Chemical composition of essential oil and antifungal activity of Artemisia persica Boiss. from Iran

Artemisia herba-alba sesquiterpenes: in silico inhibition in the ATP-binding pocket

To identify antimicrobial leads for medical applications, metabolites from the aerial part of Artemisia herba-alba were extracted and chromatographically purified. Two new sesquiterpenes, 1β,8α-dihydroxyeudesm-4-en-6β,7α,11βH-12,6-olide (1) and 1β,6α,8α-trihydroxy, 11α-methyl-eudesma-4(15)-en-13-propanoate (2) along with a known eudesmanolide 11-epi-artapshin (3) were identified. Structures were determined by spectroscopic methods including 1D- and 2D-NMR as well as mass spectroscopy. Compound 3 inhibited Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus and exhibited antifungal activity against the pathogenic fungus F. solani. The mode-of-action of these antimicrobial sesquiterpenes as bacterial type II DNA topoisomerase and/or DNA gyrase B inhibitors were examined via in silico studies. Such molecular-docking studies were also employed to examine antifungal activity against an N-myristoyl transferase (NMT) target. Compound 3 had the greatest gyrase B binding affinity in the ATP-binding pocket and was found to possess an inhibitory action against non-invasive micro-test technology (NMT).

Artemisia spp.: An Update on Its Chemical Composition, Pharmacological and Toxicological Profiles

Artemisia plants are traditional and ethnopharmacologically used to treat several diseases and in addition in food, spices, and beverages. The genus is widely distributed in all continents except the Antarctica, and traditional medicine has been used as antimalarial, antioxidant, anticancer, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral agents. This review is aimed at systematizing scientific data on the geographical distribution, chemical composition, and pharmacological and toxicological profiles of the Artemisia genus. Data from the literature on Artemisia plants were taken using electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Selected papers for this updated study included data about phytochemicals, preclinical pharmacological experimental studies with molecular mechanisms included, clinical studies, and toxicological and safety data. In addition, ancient texts and books were consulted. The essential oils and phytochemicals of the Artemisia genus have reported important biological activities, among them the artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone, with antimalarial activity. Artemisia absinthium L. is one of the most famous Artemisia spp. due to its use in the production of the absinthe drink which is restricted in most countries because of neurotoxicity. The analyzed studies confirmed that Artemisia plants have many traditional and pharmacological applications. However, scientific data are limited to clinical and toxicological research. Therefore, further research is needed on these aspects to understand the full therapeutic potential and molecular pharmacological mechanisms of this medicinal species.

Antifungal Activities of Pure and ZnO-Encapsulated Essential Oil of Zataria multiflora on Alternaria solani as the Pathogenic Agent of Tomato Early Blight Disease

The utilization of plant essential oils (EOs) and nanomaterials due to their safety compared with synthetic chemicals has been considered in the management of plant diseases. In this study, the inhibitory effects of Zataria multiflora, Nepeta haussknechtii, Artemisia sieberi, and Citrus aurantifolia EOs in pure and Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanocapsulated formulations were evaluated on the mycelial growth of Alternaria solani to find a suitable alternative for synthetic chemicals. The crystal structure and morphological properties of the fabricated nanomaterials were assessed via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The textural features of the prepared nanoparticles were investigated with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and the presence of elements in the samples was studied with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique. The mycelial growth inhibitory (MGI) was performed in the laboratory by mixing with potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium at concentrations of 100, 300, 600, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 ppm. Based on the results, major differences were monitored between different concentrations. At the highest studied concentration, the inhibition of Z. multiflora EO was 100%, which was 43.20, 42.37, and 21.19% for N. haussknechtii, A. sieberi, and C. aurantifolia, respectively, and the inhibition of their nanocapsules was 100, 51.32, 55.23, and 26.58%, respectively. In the greenhouse study, Z. multiflora EO and its nanocapsule (ZnO-ZmEO) were compared with the ZnO and chlorothalonil fungicide based on the highest inhibitory of Z. multiflora in vitro. The highest antifungal effect was related to the ZnO-ZmEO by 53.33%. Therefore, the ZnO-ZmEO formulation can be recommended as a biofungicide for managing and controlling tomato early blight disease after further research.

