مجله تحقیقات گیاهان دارویی و معطر ایران
سال سی‌ام شماره 6 (پیاپی 68، بهمن و اسفند 1393)

Sumac is a shrub with a long history in traditional medicine and due to the phenolic compounds, it has been used as strong antioxidant in treatment of diseases. According to the importance of medicinal plants with the least side effects, in this study the aqueous extract of sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) was investigated to determine the antidiabetic effects. In this experiment, 30 adult male Wistar rats, with average weight of 180-230 g, were used, divided into 5 groups of 6 each. The rats in the control group were injected with physiological serum with the same volume of injection material. The rats in the second group were made diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of Alloxan monohydrate (120 mg/kgbw). In addition to the same treatment of the second group, the rats of third, fourth and fifth groups were orally treated by aqueous extract of sumac at 50, 100 and 250 mg/kgbw for four weeks. Blood glucose level was measured at the start of treatment and at the end of the second and fourth weeks. At the end of 28 days, rats were bled from the heart and total cholesterol, triglycerides, serum LDL-C and HDL-C were measured.Treatment with extract of sumac resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol and serum LDL-C in comparison to diabetic group (p<0.05). Changes in serum HDL-C in the groups treated with the extract were not significant compared to diabetic group. Results showed that the aqueous extract of sumac in an experimental model of diabetes mellitus in rats caused appropriate changes in the level of blood glucose and serum lipids.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), adapted to arid and semi arid regions, is grown for seed and petal production. This research, conducted at Research Farm of Zanjan University, was aimed to select the best genotype for seed and petal production using a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor included the harvesting time of petals at two levels including petal harvesting in the beginning of the flowering and petal harvesting after pollination and petals wilting. The second factor included different genotypes of safflower at five levels (Goldasht, Sina, Zendehrod, MEC88, and MEC59). The traits investigated in this study included number of petals per plant, number of seeds per petal, 1000-seed weight, seed and petal yield and petals color. According to the obtained results, the highest seed and petal yield were obtained for MEC88 genotype; however, its petals were pale yellow and not suitable for petal production. The harvesting time of petals had no significant effects on seed yield but delayed harvesting of petals caused to the reduction of petal yield. Number of capitol per plant showed a positive and significant correlation with seed and petals yield. Among the studied genotypes, Zendehrod cultivar is very suitable for dual-purpose cultivation and Goldasht cultivar is suitable for petal production due to the dark red petals.

In this study, 12 populations of Salvia leriifolia Benth. were collected to investigate the effects of environmental factors on the quantity and quality of essential oil. Oil was extracted using hydrodistillation based on the British Pharmacopoeia method. Chemical compositions of essential oils were detected using the GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. The influence of environmental factors on essential oil and chemical composition was analyzed using canonical correlation by SAS v. 9.1. Results showed that the average yield of essential oil were between 0.69-1.5% (v/w) for Tabas Sabzevar and Bajestan, respectively. Twenty-two compounds were identified, among which the concentration of juniper camphor (12.0-39.9%), 1,8-cineole (3.6-21%), β-pinene (8.7-18.1%) and α-pinene (4.4-10%) was high. Canonical correlation analysis among eight morphological traits and nine chemical properties revealed that the first six canonical variables had a significant canonical correlation. Canonical correlation coefficients of the first variable showed that high levels of α-pinene and β-pinene and low percentage of δ-cadinole had a direct and positive relationship with low amounts of soil calcium and potassium. In other words, the cultivation of S. leriifolia in soils rich in calcium and potassium increases δ-cadinole and α-pinene content and decreases β-pinene content in the essential oil.

