Chemical Composition of Essential Oils of Seven Polygonum Species from Turkey: A Chemotaxonomic Approach

Antigenotoxic and Life-Prolonging Effects of Flavoured Kombuchas on Drosophila melanogaster

Research background

Kombucha is a fermented beverage with several health benefits; however, to improve its antioxidant activity, new raw materials such as hop, madimak and hawthorn were included in the present study.

Experimental approach

The somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) was performed on the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to evaluate the antigenotoxic potential of black tea-flavoured kombucha and three other flavours of kombuchas (hop, madimak and hawthorn) against H2O2- and K2Cr2O7-induced genotoxicity. Furthermore, a lifespan assay was performed to assess the effects of kombuchas on the longevity of the fruit fly.

Results and conclusions

According to the results obtained from the SMART assay, hop-flavoured kombucha attenuated genotoxicity induced by H2O2, and madimak-flavoured kombucha reduced genotoxicity induced by H2O2 and K2Cr2O7. Black tea- and hop-flavoured kombucha prolonged the lifespan of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) after the treatment with H2O2 and K2Cr2O7.

Novelty and scientific contribution

Hop-flavoured kombucha is a promising antioxidant that protects the genome and extends the lifespan of the fruit fly. This study sheds light on novel beverages that can combat ageing and protect against genotoxicity.

The genus Polygonum: An updated comprehensive review of its ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological activities, toxicology, and phytopharmaceutical formulation

Polygonum is a plant genus that includes annual and perennial species and is found at various temperatures, from northern temperate regions to tropical and subtropical areas. The genus Polygonum has been used for centuries for various disorders, including hypertension, intestinal and stomach pain, dysuria, jaundice, toothaches, skin allergies, hemorrhoids, cardiac disorders, kidney stones, hemostasis, hyperglycemia, and others. Various databases, including Google Scholar, Scifinder, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, ResearchGate, and Web of Science, were utilized to collect pertinent scientific literature data. According to bibliographic studies, the Polygonum genus possesses various compounds from different families, including phenolic acids (gallic acid, caffeic acid, quinic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, and many other compounds), flavonoids (quercetin, catechin, epicatechin, quercitrin, kaempferol, myricetin, etc.), tannins, stilbenes (polydatin and resveratrol), terpenes (α-pinene, β-caryophyllene and β-caryophyllene oxide, bisabolene, β-farnesene, etc.), fatty acids (decanoic acid, lauric acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, dodecanoic acid), polysaccharides, and others. Various chemical and biological activities (in vitro and in vivo), such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiparasitic, hepatoprotective, neuropharmacological, gastroprotective, diuretic, antipyretic, and others, have been described in several biological studies involving this species. An updated summary of Polygonum species and their ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, toxicological, pharmacological, and phytopharmaceutical formulations is necessary. Considering the numerous potentialities of the Polygonum species and their wide-ranging use, it is extremely essential to provide knowledge by compiling the accessible literature to identify the topics of intense investigation and the main gaps to better design future studies. The objective of this review is to give readers a better understanding, greater comprehension, and in-depth knowledge of the genus Polygonum's traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicological features, and galenic formulation. Several species of this genus have been detailed in this review, including those that were frequently used in traditional medicine (P. minus, P. aviculare, P. hydropiper, P. cuspidatum, and P. multiflorum) and many of the genus' therapeutic species, like P. equisetiforme, which do not get enough attention.

Phytochemical profiling, in vitro biological activities, and in silico (molecular docking and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity) studies of Polygonum cognatum Meissn

Polygonum cognatum Meissn, a perennial herbaceous belonging to the Polygonaceae family, is an aromatic plant. High-performance liquid chromatography/diode array detector method was developed and validated for the phytochemical analysis of the plant. Also, various methods were used to investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of the methanolic extracts. Antioxidant activities were researched by 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity methods. Among the tested standard microbial strains, Candida albicans was found to be more sensitive with a 24.60 ± 0.55 mm inhibition zone according to the diffusion tests. In the microdilution tests, the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration values were 4.75 and ≥ 4.75 mg/mL, respectively, for all tested pathogens. Human colon carcinoma cells were used to investigate cytotoxicity by using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide analysis (IC50  = 2891 μg/mL for Plant A, IC50  = 3291 μg/mL for Plant B). Molecular docking and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity analysis were used to explain inhibition mechanisms of major phenolic compounds of plants against Tankyrase 1, Tankyrase 2 enzymes, and deoxyribonucleic acid gyrase subunit B and found compatible with experimental results.

Yield and Composition of the Essential Oil of the Opopanax Genus in Turkey

The genus Opopanax W. Koch (Apiaceae) is represented by four species in Turkey. The composition of the essential oil of Opopanax genus members (Apiaceae) growing in Turkey was investigated in this study. GC-MS was used to analyze the composition of Opopanax essential oil samples that were taken from their natural environments. The Clevenger apparatus was used to hydrodistill the plant’s aerial parts, and the yields were determined to be between 0.2% v/w (for O. siifolius) and 0.4% (for O. hispidus, O. chironium, and O. persicus). The results and the chemical data provided some information and clues on the chemotaxonomy of the genus Opopanax. In this study, γ-elemene, butanoic acid octyl ester, and cylopropane were the main compounds identified in the essential oils of O. chironium, O. hispidus, and O. persicus. In particular, hexynyl n-valerate was most abundant in the essential oil of O. chironium, cyclopropane in that of O. hispidus, γ-elemene in that of O. persicus, and n-hexadecanoic acid/palmitic acid in that of O. siifolius. In a chemotaxonomic approach, the essential oil analysis of the Opopanax species revealed that these species conformed in a cluster analysis with their morphological classification. The constituents of the essential oils of all examined in the genus Opopanax were determined in this study, which is the most thorough one to date. This study provides new information about the composition of the essential oils of the investigated species.

Molecular Structure, Electronic Properties, Reactivity (ELF, LOL, and Fukui), and NCI-RDG Studies of the Binary Mixture of Water and Essential Oil of Phlomis bruguieri

Essential oils are volatile oil-like liquids with a characteristic strong smell and taste. They are formed in plants and are then extracted. Essential oils have extremely strong physiological and pharmacological properties, which are used in the medicine, cosmetics, and food industries. In this study, the molecules caryophyllene oxide, β-pinene, 1,8-cineol, α-cubebene, and β-caryophyllene, which are the molecules with the highest contents in the essential oil of the plant mentioned in the title, were selected and theoretical calculations describing their interactions with water were performed. Because oil–water mixtures are very important in biology and industry and are ubiquitous in nature, quantum chemical calculations for binary mixtures of water with caryophyllene oxide, β-pinene, 1,8-cineol, α-cubebene, and β-caryophyllene were performed using the density functional theory (DFT)/B3LYP method with a basis of 6–31 G (d, p). Molecular structures, HOMO–LUMO energies, electronic properties, reactivity (ELF, LOL, and Fukui), and NCI-RDG and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) on surfaces of the main components of Phlomis bruguieri Desf. essential oil were calculated and described.