Thymus Sipyleus Research Articles

ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENTS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF THYMUS CANOVIRIDIS JALAS AND THYMUS SIPYLEUS BOISS.

Objective: Members of the Lamiaceae family are considered to be major sources of bioactive therapeutic agents. Many of them are important medicinal and aromatic plants used in traditional and modern medicine and in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this study was to investigate in detail the biological activities and chemical composition of the essential oils of Thymus canoviridis Jalas and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. species belonging to the genus Thymus, one of the most important genera of the Lamiaceae family. Material and Method: The essential oil content of the species was determined by GC-MS. Antioxidant activities of the essential oils were determined using lipid peroxidation, DPPH free radical, ABTS cation radical and CUPRAC methods. In addition, cytotoxic activities against breast cancer (MCF-7) and colon cancer (HT-29) cell lines and anticholinesterase (against AChE and BChE enzymes), urease, tyrosinase, elastase, collagenase and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition activities were determined. Result and Discussion: When the essential oil composition of T. sipyleus was analyzed, the major compounds were 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) (18.16%), camphor (15.08%) and endo-borneol (11.63%), while T. canoviridis was found to be rich in carvacrol (72.88%). T. canoviridis showed high antioxidant activity in lipid peroxidation (IC50: 45.72±0.12 μg/ml), ABTS (IC50: 6.12±0.03 μg/ml) and CUPRAC (IC50: 5.31±0.01 μg/ml) methods. The selectivities of T. canoviridis and T. sipyleus species against MCF-7 cell line were 4.39 and 6.81, respectively. In the enzyme inhibition studies, both Thymus species showed moderate inhibition activity against BChE enzyme (Inhibition%: 57.88±1.14, 39.21±0.89, respectively). In addition, T. sipyleus showed moderate inhibition of elastase enzyme (Inhibition%: 25.33±0.79). When the results are evaluated in general, it can be said that T. canoviridis essential oil with its rich carvacrol content and high cytotoxic and antioxidant activity can be preferred as a safer and natural option instead of synthetic preservatives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries to extend shelf life and ensure food safety.

Exploring the Antifungal Efficacy of Essential Oils against Alternaria solani, the Causative Pathogen of Early Leaf Blight in Tomato Plants

Alternaria solani is an important necrotrophic fungus that is responsible for the early blight disease which is a common disease in tomato fields. In this research, the antifungal activity of essential oils extracted from Satureja hortensis, Thymbra spicata, Thymus sipyleus, Origanum majorana, O. syriacium, O. onites, O. vulgar, Artemisia absinthium, A. santonicum and A. spicigera were tested against Alternaria solani the causative agent of Tomato early blight disease. The study was carried out in two different ways, in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies were conducted on media mixed with essential oils, and different concentrations of oils were examined on fungal growth in petri dishes. In in vivo studies, the effects of essential oils on the development of disease lesions were evaluated by infecting healthy tomato fruits. The concentrations used in the study were 140, 280, 560 and 1000 µl/L in the in vitro and 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 µl/fruit under in vivo conditions. Among the in vitro trials, the essential oils extracted from Thymus sipyleus and O. onites exhibited the most pronounced antifungal efficacy, achieving complete growth inhibition of the fungal pathogen across all concentrations whereas the essential oils from Artemisia spicigera and A. santonicum displayed relatively lower efficacy compared to the other oils. Conversely, under in vivo conditions, the essential oils derived from O. majorana and A. absinthium demonstrated the greatest capacity to impede the development of disease lesions on the fruit, yielding inhibition rates of 84% and 64% at 2.5 µl per fruit concentrations, respectively. In contrast the essential oils from Artemisia spicigera and A. santonicum had the least effect on the development of the disease, as there was disease lesions appeared even on the fruits that were applied at 20µl/fruit doses. Although most of the essential oils had some degree of antifungal action, still much effort is needed to put on both in vitro and in vivo trials to strength the reliability and consistency of the future related researches.

Phenolic Content Analysis of Two Species Belonging to the Lamiaceae Family: Antioxidant, Anticholinergic, and Antibacterial Activities.

