Artemisia Herba-alba Asso Research Articles

News from Tartary: an ethnopharmacological approach to drug and therapeutic discovery.

Ethnopharmacology aims to identify new therapeutic agents based on their traditional use. It begins by the identification of disease states, and of the traditional therapies for these, most commonly herbals. Herbals of interest are selected from ethnopharmacological surveys, and tested on experimental models of the diseases of interest. Once the activity of the traditional remedy is demonstrated, including dose-dependence, if possible comparatively to reference medications, the active ingredients can be explored, if possible using bioguided extraction. Identified molecules can then be further developed as medicinal products or pharmaceutical medicines (e.g., artemisine), or the herbal product can be developed as such (e.g. St John's wort). We provide examples of various study programmes, concerning the antiplatelet and antithrombotic effects of Armagnac extracts from Southwest France; antithrombotic and antihypertensive effects of extracts of Ocimum basilicum L; antithrombotic, antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic effects of Cydonia oblonga; Antiproliferative and antithrombotic effects of Abnorma Savda Munziq of traditional Uyghur medicine; and the antidiabetic and hepatoprotective effects of Centaurium erythraea Rafn, Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Trigonella foenum-graecum L., all in collaboration between University of Bordeaux, France, Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, China and University Mentouri in Constantine, Algeria.

Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf essential oils and their capability to restore antibiotics efficacy

Inhibition of bacterial efflux mechanisms has been investigated as a promising target to combat the bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The present work investigated the ability of Artemisia herba-alba and Cymbopogon citratus essential oils (EOs) to inhibit efflux pumps of some selected antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The chemical profiles of tested EOs were evaluated by GC–MS. The major constituents of the oils were chrysanthenone (47.0%), camphor (24.0%), and verbenone (7.2%) in A. herba-alba EO and geranial (46.3%), neral (35.2%), and geraniol (5.4%) in C. citratus EO. Antibacterial tests showed that these EOs had high antibacterial activity. This activity was significantly enhanced in the presence of an efflux pump inhibitor, phenylalanine arginyl ß-naphthylamide (PAßN). When combined with PAßN, the MIC values against EA27 and AG102 (strains overexpressing efflux pumps) were decreased 32-fold and >32-fold, respectively, for A. herba-alba, and 512-fold and 1024-fold, respectively, for C. citratus EO. The involvement of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure in the resistance to the active compounds of the studied EOs was also demonstrated in Salmonella LPS deep-rough mutants. Moreover, the combination of A. herba-alba and C. citratus EOs, at a low concentration, reduced significantly chloramphenicol MIC 2–4-fold, 4-fold and 8–16-fold, respectively, for EAEP294 (deleted of AcrAB), EA27 and AG102. For Salmonella strains, all tested combinations recorded a gain greater than or equal to 64-fold. It was concluded that these EOs can alter efflux pump activity and may be good candidates for the development of new chemosensitizer drugs able to restore antibiotic activity of some drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Screening of selected medicinal plants from Jordan for their protective properties against oxidative DNA damage

Herbal medicinal products represent a major focus for drug development and industry and it holds a significant share in drug-market all over the globe. In here, selected medicinal plant extracts from Jordan with high antioxidative capacity were tested for their protective effect against oxidative DNA damage using in vitro 8-hydroxydeoxyguanisine assay in cultured human lymphocytes. The following plant extracts were tested Cupressus sempervirens L., Psidium guajava (L.) Gaerth., Silybum marianum L., Malva sylvestris L., Varthemia iphionoides Boiss., Eminium spiculatum L. Blume, Pistachia palaestina Boiss., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Ficus carica L., Morus alba Linn, Cucumis sativus L., Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., Salvia triloba L., Zizyphus spina-christi L. Desf., and Laurus nobilis L. A fractionation scheme for the active plant extracts of the above was followed. Plants extract fractions with best protective properties against DNA damage included hexane fraction of S. marianum L. (aerial parts), chloroform fractions of P. palaestina Boiss. (Fruits), ethanolic fractions of E. camaldulensis Dehnh (leaves), S. triloba L. (leaves), and ethanolic fractions of Z. spina-christi L. Desf. (Fruits/leaves). On the other hand, the ethanolic extracts of V. iphionoides Boiss was found to increase oxidative DNA damage. In conclusion, plant extracts with antioxidative DNA damage properties might have clinical applications in cancer prevention.

