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Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area being present in Crete, Greece, Albania, and probably in Macedonia. From the roots of this accession of species, not previously investigated, four coumarins, grandivittin, aegelinol benzoate, felamidin and aegelinol, and two terpenoids, (2E)-3-methyl-4-[(3-methyl-1-oxo-2-buten-1yl)oxy]-2-butenoic acid and pressafonin-A, were isolated and spectroscopically characterized. The last one was never detected in Ferulago species. The evaluation of the anti-tumor effects of F. nodosa coumarins on colon cancer HCT116 cells showed only a modest effect on reduction of tumor cell viability. For aegelinol, the reduction of colon cancer cell viability already appears with 25 µΜ, while using 50 e 100 µM doses of marmesin the residual viability amounted to 70% and 54%, respectively. This effect resulted more evident at higher doses of compounds (at 200 µM from 80% to 0%). The most effective compounds resulted coumarins lacking ester group.

Jacobaea is a small genus of plants belonging to Asteraceae family, formerly joint to Senecio genus, that includes more than 60 species and sub-species. Several taxa of this genus have been extensively studied both for their non-volatile and volatile metabolites. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) from aerial parts of Jacobaea delphiniifolia (Vahl) Pelser & Veldkamp, collected in Sicily, was analyzed by GC–MS. No one report has been previously published on the EO of this species. The result showed the presence of a large quantity of two metabolites, namely 1-undecene (63.57%) and thymol methyl ether (13.65%). Chemotaxonomic considerations were carried out by comparing the other oils of Jacobaea taxa studied so far.

The genus Phagnalon Cass., included in the Asteraceae family, has a wide distribution, expanding from Macaronesia in the West to the Himalayas in the East, from South France and Nord Italy to Ethiopia and Arabian Peninsula. Various species of Phagnalon have been used in the popular medicine of several countries as medicinal herbs and food. The extracts and the secondary metabolites, have a varied application spectrum at several biological levels, with antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor, etc. properties having been reported. The essential oils of four taxa, Phagnalon rupestre, Phagnalon saxatile var. viride, and Phagnalon rupestre subsp. illyricum var. metlesicsii collected in Sicily (Italy), never previously investigated, and of Phagnalon graecum collected in Greece, were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). All the oils were very rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, with β-pinene as main constituent. Chemotaxonomic considerations with respect to all the other oils of Phagnalon taxa were carried out.

Angelica is a large genus of plants belonging to the Apiaceae family that includes about 100 species of biennial or perennial herbs. Several species of this genus are extensively used in various traditional medicines and, despite their content in toxic furanocoumarins, also as food. In this study, the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) from aerial flowering parts of Angelica sylvestris L., a plant distributed in Europe, North and Central Asia, collected in the Isle of Skey (Scotland), was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. No one report has been previously published on this accession. The result showed the presence of a large quantity of monoterpene hydrocarbons with limonene (51.89%), by far, as the most abundant component. Other metabolites present in lesser quantity were β-pinene (4.61%), α-pinene (3.54%), and thymol (3.33%). Considerations with respect to all the other EOs of A. sylvestris taxa, studied so far, were carried out.

Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area being present in Crete, Greece, Albania, and probably in Macedonia. Although the western disjointed population of Sicily has been classified as an endemic sub-species, F. nodosa subsp. geniculata (Guss.) Troia & Raimondo, its official acceptance is quite controversial. In order to verify the existence of two different sub-species, we investigated the chemical composition of the essential oil of F. nodosa, collected in Crete (Greece), not previously reported, and we compared it with the previously oil compositions reported in literature. Main constituents of the Cretan accessions of F. nodosa were trimethyl benzaldehyde derivatives (29.5%) and monoterpene hydrocarbons (56.14%).

