► We analysed essential oil from
Ferula
heuffelii underground parts. ► Composition was analysed by GC and GC–MS and elemicin was the main compound. ► Good activity against
Candida albicans and Gram ...(+) bacteria was noted. ► Essential oil showed substantial anti-DPPH activity. ► Good spasmolytic activity of essential oil was demonstrated
in vitro.
The essential oil from underground parts of
Ferula heuffelii from N.E. Serbia, was analysed using GC and GC–MS. The main compounds of the essential oil were elemicin (35.4%) and myristicin (20.6%). The essential oil exhibited the best antimicrobial activity against two strains of
Candida albicans (MIC
=
7.0 and 13.7
μg/ml), as well as against
Micrococcus luteus (MIC
=
13.7
μg/ml),
Staphylococcus epidermidis (MIC
=
17.6
μg/ml),
Bacillus subtilis (MIC
=
21.1
μg/ml) and
Micrococcus flavus (MIC
=
28.2
μg/ml). In the DPPH radical scavenging assay, essential oil showed substantial activity with SC
50
=
22.43
μl/ml. The essential oil was also tested for antispasmodic activity. It inhibited spontaneous contraction of isolated rat ileum dose-dependently, and at the concentration of 86.64
μg/ml exhibited 50% of the maximum effect of atropine. After incubation with 75.00
μg/ml of essential oil, acetylcholine did not induce contractions of ileum, and at 250.00
μg/ml, the essential oil almost completely abolished the spasmodic effect of potassium chloride (80
mM).
The composition of leaf and flower essential oils of eight
Heracleum
taxa (populations collected in Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia) was statistically analyzed to evaluate its ...chemosystematic significance. Investigated taxa included
H. orphanidis
and the representatives of
H. sphondylium
group:
H. sphondylium
,
H. sibiricum
,
H. montanum
,
H. ternatum
,
H. pyrenaicum
subsp.
pollinianum
,
H. pyrenaicum
subsp.
orsinii
and
H. verticillatum
. Hydrodistilled essential oils were analyzed by GC–FID and GC–MS. Chemosystematic significance was evaluated using multivariate statistics: principal component analysis (PCA), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and unweighted pair-group arithmetic averages clustering (UPGMA). Statistical analyses included our previously published data on the composition of essential oils of eight leaf and three flower samples, as well as the data on the composition of the oils of additional eight leaf and five flower samples obtained in the current work. Leaf and flower essential oils of
H. sphondylium
group members were dominated by various sesquiterpenes, phenylpropanoids and/or monoterpenes.
Heracleum orphanidis
leaf and flower essential oils were rich in aliphatic esters, mostly octyl acetate. Statistical analysis of the composition of leaf essential oils, as well as of flower oils, demonstrated the grouping of investigated populations of these
Heracleum
taxa according to their systematics, i.e., separation of
H. orphanidis
from the representatives of
H. sphondylium
group, and grouping of
H. pyrenaicum
subspecies within this group. Morphologically related
H. sibiricum
and
H. ternatum
were closely located in PCA and NMDS and in UPGMA even shared the same cluster.
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•Herbal teas of Hungarian thyme, culinary and medicinal herb, were analyzed.•Rosmarinic acid and luteolin glucuronides were the most abundant polyphenolics.•Citral, 3-octanone, ...1-octen-3-ol, linalool or 1,8-cineole dominated in volatile fractions.•Good antioxidant activity of infusions was demonstrated.•Antimicrobial activity was noticeably influenced by the presence of volatiles.
