Journal of Medicinal Plants and By-products
Volume:11 Issue: 2, Summer and Autumn 2022

The small genus Postia (tribe Inuleae) with four species, distributed over Syria and Iran, was previously placed in the subtribe Buphthalminae next to Anisopappus. Recently, however, both were transferred to the subtribe Inulinae sensu amplo in the Inula group. Further investigation of the aerial parts of Postia bombycina Boiss. & Hausskn. in addition to the known compounds, afforded a new sesquiterpene lactone type pseudoguaianolide. The aerial parts of P. bombycina were extracted with hexane/methanol/diethyl ether by immersion in the solvent. To determine the number of natural compounds in each fraction, thin layer chromatography was prepared. The obtained extract was evaporated to dryness, defatted with methanol and separated by column chromatography over silica gel. The structure of pseudoguaianolide was elucidated by high field 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 135-DEPT and FT-IR spectroscopy techniques. Previously, three pseudoguaianolides, four guaianolides, a Seco guaianolide, the known elemanolide and the xanthanolide tomentosin was isolated from P. bombycina. Therefore P. bombycina is a rich source of sesquiterpenes, especially guaianolide structure.

In order to investigate the effect of the ratio of different light spectra on the growth and physiological traits of the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L., an experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Experimental treatments were six levels of different light wavelengths including control (base light: full spectrum), base light + ultraviolet spectrum, base light+blue light spectrum, base light + green light spectrum, base light + red light spectrum and base light + far-red light spectrum. The results showed that different light ratios influenced all the measured traits. Accordingly, the application of all light treatments significantly increased the dry weight of the Artemisia plant. Also, the light treatments had significant (P≤ 0.01) effects on plants height, contents of chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanin. The percentage and yield of plant essential oils were impressed significantly (P≤ 0.01) under the application of different light wavelengths. Although UV increased the content of the essential oil, it reduced the yield of the essential oil due to the reduction in the dry weight of plants. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that a combination of base light with blue light can increase the biomass yield as well as percentage and yield of essential oils of Artemisia, compared to control.

A karyological study of five taxa (15 populations) of the genus Satureja L. from different geographic origins is presented. The haploid levels were different among species (n= 12 and 15). The work deals with chromosome number and morphometry. We found two of the usual basic chromosome numbers in this study for satureja species, x= 12 and x= 15. All populations were diploid and were located in 1B or 2B Stebbins classes. The karyotypic results showed the diversity among the species as mostly displayed median region (m) and submedian region (sm) and the chromosome lengths were determined between 0.60 µm in Satureja sahendica Bornm. (1041) to 2.27 µm in S. macrantha C.A.Mey. (3). Detailed karyotype analysis allows us to group the different populations and determine the relationships among them. It also pointed out the possibility of inter and intra-species cross to improve plants.

Salinity stress, like many other abiotic stresses, limits the plant growth. Nanotechnology has been globally accepted as a modern, advanced technology that could enhance research in many fields. In order to investigate the effect of Nano-ZnO and salinity stress on morpho-physiological characteristics of Salvia leriifolia Benth., a factorial experiment was conducted as completely randomized design with three replications, the treatments were three nano-ZnO concentrations (0, 2, 4 mg/l) and five salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 mM NaCl) in the greenhouse of Mashhad Islamic Azad University in 2019. The results showed that salinity stress had a significant effect on morpho-physiological indices as well as mineral nutrients. It was also found that 4 mg/l nano-ZnO concentration at the mild salinity stress (50 and 100 mM) increased leaf and root length, leaf and root soluble protein, and proline content compared to the control. Salinity stress also decreased the concentration of K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, P, and K+/Na+ ratio in roots and leaves, while Na+ content increased significantly during stress in both organs. Nevertheless, the application of nano-ZnO increased the content of Zn2+, Ca2+, K+, and K+/Na+ ratio in leaves and roots.

Crocus sativus L. is one of the most valuable medicinal plants and spices. In recent decades, interest in using organic fertilizers as sustainable agricultural has been increased. Cultivation of saffron under dryland farming, in addition to the production of this valuable spice, could prevent erosion, especially in slops. This experiment evaluated the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on active ingredients (safranal, crocin, picrocrocin), macronutrients (NPK), and stomatal properties of saffron (C. sativus L.) in a research station (Hamand) near Tehran. The plants were treated with cattle manure (20 t/ha-1) and foliar application of Delfard (7 kg/ha/) and Floral P (2.5 kg/ha) in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications in 2015-16. The results of liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed decreasing in safranal content (0.04-0.11 µg/g) organic and inorganic fertilizers, whereas the fertilizers enhanced crocin (85-146µg/g) and picrocrocin (3.5-10.5 µg/g) concentrations. Although there were no significant differences between the N concentration of floral and control. Organic and delfard-treated plants showed higher N compared to control. A significant increase of leaf P concentration was obtained in plants treated with inorganic realizers, where floral and delfard resulted in 3.5 and 2.2-fold improvement of P content compared to control, respectively. Delfard had a significant effect in the enhancement of K. The stomatal size remained unchanged, Although their density decreased over fertilizer application. According to the results, it could be concluded that manure, delfard and floral fertilizers can improve the nutritional value of saffron such as crocin and picrocrocin concentrations under dry farming conditions.

