Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from different parts ofFerulago trifidaBoiss

A Comparative Study on Essential Oil Profile and Antioxidant Activity in Different Parts of Three Ferulago Species

In the present study, the phytochemical features of the essential oils from leaves, flowers, and fruits in three Ferulago species including F. angulata, F. carduchorum, and F. contracta was investigated. The essential oils were extracted using the hydrodistillation method and analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS. The essential oil content varied between 0.46 to 2.65 % (v/w) among the various parts of the studied species. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (leaves: 34.80-78.76 %, flowers: 88.67-94.26 %, fruits: 89.54-94.21 %) constituted the main fraction of three Ferulago species. The major compounds of the essential oil among the species were α-pinene (15.01-22.16 %), β-phellandrene (2.48-14.73 %), α-phellandrene (0.52-13.8 %), and germacrene B (0.11-13.28 %) in leaves; (Z)-β-ocimene (38.46-47.21 %), α-pinene (10.25-18.32 %), and α-phellandrene (5.07-9.44 %) in flowers; (Z)-β-ocimene (10.21-41.19 %), α-phellandrene (7.51-31.89 %), α-pinene (8.96-17.71 %), β-phellandrene (7.24-17.44 %), terpinolene (2.90-7.77 %), and δ-3-carene (1.57-7.66 %) in fruits. The classical antioxidant activity of the essential oils was assessed using the DPPH method. The fruit essential oils of the studied species induced a significant level of antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid (EC₅₀ =50.24 μg/mL). The highest level of antioxidant activity was found in F. carduchorum (EC₅₀ =68.75 μg/mL) fruits essential oil. Ferulago species, therefore, have the potential to be utilized as natural antioxidants in the pharmaceutical, food or cosmetic industries owing to their high level of antioxidant activity.

The ethnobotany, phytochemistry and biological properties of genus Ferulago - A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The genus Ferulago, belonging to the Apiaceae family, is found mainly in the Mediterranean area, Southwest and Middle Asia, the Caucasus and North Africa. Since ancient times, species of this genus have been largely employed in traditional medicine for their biological properties such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, insecticidal, and anti-malaria, cholinesterase inhibition effects, etc. AIMS: The scope of this paper is to present a comprehensive respect review of this interesting genus including traditional uses, chemical composition of volatile and non-volatile metabolites, and in vitro and in vivo biological properties either utilizing the crude extracts or essential oils, or the single isolated compounds. Furthermore, critical considerations of the published data have been highlighted by comparing them with the results obtained from species of other genus belonging to the Apiaceae family.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The available information on these genera was collected from scientific databases and cover from 1967 up to 2020. The following electronic databases were used: PubMed, SciFinder, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The search terms used for this review included Ferulago, all the botanical names of the species, both accepted names or synonyms, essential oils, volatile components, traditional uses, activity, pharmacology, and toxicity. No limitations were set for languages. A total of 230 articles were included in the present review.

RESULTS

Researches performed on either crude extracts, solvent fractions or isolated pure compounds from species of genus Ferulago showed several biological properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antidiabetic, enzymatic, cytotoxic, anticancer, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, antileishmanial, antimalarial, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, insecticidal, etc. Activities. Phytochemical investigations of Ferulago species have revealed that coumarins are the main constituents of the genera. A large number of flavonoids, terpenoids and other metabolites were also identified. Furthermore, a complete review on the essential oil composition of all the taxa studied so far has been also included.

CONCLUSION

In the present study, we have provided scientific information and research developments on traditional uses, phytochemical profiles, biological activities and industrial practices on the Ferulago genus. The commercial use and the applications in agri-food sector of some of these species have been also considered. In fact, the various extracts and essential oils have been used as antioxidants and/or as antimicrobial agents, for the stabilization of sunflower and soybean oil, for food packagings, as antioxidants of mayonnaise and yogurt during their storage and, also, as economically valid source for obtaining single compounds, more expensive at a synthetic level.