Essential Oils in Respiratory Mycosis: A Review

Respiratory mycosis is a major health concern, due to the expanding population of immunosuppressed and immunocompromised patients and the increasing resistance to conventional antifungals and their undesired side-effects, thus justifying the development of new therapeutic strategies. Plant metabolites, namely essential oils, represent promising preventive/therapeutic strategies due to their widely reported antifungal potential. However, regarding fungal infections of the respiratory tract, information is disperse and no updated compilation on current knowledge is available. Therefore, the present review aims to gather and systematize relevant information on the antifungal effects of several essential oils and volatile compounds against the main type of respiratory mycosis that impact health care systems. Particular attention is paid to Aspergillus fumigatus, the main pathogen involved in aspergillosis, Candida auris, currently emerging as a major pathogen in certain parts of the world, and Cryptococcus neoformans, one of the main pathogens involved in pulmonary cryptococcosis. Furthermore, the main mechanisms of action underlying essential oils’ antifungal effects and current limitations in clinical translation are presented. Overall, essential oils rich in phenolic compounds seem to be very effective but clinical translation requires more comprehensive in vivo studies and human trials to assess the efficacy and tolerability of these compounds in respiratory mycosis.

The Preparation of the Essential Oil from Pomelo (Citrus maxima ‘Shatian Yu’) Peel Using Microwave-Assisted Distillation by Pectinase Soaking and Its Anti-Fungal Activity

To verify the anti-fungus properties of the crop-harmful pseudocercospora, the essential oil (EO) of pomelo peel (PP) was extracted by a single factor combined with response surface optimization. Meanwhile, the composition and activity of EO were studied. The PP was squeezed by a screw extruder and pretreatmented by pectinase, then extracted by microwave-assisted steam distillation. The optimal conditions were as follows: pectinase dosage was 69.17 μmol/g, microwave power was 651.42 W and extraction time was 43.84 min. The dry weight (DW) yield of PPEO reached 14.63 mL/kg DW after BBD optimization. There were 23 compounds in the PPEO identified by GC-MS. Limonene, α-phrenbutene, and laurene in PPEO accounted for 79.31%, 4.72%, and 3.46%, respectively. In addition, the antifungal was effective when the concentration of PPEO was 3.5 mg/mL. Therefore, this study has guiding significance for the development of natural resources.

Anti-Leishmanial Activity of Artemisia persica, A. spicigera, and A. fragrance against Leishmania major

Background:

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) like zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL), is a widespread infectious disease with high mortality and morbidity. Various medications are used for treating the disease, but several side effects and drug resistance have been reported. Herbal medicines are unlimited sources for discovering new medications to treat infectious diseases. We aimed to determine the leishmanicidal activity of three species of Iranian Artemisia herbal plant extracts in in-vitro.

Methods:

In-vitro anti-leishmanial activity of ethanolic extracts on both promastigotes and amastigotes was determined by using MTT method. IC50, CC50, EC50 and SI were calculated. The study was done in 2019-2020 in Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Results:

All of the three Artemisia species significantly reduced the number of parasite promastigotes. Among them, A. persica had the highest leishmanicidal activity against parasite promastigotes. Cytotoxicity assay elucidated that the Artemisia had no toxicity to the host cells, and killed the L. major amastigotes very efficiently. By increasing the dose of extracts, the parasite number in both phases (promastigotes and amastigotes) was reduced significantly.

Conclusion:

These results indicated satisfactory anti-leishmanial activity of Artemisia extracts against ZCL in-vitro. Accordingly, Artemisia ethanolic extracts might be considered as a strong, effective and safe herbal compound for clearing the L. major with less toxicity to the host macrophages cells. Hence, it may be recognized as an excellent herbal therapy for treating the ZCL.