Daucus is a genus of economically important plants belonging to Apiaceae family spread in temperate regions. Species of this genus are used as food and several biological properties have reported. The chemical composition of the essential oils from different organs (roots, stems and flowers) of Daucus carota subsp. maximus, a species not previously investigated, was analyzed by GC-MS. Our results showed the presence of β-phellandrene as the most abundant component of stems and flowers and of γ-terpinene as a major compound of the oil from the roots. Flower essential oil caused a greater increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) cells compared to stem and root essential oils. The antimicrobial activity of the flower and stem oil were more effective, compared to root oil, against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of the endemic plant species, Centaurea vandasii Velen (sect. Phalolepis, Asteraceae), collected in its locus classicus in Rhodope Mts, Bulgaria, was evaluated by GC-MS. The main components of the oil were hexadecanoic acid (18.3%), tetradecanoic acid (13.8%), caryophyllene oxide (12.1%) and germacrene D (8.4%). Furthermore, a complete literature review on the composition of the essential oils of all the other taxa of Centaurea, belonging to section Phalolepis, studied so far, was performed. HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) and PCA (Principal Component Analyses) were used in order to demonstrate chemotaxonomical variations in the composition of the essential oils.

In this work, the essential oil of the aerial parts of a not previously investigated accession of Prangos trifida (Mill.) Herrnst. & Heyn (Apiaceae), collected in Northern Italy, was analysed by GC/MS. Twenty-five compounds were identified, accounting for 91.30% of the total oil, which is characterised by a high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (71.26%). The main constituents of the essential oil were cis-beta-ocimene (18.12%), alpha-phellandrene (12.14%), sylvestrene (11.32%), p-mentha-1,3,8-triene (9.56%) and alpha-pinene (8.85%). The essential oil of P. trifida showed a good antimicrobial activity directed above all against Gram-positive bacteria, and had an interesting antioxidant activity, thus making it an excellent candidate for future cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

Ptilostemon is a small genus of the subtribe Carduinae (Asteraceae) that includes 15 species as annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, spread in the Mediterranean arch, from Crimea and Turkey to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. Several species of this genus have been studied for the content of non-volatile metabolites whereas few investigations have been carried out on their essential oils. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Ptilostemon gnaphaloides subsp. pseudofruticosus, belonging to Section Ptilostemon, endemic of South Greece and Turkey, and collected in the island of Kythira, was analyzed by GC-MS. The result showed the presence of large quantity of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons with germacrene D (20.0%) as the most abundant component, followed by (E)-caryophyllene (6.8%). Among the other metabolites hexacosane (29.1%) and manoyl oxide (12.1%) were the most abundant.

Cyanus Mill. genus, belonging to the Asteraceae family, includes more than 50 taxa, mainly growing in Central and Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus. Previous investigations on Cyanus taxa have shown that they are rich source of flavonoids and phenolic compounds but, differently from species of genus Centaurea, almost devoid of sesquiterpene lactones. In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of Cyanus adscendens (CA) and C. orbelicus (CO), collected in Bulgaria, and not previously investigated, was evaluated by GC-MS. The main components of CA were α-bergamotene (31.3%), (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrien-1-ol (14.5%) and calarenepoxide (11.0%). Caryophyllene oxide (12.0%), together with α-cadinol (10.9%) and spathulenol (8.8%), were recognized as the main constituent of C. orbelicus EO. Furthermore, a complete review on the composition of all essential oils of the Cyanus taxa studied so far has been inserted and cluster analysis (PCA) was carried out.

Essential oils have been used for a long time in several fields of interest. Recently, they have also been applied in the conservation of Cultural Heritage to contrast biodeterioration replacing the most current biocides toxic for humans and environment. Inula crithmoides L. (syn. Limbarda crithmoides (L.) Dumort) is a halophyte species distributed along the Mediterranean coasts and it is used as an edible vegetable since the young leaves or shoots are eaten raw or cooked. Several biological properties have been determined for this plant including antimicrobial activities. In this study the volatile composition of the aerial part of an accession from the Aeolian Islands, Sicily (Italy) is described. Furthermore, the in vitro antibacterial assay against four species of bacteria isolated from a XX century Tholu Bhommalu, a leather painted puppet from Andhra Pradesh (India), was showed by the Agar disc diffusion method.