The Lamiaceae family are utilized as ornamental, medicinal, and food supplements throughout the world. The current study focuses on a comparative analysis of the phenolic compositions and bioactivities (including antioxidant, anticholinergic, and antibacterial activities) of ethanolic extracts derived from the aerial parts of the two species (Lavandula stoechas L. and Thymus sipyleus Boiss). The presence of phenolic compounds and phytochemicals in the plant extracts was identified using the LC-MS/MS technique. The LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that vanillic acid (125,596.66 µg/L) was the most abundant phytochemical in L. stoechas. Kaempferol (8550.52 µg/L) was the most abundant substance in Thymus sipyleus. The assessment of the antioxidant efficacy of the species extracts was conducted using the DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate), ABTS (2.2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), Fe3+-Fe2+ reducing, and CUPRAC (Cu2+-Cu+ reducing) assays. The anticholinergic activity of the samples was determined using the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition assay. The results of antioxidant activity were higher in the T. sipyleus than in the L. stoechas ethanol extracts. The extracts of L. stoechas exhibited radical scavenging activity ranging from 15 to 18%, while T. sipyleus had activity effects ranging from 34% to 38%. The AChE inhibition potential for L. stoechas and T. sipyleus extracts as IC50 values were 0.221 ± 0.01 mg/mL and 0.067 ± 0.02 mg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial effects of the ethanolic extracts of these species against pathogenic bacteria isolates were determined using the MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) method. These findings indicated that the extracts from L. stoechas and T. sipyleus possess the potential to be natural antioxidants in the realm of food preservation. Additionally, their antioxidant, anticholinergic, and antimicrobial properties suggest potential therapeutic utility in the management of certain diseases.

New Biological and Chemical Evidences of Two Lamiaceae Species (Thymbra capitata and Thymus sipyleus subsp. rosulans): In Vitro, In Silico and Ex Vivo Approaches.

In this study, the methanolic and infusion extracts of two species, Thymbra capitata and Thymus sipyleus subsp. rosulans, were tested for their chemical composition and biological abilities (antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effects). The extracts yielded total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the range of 83.43-127.52 mg GAE/g and 9.41-46.34 mg RE/g, respectively. HPLC analysis revealed rosmarinic acid to be a major component of the studied extracts (15.85-26.43%). The best ABTS radical scavenging ability was observed in the methanol extract of T. capitata with 379.11 mg TE/g, followed by in the methanol extract of T. sipylus (360.93 mg TE/g). In the CUPRAC assay, the highest reducing ability was also found in the methanol extract of T. capitata with 802.22 mg TE/g. The phosphomolybdenum ability ranged from 2.39 to 3.61 mmol TE/g. In terms of tyrosinase inhibitory effects, the tested methanol extracts (83.18-89.66 mg KAE/g) were higher than the tested water extracts (18.74-19.11 mg KAE/g). Regarding the BChE inhibitory effects, the methanol extracts were active on the enzyme while the water extracts showed no inhibitory effect on it. Overall, the methanolic extracts showed better enzyme inhibition compared to the infusion extracts. Molecular docking also showed the selected exhibited potential binding affinities with all enzymes, with a preference for cholinesterases. Additionally, the extracts were effective in attenuating the LPS-induced increase in COX-2 and IL-6 gene expression in isolated colon, thus indicating promising anti-inflammatory effects. The preliminary results of this study suggest that these species are good natural sources of antioxidants and also provide some scope as enzyme inhibitors, most likely due to their bioactive contents such as phenolic acids, and thus can be exploited for different applications related to health promotion and disease prevention.

Volatile constituents of three Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subspecies from different sites in Turkey.

This study was designed to reveal the chemical diversity of some Thymus sipyleus subspecies growing wild in Turkey and to compare the volatile compound profiles by using micro(hydro)distillation technique. For this purpose, volatile compounds isolated by microdistillation from nine samples (three plant samples collected from different regions in Antalya) of Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus, T. sipyleus Boiss. subsp. sipyleus var. davisianus Ronniger, and T. sipyleus Boiss. subsp. rosulans (Borbas) Jalas were analyzed by GC and GC-MS systems. 1,8-Cineole, p-cymene, α-terpineol and carvacrol were identified as major compounds in T. sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus samples. Geranial, neral, 1,8-cineole and β-caryophyllene, and α-terpineol and geranial were the main compounds in T. sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. davisianus samples. β-Caryophyllene, intermedeol, 1,8-cineole and α-terpineol, α-pinene were the major compounds in T. sipyleus subsp. rosulans samples. As known, thymol is the main compound in most Thymus species in Turkey, but, according to our study, chemical polymorphism has been found among the T. sipyleus subspecies.

