, and a 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane scaffold was favorable for antiviral activity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The EO from the R. minima showed a significant inhibition of D. aegyptium and R. dentatus germination, while the seedling growth was stimulated, and the apparent stimulatory effect on the seedlings growth offers further studies to use the EO to enhance the fitness of different economic crops.
Abstract: Aromatic plants attract the attention of many researchers worldwide due to their worthy applications in agriculture, human prosperity, and the environment. Essential oil (EO) could be exploited as effective alternatives to synthetic compounds as it has several biological activities including allelopathy. The EO from the aerial parts of Rhynchosia minima was extracted by hydro-distillation and investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Different concentrations (50, 100, 150 and 200 μL L−1) of the EO were prepared for investigation of their allelopathic potential on two weeds; Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Rumex dentatus. Twenty-eight compounds, mainly sesquiterpenes (69.13%) were determined. The major compounds are α-eudesmol, 2-allyl-5-t-butylhydroquinone, caryophyllene oxide, trans-caryophyllene, and .tau.-cadinol. The VOCs from the R. minima showed a significant inhibition of D. aegyptium and R. dentatus germination, while the seedling growth was stimulated. Therefore, it is not recommended to treat these noxious weeds with the EO of R. minima before the germination. In contrast, the apparent stimulatory effect on the seedling growth offers further studies to use the EO of R. minima to enhance the fitness of different economic crops. However, characterization of green bio-herbicides such as EO (allelochemicals) from wild plants raises a new opportunity for the incorporation of new technology of bio-control against the noxious weeds. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: AcOEt fraction has the best in vitro antioxidant and antimelanogenesis activities, compounds 7 – 12 and 15 showed remarkable antioxidant activity, and compounds 4, 6, 8, and 15 – 17 exhibited superior inhibitory activities against melanogenesis.
Abstract: There is a growing interest in the exploitation of agricultural byproducts. This study explored the potential beneficial health effects from the main biowaste, tea seed pomace of Camellia oleifera Abel (Theaceae), produced when tea seed is processed. Eighteen compounds were isolated from the 70% EtOH extract of the seed cake of C. oleifera. Their structures were determined by ESI-MS, 1 H- and 13 C-NMR together with literature data. All fractions and compounds were evaluated for the antioxidant and melanogenesis inhibitory activities. As the result, AcOEt fraction has the best in vitro antioxidant and antimelanogenesis activities, compounds 7 - 12 and 15 showed remarkable antioxidant activity, compounds 4, 6, 8, and 15 - 17 exhibited superior inhibitory activities against melanogenesis. Furthermore, tyrosinase inhibitory activity assay suggested that compound 8 could suppress melanogenesis by inhibiting the expression of tyrosinase.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Chemical investigation of the active extract of V. glabrata indicated that pentacyclic triterpenes were the major compounds responsible for the activity, suggesting the potential use of the plant as an alternative natural source for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Abstract: The sporadic increase in the occurrence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus have compelled and vigorous search for alternative anti-diabetic therapeutic approach from medicinal plants and its bioactive. One of the major approach employed is the reduction of gastrointestinal glucose levels through the inhibition of carbohydrate digesting enzymes notably α-amylase and α-glucosidase. In this study, the ethanol extracts of 14 selected plants from Mor Porn's recipe were screened for their α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The ethanolic extract from the stem of Vitex glabrata displayed the highest percentage inhibitory activity of 84.98 ± 0.59 and 84.71 ± 1.51 against α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzymes, respectively. Chemical investigation of the active extract of V. glabrata indicated that pentacyclic triterpenes were the major compounds responsible for the activity. The result obtained from this study suggests the potential use of V. glabrata as an alternative natural source for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: 21 4‐amino‐5‐substituted‐1,2,4‐triazole Schiff bases (2a – 2g, 3a – 3g, and 4a – 4g) were designed and synthesized and exhibited excellent antifungal activity.
Abstract: With the aim to find new compounds with high antifungal activity, 21 4-amino-5-substituted-1,2,4-triazole Schiff bases (2a - 2g, 3a - 3g, and 4a - 4g) were designed and synthesized. Their antifungal activities against Pythium solani, Gibberlla nicotiancola, Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. niveum, Gibberlla saubinetii, Alternaria iycopersici, Phytophthora capsici, Physalospora piricola, Cercospora arachidicola hori, and Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. cucumber were tested, parts of the compounds exhibited excellent antifungal activity. This research provides useful information for further study of antifungal agents.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that cultivation substrate greatly affect the chemical profile and neuroprotective capacity of obtained basidiocarps and wheat straw is a promising cultivation substrate.
