Dracocephalum Moldavica Research Articles

Influence of chemical and organic fertilizer on growth, yield and essential oil of dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) plant

Two field experiments were carried out to study the response of Dracocephalum moldavica L. to NPK fertilizer and different application techniques of MOG organic fertilizer in two regions of Iran (Piranshahr with cold Mediterranean climate and clay loam soil, Maragheh with cool sub-humid temperate climate and sandy loam soil). MOG is bio-organic fertilizer with plant origin and contains different natural enzymes and amino acids. In current study following treatments have been applied: NPK (a complete NPK 20-20-20, 90 kg fertilizer ha-1); MOG1 (soil application of MOG organic fertilizer at sowing stage); MOG2 (foliar application of MOG organic fertilizer at early stage of flowering); MOG3 (soil application of MOG organic fertilizer at sowing and at 5 to 6 leaf stage); MOG4 (soil application of MOG organic fertilizer at sowing and at 5 to 6 leaf stage with foliar application at early stage of flowering). Results indicated that all MOG treatments overcome the chemical fertilizers in both locations. However, plants grown in Piranshahr were more responsive to MOG fertilizer treatments than those grown in Mragheh. Overall, it could be concluded that utilization of MOG fertilizer as both soil and foliar application (MOG4) may increase content and yield of essential oil, which could be suggested as a suitable alternative for chemical fertilizers.

Antigenotoxic and antioxidant activities of a polyphenolic extract from European Dracocephalum moldavica L.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the antigenotoxic and antioxidant activities of the crude hydromethanolic extract from the aerial parts of European Dracocephalum moldavica L. (Moldavian dragonhead). The total phenolic content estimated by the Folin–Ciocalteu assay was 289.55±2.63mg of GAE/g of dry extract, and rosmarinic acid was the major polyphenol of Dracocephalum moldavica extract (107.11±0.83mg/g of dry extract). In vitro antioxidant assays revelead remarkable scavenging effects against DPPH (EC50=23.10±0.10μg/mL), ABTS (EC50=8.0±0.10μg/mL) and superoxide anion radicals (EC50=445.5±2.3μg/mL). The extract showed a high ferrous ion chelating activity (EC50=35.70±0.40μg/mL), a considerable reducing capacity, and good hydroxyl radical scavenging properties. Dracocephalum moldavica extract reduced, in a concentration-dependent manner, DNA damage induced by bleomycin in normal human dermal fibroblasts as measured by comet assay and micronucleus test. Exposure of dermal fibroblasts to Dracocephalum moldavica extract (100μg/mL) after preincubation with bleomycin (10μg/mL) resulted in the most significant antigenotoxic activity. The protective effects may be due to the free radical scavenging activity, iron-chelating properties and the possible intervention on DNA repair processes.

Badiranji Buya Keli, a Traditional Uyghur Medicine, Induces Vasodilation in Rat Artery: Signaling Mediated by Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial Cells.

Badiranji Buya Keli (BBK) is a traditional Uyghur medicine derived from Dracocephalum Moldavica Herba (DMH, the aerial part of Dracocephalum moldavica L.). BBK has been widely used in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Here, the quality control of BBK was established by using HPLC analysis of rosmarinic acid and tilianin. After chemical standardization, the biological effects of BBK was tested. First, BBK inhibited platelet aggregation of rabbit plasma. Second, BBK induced vasodilation in rat aortic ring, and this effect was partially mediated by nitric oxide (NO) production in endothelial cells. Third, BBK induced NO production in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In HUVECs, the phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) was markedly increased after application of BBK. Pre-treatment with the eNOS blocker N(ω) -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride could abolish BBK-induced NO production and eNOS phosphorylation. Taken together, these results suggest that BBK could exert beneficial effects in cardiovascular system, which may provide parts of molecular explanation to account for its traditional usage in Uyghur medicine.

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Dracocephalum Moldavica Extract on Beta-Amyloid Peptide-Induced Toxicity in PC12 Cells

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Dracocephalum Moldavica Extract on Beta-Amyloid Peptide-Induced Toxicity in PC12 Cells

Sequential Path Analysis of Effective Characters on the Essential Oil Yield of Dracocephalum moldavica L.