Numerical Comparison of Anatomical Features of Lamiaceae Taxa Named After Spil Mountain

In this study, the anatomical features of some taxa (Origanum sipyleum, Satureja parnassica subsp. sipylea, Sideritis sipylea, Thymus sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus) belonging to the Lamiaceae distributed on the Spil Mountain of Turkey were compared statistically. Lamiaceae family to which the investigated taxa belong are of high importance for their antioxidant potential, multiple pharmaceuticaluses in folk medicine. The some anatomical features of the stem were selected and measurements were taken. The data obtained from the anatomical features were evaluated statistically. By this study it has been determined that cortex length and diameter of pith are the best character pairs which represent the variations in them. Thus, the cortex length and diameter of pith can be viewed as a taxonomic character for classification of species. The results showed that investigated taxa also could be distinguished from each other not only by their morphological features but numerical anatomical characters as well.

Volatile component groups of thyme (Thymus sipyleus BOISS. subsp. sipyleus BOISS. var. sipyleus L.) harvested at different times after various fertilizer mixtures applying during production

Doğal ortamından köklenerek elde edilen Kekik (Thymus sipyleus BOISS. subsp. sipyleus BOISS. var. sipyleus L.) bitkisi Konya ili Beyşehir ilçesinde kültüre alınmıştır. Üretimde, Azot + Fosfor + Potasyum (K1), Mikro Elementler (Bor + Bakır + Demir + Mangan + Molibden + Çinko) (K3) ve Azot + Fosfor + Potasyum + Mikro Elementlerden (Bor + Bakır + Demir + Mangan + Molibden + Çinko) (K2 ve K4) oluşan gübre karışımları uygulanmıştır. Hasat ağustos, eylül ve ekim 2019 aylarında üç ayrı dönemde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgularda, kekik bitkisinde monoterpen bileşiklerinin %60.66 ile K4 gübreleme uygulaması örneğinin ekim hasadında, seskiterpen bileşiklerinin %11.52 ile K0 kontrol örneğinin eylül hasadında ve alkol bileşiklerinin %69.64 ile K1 gübreleme uygulaması örneğinin eylül hasadında en yüksek değerlere ulaştığı görülmüştür. Sonuç olarak, çeşitli gübre karışımları kullanılarak farklı dönemlerde hasat edilen kekik bitkisi örneklerinde uçucu bileşen gruplarının miktarlarında farklılık gerçekleştirilebileceği anlaşılmıştır. Bu durum, bitkiyi hammadde olarak kabul eden ilgili endüstriyel alanlar için hammadde içerik özellikleri bakımdan geniş bir yelpaze sunulabileceğini göstermiştir.

Identification and quantification of phenolic and volatile constituents in five different Anatolian thyme species using LC–MS/MS and GC-MS, with biological activities

Being widely used in the food industry, thyme is one of the most valuable plants in many aspects, and Turkey is one of the hotspots for thyme industry. Five thyme species, Thymus convolutus (endemic), Thymus fallax, Thymus haussknechtii Velen (endemic), Thymus kotschyanus var. kotschyanus, and Thymus sipyleus from Turkey were subjected in this study. Their essential oils and the extracts of aerial and root parts were obtained. GC-MS analyses showed that camphor was the major compound in T. convolutus (12.7%), and in T. sipyleus (13.1%) essential oils. The major volatile compound of T. fallax was bicyclogermacrene (21.5%), whereas the T. kotschyanus var. kotschyanus essential oil showed a predominance of carvacrol (48.5%), and thymol (22.5%). Carvacrol was also the major compound of T. haussknechtii with 28.2%. LC-MS/MS analyses showed that nicotiflorin (293.28–4201.15 μg/mL), caffeic (516.41–851.28 μg/mL), quinic (344.37–4410.94 μg/mL), rosmarinic (1800.18–9631.71 μg/mL), and fumaric acid (350.88–682.10 μg/mL) were detected as the main compounds in the extracts. All extracts exerted strong antioxidant activity, and the highest radical scavenging activity was demonstrated by T. haussknechtii root extract. T. convolutus and T. haussknechtii aerial parts extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity against C. tropicalis at MIC of 19.53 μg/mL. The extracts were found to be non-toxic against COLO205 and KM12 human colon, and UO-31, and A498 human renal cell lines. Their enzyme inhibitory activities were also evaluated against cholinesterase, tyrosinase and urease enzymes and T. fallax aerial part extract was the most effective with 34.48 ± 0.60% in antibutyrylcholinesterase activity. These species with strong antioxidant and antifungal properties and no toxicity could be beneficial to be used as preservatives in the food processing industry.

