Introducing valuable ingredients of two Iranian medicinal plants (Dianthus orientalis Adams and Silene aucheriana Boiss)

Medicinal plants have valuable compounds. Phytoecdysteroids-one of the botanical compounds- are structural analogs of the insect molting hormone ecdysone. Some species of cloves (caryophyllaceae) comprise rich sources of ecdysteroids in high concentration and with broad structural diversity. The aim of this study was to identify phytoecdysterid compounds in some native species such as Dianthus orientalis Adams and Silene aucheriana. The extracts were subjected to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this study, two major phytoecdysteroids including 20-hydroxyecdysone and polypodin B were identified in D. orientalis extract and in addition to these two compounds, Integristerone A was identified in the S. aucheriana extract. The content of 20- hydroxyecdysone was 6602.4 and 4293.64 μg/100 g dry weight of plants in the extract of D. orientalis and S. aucheriana, respectively. The species of this genus can be a good option for producing food supplements, medicines, hygiene and even insecticides. Phytoecdysteroids could serve as new molecules, causing great expectations in the development of new classes of pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements.