Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
A comparative analysis of pentacyclic triterpenoids (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid) in the aerial parts of eleven Epilobium species was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results. Samples for the analysis were collected from various regions in Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid were identified and quantified in nine of the species (E. angustifolium, E. montanum, E. collinum, E. roseum, E. palustre, E. tetragonum, E. obscurum, E. nervosum, and E. nutans). However, neither compound was detected in E. parviflorum or E. hirsutum from any collection site, indicating notable chemotaxonomic divergence within the genus. The quantity of ursolic acid in the analysed samples ranged from 20.27 ± 0.49 to 74.84 ± 2.24 mg/100 g dry weight, consistently exceeding that of oleanolic acid (2.03 ± 0.05 to 32.09 ± 0.73 mg/100 g). The highest total triterpenoid content was observed in E. tetragonum. These findings emphasise the importance of oleanolic and ursolic acids as auxiliary chemotaxonomic markers for Epilobium species. Given the well-documented antiproliferative and antiviral activities of these triterpenoids, the present results also suggest that several under-explored Epilobium species could be a promising source of bioactive compounds for further pharmacological research, particularly regarding prostate cancer and viral infections....
Forsythia suspensa leaves black tea (FSLBT) is a fermented herbal tea traditionally consumed in Northern China, yet its bioactive constituents and antioxidant basis remain insufficiently understood. In this study, a phytochemical investigation of FSLBT led to the isolation and structural identification of nine compounds, including five lignans and four pentacyclic triterpenic acids, whose structures were elucidated by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and HRESIMS spectral analysis. Notably, epipinoresinol and pinoresinol monomethyl ether were isolated from Forsythia suspensa leaves (FSL) for the first time. Among the isolated lignans, phillygenin, epipinoresinol, pinoresinol monomethyl ether, and pinoresinol were further evaluated for antioxidant activity using DPPH•, ABTS•+, and FRAP assays. The four lignans exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant activities, with IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) values ranging from 20.32 to 46.40 μg/mL for DPPH• scavenging and 37.29 to 72.71 μg/mL for ABTS•+ scavenging, while FRAP EC50 (half maximal effective concentration) values ranged from 1.53 to 1.90 mg/mL. Quantitative HPLC analysis showed that the contents of phillygenin, epipinoresinol, pinoresinol monomethyl ether, and pinoresinol in FSLBT were 3.48 ± 1.12 wt%, 0.39 ± 0.21 wt%, 0.26 ± 0.20 wt%, and 0.18 ± 0.07 wt%, respectively. These results indicate that FSLBT is enriched in lignan aglycones, particularly phillygenin, and that these major lignans possess measurable chemical antioxidant activities, providing a phytochemical basis for further investigation of the functional properties of this fermented herbal tea....
In this study, we investigated the antifungal potential of methanolic extracts and essential oils obtained from five medicinal plants (Salvadora persica, Mentha spicata, Achillea millefolium, Matricaria chamomilla, and Zingiber officinale) against 25 clinical isolates of Candida albicans collected from patients with denture stomatitis. Antifungal susceptibility was assessed using broth microdilution as the primary method, with agar diffusion assays performed to provide complementary visual confirmation. Nystatin was included as a reference control. Across the tested samples, essential oils consistently showed stronger antifungal effects than the corresponding methanolic extracts. Notably, Z. officinale essential oil exhibited the highest level of activity, inhibiting 15 out of 25 isolates and, in several cases, demonstrating efficacy comparable to or exceeding that of nystatin. Chemical profiling by GC–MS indicated that the ginger essential oil was dominated by sesquiterpene and monoterpene hydrocarbons, with zingiberene (21.49%) being the major constituent, followed by β-sesquiphellandrene, α-curcumene, sabinene, and α-citral. This terpenerich composition may contribute to the observed antifungal activity, potentially through the disruption of fungal cell membrane integrity. Taken together, these results suggest that Z. officinale essential oil represents a promising natural antifungal candidate for the management of denture-associated C. albicans infections. Further studies, including biofilmbased assays and in vivo evaluations, will be necessary to confirm its clinical applicability. To the best of our knowledge, this study is among the first to comparatively assess these five medicinal plants against clinical C. albicans isolates derived specifically from denture stomatitis patients....
Peucephyllum schottii is an aromatic desert plant of the family Asteraceae, which has little scientific research regarding its phytochemical composition and pharmacological properties. This study aims to evaluate in detail the chemical composition and antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic activities of the ethanol extract of P. schottii leaves. The chemical composition of the plant extract was analyzed by GC-MS. Total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents of the plant were calculated. An antioxidant assay of the plant material was performed by using the DPPH and ABTS tests. The antibacterial activities of P. schottii plant material against six pathogenic bacteria were studied by using the agar diffusion and MIC/MBC techniques. Colorimetric analysis, for its part, enabled the assessment of its antihyperglycemic activities (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) and its cytotoxic activities (in MCF-7 and HepG2 cells). The expressions of apoptotic proteins (caspases, Bcl2, and Bax), were analyzed by RT-PCR. The GC-MS findings showed the presence of complex phytoconstituents of P. schottii in the form of linoleic acid (19.48%), hexadecanoic acid (15.01%), and vitamin E (12.15%). There is high TPC (118.18 mg of GAE/g) and TFC (75.56 mg of QE/g) in P. schottii plant material. The plant showed significant antioxidant (≈105 μg/mL IC50 in DPPH and ≈80 μg/mL IC50 in ABTS) and broad-spectrum antibacterial activities, mostly against E. coli (MIC = 4.68 μg/mL), as well as antihyperglycemic activities against α-amylase (IC50 = 334 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 196 μg/mL) enzymes. The plant material showed cytotoxic effects in MCF-7 and HepG2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 78 ± 1.13 μg/mL and 68.23 ± 2.41 μg/mL, respectively). These findings point to P. schottii leaf extract’s potential as a natural antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and chemopreventive agent....
Buxus obtusifolia (Mildbr.) Hutch is an evergreen shrub endemic to East Africa and is traditionally used to treat chest ailments. Our recent investigation on the dichloromethane leaf extract of this species yielded several aminosteroid alkaloids, some of which demonstrated promising in vitro antiprotozoal activity warranting more detailed studies on this interesting plant and its bioactive constituents. Given that abiotic factors are known to influence the biosynthesis and accumulation of plant secondary metabolites, this study aimed to investigate seasonal and organ-specific variability in the alkaloid profile of B. obtusifolia to gain insights into the dynamics of their formation and, potentially, obtain hints at the best times to harvest individual alkaloids. Consequently, leaf and twig samples were collected each month from the same population over a period of one year and analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with positive-mode electrospray ionization double quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI+– QqTOF–MS/MS). The resulting data, after conversion to retention time: mass/charge ratio (tR:m/z) variables, were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) to characterize variations in the metabolite profile. Evaluation of the first three principal components revealed clear differences between leaves and twigs, as well as subtle overall seasonal changes with some distinct dry-season clustering. A volcano plot was used to further analyze the differences between the minor constituents of the two organs. In total, 15 aminosteroid alkaloids were identified as key contributors to these differences. This represents the first seasonal and organ-specific phytochemical variability investigation in B. obtusifolia. Thus, this study offered the first valuable insights into the possible association of some abiotic factors and the phytochemical profile of this plant. Studies including further populations of this species from different locations will have to show whether the present findings allow general conclusions with respect to the investigated compounds’ accumulation in response to external factors. Furthermore, the present results represent a basis to delineate the optimal harvest period for targeted isolation of larger quantities of bioactive aminosteroids for further development....
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