New occurrences for the flora of Lebanon: Sideritis syriaca subsp. nusairiensis (Post) Hub.-Mor. (Lamiaceae) and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. (Lamiaceae) and consideration on their distribution, natural habitats, and conservation status

Investigations carried out during 2019 on the vascular flora of Jabal Akroum, the northernmost part of the Mount Lebanon range near the Syrian border, yielded two new records of Lamiaceae species for the flora of Lebanon: Sideritis syriaca subsp. nusairiensis (Post) Hub.-Mor. and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. We present findings on the distribution and ecology of these species as well as their conservation status at the national level in accordance with International Union for the Conservation of Nature guidelines. We also report on the natural habitats of Jabal Akroum.

Tıbbi Bitkilerden Elde Edilen Uçucu Yağların Kimyasal Bileşimi ve Gal Oluşturan Bitki Patojeni Bakteriyel Hastalık Etmenlerine Karşı Antibakteriyel Etkinlikleri

The aims of this study were to determine chemical composition of essential oils from different plant species and their antibacterial activities against gal-forming plant pathogenic bacterial disease agents Rhizobium radiobacter, Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi and P.savastanoi pv. nerii. The chemical compositions of essential oils were identified by GC/MS. The major constituents of the essential oils were carvacrol in Thymbra spicata var. spicata (66.88%) and Origanum syriacum (79.8%), thymol in Thymus serpyllum (41.03%), geranial in Thymus sipyleus (13.72%) and Melissa officinalis (30.4), 4-terpineol in Origanum majorana (31.67%), linalool in Ocimum basilicum (30.23%), carvone in Mentha spicata (55.58%), 1,8 cineole in Lavandula stoechas var. stoechas (35.5%), Laurus nobilis (35.5%) and Rosmarinus officinalis (18.47%), camphor in Salvia officinalis (24.59%) and trans-anethole in Foeniculum vulgare (82.8%) essential oils, respectively. Based on inhibition zone diameter values, essential oils showed very strong antibacterial activities against P.savastanoi pv. savastanoi (7.0-44.67 mm), followed by R.radiobacter (9.6-37.67 mm) and P.savastanoi pv. nerii (6.33-18.33 mm). Essential oils of plants belong to Lamiaceae family were generally found to be more efficient than those belong to Lauraceae and Apiaceae families. The essential oils of O.syriacum, T.serpyllum and T.spicata var. spicata were found to be the most promising essential oils displaying the highest antibacterial activities against all tested bacterial species. The findings of the present study revealed that essential oils have a potential to be used as antibacterial agents against gall forming bacterial disease agents.

In Vitro Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Potential of Thymus Sipyleus Boiss. Subsp. Rosulans (Borbas) Jalas.

Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. rosulans (Borbas) Jalas (TS) is a commonly used plant in the treatment of various complaints, including skin wounds in Turkish folk medicine. Despite the widespread traditional use of TS, there is not any scientific report confirming the effectiveness of this plant on the healing process. This research aimed to investigate the effects of different extracts obtained from TS on biological events during wound healing, on a cellular basis. In this context, proliferative activities of the extracts, as well as the effects on wound closure and hydroxyproline synthesis, were determined. In addition to wound healing properties, the antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts were evaluated. Decoction (D) and infusion (I) extracts contained the highest amount of phenolic content and showed the most potent activity against DPPH radical. All extracts exhibited complete protection against the damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by increasing cell viability compared to only H2O2-treated groups, both in co-treatment and pre-treatment protocols. None of the extracts exhibited cytotoxic activity, and most of the extracts from the TS stimulated fibroblast proliferation and migration. All TS extracts exert anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing the overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO). The most pronounced activity on hydroxyproline synthesis was observed in D extract. In summary, it was observed that TS extracts can promote the healing process by enhancing fibroblast migration, proliferation and collagen synthesis as well as suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines. The obtained data in this work support the traditional use of TS as a valuable plant-based compound for the treatment of wounds.

