Explore the vast range of titles available.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) and black cardamom (Amomum subulatum) are considered as important spices, seasoning and folk medicines. They have a diverse range of bioactive compounds, especially for polyphenolic compounds. These polyphenolic compounds contribute to the putative health benefits of these black spices. The purpose of this study was to identify, characterize and quantify the phenolic profile of these black spices using LC-ESI-QTOF/MS and HPLC–PDA and to access their antioxidant potential. The LC-ESI-QTOF/MS analysis led to the identification of 138 phenolic compounds in three black spices. In HPLC–PDA, the p-hydroxybenzoic acid was the most predominant phenolic acid in black pepper and black cumin while diosmin was the most abundant flavonoid in black cardamom (> 20 mg/g). Furthermore, black spices were systematically measured for their TPC, TFC and TTC followed by measurement of their antioxidant activities using DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays. Black pepper showed the highest TPC, TFC, TTC, DPPH and ABTS activities as compared to other black spices while black cardamom exhibited the highest FRAP activity. The obtained results highlight the importance of these black spices as promising sources of phenolic compounds and they could be potentially utilized in food, feed and nutraceutical industries.

Black cumin (Nigella sativa L., Ranunculaceae) is an annual herb commonly used in the Middle East, India and nowadays gaining worldwide acceptance. Historical and traditional uses are extensively documented in ancient texts and historical documents. Black cumin seeds and oil are commonly used as a traditional tonic and remedy for many ailments as well as in confectionery and bakery. Little is known however about the mechanisms that allow the accumulation and localization of its active components in the seed. Chemical and anatomical evidence indicates the presence of active compounds in seed coats. Seed volatiles consist largely of olefinic and oxygenated monoterpenes, mainly p-cymene, thymohydroquinone, thymoquinone, γ-terpinene and α-thujene, with lower levels of sesquiterpenes, mainly longifolene. Monoterpene composition changes during seed maturation. γ-Terpinene and α-thujene are the major monoterpenes accumulated in immature seeds, and the former is gradually replaced by p-cymene, carvacrol, thymo-hydroquinone and thymoquinone upon seed development. These compounds, as well as the indazole alkaloids nigellidine and nigellicine, are almost exclusively accumulated in the seed coat. In contrast, organic and amino acids are primarily accumulated in the inner seed tissues. Sugars and sugar alcohols, as well as the amino alkaloid dopamine and the saponin α-hederin accumulate both in the seed coats and the inner seed tissues at different ratios. Chemical analyses shed light to the ample traditional and historical uses of this plant.

In this study, we evaluated the allelopathic effects of essential oils (EOs) from six different plant species, namely, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), English thyme (Thymus vulgaris), lovage (Levisticum officinale), costmary (Chrysanthemum balsamita), and cumin (Cuminum cyminum), on seed germination and seedling growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and wheat (Triticum aestivum). The main constituents of the EOs of L. angustifolia were 47.0% linalool acetate and 28.4% linalool; H. officinalis’ main constituents were 39.8% cis-pinocamphone, 9.8% trans-pinocamphone, 11.4% β-pinene, and 7.5% β-phellandrene; T. vulgaris’ were 38.2% para-cymene, 25.6% thymol, and 13.6% γ-terpinene; L. officinale’s were 64.8% α-terpinyl acetate and 14.7% β-phellandrene; C. balsamita’s were 43.7% camphor, 32.4% trans-thujone, and 11.6% camphene; C. cyminum’s were 49.6% cumin aldehyde, 10.4% para-cymene, 11.6% α-terpinen-7-al, and 9.1% β-pinene. All six EOs exhibited an allelopathic effect and suppressed the seed germination and seedling development of wheat and barley; however, the concentrations that exhibited a suppressing effect were different among the plants. C. cyminum EO completely suppressed both barley and wheat germination at 10-, 30-, and 90-µL application rates, making it the most effective treatment among the tested EOs. C. balsamita’s and H. officinalis’ EOs at 30 and 90 µL application rates completely suppressed barley and wheat radicles per seed, radicle length (mm), seedling height (mm), and germination (%). L. angustifolia’s EOs at 30- and 90-µL and T. vulgaris’ EO at 90 µL application rates also completely suppressed barley and wheat radicles per seed, radicle length (mm), seedling height (mm), and germination (%). C. balsamita’s, H. officinalis’, L. angustifolia’s, and T. vulgaris’ EOs at a 10 µL application rate reduced barley radicle length, seedling height, and % germination relative to the control. Wheat seed germination % was completely suppressed by the application of L. angustifolia’s and T. vulgaris’ EOs at 30 and 90 µL, while T. vulgaris’ EO at 10 µL rate reduced the germination relative to the control. Interestingly, C. balsamita and H. officinalis at 10 µL did not reduce wheat germination; however, they did reduce the number of radicles per seed, radicle length (mm), seedling height (mm), germination (%), and vigor index. Furthermore, L. officinale’s EO reduced the measured indices (radicles per seed, radicle length, seedling height, and vigor index) at the 10, 30, and 90 µL application rates relative to the non-treated control; however, none of the application rates of L. officinale’s EO had a suppression effect on wheat germination. This study demonstrated the allelopathic effects of the EOs of six different herbal plant species on seed germination of barley and winter wheat. The results can be utilized in the development of commercial products for controlling pre-harvest sprouting of wheat and barley. Further research is needed to verify the results under field conditions.

