In this work, the essential oil of black pine (Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold) was used for the first time as a natural, ecological, and sustainable corrosion inhibitor for the acid cleaning of carbon ...steel. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–flame–ionization detection (GC–FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The most abundant components in the essential oil were α-pinene, germacrene D, (E)-cariophyllene, and β-pinene. The inhibition efficiency was determined by electrochemical methods (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization measurements). The results showed that the inhibitory efficiency of the black pine essential oil increases with time, reaching the highest values after 4 h of immersion for all inhibitor concentrations. It was also shown that black pine essential oil is a mixed-type inhibitor. The contact angle measurements confirmed that the black pine essential oil, as a new natural, environmentally safe inhibitor, is able to protect carbon steel from corrosion in a 1 M HCl solution.
The olive tree is one of the most important agricultural plants, affected by several pests and diseases that cause a severe decline in health status leading to crop losses. Olive leaf spot disease ...caused by the fungus
Venturia oleaginea
can result in complete tree defoliation and consequently lower yield. The aim of the study was to obtain new knowledge related to plant–pathogen interaction, reveal mechanisms of plant defense against the pathogen, and characterize fungal phyllosphere communities on infected and symptomless leaves that could contribute to the development of new plant breeding strategies and identification of novel biocontrol agents. The highly susceptible olive variety “Istrska Belica”' was selected for a detailed evaluation. Microscopy analyses led to the observation of raphides in the mesophyll and parenchyma cells of infected leaves and gave new insight into the complex
V. oleaginea
pathogenesis. Culturable and total phyllosphere mycobiota, obtained via metabarcoding approach, highlighted
Didymella
,
Aureobasidium
,
Cladosporium
, and
Alternaria
species as overlapping between infected and symptomless leaves. Only
Venturia
and
Erythrobasidium
in infected and
Cladosporium
in symptomless samples with higher abundance showed statistically significant differences. Based on the ecological role of identified taxa, it can be suggested that
Cladosporium
species might have potential antagonistic effects on
V. oleaginea
.
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•Linden tea extracts and their phenolic profiles were analyzed.•Stronger inhibitory effect against Gram-positive bacteria was observed.•T. cordata tea extracts showed persistent ...activity towards all tested pathogens.•Forty-six phenolics were tentatively identified, seven of them for the first time in Tilia samples.•Main free radical scavengers were identified in investigated extracts.
Linden tea has been used in Serbian folk medicine for centuries to induce sweating for colds, relieve throat irritation and cough, reduce blood pressure, as well as a diuretic, spasmolytic, and as a sedative. The main aim of this study was to determine the comprehensive metabolite profile, free radical scavenging activity, and antimicrobial activities against 23 human and plant pathogens of both commercial and field-collected linden tea samples from Serbia. Developed high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method allowed identification of eight major metabolites in investigated samples, while forty-six metabolites were tentatively identified using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS): 14 phenolic acids and their derivatives, 15 glycosides, 9 flavonoids, and 8 procyanidins. Both commercial and field-collected linden tea samples showed similar total phenolic content and radical scavenging activity. Seven compounds such as p-hydroxybenzoic acid 4-O-hexoside, caffeic acid cinnamyl ester, pinocembrin, galangin, luteolin 7-O-glucuronide (and its isomer), isorhamnetin hexosyl hexoside were found in Tilia samples for the first time. Radical reagent 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl· (DPPH·) was used in DPPH-HPTLC assay which identified chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, astragalin, quercitrin, tiliroside, and rutin as compounds that exhibit radical scavenging activity. Tilia samples showed inhibitory effect overwhelming only on Gram-positive bacteria, especially on Bacillus subtilis with the lowest MIC values observed, as well as towards Staphylococcus aureus and oral cavity isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus mutans. Vaginal isolate of Candida glabrata showed more susceptibility than Candida albicans isolate. Generally, extract from Tilia cordata Miller (L4) showed the highest antimicrobial activity against the most of the tested pathogens, among all field-collected Tilia samples.
Essential oils obtained from resins of Boswellia carteri Birdw. and Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl., commonly known as frankincense and true myrrh respectively, have been used extensively since 2800 ...BCE for the treatment of skin sores, wounds, teeth, inflammation, and urinary tract diseases in traditional medicine; for preparation of mummification balms and unguents; and also as incense and perfumes. Since ancient times, burning of frankincense and myrrh in places of worship for spiritual purposes and contemplation (a ubiquitous practice across various religions) had hygienic functions, to refine the smell and reduce contagion by purifying the indoor air.