A Comparative Study of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Plant Essential Oils and Extracts as Candidate Ingredients for Edible Coatings to Control Decay in 'Wonderful' Pomegranate

This study determined the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemongrass (LO), thyme (TO), and oregano (OO) essential oils and ethanolic extracts of pomegranate peel (PPE) and grape pomace (GPE) as candidate ingredients for edible coatings. Antifungal effects against Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium spp. were tested using paper disc and well diffusion methods. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid assays. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified limonene (16.59%), α-citral (27.45%), β-citral (27.43%), thymol (33.31%), paracymene (43.26%), 1,8-cineole (17.53%), and trans-caryphellene (60.84%) as major compounds of the essential oils. From both paper disc and well diffusion methods, LO recorded the widest zone of inhibition against tested microbes (B. cinerea and Penicillium spp.). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of LO against B. cinerea and Penicillium spp., were 15 µL/mL and 30 µL/mL, respectively. The highest (69.95%) and lowest (1.64%) RSA at 1 mg/mL were recorded for PPE and OO. Application of sodium alginate and chitosan-based coatings formulated with LO (15 or 30 µL/mL) completely inhibited spore germination and reduced the decay severity of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate. Lemongrass oil proved to be a potential antifungal agent for edible coatings developed to extend shelf life of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate.

The phytochemistry and biological diversity of Ferulago genus (Apiaceae): a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

The genus Ferulago belonging to the family Apiaceae is a flora widely distributed in Central Asia and the Mediterranean and used in folk medicine. It is administered as a sedative, tonic, digestive, aphrodisiac, also as a treatment for intestinal worms and haemorrhoids. Herein, we reported a review on phytochemistry and its biological activities reported from 1990 up to early 2020. All the information and reported studies concerning Ferulago plants were summarized from the library and digital databases (e.g. Scopus, Medline, Scielo, ScienceDirect, SciFinder and Google Scholar).

KEY FINDINGS

The phytochemical investigations of Ferulago species revealed the presence of coumarins as the main bioactive compounds, including daucane derivatives, sesquiterpenes aryl esters, phenol derivatives, flavonoids and essential oils. Moreover, the therapeutic potentials of the pure compounds isolated from the genus Ferulago possess promising properties namely anticholinesterase, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, antileishmanial, antioxidant, antibacterial and antiproliferative.

SUMMARY

Today, significant advances in phytochemical and biological activity studies of different Ferulago species have been revealed. The traditional uses and reported biological results could be correlated via the chemical characterization of these plants. All these data will support the biologists in the elucidation of the biological mechanisms of these plants.

Corn Starch/Chitosan Nanoparticles/Thymol Bio-Nanocomposite Films for Potential Food Packaging Applications

This work aims to develop corn starch/chitosan nanoparticles/thymol (CS/CNP/Thy) bio-nanocomposite films as potential food packaging materials that can enhance the shelf life of food. CS/CNP/Thy bio-nanocomposite films were prepared by the addition of different concentrations of thymol (0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 w/w%) using a solvent casting method. The resulting films were characterized in terms of optical, mechanical, and water vapor permeability (WVP) properties. The addition of thymol was found to reduce the tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EAB), and Young’s modulus (YM) of the films. Generally, the increment in the concentration of thymol did not significantly affect the TS, EAB, and YM values. The addition of 1.5 w/w% thymol increased the WVP of the films but the WVP reduced with the increase in thymol concentrations. CS/CNP/Thy-3% bio-nanocomposite films demonstrated the potential to lengthen the shelf life of cherry tomatoes packed with the films, whereby the cherry tomatoes exhibited no significant changes in firmness and the lowest weight loss. In addition, no mold growth was observed on the sliced cherry tomatoes that were in direct contact with the films during 7 days of storage, proving the promising application of the films as active food packaging materials.