Some Wild Edible Plants of Tosya District (Kastamonu, Turkey)

The study was carried out between 2014-2016 to determine the ethnobotanical characteristics of the Tosya district. For this purpose, in the field studies, Tosya center and villages have been visited and plant specimens were collected and to get information about the used parts of plants. Their local names and their usage patterns were recorded. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 200 people which are 110 female and 90 male. In addition, a survey about ‘edible plants’ was applied to 217 people. According to the results of the interviews and surveys, 22 natural plant taxa, the most common use as food, were determined. These are: Scorzonera laciniata subsp. laciniata, Taraxacum serotinum, Tragopogon latifolius var. angustifolius, Tragopogon longirostris var. abbreviatus, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Sinapis arvensis, Silene vulgaris var. vulgaris, Stellaria media subsp. media, Chenopodium album subsp. album var. album, Bryonia alba, Origanum sipyleum, Thymus sipyleus subsp. rosulans, Malva sylvestris, Plantago lanceolata, Plantago major subsp. major, Polygonum cognatum, Rumex acetosella, Rumex crispus, Rumex obtusifolius, Rumex scutatus, Portulaca oleracea, Urtica dioica. Keywords : Ethnobotany, Tosya, wild edible plants, food source. *This study was presented as a poster in “Int. Symp. on Biodiversity and Edible Wild Species (Bews 2017), 3-5 April 2017, Antalya/Turkey”. DOI : 10.7176/JSTR/5-3-15

Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial evaluation of Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus essential oil against rhinosinusitis pathogens

Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus of the Lamiaceae, locally known as thyme scented lemon, which is an endemic taxon collected from Sivas in Anatolia, was investigated in this study due to its folk medicine use against rhinosinusitis. The aromatic characteristics of the plant material gave the idea for the detailed evaluation of the volatiles and essential oil thereof. Consequently, the oil was obtained by Clevenger type hydrodistillation followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses for phytochemical characterization. To confirm the folk medicinal use against sinusitis, in vitro antimicrobial activities of the essential oil was evaluated by agar diffusion, microdilution and vapour diffusion methods against selected rhinosinusitis associated strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), S. epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, S. pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. Additionally, the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitory effect of the essential oil spectrophotometrically.Furthermore, the composition of the volatiles of the vapour phase of the oil was determined by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME-GC/MS) after 15 min and 24 h in accordance with antimicrobial vapour diffusion method conditions, respectively. According to the analytical results, the main component was determined as thymol (66.2%). Whereas in the HS-SPME method p-cymene (26.1%) and γ-terpinene (26%) were identified as the main volatile components within the 15. min., and thymol (75.3%) after 24 h, respectively. The antibacterial activity against rhinosinusitis pathogens varied between 160 and 1250 μg/mL minimum inhibitory concentrations, with the best inhibitory effects observed against the S. aureus, S. pyogenes and M. catarrhalis. The anti-inflammatory activity of the oil was determined as 12.1 ± 1.8% in 100 μg/mL.The results showed the in vitro antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potential of the oil also in vapour phase against sinusitis supporting the traditional use.

An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants in the Greek Islands of North Aegean Region.

Greek islands of the North Aegean Region are a group of nine inhabited islands (Lemnos, Agios Efstratios, Lesvos, Chios, Psara, Oinousses, Samos, Ikaria, and Fourni) located in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, close to Asia Minor. Each island of this region can be considered autonomous in terms of culture and biodiversity. With this work we try to evaluate the status of the traditional uses of medicinal plants in this region. Endemic and endangered species such as Sideritis sipylea Boiss., Origanum sipyleum L., Thymus sipyleus Boiss., Pistacia lentiscus L., Verbascum ikaricum Murb., are still used by locals to treat different ailments. Moreover, the use of some species for the treatment of specific diseases has been reported for the first time. We report about 109 wild plants of medicinal importance, from 52 families, listing their uses for therapeutic purposes and galenic preparations provided by local medical doctors and pharmacists. The information we include was derived from literature sources and additionally collected through semi-structured interviews conducted on 200 informants (100 men and 100 women). Additionally, informant consensus factor (FIC) and UV value were calculated for the medicinal plants in the current study in relation with the diseases treated. This research confirms the importance of the medicinal plants and the diffusion of their use in traditional medicine within this region. This ethnopharmacological survey is a fundamental step for the preservation of the local knowledge both for further scientific research and for the protection of endangered and endemic medicinal plants.