The general purpose of the study was to assess the in vitro antimicrobial potential of the liquid and vapour phases of B. carteri and C. myrrha essential oils and burn incense, as well as to test the effectiveness of their in situ application to cleanse microbially-contaminated air within the ambient of an investigated 17th-century church.
The chemical composition of B. carteri and C. myrrha essential oils, obtained by hydrodistillation of frankincense and true myrrh oleo gum resins was determined using GC/MS, and antimicrobial properties of their liquid and vapour phases were assessed by the broth microdilution and microatmosphere diffusion methods. Chemical analysis of burn incense fume obtained using bottle gas washing with dichloromethane as a solvent was performed by GC/MS, while its antimicrobial activity was evaluated using a modified microatmosphere diffusion method to evaluate germination inhibition for fungi and CFU count reduction for bacteria. The in situ antimicrobial activity of B. carteri burn incense and essential oil vapour phase was assessed in the sealed nave and diaconicon of the church, respectively.
The dominant compounds of B. carteri EO were α-pinene (38.41%) and myrcene (15.21%), while C. myrrha EO was characterized by high content of furanoeudesma-1,3-diene (17.65%), followed by curzerene (12.97%), β-elemene (12.70%), and germacrene B (12.15%). Burn incense fume and soot had α-pinene (68.6%) and incensole (28.6%) as the most dominant compounds, respectively. In vitro antimicrobial assays demonstrated high bacterial and fungal sensitivity to the liquid and vapour phases of EOs, and burn incense fume. In situ application of B. carteri EO vapour and incense fume resulted in reduction of air-borne viable microbial counts by up to 45.39 ± 2.83% for fungi and 67.56 ± 3.12% for bacteria (EO); and by up to 80.43 ± 2.07% for fungi and 91.43 ± 1.26% for bacteria (incense fume).
The antimicrobial properties of essential oil derived from frankincense, a compound with well-known traditional use, showed that it possesses a clear potential as a natural antimicrobial agent. Moreover, the results suggest possible application of B. carteri EO vapour and incense fume as occasional air purifiers in sacral ambients, apart from daily church rituals.
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Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies of many
Centaurea
species indicated their potential in folk medicine so far. However, investigations of different
Centaurea calcitrapa
L. extracts in ...terms of cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity against phytopathogens are generally scarce. The phenolic profile and broad antimicrobial activity (especially towards bacterial phytopathogens) of methanol (MeOH), 70% ethanol (EtOH), ethyl-acetate (EtOAc), 50% acetone (Me
2
CO) and dichloromethane: methanol (DCM: MeOH, 1: 1) extracts of
C. calcitrapa
leaves and their potential toxicity on MRC-5 cell line were investigated for the first time. A total of 55 phenolic compounds were identified: 30 phenolic acids and their derivatives, 25 flavonoid glycosides and aglycones. This is also the first report of the presence of centaureidin, jaceidin, kaempferide, nepetin, flavonoid glycosides, phenolic acids and their esters in
C. calcitrapa
extracts. The best results were obtained with EtOAc extract with lowest MIC values expressed in µg/mL ranging from 13 to 25, while methicillin resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
was the most susceptible strain. The most susceptible phytopathogens were
Pseudomonas syringae
pv.
syringae
,
Xanthomonas campestris
pv.
campestris
and
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
. The highest cytotoxicity was recorded for EtOAc and Me
2
CO extracts with the lowest relative and absolute IC
50
values between 88 and 102 µg/mL, while EtOH extract was the least toxic with predicted relative IC
50
value of 1578 µg/mL. Our results indicate that all tested extracts at concentration considered as non-toxic can be one of great importance in combat towards phytopathogenic and human pathogenic strains, as well as natural sources of antimicrobials.