Abstract: Various neurodegenerative diseases are the main challenges to the modern medicine and there is a great need for novel, natural, neuroprotective agents. Ganoderma lucidum is a well-known medicinal mushroom, which health benefits have been confirmed by numerous studies. As demand for its basidiocarps is increased and traditional cultivation on hardwoods is not environmentally friendly and economically justified, finding of alternative substrates is necessary. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of alternative cultivation substrates on the chemical profile of G. lucidum basidiocarps and their capacity to inhibit acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase, which higher activity is directly associated with neurodegenerative processes. Extracts of basidiocarps cultivated on alternative substrates, especially on clear wheat straw, showed significantly higher inhibition capacities than extracts of commercially-grown ones. These extracts were considerably different chemically from commercial basidiocarps extracts and even nine new compounds were isolated from them. Our results suggest that cultivation substrate greatly affect the chemical profile and neuroprotective capacity of obtained basidiocarps and wheat straw is a promising cultivation substrate.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Asperochramides A – D, a new natural product and three new indole diketopiperazine alkaloids, along with seven known analogs, were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Aspergillus ochraceus and showed potential anti‐inflammatory activities.
Abstract: Asperochramides A - D (1 - 4), a new natural product and three new indole diketopiperazine alkaloids, along with seven known analogs (5 - 11), were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Aspergillus ochraceus. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, ECD calculation, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 3 and 4 represent a rare group of indole diketopiperazine alkaloid with a 3-hydroxyl-2-indolone moiety. The in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of compounds 1 and 3 - 11 were investigated by using LPS-stimulated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Compounds 1, 8, 10, and 11 showed potential anti-inflammatory activities.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results revealed that the accumulation of essential oil in A. aucheri increased as the plant grew from the five leaves appearance stage to the 100 % flowering stage with increasing the size and number of secretory structures.
Abstract: In the present research, the essential oil composition, bioactive compounds, anatomical and antioxidant activity of Achillea aucheri were investigated at four phenological stages. The yield of essential oil ranged from 0.1 % (five leaves appearance stage) to 0.7 % (full flowering stage). So, the oils from the plants harvested at the full flowering stage provided higher essential oil contents than those at other stages. The analysis of the essential oils by GC/MS revealed the presence of a large number of components represented mainly by oxygenated monoterpenes (24.36-77.81 %). The compounds revealed high variation at different phenological stages. The major constituents of A. aucheri were carvacrol (1.07-19.17 %), camphor (5.44-9.99 %), δ-cadinene (0.20-13.88 %), thymol (2.15-7.80 %), germacrene D (4.50-7.24 %), 1,8-cineole (1.62-5.54 %) and α-terpineol (1.71-3.42 %). The total phenolic (51.63 mg tannic acid/g DW) and flavonoid (10.88 mg quercetin/g W) contents were more accumulated at the 50 % flowering stage than others. The results revealed that the accumulation of essential oil in A. aucheri increased as the plant grew from the five leaves appearance stage to the 100 % flowering stage with increasing the size and number of secretory structures. Finally, the extracts collected at the 50 % flowering stage showed the highest antioxidant activity as measured based on FTC and DPPH method with the IC50 values ranging from 719.65 μg/mL to 1039.17 μg/mL for the samples.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the structures, names, bioactivities, and references of 80 marine‐derived pimarane‐type natural products for the first time.
Abstract: Marine organisms represent an abundant sources of bioactive natural products with unique chemical structure. Pimarane diterpenes are a structurally diverse family of natural products with various biological activities and pharmacological properties. A prolific source of new marine-derived pimarane diterpenes have attracted considerable interest because of their unique structural diversity and varied biological activities, including antimicrobial, antitumor, and antiproliferative activities. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the structures, names, bioactivities, and references of 80 marine-derived pimarane-type natural products for the first time.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The promising radical scavenging potential, reducing power and lipid protection potential of tested extracts indicates that the extracts of M. pulegium could be useful in preventing free radical linked diseases, as well as food protecting antioxidants.