Ferulago nodosa Subsp. geniculata (Guss.) Troia & Raimondo from Sicily (Italy): Isolation of Essential Oil and Evaluation of Its Bioactivity

Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area. The object of the present study is Sicilian F. nodosa subsp. geniculata (Guss.) Troia & Raimondo, classified as an endemic F. nodosa subspecies. Aerial parts of this plant species were subjected to hydrodistillation to obtain an essential oil. A total of 93 compounds were identified with 2,3,6-trimethyl benzaldehyde (19.0%), spathulenol (9.0%), (E)-caryophyllene (5.4%), and caryophyllene oxide (5.4%) as the main components. The biological activities of F. nodosa essential oil were also investigated. This oil showed an interesting antioxidant potential in a 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) test (IC₅₀ of 14.05 μg/mL). Additionally, hypoglycemic and antilipidemic effects were evaluated. Lipase enzyme was inhibited with an IC₅₀ value of 41.99 μg/mL. Obtained data demonstrated that F. nodosa could be considered a promising source of bioactive compounds useful for the treatment and management of obesity.

Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from Vitex-agnus castus, Ocimum campechianum and Ocimum carnosum

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from fresh leaves of Vitex agnus-castus and Ocimum campechianum, and from fresh inflorescences of Ocimum carnosum were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The major components of V. agnus-castus essential oil were identified as 1,8-cineole (47.9%), terpinyl α-acetate (11.6%), sabinene (11.2%) and caryophyllene oxide (9.7%), while in the O. campechianum essential oil were eugenol (72.1%), β-elemene (6.8%), (E)-caryophyllene (6.4%) and bicyclogermacrene (5.2%). Linalool (79.0%), α-epi-cadinol (5.4%), terpinen-4-ol (3.2%) and 1,8-cineole (2.8%) were the major constituents in the O. carnosum essential oil. The essential oils were subsequently evaluated for their larvicidal and cytotoxic activities. Larval bioassay against Aedes aegypti of V. agnus-castus, O. campechianum and O. carnosum essential oils showed LC50 values of 97.55 ± 0.35, 81.45 ± 0.35 and 109.49 ± 0.35 μg/mL, respectively. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the essential oils has been evaluated on breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), lung carcinoma (NCI-H292), pro-myelocytic leukemia (HL-60), and cervical adenocarcinoma (HEP-2) human cell lines, and pro-myelocytic leukemia cells lines (HL-60) were found to be the most sensitive to all the essential oils tested than the others. This is the first report on larvicidal and cytotoxic activities of these essential oils.

Strong insecticidal potential of methanol extract of Ferulago trifida fruits against Anopheles stephensi as malaria vector

Many researchers have focused on controlling pest insects and vectors by natural products because of their low environmental pollution. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and larvicidal activities of chloroform and methanol extracts of the leaves, fruits, roots, and isolated coumarin compounds (prantschimgin, oxypeucedanin, and 6-hydroxymethylherniarin) of Ferulago trifida from the Apiaceae family against Anopheles stephensi as one of the main malaria vectors. For insecticidal evaluation, A. stephensi larvae were exposed to different concentrations of the extracts and pure compounds (0.625-1280 ppm) according to the WHO protocol. The mortality percentages were measured 24 h after treatment and lethal concentration values were calculated. In addition, radical scavenging activities of the mentioned extracts and compounds were measured by the DPPH method. The methanol extract of fruits showed potent insecticidal properties with LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of 2.94 and 18.12 ppm, respectively. The chloroform extracts of the fruits and leaves were the second and third extracts with larvicidal effects. Among pure compounds, only oxypeucedanin showed moderate toxicity against A. stephensi with LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of 116.54 and 346.41 ppm, respectively. The antioxidant activities of the methanol extracts of leaves and fruits were stronger than other extracts with IC₅₀ values of 155.83 and 159.32 ppm, respectively. In conclusion, the methanol extract of F. trifida fruits can be used as a potent bio-insecticide in green control programs of mosquitoes, especially A. stephensi.