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of the Balkan endemic, Centaurea immanuelis-loewii Degen (sect. Acrocentron, Asteraceae), collected in Bulgaria was evaluated by GC-MS. The main components of the oil were β-caryophyllene (23.2%), germacrene D (13.7%) and caryophyllene oxide (12.4%). Furthermore, a complete literature review on the composition of the essential oils of all the other taxa of Centaurea, belonging to section Acrocentron, studied so far, was performed and the chemotaxonomical variations in the composition of the essential oils is discussed.

Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area being present in Crete, Greece, Albania, and probably in Macedonia. Although the western disjointed population of Sicily has been classified as an endemic sub-species, F. nodosa subsp. geniculata (Guss.) Troia & Raimondo, it is not officially accepted. From the aerial parts of the Sicilian accession of this species four known metabolites (1–4), and a new ferulol derivative (5), were isolated and characterized. The structure of the new compounds was determined by mean of extensive NMR spectroscopic experiments.

In the present study, the chemical compositions of the essential oils from roots, stems, leaves and fruits of Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum collected in Sicily were evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main components of the roots were terpinolene (33.15%), gamma-terpinene (12.18%) and fenchyl acetate (11.23%). Stems and leaves were very rich in alpha-phellandrene (36.85% and 41.59%, respectively) and beta-phellandrene (19.68% and 25.79%, respectively), whereas the main components of fruits were terpinolene (20.10%) and limonene (17.84%)These results were compared with those of the EOs of the same vegetative parts of Foeniculum vulgare subsp. vulgare, collected in the same station and in the same days. The oils of F. vulgare subsp. vulgare showed completely different compositions, with estragole, (E)-anethole and alpha-pinene as main compounds, clearly indicating the differentiation of the two subspecies. Our results were also compared with those reported in literature for other accessions of Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum[GRAPHICS].

Seseli is a large genus of aromatic and economically important herbs of the Apiaceae family that includes eighty-seven taxa, mainly distributed in Europe and Asia. Several species of this genus are extensively used in various popular medicines and based on their traditional uses, much research concerning biological activities have been carried out. In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Seseli bocconei Guss., a rare plant endemic of Sicily, was analysed by GC-MS. No one report has been previously published on the essential oil of this species. The result showed the presence of large quantity of monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons whereas it was practically devoid of oxygenated terpenes. Main metabolites of the oil were germacrene D (18.48%) and sabinene (17.46%). Chemotaxonomic considerations with respect to other oils of Seseli taxa were carried out.

Viscum album L., (Common Mistletoe), is a hemiparasitic shrub that lives on a wide range of woody plant species, known since Neolithic period for its ritual and for pharmacological properties. Up to now, no investigation has been reported on the chemical composition of the essential oils of V. album aerial parts in relation with the diverse host trees. Consequently, the essential oils compositions of three Sicilian accession of V. album, growing on Quercus suber L., Crataegus monogyna Jacq. and Olea europaea L. var. europaea cv. 'Santagatese', respectively, were evaluated by GC-MS. The three populations showed quite different profiles indicating that the nature of the host considerably influences the chemical composition of the guest plant, V. album.

Stachys is a large genus of economically important plants belonging to Lamiaceae family that includes about 300 species as annual or perennial herbs. Several species of this genus are extensively used in various traditional medicines. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Stachys spreitzenhoferi Heldr., a very rare plant, belonging to Section Candidae, endemic of South Greece and collected in the island of Kythira, was analysed by GC-MS. No one reports have been previously published on this species. The result showed the presence of large quantity of diterpenoids with manoyl oxide (22.1%), as the most abundant component. Other metabolites present in high quantity were trans-nerolidol (18.5%), β-caryophyllene (11.0%) and germacrene D (8.1%). Chemotaxonomic considerations with respect all the other oils of Stachys taxa, belonging to the same section studied so far, were carried out.

