Explore the vast range of titles available.

This study is focused to highlight the phytochemical, nutrient content and in vitro antioxidant capacity of the wildly growing plant Calyptocarpus vialis (CV) of the Asteraceae family collected from the Garhwal region of India. Phytochemical and nutritional analysis of CV is done by qualitative and quantitative methods. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis confirmed the presence of phenols, alkanes, aliphatic primary amines, carboxylic acids, nitrile, aromatics and alcohols. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) revealed the presence of terpenoids, plant sterols and phenols such as phytol (14.9%), stigmasterol (10.02%), viridiflorol (4.19%), squalene (2.54%) and various other phytochemicals. The plant’s study reveals the existence of numerous nutritious elements, including proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and amino acids. It also revealed the presence of the huge amount of phenolic content ⁓13.49 g in a 100-g dried CV plant sample. The antioxidant potential of methanolic extract of CV was estimated using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay, phosphomolybdate assay and reducing power assay. The highest percentage of antioxidant activity determined from three assays is 74 to 87% for 1 mg of dry extract. It is observed that the CV extract act as a good antioxidant when compared to other plants of the Asteraceae family even at very low concentration of the sample. Hence, CV found in the foothills of Himalayas can be further explored as a source of potent bioactive compounds and natural and economical antioxidant for biomedical and immunity-boosting applications.

The production of medicinal plants under stressful environments offers an alternative to meet the requirements of sustainable agriculture. The action of mycorrhizal fungus; Funneliformis mosseae and zinc in stimulating growth and stress tolerance in medicinal plants is an intriguing area of research. The current study evaluated the combined use of nano-zinc and mycorrhizal fungus on the physiochemical responses of Dracocephalum moldavica under salinity stress. The study employed a factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The treatments were different levels of salinity (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl), two levels of mycorrhiza application (0 and 5 g kg − 1 of soil), and two levels of foliar spraying of nano zinc oxide (0 and 1000 ppm). Salinity decreased the photosynthetic pigments content, SPAD value, and chlorophyll fluorescence data ( Fm , Fv , Fv/Fm ). Plant dry weight, Na + content, and essential oil content were significantly higher at 50 mM salinity + co-application of mycorrhiza and nano zinc oxide. Electrolyte leakage increased under salt stress, while mycorrhizal inoculation compensated for the trait. The main essential oil constituents were geranyl acetate, nerol, geranial, geraniol, viridiflorol, hexadecane, humulene, and germacrene D. Energy metabolism demonstrates the effectiveness of treatment combinations in promoting the biosynthesis and accumulation of essential oil components. The overall results with more comprehensive field-based studies would be advisable for the extension section to utilize marginal salty lands for the reliable production of a valuable medicinal plant.

Piper cubeba L. fruit is an important species used in folk medicine for different types of pains such as rheumatism, chills, flu, colds, muscular aches, and fever. This study examines the chemical constituents, antioxidant activity, and potential inhibitory effect against human peroxiredoxin 5, a key enzyme of P. cubeba essential oil from fruits. Using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS), the principal components were methyleugenol (41.31%) and eugenol (33.95%), followed by (E)-caryophyllene (5.65%), p-cymene-8-ol (3.50%), 1,8-cineole (2.94%), and α-terpinolene (1.41%). Results showed similar scavenging activity via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 110.00 ± 0.08 μg/mL), as well as very potent antioxidant activity against both ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) (106.00 ± 0.11 μg/mL) and β-carotene bleaching (IC50 = 315.00 ± 2.08 μg/mL) assays when compared to positive butylated hydroxytoluene and ascorbic acid. The molecular docking approach has also been performed to screen the antioxidant activities of the major and potent compounds against human protein target peroxiredoxin 5. Results showed good binding profiles and attributed the strongest inhibitory activity to β-caryophyllene oxide (–5.8 kcal/mol), followed respectively by isocembrol and α-selinene (–5.4 kcal/mol), and viridiflorol (–5.1 kcal/mol). Furthermore, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion)-related physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties have been assessed and support our in vitro findings. This work demonstrates the powerful antioxidant potency of cubeba pepper and paves the way for the discovery and development of antioxidant agent with high potency.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, insecticidal and allelopathic activities of Tunisia essential oil (SoEO). The SoEO was characterized by the presence of 49 components with camphor (25.14 %), α-thujone (18.83 %), 1,8-cineole (14.14 %), viridiflorol (7.98 %), β-thujone (4.46 %) and β-caryophyllene (3.30 %) as the major components, determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The level of antioxidant activity, determined by complementary tests, namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging (IC = 6.7 mg/mL), linoleic acid peroxidation (IC = 9.6 mg/mL) and ferric reducing assays (IC = 28.4 mg/mL), was relatively moderate. The SoEO was also screened for its antimicrobial activity. Good to moderate inhibitions were recorded for most of tested microorganisms. It also exhibited important insecticidal activity against larvae and adults with LC values of 55.99 and 97.43 µl/L air, respectively. The effect of the SoEO on seeds germination and growth showed different activities against radical and hypocotyl elongation of the tested species. These results suggest the potential use of the SoEO as natural antimicrobial preservative in cosmetic, pharmaceutical industry and in pest management.

