Polar Constituents, Essential Oil and Antioxidant Activity of Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris L.)

Botanical description, phytochemical constituents, ethnobotany, traditional medicinal use, and pharmacological activities of Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl

Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl known as "mountain tea", is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family and is widespread in Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Turkey and Turkmenistan. S. lavandulifolia is widely used in traditional medicine for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic properties. This plant has different chemical compounds classes including terpenoids, iridoids, flavonoids and phenylethanoids that have been isolated from the aerial parts of it. This review covers the plant botany, traditional medicinal uses and chemical composition of S. lavandulifolia, along with its biological and pharmacological activities including clinical trial data. The information of this review article was obtained from different scientific databases such as Google scholar, Science Direct, Hindawi, SID, Scopus, PubMed, and ACS as well as traditional Persian books. Pharmacological and clinical studies, especially Anxiolytic activity and anti-inflammatory on the plant are relatively low, so these studies are suggested in the future. Also, phytochemical investigation on root of the plant is necessary.

First report on the chemical composition and the free radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of Ononis aurasiaca, an endemic plant of Algeria

This study represents the first investigation of the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Ononis aurasiaca Förther & Podlech, a plant species endemic to the Aures Mountains of Algeria. The essential oil of the plant aerial parts was analysed using GC-MS. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using three methods. A total of 44 compounds were identified. The major constituents were dodecanal, hexahydrofarnesylacetone, 2-tridecanone, phytol, 1-heneicosene, and n-heneicosane. The oil displayed significant activity in the β-carotene bleaching assay, moderate scavenging activity against DPPH radicals and a low ability to reduce iron ions. Antibacterial tests conducted on four strains revealed effectiveness primarily against Gram-positive strains, specifically Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and ATCC 43300, while showing limited impact on Gram-negative strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Antifungal activity tests involving two moulds revealed a stronger inhibition against Scedosporium apiospermum compared to Aspergillus niger.

Phytochemical analysis, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of a methanol extract from Stachys brachyclada de Noé ex Coss. leaves

Stachys brachyclada de Noé ex Coss. (Lamiaceae) is a quite rare medicinal plant endemic to the Mediterranean basin. In this study, seven secondary metabolites from a methanol extract of its leaves have been isolated and identified by a combination of chromatographic and spectroscopic methods (1D and 2D NMR experiments and ESIMS analysis). They include one ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (1), three acylated flavone glycosides (2-4), one diapigenin derivative (5) and two flavone aglycones (6-7). Stachysetin (5) was found the major compound of the extract (74.0 mg/g of dry matter). Moreover, the produced extract showed the ability in inhibiting the α-glucosidase enzyme (IC50 = 13.7 µg/mL), in quenching the radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (EC50 = 74.6 µg/mL), and in reducing the intracellular oxidative stress level in Human Dermal Fibroblast (64% inhibition at 50 µg/mL).

Biological activities and polyphenolic profile of Stachys arvensis (L.) L

The n-butanol extract of Stachys arvensis (L.) L. aerial parts (BESA) was analysed by LC-HRMS/MS. 43 Polyphenols, including flavonoids, cinnamic acid derivatives, phenylethaoids, chromones, gallotannins, coumarins and chalcones with hyperoside (13.85%), panasenoside (10.31%), myricitrin (7.89%) and sayaendoside (7.16%), as the major compounds, were identified. High total phenolics (470.21 ± 1.22 mg GAE/g extract) and total flavonoids (189.05 ± 0.72 mg QE/g extract) contents were measured. In addition, the BESA exhibited a higher antioxidant effect in CUPRAC (A0.5:0.45 ± 0.03 μg/mL), DPPH (IC50:4.51 ± 0.16 μg/mL) and ABTS (IC50:7.10 ± 0.18 μg/mL) assays than the standards BHA and α-Tocopherol. Moreover the extract showed a good inhibitory effect against BChE (IC50: 145.02 ± 0.03 μg/mL) and α-amylase (IC50:2.66 ± 0.0024 mg/mL). The BESA exhibited an excellent anti-inflammatory activity (IC50:416 ± 0,056 μg/mL) which was close to that of acetylsalicylic acid, used as a control. The BESA was toxic towards T. molitor larvae and it possessed a good antibacterial activity against gram (+) and gram (-) tested strains.