In order to evaluate the effect of seed priming with iron and boron on germination parameters and yield of marigold (Calendula officinalis L.), laboratory and field experiments were conducted in Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, with three replications in 2011. The studied treatments were the seed priming with iron and boron at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%, distilled water as control and two combined treatments of Fe1.5%+B1% and Fe2%+B1%. Results revealed that seed priming with Fe 1% and 1.5% and B, alone or in the combined treatments, improved the seed germination speed of marigold as comared to the control. The seedling vigor index of primed seeds in Fe 1.5% solution increased up to 2.3. In the seeds primed with boric acid, the seedling vigor index was limited when the concentration of B in solution increased more than 1%. Dry flower yield in treatments of Fe1.5%+B1%, Fe1.5%, Fe2% and Fe2%+B1% were 39%, 34%, 24% and 28% more than control, respectively. Essential oil values among treatments ranged from 0.1 mL m-2 in B1.5% and B1% to 0.27 mL m-2 in Fe1.5%+B1%. Lower essential oil yield was obtained for the treatment of Fe2%+B1% (0.14 mL m-2) compared to B1.5% and B1%. Our results clearly showed that seed priming with iron and boron could be recommended as a method for improvement of essential oil yield in marigold.

To study the changes of yield and essential oil of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) under drought stress condition and different harvesting times, a field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, University of Zanjan in the spring of 2011. The experiment was conducted as a split plot based on complete randomized block design with three replications. In this study, the effects of water stress in three levels including control, drought stress at flowering and grain filling stages were assigned to the main plots and three harvesting times including harvest at soft dough (58% moisture content of grain), hard dough (37% moisture content of grain) and maturity stages (16 % moisture content of grain) were assigned to the sub plots. Results showed that the effect of drought stress on grain and essential oil yield, grain essential oil content, 1000-grain weight, number of umbellet in umbrella, number of grain in umbellet, number of grain in umbrella was significant (p ≤ 0.05). Majority of mentioned traits decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) under drought stress condition. Therefore, the highest grain yield (1436.63 kg/ha) and essential oil yield (34.54 kg/ha) were obtained in control treatment (full irrigation) and the lowest amounts of mentioned traits were obtained in drought stress at grain filling stage. According to the obtained results, the effect of harvest time on grain and essential oil yield, grain essential oil content, 1000-grain weight, number of grain in umbellet and number of grain in umbrella, was significant (p≤0.01). Therefore, the highest and lowest grain yield (1425.75 and 784.81 kg/ha) was obtained in hard dough and maturity stages, respectively. In addition, the highest essential oil yield (33.97 kg/ha) was obtained in hard dough stage but there was no significant difference about essential oil yield between hard dough and maturity stages. It can be concluded that the fennel plant is sensitive to drought stress at reproductive growth stages and the quantity and quality of fennel yield can be affected by harvest time.

Due to the lack of sufficient knowledge on rangeland suitability, rangelands are utilized intensely to provide livestock products and therefore other aspects of utilization have been ignored. However, Iran with more than 8000 plant species is one the world's richest plant communities so that medicinal plants comprise much of this rich flora. Due to the high species diversity, Lasem Watershed has a great potential in the field of medicinal plants. This research was aimed to determine the suitability of medicinal plants in the mentioned watershed. The final suitability map of medicinal plants was prepared by combining vegetation and environmental factors in GIS environment. Sampling was performed randomly within the vegetation types using two 100-m perpendicular transects to measure vegetative characteristics including the frequency, canopy cover percentage, composition and production of medicinal species in 1-m2 plots. According to the obtained results, around 10.6% of the study area (1071.4 ha) was in good suitability class (S1), 28.1% (2841 ha) in fair suitability class (S2), 41.5% (4193.5 ha) in poor suitability class (S3), and 20% of the study area (2006.8 ha) was classified as non-suitable (N). Generally, production economic index was identified as the most important factor, reducing the rangeland suitability of Lasem watershed. In addition, due to the topographic conditions of the region, slope plays a significant role in reducing rangeland suitability.