Suivi à long-terme dans la steppe d’Armoise blanche (Artemisia herba-alba Asso.) du Sud-Oranais (Algérie) : facteurs et indicateurs de changements

Long-term monitoring of Gray-leaved Sagebrush (Artemisia herba-alba Asso.) steppe in southern Oran Region (Algeria) : factors and indicators of change. The Gray-leaved Sagebrush (Artemisia herba-Alba Asso.) steppes in the Southern Oran region in Algeria are rangelands of great pastoral interest. 40 years long-term dynamics of these steppes has been studied since 1975 using a diachronic monitoring (i) in permanent site considering five reference years and (ii) in 30 sites in the rest of the sagebrush steppe in 1975-76 and 2013-2015. Results generally show degradation with changes in the community composition and species dominance with appearance or extension of indicator species reflecting changes in land-use and environmental conditions. The increase in ephemeral species may explain the increase in the beta diversity, while the gamma diversity decreased underlying a trend toward banalization of the plant community composition. Unlike the rest of the pre-existing sagebrush steppe, in the monitoring site, following a series of rainy years, sand which had been fixed would have played an important role in the recovery of the vegetation cover.

Essential Oil Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Artemisia herba– alba Asso Grown in Algeria

In the recent decades, antimicrobial plant products have gained special interest because of the resistance to antibiotics that some micro-organisms have acquired. Aromatic and medicinal plants are an important source of bioactive molecules, especially in volatile extracts, that are considered among the most important antimicrobial agents present in these plants. Volatile components of Artemisia herba-alba Asso essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation growing in Algeria (Djelfacityof south Algeria) were investigated by GC/FID and GC-MS. The major components were found to be camphor (39.5%), chrysanthenone (10.38%), 1,8-cineole (8.6%), α-thujone (7.03%), Borneol (3.35%) and bornyl acetate (2.52%). The essential oil has been tested for antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Inhibition of growth was tested by the agar diffusion method. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined by the method of agar dilution.

Essential oil composition and variability of Artemisia herba-alba Asso. growing in Tunisia: comparison and chemometric investigation of different plant organs

This study was conceived to investigate the composition of four essential oils (EOs) extracted by hydrodistillation from four parts (leaves, stems, leaves/stems, roots) of Artemisia herba-alba growing wild in the center of Tunisia. Artemisia herba-alba aerial and roots parts were shade dried at room temperature with ventilation. The material was cut into small pieces and subjected to hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The GC analyses were accomplished with a HP-5890 Series II instrument. A total of 152 compounds were characterized by GC and GC-MS, representing 91.3-99.7% of the total oil compositions. All four oils are dominated by monoterpene derivatives (68.2-99.5%) and the major volatile constituent was α-thujone (18.2-45.5%). Qualitative and quantitative differences between the four essential oils have been observed for some compounds. The main compounds of the essential oil from the leaves were α-thujone (45.5%), β-thujone (11.4%), trans-sabinyl acetate (10.1%), 1,8-cineole (7.4%) and camphor (6.8%). α-thujone (27.5%) was also the main compound in the essential oil of leaves/stems, followed by camphor (22.9%), 1,8-cineole (8.3%), β-thujone (8.2%) and camphene (5.6%). The essential oil of stems was dominated by α-thujone (28%) followed by β-thujone (11.4%) and chrysantenone (11%). In the essential oil of roots, α-thujone was less represented (18.2%), followed by camphor (14.6%) and curcumen-15-al (14.3%). Curcumen-15-al has been reported for the first time in Artemisia herba-alba oil and should be considered as a new chemotype. The results showed a variation in chemical compositions and yield of the EOs from Artemisia herba-alba. Curcumen-15-al is a new chemotype that was found in Artemisia herba-alba from Tunisia.