Flowers and Leaves Extracts of Stachys palustris L. Exhibit Stronger Anti-Proliferative, Antioxidant, Anti-Diabetic, and Anti-Obesity Potencies than Stems and Roots Due to More Phenolic Compounds as Revealed by UPLC-PDA-ESI-TQD-MS/MS

The present work aims to assess the biological potential of polyphenolic compounds in different parts (flowers, leaves, stems, and roots) of Stachys palustris L. Towards secondary metabolites profile, 89 polyphenolic compounds (PCs) were identified by UPLC-PDA-ESI-TQD-MS/MS, with a total average content of 6089 mg/100 g of dry matter (d.m.). In terms of biological activity, antioxidant activity (radical activity, reducing power), digestive enzyme inhibitory (α-glucosidase, α-amylase, pancreatic lipase) effect, and antiproliferative activity (inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis in different human cancer cell lines) were explored. Leaves, flowers, stems, and roots of S. palustris L. have not been studied in this regard until now. Vescalagin and cocciferin d2, isoverbascoside (verbascoside), luteolin 6-C-glucoside, luteolin 6-C-galactoside, apigenin 6-C-glucoside, (−)-epicatechin, ellagic acid, and malvidin 3-O-diglucoside were detected as main ingredients in the studied parts. Methanolic extract of S. palustris L. leaves and flowers revealed the highest amount of PCs with the strongest antiradical (18.5 and 15.6 mmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/g d.m., respectively) and reducing power effects (7.3 and 5.6 mmol TE/g d.m.). Leaf extracts exhibited better α-amylase and pancreatic lipase inhibition effects, while flower extracts exhibited better α-glucosidase inhibition effect. Regarding antiproliferative activity, extracts of the leaves and flowers significantly reduced cell viability and induced a high level of apoptosis in human lung, pancreatic, bladder, and colon cancer cell lines, as well as in human acute myeloid leukemia; whereas the extracts from stems and roots revealed the weaker effects. The results of this work showed anti-proliferative and potentially anti-diabetic, anti-obesity properties of S. palustris L., especially for flowers and leaves, which may have wide potential applications in the functional food, special food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics industries, and/or in medicine.

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Profiles of Spent Coffee Ground Extracts for the Treatment of Neurodegeneration

Spent coffee grounds (SCGs), waste products of coffee beverage production, are rich in organic compounds such as phenols. Different studies have demonstrated phenol beneficial effects in counteracting neurodegenerative diseases. These diseases are associated with oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, which initiates the degeneration of neurons by overactivating microglia. Unfortunately, to date, there are no pharmacological therapies to treat these pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phenolic content of 4 different SCG extracts and their ability to counteract oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Caffeine and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid were the most abundant compounds in all extracts, followed by 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid and 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid. The four extracts demonstrated a different ability to counteract oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in vitro. In particular, the methanol extract was the most effective in protecting neuron-like SH-SY5Y cells against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress by upregulating endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as thioredoxin reductase, heme oxygenase 1, NADPH quinone oxidoreductase, and glutathione reductase. The water extract was the most effective in counteracting lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation in microglial BV-2 cells by strongly reducing the expression of proinflammatory mediators through the modulation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. On these bases, SCG extracts could represent valuable nutraceutical sources for the treatment of neurodegeneration.

Harpagide: Occurrence in plants and biological activities - A review

In this review article, the occurrence of harpagide in the plant kingdom and its associated biological activities are presented and detailed for the first time. The presence of harpagide has been reported in several botanical families within Asteridae, and harpagide has been observed to exert a wide number of biological activities such as cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective. These results show how harpagide can be recovered from several natural sources for several pharmacological purposes even if there is a lot to still be studied. Nowadays, the interest is related to its presence in phytomedicines. Threfore, these studies are useful to support and validate the large use of several plants in the folklore medicine.

Flavones as a Privileged Scaffold in Drug Discovery: Current Developments

BACKGROUND

Flavones are one of the main subclasses of flavonoids with diverse pharmacological properties. They have been reported to possess antimalarial, antimicrobial, anti-tuberculosis, anti-allergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities, among others.

OBJECTIVE

The present review summarizes the recent information on the pharmacological properties of naturally occurring and synthetic flavones.

METHODS

Scientific publications referring to natural and synthetic flavones in relation to their biological activities were hand-searched in databases such as SciFinder, PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Science Direct, Wiley, ACS, SciELO, Springer, among others.

RESULTS

As per the literature, seventy-five natural flavones were predicted as active compounds with reference to their IC50 (<20 µg/mL) in in vitro studies. Also, synthetic flavones were found active against several diseases.

CONCLUSION

As per the literature, flavones are important sources for the potential treatment of multifactorial diseases. However, efforts toward the development of flavone-based therapeutic agents are still needed. The appearance of new catalysts and chemical transformations is expected to provide avenues for the synthesis of unexplored flavones, leading to the discovery of flavones with new properties and biological activities.

