A short review of our recent research on the essential oil phytochemical composition of
(L.) Gaertn. and
(L.) G. Gaertn., B. Mey. & Scherb. (Asteraceae) as well as on the oils of
L.,
(Podp.) O. ...Schwarz and
Lapeyr. (Plantaginaceae) is presented. All essential oils contained a variety of oxygenated sesquiterpenes among their major constituents, including a bakkane type sesquiterpene fukinanolid (bakkenolide A). The paper is focused on:
) a short overview of the abundance of major terpenes in the essential oils of
and
species from Croatia;
) possible biosynthetic pathways of major identified sesquiterpenes; and
) biological activities (literature data) of major sesquiterpenes from
and
species.
Cytotoxic activity of 16 Hypericum ethanolic extracts was evaluated by MTT assay on two human cancer cell lines: glioblastoma A1235 and breast cancer MDA MB-231. Morphology and the type of induced ...cell death were determined using light and fluorescence microscopy. The majority of Hypericum extracts had no significant cytotoxic effect on MDA MB-231 cells. Eight extracts exhibited mild cytotoxic effect on A1235 cells after 24 h incubation, ranging from 8.0% (H. patulum) to 21.7% (H. oblongifolium). After 72 h of treatment, the strongest inhibition of A1235 viability was observed for extracts of H. androsaemum (26.4-43.9%), H. balearicum (25.8-36.3%), H. delphicum (14.8-27.4%) and H. densiflorum (11.2-24.1%). Micro-scopic examination of cells showed apoptosis as the dominant type of cell death. Due to observed high viability of treated cells, we propose that cytotoxic effects of Hypericum extracts could be related to alternations/interruptions in the cell cycle.
A study on the headspace volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile of native populations of Sideritis romana L. and Sidertis montana L., Lamiaceae, from Croatia is reported herein, to elucidate the ...phytochemical composition of taxa from this plant genus, well-known for traditional use in countries of the Mediterranean and the Balkan region. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), using divinylbenzene/carboxene/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) or polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber, coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to analyze the dried aerial parts of six native populations in total. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on the volatile constituents with an average relative percentage ≥1.0% in at least one of the samples. Clear separation between the two species was obtained using both fiber types. The VOCs profile for all investigated populations was characterized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, followed by monoterpene hydrocarbons, except for one population of S. romana, in which monoterpene hydrocarbons predominated. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the VOCs composition of natural populations of S. romana and S. montana from Croatia as well as the first reported HS-SPME/GC-MS analysis of S. romana and S. montana worldwide.
Species from the genus
L. have been used as healing agents for various ailments, with utilization of
L. being most frequently reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antidiabetic, ...antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer potential of
and three related species,
Lapeyr.,
L. and
(Podp.) O.Schwarz, in relation to their phytochemical compositions. Globularin and verbascoside were identified using LC-PDA-ESI-MS
as the major metabolites of
with known biological activities.
demonstrated the greatest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC
= 17.25 μg/mL), while its anti-inflammatory activity was not significantly different from those of related species. All investigated species showed considerable antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant
in the broth microdilution method (MIC = 1.42-3.79 mg/mL).
also showed antibacterial activities against
(MIC = 1.42 mg/mL),
(MIC = 1.89 mg/mL),
(MIC = 2.84 mg/mL) and
(MBC = 5.68 mg/mL).
,
and
showed greater anticancer potential than
. Obtained results indicate investigated
species could serve as sources of diverse bioactive molecules, with
having the greatest antibacterial potential.
Salvia brachyodon, the short-tooth sage, is one of the rarest plant species and endemic in the Adriatic area of the Balkan Peninsula. As aside from its essential oil, only limited information on its ...phytochemical composition is known, a more detailed study of the leaves was undertaken. From its leaves two diterpenes, agastanol (2), and a new natural compound 1, i.e., 3-methyl-4-methylen-11,12,14-trihydroxy8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one, were isolated and identified by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. In addition, caffeic acid, isoquercitrin, luteolin 7-O-glucoside and rosmarinic acid were identfied by comparison with reference compounds. The fraction containg the diterpenes as well as the isolated compound 1 showed significant antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis. The diterpenes of S. brachyodon represent promising antimycobacterial substances for further evaluation. Due to the endangered nature of the plant, the wide use of S. brachyodon and its bioactive compounds could be achieved by growing the plants in culture. Keywords: Salvia brachyodon Vandas, diterpenes, phenolic compounds, antimycobacterial activity, LC-PDA-ESI-MS, NMR.
Mastic tree (
L.) of the Anacardiaceae family is an evergreen shrub from Mediterranean countries where it is used in traditional medicine. Analysis of
leaf, stem, fruit and root extracts showed high ...concentrations of principal groups of secondary metabolites (flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins), suggesting the plant possesses great biological potential. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of environmental parameters and the extraction solvent type on the concentration of phenols in mastic tree leaf extracts grown at four different locations along the Adriatic coast (Barbariga, Lun, Hvar and Vela Luka) during three phenological stages (early flowering, early fruiting and late fruiting).