To investigate the inoculation effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens and native mycorrhizal fungus on growth, morphological characteristics and essential oil percentage of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss. & Hohen., an experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design with 5 treatments and 3 replications in Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands. Understudied treatments were included as Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. fluorescens and Rhizophagus clarus, P. fluorescens and Funneliformis badium, P. fluorescens and Acaulospora laevis, and control. According to the results, all treatments had a positive effect on thyme growth and P. fluorescens treat had the most essential oil percent. The results showed that all treatments had a significant effect on root volume, with the highest one in the treatment of F. badium and P. fluorescens (36.25 ml). The highest mean weight of dry and fresh root and dry plant belonged to A. laevis and P. fluorescens (p≤ 0.05) (, 13 g, 6.9 g and 32.25 g). This result confirms the synergistic relationship between P. fluorescens and A. laevis. The most amount of colonization was observed in R. clarus and P. fluorescens (94.9%). The results indicated that the synergistic intraction between P. fluorescens and native mycorrhizal fungus has different effects on morphological traits of this medicinal plant and these findings can be used to enhance the growth and yield of T. kotschyanus for organic production.

Stachys laxa, Boiss. & Buhse a member of the Lamiaceae family, is a medicinal and aromatic that found in semi-cold and Mediterranean regions of northern Iran. The essential oil composition of Iranian pof S. laxa were evaluated in this study. The 16 populations of S. laxa were collected from North of Iran. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation using Clevenger type and were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Based on the essential oils analysis, 37 different chemical compounds were identified in this study within the sixteen populations of S. laxa. The results revealed that distinct differences in the content of compounds depending on region of sample collection. The main constituents of the identified essential oils were β-Elemene (1.1-18.7%), trans-Caryophyllene (0-13.2%), Germacrene D (1.1-46.6%), and Caryophyllene oxide from (0.3-32.3%). According to the GC/MS results, some components such as Germacrene A, Spathulenol, Germacrene D, and α-cadinol were the effective components to separate different populations of S. laxa. In general, the lowest and highest content of germacrene D was founded from 1.1 to 46.6% in the population of Kiasar (KSR), and Chalus (CHL), respectively. The S. laxa populations had high diversity in term of essential oil components, which could be considered in future studies.

Medicinal plants are rich in secondary metabolites that constitute the composition of many drugs. The quantity and quality of these valuable materials are affected by environmental factors. The present study evaluated biochemical properties in leaves and fruits for three populations of Prunus scoparia (Spach) C.K. Schneid. Analysis of essential oil (EO) samples was performed by using GC and GC–MS. The results showed that total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of leaves in population 2 (Markazi) were 39.01 and 11.32 mg/g DW respectively. DPPH radical scavenging activity in population 2 was 45.5 % in leaves. Fruit EO content was 33% in population 1 (Lorestan). Heat map analysis distinguished two different clusters as one cluster for population 2 and another cluster for populations 1 and 3. The GC/MS analysis showed the main EO composition of fruits were Benzaldehyde (15.19-18.65%) followed by n-Hexadecanoic acid (14.67-18.3%), Benzyl Alcohol (4.12-6.42%), and 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, ethyl ester (4.9-6.28%). In addition, the major EO profile for leaves were Neophytadiene (3.2-15%), dehydroaromadendrene (7.4-13.9%), Borneol (7.12-10.4%), cis-3-Hexenyl benzoate (6.4-9.5), trans-beta-Ionone (4.3-7.8%), Eugenol (2.3-7.3%), Benzyl benzoate (2.7-4.12%), and Di-epi-alpha-cedrene-(I) (2-5.5%).