To investigate interrelationship of some morpho-physiological traits and oil yield of Dracocephalum moldavica L. an experiment was conducted in the form of split factorial based on randomized complete block design with four replications in a greenhouse and field conditions. Results indicated a significant and high correlation of flowering shoots yield and oil percentage with oil yield under given conditions. The most direct effect in these conditions was related flowering shoots yield and oil percentage which was also evident in stepwise regression. Traits including plant height, number of sub-branches, proline and soluble carbohydrates also directly or indirectly affected on flowering shoots yield and oil percentage. In factor analysis, two factors of morphological traits and yield in greenhouse conditions and three factors of morphological, yield, and oil yield in farm conditions confirmed 92.85 and 93.06 % of total variance, respectively. Generally, reinforcing the first factor which justified the most variances among the data especially total chlorophyll, number of flowers and sub-branches, and leaf area can accelerate the flowering shoots yield, oil percentage and finally improve oil yield. Despite reduction in the oil percentage due to an increase in the amount of proline and soluble carbohydrates, these two traits through improving morphological traits in low humidity conditions can be useful in accelerating flowering shoots yield and finally oil yield. Thus, regarding flowering shoots yield (it also includes oil percentage), it is suggested to improve D. moldavica oil yield.

A combined strategy of mass fragmentation, post-column cobalt complexation and shift in ultraviolet absorption spectra to determine the uridine 5′-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase metabolism profiling of flavones after oral administration of a flavone mixture in rats

The use of dietary flavones is becoming increasingly popular for their prevention of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases. Despite many pharmacokinetic studies on flavone mixtures, the position(s) of glucuronidation sites on the flavone skeleton in vivo remain(s) uncertain because of the lack of a convenient method to differentiate the isomers in biological samples. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a new strategy to identify the position of the mono-O-glucuronide of flavones in vivo and to simultaneously determine the parent agent and its major metabolites responsible for complex pharmacokinetic characteristics. The novel strategy involves accurate mass measurements of flavone glucuronides, their [Co(II) (flavone glucuronide-H) (4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)2]+ complexes generated via the post-column addition of CoBr2 and 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline, and their mass spectrometric fragmentation by UPLC–DAD–Q-TOF and the comparison of retention times with biosynthesized standards of different isomers that were identified by analyzing the shift in UV spectra compared with the spectra of their respective aglycones. We successfully generated a metabolite profiling of flavones in rat plasma after oral administration of a flavone mixture from Dracocephalum moldavica L., which was used here as the model to demonstrate the strategy. Twelve flavone glucuronides, which were glucuronidated derivatives of acacetin, apigenin, luteolin, diosmetin, chrysoeriol and cirsimaritin, were detected and identified. Glucuronidation of the flavone skeleton at the 3′-/7-position was more prevalent, however, luteolin 4′-glucuronide levels exceeded luteolin 7-glucuronide levels. Based on the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) metabolism profiling of flavones in rat plasma, six main compounds (tilianin, acacetin 7-glucuronide, apigenin 7-glucuronide, luteolin 3′-glucuronide, acacetin, and apigenin) were selected as pharmacokinetic markers. Pharmacokinetic results indicated that their maximal concentrations in blood were obtained within 0.4h, except for the concentration of luteolin 3′-glucronide (approximately 9h). Rat exposure was practically non-linear under the studied dosages (200 to 400mg/kg).

Molecular Identification of Fungi Isolated from Dracocephalum Moldavica L. Seeds

Dracocephalum moldavica L. which is known as dragonhead is an annual herbaceous aromatic plant belongs to family Lamiaceae. It is native to central Asia and has been naturalized in eastern and central Europe. Extracts and oil from this plant are used widely in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and flavouring industries. Because mycological quality is important for industrial use of seeds of this plant, the goal of the study was to identify the most dominant fungi occurring on Dracocephalum moldavica L. seeds using molecular techniques. The method of molecular identification was based on rDNA-extraction and the subsequent amplification of the D2 large subunit. Two fungal strains (G435/14 and G443/14) were isolated from Dracocephalum moldavica L. seeds. The strains were identified as Fusarium sporotrichioides (G435/14) and Alternaria alternata (G443/14). Most seeds were settling by A. alternata and just few by F. sporotrichioides.

Development and validation of an high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector method for the simultaneous determination of six phenolic compounds in abnormal savda munziq decoction.