The genus Phagnalon Cass., included within the Asteraceae family, has a wide distribution, expanding from Macaronesia in the West to the Himalayas in the East, from S. France and N. Italy to Ethiopia and Arabian Peninsula. Various species of Phagnalon have been used in the popular medicine of several countries as medicinal herbs and food. This literature review, the first one of the Phagnalon genus, includes publications with the word ‘Phagnalon’, and considers the extracts and the single metabolites identified, characterized, and tested to evaluate their biological potential. The extracts and the secondary metabolites, have a varied application spectrum at a biological level, with antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor, etc. properties having been reported. Unfortunately, in vitro tests have not always been accompanied by in vivo tests, and this is the major critical aspect that emerges from the study of the scientific aspects related to this genus.

Seseli L. genus, belonging to the Apiaceae family, includes more than eighty taxa, mainly growing in Europe and Asia. Due to the several biological properties, species of this genus have been largely investigated, showing to be a rich source of coumarins, as well as, of essential oils with anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal, cytotoxic, etc. properties. In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of Sicilian accessions of Seseli tortuosum subsp. tortuosum and S. tortuosum subsp. maritimum were analysed by GC-MS. No one report has been previously published on the subsp. maritimum. The results showed the presence, in both oils, of large quantity of monoterpene hydrocarbons. Main metabolites were β-pinene (15.81-19.84%), α-pinene (14.63–18.52%), sylvestrene (11.18–17.45%) and 3-carene (14.58%), the last one being absent in the oil of subsp. maritimum. Chemotaxonomic considerations with respect to other oils of Seseli taxa were carried out.

In this study, almond skin of Prunus dulcis L. variety Casteltermini was characterised for its chemical composition and for the inhibitory activity towards food associated microorganisms belonging to pathogenic (Salmonella Enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytgenes), spoilage (Pseudomonas poae and Brochotrix thermospacta) and useful (Levilactobacillus brevis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) groups. The n-hexane extract of P. dulcis skin, investigated by GC–MS, evidenced linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acids as the main abundant compounds. Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33862 growth was strongly limited by n-hexane extract and the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) was 25.5 mg/mL. These results highlight the potential of almond by-products as food bio-preservatives as well as pharmaceutical products.

Oleanolic acid (OA) and Lupeol (LU) belong to the class of natural triterpenes and are endowed with a wide range of biological activities, including cytotoxicity toward several cancer cell lines. In this context, we investigated a set of compounds obtained from the two natural precursors for the cytotoxicity against leukemia HL60 cells and the multidrug-resistant (MDR) variant HL60R. Six new semi-synthetic triterpenes have been synthetized, fully characterized, and were investigated together with other triterpenes compounds for their pharmacological mechanism of action. The interaction of the more cytotoxic compounds with the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway has been also evaluated with the aid of docking. The lupane-like compounds were more active than the precursor, while the oleane-like compounds showed more complex behavior. Both OA and LU derivatives possess a similar interaction pattern with the p65 subunit of NF-κB, justifying the similar trend in their ability to inhibit the binding of p65 to DNA. Further, some of the derivatives tested were able to increase IκB-α levels preventing the translocation of NF-κB to the nucleus. In conclusion, this study offers a deeper insight on the pharmacological action of triterpenes toward leukemia cells, and it improves the background useful for the development of new anti-cancer drugs.

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oils from flowers and leaves of Elaeoselinum asclepium(L.) Bertol subsp. meoides(Desf.) Fiori collected in Central Sicily was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main volatile components of the flowers were alpha-phellandrene (42.5%), terpinolene (15.7%), p-cymene (11.6%) and beta-phellandrene (10.2%), whereas the ones of the leaves were p-cymene (44.0%), alpha-pinene (13.2%), alpha-phellandrene (11.0%), beta-phellandrene (10.2%) and beta-pinene (9.2%). Furthermore, the antibacterial and antifungal activities against some microorganisms infesting historical art craft were determined. The essential oil from leaves (EL) showed to be particularly active against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris.[GRAPHICS].