Insecticidal activity of three plants extracts against Myzus persicae (Sulzer, 1776) and their phytochemical screening

To reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and their negative effects on the environment, leaves extracts of Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh and Rosmarinus officinalis L. were obtained with petroleum ether, ethanol and distilled water as solvents. These extracts were evaluated under laboratory conditions for their insecticidal effect against 3 to 4 days-old Myzus persicae individuals (Homoptera: Aphididae) at 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 %. We made observations after 24 hours. Etheric extract of all plants was effective and caused mortalities (100 %, 53 % and 60 % respectively) at the highest concentration. However, ethanolic and aqueous extracts did not show any significant insecticidal effect. The phytochemical screening showed the richness of etheric extract in terpenes. The results obtained suggest that we can make bioinsecticides based on leaves etheric extracts from these plants for use in integrated pest management.

Activity of Six Essential Oils Extracted from Tunisian Plants against Legionella pneumophila.

The aim of this study was to investigate the composition of six essential oils extracted from Tunisian plants, i.e., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, Juniperus phoenicea L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Ruta graveolens L., and Thymus vulgaris L., and to evaluate their activity against Legionella pneumophila (microdilution assays). Eight Legionella pneumophila strains were studied, including the two well-known serogroup 1 Lens and Paris strains as controls and six environmental strains isolated from Tunisian spas belonging to serogroups 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8. The essential oils were generally active against L. pneumophila. The activities of the A. herba-alba, C. sinensis, and R. officinalis essential oils were strain-dependent, whereas those of the J. phoenicea and T. vulgaris oils, showing the highest anti-Legionella activities, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) lower than 0.03 and lower than or equal to 0.07 mg/ml, respectively, were independent of the strains' serogroup. Moreover, the microorganisms treated with T. vulgaris essential oil were shorter, swollen, and less electron-dense compared to the untreated controls. Isoborneol (20.91%), (1S)-α-pinene (18.30%) β-phellandrene (8.08%), α-campholenal (7.91%), and α-phellandrene (7.58%) were the major components isolated from the J. phoenicea oil, while carvacrol (88.50%) was the main compound of the T. vulgaris oil, followed by p-cymene (7.86%). This study highlighted the potential interest of some essential oils extracted from Tunisian plants as biocides to prevent the Legionella risk.

Assessment of some chemical elements in wild Shih (Artemisia herba-alba Asso) using INAA technique

Instrumental neutron activation analysis has been used to make a multi-elemental determination in Artemisia herba-alba Asso, a traditional medicine plant used in Algeria to treat diabetes mellitus. The exactitude of the results was assessed by analyzing the certified reference material GBW 07605 (GSV-4) tea leaves. A. herba-alba was characterized by high K and Ca contents. However toxic elements in this species were within the safety limits suggested by WHO/FAO. These data analysis for this medicinal plant can be useful for therapeutics and pharmaceutical purposes.

Antidiabetic Effects of Aqueous Infusions of Artemisia herba-alba and Ajuga iva in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats.

The aqueous infusions of the aerial parts of Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Ajuga iva Schreber, prepared in accordance with the traditional procedure used in the local folk medicine, have been analysed for their composition and content of phytochemical constituents and examined for their antidiabetic effectiveness in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Oral administration of A.herba-alba and A.iva infusions was studied in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats, which were randomly divided into nine groups, each group consisting of six animals. The drug preparations (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg b. w.) of each plant were given orally to the rats of each group twice daily for 15 days. Compositional analysis of the aqueous infusions revealed the presence of several polyphenols as main components. A.herba-alba infusion was characterised by mono- and di-cinnamoylquinic acids, with 5-caffeoylquinic (chlorogenic) acid being the main compound, followed by 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. Vicenin-2 (apigenin 6,8-di-C-glucoside) appeared to be the most abundant among flavonoids. On the other hand, A.iva showed the exclusive presence of flavonoids, with the flavanone naringin present in relatively high levels together with several apigenin (flavone) derivatives. Oral administration of 300 mg/kg b. w. of the aqueous infusions of A.herba-alba and A.iva exhibited a significant reduction in blood glucose content, showing a much more efficient antidiabetic activity compared to glibenclamide, the oral hypoglycaemic agent used as a positive control in this study. These results suggest that A.herba-alba and A.iva possess significant antidiabetic activity, as they were able to improve the biochemical damage in alloxan-induced diabetes in rats.

