مجله تحقیقات گیاهان دارویی و معطر ایران
سال سی و سوم شماره 2 (پیاپی 82، خرداد و تیر 1396)

Pimpinella,with about 170-180 species in the world, is one of the largest genus of Apiaceae. Based on the flora of Iran, there are 25 species of Pimpinella in Iranian plateau, so that 22 species with six endemic species are found in Iran. P. olivierioides Boiss. & Hausskn. is distributed in West and Central Iran. The aim of this study was to determine chemical composition of P. olivierioides essential oil. The plant parts of P. olivieroides were collected at flowering stage from Nahavand (Hamedan Province), on July 2012. The plant organs including stem and leaf and inflorescence were dried in laboratory and crushed to particles. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The yield of stem and leaf essential oils (w/w dried weight) was 0.09%, root 0.52% and inflorescence 0.57%. The major components of stem and leaf, root and inflorescence essential oils were Germacrene D (36.5%, 21.9% and 11.1%), Bicyclogermacrene (7.5%, 15.9% and 4.4%), respectively. b-bisabolene (24.9%) was found only in root essential oil. Trans-pinocamphene (14.7%) and cis-pinocamphene (13.4%) were found only in stem and leaf essential oils. The interesting thing about the essential oils was their colors. The color of stem and leaf, root and inflorescence essential oils was light blue, blue, and green grass, respectively. Our results clearly showed that very different compositions were found in the essential oil of P. olivierioides organs.

Catharanthus roseus L. is one of the most important medicinal plants in the world. The alkaloids of this plant inhibit mitosis. Herbal periwinkle (Vinca herbacea L.) is the unique species of this genus, growing in north of Iran. In this study, anti-mitosis effects of Herbal periwinkle was studied related to Madagascaric for its effects on onion root meristem cells. The alkaloids of these plants were extracted by some different solvents including alcohol, ether, and chloroform and dried by vacuum rotary evaporator. Onions of the same size after three days were rooted in distilled water. The roots of the onions were treated at doses of zero, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 mg/ml alkaloids for 8 and 24 hours. The data analysis was performed with Minitab software and Tukey test. The results showed that alkaloids of both species presented antimitotic effect. Alkaloids of both species reduced and/or inhibited cell division and mitosis phases. Generally, alkaloids caused a drastic reduction of cell division and chromosome station at the end of prophase and chromosome condensation. Comparison of analysis of variance and the means in some cases showed significant difference for both species with the control (alkaloid at a concentration of zero). The alkaloid contents of the two species significantly affected chromosome condensation and separation like colchicine. The alkaloids of both species were usable for plant cytology studies similar to colchicine but the Madagascar periwinkle resulted better than native herbal periwinkle.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) on liver necrosis induced by copper sulfate in rats. Twenty-eight male rats were divided into four groups as follows: 1) Normal, 2) Toxicant control (CuSo4 was given orally (200 mg/kg b.w), 3) Purslane was given orally (400 mg/kg b.w) and 4) Toxicant purslane. At the end of the four weeks, all the rats were sacrificed and some biochemical parameters of serum such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and concentrations of alondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in serum were estimated. CuSo4 significantly increased the levels of ALT, AST, and MDA and decreased the levels of CAT, SOD, and GPx in toxicant rats. The toxicant purslane group restored these changes to normal levels. Histopathological findings are consistent with biochemical findings. Purslane has a hepatoprotective effect on CuSo4-induced hepatic damage in rats and these effects might be contributed to modulation of detoxification enzymes and antioxidant and free radical scavenger effects.

In order to study the mineral elements of Rubia tinctorum L. under salinity conditions, four levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 60, 120, 180) kg ha-1 in the form of urea, and four levels of phosphorous fertilizer (0, 60, 120, 180) kg ha-1 in the form of triple super phosphate were used. The study elements were nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, iron, and zinc. The experiment was conducted in a research farm in Isfahan and was arranged as factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results demonstrated that the effects of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers on element concentration were significant. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization could increase the content of N, P, Ca, Fe and Zn and decrease of Na and improved Rubia yield. The interaction between nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers had more positive impacts on yield and nutrient accumulation as compared with simple effects. In the use of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers together, the maximum increase in yield of aerial parts was 0.43 kg m-2 (threefold more than that of the control) and the highest root yield was 0.78 kg m-2 (about twofold more than that of the control). The application of certain levels of fertilizers had notable effects on increasing nutrient concentration and yield under saline conditions. The optimum level of both urea and phosphate fertilizers was generally 180 kg ha-1 and if these levels of fertilizers are used together, it would give more desirable outcome.

