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Tagetes minuta L. is native to the temperate grasslands and relatively high-altitude areas of South America. In 1990, it was first discovered in the Beijing Botanical Garden in China. In 1994, Pema Dawa introduced the species as a Tibetan medicine from the mountains of northern India to his courtyard in Gangjiang Village, Wolong Town, Milin County. Around 2010, scholars discovered that Tagetes minuta L. was widely invasive, which aroused extensive social concern. Featuring small weight, large number, and awns, Tagetes minuta L., is easy to spread and has a high seed germination rate, with 20% of the reproductive investment. The plant is tolerant of barrenness and drought and adapts to climates with large diurnal temperature differences and strong light conditions. Rich in aromatic substances and essential oils, the leaves and flowers serve medicinal, food, flavoring, health care and cosmetic purposes. Thiophene in the roots and bioactive components in the essential oil have anti-inflammatory, sterilizing, insect-repellent, and fly control effects, with significant allelopathy on native species. The biological and ecological characteristics of Tagetes minuta L. lay the material basis for its population spread. According to Tibetan folklore, we suggest using physical methods or biological control techniques for ecological control and strengthening the research of development and application to guide its economic benefits in Tibetan Buddhist supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of the essential oils of two plants (Tagetes minuta L. and Lavandula coronopifolia L.) harvested from the Day region (in the north of Djibouti) is the subject of this study. The extraction of essential oils was carried out by hydrodistillation, and the average yield was obtained at a rate of approximately 0.25% for Tagetes minuta L. and 0.42% for Lavandula coronopifolia L. The analyses of these essential oils by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry identified 13 compounds in the essential oil of Tagetes minuta L., including dihydrotagetone (20.8%), artemisia (17.9%), (Z)-tagetenone (12.4%), (-)-spathulenol (11.0%) and estragole (9.5%), were obtained as majority compounds, with a percentage of 71.6%. The essential oil of Lavandula coronopifolia L. is characterized by the presence of 42 compounds, including cis-caryophyllene (18.9%), dehydronerolidol (12.8%), isolongifolanone (11.2%), caryophyllene oxide (8.2%), 10-epi-β-eudesmol (7.7%) and humulene (5.1%), were obtained as the majority chemical constituents, with a percentage of 63.9%. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oils at concentrations of 5% were measured against 12 bacterial strains (Gram positive: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Streptococcus agalactiae (ATCC 27956), Staphylococcus epidermidis and Corynebacterium sp.; Gram Negative: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), Acinetobacter baumannii (ATCC 19606), Shigella sonnei (ATCC 9290), Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium (ATCC 13311) and Enterobacter cloacae), and the results of in vitro experiments showed inhibitory effects against most strains tested except Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus agalactiae. Additionally, both oils were tested for their ability to selectively kill 13 human cancer cells (K562, A549, HCT116, PC3, U87-MG, MIA-Paca2, HEK293, NCI-N87, RT4, U2OS, A2780, MRC-5 and JIMT-T1), and the results obtained, according to the values of IC50, show the significant activity of two essential oils, particularly on the HCT116 and A2780 lines, which present values between 0.25 µg/mL and 0.45 µg/mL, respectively.

The chemical composition of the essential oils of two plants (Tagetes minuta L. and Lavandula coronopifolia L.) harvested from the Day region (in the north of Djibouti) is the subject of this study. The extraction of essential oils was carried out by hydrodistillation, and the average yield was obtained at a rate of approximately 0.25% for Tagetes minuta L. and 0.42% for Lavandula coronopifolia L. The analyses of these essential oils by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry identified 13 compounds in the essential oil of Tagetes minuta L., including dihydrotagetone (20.8%), artemisia (17.9%), (Z)-tagetenone (12.4%), (-)-spathulenol (11.0%) and estragole (9.5%), were obtained as majority compounds, with a percentage of 71.6%. The essential oil of Lavandula coronopifolia L. is characterized by the presence of 42 compounds, including cis-caryophyllene (18.9%), dehydronerolidol (12.8%), isolongifolanone (11.2%), caryophyllene oxide (8.2%), 10-epi-β-eudesmol (7.7%) and humulene (5.1%), were obtained as the majority chemical constituents, with a percentage of 63.9%. The antimicrobial activities of the essential oils at concentrations of 5% were measured against 12 bacterial strains (Gram positive: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Streptococcus agalactiae (ATCC 27956), Staphylococcus epidermidis and Corynebacterium sp.; Gram Negative: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), Acinetobacter baumannii (ATCC 19606), Shigella sonnei (ATCC 9290), Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium (ATCC 13311) and Enterobacter cloacae), and the results of in vitro experiments showed inhibitory effects against most strains tested except Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus agalactiae. Additionally, both oils were tested for their ability to selectively kill 13 human cancer cells (K562, A549, HCT116, PC3, U87-MG, MIA-Paca2, HEK293, NCI-N87, RT4, U2OS, A2780, MRC-5 and JIMT-T1), and the results obtained, according to the values of IC50, show the significant activity of two essential oils, particularly on the HCT116 and A2780 lines, which present values between 0.25 μg/mL and 0.45 μg/mL, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we describe our results on the determination of the chemical profile of the essential oil (EO) of flowers from Tagetes minuta L. grown in Southern Brazil. The major component of the EO is (Z)-tagetone 1 (70.64% w/w). Thiotagetone 6, a semi-synthetic derivative, was prepared from 1 in 82% yield. Compounds 1 and 6 and the EO were evaluated for their antioxidant and antifungal activities in vitro. All the tested samples presented antioxidant effect in scavenging radical and in the lipid peroxidation assays. A good antifungal activity against Candida lipolityca, Candida parapsilosis, Trichosporon asahii and Sphaceloma ampelinum was observed. (Z)-Tagetone 1 inhibited the mycelia growth of S. ampelinum around 80% at 6 days. No acute toxicity (200 mg/kg) was observed in mice for the EO or the compounds 1 and 6. The lack of toxicity is an indicative for additional studies aiming their potential therapeutic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil has traditionally been the disposal site for most heavy metal waste. Since metals can not be degraded, soil remediation requires their removal with phytoextraction, being a cost effective alternative in which metal accumulator plants are used to remove toxic metals from soil. Aromatic crops, used for the production of essential oils, may be a suitable alternative to be used in agricultural soils contaminated with heavy metals, since after removal, a marketable product is left. The present study investigated the effects that high concentrations of lead (Pb) have on the volatile compounds in leaves of Tagetes minuta L., growing near a battery recycling plant and also determined whether Pb was present in its essential oil. In this way, it could be evaluated whether the use of this species for Pb phytoremediation supports safe production. To carry this out, it was determined whether the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation contained Pb, which was also checked for each individual of T. minuta, by measuring the amount of this metal in leaves using the technique of X-ray fluorescence and calculating the percentages of volatiles by the HS-SPME technique. The essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation did not have any detectable Pb, there by demonstrating that it is not transferred to the essential oil. Regarding the volatiles, the highest concentrations encountered were for cis -tagetone, dihydrotagetone and verberone. Furthermore, the compounds β-ocimene and α-thujone correlated significantly with the Pb concentration in leaves, indicating that the increase of Pb in T. minuta may favor synthesis of these compounds. In conclusion, T. minuta is a resistant plant that can grow in Pb polluted soils and accumulate the contaminant in aerial tissues, while providing an economic return through the production of essential oil free of Pb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]