Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of Essential Oil of Ten Labiatae Species

RSM and ANN-Based Optimized Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Functional Components from Olive Fruit (cv Arbequina): Assessment of Antioxidant Attributes and GC-MS Metabolites Profiling

The current study devises an optimized ethanolic extraction for efficient recovery of high-value components from Pakistani olives (cv. Arbequina) using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networking (ANN). Four factors such as time, temperature, solvent concentration, and solute weight (g/100 mL) were evaluated as independent variables for determining the response (% yield). The results obtained under optimum extraction conditions such as duration (25 min), temperature (45 °C), solvent concentration (65 %; ethanol: water v/v), and solute (7.50 g/100 mL) offered bioactives extract yield of 40.96 % from Arbiquina olives. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the RSM model showed significant p-values and a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9960, confirming model's reliability. The results of ANN, which employed the multilayer perceptron design, were fairly in line with the findings of the experiments. The antioxidant characteristics and GC-MS metabolite profile of the obtained extracts were examined. Arbequina olive extract (AOE) demonstrated very good antioxidant ability in terms of total phenolic, total flavonoid contents, and DPPH radical scavenging. The GC-MS analysis of AOE confirmed the presence of several bioactives, including oleic acid (36.22 %), hydroxytyrosol (3.95 %), tyrosol (3.32 %), β-sitosterol (2.10 %), squalene (1.10 %), sinapic acid (0.67 %), α-tocopherol (0.66 %), vanillic acid (0.56 %), 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (0.31 %), and quercetin (0.21 %). The suggested optimized extraction method can be employed to efficiently extract a wide variety of high-value components from olives with potential for nutraceutical applications.

Comparative Anti-Cancer and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oils from the Bark and Flower of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils

This study was designed to compare the antioxidant, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects of essential oils from the bark and flower of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. Distillation extraction and steam distillation were used to extract EOs from the bark and flower. The results showed that the contents of EOs of SDE-F and SDE-B were much higher than that of SD-F and SD-B. EOs from the bark were rich in eudesmol (especially α-eudesmol) and exhibited a stronger antioxidant effect than the flower. The anti-tumor effects of SD-B and SD-F on HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cells were better than that of SDE-B and SDE-F. The inhibitory rates of SD-B and SD-F on MDA-MB-231 cells were 59.21% and 48.27%, exceeding that of positive control 5-fluorouracil (47.04%) at 50 μg/mL. All four EOs exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activities through the regulation of nitric oxide production and pro-inflammation cytokines in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and they also remarkably suppressed the mRNA expressions of nitric oxide synthase, IL-6 and TNF-α at the concentration higher than that of positive control dexamethasone. These results indicated significant differences in the composition, and anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities of EOs extracted by different methods and provided a theoretical basis for their development and utilization.

Bio-active compounds and major biomedical properties of basil (Ocimum basilicum, lamiaceae)

Due to the numerous health benefits and therapeutic properties, herbs and plant metabolites/extracts are gaining popularity. This is particularly evident in the current era of drug resistance and the adverse effects of chemical drugs. Ocimum basilicum, also known as basil, has been extensively studied for its pharmacological benefits, including antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and wound healing properties. As a result, this plant has the potential to treat a wide range of diseases in both humans and animals. Ocimum basilicum contains various bioactive chemical compounds, such as neryl acetate, 1,8-cineole, p-allylanisole, geraniol, methyl eugenol, methyl chavicol, and trans-α-bergamotene. The latest advancements in technology can be utilised to enhance the beneficial properties of raw Ocimum basilicum extract. This review compiles and presents the profile of phytocomponents and pharmacological properties of Ocimum basilicum. The findings presented here will contribute to further research on this remarkable herb, aiming to develop effective pharmaceutical solutions for various health issues in humans and animals.