Given the extent of saline lands in Iran, cultivation and utilization of halophytes and salt tolerant species under the condition that both water and soil are saline could be a viable option in production and extraction of vegetable oils from halophytes and salt tolerant species. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of Suaeda fruticosa (L.) Forssk. and Salicornia herbacea L. as a source of edible oil as well as qualitative and quantitative analysis of the oil. For this purpose, the seeds of Suaeda fruticosa and Salicornia herbacea were collected from saline soils of Garmsar and Kal-e Shur Desert Research Station. In this study, a random sampling was done by replicated plots. The extraction of fatty acids was performed by solvent in Soxhlet method, and GC was used to analyze the fatty acids. The average oil yield was calculated to be 30.76 and 13.88% in Suaeda fruticosa and Salicornia herbacea, respectively. According to the results, in both species, palmitic acid and linoleic acid were identified as the major saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. Our data clearly indicate that the seeds of halophyte Suaeda fruticosa could be used as a source of oil for human consumption.

This research was aimed to achieve the optimal protocol for micropropagation of shallot (Allium stipitatum) via basal disc. For regeneration, the basal disc explants were cultured on Murashig & Skoog (MS) medium containing different concentrations of Benzyladenine (BA) (0, 1 & 2 mgl-1) and Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (0, 0.5 & 1 mgl-1). The regenerated bulblets were rooted on MS and ½MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of BA, NAA, Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and activated charcoal (AC). The rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized under ex vitro conditions. The results indicated that the maximum number of bulblet (12.66) was observed on medium containing 2 mg.l-1 BA and 1 mg.l-1 NAA. In addition, the highest root number (1.77) and length (2.55 cm) were observed on 1 mg.l-1 IAA and 1 g.l-1 activated charcoal and the survival rate was 100% in pots filled with a coco peat: perlite: peat moss (1:2:1 v/v) mixture. This research could be a suitable method for micropropagation of this endangered plant.Hence, the rapid micropropagation of shallot is compulsory because of its various applications and extinction.

The aim of this study was to investigate the essential oil composition, total phenol and flavonoid, antioxidant activities and the effect of ecological factors on distribution of Salvia aethiopis L.in Hezar Jerib region of Behshahr, Mazandaran province. Five samples of flowering branches were collected in early June 2016 from the highlands of the study area and extracted with water distillation method. In addition, five soil samples were taken to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of soil. Oil composition was identified by (GC) and (GC/MS). The ethanol samples were extracted by percolation method. Total phenol (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) of methanolic extracts were measured by spectrophotometry and antioxidant activity was measured by scavenging free radicals of DPPH. The most important of ecological factors affecting the distribution of species were identified by PCA method. Seven compounds were identified in the essential oil. The major components in the flower essential oil were β-caryophyllene (28.64) and 1,6-cyclodecadiene (24.98) while β-caryophyllene (30.3) and copaene (23.3) were the major components in the leaf essential oil. Ecological factors affecting the distribution of Salvia aethiopis werealtitude, Caco3, organic matter, pH, calcium, silt, sand, and direction.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) from Lamiaceae family is one of the most widely used medicinal plants. In addition to therapeutic effects, it is used as flavoring in the production of various foods and medicinal products. In addition to genotype, the quality and quantity of active ingredients in medicinal plants are influenced by environmental factors. This research was aimed to study the effects of drought stress and jasmonic acid on the quality and quantity of peppermint as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design at University of Zanjan in 2015. The treatments consisted of three irrigation levels [50%, 75%, and 100% (control) of field capacity] as main factor and three concentrations of jasmonic acid (0, 50, and 100 mg l-1) as sub-factor. Rhizomes of plants were used for plant production. The plant samples were collected at flowering stage and after drying in the shade, the essential oil was extracted with water distillation method by Clevenger apparatus. The essential oil components were identified by GC and GC-MS. The results showed that the highest fresh and dry weight, height, total chlorophyll and relative leaf water content were obtained in control with 100 mg l-1 jasmonic acid. The highest peroxidase enzyme content was obtained at 50% field capacity drought stress with 100 mg l-1 jasmonic acid. The highest essential oil content was obtained at 75% field capacity drought stress with application of 50 mg l-1 jasmonic acid. The main essential oil components were menthol, menthon, 1,8-cineole, cyclohexanol, and methyl acetate. The highest amounts of menthol, menton, and 1,8-cineole were obtained from 100 mg l-1 jasmonic acid and the highest amount of cyclohexanol was obtained from 50 mg l-1 jasmonic acid. However, application of jasmonic acid decreased the amount of methyl acetate from 7.24% in control to 0.56% in 100 mg l-1 of JA treatment.