Today, the importance of using herbal drugs for campaigning against infectious and non infectious diseases is completely obvious and the need to replace them with chemical ones, particularly in the aquaculture industry, seems essential.This study was carried out to determine thelethal concentration (LC96h) of hydroalcoholic extract of garlic (Allium sativum L.) in Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) fingerlings. Fingerlings were 3.22±0.51g in weight. In order to study the effects of these extracts, 240 fingerlings were selected in seven treatments and one control group with three replications for each treatment. During the experiment, all water physicochemical parameters including the temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, electric conductivity and water hardness were measured. This experiment was carried out according to O.E.C.D method within 96h. In this regard, the linear regression equation was drawn using probit analysis, and then different values of lethal concentrations were estimated. In this survey, according to probit analysis, the LC10, LC50 and LC90 of hydroalcoholic extract of Allium sativum were recorded to be 909.91, 1279.97, 1800.52 mg/l, respectively. The results of microscopic histology of gill samples in different treatments revealed some damages such as hyperemia, hyperplasia, elongation of secondary lamellae, cell necrosis and adhesion of secondary lamellae.

In order to investigate of water requirement in Rosa damascene Mill., an experiment was carried out in the Alborz Research Center in 2012. The lysimeters with drainage system were used for Rosa damascene (adult plant), Medicago sativa (reference plant) and control group (only soil). For each lysimeter, the soil moisture content was measured by weighting method before and after applying irrigation treatments based on the field capacity. The amount of water requirement and run-off were measured in each lysimeter. The evapotranspiration of Rosa damascene (ETc) and reference plant (ETo) was estimated by lysimeter. The plant coefficient of Rosa damascene (Kc) was calculated by ETc/ETo ratio. In order to comparison of lysimeter data with indirect methods, the Blaney Criddle and Penman-Monteith methods (corrected by FAO) were used to determine the evapotranspiration in reference plant. According to the obtained results, WUE and ETo in Rosa damascene were calculated to be 2.18 and 46.0, respectively. The evapotarnspiration of Rosa damascene after 820 GDD in full flowering, was 111 mm. The ETc after 3740 GDD in the late stage was estimated to be 1147 mm. The evapotarnspiration of reference plants, after 3833 GDD, in lysimeter, Blaney Criddle and Penman-Monteith methods were 1247, 1392 and 1160 mm, respectively. Based on results, a similar estimation of ETo content was obtained by lysimetr and computational methods.

In order to study the effects of biological and chemical fertilizers on yield and yield components of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.), an experiment was conducted in Shahed University in 2011.The factors included biological phosphorus at two levels (inoculated and non-inoculated), chemical phosphorus at three levels (0, 40, 80 kg.ha-1 P2O5 from triple super phosphate), biological nitrogen with trade name Nitroxin (inoculated and non- inoculated), and chemical nitrogen at three levels (0, 25, 50 kg.ha-1 N from urea). Experimental treatments were arranged in a RCBD in a factorial arrangement with three replications. In this experiment, number of umbels per plant, number of seeds per umbel, 1000 seeds weight, plant height, seed yield, biological yield, harvest index (HI), essential oil percentage and essential oil yield were measured. According to the obtained results, significant differences were found among fertilizer treatments for number of umbels per plant, number of seeds per umbel, biological yield, seed yield, harvest index (HI), and essential oil yield (p<0.01). Results showed that the maximum number of umbels per plant (29.73 number), number of seeds per umbel (11.1 number), biological yield (245 g.m-2), seed yield (101.3 g.m-2), harvest index (47.22%) and essential oil yield (2.96 g.m-2) were obtained by applying 40 kg/ha-1 triple super phosphate, biological phosphorus, 25 kg.ha-1 N and biological nitrogen. The minimum values were recorded for control group.