The heavy metals content (HMs) was investigated in 14 different medicinal plants collected from the three regions in Central Serbia, Zlatar, Sokobanja, and Kopaonik. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni, ...Hg and Pb were determined: Cd (<0.03-2.72 mg/kg); Cr (<0.08-12.1 mg/kg); Ni (<0.08-12.2 mg/kg); Pb (0.6-49.0 mg/kg); the Hg concentration was below the detection limit of 0.06 mg/kg in all samples. The daily intake of HMs due to ingestion of 200 mL of herbal infusion was in all cases below the recommended limit prescribed by the World Health Organization. The estimated daily intake values were below the values for the oral reference dose regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USA EPA). The target hazard quotient and hazard index for Cd, Cr Ni, and Pb were below 1. Nevertheless, due to the tendency of heavy metals to accumulate in the organism, attention should be paid to the daily intake of herbal infusion during long-term usage. Specifically, it is recommended to consume not more than one cup (200 mL) of infusion per day made from thyme (Mt. Zlatar) and blueberry (Mt. Kopaonik), and not more than two cups per day for other herbs.
In this work, the essential oils (EOs) obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of five Artemisia species: A. alba Turra, A. pontica L., A. scoparia Waldst. & Kitam., A. vulgaris L., ...originating from Serbia and A. umbelliformis Lam. subsp. eriantha (Ten.) Vall?s-Xirau & Oliva Bra?as, originating from Montenegro were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In total, 91 compounds were detected, and 78 were identified. Even though a high number of compounds were detected, each sample had only 18 to 35, attesting to a great diversity of compounds within these taxa. Depending on the species and the locality (geographical origin), the EO was dominated by either monoterpenes or sesquiterpenes, with artemisia ketone, 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol), fragranol, ?-thujone, ?-thujone and myrcene being the dominant compounds. The obtained results were coupled with extensive literature data and used in multivariate chemometric approach to assess the chemophenetic significance of the EO.
In this paper, we analyzed the capitula essential oil composition of seven Centaurea species, six of which belong to Centaurea calocephala complex, and the related species Centaurea melanocephala ...Pančić (subgenus Acrocentron, tribus Cardueae, subtribus Centaureinae) which inhabit Balkans Peninsula. The volatile organic compounds were extracted by simultaneous distillation extraction, using Likens-Nickerson type apparatus and the oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. In total, 146 compounds were identified (95.5–99.4% of the total oil composition). The essential oils were dominated by sesquiterpenes (39.1–81.7%). The most abundant components were β-caryophyllene (3.1–28.3%), caryophyllene oxide (4.7–31.2%), germacrene D (2.9–22.2%), followed by n-hexacosane, 2Z,6E-farnesol, eudesma-4(15),7-dien-1-β-ol, α-cadinole, germacrene B, trans-verbenol, and hexanal that were present in some samples in relatively high abundances. The geographic region and the color of capitula were analyzed in correlation with essential oil composition. Also, all investigated species are characterized by the different amount of most dominant components, which leads to the hypothesis that they “choose” different strategies: different combination and amounts of attractants for pollinators. Ecological correlations and taxonomical implications are further discussed.
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•First study of capitula volatiles from 7 species from Centaurea calocephala complex.•Volatiles were dominated by β-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide and germacrene D.•The flower color and the composition of volatiles did not show a correlation.•Plants “choose” different combination and amounts of attractants for pollinators.
Herbal drugs are a useful source of different bioactive compounds. Asteraceae species, as the most widespread vascular plants, can be used both as food and as medicine due to the great diversity of ...recorded chemical components – different phenolic compounds, terpenes, carotenoids, vitamins, alkaloids, etc. The Balkan Peninsula is characterized by great diversity of plants from Asteraceae family, including presence of rare and endemic species. In this review, results of the survey of chemical composition and biological activity, mainly focusing on antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects of selected Balkans’ Asteraceae species were provided. In addition, information on edible plants from Asteraceae family is presented, due to growing interest for the so‐called ‘healthy diet’ and possible application of Balkans’ Asteraceae species as food of high nutritional value or as a source of functional food ingredients.
The goal of this study was to analyze the influence of pollutants (concentrations of NO
2
, SO
2,
and soot in the air) and meteorological parameters (air temperature, humidity, wind speed, air ...pressure, cloud index) on Urticaceae pollen type emission measured in the region of Subotica, Serbia. The concentrations of the air pollutants, Urticaceae pollen, and meteorological parameters were measured over a 5-year period (2009–2013), followed by a statistical analysis of the values obtained. For most of the years examined, the concentration of NO
2
correlates significantly with the concentration of Urticaceae pollen type. It was also established that air temperature, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and cloud index have an influence on Urticaceae pollen type emission, while SO
2
and soot do not contribute.
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