Aims:Given the high-effectiveness and low-toxicity of abnormal savda munziq (ASMQ), its herbal formulation has long been used in traditional Uyghur medicine to treat complex diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.Settings and Design:ASMQ decoction by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector was successfully developed for the simultaneous quality assessment of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, rosmarinic acid, and luteolin. The six phenolic compounds were separated on an Agilent TC-C18 reversed-phase analytical column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) by gradient elution using 0.3% aqueous formic acid (v/v) and 0.3% methanol formic acid (v/v) at 1.0 mL/min.Materials and Methods:The plant material was separately ground and mixed at the following ratios (10): Cordia dichotoma (10.6), Anchusa italic (10.6), Euphorbia humifusa (4.9), Adiantum capillus-veneris (4.9), Ziziphus jujube (4.9), Glycyrrhiza uralensis (7.1), Foeniculum vulgare (4.9), Lavandula angustifolia (4.9), Dracocephalum moldavica L. (4.9), and Alhagi pseudoalhagi (42.3).Statistical Analysis Used:The precisions of all six compounds were <0.60%, and the average recoveries ranged from 99.39% to 104.85%. Highly significant linear correlations were found between component concentrations and specific chromatographic peak areas (R2 > 0.999).Results:The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the levels of six active components in ASMQ.Conclusions:Given the simplicity, precision, specificity, and sensitivity of the method, it can be utilized as a quality control approach to simultaneously determining the six phenolic compounds in AMSQ.

Effect of Fylloton Application on Photosynthetic Activity of Moldavian Dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.)

Abstract The field experiment was carried out in 2014 in Perespa, Poland to examine the impact of biostimulant Fylloton on the photosynthetic activity of Moldavian dragonhead cv ‘Alba’. Moldavian dragonhead seeds were sown in April at a depth of 1-1.5 cm, with the spacing 45 x 20 cm. During the growing season, Fylloton was foliar-applied at a dose 2 l/ha (0.7%) and 3 l/ha (1%) by single spraying or double spraying of plants. One week after application of biostimulator, the photosynthetic activity of plants was measured. Use of Fylloton had a positive impact on the efficiency of photosynthetic apparatus and chlorophyll content in the leaves of Moldavian dragonhead plants. Fylloton is environmentally friendly preparation and helps to improve the efficiency of photosynthetic apparatus. It should therefore be recommended for use in sustainable agriculture.

Фракціонування ефірної олії Dracocephalum Moldavica L. і шляхи використання фракцій у харчових технологіях

The paper presents the research results of the modes of essential oil fractionation of Dracocephalum moldavica L., from which the four fractions of different flavour have been obtained. According to their characteristics each faction is an independent natural flavour for different sectors of the food industry. The recipe of flavoured spread with using the second distillation fraction as a natural flavour has been developed. Combining factions in the composition can significantly extend the range of natural flavours and flavored foods.

Effect of Harvesting Time and Iron Application on Moldavian balm

Dracocephalum moldavica L. of the Labiatae family is an annual herbaceous plant. In Iran it is known as Badrashbi and Badrashboo. Recent publications have reported antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of its essential oil, which have a wide usage in industry. In this research, the effects of iron foliar application and different yields’ harvest times on the essential oil content and some morphological treats (plant height, branch number, fresh and dry weights, essential oil content and leaf Iron content) were investigated under experimental study in faculty of Agriculture of Urmia University during 2012. A factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was used in the present study. Results showed that foliar application of iron had a significant effect on branch number, fresh and dry weight, biomass and oil percentage. Similarly, harvest time had a significant influence on fresh and dry weight, essential oil content, essential oil yield and leaf iron content, but its effect was not significant on stem diameter and branch number. The best harvest time for Dracocephalum moldavica L. was at 100% of flowering and 6 ml/l of iron application showed the best results in all characters measured.

Effect of Harvesting Time and Iron Application on &lt;i&gt;Moldavian balm&lt;/i&gt;

Dracocephalum moldavica L. of the Labiatae family is an annual herbaceous plant. In Iran it is known as Badrashbi and Badrashboo. Recent publications have reported antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of its essential oil, which have a wide usage in industry. In this research, the effects of iron foliar application and different yields’ harvest times on the essential oil content and some morphological treats (plant height, branch number, fresh and dry weights, essential oil content and leaf Iron content) were investigated under experimental study in faculty of Agriculture of Urmia University during 2012. A factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was used in the present study. Results showed that foliar application of iron had a significant effect on branch number, fresh and dry weight, biomass and oil percentage. Similarly, harvest time had a significant influence on fresh and dry weight, essential oil content, essential oil yield and leaf iron content, but its effect was not significant on stem diameter and branch number. The best harvest time for Dracocephalum moldavica L. was at 100% of flowering and 6 ml/l of iron application showed the best results in all characters measured.