Cuminum cyminum L. essential oil (cumin EO) was studied for its chemical composition, antioxidant and vibriocidal activities. Inhibition of biofilm formation and secretion of some virulence properties controlled by the quorum sensing system in Chromobacterium violaceum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were also reported. The obtained results showed that cuminaldehyde (44.2%) was the dominant compound followed by β-pinene (15.1%), γ-terpinene (14.4%), and p-cymene (14.2%). Using the disc diffusion assay, cumin EO (10 mg/disc) was particularly active against all fifteen Vibrio species, and the highest diameter of growth inhibition zone was recorded against Vibrio fluvialis (41.33 ± 1.15 mm), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (39.67 ± 0.58 mm), and Vibrio natrigens (36.67 ± 0.58 mm). At low concentration (MICs value from 0.023–0.046 mg/mL), cumin EO inhibited the growth of all Vibrio strains, and concentrations as low as 1.5 mg/mL were necessary to kill them (MBCs values from 1.5–12 mg/mL). Using four antioxidant assays, cumin EO exhibited a good result as compared to standard molecules (DPPH = 8 ± 0.54 mg/mL; reducing power = 3.5 ± 0.38 mg/mL; β-carotene = 3.8 ± 0.34 mg/mL; chelating power = 8.4 ± 0.14 mg/mL). More interestingly, at 2x MIC value, cumin EO inhibited the formation of biofilm by Vibrio alginolyticus (9.96 ± 1%), V. parahaemolyticus (15.45 ± 0.7%), Vibrio cholerae (14.9 ± 0.4%), and Vibrio vulnificus (18.14 ± 0.3%). In addition, cumin EO and cuminaldehyde inhibited the production of violacein on Lauria Bertani medium (19 mm and 35 mm, respectively). Meanwhile, 50% of violacein inhibition concentration (VIC50%) was about 2.746 mg/mL for cumin EO and 1.676 mg/mL for cuminaldehyde. Moreover, elastase and protease production and flagellar motility in P. aeruginosa were inhibited at low concentrations of cumin EO and cuminaldehyde. The adopted in-silico approach revealed good ADMET properties as well as a high binding score of the main compounds with target proteins (1JIJ, 2UV0, 1HD2, and 3QP1). Overall, the obtained results highlighted the effectiveness of cumin EO to prevent spoilage with Vibrio species and to interfere with the quorum sensing system in Gram-negative bacteria by inhibiting the flagellar motility, formation of biofilm, and the secretion of some virulence enzymes.

Spent cumin (SC), generated from Ayurvedic industry, was evaluated for its nutraceutical potential in terms of antioxidant, antidiabetic and anticancer properties, and compared with that of the raw cumin (RC). SC and RC seeds were extracted with ethyl acetate (E) and methanol (M). SCM (methanol extract) were rich in p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, ellagic acid and cinnamic acid (6.4445, 5.8286, 2.1519, 4.3085 mg/g dry extract). SCM reduced Fe 2+ ion (89.68 µM AA/g dry weight), scavenged DPPH radical (IC 50 -238.6 µg/mL), better α-amylase inhibition (IC 50 -337.22 µg/mL) and glucose uptake activity in 30.7% of L6 cells. SCM inhibited viability, retarded migration area up to 41.02%, arrested cell cycle at S phase and induced apoptosis in 2.45% of HT29 colon cancer cells. The results indicated that dietary interventions using nutraceutical food formulation made out of SC can play a significant role in the prevention and management of degenerative diseases.

Black cumin and hazelnut oils were subjected to a heating process in a microwave oven for a duration of 2, 4, 6 and 8 min at a constant frequency of 2450 MHz and a power of 0.45 kW. The ultraviolet absorption and volatile products of the oils were investigated in detail during the processes. The experimental evidences obtained show that K₂₃₂ and K₂₇₀ parameters reach values of 4.69 and 1.30 for black cumin oil, 3.22 and 1.75 for hazelnut oil, respectively with the increment of heating time. The headspace SPME method was used to analyze volatile compounds extracted from black cumin and hazelnut oils being exposed to the microwave heating process. The SPME–GC/MS method allowed the detection of 17 identified volatile compounds (hexanal, α-thujene, α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, 2-heptenal, α-terpinene, limonene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, E-2-octenal, nonanal, 4-terpineol, thymoquinone, E,E-2,4-decadienal, α-longipinene and isolongifolene) in black cumin oils. Of the products, hexanal, 2-heptenal, E-2-octenal, nonanal and E,E-2,4-decadienal were determined to be the predominant volatile oxidation products. In fact, the hexanal was found as a major volatile oxidation compound and reached a local maximum point of 7.41 × 10⁶ AU at the end of heating. On the other hand, only 8 volatile oxidation products (hexanal, heptanal, 2-heptenal, nonanal, E-2-decenal, E,Z-2,4-decadienal, E,E-2,4-decadienal and E-2-tridecenal) were identified in hazelnut oils as a consequence of the heating process. Based on the experimental evidence observed, it is reasonable to conclude that the nonanal content dramatically increased at the end of heating and reached a value of 9.22 × 10⁶ AU.