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of bio and chemical fertilizers on yield and production factors of valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) at the Homad-Absard Agricultural Complex in Damavand city, Tehran Province, Iran, through a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications during 2017 to 2020. Experimental factors consist Nitroxin and Phosphate Barvar2 biofertilizers each with 2 levels of inoculation and control, and also the urea (46% N) chemical fertilizer in 5 levels (0, 30, 60, 90 and 150 kg/ha). Measured parameters were root diameter (mm), root length (cm), leaf width (cm) and leaf length (cm) root dry weight (kg/ha), shoot dry weight (kg/ha), valernic acid content (%) and valernic acid yield (g/ha). Results showed that the biofertilizers had significant effect (p≤ 0.01) on the all quantity and quality parameters studied. Unlike the urea chemical fertilizer at all levels which had a negative effect on the yield and amount of valernic acid (%), biofertilizers increased it. Maximum and minimum amount of valernic acid (%) were measured in control (0.465%) and 150 kg/ha urea (0.215%) respectively. The highest and lowest root dry weight were obtained in interaction of Nitroxin+Phosphate barvar2 + 150 kg urea (665 kg/ha) and control (221 kg/ha) respectively. Results of this experiment showed that biofertilizers with positive effects on experimental parameters are able to replace the chemical fertilizers.

Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. belongs to the family Lamiaceae, a perennial herbaceous medicinal plant that is native to Iran and is considered an endangered species. In-vitro plantlets (seven populations) were raised in MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l BAP and 0.01 mg/l NAA and the rooted plantlets were acclimatized successfully under greenhouse conditions. In- vivo plants (eight populations) were propagated under greenhouse condition. The essential oils were isolated by hydro distillation and identification of chemical compounds was done by a combination of capillary GC and GC-MS instruments. Twenty-five and forty compounds were identified in the different populations of in-vitro plantlet and in-vivo plant constituting 85.8%-99.68% and 85.1%-95.06% of essential oils, respectively. The major components of in-vitro plantlet on different populations were Verbenone (2.5%-82.47%), Geranyl acetate (28.35%-62.07%), Methyl geranate (0.98%-79.06%), Neral (0.64%-3.13%), Geranial (4.93%-14.39%), Limonene (0.37%-10.36%) and E-Anethole (7.62%-20.71%). The composition of essential oil from greenhouse plant populations were dominated by Neral (11.24%-74.80%), Limonene (0.17%-25.26%), Geraniol (0.54%-40.81%), Geranial (0.04%-9.15%), Methyl geranate (0.16%-28.48%), E-Anethole (0 %-0.1%) and Verbenone (0.39%-23.96%). The highest values of Neral, Limonene and Geraniol percentage were obtained from greenhouse conditions. In contrast, the maximum values of Verbenone, Geranyl acetate, Methyl geranate, Geranial, and E-Anethole were observed in the essential oils of in-vitro plantlets. This study demonstrated difference of chemical composition between in-vitro plantlets and greenhouse plants of different populations on D. kotschyi species. Also, new chemotypes of D. kotschyi has been introduced for further research.

Pycnocycla bashgardiana is used in Iranian traditional medicine for the relief and treatment of pain and inflammatory disorder. This study investigates the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of P.bashgardiana essential oil (PBEO).The anti-inflammatory effect of PBEO (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) were determined using carrageenan test in rat. The analgesic activity of PBEO (20, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) was studied by formalin test in mice. PBEO (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the carrageenan-induced paw edema which was observed at the 3rd hour of the experiment by 43, 64 and 58%, respectively. PBEO showed significant anti-nociceptive effects in the first phase (200 mg/kg, 40% pain inhibition) and the second phase (100 mg/kg, 37% pain inhibition) of formalin test. According to the GC-Mass spectrometry findings, myristicin (21.1%), cis-isomyristicin (17.2%), E-β-ocimene (11.1%), and Z-β-ocimene (6.2%) were characterized as the main components. The results suggest that PBEO could be a potential candidate as an anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive agent in the management of inflammation-based disorders. These effects might be partially due to possible inhibition of or interference with the production of some inflammatory mediators.

Consumers’ increasing awareness of the health implication of synthetic food preservatives alongside the perceived benefits of natural food additives calls for the search for natural food preservatives as an alternative. This study employed total microbial counts, antimicrobial susceptibility test and sensory evaluation methods to investigate meat preservative potential of lyophilized Solanum lycopersicum L. (Tomato) phenotypes’ juice organic solvent extracts in comparison to other preservative methods including salting and boiling. The findings revealed significant (P< 0.05) decrease in the total microbial load alongside 24-hour microbial growth lag in meat treated with the Tomato juice in comparison to untreated (control) and salted meat; but increase as compared to boiled meat. Relative to other tomato phenotypes extracts, the ethyl acetate extract of ripe round-undulated Tomato (YRR) and ethanolic extract of ripe elongated Tomato (HER) exhibited the highest inhibitory potential against Staphylococcus aureus (16.2 ± 0.40 mm), and Staphylococcus aureus (12.0 ± 0.25 mm) and  Bacillus subtilis (1.5 ± 0.20 mm) respectively. Averagely, very good sensory qualities (colour, odour and general acceptability) were recorded within 24 hours for the Tomato juice treated meat as well as boiled meat. A time-dependent decrease in the overall sensory qualities was observed for all the preservative treatments. Our results have highlighted the preservative potential of lyophilized S. lycopersicum juice. Most importantly, it offers comparably better preservation potential than salting method.

