In this study, methanoland ether extractsof fiveEndemicAsperula Species (Rubiaceae) from Turkey (A. antalyensis, A. brevifolia, A. pseudochlorantha, A. purpurea subsp. apiculata and A. serotina), used in the traditional system of medicine, were tested for antimicrobial activity by the agar well diffusion method and the broth dilution method. The most active Species were Asperula brevifolia and A. serotina which showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and maximum inhibition was shown by methanol extract of A. antalyensis against Candida albicans as 32 mm. Methanol extracts of Asperula Species were among the most active with the MIC values ranging from 7.6 to 14.8 mg/mL.

Trypanosoma cruzi, a hemoflagellate protozoan (family Trypanosomatidae), is the ethiological agent of Chagas disease, which is affecting 16-18 million people, with more than 100 million exposed to the risk of infection. Higher plants are a potential source of new drugs to improve the treatment of Chagase disease. Until recently, Rutacea, Meliaceae, Simaroubaceae and Burceraceae families have been studied in order to find trypanocidal compounds. In additon, some Species of Dracocephalum (Labiatae) have been found as the main sources of active terpenoids and flavonoids against epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi Aerial parts of the plants (flowers, leaves and stems) were dried carefully and reduced to powder, followed by extraction three times with diethyl ether by maceration at room temperature for 72 hours. This process was repeated on the marc with acetone, methanol and water, successively, and then the solvents evaporated under reduced pressure to obtain the concentrated extracts. All extracts were dried under vacuum for 24 h in order to give dried powder of extracts. Epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi (Tulahuen strain) were kept in GIT medium (Wako) supplemented with hemin (12.4 µM, Wako). The epimastigotes in GIT medium (10 µL) were incubated with a test sample dissolved in EtOH (5 µL) and autoclaved saline (185 µL). All samples were incubated at 27°C for 24 hours. The movement of epimastigotes was observed under a microscope. We assumed that immobilized organisms were died. In this study, the in vitro trypanocidal activity of some fractions for Satureja mutica and S. macrantha belonging to the Labiatae family was evaluated. Acetone fractions of both plants were the most active fraction (MLC=12.5 ?g/ml) against the epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, the ethiological agent of Chagas disease. The trypanocidal activity seems to be decreased by fractionation using MeOH and water as solvents. The results obtained from trypanocidal assay revealed that satureja is a promising source of active anti-trypanosoma compounds. In addition, the phytochemical studies showed that the active fractions were rich of terpenoids and flavonoids

Background and the purpose of study: Achillea talagonica Boiss. (Asteraceae) grows in the western and central parts of Iran. This plant has long been used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent for treatment of rheumatic pain. Previously, the immunosuppressive activity of the aqueous extract of this Endemic plant in experimental animals was reported. In this research, isolation of the main immunologically active components of A. talagonica, which were effective on humoral immune responses in BALB/c mice is elucidated.Methods: In order to find the main immunosuppressive components of A. talagonica, methanol and methanol-water (80% and 50% v:v) extracts were injected to BALB/c mice and the hemagglutinating antibody titer was assayed after immunization with SRBC (sheep red blood cells). Guided by this assay, active principles were separated by chromatographic methods.Results: Isolated compounds were identified as caffeic acid 9-O-glucoside (1), quercetin (2), luteolin (3), 3'-methoxy luteolin (4), proline (5) and choline (6) by comparison of their spectral data with those of reported in literatures. Immunosuppressive property of choline (5 mgkg-1) was comparable to those of prednisolone (10 mgkg-1); although, quercetin (20 mgkg-1) and caffeoyl glucoside (20 mgkg-1) decreased anti-SRBC titer in comparison with control groups.Major conclusion: Immunosuppressive effects of A. talagonica are due to some components belonging to betaine, flavonol and phenoilc esters.

Thymus is a medicinal plant which contains one of the world's top ten essential oils, exhibiting antibacterial, antioxidative, food preservative and mammalian age-delaying properties. This work was aimed at identifying between-Species variations requiring for selecting appropriate parents for hybridization. Six Iranian Endemic Thymus accessions belonging to Thymus daënensis, T. eriocalyx and T. migricus were studied. Root tips were examined for karyological studies and fresh young leaves of the standard reference (Parsley, Petroselinum crispum, 2C DNA= 4.45 pg) and the Thymus samples stained with propidium iodide (PI) for flow cytometric (FCM) measurements. Two ploidy levels (diploid and tetraploid) and 3 chromosome numbers (30, 56, 60) were recognized. The latter chromosome number is being reported for the first time on T. daënensis accession. FCM measurements showed that 2C DNA contents varied from 1.02 to 2.42 pg, verifying more than 2-fold variations and showing a genome size range of 499 to 1182 Mbp, correspondingly. The mean amount of 2C DNA/chromosome and mean of monoploid genome size were not proportional to ploidy. 2C-values were correlated with, and linearly regressed upon somatic metaphase, considering either total chromosome volume (TCV) or total chromatin length (X).

Objectives: Belonging to Papaveraceae family, Glaucium vitellinum is one of the Persian Endemic plants which has not been investigated biologically. The present paper focused on the assessment of the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the total methanol extract and alkaloid sub-fraction of the flowering aerial parts of G. vitellinum.Materials and Methods: The antibacterial and antifungal activities were investigated using cup plate method and disc diffusion assay, respectively. The MIC values of the active samples were determined using micro plate dilution method.Results: The crude extract and alkaloid sub-fraction of G. vitellinum had significant inhibition activity on the growth of S. aureus and S. typhi. From antifungal assay, it is concluded that only the yeast C. albicans, showed a high sensitivity to the extract and especially to the related alkaloid sub-fraction.Conclusions: Regarding the results, G. vitellinum could be employed as a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent against S. aureus, S. typhi, and C. albicans, respectively. Moreover, based on the results of this study, further in vivo and ex vivo confirmatory tests for total methanol extract and alkaloid sub-fraction are recommended.