Natural products represent a source of biologically active molecules that have an important role in drug discovery. The aromatic plant Blepharocalyx salicifolius has a diverse chemical constitution but the biological activities of its essential oils have not been thoroughly investigated. The aims of this paper were to evaluate in vitro cytotoxic, antifungal and antibacterial activities of an essential oil from leaves of B. salicifolius and to identify its main chemical constituents. The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation, chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and biological activities were performed by a microdilution broth method. The yield of essential oil was 0.86% (w/w), and the main constituents identified were bicyclogermacrene (17.50%), globulol (14.13%), viridiflorol (8.83%), γ-eudesmol (7.89%) and α-eudesmol (6.88%). The essential oil was cytotoxic against the MDA-MB-231 (46.60 μg·mL−1) breast cancer cell line, being more selective for this cell type compared to the normal breast cell line MCF-10A (314.44 μg·mL−1). Flow cytometry and cytotoxicity results showed that this oil does not act by inducing cell death, but rather by impairment of cellular metabolism specifically of the cancer cells. Furthermore, it presented antifungal activity against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (156.25 μg·mL−1) but was inactive against other fungi and bacteria. Essential oil from B. salicifolius showed promising biological activities and is therefore a source of molecules to be exploited in medicine or by the pharmaceutical industry.

Background and aims In sustainable agricultural systems, different beneficial soil microorganisms are explored to improve crop production and tolerance of plants to different environmental stresses. The present research aimed to examine the potential of plant beneficial rhizospheric microorganisms (PBRMs) for ameliorate the negative effects of salinity stress on sage ( Salvia officinalis ). Methods In this study, the effect of symbiosis with Piriformospora indica and Pseudomonas fluorescens in counteracting salinity stress on sage plants was quantified. The biomass production, physiological and biochemical markers and essential oil content and composition were evaluated under four salinity levels (0, 25, 50 and100 mM NaCl) in inoculated and non-inoculated sage plants. Results Fresh and dry herb yield, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll and essential oil content exhibited a reduction in response to salinity. In contrast, salinity increased electrolyte leakage (EL), amount of malondialdehyde (MDA), accumulation of proline and total soluble sugars (TSS), activity of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) enzymes, total antioxidant activity, total phenol and flavonoids. Inoculation with microorganisms increased fresh and dry herb yield, RWC, chlorophyll content, accumulation of proline and TSS, antioxidant enzymes activity, total antioxidant activity, total phenol and flavonoids and essential oil content and decreased EL and amount of MDA. The dominant constituents of essential oils (α-thujone, β-thujone, camphor, 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, camphene and viridiflorol) showed changes in response to salinity stress. Conclusion The findings of this study showed that symbiotic association with PBRMs can help sage plants overcome the adverse effects of salinity stress.

