Essential oil composition of south Brazilian populations of Cunila galioides and its relation with the geographic distribution

Vacuum fractional distillation of Cunila galioides Benth. essential oil: chemical composition and biological activities of raw oil and its fractions

This work aimed to rectify Cunila galioides essential oil and evaluate the raw oil and the fractions' antifungal, allelopathic, and antioxidant activities. The results showed that the raw essential oil and the bottom fraction were primarily composed of linalyl propionate (42.9 wt.% and 60.2 wt.%). The top fraction was composed mainly of limonene (45.7 wt.%). The antioxidant activity changed with the radical and the fraction. The bottom had a weaker antifungal effect than the raw oil and the top. Nevertheless, the essential oil and the fractions had a similar antifungal activity at 0.50 % v/v and higher. Similar behavior was observed for the allelopathic tests. No difference occurred between the raw oil and the fractions, with reduced germination percentages and speed at 0.25 % v/v and complete inhibition at 0.50 % v/v. The oil can be rectified, and the fractions may be used without harming their biological activity.

Almutairi K, El Sabagh A. Genetic diversity analysis for wild and cultivated accessions of Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf using phytochemical and molecular markers

Background

Genetic diversity is being lost because of increasing urbanization and decreasing cultivation land, which leads to the abrupt use of wild resources of medicinally aromatic plants (MAPs). Cymbopogon citratus is a morphologically diverse MAP that is largely exploited in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. However, the intraspecific phytochemical and molecular diversity of C. citratus has yet to be explored.

Methodology

The germplasm was obtained from four different countries representing Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and the United States. Oil extraction was performed by hydro distillation, and metabolic profiles of different accessions were generated by GC-MS. Seventeen functional molecular markers based on three genes encoding cytochrome P450, uridyl diphosphate glycosyltransferase and the 5S rRNA gene family were used to explore genetic diversity. Principal component analysis (PCA) and heatmaps were constructed using R software with the help of the gg-plot R package v1.0.5 for data validation.

Results

Among the 208 identified metabolites, citral was maximal, with a phytochemical contribution (1.92-27.73%), α-pinene (0.82-15.57%), verbenol (0.24-22.84%), neral (0.23-21.31%) and geranial acetate (0.43-15.65%). In the majority of accessions, citral was the dominant component. The highest concentration of citral was detected in 384541 (27.74%), 384527 (27.52%) belonging to Pakistan and one USA-based accession 38456 (27.71%). Region-specific grouping revealed a relationship between genetic diversity and geographical location. Pakistani accessions 384518, 38452, and 384544 genetically and 384535, 384518, and 384510 were phytochemically diverse.

Conclusion

The genetic diversity was more pronounced in cultivated accessions than in wild accessions. Moreover, it was observed that phytochemical diversity correlated with the altitude and temperature of the region.

Essential oils of Cunila galioides and Origanum majorana as anesthetics for Rhamdia quelen: efficacy and effects on ventilation and ionoregulation

ABSTRACT This study evaluated anesthetic efficacy and possible effects of the essential oils (EOs) of Cunila galioides (EOC) and Origanum majorana (EOO) on ventilatory rate (VR) and ionoregulation in Rhamdia quelen. In the anesthesia assessments, 50, 100, 200 and 300 μL L-1 EOC and 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 μL L-1 EOO were tested, and time for induction to sedation and anesthesia stages, as well as recovery, were taken. A second trial employed lower concentrations of both EOs, 10, 25, 50 and 100 μL L-1, in order to verify VR and Na+, K+ and Cl- whole body net fluxes. Sedation was achieved with both oils at 100 µL L-1, and anesthesia at ≥ 200 µL L-1. There was no significant difference between control and EO-treated groups regarding VR, but all fish subjected to 100 µL L-1 EOC died within 2 h of exposure. Overall, ionic loss declined in the presence of the EOs. The EOC at 200 - 300 μL L-1 and EOO at 400 - 500 μL L-1 present the potential to promote fast anesthesia in R. quelen.

Genetic and biochemical diversity among Valeriana jatamansi populations from Himachal Pradesh

Valeriana jatamansi Jones is an important medicinal plant that grows wild in Himachal Pradesh, India. Molecular and biochemical diversity among 13 natural populations from Himachal Pradesh was assessed using RAPD and GC-MS to know the extent of existing variation. A total of seven genetically diverse groups have been identified based on RAPD analysis which corroborated well with the analysis based on chemical constituents. The essential oil yield ranged from 0.6% to 1.66% (v/w). A negative correlation between patchouli alcohol and viridiflorol, the two major valued constituents, limits the scope of their simultaneous improvement. However, other few populations like Chamba-II and Kandi-I were found promising for viridiflorol and patchouli alcohol, respectively. The analysis of chemical constitution of oil of the populations from a specific region revealed predominance of specific constituents indicating possibility of their collection/selection for specific end uses like phytomedicines. The prevalence of genetically diverse groups along with sufficient chemical diversity in a defined region clearly indicates the role of ecology in the maintenance of evolution of this species. Sufficient molecular and biochemical diversity detected among natural populations of this species will form basis for the future improvement.

Application of chemometrics in authentication of herbal medicines: a review

INTRODUCTION

Herbal medicines (HM) and their preparations have been widely used for hundreds of years all over the world. However, they have not been officially recognised due to a lack of adequate or accepted research methodology for their evaluation.

