scholarly journals Pharmacology and Phytochemistry of Ecuadorian Medicinal Plants: An Update and Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1145
Author(s):  
Chabaco Armijos ◽  
Jorge Ramírez ◽  
Melissa Salinas ◽  
Giovanni Vidari ◽  
Alírica I. Suárez
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Volatile Compounds ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Pharmacological Studies

The use of plants as therapeutic agents is part of the traditional medicine that is practiced by many indigenous communities in Ecuador. The aim of this study was to update a review published in 2016 by including the studies that were carried out in the period 2016–July 2021 on about 120 Ecuadorian medicinal plants. Relevant data on raw extracts and isolated secondary metabolites were retrieved from different databases, resulting in 104 references. They included phytochemical and pharmacological studies on several non-volatile compounds, as well as the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs). The tested biological activities are also reported. The potential of Ecuadorian plants as sources of products for practical applications in different fields, as well the perspectives of future investigations, are discussed in the last part of the review.

scholarly journals Euphorbia-Derived Natural Products with Potential for Use in Health Maintenance

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salehi ◽  
Iriti ◽  
Vitalini ◽  
Antolak ◽  
Pawlikowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
Microbial Infections ◽  
Pure Compounds

Euphorbia genus (Euphorbiaceae family), which is the third largest genus of angiosperm plants comprising ca. 2000 recognized species, is used all over the world in traditional medicine, especially in the traditional Chinese medicine. Members of this taxa are promptly recognizable by their specialized inflorescences and latex. In this review, an overview of Euphorbia-derived natural products such as essential oils, extracts, and pure compounds, active in a broad range of biological activities, and with potential usages in health maintenance, is described. The chemical composition of essential oils from Euphorbia species revealed the presence of more than 80 phytochemicals, mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, while Euphorbia extracts contain secondary metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenols. The extracts and secondary metabolites from Euphorbia plants may act as active principles of medicines for the treatment of many human ailments, mainly inflammation, cancer, and microbial infections. Besides, Euphorbia-derived products have great potential as a source of bioactive extracts and pure compounds, which can be used to promote longevity with more health.

scholarly journals Chemical Variability and Biological Activities of Eucalyptus spp. Essential Oils

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Claudio Almeida Barbosa ◽  
Claudinei Andrade Filomeno ◽  
Robson Ricardo Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Volatile Compounds ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Eucalyptus Species ◽  
Organoleptic Properties ◽  
Food Preservatives ◽  
Commercial Use

Several plant species produce mixtures of odorous and volatile compounds known as essential oils (EOs). These mixtures play important roles in nature and have been utilized by man for pharmaceutical and agrochemical purposes. There are more than 3000 EOs reported in the literature with approximately 300 having commercial use, including the oils from Eucalyptus species. Such oils are rich in monoterpenes and have found applications as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, food flavorants and in the perfume industry. Such applications are related to their diverse biological and organoleptic properties. In view of their importance, we review in this article up to date information concerning chemical composition and biological activities of essential oils from different species of Eucalyptus. Among the 900 species and subspecies of the Eucalyptus genus¸ we examined 68 species. The studies associated with these species were conducted in 27 countries. We have focused on the antimicrobial, acaricide, insecticide and herbicide activities, hoping that such information will contribute in the advances of the research in this field. It is also intended that the information herein described can be useful in the rationalization of the use of Eucalyptus EOs as components for new pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications as well as food preservatives and flavorants.

Chemical Composition of Yemeni Medicinal Plants Essentials Oils and Their Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 195-203
Author(s):  
Y.N. Otaifah ◽  
A. Bouyahya ◽  
A. Talbaoui ◽  
H. Harhar ◽  
S. El Hajjaji
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Antibacterial Effect ◽  
Antioxidant Activities ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biological Potential ◽  
Antioxidant Agents

Medicinal plants have been used since time immemorial to fight against diseases. The biological activities of these plants may be due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as essential oils. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition of three Yemen medicinal plants, and e evaluate their antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The chemical composition of essential oils was determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. The antibacterial effect was evaluated against pathogenic bacterial strains using the micro-platoon method and the antioxidant activity was estimated by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scanning radical assay. Essential oils (EOs) are rich in phenolic compound. Carvotanacetone is the main compound of Pulicaria jaubertii (PJ) essential oil (82.35%) and β-maaliene (64.94%) is the major compound of Plectranthus montanus Benth (PMB) essential oil, while, Tarchonanthus camphoratus (TC) essential oil possesses several main compounds such as fenchol (14.5%), α-pinene (12.43%), and α-terpineol (8.58%). Essential oils of PJ and PMB showed remarkable antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC = 0.25% [v/v]), and PJEO against Escherichia coli (MIC = 0.25%[v/v]); the lowestMBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) values was obtained with PJEO against Staphylococcus aureus (CMI = 0.25% [v/v]). TCEO interestingly showed capacity while scanning the DPPH radical (6.32 mg E Trolox). These findings showed the biological potential of Yemeni aromatic medicinal plants as antibacterial and antioxidant agents. However, further investigations are needed to determine the antibacterial and antioxidant mechanisms of these oils.

