RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOGNOSY
Year:2014 | Volume:1 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Linum persicum is an endangered plant native to Iran, from Linaceae family. Phytochemical analysis has shown that L. persicum in vitro cultures contain podophyllotoxin (PTOX), the pharmacological precursor for anticancer drugs such as etoposide, etopophos, and teniposide. Shoot culture of L. persicum was established from callus cultures in MS medium containing GA3. A study was designed to investigate the effects of thermal-stress treatments (TST) on the shoot growth pattern of L. persicum along with the accumulation of PTOX. Shoots were heat-stressed at 37, 40, 45, 50, and 55oC for 3 h, and then transferred back to the growth room. In each thermal group after 2, 3, and 4 weeks, 4 flasks were extracted for PTOX analysis. HPLC analysis (p<0.05) revealed that shoots which had experienced 37oC of TST after 4 weeks showed the highest amount of growth as well as PTOX production, 1.62±0.21% dry weight.

Dracocephalum kotschyi (Lamiaceae), as one of the remarkable aromatic plants, widely grows and also is cultivated in various temperate regions of Iran. There are diverse reports about the composition of the oil of this plant representing limonene derivatives as its major compounds. There is no report on cloning of mono-or sesquiterpene synthases from this plant. In the present study, the aroma profile of D. kotschyi has been extracted and analyzed via Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction technique coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy. In order to determine the sequence of the active terpene synthase in this plant, first mRNA was prepared and cloning was performed by 3’ and 5’-RACEs-PCR method, then cDNA was sequenced and finally aligned with other recognized terpene synthases. The results showed that the plant leaves mainly comprised geranial (37.2%), limonene-10-al (28.5%), limonene (20.1%) and 1, 1-dimethoxy decane (14.5%). Sequencing the cDNA cloned from this plant revealed the presence of a monoterpene synthase absolutely similar to limonene synthase, responsible in formation of limonene, terpinolene, camphene and some other cyclic monoterpenes in its young leaves.

The genus Stachys belongs to Lamiaceae family with about 300 species and worldwide distribution. In the present study, the cytotoxic activity of four fractions of different Satchys species (S. byzatina C.Koch., S. inflata Benth., S. setifera Ten. and S. persica Gmel.), has been investigated against HT-29 (colon carcinoma), Caco-2 (colorectal adenocarcinoma), T-47D (breast ductal carcinoma) and NIH- 3T3 (Swiss mouse embryo fibroblast) cell lines by MTT test. The samples were extracted by percolation method with four solvents; petroleum ether (60-80oC), chloroform, ethyl acetate and 80% aqueous methanol, susseccively. All cell lines were cultured in proper medium. Concentrations of 62.5-750 mg/mL from partition fractions of all samples, dissolved in 1% (v/v) DMSO were tested on each cell line. Cells with no treatment and methotrexate were examined as negative and positive controls, respectively. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Some fractions showed good cell inhibitory activity with IC50<100 mg/mL, but most of them were considered not potent compared to methotrexate. The chloroform fraction of S. setifera was the most cytotoxic sample with high selectivity toward cancerous cell lines, and it could be investigated for pharmaceutical active components in future studies.

Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide and causes serious problems in human life. It is developed by uncontrolled growth of a cell or a group of cells. There are many difficulties in treatment of cancer and many researchers are involved in investigating for effective drugs to treat the disease. Caryophyllaceae is a large family of about 86 genera and 2200 herbaceous or subshrub species. The family is known for its ornamental plants and saponin compounds. In the present study, the potential cytotoxic activity of 17 selected species from Caryophyllaceae has been investigated against MCF-7, HepG-2, A-549, HT-29 and MDBK cells using MTT assay. Five species exhibited cytotoxic effects with IC50 values<100 mg/mL. Silene ampullata and Acanthophyllum bracteatum extracts were toxic only against MCF-7 cell line suggesting them as suitable candidates for more investigations of breast cancer studies.

Essential oils are considered as very complex natural mixtures containing numerous components at quite various concentrations. Lythrum salicaria has not been previously subjected to examination of its volatile oil. The present study was carried out to evaluate the essential oil composition of the flowering aerial parts of the plant by using conventionally hydro-distillation (HD) and microwave assisted hydro-distillation (MAH) methods along with the aromatic water obtained by hydrodistillation. Components of these three samples were recognized by GC/MS. Identification of components resulted in recognition of 14 (98% oil), 32 (98.4%), and 10 (95.5%) compounds for HD, its hydrolate, and MAH samples, respectively. The predominant constituents in the HD oil were bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (29.2%), n-hexadecanoic acid (22%), and pentacosane (9.5%). The major constituents of the hydrolate were elucidated as 2 (4H) -benzofuranone-5, 6, 7, 7a-tetrahydro-4, 4, 7atrimethyl (6.4%), neryl acetone (6%), pentanoic acid (5.7%), nonanoic acid (5.6%), and octanoic acid (5.5%). Accordingly, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (43.2%), methyl-cyclopentane (36.5%), and pentacosane (4.7%) were assessed as the main components of MAH oil. Comparing the three samples compositions, it was concluded that the extraction procedure led to variations in quality and quantity of volatiles. Besides, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, the common plasticizer, was identified as the main pollutant in both HD and MAH oils. The presence of this substance in the oils provided the evidence of contaminations that was absorbed from water into the plant suggesting GC/MS as a suitable method for its detection in plant materials.

Alzheimer is an age-dependent disease mostly with genetic origin. In this disorder, acetylcholine is decreased which results in deterioration of short-term memory. Many researches have been focused on finding new sources of medications with more potency and less side effects and investigating acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) has been the center of many researches. In the present study, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory property of the total extracts and fractions of Ferulago angulata and Ferulago subvelutina have been evaluated according to Ellman method. The total extract and the 50% methanol fraction of Ferulago angulata demonstrated weak AChEI activity (15.8% and 9% in concentration of 300 mg/mL, respectively). The ability of the total extract and the n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and 50% methanol fractions of Ferulago subvelutina were found to be 19.7%, 15.4%, 32.2%, 14.5% and 11.7%, respectively. It was concluded that among the evaluated extracts and fractions, the dichloromethane fraction of Ferulago subvelutina demonstrated reasonable AChEI activity and it is suggested for further purification of its components.

The anticonvulsant activity of Astragalus squarrosus total extract was assessed in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) -induced convulsion in mice, with diazepam as the standard drug, while mechanistic studies were also conducted using flumazenil, a GABA A-benzodiazepine receptor complex site antagonist. The extract produced protection against convulsion at 400 mg/kg, comparable with protection of benzodiazepine (diazepam). The mean onset and percentage protection against convulsion in extracttreated mice were reduced by flumazenil. The results suggest that A. squarrosus extract possesses biologically active constituent (s) that have anticonvulsant activity which supports the ethnomedical claims of its use in the management of seizure.

In this experiment, the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from Ferula assa-foetida oleo-gum resin collected from two different sites of Yazd province (Tabas and Yazd) in the center of Iran, were identified. The gas chromatography mass-spectroscopy (GC/MS) data showed that the qualitative composition of the components appeared to be constant in two different regions. Moreover, no remarkable variations were found in the amounts of the essential oil major constituents. A total thirty-nine components, comprising 91.52% and 95.61% of the total oil, were characterized in Tabas and Yazd samples, respectively. The hydrodistilled oils contained E-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (40.15 and 44.36% in Tabas and Yazd samples, respectively), Z-1-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (23.93 and 27.98%), Guaiol (5.50 and 3.14%) and Carotol (5.14 and 1.63%) as major constituents.