K. odoratissima Mozaff., belonging to the Apiaceae family, is a known medicinal and forage species, endemic to Iran. It has not been reported in other regions of the world. Due to the excessive harvesting in the early period of growth and the relatively high time required for the establishment and seed production, this species does not have the opportunity to revitalize and seed production and for this reason, it is considered as one of the endangered species of Iran. Advances in tissue culture can be most effective in propagation of endangered plants as well as increasing the genetic potential of medicinal plants. To study the effect hormonal treatments on callus induction sterile seedling explants were prepared. Treatments included MS basal medium along with different hormonal levels (2,4-D (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/l) or a1, a2, a3 + Kin (0, 0.5 and 1 mg/l) or b1, b2, b3) and Ms basal medium with (NAA (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/l) or a4, a5, a6 + BA (0, 0.5 and 1 mg/l) or b4, b5, b6). After a month, growth (size), weight and callus induction percentage were measured and compared. Considering the above traits, the maximum size of callus (6.41mm) and the most callus induction percentage (93%) were obtained at 2,4-D (2mgl-1)+kin (0.5mgl-1) while the highest callus weight was obtained at NAA (1mgl-1) + BA (0.5mgl-1).Combined hormones (2mg/l 2,4-D + 0.5 mg/l kin) and (2mg/l NAA + 0.5mg/l BA) in two media, MS and B5, along with three antioxidants (PVP, PVPP and PVP + PVPP), totally 12 treatments, were evaluated within four consecutive weeks under broth condition and cell suspension establishment. According to the results, significant differences were found (p< 0.05) among the factors affecting cell dry weight while these factors had no significant effect on fresh weight. The highest fresh and dry weights were obtained at B5 medium with PVP (0.1) (1.6940 gr). Fresh and dry weight of cells showed an increasing trend during the consecutive weeks.

Seeds of eight populations of Anthemis pseudocotula Boiss., A. tinctoria L. and A. triumfettiiL. were cultivated as single plant by using three replicated split plot design for planting date as main factor and the populations of three species as minor factor on the basis of randomized block design on two dates (May, and July). The study was conducted at Alborz Research Station in 2011. Each experimental unit included six rows with a distance of 50 cm and 10 plants per row, with a distance of 40 cm. During the growth period, the traits of crown length and width, plant height, number of flowers, fresh and dry weight were evaluated for the populations of three species. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences between two dates of cultivation (p<0.05), as well as among populations and their interaction effects (p<0.01) for all traits. Mean comparison of traits showed that crown length and width, plant height, number of flowers, fresh and dry weight of Anthemis pseudocotula were higher as compared to Anthemistinctoria and A. triumfettii. According to the obtained results, the vegetative and generative traits of Anthemis pseudocotula from 20172-Golestan population were superior as compared to other populations. However, no significant differences were found for the populations of Anthemis tinctoria. Our results clearly showed that Anthemis pseudocotula had lower GDD as compared to other species and flowered earlier. The percentage of essential oil ofAnthemis tinctoria was higher thanthat ofAnthemis pseudocotulaandAnthemistriumfettii.

This research was aimed to evaluate the effects of aqueous extract of Aloe vera L., on motoneuron survival, P75NTR and BDNF expression. Twenty-Four Sprague-Dawley rats were obtained from Razi Institute. They were divided into four groups:1-laminectomy ((T9-T11 vertebra)+injection of Aloe vera extract. 2- laminectomy+injection Aloe vera extract+compression. 3- laminectomy+injection of saline normal. 4- laminectomy+injection of normal saline + compression. Intraprituneal injection continued for four weeks. After four weeks, they were sacrificed. Spinal cord motoneurons were counted and their morphometry was studied. Expression P75NTR and BDNF were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results showed that compression caused motoneurons reduction with hematoma among the cells and in cavitation. The aqueous extract of Aloe vera caused to decrease the motoneurons death and increase the BDNF expression (p ≤ 0.05). In the second group, despite increasing expression of P75NTR, motoneuron death decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) which may be due to the dual role of the receptor or various properties of Aloe vera. The immunomodulatory effect of Aloe vera and multiple action of P75 in survival or motoneuron death in different times of life were confirmed in this research.

