Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Radical Scavenging Activity of Essential Oils from Satureja macrantha C.A.Mey. at Different Growth Stages

Terpenoids and Bio-Functions of Essential Oils Hydrodistilled Differently from Freshly Immature and Mature Blumea balsamifera Leaves

The volatiles and antioxidant capacity of essential oils (EOs) extracted from freshly immature and mature leaves of Blumea balsamifera at various hydrodistillation times were investigated. Seven major terpenoids were identified: two monoterpenes, camphor and L-borneol, and five sesquiterpenes, silphiperfol-5-ene, 7-epi-silphiperfol-5-ene, ß-caryophyllene, ɤ-eudesmol, and α-eudesmol. The quantity and terpenoid composition of the EOs were impressed by leaf maturity and hydrodistillation times. The yield of EOs from the immature leaves was 1.4 times that of mature leaves, with 73% of the yield acquired within the first 6 hours (hrs) of hydrodistillation. Approximately 97% of camphor and L-borneol, 80% of ß-caryophyllene, silphiperfolene, and 7-epi-silphiperfolene, 32% of ɤ-eudesmol, and 54% α-eudesmol were collected in the first 6 hrs of hydrodistillation. More ß-caryophyllene, ɤ-eudesmol, and α-eudesmol were found in the mature leaf EOs. The antioxidant capacity of the EOs was proportionally related to their terpenoid contents. The EOs extracted from immature leaves at 0-6 hrs of hydrodistillation demonstrated distinctive antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 0.5 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL, respectively.

Evaluation of Cytotoxic and Antibacterial Effect of Methanolic Extract of Paeonia lactiflora

Background and objectives: Bacterial antibiotics have had several side effects. Therefore, interest in natural substances with less side effects is increasing these days. Paeonia lactiflora, the root of Paeonia lactiflora, is used as a raw material for medicines. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial effect and the cytotoxicity of Paeonia lactiflora extract. Materials and Methods: For cytotoxicity, MTT analysis according to ISO 10993-5 was performed. The antibacterial test of the Paeonia lactiflora was determined from bacterial viability, Inhibition zone test, CFU (colony forming unit) and SEM (scanning electron microscope). To confirm the antibacterial component of Paeonia lactiflora, the content of flavonoids and polyphenols was analyzed. Results: Our results showed that Paeonia lactiflora extract contained flavonoids and polyphenols, which exhibited antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Candida albicans (C. ablicans). Further, the cytotoxicity of Paeonia lactiflora extract was low. Conclusions: We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it demonstrates that Paeonia lactiflora extract can be used as an antibiotic.

Phytochemical Profile, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and Antioxidant Activities of Fresh and Air-Dried Satureja nabateorum Essential Oils

Satureja nabateorum (Danin and Hedge) Bräuchler is a perennial herb in the Lamiaceae family that was discovered and classified in 1998. This green herb is restricted to the mountains overlooking the Dead Sea, specifically in Jordan’s southwest, the Edom mountains, and the Tubas mountains in Palestine. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of essential oil (EO) of air-dried and fresh S. nabateorum resulted in the identification of 30 and 42 phytochemicals accounting for 99.56 and 98.64% of the EO, respectively. Thymol (46.07 ± 1.1 and 40.64 ± 1.21%) was the major compound, followed by its biosynthetic precursors γ-terpinene (21.15 ± 1.05% and 20.65 ± 1.12%), and p-cymene (15.02 ± 1.02% and 11.51 ± 0.97%), respectively. Microdilution assay was used to evaluate the antimicrobial property of EOs against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), clinical isolate Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Enterococcus faecium (ATCC 700221) Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883), Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 700221), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Candida albicans (ATCC-90028). With a MIC of 0.135 μg/mL, the EOs has the most potent antibacterial action against K. pneumonia. Both EOs display good antifungal efficacy against C. albicans, with a MIC value of 0.75 μg/mL, which was better than that of Fluconazole’s (positive control, MIC = 1.56 μg/mL). The antioxidant capacity of EOs extracted from air-dried and fresh S. nabateorum was determined using the DPPH assay, with IC₅₀ values of 4.78 ± 0.41 and 5.37 ± 0.40 μg/mL, respectively. The tested EOs showed significant cytotoxicity against Hela, HepG2, and COLO-205 cells, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 82 ± 0.98 to 256 ± 1.95 μg/mL. The current work shows there is a possibility to use the S. nabateorum EOs for various applications.

Comparison of Nutritional Compositions and Essential Oil Profiles of Different Parts of a Dill and Two Fennel Cultivars

Fennel and dill are widely used as food additives owing to their various biological activities, such as antioxidants, antimicrobials, food-preservatives, and seasoning capacities. Herein, the nutritional composition and essential oil (EO) chemical profiles of fruits, umbels, stalks, and roots from one dill and two fennel cultivars were evaluated. The fruits had the highest content of crude protein (≥15%), crude fat (≥8%), and phosphorus (≥0.5%), and exhibited the highest total energy (≥20 MJ/kg) and EO yield (≥2%). Moreover, estragole (86.56% in Fdf), anethole (71.17% in Fhf), fenchone (16.74% in Fhf), limonene (50.19% in Agf), and carvone (42.41% in Agf) were the main components of the EOs generated from the fruits. The chemical profiles of EOs in the roots were significantly different from those of the aerial parts of the fennel and dill; thus, the roots and aerial parts could be distinguished based on myristicin (Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) = 1.90399) and apiol (VIP = 1.85922). The EO components of the aerial parts varied remarkably, and the chemical markers for differentiating these three cultivars were anethole (VIP = 1.36571), estragole (VIP = 1.30292), and carvone (VIP = 1.11947). Overall, our results provide a noteworthy chemical basis for further development of fennel and dill, especially as food additives.