Effect of Centaurium erythraea Rafn, Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Trigonella foenum-graecum L. on liver fat accumulation in C57BL/6J mice with high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetes

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCentaurium erythraea Rafn (CE), Artemisia herba-alba Asso (AHA) and Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (TFG) are traditionally used to treat type 2 diabetes in Algeria, previous studies have found that extracts of these plants were effective to treat or prevent experimental diabetes induced by high-fat diet (HFD). Aim of the studyDescribe the additional effects of these extracts on lipid tissue deposition in HFD. Materials and methodsMale C57BL/6J mice were fed with HFD to induce type 2 Diabetes. Groups of mice were given plant extracts orally at 2g/kg/bodyweight daily for 20 weeks during establishment of diabetes, or for 18 weeks after confirmation of diabetes at the 17th week. Liver and other tissue samples were stained with Oil Red O. ResultsLiver steatosis was confirmed with HFD. CE, AHA and TFG extracts improved liver steatosis by the end of the preventive (20 weeks) and curative periods (35 weeks). This was most marked for CE extract (p<0.05), less so with TFG and AHA. No steatosis was found in other tissues. ConclusionCE extract had a clear hepatoprotective effect in this mouse model of diet-induced type 2 diabetes. AHA and TFG had a minimal or no significant effect on steatosis. Beyond its effect as an antidiabetic agent, CE may also be promising to prevent or treat non-alcoholic liver steatosis.

Volatile constituents of Algerian Artemisia herba-alba essential oils

The composition of the essential oils of six individual plants of Artemisia herba-alba Asso, growing wild in six different locations from southern Algeria, were investigated by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in combination with retention indices. Accounting for 76.3–97.2% of the oils, 132 constituents were identified, predominantly α-thujone (trace–47.1%), camphor (5.6–30.0%), chrysanthenone (trace–13.5%), β-thujone (trace–9.2%), 1,8-cineole (4.1–11.4%), cis-jasmone (0.8–12.1%) and davanone (trace–34.0.%). Regarding the α- and β-thujone toxicity and the extensive use of A. herba-alba as an aromatic and medicinal plant in folk medicine, we report here, with previous investigations, the thujone content of forty individual plants of A. herba-alba growing wild in sixteen different locations from the high table-lands, steppes and Sahara desert of Algeria. The available data indicate a high degree of variability in the percentage of the two constituents. Large amounts were present in essential oils of Ghardaia (88.9%), Ain-Sefra (59.0%), Laghouat (57.7%) and Sebdou (55.7%).

Evaluation of Plant Diversity in the Steppes of White Wormwood of the Region of Saida (Western Algeria)

This work is an evaluation of the plant diversity of the white Wormwood formations (Artemisia herba-alba Asso.) in the steppes rangelands of the south-eastern zone of Sa?da (municipality of Maamora, Western Algeria). For this purpose, twenty-one phytoecological statements are carried out on three sample stations: an exclosure station where the white Wormwood is well developed and two other stations not protected where in one, the white Wormwood is moderately degraded and in the other one, it is strongly degraded. The factorial correspondences analysis (FCA) and the ascending hierarchical clustering (AHC) carried out on the floristic and edaphic parameters measured on these stations led to a hierarchy of the ecological factors determining the diversity of the studied plant formations with white Wormwood. The vegetation studied is marked by the dominance of the therophytes, particularly in the third station (very degraded station), while the exclosure station is essentially characterized by a high recovery rate and an important phytomass.

Composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Artemisia judaica, A. herba-alba and A. arborescens from Libya

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Artemisia judaica L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso. and Artemisia arborescens L. (cultivated) from Libya, were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The antimicrobial properties were determined using the broth microdilution method against eight bacterial species: Bacillus cereus (clinical isolate), Micrococcus flavus (ATCC10240), Listeria monocytogenes (NCTC7973), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC6538), Escherichia coli (ATCC35210), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC27853), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC13311), Enterobacter cloacae (human isolates) and eight fungal species: Aspergillus niger (ATCC6275), A. ochraceus (ATCC12066), A. versicolor (ATCC11730), A. fumigatus (ATCC1022), Penicillium ochrochloron (ATCC9112), P. funiculosum (ATCC10509), Trichoderma viride (IAM5061) and Candida albicans (human isolate). The major constituents of A. arborescens oil were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (47.4%). Oxygenated monoterpenes were the dominant constituents in the A. judaica and A. herba-alba oils (54.2% and 77.3%, respectively). Camphor (24.7%) and chamazulene (20.9%) were the major components in the essential oil of A. arborescens, chrysanthenone (20.8%), cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (17.6%) and cis-thujone (13.6%) dominated in the A. herba-alba oil, and the major constituents in the A. judaica oil were piperitone (30.21%) and cis-chrysanthenol (9.1%). The best antimicrobial activity was obtained for A. judaica oil and the lowest effect was noticed in A. arborescens oil. The effect of the tested oils was higher against Gram (+) than Gram (-) bacteria. All three oils showed the best antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and the lowest against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, compared to streptomycin and ampicillin. All three oils showed better antifungal activities than ketoconazole, except A. arborescens oil against Aspergillus niger.