Effect of Hydro-priming and Priming with Ascorbic and Salicylic Acid on Germination Traits of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Varieties

Information regarding the evaluation of priming treatments on germination traits of Dracocephalum moldavica L. varieties is not available. Therefore, this assay was conducted during 2013 in Islamic Azad University of Sanandaj located in Kurdistan province of Iran. Twelve treatments resulted from a factorial combination of six priming method (factor A) and two varieties of moldavian dragonhead (factor B), arranged in a completely randomized design replicated three times. Factor A included 50 mg L-1 Salicylic acid (SA), 100 mg L-1 SA, 50 mg L-1 Ascorbic acid (AsA), 100 mg L-1 AsA, hydro-priming and control. Factor B included Kurdish landrace and SZK1 cultivar. Results showed that the highest and lowest emergence percentages were 90.1 % in Kurdish SA50 and 52.8 % in SZK1 AsA100 treatments, respectively. Hydro priming treatment increased the emergence rate index more than 100 mg L-1 SA, 100 mg L-1 AsA and control treatments. The highest shoot weight was 9.41 mg for Kurdish SA50 treatment and the lowest length, 1.24 mg was attributed to SZK1 control treatment. The highest (6.56 mg) and lowest (1.74 mg) radicle weight were observed in Kurdish-hydro-priming and SZK1-AsA100 treatments. The Kurdish landrace showed a favorable germination condition compared to SZK1 cultivar.

Characteristics of seedling survival in habitats of hill and gully slopes in hill-gully Loess Plateau region of northern Shaanxi

Aims Seedling is the fundament of vegetation restoration succession and plays a very important role in ecosystems. The objective of this paper was to explore the characteristics of seedling survival in habitats of hill and gully slopes in a hill-gully Loess Plateau region. Methods Fifteen permanent plots in Zhifanggou and Songjiagou watershed in Ansai County were established for sentinel dynamic monitoring, and one-way ANOVA and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to analyze seedling density and survival rate in different habitats. Important findings There were significant differences in the characteristics of seedling survival among different habitats, with smaller seedling density and higher survival rates observed on the sunny slopes and larger seedling density but lower survival rate found on the shady slopes. In competition for survival, Artemisia gmelinii, Potentilla tanacetifolia, and Heteropappus altaicus etc. took advantage of quality and were characterized by a higher seedling survival rate, while Artemisia scoparia, Ixeris chinensis, Siphonostegia chinensis etc. adopted a strategy of "quantity" and characterized by a higher seedling density. The same species in different habitats had different survival curves, and the same survival curves in different habitats applied to different species. The seedlings of Artemisia gmelinii, Potentilla tanacetifolia, Stipa bungeana, Heteropappus altaicus, and Lespedeza davurica etc. had a strong survival capability in the rainy season and were easy to overwinter successfully, whereas the seedling survival capability in Artemisia scoparia, Dracocephalum moldavica, and Artemisia hedinii etc. was strong priorto the rainy season but weak in winter. The characteristics of seedling survival in different micro-environments also differed. A change in micro-environment affected seedling growth, survival, and overwintering to some extent. Thus, a proper tending for seedlings according to the survival characteristics of species is conducive to the seedling establishment and vegetation succession in the hill-gully Loess Plateau region.

Relative water content, cell membrane stability, essential oil and morphology of Dracocphalum moldavica L. are influenced by drought stress and manure

In the current study, the effect of water deficit stress or drought on relative water content and cell membrane stability of dragonhead (Dracocepha lummoldavica) was studied in a greenhouse experiment carried out at Islamic Azad University, Jiroft branch, in 2009. It was a split plot experimentbased on Randomized Completely Block Design with three replications, in which vertical factor included three levels of drought stress (irrigation when soil moisture reached 75% of field capacity [mild stress], irrigation when soil moisture reached 50% of field capacity [moderate stress] and irrigation when soil moisture reached 25% of field capacity [severe stress]). The results showed that the effect of water deficit stress was significant on relative water content at 5% level and on cell membrane stability at 1% level. Water stress significantly decreased relative water content from 77.69% under mild stress under severe stress. Relative water content increased as manure level increased. considering essential oil content as the main goal of dracocephalum production and concerning the fact that oil yield as 13.10, 9.91, 9.91 and 9.91 kg/ha was achieved by interaction of the two factors in mild stress and 40ton/ha manure, mild stress and 30ton/ha, medium stress and 40ton/ha manure and medium stress and 30ton/ha manure, respectively; the medium drought stress together with application of 30tpn/ha is recommended for Jiroft region as the superior treatment which resulted in production of 9.91kg/ha essential oils.

