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Context: Ferulago angulata Boiss. (Apiaceae), a perennial aromatic herb, grows wild in Iran. The aerial parts of F. angulata are used as a flavouring in foods, especially dairy foods by indigenous people in western and southwestern Iran., Objective: This study investigates variation in chemical compositions, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the essential oils from F. angulata collected from natural habitats in the alpine regions of southwestern Iran., Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal (MBC) of the essential oils were evaluated against four bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium). Antioxidant activity of the oils was determined by DPPH assay., Results: The essential oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC/MS, which 49 volatile components were identified. There were significant differences between the various populations for oil yield and some main compounds. The major constituents of the essential oils from F. angulata were α-pinene, and cis-β-ocimene. The MICs of the essential oils were within concentration ranges from 62 to 250 μg/mL and the respective MBCs were 125 to > 500 μg/mL. Generally, the oils from F. angulata indicated weak to moderate inhibitory activities against bacteria, especially against Listeria monocytogenes. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained from the oil of the Kallar population (IC 50 value   =   488 μg/mL) and BHT as positive control (IC 50  value =   321 μg/mL)., Discussion and Conclusion: The essential oil of F. angulata could be serving as a potential source of α-pinene and cis-β-ocimene for use in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of four Iranian herbs (Lamiaceae) were investigated. The antioxidant activity of methanol extracts of thyme (Thymus daenensis Celak.), Bakhtiari savory (Satureja bachtiarica Bung.), dragonhead (Dracocephalum multicaule Montbr & Auch), and woundwort (Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl.) was evaluated by measuring 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). A comparison of all plant extracts in the DPPH assay indicated that dragonhead and thyme were the most effective free radical scavenging agents. Thyme demonstrated a relatively strong antioxidant activity in both the FRAP and TEAC assays. The total phenolic content of all the extracts ranged from 99 to 208 mg TAE/g extract with thyme exhibiting the highest phenolic content. The flavonoid content of the extracts, which ranged from 10.1 to 22.2 rutin equivalents/g of extract, was highest in dragonhead. A positive correlation was noted between the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in both the FRAP and TEAC assays, while no significant correlation was observed between the DPPH, TEAC, and FRAP assay and total flavonoid, suggesting that the level of antioxidant activity in these plants varies greatly, but the total phenolic in the plant extracts provided a substantial antioxidant activity. Experimental results indicate that thyme and dragonhead extracts could be an important dietary source of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant capacity.

Mountain fennel (Zaravschanicamembranacea) and Ferulagoangulata belonging to the Apiaceae family are important aromatic and spice plants in Iran, which the aerial parts of these herbs are used as flavoring agents in dairy foods. This investigation was devoted to the determination of total phenols and flavonoids contents of Z.membranacea and F.angulata after their extraction using three solvents (ethanol, n-hexane, and methanol), as well as the determination of the antioxidant and the antibacterial activities of all obtained extracts. The results indicated that methanol appeared the most effective solvent for polyphenols and flavonoids' extraction for both herbs. In fact, the highest total phenols and flavonoids contents among the six prepared extracts from two herbs were found in the methanol extract of Z.membranacea. The results indicated that the extracts of have diverse antioxidant capacities, however, the methanol extract of Z.membranacea exhibited the highest antioxidant activities by DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of different extracts was evaluated using the disk diffusion agar method against Salmonellaenterica and Pseudomonasaeruginosa, and Bacillussubtilis and Staphylococcusepidermidis. The highest inhibition zone was obtained from the methanol extract of Z.membranacea for four bacteria. Similarly, the maximum antibacterial activity (MIC) also was obtained from the methanol extract of Z.membranacea for four bacteria. Positive and significant correlations were noted between the phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities by DPPH, FRAP, and TEAC assays. In conclusion, methanol was found to be the best solvent of choice for the extraction of phenolic and flavonoid compounds rich extracts with free radical scavenging and antibacterial activities. Further studies should focus on the isolation and identification of active secondary metabolites from the extracts from Iranian herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echinophora cinerea(Apiaceae) grows wild in the Zagros Mountains range, located in Iran. The herb has been used as a food additive in traditional preparations such as pickles. This study determined the chemical composition and biological activity of essential oils in the aerial parts ofE. cinereacollected from three natural habitats at two phenological stages. The essential oils constituents were determined by GC-FID and GC/MS. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was evaluated againstBacillus cereus,Listeria monocytogenes,Proteus vulgaris, andSalmonella typhimuriumandCandida albicans. The highest oil yield obtained fromE. cinereawas 2.05%w/w dry matter harvested from plants at the full flowering stage. Major essential oil constituents were α-phellandrene (42.40 to 54.87%), α-pinene (12.28 to 25.54%), and β-phellandrene (10.29 to 11.08%).The essential oils ofE. cinereaharvested at the full flowering stage of growth had the highest antimicrobial activity. The antioxidant activity ofE. cinereaindicated the oil acted as an effective DPPH scavenger. The IC50values ranged from 1.97 mg/mL to 2.25 mg/mL for the essential oils as compared with the 0.412 mg/mL for BHT. The antimicrobial properties of the essential oils obtained from E. cinereamay be significant from a pharmaceutical standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Essential oil of the aerial parts of mountain fennel (Zaravschanica membranacea Syn. Peucedanum membranacea) was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. [•] Cis and trans-β-ocimene, sabinene, α-pinene, γ-terpinene, and α-terpinolene were the main constituents in the essential oils of Z. membranacea. [•] Different populations of Z. membranacea indicated variations in the main constituents of the essential oil. [•] The essential oil of Z. membranacea could be used as a natural antimicrobial agent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sage ( Salvia officinalis L.), which is one of the most important pharmaceutical herbs, has been exploited for many uses. It is an important industrial crop that natural products in the form of extracts and essential oil from the leaves of this herb are used in pharmaceutical, perfumery, and food industries. Response of sage to foliar application of chitosan (control, 0.0, 0.25 and 0.50 g/L), a marine polysaccharide with unique bioactive properties, under three irrigation frequencies (4, 6, and 8 every days) was evaluated in an experimental field at semiarid and cold climate, Southwestern of Iran. Chitosan and irrigation frequencies treatments had significant effects on studied parameters, including quantity and quality of essential oil, antioxidant activities, and the amounts of total phenolic and flavonoids of the extract of sage. The results clearly indicated that application of chitosan was beneficial to plants under deficit irrigation treatments. The foliar application of chitosan reduced the adverse effect of reduced irrigation on essential oil yield and improved content of the essential oil. Elicitation of sage with chitosan had positive influences on the amounts of secondary metabolites, such as α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, α-thujone, β-thujone, camphor, and 1,8-cineole in the essential oil from sage under reduced irrigation. In reduced irrigation conditions, the antioxidant activity, and the amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid of the extracts increased when the plants were sprayed with chitosan. In conclusion, results of this study indicated that the spray of chitosan elicitor can be have useful impacts on the essential oil quality and quantity, antioxidant activity, and the amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid of sage under reduced irrigation conditions or drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thymus daenensis Celak., also known as denaian thyme, is an endemic and endangered medicinal herb, having valuable therapeutic properties in the Iranian traditional medicine. In the present study, a two years’ field experiment was conducted to study the influence of organic and inorganic fertilizers on biomass, essential oil yield, essential oil content and compositions and antioxidant activity of denaian thyme in southwest of Iran. The treatments were: no fertilizer (control), chemical fertilizer (CF; NPK at 100-150-100 kg ha −1 ), cow manure, vermicompost (VC) and combined fertilizers (chemical fertilizer + cow manure + vermicompost). Application of combined fertilizers significantly increased the biomass and essential oil yield of denaian thyme as compared with control, in the first and second year, by 39.61% and 68.62%, respectively. Application of fertilizers, however, significantly affected the essential oil compositions of the plants in both growing years. The essential oil of T. daenensis was rich in the phenolic monoterpene thymol. The highest amount of thymol was obtained under application of combined fertilizers in both years. The antioxidant activity of T. daenensis methanolic extracts, evaluated by the DPPH assay, increased (10.41% compared with control) under application of combined fertilizers in the second year. In both years, the N content of the soil increased after treatment with combined fertilizers (around 43% higher over the control). Alike, soil fertility parameters such as P and K showed a marked improvement in all treatments over the control. Results of this study showed that the combined application of fertilizers enhanced biomass and essential oil yield and improved the soil characteristics, antioxidant properties and aroma profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]