Essential oil variation in wild populations of Artemisia saharae (Asteraceae) from Tunisia: chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

BackgroundArtemisia saharae Pomel is a new taxon of Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae) which is endemic to Tunisia and Algeria. This shrub, commonly known as white wormwood or desert wormwood, is largely used in folk medicine and as a culinary herb. The bulks aromatic plants come from wild populations whose essential oils compositions as well as their biological properties are severely affected by several factors such as geographic conditions. Therefore, the aim of the present work is to provide more information about the influence of altitude variation on the essential oil composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Artemisia saharae growing wild in the same geographical area.ResultsEssential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation of leaves and flowers of the plant collected from seven different altitudes of the Baten Zamour region (southwest of Tunisia). The highest essential oil yields (2.70-2.80%) were obtained for populations of high altitudes.Seventy-five compounds, representing 92.78 to 96.95% of the total essential oils, were separated and identified. Essential oils were characterized by very high percentage of oxygenated monoterpenes (52.1–72.6%) which constituted the predominant class. From the analyzed populations, the major compounds (>7%) were α-thujone, β-thujone, chrysanthenone, camphor, chrysanthenyl acetate, and sabinyl acetate. Sabinyl acetate which was detected in some populations at relatively high percentages (7.7–10.8%) seems to be characteristic to Southern Tunisian A. saharae. The studied essential oil showed a chemical diversity depending on the population altitude as revealed by linear discriminant and cluster analyses.ConclusionsThree population groups associated with altitudinal levels were distinguished. It is worthy to note that the most discriminating compounds of chemical groups were the minor ones. Despite the high variation of essential oil compositions, the high altitude population did not affect severely the antibacterial activity against the most tested strains. Altitude seems to be an important factor influencing the yield and the chemical profile of Artemisia saharae essential oils. Knowledge of the chemical composition of essential oils in relation to environmental factors is a very important quality criterion for their marketing and contributes to their valorization as functional ingredient in food technology.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40529-014-0076-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effect of Various Pre-Treatments and Alternating Temperature on Seed Germination of Artemisia herba-alba Asso

The present study was designed to determine the effect of alternating temperature regimes (R) and pre-treatments on the achenes germination of Artemisia herba-alba Asso, in order to provide information about germination requirements to be used for the rehabilitation programs . Four alternating temperature regimes with a day-night cycle (16/8 h) were applied R1: (35-20 °C), R2: (30-15 °C), R3: (25-10 °C) and R4: (20-05 °C) and ten pre-treatments were tested for the best regime. This pre-treatments include the pre-soaking in cool water at two durations, pre-soaking in hot water for two durations, pre-soaking in sulphuric acid (0.1 Mol/l) for two durations, pre-soaking in GA3 (Gibberellic acid) for four hours at three concentrations (10 -5 M, 10 -4 M and 10 -3 M) and mechanical scarification with soft sandpaper. Temperature regimes affect significantly at the level 0.05 the final germination percentage and influence the germination rate. The R2 registered the best performances and the increase and the decrease of the temperature reduces the ability of seeds to germinate. Also, the application of the pre-treatments result in highly significant differences (p < 0.01) for the germination characteristics, basically the pre-soaking in cool water during 48h that gave the best overall percentage of germination (71%). The use of GA3 to promote germination was not significant as compared to control even at the highest concentration (10 -3 M).