In order to investigate the possible influence of seasonal variation on the percentage of seed oil and total phenolic content in seeds and leaf of safflower, three populations (19 accessions) including 6 cultivars of cultivated species (Carthamus tinctorius), 4 genotypes of wild species (C. oxyacanthus) and 9 genotypes of F5 generation derived from inter-specific cross (C. tinctorius× C. oxyacanthus) in two sowing dates, were evaluated. The results showed the effect of planting dates was significant on the percentage of seed oil and total phenolic content of seeds (p

The effects of applications of humic acid and planting density on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) were evaluated under field conditions. Treatments were of four levels of humic acid (0, 5, 10 and 15 Kg.ha-1) and three density planting (50, 75 and 100 corms.m-2). This experiment was carried out as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications in research farm of Birjand University, Iran, during growing season 2015. Flower fresh weight and fresh and dry weight of stigma were influenced by humic acid treatments. The highest flower fresh weight (0.36g.m-2) was obtained in plants treated with 5 kg.ha-1 humic acid while the lowest values were recorded in the control (0.33g.m-2). However, no significant difference was found in yield and flower number of saffron, length of stigma and style, fresh weight and dry weight of style under different levels of humic acid treatments. Results showed that humic acid improved the leaf growth indices (leaf length, fresh weight, and dry weight of leaf) and photosynthetic pigments (chl b, total chl and spad). The highest leaf length, fresh and dry weight of leaf, chl b, total chl and spad were obtained in plants treated with 10 kg.ha-1 humic acid while the lowest values were recorded in the control. Application of different levels of planting density had a positive effect on the yield and flower number, length of stigma, length of leaf, fresh and dry weight of leaf in saffron. The highest flower number (22.25per.m-2) and yield (8.22g.m-2) were observed in planting density of 100 corms.m-2. Interactive effects of humic acid and density had a positive effect on the flower yield, length and dry weight of stigma, fresh weight and length of leaf and chl b.

Salvia leriifolia Benth., belonging to Lamiaceae, has antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. In order to callus induction from apical meristem and embryo of salvia leriifolia to produce phenolic acids, an experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design. The apical meristem and embryo explants were cultured in MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (0, 1, 2, 3mg/L), KIN (0, 0.3, 1mg/L), BAP (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3mg/L) and NAA (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5mg/L). The fresh and dry weights were evaluated and accumulation of phenolic acids was measured after four weeks of culture by HPLC. The best treatments for callus induction and growth was at the 2,4-D 2mg/L and KIN 1mg/L. Accumulation of caffeic acid in embryo callus was higher than that of leaves of Salvia leriifolias and concentration of rosmarinic acid was comparable to the leaves. The highest salvianolic acid B concentration was found in callus of apical meristem that was about four times higher than that of leaves.