Effects of drought stress and manure on dry herb yield and essential oil of Dragonhead (Dracocphalum moldavica) in Jiroft erea

In the current study, the effect of water deficit stress or drought on relative water content and cell membrane stability of dragonhead (Dracocepha lummoldavica) was studied in a greenhouse experiment carried out at Islamic Azad University, Jiroftbranch, in 2009. It was a split plot experimentbased on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications, in which vertical factor included three levels of drought stress (irrigation when soil moisture reached 75% of field capacity [mild stress], irrigation when soil moisture reached 50% of field capacity [moderate stress] and irrigation when soil moisture reached 25% of field capacity [severe stress]). The highest dry yield of vegetative body in dracocephalum was obtained by mild stress as 4868.27kg/ha. The highest dry yield of vegetative body in dracocephalum as 5719.67kg/ha was obtained by application of 40 ton/ha of manure. considering essential oil content as the main goal of dracocephalum production and concerning the fact that oil yield as 13.10, 9.91, 9.91 and 9.91 kg/ha was achieved by interaction of the two factors in mild stress and 40ton/ha manure, mild stress and 30ton/ha, medium stress and 40ton/ha manure and medium stress and 30ton/ha manure, respectively; the medium drought stress together with application of 30tpn/ha is recommended for Jiroft region as the superior treatment which resulted in production of 9.91kg/ha essential oils.

Cytogenetic studies of two Dracocephalum (Lamiaceae) species and populations in Iran

A karyological study of two taxa (11 populations) of the genus Dracocephalum L. from different geographic origins is presented. We found the two usual basic chromosome numbers in the genus. Basic chromosome numbers in all of the populations of Dracocephalum moldavica L. were x= 5 (2n=2x=10) and in Deracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. were x= 10 (2n=2x=20). Chromosomes in all of populations of D. moldavica and D. kotschyi were located in 1A and 1B classes respectively. The chromosome lengths were determined between 1.88-2.16µm in D. moldavica and 1.37-1.63µm in D. kotschyi. Detailed karyotype analysis allows us to group the different populations and to postulate relationships among them.

The phenolic compounds from Dracocephalum moldavica L.

• Twenty flavonoids and two phenylpropanoids were isolated from Dracocephalum moldavica . • Eight flavonoids were isolated from D. moldavica for the first time. • Six flavonoids were isolated from the genus Dracocephalum for the first time. • The chemotaxonomic significance of these compounds was summarized.

Neuroprotective Effect of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Total Flavonoids in Transient Cerebral Ischemia in Rats

Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of Dracocephalum moldavica L. total flavonoids (DMTF) on cerebral oxidative stress and damage as well as apoptosis induced by transient cerebral ischemia in rats. Methodology: Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: model group, sham group, DMTF high, middle, low dose groups (50, 25, 12.5 mg/kg). Focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h, followed by 22 h reperfusion. The reduced glutathione/ oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, antioxidant enzyme activities, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl and 8hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) contents were determined. The neuron apoptosis was measured by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. At last, the Original Research Article Annual Research & Review in Biology, 4(12): 1915-1926, 2014 1916 neurological deficit was observed. Results: Transient cerebral ischemia led to significant depress in GSH/GSSG ratio, depletion in antioxidant enzyme activities, rise in MDA, protein carbonyl, 8-OHdG contents, neuron apoptosis and neurological deficit scores. Pre-treatment with DMTF obviously attenuated the brain oxidative stress and damage, apoptosis and neurological deficits. Conclusion: These findings suggested that DMTF has neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury which might be related to its antioxidant and anti-apoptosis activity.

Antioxidative and Cardioprotective Effects of Total Flavonoids Extracted from Dracocephalum moldavica L. Against Acute Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Myocardial Injury in Isolated Rat Heart

This study evaluates antioxidative and cardioprotective effects of total flavonoids extracted from Dracocephalum moldavica L. (DML). The total flavonoids showed remarkable scavenging effects against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals in vitro. Compared with the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) group as demonstrated bythe use of improved Langendorff retrograde perfusion technology, the total flavonoids (5μg/mL) pretreatment improved the heart rate and coronary flow, rised left ventricular developed pressure and decreased creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase levels in coronary flow. The infarct size/ischemic area at risk of DML-treated hearts was smaller than that of I/R group; the superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio increased and malondialdehyde content reduced obviously (P<0.01) in total flavonoids treatment groups. In conclusion, the total flavonoids possess obvious protective effects on myocardial I/R injury, which may be related to the improvement of myocardial oxidative stress states.