Given the increase in drug resistance of microorganisms and the tendency in using medicinal plants, the present study was carried out to investigate the chemical compounds of Thymol as a constituent of essential oil and antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic bacteria and its antioxidant activity. In this study, the chemical compounds of Thymol extracted from the two parts of the plant together (the leaves and stems) were performed by making use of gas chromatography and the other gas chromatography linked to the mass spectrograph and its antibacterial activity against Ecoli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Salmonella Paratyphi B, Salmonella Typhi typhus and Enterococci through Microdilution and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were investigated. The antioxidant activity of essential oils was measured through the ability of essential oil compounds in decolorizing diphenyl picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. Chemical analysis of thyme essential oil resulted in the identification of 23 (83.68%) compounds, which Thymol with 25.30% was considered as the main part of the essential oil compound. The highest inhibitory effect was imposed on Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, and the largest inhibitory zone diameter of essential oil appeared against growth S. paratyphi B. Concerning the results, total phenol was equal to 114.3 mg of gallic acid.g and IC50 of thyme was considered to be 49.94 μM/ml. The achieved results from this study declared that thyme essential oil had a suitable inhibitory effect against pathogenic bacteria and also possessed antioxidant properties. In other words, thyme was considered as an alternative to synthetic drugs and food additives.

Continuous and indiscriminate use of chemical drugs causes an important phenomenon of resistance to microorganisms and consequently, the effect of the drugs is weakened or neutralized. On the other hand, it has been reported that many plant essential oils have a significant inhibitory effect on pathogenic microorganisms, so, this study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of several plant extracts on Escherichia coli isolated from poultry feces. Cichorium intybus L., Hypericum perforatum L., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., and Thymus vulgaris L. from Shahrekord were collected and determined in the botanical laboratory of University of Zabol. To prepare the ethanolic extract, 40 gr of dried leaves of plants used in 400 cc of ethanol were used. The various strains of E. coli used were isolated from poultry feces by biochemical, bacteriological, and growth tests as well as standard tests. Determination of the free radical trapping activity was perfomed bydiphenylpicryl hydroxyl, and then the antimicrobial effects were investigated by diffusion method in Müller Hinton agar medium using 6 mm paper discs according to Bauer and Kirby instructions. Statistx ver10 software was used for statistical calculations. Mean comparisons were performed using the least significant difference (LSD) test. The results showed an increasing trend of the antioxidant activity of the extracts with increasing the concentration of plant extracts. The interaction of plant extract and the amount of extract in trapping free radicals showed that the highest antioxidant activity at low concentrations of the extract (16 and 32 μg/ml) was observed in the chicory extract following by licorice extract, but it licorice extract showed the highest activity at high concentration (64 μg/ml). In general, H. perforatum L. was the most effective plant in trapping free radicals. The lowest MIC of H. perforatum L. was 3.1 ppm, which was unilaterally inhibited at this concentration. H. perforatum L. and chicory had the highest (5.38) and lowest (2.23) diameter halos of inhibition of E. coli growth. Considering the side effects of chemical drugs and antibiotics as well as the potential effect of medicinal plant extracts used, especially H. perforatum L. on E. coli, compared to Cefazolin, it is recommended to use H. perforatum L. in inhibiting growth of E. coli.

Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants covers various aspects, including ethnobotany. Ethnobotany means human knowledge of botany and the ecology of plants. In this study, an ethnobotanical and phytochemical evaluation of Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal was performed in Khash city in Sistan and Baluchestan province. The data collection was performed through a structured questionnaire (150 questionnaires). The data was analyzed using RFC (Relative Frequency of Citation) and CI (Cultural Importance Index). The questions were related to the plant organ used, plant harvest time, type of livestock user and growth place. To investigate which chemical compounds in the plant cause people to use this drug in the treatment of certain diseases, the chemical compounds of the species were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Results showed that the best season of plant collecting was spring. The most used part of the plant was seeds. The plant grows mainly in plains. Camel (51.40%) and sheep (42.05%) have the maximum use of the plant. The maximum chemical compositions were related to the Ar-tumerone terpene and Pentadecanone with 95.5% and 93.8% probability, respectively. Also, the percentage of saturated fatty acids such as Palmitic acid, Tetradecanoic acid and unsaturated fatty acids such as Oleic acid has the highest percentage. In total, indigenous people use this plant in treating diabetes due to the presence of a compound such as Ar-tumerone, which is consistent with the chemical compounds identified in this study. The importance of plant seeds in cheese making by indigenous peoples is related to acidic compounds such as Palmitic acid, Linoleic acid and Oleic acid.