Coffee silverskin extracts: Quantification of 30 bioactive compounds by a new HPLC-MS/MS method and evaluation of their antioxidant and antibacterial activities

The research of value-added applications for coffee silverskin (CSS) requires studies to investigate potential bioactive compounds and biological activities in CSS extracts. In this study, different ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) methods have been tested to extract bioactive compounds from CSS. The obtained extracts, were characterized using a new HPLC-MS/MS method to detect and quantify 30 bioactive compounds of 2 classes: alkaloids and polyphenols (including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and secoiridoids). CSS extracts obtained with ethanol/water (70:30) as extraction solvent showed the highest levels (p ≤ 0.05) of bioactive compounds (4.01 ± 0.34% w/w). High content of caffeine was observed with levels varying from 1.00% to 3.59% of dry weight of extract (dw). 18 phenolic compounds were detected in CSS extracts with caffeoylquinic acids (3-CQA, 5-CQA and 3,5-diCQA) as the most abundant polyphenols (3115.6 µg g to -5444.0 µg g^-1). This study is also one of the first to characterize in-depth flavonoids in CSS revealing the levels of different flavonoids compounds such as rutin (1.63-8.70 µg g^-1), quercetin (1.53-2.46 µg g^-1), kaempferol (0.76-1.66 µg g^-1) and quercitrin (0.15-0.51 µg g^-1). Neuroprotective activity of silverskin extracts against H₂O₂-induced damage was evaluated for the first time suggesting for methanol and ethanol/water (70:30) extracts a potential role as protective agents against neurodegeneration due to their ability to counteract oxidative stress and maintain cell viability. Silverskin extracts were not inhibiting the growth of anyone of the bacterial species included in this study but data obtained by water extract might deserve a deeper future investigation on biofilm-related activities, such as quorum sensing or virulence factors' expression. From their composition and their evidenced biological activities, CSS extracts could represent valuable ingredients in nutraceutical formulations.

Habitat Affects the Chemical Profile, Allelopathy, and Antioxidant Properties of Essential Oils and Phenolic Enriched Extracts of the Invasive Plant Heliotropium Curassavicum

The variation in habitat has a direct effect on the plants and as a consequence, changes their content of the bioactive constituents and biological activities. The present study aimed to explore the variation in the essential oils (EOs) and phenolics of Heliotropium curassavicum collected from the coastal and inland habitats. Additionally, we determined their antioxidant and allelopathic activity against the weed, Chenopodium murale. Fifty-six compounds were identified as overall from EOs, from which 25 components were identified from the coastal sample, and 52 from the inland one. Sesquiterpenes were the main class in both samples (81.67% and 79.28%), while mono (3.99% and 7.21%) and diterpenes (2.9% and 1.77%) represented minors, respectively. Hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, (-)-caryophyllene oxide, farnesyl acetone, humulene oxide, farnesyl acetone C, and nerolidol epoxy acetate were identified as major compounds. The HPLC analysis of MeOH extracts of the two samples showed that chlorogenic acid, rutin, and propyl gallate are major compounds in the coastal sample, while vanilin, quercetin, and 4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone are majors in the inland one. The EOs showed considerable phytotoxicity against C. murale with IC₅₀ value of 2.66, 0.59, and 0.70 mg mL⁻¹ for germination, root, and shoot growth, respectively from the inland sample. While the coastal sample attained the IC₅₀ values of 1.58, 0.45, and 0.66 mg mL⁻¹. MeOH extracts revealed stronger antioxidant activity compared to the EOs. Based on IC₅₀ values, the ascorbic acid revealed 3-fold of the antioxidant compared to the EO of the coastal sample and 4-fold regarding the inland sample. However, the ascorbic acid showed 3-fold of the antioxidant activity of the MeOH extracts of coastal and inland samples. Although H. curassavicum is considered as a noxious, invasive plant, the present study revealed that EO and MeOH extracts of the H. curassavicum could be considered as promising, eco-friendly, natural resources for antioxidants as well as weed control, particularly against the weed, C. murale.

Essential oil variability in Stachys pilifera Benth populations: a narrow endemic species of Iran

Stachys pilifera Benth is an endemic species of Iran where it is found in the mountainous habitats of Zagros region. The plant is a rich source of secondary metabolites endowed with different medicinal properties. Here, for the first time, the essential oil variability among eleven wild populations of S. pilifera, was investigated. Results indicated that the variation of the chemical profile of essential oils was remarkable. The most abundant components were cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (19.1-48.2%), viridiflorol (1.4-19.1%), trans-caryophyllene (2.3-11.9%), caryophyllene oxide (1.9-11.0%), limonene (2.0- 5.9%) and spathulenol (0.0- 9.5). Based on the cluster analyses (CA), four main chemotypes were recognized: chemotype I (cis-chrysanthenyl acetate), chemotype II (cis-chrysanthenyl acetate/viridiflorol), chemotype III (cis-chrysanthenyl acetate/viridiflorol/spathulenol), chemotype IV (cis-chrysanthenyl acetate/trans-caryophyllene/α-pinene). The chemical variation detected can be useful to consider these populations for pharmaceutical industries and industrial applications as well as for domestication and conservation purposes.

