A new flavonol glycoside from the aerial part of Rudbeckia laciniata

Preliminary Phytochemical and Biological Evaluation of Rudbeckia hirta Flowers

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta L.), a flowering plant with various traditional medicinal uses, has recently garnered interest for its therapeutic properties. However, little is known about the potential therapeutic activities of the plant species. The current study focused on conducting a comprehensive investigation into the chemical composition and bioactivity of black-eyed Susan cultivated in Romania. Untargeted metabolite profiling and UHPLC-HR-MS phytochemical analysis of the studied extract revealed the presence of more than 250 compounds pertaining to different classes, including sesquiterpene lactones, polyphenolic acids, flavonoids, amino acids, and fatty acids. The tested extract exhibited inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacteria and showed promising antifungal activity. It also demonstrated potent antioxidant properties through iron chelation and 15-LOX inhibition capacities, as well as inhibition of cell growth, particularly on the MCF-7 cell line, suggesting potential anticancer effects. Therefore, current research provides valuable information on the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor potential of Rudbeckia hirta flowers. Implicitly, the discovery of such a wide range of biosubstances, together with the biological activity observed for the studied extract in these preliminary in vitro studies, paves the way for future investigation of the potential application of the plant in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors.

Highly different flavonol content explains geographic variations in the UV reflecting properties of flowers of the corn poppy, Papaver rhoeas (Papaveraceae)

Papaver rhoeas, the corn poppy, is a very common weed in cereal fields all over the world. Its flowers generally display a bright red coloration, but their reflectance in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range varies geographically. Whereas the UV reflectance of East Mediterranean flowers is minor, that of Central European ones is substantial. By comparing the pigmentation of the differently reflecting flowers, we found that only East Mediterranean flower petals contain high amounts of UV absorbing flavonol glycosides. The most abundant compounds were isolated by solid phase extraction and preparative HPLC, and their structures were elucidated by NMR and HRESI-MS, yielding seven kaempferol and quercetin glycosides, mostly unknown in P. rhoeas petals. Additionally, reflectance and transmittance measurements revealed that wavelength-selective scattering effects do not contribute to the flower color differences observed within this species. Possible abiotic and biotic factors influencing the UV reflecting properties of East Mediterranean and Central European poppies are discussed.

Isolation of Chemical Compounds and Essential Oil from Agrimonia asiatica Juz. and Their Antimicrobial and Antiplasmodial Activities

Agrimonia asiatica is a perennial plant with deep green color and covered with soft hairs and has a slightly aromatic odor. This genus Agrimonia has been used in traditional medicines of China, Greece, and European countries. It was mainly used as a haemostatic, a tonic for asthenia, and an astringent for diarrhea. Agrimony is part of the division Magnoliophyta; class is represented by order Rosales, family Rosaceae, of the genus Agrimonia. Family Rosaceae—or pink eels—is one of the largest families of flowering plants, including about 100 genera and 3000 species. Rosaceae is common in almost all areas of the globe where flowering plants can grow, but most of them are concentrated in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Phytochemical investigation on ethanolic extract of A. asiatica led to isolation of four flavonoid derivatives (kaempferol-3-glycoside, quercetin-3-O-α-arabinofuranosyl-β-D-galactopyranoside, 3-O-kaempherol 2,3-di-O-acetyl-4-O-(cis-p-coumaroyl)-6-O-(trans-p-coumaroyl)-β-D-glucosopyranoside, and catechin) alongside of sucrose. All the extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds were tested for antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities. We also studied the chemical composition of essential oil obtained from the aerial part of A. asiatica. The essential oil constituents from the aerial part of A. asiatica were obtained using a steam-distillation method in wild growing conditions in Kazakhstan. The essential oil extracted from the aerial part of the plant was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and its major components amounting to 100% were found to be β-selinene (36.370%), α-panasinsene (21.720%), hexadecanoic acid (7.839%), and 1,2-nonadiene (6.199%). Neither the extract nor the isolated compounds showed antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities.

The Phytochemistry of Cherokee Aromatic Medicinal Plants

Background: Native Americans have had a rich ethnobotanical heritage for treating diseases, ailments, and injuries. Cherokee traditional medicine has provided numerous aromatic and medicinal plants that not only were used by the Cherokee people, but were also adopted for use by European settlers in North America. Methods: The aim of this review was to examine the Cherokee ethnobotanical literature and the published phytochemical investigations on Cherokee medicinal plants and to correlate phytochemical constituents with traditional uses and biological activities. Results: Several Cherokee medicinal plants are still in use today as herbal medicines, including, for example, yarrow (Achillea millefolium), black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and blue skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). This review presents a summary of the traditional uses, phytochemical constituents, and biological activities of Cherokee aromatic and medicinal plants. Conclusions: The list is not complete, however, as there is still much work needed in phytochemical investigation and pharmacological evaluation of many traditional herbal medicines.

Anti-inflammatory Potential of Flavonoids from the Aerial Parts of Corispermum marschallii

The isolation of phenolics from aerial parts of Corispermum marschallii yielded a total of 13 compounds including nine previously undescribed patuletin and spinacetin glycosides. These were identified as patuletin 3- O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-7- O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), spinacetin 3- O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-7- O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), patuletin 3- O-(6″- O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside (3), patuletin 3- O-(6″- O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside (4), patuletin 3- O-(2″- O-(5‴- O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl)-β-d-apiofuranosyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside (5), patuletin 3- O-(2″- O-β-d-apiofuranosyl)-β-d-galactopyranoside (6), spinacetin 3- O-β-d-galactopyranoside (7), patuletin 3- O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-7- O-(6‴- O-feruloyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (8), and spinacetin 3- O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-7- O-(6‴- O-feruloyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (9). Structure elucidation was based on UV-visible, multistage MS, and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and chemical derivatization, which allowed the identification on the glycosides with two different hexose moieties occurring at different positions of the aglycones. Most of the compounds tested inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory factors such as ROS, IL-8, and TNF-α in stimulated neutrophils.

Studies on Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Rudbeckia triloba

The paper describes the physicochemical studies made on the decorative plant, Rudbeckia triloba (Asteraceae). For this purpose, essential oil, infusion, decoction, and hydroalcoholic macerate obtained from different aerial parts of Rudbeckia triloba were analyzed. The main phytochemical constituents identified by GC-MS analysis were found to be α-pinene (in dried leaves (46.0%) and flowers (40.1%)) and β-phellandrene (in essential oil of dried inflorescences (26.09%)). The Folin-Ciocalteu and quercetin assays revealed different values of total phenolic and flavonoid contents of petals, leaves, and seeds as a function of the solvent used and extraction procedure. The hydroalcoholic macerate of petals was found to present the maximum phenolic and flavonoid contents (130.29 ± 5.58 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry vegetable material and 30.72 ± 1.35 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry vegetable material, resp.) and also exhibits the lower value of EC50 (0.32% (v/v)), obtained by applying the DPPH· assay. Comparing the extraction methods applied, the maceration was found to be the most effective for phenolic compounds, most likely due to the solvent (70% ethanol). The use of water-alcohol mixture leads to an improvement of the extraction yield of phenolic compounds (including those with higher molecular weights) than by using water as extractive solvent, in the case of infusions and decocts.