The use of analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications is indispensable in clinical medicine. On the other hand, the increasing use of chemical drugs has several side effects that can sometimes be more dangerous than the disease itself. Therefore, research on the medicinal properties of plants to explore the effects of drugs with similar or even better than chemical drugs with fewer side effects is of great importance. In this research, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of Thymus daenensis Celak were investigated. For this purpose, 75 male mice weighing approximately 20-30 g were divided into 15 groups of 5 mice each. Writhing and formalin tests were applied to study analgesic effects and Xylene test was used to examine the anti-inflammatory effects. Extract at doses of 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg was tested. Saline solution and morphine (10 mg/Kg) were used in analgesic experiment and dexamethasone (10 mg/ kg) was used for anti-inflammatory experiment as positive group. Data were analyzed by SPSS software and mean comparisons were performed by Duncan’s Multiple Range Tests. According to the results, ethanolic extract of Thymus daenensis showed analgesic effects in Writhing test. Analgesic effects were not significant in the first phase of formalin test but it was significant in the second phase. Ethanolic extract of Thymus daenensis showed antiinflammatory effects at dose of 800 mg/kg-1. The conclusion is that analgesic effects of ethanolic extract of Thymus daenensis probably are caused by para cymene, -β-caryophyllene, carvacrol and especially thymol. Increasing doses and study on anti-inflammatory effects through other tests are needed for final confirmation of anti-inflammatory effects of Thymus daenensis.

Stachys lavandulifoliaVahl. is one of the 34 species of the genus Stachys, growing naturally in Iran. In this study, the natural habitats of Stachys lavavandulifolia were identified in different regions of Alborz, Kurdistan, West Azarbaijan and East Azarbaijan. Ten complete plants were collected from eight localities in order to study and evaluate morphological traits. Flowering stems were used to investigate essential oil quantitatively. Data of locations and vegetative and reproductive characters of each population were recorded and the amount of essential oil of each location was measured. Results were analyzed using cluster analysis method with SPSS and SAS softwares and the correlation between evaluated traits and essential oil productivity was determined.The traits evaluated in the populations were classified in two distinct groups by cluster analysis. Populations collected from Alborz (Gachsar), Kurdistan (Saqez) and West Azarbaijan (Manbar, Baba nazar, Chahar tagh and Damerchi) were classified in same group and populations from East Azarbaijan (Azarshahr and Ajabshiri) were classified in a separate group. Differences between these two groups may be due to the different climates in the habitats and adaptation of this species to different environmental factors. As a result, Azarshar population, due to having better vegetative and reproductive traits and high essential oil yield as compared to other populations could be taken into consideration for breeding programs or for cultivation and production.

Lippia citriodora H. B. et K. is a valuable medicinal plant whose extract, as its main chemical composition, has active components such as Geranial and Limonene widely used in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and health industries. In medicinal plants, balanced fertilization using chemical and biological inputs has great effect on yield and phytochemicals related to yield production. This study was conducted in the greenhouse of Tarbiat Modares University. In this experiment, seven treatments were performed in a completely randomized block design with three replications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of balanced fertilization and super-absorbent polymer on the chemical components and yield of Lippia citriodora. After planting and harvesting operations and growth performance measurements, essential oil was dehydrated by distilled water method using Clevenger and Sodium sulfate. Using gas chromatography and gas chromatography connected to spectrum, 15 compounds were determined in essential oil, consisting more than 90% of essential oil components. Results showed that there was a significant difference among treatments (p< 0.01). The lowest and highest fresh yield were related to control (6410 kg.ha-1) and balanced fertilization + bio-fertilizer + super-absorbent polymer (15435 kg. ha-1) treatments, respectively. The lowest and highest dry leaf yield were obtained in control (702 kg.ha-1) and balanced fertilization + bio-fertilizer + super-absorbent polymer (1503 kg. ha-1) treatments, respectively. The lowest and highest essential oil content was achieved in control (7.4 kg.ha-1) and balanced fertilization + bio-fertilizer + super-absorbent polymer (20.5 kg.ha-1) treatments, respectively. In terms of overall essential oil components, the minimum and maximum contents of Neral and Geranial were obtained in control and balanced fertilization treatments with 41.2% and 52.27%, respectively.