Pedicularis L. Genus: Systematics, Botany, Phytochemistry, Chemotaxonomy, Ethnopharmacology, and Other

In this review, the relevance of the plant species belonging to the Pedicularis L. genus has been considered from different points of view. Particular emphasis was given to phytochemistry and ethnopharmacology, since several classes of natural compounds have been reported within this genus and many of its species are well known to be employed in the traditional medicines of many Asian countries. Some important conclusions on the chemotaxonomic and chemosystematic aspects of the genus have also been provided for the first time. Actually, this work represents the first total comprehensive review on this genus.

Chemical composition, cytotoxic effect and antimicrobial activity of Stachys koelzii Rech.f. essential oil against periodontal pathogen Prevotella intermedia

Prevotella intermedia is associated with periodontal diseases and endodontic infections. Periodontitis can be suppressed by utilizing the antiseptics, which target the infectious bacteria. The member of Stachys sp. has been used traditionally in the form of decoction or infusion for management of infectious diseases. The subject of this article was to evaluate the chemical composition, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effect of Stachys koelzii essential oil and its main components against Prevotella intermedia. GC-FID and GC-MS analysis were used to determine the chemical composition. The antimicrobial effects of S. koelzii essential oil was evaluated by micro-broth dilution assay. Time kill curve assays, leakage of cytoplasmic materials and anti-biofilm effects were determined. Its cytotoxic effect was evaluated by MTT assay. Essential oil with main components of α-pinene, trans-caryophyllene and 1,8-cineole inhibited P. intermedia with MIC and MBC values of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/mL. Its biofilm formation was higher than α-pinene, followed by trans-caryophyllene and 1,8-cineole. Essential oil and its main components increased the leakage of cytoplasmic components. Essential oil showed cytotoxic effect on HeLa cell lines with IC₅₀ 0.06 mg/mL. The cytotoxic effect of α-pinene on healthy cell lines was higher than essential oil. S. koelzii essential oil can be used in mouthwash formulations and its efficacy should be evaluated in large clinical studies.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA): A pharmacological review and call for further research

Phenolic acids have recently gained substantial attention due to their various practical, biological and pharmacological effects. Chlorogenic Acid (CGA, 3-CQA) is a most abundant isomer among caffeoylquinic acid isomers (3-, 4-, and 5-CQA), that currently known as 5-CQA as per guidelines of IUPAC. It is one of the most available acids among phenolic acid compounds which can be naturally found in green coffee extracts and tea. CGA is an important and biologically active dietary polyphenol, playing several important and therapeutic roles such as antioxidant activity, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, neuroprotective, anti-obesity, antiviral, anti-microbial, anti-hypertension, free radicals scavenger and a central nervous system (CNS) stimulator. In addition, it has been found that CGA could modulate lipid metabolism and glucose in both genetically and healthy metabolic related disorders. It is speculated that CGA can perform crucial roles in lipid and glucose metabolism regulation and thus help to treat many disorders such as hepatic steatosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity as well. Furthermore, this phenolic acid (CGA) causes hepatoprotective effects by protecting animals from chemical or lipopolysaccharide-induced injuries. The hypocholesterolemic influence of CGA can result from the altered metabolism of nutrients, including amino acids, glucose and fatty acids (FA). The purpose of this review was to broaden the scope of knowledge of researchers to conduct more studies on this subject to both unveil and optimize its biological and pharmacological effects. As a result, CGA may be practically used as a natural safeguard food additive to replace the synthetic antibiotics and thereby reduce the medicinal cost.

Volatile components of horsetail (Hippuris vulgaris L.) growing in central Italy

Hippuris vulgaris, also known as horsetail or marestail, is a freshwater macrophyte occurring in lakes, rivers, ponds and marshes. According to 'The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species', H. vulgaris is at a high risk of extinction in Italy in the medium-term future. In the present study, we analysed for the first time the volatile composition of H. vulgaris growing in central Italy. For the purpose, the essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC-MS. The chemical composition was dominated by aliphatic compounds such as fatty acids (26.0%), ketones (18.7%) and alkanes (11.4%), whereas terpenoids were poorer and mostly represented by diterpenes (7.4%). n-Hexadecanoic acid (25.5%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (17.5%) and trans-phytol (7.4%) were the major volatile constituents. These compounds are here proposed as chemotaxonomic markers of the species.