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oils from the aerial parts of Teucrium fruticans L. collected in Sicily and Malta, Teucrium scordium subsp. scordioides (Schreb.) Arcang. and Teucrium siculum (Raf.) Guss., collected in Sicily, were evaluated by GC-MS. The main volatile components of both T. fruticans collections were germacrene D (29.4% and 50.0%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (19.6% and 21.9%), and 1-octen-3-ol (19.7% and 7.4%); T. scordium subsp. scordioides essential oil was rich in caryophyllene oxide (25.8%), α-pinene (19.4%) and β-pinene (8.5%); T. siculum essential oil was rich in (E)-β-caryophyllene (30.9%), 1-octen-3-ol (9.0%), α-humulene (8.6%) and germacrene D (8.0%). The chemotaxonomic relationship with other members of the respective botanical sections was discussed.

The chemical composition and the qualitative and quantitative variability of the essential oils of three taxa belonging to the Teucrium genus were studied. The investigated taxa, that grow wild in Sicily, were Teucrium flavum L. (section Chamaedrys (Mill.) Scheb.), Teucrium montanum and Teucrium capitatum L. of section Polium (Mill.) Scheb. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. In total, 74 compounds were identified. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were found to be the main group for T. flavum (48.3%). T. capitatum consisted essentially of monoterpene hydrocarbons (72.7%), with &alpha, pinene (19.9%), &beta, pinene (27.6%) and sylvestrene (16.6%) as the most abundant compounds whereas ledene oxide (12.1%), epiglobulol (13.5%) and longifolenaldehyde (14.5%) were identified as the main constituents among the oxygenated sesquiterpenes (63.5%) of T. montanum. Furthermore, a complete literature review on the composition of the essential oils of all the other accessions of these Teucrium taxa, studied so far, was performed. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Principal Component Analyses (PCA) were used in order to demonstrate geographical variations in the composition of the essential oils.

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyses, the antioxidant activities evaluated by different in vitro assays namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2&prime, azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), Ferric Reducing Ability Power (FRAP), and &beta, carotene bleaching tests, and the inhibitory effects of enzymes linked to obesity (lipase, &alpha, amylase, and &alpha, glucosidase) of fixed seed oil of Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.). Fourteen compounds were identified. Linoleic acid (28.22%) was the most abundant followed by palmitic acid (19.56%). Malvalic acid (16.15%), sterculic acid (11.11%), and dihydrosterculic acid (2.74%) were also detected. C. speciosa fixed oil exerted a promising ABTS radicals scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 10.21 &micro, g/mL, whereas an IC50 of 77.44 &micro, g/mL against DPPH+ radicals was found. C. speciosa fixed oil inhibited lipase with an IC50 value of 127.57 &micro, g/mL. The present investigation confirmed the functional properties of C. speciosa fixed oil, and proposes its use as valuable source of bioactive constituents.

Chemical and spectroscopic investigation of the bulbs of Drimia pancration resulted in the isolation of one known flavonol (1), never isolated from this plant species, and of three previously described steroidal saponins (2–4), but whose configuration at their stereogenic centres was not clearly determined. By mean of 1H NMR, 13C NMR, nuclear overhauser effects (NOE) and two-dimensional NMR spectra the full stereochemical structures of compounds 2–4 were proved and all the 1H and 13C signals were assigned. Furthermore, the methanol and butanol extracts of D. pancration were tested against adults of Stegobium paniceum beetles. Despite the non-significant results regarding the repellent activity and contact toxicity, promising results were obtained from the feeding tests.

Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae) is a species occurring in the Balkan-Tyrrhenian area. The object of the present study is Sicilian F. nodosa subsp. geniculata (Guss.) Troia & Raimondo, classified as an endemic F. nodosa subspecies. Aerial parts of this plant species were subjected to hydrodistillation to obtain an essential oil. A total of 93 compounds were identified with 2,3,6-trimethyl benzaldehyde (19.0%), spathulenol (9.0%), (E)-caryophyllene (5.4%), and caryophyllene oxide (5.4%) as the main components. The biological activities of F. nodosa essential oil were also investigated. This oil showed an interesting antioxidant potential in a 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) test (IC50 of 14.05 μg/mL). Additionally, hypoglycemic and antilipidemic effects were evaluated. Lipase enzyme was inhibited with an IC50 value of 41.99 μg/mL. Obtained data demonstrated that F. nodosa could be considered a promising source of bioactive compounds useful for the treatment and management of obesity.