Effect of Active-Edible Coating and Essential Oils on Lamb Patties Oxidation during Display

The use of natural products to reduce the use of synthetic additives in meat products, reducing the oxidation and improving the shelf life is a current challenge. Meat quality from lamb patties during 10 days of display on modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and active-edible coating were tested under six treatments: uncoated patties without coating (CON); patties with alginate coating (EC) and patties with coating and 0.1 or 0.05% of essential oils (EOs) from either thyme (TH 0.1; TH 0.05) or oregano (OR 0.1; OR 0.05). Display and treatment significantly modified (P < 0.001) all the studied meat quality variables (pH, color, water holding capacity, weight losses, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), antioxidant activity). Display produced discoloration and lipid oxidation, however, the samples with essential oils presented lower (P < 0.001) lipid oxidation than the CON or EC groups. Coated samples with or without EOs showed better color (lower lightness but higher redness and yellowness) and lower water losses (P < 0.001) than the CON. The addition of thyme EO caused a decrease (P < 0.001) in the consumer’s overall acceptability, whereas no statistical differences appeared between CON, EC and oregano EO addition. Thus, using EOs as natural antioxidants, especially those from oregano at low dosages (0.05%), could be considered a viable strategy to enhance the shelf life and the product quality of lamb meat patties without damaging the sensory acceptability.

A natural post-emergence herbicide based on essential oil encapsulation by cross-linked biopolymers: characterization and herbicidal activity

This work describes efforts to encapsulate savory (Satureja hortensis L.) essential oil (EO) with different natural polymers (i.e., Arabic gum/gelatin (AGG), apple pectin (AP), gelatin (G)) and, as a separate set of experiments, with bio cross-linkers (i.e., citric acid and transglutaminase enzyme). The phytotoxic activity of encapsulated savory EO on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and amaranth weed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) was investigated. The micro-capsules were evaluated in terms of size, polydispersity, stability, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, and release properties. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model operated when EO was being released from the micro-capsules. Carvacrol (52.5%) and γ-terpinene (30.2%) comprised the main constituents of the savory EO. Based on the results, encapsulating the EO with cross-linked biopolymers increased the stability and herbicidal activity of EO, as compared to simple EO emulsions. Maximum toxicity injuries (MTI) were caused by encapsulations of apple pectin, cross-linked with APe enzyme (15 ml/L) on both plant species. MTI were observed 2 days after using the micro-encapsulated herbicides (MCHs). However, the injury caused by MCHs on tomato was not significant. The lowest values of fresh weight (2.80 g), chlorophyll a (0.194 mg/g Fw), and total chlorophyll content (0.219 mg/g Fw) of amaranth occurred in response to APe (15 ml/L). Moreover, using AP(e) (10 ml/L) caused the lowest values of starch (0.444 mg/g Fw) and flavonoid contents (4.18 mg Cat/g Fw) in amaranth which measured as 59% and 90% reductions, respectively, in comparison with the control. The highest values of MDA (0.0109 nmol/g Fw) and H₂O₂ (0.0432 μmol/g Fw) were observed in amaranth plants treated with AP(e) (10 ml/L). In summary, cross-linked apple pectin can perform well in slow release delivery systems of agrochemicals. It can be recommended for use in the production of commercial, EO-based natural herbicides.

Analysis of the Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and Antioxidant Activities of Cnidium officinale Extracts

This study analyzed the antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antioxidant properties of Cnidiumofficinale (CO) extracts to confirm their antimicrobial activity toward oral microorganisms. The control group contained 0 μg/mL of CO, and the experimental groups contained 50, 100, 150, and 200 μg/mL of CO. To confirm the antibacterial activity of CO extracts against microorganisms in the oral cavity, an inhibition zone test, a colony-forming unit (CFU) analysis, an optical density (OD) evaluation, and a SEM (scanning electron microscopy) analysis were performed. A cytotoxicity test was also conducted to determine cell viability, and the contents of flavonoids and polyphenols were measured to analyze the extract components. In the control group, the growth inhibition zone increased, while the CFU and OD values decreased (p < 0.05). The SEM analysis confirmed that the number of microorganisms for both the microbes decreased. The cell viability was more than 80% in both the control and experimental groups, excluding the 200 μg/mL sample. The flavonoid and polyphenol contents in the experimental groups showed higher values than those of the control group. Therefore, the CO extract showed considerable antimicrobial activity toward both Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, suggesting that it may be used as a natural antimicrobial agent for dental applications.

Essential Oil Chemical Variability in Oliveria decumbens (Apiaceae) from Different Regions of Iran and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors

Oliveria decumbens Vent. (Apiaceae) is an annual herb resistant to harsh environmental conditions, which has got numerous pharmacological, food and feed, and cosmetic applications. In the present study, the variation in the essential oil (EO) content and composition of twelve O. decumbens populations growing wild in several habitats of Iran was studied. The EO contents varied from 2.71% (Darab) to 8.52% (Behbahan) on a dry matter basis, where the latter population revealed to be the highest source of essential oil reported so far in this species. Gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that carvacrol (18.8-51.8%), thymol (20.3-38.7%), γ-terpinene (0.9-28.8%), p-cymene (1.6-21.3%) and myristicin (0.8-9.9%) were the major volatile compounds in all the investigated populations. The EO content had a strong and significant positive correlation with temperature (r = 0.62) and sand content (r = 0.73), but a strong and significant negative correlation with altitude (r = -0.61). On the other hand, the rising altitude led to an increase in thymol content. Cluster and principal component analyses placed the samples from different regions into two main groups based on the main EO components, including thymol/carvacrol type and γ-terpinene/thymol/carvacrol/p-cymene type. This study provides valuable information for identifying chemotypes in O. decumbens as well as insight into planning a domestication and cultivation program.