To investigate the effects of nano-chelate spraying of Iron, chemical -synthesis and green-synthesis silver nanoparticles on the expression of two genes, germacrene A synthase (TpGAS) and parthenolide synthase (TpPTS) genes which are involved in the parthenolide biosynthesis pathway of Tanacetum parthenium L., a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design was conducted with three replications. The experiment took place in the greenhouse of Zabol University in Iran. At first, the total RNA from samples of leaves, and then the synthesis of cDNA were extracted. Afterward, Real Time PCR analysis was used to determine gene expression patterns. Parthenolide concentration was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The analysis of the data was conducted by SAS software, and there was a significant increase in the expressions of both germacrene A synthase (TpGAS) and parthenolide synthase (TpPTS) genes of treated plants with green-synthesis silver nanoparticles in compare with the control plants, and some plants which were treated by chemical- synthesis silver nanoparticles and nano-chelate of Iron. Furthermore, the maximum expressions of both germacrene A synthase (TpGAS) and parthenolide synthase (TpPTS) genes were identified in groups of plants which were under the influence of drought stress, or were treated by green-synthesis silver nanoparticles. A positive relation was seen between the expressions of germacrene A synthase genes (TpGAS) and parthenolide synthase (TpPTS) genes with the amount of parthenolide itself. It can be concluded that green-synthesis silver nanoparticles and water deficit stress can cause an increase on the expressions of parthenolide and germacrene A synthase genes, and as result of that, cause an increase on parthenolide production of Tanacetum parthenium.

Oak, pistachio, andwild almond treescover a vast area of Zagros forests. Fruits of these species have a lot of characteristics as a nutrition source. This study was aimed to comparison of fatty acid composition of fruit oil from Acorn, Pistacia atlantica Desf. and four wild almond species (A. scoparia, A. arabica, A. elaeagnifolia and A. haussknechtii). This research was carried out in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. At the first step in each region, 5 trees were selected, randomly. Then, 1 kg seed was harvested from different parts of each tree crown. The oils of the dried powder from fruits were extracted by the Soxhlet method.The results indicated that the main fatty acids in the six species were monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic acid. MUFA in the amygdalus species, Pistacia atlantica and Quercus brantti seeds were 80.41%, 51.7% and 45.8%, respectively. Also, PUFA in the amygdalus species, Pistacia atlantica and Quercus brantti seeds were 13.3%, 22.8% and 25.4%, respectively. Saturated fatty acids of the Pistacia atlantica were higher than other species. The fruits of wild almond species, specially Amygdalus scoparia and Amygdalus Arabica, are more important because of more desirable fatty acid composition (monounsaturated fatty acids) compared to other species.

In order to investigate the response of yield and yield components of two medicinal plants i.e, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) to chemical fertilizer and organic manure, a factorial experiment was conducted in two sequential years in a randomized complete blocks design at the research farm, College of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, in 2014 and 2015. The factors consisted of two species of medicinal plants (fenugreek (legume) and buckwheat (non-legume)) and three different sources of fertilizer (chemical fertilizer, chemical fertilizer organic manure and organic manure). The results indicated that application of organic manure compared to chemical fertilizer in buckwheat significantly increased plant height (17.76%) and branches/plant (8%) in 2014, seeds/spike(28 and 19.53% in 2014 and 2015, respectively), seed yield (40.24 and 26.57% in 2014 and 2015, respectively), and biological yield (34.66 and 47.74% in the 2014 and 2015, respectively). Aapplication of organic manure compared to chemical fertilizer increased branches/plant (8%) and biological yield (25%) of fenugreek in 2014. Additionally, combination of organic manure with chemical fertilizer (50:50) compared to chemical fertilizer in the buckwheat significantly increased plant height (10.35%, in the 2015), seed yield (52.21 and 17.19% in 2014 and 2015, respectively), biological yield (24.86 and 26.35% in 2014 and 2015, respectively) and harvest index (21.53%, in 2014). Integrated fertilizer compared to chemical fertilizer increased branches plant -1 (16.70%, in 2014) and seed yield (14.40%, in 2015) in fenugreek. Finally, organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer organic manure could be a suitable alternative for chemical fertilizer in cultivation of medicinal plant buckwheat (non-legume), but replacement of organic fertilizer in production of fenugreek may increase biological yield compared to chemical fertilizer.