Hungarian thyme (Thymus pannonicus All., Lamiaceae) is an aromatic herb used as traditional remedy, a refreshing beverage and a food aromatizer. Herbal teas, i.e., infusions, of Hungarian thyme from eight localities in Serbia were analyzed regarding their polyphenolic and volatile composition, and tested for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The total polyphenolics content, determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, ranged from 1122.25 to 1979.93mg gallic acid/L. HPLC analysis revealed rosmarinic acid (367.42–1199.47mg/L) and luteolin glucuronides as the main polyphenolics. The volatile fractions of the infusions, analyzed by static headspace extraction coupled with GC and GC–MS analyses, contained citral, 3-octanone, 1-octen-3-ol, linalool and 1,8-cineole as the dominant constituents. The antioxidant activity of the infusions was examined through the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (68.09–124.58mmol Fe2+/L) and the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical tests (SC50 1.32–2.96μL/mL). The antimicrobial activity was tested by the broth microdilution method against standard strains of Gram(+) Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis and Gram(−) bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and one strain of yeast Candida albicans. The infusions inhibited microbial growth in the tested concentration range (31.25–500.00μL/mL) and the strongest activity was exhibited against the strain of C. albicans (MIC 31.25–62.50μL/mL). The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the infusions were, to some extent, in correlation with the composition and content of the polyphenolic compounds, whereas the volatiles noticeably influenced the exhibited antimicrobial activity.
•Thymus dacicus herb methanol extract and essential oil were investigated.•HPLC analysis revealed domination of rosmarinic acid in the extract.•Geranial and neral prevailed in the oil analyzed by GC ...and GC–MS.•The extract showed strong antioxidant activity determined by three assays.•The oil showed synergism with antibiotics on three bacteria in checkerboard test.
In a search for novel food additives/functional food ingredients, chemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Thymus dacicus Borbás (Lamiaceae) flowering aerial parts dry methanol extract and essential oil were tested for the first time. HPLC analysis of the extract revealed that among dominant polyphenols, rosmarinic acid was the most abundant (71.33±1.11mg/g). Monoterpenes geranial (34.4%) and neral (23.9%) prevailed in the oil, analyzed by GC and GC–MS. The extract showed pronounced antioxidant activity, with FRAP value of 5.16±0.19mmol Fe2+/g, OH radical SC50 of 18.85μg/mL (determined by 2-deoxyribose assay) and DPPH radical SC50 of 28.04μg/mL. Eight out of ten tested microbial strains were susceptible to the oil in microdilution test. Furthermore, for the combination of the oil and vancomycin/gentamicin, synergism was demonstrated against MRSA, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in checkerboard test. Obtained results encourage further research of this herb as potentially beneficial ingredient in foodstuffs.
Contemporary pedagogical literature emphasizes holistic upbringing and education, with the goal of developing the overall personality of students. In this regard, the aim of this study is to explore ...and determine how teachers perceive the importance of teaching music. This research was conducted in the second semester of the 2022/2023 school year on with a sample of Republic of Srpska primary school teachers (N=10). Empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted both online and in person; a protocol with open-ended questions was developed. The data were analyzed using the method of qualitative thematic analysis. The research results show that teachers perceive music education positively and emphasize its importance for the comprehensive development of students. Additionally, teachers believe that certain changes are needed in the music curriculum, although they emphasize that they have freedom in choosing content in all teaching areas. There is a prevailing opinion among teachers which indicates the need for an increased focus of the educational system towards music education in the lower grades of primary school.
Juglans nigra (Black walnut) is a source of health-supporting biologically active compounds used in traditional medicine. The investigation of bioactive compounds in black walnut could lead to its ...broader application, as well as to the application of its by-products. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize J. nigra nut and green husk based on chemical analysis of their petroleum ether and ethanol extracts obtained by ultrasonic and reflux extraction methods, respectively. Different extract fractions were tested for their antimicrobial activities using Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and yeast (reference strain and clinical isolates of Candida albicans). The ethanol extracts analysis, performed by high performance liquid chromatography, singled out the ellagic acid as the most dominant compound in nut ((55.0?1.3)?10-3 kg m-3) and green husk ((114.1?0.5)?10-3 kg m-3) extracts. Non-polar compounds were evaluated using gas chromatography analysis of petroleum ether extracts. Juglans nigra nut and green husk contained two saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0), then, monounsaturated fatty acids, palmitoleic (C16:1n-7), oleic (C18:1n-9) and vaccenic acid (C18:1n-7), as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic (C18:2n- -6), ?-linolenic (C18:3n-6) and ?-linolenic (C18:3n-3) acids. Ethanol extracts of both J. nigra nut and green husk showed antimicrobial activity against C. albicans, which is the most common cause of yeast infections.