The seed is one of the most important inputs of agricultural products and its quality and health can be affected by seed-borne fungi. Seed-borne fungal pathogens are a major threat to black cumin production and cause considerable yield losses every year worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify seed-borne fungi, the effects of natural fungal infected seeds on some seed quality indicators, and also to investigate cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs), pathogenicity and aggressiveness of the isolates obtained from seeds. The constituents of essential oils (EOs) from seeds of Iranian and Syrian black cumin populations were identified and their effect on [isolated] seed-borne Fusarium isolates. A total of 17 isolates were identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics of Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani species. The results of the standard germination test showed that there was a significant difference between the studied seed populations in the germination and vigor indices. Our results indicated that most of the identified isolates were in the seed coat, while a few isolates of F. oxysporum were located in embryos. The results of the pathogenicity test showed that about 42% of the isolates were pathogenic and 58% of the isolates were non-pathogenic. Different levels of pathogenicity and aggressiveness were observed for various isolates of Fusarium species. All Fusarium isolates were not capable of producing CWDEs as pathogenicity factors. Analyzing the activity of CWDEs, including cellulase, pectinase, xylanase and lipase produced by the Fusarium isolates, revealed that activity levels of CWDEs are positive and are correlated with variations in pathogenicity and aggressiveness of seed-borne fungal isolates on seeds. The EOs were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the major constituents were identified as ρ-cymene, trans-anethole, thymoquinone, limonene, carvacrol and α-thujene. The results showed that the compounds ρ-cymene, limonene, carvacrol, thymoquinone and transanethole had antifungal effects against F. oxysporum isolate. It seems that the percentage of carvacrol and limonene composition in the EOs components can affect the presence of the seed-borne Fusarium. This is the first report on the effect of EO compositions of black cumin seed populations on seed-borne Fusarium isolated from the same seeds. The findings of this research showed that the amounts and types of constituents of EOs of black cumin seed populations are different and they can affect the abundance of seed-borne fungi and their level of pathogenicity and aggressiveness.

BackgroundBlack cumin (Nigella sativa) is a widely used ingredient of traditional medicine for its broad-spectrum pharmacological actions, including analgesic, bronchial asthma, anti-inflammatory properties, and others. We sought to evaluate BC extracts' efficacy for the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties using a comprehensive in vivo and in silico experimental setup. To investigate whether BC extract has anti-inflammatory and analgesic therapeutic potentials in vivo anti-inflammatory activity by carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, analgesic activity by acetic acid-induced writhing test and ingenuity analysis of the BC extracts in inflammation control.ResultsThe acetic acid-induced writhing test had shown a dose-dependent reduction of writhing number following BC administration. Rat paw edema test showed the dose-dependent reduction of paw edema volume following BC administration. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) suggested BC extracts containing ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, kaempferol, and quercetin can inhibit inflammation.ConclusionsThis study suggests that bioactive compounds in BC extract act as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent by regulating several downstream and upstream inflammation pathways.

Background Panch phoron is a mixture of five spices containing an equal proportion of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn (fenugreek), Nigella sativa (black cumin), Cuminum cyminum (cumin) and Brassica nigra (black mustard). The mixture is commonly used in Bangladeshi cuisine and possesses many pharmacological effects. In this study, we evaluated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of aqueous panch phoron extract (PPE) in vivo, its possible mechanism of action and phytochemical analysis by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). We also investigated the effect of PPE on postoperative pain in mice. Methods HPLC was carried out using LC-20A Modular HPLC system to identify the bioactive compounds present in PPE. Five groups of Swiss albino male mice ( n  = 6 per group) were orally treated with 10 ml/kg of distilled water or 10 mg/kg of sodium diclofenac or three doses of PPE (100 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg). In vivo assessment was carried out by the writhing test, tail-flick test, formalin test, and carrageenan induced paw edema test. The opioid antagonist, naloxone was used in the acetic acid test to evaluate the involvement of opioid receptors. To assess the effect of PPE in postoperative pain, mice that underwent sciatic nerve surgery were measured for the paw withdrawal latency in a hot water bath. Results In HPLC analysis, different types of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, including catechin hydrate, para-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, and syringic acid were detected. Treatment with PPE exhibited dose-dependent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities in pain models ( p  < 0.05). Furthermore, naloxone did not reverse the effect of PPE in the writhing test. Mice that underwent sciatic nerve surgery showed that the paw withdrawal latency increased gradually over 7 days. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that PPE has significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities and can provide significant postoperative analgesia.