scholarly journals Influence of Monoterpenes in Biological Activities of Nectandra megapotamica (Spreng.) Mez Essential Oils

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia Danielli ◽  
Tiago de Souza ◽  
Ana Maciel ◽  
Marco Ferrão ◽  
Alexandre Fuentefria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Engineering ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Antifungal Activity ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Plant Development ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Pharmacological Studies ◽  
Germacrene D

Investigating the influence of seasonal variations on biological activities is important for pharmacological studies and metabolic engineering. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the variation of the chemical composition of essential oils obtained from Nectandra megapotamica leaves, collected at different stages of plant development, as well as its influence on the biological activities. A total of 38 compounds were identified that accounted for 97–99.2% of the chemical composition of the oils. Major differences were observed in the monoterpenic fraction, representing 5.1% of the compounds identified in the productive rest phase to 37.1% in the blooming phase. Bicyclogermacrene and germacrene D were the predominant compounds identified in the oil of all collections. Furthermore, limonene, β-pinene, and spathulenol were identified predominantly in the samples of blooming and fruiting phases. The oils exhibited significant antichemotactic activity and different effects in scavenging the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. Variations were also observed in the antifungal activity, with the minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 125 to 500 μg/mL. These results demonstrate the influence of monoterpenes, primarily limonene, α-pinene, and β-pinene, on the bioactivities of the oil. Studies investigating the variations in the chemical composition of essential oil may offer a strategy to produce a compound or a group of compounds of interest to industries with a specific pharmacological focus.

Extraction of Essential Oils from Medicinal Plants and their Utilization as Food Antioxidants

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 519-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna Ferrentino ◽  
Ksenia Morozova ◽  
Christine Horn ◽  
Matteo Scampicchio
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Antimicrobial Properties ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Human Diseases ◽  
Present Review ◽  
Green Technologies

Background: The use of essential oils is receiving increasing attention worldwide, as these oils are good sources of several bioactive compounds. Nowadays essential oils are preferred over synthetic preservatives thanks to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Several studies highlight the beneficial effect of essential oils extracted from medicinal plants to cure human diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, or obesity. However, to preserve their bioactivity, the use of appropriate extraction technologies is required. Method: The present review aims to describe the studies published so far on the essential oils focusing on their sources and chemical composition, the technologies used for their recovery and their application as antioxidants in food products. Results: The review has been structured in three parts. In the first part, the main compounds present in essential oils extracted from medicinal plants have been listed and described. In the second part, the most important technologies used for extraction and distillation, have been presented. In detail, conventional methods have been described and compared with innovative and green technologies. Finally, in the last part, the studies related to the application of essential oils as antioxidants in food products have been reviewed and the main findings discussed in detail. Conclusions: In summary, an overview of the aforementioned subjects is presented by discussing the results of the most recent published studies.

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Two Angelica Essential Oils from China

Planta Medica ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (04) ◽  
Author(s):  
DE Wedge ◽  
Z Gao ◽  
N Tabanca ◽  
B Demirci ◽  
KHC Baser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Biological Activities

scholarly journals Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils of Psidium guajava leaf

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 993-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afaf Weli ◽  
Amna Al-Kaabi ◽  
Jamal Al-Sabahi ◽  
Sadri Said ◽  
Mohammad Amzad Hossain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Psidium Guajava

scholarly journals Chemical composition, antimicrobial activity and biological properties of essential oils

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Hossein Saeidnejad ◽  
Peyman Rajaei
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Antimicrobial Properties ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Antioxidant Agents ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Oil Repellent

Essential oils constitute a heterogeneous collection of chemical compounds. Their main characteristics are that they all synthesized by plants and are volatile and mostly soluble in ethanol. They have traditionally been obtained from plants and they have been widely used for insecticidal, medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Essential oils contains about 20–60 components at quite different concentrations and they are characterized by two or three major components at fairly high concentrations. Lately, the essential oils and various extracts of plants have gained special interest as sources of natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents because of the resistance to antibiotics that some microorganisms have acquired and the possible toxicities of the synthetic antioxidants. Spices consumed daily in different types of food to improve flavors, since ancient times, are well known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. During recent decades, numerous numbers of plants have been monitored for their possible role as repellents and insecticides. In this review, the chemical composition profile of some important medicinal plants was evaluated, then antimicrobial properties of a number of essential oils was compared. Antioxidant activity of some essential oils was also considered. Finally, essential oil repellent properties an an important characteristics was evaluated. Further investigation for available data related to the other biological properties of medicinal plants essential oil is recommended.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v9i2.12043 International Journal of Life Sciences 9 (2) : 2015; 9-13

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document