This work is focused on nine Heracleum taxa (Apiaceae): H. sphondylium, H.
sibiricum, H. montanum, H. ternatum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. pollinianum, H.
pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii and H. verticillatum, ...belonging to the H.
sphondylium group, and H. orphanidis, all from sect. Heracleum, as well as
H. austriacum subsp. siifolium from sect. Wendia. The aim was to isolate the
headspace (HS) fractions from 17 fruit samples (collected from all nine
Heracleum taxa) and 13 root samples (collected from all eight taxa belonging
to sect. Heracleum), to investigate their composition and chemosystematic
significance, as well as to compare these results with those previously
obtained for the essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation from the same
fruit and root samples. The HS fractions were isolated using an automatic
static HS sampler and analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The fruit HS fractions
were dominated by octyl acetate and/or ?-pinene (the taxa from the sect.
Heracleum), or n-octanol (H. austriacum), whereas the root HS fractions
mainly contained ?-pinene and/or (Z)-?-ocimene (the taxa from the H.
sphondylium group), or n-nonane (H. orphanidis). The chemosystematic
significance was evaluated using multivariate statistical methods: principal
component analysis (PCA), non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and
agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on the unweighted pair-group
arithmetic average (UPGMA) algorithm. As in the case of previously
investigated essential oils, the statistical analysis of the fruit and root
HS fractions generally resulted in the grouping of the investigated H.
sphondylium group representatives, and within this group, the grouping of
morphologically related H. sphondylium and H. montanum and the isolated
position of H. verticillatum. The statistical analysis of the root HS
fractions resulted in better separation of the taxa (even compared to
previous analysis of the essential oils), i.e. isolated positions of H.
ternatum and H. pyrenaicum were observed.
The composition of the essential oils and the furanocoumarin profiles of CH2Cl2 extracts from underground parts and fruits of nine Heracleum taxa (Apiaceae) from Southeastern Europe were ...statistically analyzed to evaluate their chemosystematic significance. Eight investigated taxa (H. orphanidis and members of H. sphondylium group: H. sphondylium, H. sibiricum, H. montanum, H. ternatum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. pollinianum, H. pyrenaicum subsp. orsinii and H. verticillatum) belong to the type section of the genus. Additionally analyzed taxon, H. austriacum subsp. siifolium, belongs to H. sect. Wendia. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils was performed by GC‐FID and GC/MS, and of the furanocoumarins by LC/MS. Furanocoumarins were identified using standards and/or based on UV, MS, 1H‐ and ROESY NMR spectra. Multivariate statistics (PCA, nMDS, UPGMA) of analyzed metabolites showed that the investigated taxa were grouped according to their taxonomic classification. PCA revealed the significance of some monoterpenes and (Z)‐falcarinol of the underground parts oils, octyl esters of the fruit oils, and most of the total of 12 identified furanocoumarins.
Geranium species are widely used in traditional medicine of Balkan. The aim of this work was to investigate and compare chemical composition of volatile fractions obtained by hydrodistillation from ...aerial parts of G. macrorrhizum, G. phaeum, G. sanguineum, G. robertianum, G. palustre, G. pyrenaicum, G. columbinum and G. lucidum as well as from underground parts of G. macrorrhizum and G. phaeum, originated from Vlasina plateau in South Eastern Serbia. The volatiles were analyzed using GC/MS and GC‐FID. G. palustre volatiles have been studied for the first time with β‐selinene (18.6 %) as a characteristic compound. The cluster analysis revealed separation of volatiles into two main groups. Volatile fractions of G. macrorrhizum were separated from all other samples due to high sesquiterpene content (92.3 % in aerial and 94.6 % in underground parts). The volatile fractions of other samples were mainly composed of sesquiterpenes (10.8–61.8 %), diterpenes (12.9–43.0 %) and fatty acids and their derivatives (6.6–21.6 %) with the exception of volatile fraction of G. phaeum underground parts which was dominated only by fatty acids and their derivatives (76.6 %). The results presented in this article contribute to the knowledge on the chemistry of this genus and advances the knowledge on flora of southeast Serbia.
