نشریه اکوفیتو شیمی گیاهان دارویی
سال یازدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 41، بهار 1402)

In this study, the essential oils of Thymus daenensis and Thymus fedtschenkoi were investigated in terms of phytochemical, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. After identifying the essential compounds of these two species of thyme, their antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecium), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis), and fungus (Candida albicans) were investigated. For this purpose, the flowering branches of T. daenensis and T. fedtschenkoi were collected at full flowering stage from west of Iran (Arak and Hamedan, respectively) in June. Then, the constituents of the essential oils were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). To determine the sensitivity of microbial agents to the essential oil of these plants, disk diffusion and microdilution methods were used. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the essential oils of both plants were determined against bacteria and fungi. Based on the results, the essential oil content of T. daenensis (3.4%) was more than that of T. fedtschenkoi (2.9%). The main compositions of the essential oils of T. fedtschenkoi ​​ and T. daenensis were linalool (83.1%) and thymol (73.9%), respectively. The essential oils of both species had significant antibacterial and antifungal effects albeit with different levels. In general, the antibacterial activity of T. fedtschenkoi essential oil was higher than that of T. daenensis, especially in the case of gram-positive bacteria. On the other hand, the antibacterial activity of T. daenensis essential oil against E. coli (gram negative) was more than that of T. fedtschenkoi. Antifungal activity of T. daenensis essential oil was higher than that of T. fedtschenkoi against C. albicans. The essential oil of T. fedtschenkoi was rich in linalool, and the higher antimicrobial activity of this species could be attributed to the high percentage of this compound in comparison with T. daenensis.

Perilla frutescens var. crispa, a medicinal and aromatic plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family is widely used for the treatment of constipation, asthma, and skin disorders, and also as spice. As climatic, environmental, and edaphological conditions of the plant habitats affect active substances of medicinal plants, quantitative and qualitative changes in the essential oil content and composition of the plants cultivated in the Research Farms of four regions of Iran (Rasht, Noor, Khorramabad, and Neishabour) were evaluated in the present study in 2020. Aerial organs of the plants were collected at the vegetative stage and their essential oils were isolated by hydro-distillation. The essential oils were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among the studied areas, the highest and lowest altitudes were Neishabour and Rasht, respectively. The climatic classification of Rasht and Noor was also more similar. The essential oil contents (%w/w) of the plant samples in Rasht, Noor, Neishabour, and Khorramabad were 1.45, 1.33, 1.26, and 1.16, respectively. In total, 28, 27, 25, and 27 compounds were identified in Noor, Rasht, Khorramabad, and Neishabour regions, respectively. (E)-Caryophyllene (42.4-58.7%), α-cadinol (8.2-16.5%), (E)-nerolidol (3.8-9.5%), α-dehydro-elsholtzia ketone (2.1-7.5%), cis-dihydro-α-terpinyl acetate (1.0-7.5%), and egoma ketone (0.2-5.5%) were the major essential oil compounds at different regions. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (44.9-61.2%) were the major class of the compounds of essential oils. Cluster analysis based on the essential oil compositions classified the studied areas into two distinct groups. Noor and Rasht were clustered in one group and Khorramabad and Neishabour were clustered in the other group. Results showed that temperate regions are suitable to increase the essential oil contents of the plants, while arid and semi-arid regions can improve the quality of essential oils.

This research was carried out to study the effects of chemical and biological fertilizers (manure and vermicompost), as well as their combinations on the quality and quantity of the essential oil content and composition of S. khuzestanica in Zagros Botanical Garden of Agricultural and Natural Resource Research Center of Lorestan based on a complete random block design with 3 replications in 3 years, during 2016-2020. There were 24 plots of 3x3in the study, 100 cm away from each other, in which the plants were sown art a distance of 50 cm. The experimental treatments included 50 kg/ha of NPK (50, 25, 25), animal manure (30 and 60 tons/ha), vermicompost (5 tons/ha), and a combination of NPK combination and animal manure and vermicompost, all applied only once at the planting stage. During the flowering stage, shoots were harvested and their essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation.  The essential oils were then analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The results of combined analysis of variance showed that the effects of year and interaction of year and fertilizer on the percentage of essential oil were significant at p≤0.05 and p≤0.01, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum essential oil percentage and oil yield in S. khuzistanica were 5.4% and 433 kg/ha with NPK + M60 treatment during the third year. Carvacrol (93.1-88.8, 96.0-89.6,94.9-88.8 percent) was the most important composition of the essential oil in all treatments and years of the experiment. In general, the nutritional treatments increased the amount of essential oil and carvacrol compared to the control, and during the three years of testing, the yield of dry weight and therefore essential oil increased. The results of this research indicated that the use of organic fertilizers alone or in combination with chemical fertilizers has a positive effect on improving the essential oil yields, and the use of integrated nutrition method for S. khuzestania is economic.