Abstract: The aim of this work was to perform the phytochemical analysis as well as antioxidant and anticholinesterase potential of hot water and methanolic extracts from Mentha pulegium L., Lamiaceae, wild growing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a plant that is traditionally used in Bosnia and Herzegovina medicine to treat gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. By HPLC-DAD analysis of tested extracts, 15 phenol compounds were identified and quantified. Rosmarinic acid was the most abundant compound in both extracts, followed by ellagic acid, eriodictyol, naringenin and chlorogenic acid. Both extracts were demonstrated good radical scavenging potential, reducing power and ability to inhibit lipid oxidation. The tested extracts also showed low ability to inhibit protein oxidation and low or no acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition potential. The promising radical scavenging potential, reducing power and lipid protection potential of tested extracts indicates that the extracts of M. pulegium could be useful in preventing free radical linked diseases, as well as food protecting antioxidants.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study represents the first headspace evaluation on the selected plants and the results evidenced that monoterpenes represented the main class of constituents in five of the seven species analysed (from 59.2% to 95.0%).
Abstract: Helichrysum genus consists of about 600 species widespread throughout the world, especially in South Africa and in the Mediterranean area. In this study the aroma profile (HS-SPME) and the EO compositions of seven Helichrysum species (H. cymosum, H. odoratissimum, H. petiolare, H. fontanesii, H. saxatile, H. sanguineum, and H. tenax) were evaluated. All the plants were grown in Italy under the same growth conditions. The volatile constituents, particularly monoterpenes, depended by the plant's genotype and ecological adaptation. This study represents the first headspace evaluation on the selected plants and the results evidenced that monoterpenes represented the main class of constituents in five of the seven species analysed (from 59.2% to 95.0%). The higher content in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons was observed in the Mediterranean species of H. sanguineum (68.0%). Only H. saxatile showed relative similar abundance of monoterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The essential oil composition of the majority of examined species are characterised by high percentage of sesquiterpenes (especially β-caryophyllene and δ-cadinene) ranging from 51.3% to 92.0%, except for H. cymosum, H. tenax, and H. sanguineum leaves where monoterpenes predominated (from 51.7% to 74.7%).

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TL;DR: Results suggested that C. cicadae polysaccharide displayed anti‐hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic and antioxidant activities and could be a promising therapeutic source in managing diabetes mellitus and its associated complications.
Abstract: Cordyceps cicadae is a medicinal fungus used in treating night sweat, childhood convulsions, vision improvement and pain. This study was designed to evaluate the anti-diabetic activity of the crude polysaccharide (SHF) from the mycelium and body portion of C. cicadae. Diabetes mellitus was induced in the rat with a single intravenous injection of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg). In other to evaluate the anti-diabetic effects of C. cicadae polysaccharide in alloxan-induced diabetic rats, the crude polysaccharide (SHF at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) and glibenclamide were administered orally to diabetic rats for 30 days. Blood glucose level, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphate (ALP), creatinine (CREA), urea, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH) were determined. SHF showed significant reduction in blood glucose in diabetic rats. Treatment of diabetic rats also resulted an improvement in body weights, increased HDL, SOD and GSH, as well as decreased TC, TG, LDL, MDA, urea, CREA, ALT, AST and ALP. These results suggested that C. cicadae polysaccharide displayed anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic and antioxidant activities and could be a promising therapeutic source in managing diabetes mellitus and its associated complications.

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TL;DR: The results from this study suggested that G. leucocontextum and its metabolites may be potential functional food ingredients for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
Abstract: Ganoderma leucocontextum is a well-known medicinal mushroom cultivated in the Tibet Plateau of China. Chemistry investigation on the fruiting bodies of this mushroom resulted in the isolation of sixteen secondary metabolites including three new lanostane triterpenes, ganoleucoins Q - S (1 - 3), as well as thirteen known compounds (4 - 16). The structures of compounds 1 - 3 were determined by NMR, MS, CD spectral analysis, and chemical derivation method. The neuroprotective effects of compounds 1 - 16 were tested on PC12 cells. Compounds 1 and 2 showed protective effects against the H2 O2 induced damage with the survival rate of 83.19 ± 0.92%, 73.37 ± 1.25% at the concentration of 200 μm, respectively. Meanwhile, compounds 1 and 2 induced neurite outgrowth at 50 - 200 μm. The results from this study suggested that G. leucocontextum and its metabolites may be potential functional food ingredients for the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

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TL;DR: There is an improvement in all hemato‐biochemical parameters, antioxidant defense system and anti‐inflammatory cytokines of protective groups, which received C. sapota in dose dependent manner and confer a better antioxidant activity by preventing oxidative stress and inflammation in (AcO)2Pb treated rats.