OBJECTIVE

To present a concise overview of the recent applications of chemometrics in solving the ambiguity of herbal medicine authentication during the last two decades.

METHODOLOGY

Studies involving the applications of chemometric analysis in combination with different analytical methods were classified according to the method of analysis used including chromatographic (HPLC, GC and CE), spectroscopic (NMR, IR, UV and ICP) and genetic analysis (RAPD). The purpose of each of these studies was classified into one of three main categories: taxonomic discrimination, quality assessment or classification between plants of different geographic origins.

RESULTS

This review comprises over 150 studies, covering the past two decades, emphasising the significance of chemometric methods in the discrimination of many herbs from closely related species and from adulterants, based on the principal bioactive components and phytochemical diversity. Furthermore, the differentiation between varieties and hybrids was achieved in addition to the prediction of the active components by quantitative methods of analysis. Discrimination according to geographical origin and localities, processing methods, DNA profiling and metabolomics were also efficiently investigated.

CONCLUSION

Chemometric methods have provided an efficient and powerful tool for the quality control and authentication of different herbs.

Effect of different liming levels on the biomass production and essential oil extraction yield of Cunila galioides Benth

Poejo is an aromatic and medicinal plant native to highland areas of south Brazil, in acid soils with high Al3+ concentration. The main objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of liming on the extraction yield of essential oil of three chemotypes of poejo (Cunila galioides Benth). For this purpose, the experiments were performed in a greenhouse, using 8-litre pots. The treatments were four dosages of limestone (0, 3.15, 12.5, and 25 g.L-1) and a completely random experimental design was used, with four replications and three chemotypes, set up in a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement. The parameters evaluated were dry weight of aerial parts, essential oil content and chemical composition of essential oil. Results showed that liming affects the biomass production, essential oil yield and chemical composition, with cross interaction verified between chemotype and limestone dosage. For the higher dosage lower biomass production, lower yield of essential oil as well as the lowest content of citral (citral chemotype) and limonene (menthene chemotype) was observed. In the ocimene chemotype, no liming influence was observed on the essential oil yield and on the content of major compounds. The dosage of 3.15 g.L-1 can be considered the best limestone dosage for the production of poejo for the experimental conditions evaluated.

A preliminary phylogeny of the genus Cunila D. Royen ex L. (Lamiaceae) based on ITS rDNA and trnL-F regions

Cunila species are aromatic and medicinal plants commonly employed in folk medicine. This genus is distributed in North America and in southern South America. The species that occur in southern South America are classified into three botanical sections: Incanae, Incisae and Spicatae. The present study uses a phylogenetic approach to study the genetic relationship among the South and North American Cunila species, aiming to test the monophyly of the genus in its traditional circumscription. The results based on sequencing from nuclear (ITS rDNA) and chloroplast (trnL-F) sets did not agree with the traditional circumscription of the genus. These data, based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses, point to the non-monophyletic status of Cunila, since the genus was separated into three segregated clades: (1) A South American subshrub clade formed by the species of the botanical section Spicatae, (2) a South American shrub clade that includes the species of the botanical sections Incanae and Incisae, and (3) a North American Cunila clade.

Effect of aluminum concentration on growth and secondary metabolites production in three chemotypes of Cunila galioides Benth. medicinal plant

Medicine plants play an important role in public health, especially in developing countries, and among them Cunila galioides Benth. is a naturally occurring medicinal and aromatic plant native from south Brazil. Flavonoids, present in significant amounts in some species of Cunila sp., possess several properties and its content may be affected by aluminum stress. In this context, the aim of this work was to assess the influence of different levels of aluminum in nutrient solution on the growth and content of essential oils and flavonoids in three chemotypes of Cunila galioides. The plant parameters evaluated were aerial dry matter, dry root matter, root length, root score, calcium and aluminum concentrations in the vegetable tissue, flavonoids content as well as essential oil yield and its major components concentration. Results showed that the addition of 30.0 mg.L--1 of Al3+ to the nutrient solution leads to a decrease of all agronomic parameters evaluated with losses in the cultivation yield for the greatest concentration studied. The André da Rocha population was found to be the most tolerant to aluminum while Bom Jardim da Serra was the most sensitive. The aluminum concentration did not influence the extraction yield as well as the content of major components in the oils. The concentration of flavonoids increased significantly for the populations tolerant to aluminum concentration in the nutrient solution, thus indicating a relationship between tolerance and flavonoids production, which may be an interesting characteristic from the medicinal point of view.

Chemical and genetic relationships among sage ( Salvia officinalis L.) cultivars and Judean sage ( Salvia judaica Boiss.)

The essential oil composition and genetic variability of common sage ( Salvia officinalis L.) and its three ornamental cultivars ('Purpurascens', 'Tricolor', and 'Kew Gold') as well as Judean sage ( Salvia judaica Boiss.) were analyzed by GC-FID, GC-MS, and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Common sage and its cultivars contained the same volatile compounds; only the ratio of compounds differed. The main compounds were the sesquiterpene alpha-humulene and the monoterpenes beta-pinene, eucalyptol, and camphor. Judean sage contained mainly the sesquiterpenes beta-cubebene and ledol. All of the samples exhibited characteristic RAPD patterns that allowed their identification. Cluster analyses based on oil composition and RAPD markers corresponded very well to each other, suggesting that there is a strong relationship between the chemical profile and the genetic variability.