In this study Eryngium noeanum Boiss. from four different regions of Alamot (AL) (Qazvin province), Ahuan Col (AH) (Semnan), Razaqan (RZ) (Markazi province), and Bashm Col (BA) (Semnan) and also, Eryngium iranicum Mozaff. from Nikpey village (NP) (Zanjan) at elevations of 1600, 1980, 2450, 2150, and 1400 m above the sea level were collected during the summer 2018. The shade-dried plant materials were hydro-distillated by a clevenger apparatus. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the essential oils were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-FID, respectively. The essential oil contents were obtained as 0.3, 0.4, 0.55, 0.2, and 0.1% (w/w) for AL, AH, RZ, BA, and NP, respectively. The main components of essential oils were amorpha-4,11-diene (14.0, 17.6, 9.0, and 13.6%), δ-selinene (21.5, 40.5, 23.1, and 35.7%), spathulenol (4.6, 0.7, 6.4 and 5.5%), eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (3.4, 0.5, 6.7, and 4.4%), and cis-falcarinol (20.3, 1.0, 20.0, and 15.2%) for AL, AH, RZ, and BA, respectively. Also, the main components of the essential oils in NP sample were n-octanal (12.8%), myrtenol (12.5%), and cis-falcarinol (13.5%). The main compounds in different populations of E. noeanum and E. iranicum essential oils were sesquiterpenes (about 70-90%) and non-terpene (56%), respectively. Eryngium noeanum Boiss. is a medicinal rangeland and native plant of Iran, has not been given due attention. Despite prickly appearance, it has a big aerial part with considerable essential oil contents including valuable sesquiterpenes and polyacetylenic compounds ranking it among the highly commercial essential oils worldwide. This calls for many research studies in different fields as extensive biological studies on the essential oil components of this plant can greatly help determine and standardize its quality.