Abstract: Flavonoids are agents with strong antioxidant properties and ameliorate many diseases associated with oxidative stress. Leaves of Casimiroa sapota were investigated for components and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activities against lead acetate ((AcO)2 Pb) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Three groups of male albino rats were administrated orally with vehicle or C. sapota (100 and 200 mg/kg b.w/day) for 28 days; other group was injected with sub-acute dose (100 mg/kg b.w/day) of (AcO)2 Pb. Three protective groups were injected with (AcO)2 Pb (100 mg/kg b.w/day) for 7 days at day 22 after treatment with either C. sapota (100 or 200 mg/kg b.w/day) or silymarin (SILY) for 28 days. We isolated and identified, from C. sapota, a new compound for the 1st time in nature; 5,6,2',3'-tetramethoxyflavone in addition to the rare compound 5,6,3'-trimethoxyflavone (second report of isolation from nature) and the known compound 5,6,2',3',4'-pentamethoxyflavone. There is an improvement in all hemato-biochemical parameters, antioxidant defense system and anti-inflammatory cytokines of protective groups, which received C. sapota in dose dependent manner. The percentage of changes in all parameters measured in (AcO)2 Pb groups that received vehicle, CS100, CS200 or SILY were 109.2, 37.3, 12.5%, and 1.2% compared with the healthy control group. The C. sapota groups confer a better antioxidant activity by preventing oxidative stress and inflammation in (AcO)2 Pb treated rats. The compounds isolated are responsible at least in part for the observed protective effects.

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TL;DR: New naphthalene derivatives and a new isomer of ventilagolin, together with known anthraquinones, chrysophanol, physcion or emodin 3‐methyl ether, andEmodin, were isolated from vines of Ventilago denticulata and exhibited cytotoxic activity and weak antibacterial activity.
Abstract: New naphthalene derivatives (1 and 2) and a new isomer (3) of ventilagolin, together with known anthraquinones, chrysophanol (4), physcion or emodin 3-methyl ether (5), and emodin (6), were isolated from vines of Ventilago denticulata. The isolated compounds exhibited cytotoxic activity with IC50 values of 1.15 - 40.54 μg/ml. Compounds 1 - 3 selectively exhibited weak antibacterial activity (MIC values of 200.0 - 400.0 μg/ml), while emodin (6) displayed moderate antibacterial activity with MIC value of 25.0 μg/ml. The isolated compounds showed nitric oxide and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Compounds 1 - 3 and 6 exhibited weak xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, while emodin (6) acted as an aromatase inhibitor with the IC50 value of 10.1 μm. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 8.28 μm and 6.48 μm, respectively.

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TL;DR: The results indicated that the essential oil of S. terrae‐albae has the potential to be further exploited as a bioherbicide.
Abstract: To evaluate the potential value of Seriphidium terrae-albae (Krasch.) Poljakov essential oil as bioherbicide, its chemical composition as well as phytotoxic activity was investigated. Seventeen compounds were identified via GC/MS, representing 98.1 % of the total oil, and the most abundant constituents were α-thujone (43.18 %), β-thujone (16.92 %), eucalyptol (17.55 %), and camphor (13.88 %). Phytotoxic assay revealed that the essential oil as well as its major constituents exhibited inhibitory activity on root and shoot growth of receiver plants in a dose-dependent manner. When the concentration reached 20 μg/mL, root length of Amaranthus retroflexus was reduced to 31.3 %, 70.6 %, 36.9 %, and 66.6 % of the control, respectively, when treated with α-thujone, eucalyptol, camphor, and the mixture of these compounds; meanwhile, root length of Poa annua was 3.0 %, 24.2 %, 0 %, and 4.4 % of the control when the same chemicals were applied. On the other hand, the essential oil showed a much stronger activity. At 1.5 μL/mL, root and shoot length of A. retroflexus and P. annua were reduced to 0.65 %, 0.5 %, and 1.53 %, 1.51 % of the control, respectively, and seed germination of A. retroflexus and P. annua was completely inhibited when the oil concentration reached 3 μg/mL and 5 μg/mL, respectively. This is the first report on the chemical composition of the essential oil of S. terrae-albae, and our results indicated that it has the potential to be further exploited as a bioherbicide.