Biological Control Against the Cowpea Weevil (Callosobruchus Chinensis L., Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Using Essential Oils of Some Medicinal Plants

Abstract Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a valuable foodstuff but unfortunately this legume is prone to insect attacks from the chick pea weevil (Callosobruchus chinensis L.). This serious pest damages the chickpea and causes decreases in the yield and in the nutritional quality. Biological control is being used to deal with this problem. We tried different doses of the essential oils of three new medicinal plants, namely Salvia verbenaca L., Scilla maritima L., and Artemisia herba-alba Asso to limit the damage of the chick pea weevil pest, and to protect consumer’s health. To determine the effect and efficiency of the oil, the tests were conducted using the different biological parameters of fertility, longevity, and fecundity, under controlled temperature and relative humidity (28°C and 75%). The effectiveness of organic oils was demonstrated. We tested these oils on the germination of seeds. The obtained results showed that the tested plant oils have a real organic insecticide effect. The essential oil of Artemisia proved most effective as a biocide; achieving a mortality rate of 100%. A significant reduction in longevity was observed under the effect of 30 μl of S. maritima (1.3 days) and S. verbenaca (2.8, 4.6 days), respectively, for males and females compared to 8 and 15 days for the control. For fecundity, an inhibition of oviposition was obtained using 30 μl of Salvia and Scilla essential oils. The test on the seed germination using different essential oils, showed no damage to the germinating seeds. The germination rate was 99%. These findings suggest that the tested plants can be used as a bioinsecticide for control of the C. chinensis pest of stored products.

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oil from Artemisia herba-alba Growing Wild in Tunisia

Aromatic plants can interfere in the Mediterranean ecosystem, mainly by the introduction in the environment of volatile compounds. For this reason, we studied the chemical composition and the possible phytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil extracted from leaves of Tunisian Artemisia herba-alba Asso. The chemical composition of the essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. In all, 24 compounds were identified. The main components were camphor (39.1%), chrysanthenone (15.0%) and cis-thujone (7.8%). The essential oil was evaluated for its in vitro phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radical growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Sinapis arvensis L., Triticum durum L. and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The radicle elongation of the five seeds was affected to different extents by the oil, while germination was not affected. The oil, when tested against eight selected bacterial strains, showed low antimicrobial activity. The chemical composition of the oil of A. herba-alba can help in the chemosystematics of this complex genus. However, the recorded biological activities seem to be neither ecologically nor medicinally significant.

Essential oil from Artemisia herba-alba Asso grown wild in Algeria: Variability assessment and comparison with an updated literature survey

The chemical variability of the essential oils of Artemisia herba-alba Asso aerial parts, collected at Algeria was evaluated. A. herba-alba populations were collected in four regions, Benifouda; Bougaa; Boussaada and Boutaleb, at two different periods, July (flowering phase), and October and November (vegetative phase). The essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oils yield ranged between 0.2% and 0.9% (v/d.w.). Fifty components were identified in A. herba-alba oils, oxygen-containing monoterpenes being dominant in all cases (72–80%). Camphor (17–33%), α-thujone (7–28%) and chrysanthenone (4–19%) were the major oil components. Despite the similarity in main components, three types of oils could be defined, (a) α-thujone : camphor (23–28:17–28%), (b) camphor : chrysanthenone (33:12%) and (c) α-thujone : camphor : chrysanthenone (24:19:19%). The comparison between the present data and an updated survey of the existing literature reinforces the major variability of A. herba-alba essential oils and stresses the importance of obtaining a defined chemical type crop production avoiding the wild harvest.

Relaxant Effect of Essential Oil of Artemisia herba-alba Asso. on Rodent Jejunum Contractions.

Artemisia herba-alba Asso. is a shrub commonly encountered in Morocco. It is used in traditional medicine for treating intestinal disorders. The essential oil extracted from the plant’s aerial parts reversibly relaxed the spontaneous tonus of the rabbit jejunum in a reversible concentration dependent manner with an IC50 value of 97.33 ± 2.59 ng/ml and reversed the tonic contraction of rat jejunum induced by 75 mM KCl and 10−6 M carbachol with IC50 values of 115.5 ± 3.05 and 119.4 ± 20.86 ng/ml, respectively. The pre-treatment of the latter isolated intestine with this essential oil produced a dose-dependent shift of the Ca++ and CCh dose-response curve to the right, with suppression of the maximal effect, similar to the non-competitive antagonist effect on muscarinic receptors and calcium channel, respectively.