Since mastic tree plant has phenolic compounds with different structures and chemical properties, ethanolic and methanolic leaf extracts were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with UV/Vis PDA detector. Phenolic compounds were identified by comparing the retention times and spectral data with those of standards at 280 and 340 nm.
In all samples, phenolic acids and flavonol glycosides were quantified, while catechin was quantified only in methanolic extracts. The 5-
-galloylquinic acid was determined as a predominant phenolic compound in all samples followed by monogalloyl glucose, 3,5-di-
-galloylquinic acid, 3,4,5-tri-
-galloylquinic acid and gallic acid, respectively. Myricetin-3-
-rhamnoside was found to be the predominant flavonol glycoside followed by myricetin-3-
-glucoside, myricetin-3-
-glucuronide, quercetin-3-
-rhamnoside and derivative of flavonol glycoside. The mass concentration of these compounds significantly varied during different phenological stages, at different growing locations and used extraction solvents. The highest phenolic mass concentration was determined in the samples harvested at Hvar growing location and extracted in 80% methanol. The highest total phenolic acid mass concentration was obtained in the samples harvested during the flowering phenological stage and the highest total flavonoid mass concentration in the samples harvested during the early fruiting stage.
The obtained data provide a better understanding of the
species phenolic concentration, which can lead to further investigations regarding the valorisation of mastic tree leaves as pharmaceutical products or as food products with added value.
Plants produce a great number of metabolites with potentially useful biological activities. Species from the genus Globularia (Plantaginaceae) are known as sources of different phenolic and iridoid ...compounds. Globularia alypum L. is a medicinal plant used as a healing agent in many Mediterranean countries. Similarities in phytochemical composition are often observed for related species. For Globularia spp., such findings were mostly based on identification of several isolated compounds from distinct species. To our knowledge, this is the first study that enables simultaneous comparison of phytochemical profiles from several members of the genus Globularia. Liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry was used for the analysis of methanolic extracts of aerial parts obtained from four Globularia species (G.alypum, G.punctata, G.cordifolia and G.meridionalis). In total, 85 compounds were identified or tentatively identified based on comparison of their retention time, UV and MS super(n) (up to MS super(4)) spectra to those of standard compounds and/or to literature data. Among these, high relative amounts of bioactive molecules such as globularin, globularifolin, asperuloside and verbascoside (acteoside) were found. Apart from providing new insights into the phytochemistry and chemotaxonomy of selected Globularia species, results of this study complement existing MS/MS spectral data and could enable easier mass spectrometric profiling of certain bioactive compounds such as iridoids and phenylethanoids in related plant species, genera and families.
An adequate level of low molecular weight thiols (LMW-SH, especially glutathione (GSH)) protects cellular macromolecules against toxic agents, and is used as a sensitive biomarker of exposure to ...toxic compounds. During sample collection, storage and preparation, non-enzymatic and enzymatic oxidation of LMW-SH can occur leading to analytical inaccuracy. The aim of this study was to optimize a fast and reliable screening method for the determination of LMW-SH, mainly GSH, in blood and plasma samples as well as to investigate the impact of storage conditions on the LMW-SH stability. Based on our results, the described spectrophotometric method allows fast and reliable determination of LMW-SH in blood and plasma samples. Results on incubation of samples at 37 °C imply that synthesis of LMW-SH (probably GSH) as well as dynamic interexchange among various thiols forms can be induced in blood cells in in vitro conditions. Importantly, the level of LMW-SH in blood and plasma stored at −20 °C was constant, indicating that they can be stored at −20 °C for at least 30 days. Therefore, the method is suitable for assessment of LMW-SH in long-term human biomonitoring as well as environmental field studies, especially those involving a large number of samples such as epidemiological studies.
Qualitative phytochemical analyses of eight species from the genus Galium (G. corrudifolium, G. cruciata, G. divaricatum, G. lucidum, G. mollugo, G. palustre, G. parisiense, and G. verum), followed ...by spectrophotometric evaluation of their total phenolic, flavonoid and iridoid content, as well as antiradical capacity, were conducted. G. cruciata contained the greatest amount of total phenolics (111.00 mg gallic acid equivalents g.sup.-1 dry extract), while G. verum had the greatest amount of flavonoids (23.11 mg quercetin equivalents g.sup.-1 dry extract) and iridoids (461.30 mg aucubin equivalents g.sup.-1 dry extract). The best antioxidant (antiradical) activity was shown by G. cruciata (IC.sub.50 (ABTS) = 30.30 microg mL.sup.-1; IC.sub.50 (DPPH) = 27.62 microg mL.sup.-1), followed by G. divaricatum, G. verum and G. palustre.The same species were rich in various bioactive constituents and would be appropriate for inclusion in further investigations considering their biomedical potential. Keywords: Galium, phytochemical screening, secondary metabolites, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity.
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