HPLC-DAD Analysis, SFE-CO2 Extraction, and Antibacterial Activity on Bioactive Compounds from Mosla chinensis Maxim

Mosla chinensis Maxim is an annual herb with many potential purposes in agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical fields. At present, the extract of the whole plant from M. chinensis has been proven to demonstrate antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Previous studies focused on the enzyme pretreatment in hydrodistillation from M. chinensis. However, organic solvent or supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction (SFE-CO2) methods, which are commonly utilized in industry, have seldom been studied and cannot provide multiple evaluations of yield. In this work, we analysed compounds from M. chinensis by HPLC-DAD, discussed n-hexane extraction, and conducted further investigations on SFE-CO2 through the design of response surface methodology (RSM). The sample obtained from pilot-scale SFE-CO2 was also tested against nine kinds of microorganisms. Single-factor results revealed that the extraction rates from M. chinensis by steam distillation, n-hexane extraction, and SFE-CO2 were 1%, 2.09%, and 3.26%, respectively. RSM results showed a significant improvement in extraction rate through optimising pressure and time, and the interaction of both factors was more important than that of temperature-pressure and temperature-time. A pilot-scale test with an extraction rate of 3.34% indicated that the predicted RSM condition was operable. In addition, samples from the pilot-scale SFE-CO2 showed antibacterial effects against three previously unreported bacteria (Gardnerella vaginalis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Propionibacterium acnes). These results fill the gap in previous research and provide more information for the application and development of M. chinensis in the future.

Mediterranean Plants with Antimicrobial Activity against Staphylococcus aureus, a Meta-Analysis for Green Veterinary Pharmacology Applications

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a global health crisis, necessitating the search for innovative strategies to combat infectious diseases. The unique biodiversity of Italian flora offers a treasure trove of plant species and their associated phytochemicals, which hold immense potential as a solution to address AMR. By investigating the antimicrobial properties of Italian flora and their phytochemical constituents, this study aims to shed light on the potential of phyto-complexes as a valuable resource for developing novel or supportive antimicrobial agents useful for animal production.

Exploring the Potential of Myrothamnus flabellifolius Welw. (Resurrection Tree) as a Phytogenic Feed Additive in Animal Nutrition

Simple Summary

The unregulated use of in-feed antibiotic growth promoters has received widespread condemnation due to an increase in cases of antibiotic-resistant microbes. This has fueled an ever-growing demand for new sources of natural and safe alternative products with minimal impacts on the environment and human health in animal production. Myrothamnus flabellifolius, as a phytogenic feed additive, fits this description, as it is a natural plant containing high amounts of secondary metabolites necessary for cell function, regulation, and protection for improved animal growth, performance, and health. With some limitations towards its use, several processing and combination strategies are available to unlock nutrients and explore its potential in animal production, as described in this review.

Abstract

Myrothamnus flabellifolius (Welw.) is used in African traditional medicine for the treatment of depression and mental disorder, asthma, infectious diseases, respiratory, inflammation, epilepsy, heart, wound, backaches, diabetes, kidney ailments, hypertension, hemorrhoids, gingivitis, shingles, stroke, and skins conditions. The effectiveness of M. flabellifolius is due to the presence of several secondary metabolites that have demonstrated efficacy in other cell and animal models. These metabolites are key in cell regulation and function and have potential use in animal production due to antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, for an improvement in growth performance, feed quality and palatability, gut microbial environment, function, and animal health. The purpose of this review is to provide a detailed account on the potential use of M. flabellifolius in animal nutrition. Limitations towards the use of this plant in animal nutrition, including toxicity, economic, and financial issues are discussed. Finally, novel strategies and technologies, e.g., microencapsulation, microbial fermentation, and essential oil extraction, used to unlock and improve nutrient bioaccessibility and bioavailability are clearly discussed towards the potential use of M. flabellifolius as a phytogenic additive in animal diets.

Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms of Total Flavonoids from Mosla scabra against Influenza A Virus-Induced Pneumonia by Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification

Influenza virus is one of the most common infectious pathogens that could cause high morbidity and mortality in humans. However, the occurrence of drug resistance and serious complications extremely complicated the clinic therapy. Mosla scabra is a natural medicinal plant used for treating various lung and gastrointestinal diseases, including viral infection, cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute gastroenteritis, and diarrhoea. But the therapeutic effects of this herbal medicine had not been expounded clearly. In this study, a network pharmacology approach was employed to investigate the protective mechanism of total flavonoids from M. scabra (MSTF) against influenza A virus- (IAV-) induced acute lung damage and inflammation. The active compounds of MSTF were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and then evaluated according to their oral bioavailability and drug-likeness index. The potential targets of each active compound in MSTF were identified by using PharmMapper Server, whereas the potential genes involved in IAV infection were obtained from GeneGards. The results showed that luteoloside, apigenin, kaempherol, luteolin, mosloflavone I, and mosloflavone II were the main bioactive compounds found in MSTF. Primarily, 23 genes were identified as the targets of those five active compounds, which contributed to the inactivation of chemical carcinogenesis ROS, lipid and atherosclerosis, MAPK signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, proteoglycans in cancer, and viral carcinogenesis. Finally, the animal experiments validated that MSTF improved IAV-induced acute lung inflammation via inhibiting MAPK, PI3K-AKT, and oxidant stress pathways. Therefore, our study demonstrated the potential inhibition of MSTF on viral pneumonia in mice and provided a strategy to characterize the molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine by a combinative method using network pharmacology and experimental validation.

The Role of Saponins in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain caused by tissue injury or disease involving the somatosensory nervous system, which seriously affects the patient's body function and quality of life. At present, most clinical medications for the treatment of neuropathic pain, including antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, or analgesics, often have limited efficacy and non-negligible side effects. As a bioactive and therapeutic component extracted from Chinese herbal medicine, the role of the effective compounds in the prevention and treatment of neuropathic pain have gradually become a research focus to explore new analgesics. Notably, saponins have shown analgesic effects in a large number of animal models. In this review, we summarized the most updated information of saponins, related to their analgesic effects in neuropathic pain, and the recent progress on the research of therapeutic targets and the potential mechanisms. Furthermore, we put up with some perspectives on future investigation to reveal the precise role of saponins in neuropathic pain.

Plant-Derived Antioxidants: Significance in Skin Health and the Ageing Process

Natural substances have traditionally been used in skin care for centuries. There is now an ongoing search for new natural bioactives that not only promote skin health but also protect the skin against various harmful factors, including ultraviolet radiation and free radicals. Free radicals, by disrupting defence and restoration mechanisms, significantly contribute to skin damage and accelerate ageing. Natural compounds present in plants exhibit antioxidant properties and the ability to scavenge free radicals. The increased interest in plant chemistry is linked to the growing interest in plant materials as natural antioxidants. This review focuses on aromatic and medicinal plants as a source of antioxidant substances, such as polyphenols, tocopherols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and macromolecules (including polysaccharides and peptides) as well as components of essential oils, and their role in skin health and the ageing process.

Chemical composition of essential oils from Thymus mongolicus, Cinnamomum verum, and Origanum vulgare and their acaricidal effects on Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Chemical acaricides are mainly used in traditional tick control, which leads to the emergence of tick resistance and concurrently results in environmental pollution. In the present study, the chemical constituents of essential oils (EOs) from Thymus mongolicus, Cinnamomum verum, and Origanum vulgare was analyzed, and their potential application was evaluated to control the vector tick Haemaphysalis longicornis, which is widely distributed over vast areas of Eurasia, Australia, and New Zealand. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the phenols thymol and carvacrol accounted for 34.66% and 75.72% of the EOs of T. mongolicus and O. vulgare, respectively, whereas trans-cinnamaldehyde (49.42%) was the main constituent of C. verum EO. Immersion tests showed that the EOs of C. verum and O. vulgare had significant acaricidal activity against larval H. longicornis, with the 50% lethal concentration (LC50) being 16.07 and 18.02 mg/mL, respectively, and the 95% lethal concentration (LC95) being 120.37 and 130.09 mg/mL, respectively. The EOs of O. vulgare and T. mongolicus showed significant acaricidal activity against unfed adult H. longicornis, with LC50 being 43.50 and 44.21 mg/mL, respectively, and LC95 being 113.66 and 137.99 mg/mL, respectively. The fumigant toxicity test showed significant acaricidal activity of the three EOs against both unfed and engorged nymphal and adult H. longicornis. Enzyme assays revealed that the EOs of both C. verum and O. vulgare significantly inhibited glutathione S-transferase activity (P < 0.05). In contrast, the activities of carboxylesterase and multifunction oxidases were significantly inhibited by EOs extracted from all three plants (P < 0.05). Taken together, these findings suggest that plant EOs may serve as an environment-friendly alternative for synthetic acaricides in future tick control.