Antimicrobial Effect of Plant Oils against Some Bacterias Izolated from Patients Samples

Aim: The aim of present study was to compare the antibacterial potential of Thymus sipyleus boiss. subsp. sipyleus boiss. var. sipyleus L. (Thymol and camphor both tested), Satureja thymbra L. and Origanum onites L. by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Methods: We isolated Enterococcus spp., E. coli, Morgonella morganii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MSSA, Klebsiella pneumonia and Proteus mirabilis from different patient samples. The antibacterial activity of each oils was evaluated by the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Proteus mirabilis were the most susceptible bacteria against essential oils, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia and Morganella morganii. Pseudomonas aeruginosa did not show susceptibility to any oil. Conclusion: The essential oils of the T. sipyleus, O. onites and S. thymbra were especially very effective against the resistant strains such as Enterococcus spp. and Klebsiella pneumonia. In this group the maximum antimicrobial activity was observed with the essential oils of Origanum onites and Satureja thymbra. We think that these oils can be proposed in treatment process as an alternative application structures in the future.

In Vitro Screening of Natural Drug Potentials for Mass Production

Methanolic extracts of 16 plant species, used in herbal and traditional medicinal preparations, collected from the same geographic region (Golcuk-Seben/Bolu, Turkey) were evaluated for their relative total phenolic contents, total antioxidant activities and their mineral contents in both dried plant samples and methanolic extracts. These species included Hypericum perforatum L., Thymus sipyleus Boiss., Equisetum arvense L., Achillea millefolium L., Tanacetum parthenium L., Thymus leucostomus Hausskn. & Velen., Usnea longissima, Herniaria incana Boiss., Teucrium polium L., Stachys bithynica Boiss., Anthemis nobilis L., Sambucus ebulus L., Berberis vulgaris L., Malus communis Desf., Matricaria chamomilla L. and Scorzonera laciniata L. Spectrophotometric Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH free radical scavenging activity methods were performed to detect the total phenolic contents and total antioxidant activities of the methanolic extracts, respectively. The results show that the fruits of Berberis vulgaris L., have the highest antioxidant activity and aerial parts of Tanacetum parthenium L. have the highest total phenolics (92.62%). Mineral contents were determined by inductively coupled – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). All dried plant samples and methanolic extracts contained high amounts of Si, Cu, Fe and Ca. The highest levels of Si, Cu, Fe and Ca were found in Equisetum arvense L., Anthemis nobilis L., and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. dried plant samples, whereas Se was only detected in Usnea longissima. The highest levels of Si, Cu, Fe and Ca were found in the methanolic extracts of Usnea longissima, Anthemis nobilis L. and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. respectively.

Bioanalytical LC/MS study of potential bacterial transglycosylation inhibitors

Bacterial transglycosylation is an interesting target in antibiotic drug development. An in vitro transglycosylation assay was developed and used to search for possible inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus Penicillin Binding Protein 2-mediated transglycosylation. Since the substrate, Lipid II, has no UV-chromophore, the assay relies on LC coupled to MS for analysis of the incubation mixtures. Extracts from Thymus sipyleus, Salvia verticillata, Salvia virgata and Oolong tea were tested, as well as epigallocatechin gallate and ursolic acid, which are chemical compounds derived from plants. Matrix effects hampered Lipid II quantification in samples treated with very high concentrations of extracts. None of these extracts or isolated compounds appeared to have inhibitory activities towards the transglycosylation function of Penicillin Binding Protein 2.