Escherichia coli is a promising host for terpenoid production, yet kinetic models tailored for such strains are limited—hindering effective bioprocess optimization and control. To address this, we developed a kinetic model of E. coli engineered to produce viridiflorol, aiming to capture the dynamics of key bioprocess variables under both uninduced and induced conditions. To account for growth and metabolism of cells, a simplified central metabolic pathway of E. coli was considered by including acetyl-CoA as the intracellular metabolite due to its role as a common precursor for viridiflorol, acetate, and the TCA cycle. Initial modeling efforts based solely on metabolism failed to reproduce experimental trends, prompting the inclusion of cellular stress caused by IPTG-induced heterologous pathway activation. However, this adjustment alone could not fully explain the observed trends, leading us to hypothesize the emergence of two distinct subpopulations post-induction: (1) stressed, slow-growing producers and (2) dormant non-producers that eventually outgrow producers. After iterative refinements, the model successfully replicated experimental trends with R 2 value for glucose, cells, acetate, dissolved oxygen, and viridiflorol being 0.98, 0.88, 0.86, 0.70, and 0.94 respectively. Finally, model simulations were performed for insights which suggested that lowering IPTG concentration can improve viridiflorol production by delaying the emergence of the non-producer population. Guided by the simulations, an optimal IPTG concentration (9.375 µM) for a batch condition was identified, resulting in a titre of 0.14 g/L of viridiflorol. In contrast, a non-optimal IPTG concentration (150 µM) yielded a titre of only 0.03 g/L. Furthermore, experimental validation of the subpopulation hypothesis showed the coexistence of producer and non-producer populations. Taken together, the model captured the bioprocess variable trends, predicted an optimal IPTG concentration for a batch process, and provided insights into the existence of two subpopulations. Highlights The model incorporated metabolic stress and subpopulation dynamics, revealing that cellular stress caused by IPTG-induced heterologous pathway activation leads to the emergence of two distinct cell populations—producers and non-producers. Experimental validation using flow cytometry and an eGFP-tagged strain confirmed the existence and dynamics of producer and non-producer subpopulations post-induction. The model successfully captured key bioprocess variables, including viridiflorol and acetate profiles. Model-guided optimization identified an IPTG concentration that minimized cellular stress and maximized product titre, demonstrating the model’s utility for rational bioprocess development in terpenoid-producing systems.

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.

Background. Multidrug resistance (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) are now the biggest threats to human beings. Alternative antimicrobial regimens to conventional antibiotic paradigms are extensively searched. Although Cistus extracts have long been used for infections in traditional folk medicines around the world, their efficacy against resistant bacteria still needs to be elucidated. We aim to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of clinical strains Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter cloacae (acronym “ESKAPE”), and their resistance mechanisms by PCR, as well as their sensitivity to C. monspeliensis (CM) and C. salviifolius (CS) methanol extracts and their fractions. Methods. Antibiotic susceptibility profile and resistance mechanism were done by antibiogram and PCR. Fractions of CM and CS were obtained using maceration and Soxhlet; their antibacterial activities were evaluated by determining inhibition zone diameter (IZD), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Results. Results revealed that all strains were XDR except S. aureus, which was MDR. The PCR indicates the presence of gene-mediated resistance (blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaOXA-48, blaNDM, blaOXA-51, blaOXA-58, blaIMP, blaVIM, and blamecA). Also, maceration was slightly better for bioactivity preservation. Overall, the extracts of CM (IZD = 20 mm, MIC = 0.01 mg/mL) were more active than those of CS. All extracts inhibited MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and ERV (Enterococcus faecium Vancomycin-Resistant) with interesting MICs. The ethyl acetate fraction manifested great efficacy against all strains. Monoterpene hydrocarbons and sesquiterpenes oxygenated were the chemical classes of compounds dominating the analyzed fractions. Viridiflorol was the major compound in ethyl acetate fractions of 59.84% and 70.77% for CM and CS, respectively. Conclusions. The superior activity of extracts to conventional antibiotics was seen for the first time in the pathogens group, and their bactericidal effect could be a promising alternative for developing clinical antibacterial agents against MDR and XDR ESKAPE bacteria.

The present study examined the effects of foliar spray of selenium nanoparticles (0, 10 and 20 mg/L) on the yield, phytochemicals and essential oil content and composition of pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.) under salinity stress (0, 30, 60 and 90 mM NaCl). Obtained results demonstrated that severe salinity stress reduced the fresh weight (FW) and plant height (PH) by 16.40% and 19.10%, respectively compared with normal growth condition. On the other hands, under sever salinity stress relative water content (RWC) and chlorophyll index were reduced by 18.05% and 3.50%, respectively. Interestingly, selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs; 10 mg/L) application improved the pineapple mint growth. Based on GC-FID and GC-MS analysis, 19 compounds were identified in pineapple mint essential oil. Foliar application of Se-NPs and salinity did not change the essential oil content of pineapple mint, however, the essential oil compounds were significantly affected by salinity and Se-NPs- applications. Foliar application of Se-NPs- had a significant effect on piperitenone oxide, limonene, jasmone, viridiflorol and β-myrsene under different salinity levels. The highest percentage of piperitenone oxide (79.4%) as the major essential oil component was recorded in the no salinity treatment by applying 10 mg/L of nanoparticle. Interestingly, application of 10 mg L−1 Se-NPs- under 60 mM NaCl increased the piperitenone oxide content by 9.1% compared with non-sprayed plants. Finally, the obtained results demonstrated that foliar application of Se-NPs (10 mg L−1) can improve the pineapple mint growth and secondary metabolites profile under saline conditions.