This research evaluated the phytochemical, antimicrobial, anticancer and anti-Alzheimer properties of eucalyptus leaf extract (Eucalyptus globulus L.). The fresh leaves of the plant were collected from the suburbs of Rasht in the fall 2016. Extraction was done by maceration method and the composition of the extract was determined by GC-MS method. The antimicrobial effects of the extract were investigated on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium by agar well diffusion method and its MIC and MBC values were determined. The anticancer effect was determined by MTT test on the colon cancer cell line, the antioxidant effect was determined by DPPH method, and the inhibitory effect of the extract on the production of amyloid nano-fibrils was determined by Congored spectroscopy. Eucalyptol and Globulol were the most abundant in the extract. The diameter of the halo of non-growth of Eucalyptus hydro-alcoholic extract in the well diffusion method on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium were 12, 22, 26, and 15 mm, respectively. Also, the results of MIC and MBC in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were 0.625 and 1.25, respectively. These results in Listeria monocytogenes were 1.25 and 2.5; also, the results of MIC and MBC in Salmonella Typhimurium were 5 and 10 mg/ml, respectively. The highest anticancer activity, antioxidant effect, and inhibition of the production of amyloid nano-fibrils were observed at 100, 10, and 0.4 mg/ml of the extract, respectively. Due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti–amyloidogenic properties, eucalyptus extract can help treat infection and reduce the growth of cancer cells and the complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Plant nutrition from different sources of fertilizers is one of the most critical factors for crop improvement under stress conditions. The purpose of this research was to study the morpho-physiological responses of the lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf) medicinal plant to the application of different fertilizer sources (control, NPK, nitroxin, mycorrhizal fungi, and biosulfur) under irrigation water salinity stress (0, 100, and 200 mM) in two climates (Fars and Tehran), implemented as a factorial split-plot based on a randomized complete block design in three replications during 2020-2021. Growth and yield attributes and also physiological traits such as photosynthetic pigments, proline content, and qualitative characteristics (essential oil percentage and yield) were measured. Results showed that high salinity concentration (200 mM) negatively affected growth and yield parameters (root dry weight and volume, plant height, number of leaves, and plant yield). The highest plant yield was obtained at 0 and 100 mM salinity with an average of 4183.1 and 4191.9 kg.ha-1, respectively in Fars. Among the fertilizer treatments, there was no difference in terms of plant yield, and all of them led to an increase in yield compared to the control treatment. Using nitroxin biofertilizer under non-stress conditions in Fars region led to the highest total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a, which showed an increase by 51.3% and 47.0%, respectively, compared to the control. Salinity stress (200 mM) and the use of biosulfur in Tehran climate led to an increase in proline content. The use of NPK fertilizer and mycorrhizal fungi under severe salinity stress in Fars led to increases by 2.3 and 2.4 times in essential oil percentage. The lowest average essential oil was also observed in the application of biological and chemical fertilizers in Tehran. The highest essential oil yield was obtained in the application of mycorrhizal fungi under moderate salinity stress in Fars, which was 2.7 times higher compared to the control. All fertilizer treatments at 200 mM level in Fars also had the highest essential oil yield. In general, the lemongrass plant had a good tolerance against the salinity stress of irrigation water and the use of NPK, nitroxin, and mycorrhiza fertilizers while increasing the quantitative and qualitative yield led to the adjustment of the adverse effects caused by the salinity stress.

Damask rose (Rosa × damascena) is one of the most significant species of Rosaceae family scattered in mountain regions of Iran from west lands to central and eastern hills of the country. R. × damascena has considerable applications in pharmaceuticals and perfumeries and has been the subject of vast research. Extensive studies on genotypes of R. × damascena in Iran have shown considerable diversity in this species, and this could represent Iran as a potential hub for genetic diversification and improvement of its cultivars. The species seems to be the most important direct ancestor of North West cultivars in Europe in sect. Rosa, genus Rosa which is thought to be a hybrid with three parents of wild Rosa species, and R. moschata species is its Asian female parent. Based on the evidence from fossils of the genus Rosa, it has been suggested that Asia is the ancestral area for Rosa genus, and the Synstylae lineage in Europe is probably the oldest group that has expanded from Asia about 30 million years ago. The phylogeny of this difficult genus shows presentation of an evolutionary framework requires more in-depth studies.

Rosa damascena Mill. belongs to Rosaceae family and is considered as one of the most important medicinal and industrial plant. In the present study, the effects of foliar application of methyl jasmonate and titanium dioxide nanoparticles were investigated on physiological and phytochemical traits of Rosa damascena Mill. in two separate experiments based on a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in Farsan during two growing seasons (2019 and 2020). Foliar application of methyl jasmonate (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mM) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (0, 100, 200, and 300 mg L-1) was performed three times with 4-day intervals before the flowering stage. Essential oil extraction was done by steam distillation (a clevenger apparatus), phytochemical evaluation was performed using spectrophotometric method, and antioxidant performance was evaluated through DPPH test. Results showed that foliar application of elicitors increased dry weight of leaves and photosynthetic pigments. The phenolic compounds of leaves and petals of R. damascena Mill. also increased in response to applied elicitors and the highest increment was observed in plants treated with 1 mM methyl jasmonate and 100 mg L-1 titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Also the results showed the positive effect of applied treatments on increasing macro (N, P, K and Mg) and micro elements (Fe, Mn, and Zn) in leaves of damask rose. Methyl jasmonate (0.5-1 mM) increased the essential oil content of the treated plants by 34.32%. According to the obtained results, methyl jasmonate applied at concentration of 1 mM is suggested to improve the physiological and phytochemical characteristics of the R. damascena plants.