Validated RP-HPLC Method for Quantification of Phenolic Compounds in Methanol Extracts of Aerial Parts and Roots of <i>Thymus sipyleus</i> and Evaluation of Antioxidant Potential

Purpose : To evaluate the total phenolic content and antioxidant potential of the methanol extracts of aerial parts and roots of Thymus sipyleus Boiss and also to determine some phenolic compounds using a newly developed and validated reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method. Methods : The total phenolic concentration of the extracts were determined using Folin Ciocalteu method. The antioxidative potential of the samples was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS assays. Phenolics responsible for the antioxidant activity of the plant were quantified by a newly developed and validated RP-HPLC method for the first time. Results : The total phenolic concentration of the aerial parts and roots were 215.1 ± 2.24 and 152.25 ± 2.31 mg GAE/g extracts, respectively. The extract obtained from the aerial parts reduced DPPH with a half-maximal inhibition concentration (IC 50 ) of 0.703 ± 0.027 mg/mL, while the IC 50 obtained from ABTS assay was 0.869 ± 0.066 mg/mL. IC 50 values of Trolox used as standard for DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays were 0.0430 ± 0.0001 and 0.0420 ± 0.0001 mg/mL, respectively. The results revealed that T. sipyleus contains remarkable amounts of rosmarinic acid in the aerial parts (0.8887 ± 0.0016 g/100g dw) and in the roots (0.3454 ± 0.0006 g/100g dw) which is believed to be mostly responsible for the observed activity. Conclusion : T. sipyleus is a major potential antioxidant source for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry due to its high contents of rosmarinic acid and total phenolics. Keywords : Thymus sipyleus, Rosmarinic acid, Chlorogenic acid, Caffeic acid, Apigenin, Antioxidant

Memory-vitalizing effect of twenty-five medicinal and edible plants and their isolated compounds

The extracts from 25 plant species from Salvia, Hypericum, Onosma, Thymus, Origanum, Rosa, and Prunus with eight isolated compounds were screened for their memory-vitalizing potential against the enzymes, i.e., acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase (TYR) along with DPPH, DMPD, and NO radicals and iron-chelation capacity using spectrophotometric microtiter assays. The n-hexane:dichloromethane (1:1) extract of Onosma nigricaule roots (63.18±0.56%) and the ethyl acetate extract of the aerial parts of Hypericum capitatum var. capitatum (50.79±3.88%) were the most active toward AChE and BChE, respectively. The highest iron-chelating capacity was found in the n-hexane extract of Thymus sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus, where mostly Labiatae species exhibited better radical scavenging effect. Among the extracts, the roots of O. nigricaule, the aerial parts of Hypericum capitatum var. capitatum and T. sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus could be further evaluated for their memory-vitalizing properties based on different mechanisms.

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in western part of central Taurus Mountains: Aladaglar (Nigde – Turkey)

Ethnopharmacological relevanceWith this study, we aimed to document traditional uses of medicinal plants in the western part of Aladaglar/Nigde. Materials and methodsThis study was conducted between 2003 and 2005. The research area was in the western part of the Aladaglar mountains. The settlements in Aladaglar (5 towns and 10 villages) were visited during the field work. The plants collected by the help of medicinal plant users. The plants were identified and voucher specimens prepared. These voucher specimens were kept at the Herbarium of Istanbul University Faculty of Pharmacy (ISTE). We collected the information by means of semi-structured interviews with 170 informants (90 men and 80 women). In addition, the relative importance value of the species was determined and the informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculated for the medicinal plants researched in the study. ResultsAccording to the results of the identification, among 126 plants were used by the inhabitants and 110 species belonging to 40 families were used for medicinal purposes. Most of the medicinal plants used in Aladaglar/Nigde belong to the families Lamiaceae (25 species), Asteraceae (16 species), Apiaceae (7 species), Fabaceae (6 species) and Brassicaceae (5 species). The most commonly used plant species were Hypericum perforatum Thymus sipyleus var. sipyleus, Rosa canina, Urtica dioica, Malva neglecta, Thymus leucotrichus, Salix alba, Mentha longifolia, Berberis crataegina, Juniperus oxycedrus, Viscum album subsp. abietis, Allium rotundum and Taraxacum stevenii. The most common preparations were infusion and decoction. The traditional medicinal plants have been mostly used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (86%), hemorrhoids (79%), urinary diseases (69%), diabetes (68%) and respiratory diseases (61%). ConclusionThe use of traditional medicine was still widespread among the inhabitants of Aladaglar mountains/Nigde region. Due to the lack of medical facilities in the villages of Aladaglar mountains, local people prefer herbal treatment rather than medical treatment. This study identified not only the wild plants collected for medical purposes by local people of Aladaglar/Nigde, but also the uses and local names of these plants. This paper helps to preserve valuable information that may otherwise be lost to future generations.