Anti-Quorum Sensing Effects of Some Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Extracts on Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Phaseoli

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Xap) is known as one of the most important seed-borne destructive pathogens on beans worldwide. Nowadays, Xap is considered to acquire resistance to antibiotics and synthetic bactericides which concerns the scientific world for its future management. This has made the use of plant extracts, the best alternative in the control of plant disease pathogens by inhibiting the quorum sensing (QS) mediated virulence factors. This research was designed to investigate the antibacterial activities and the anti-QS effects of the 14 different aromatic and medicinal plants against QS-mediated virulence factors of Xap. The results revealed that Syzgium aromaticum showed the largest inhibition zone diameter and strongest antimicrobial (antibacterial) effect among the 14 plant extracts followed by Thymus vulgaris and Coriandrum sativum. Similarly, the lowest swarming, swimming, and twitching motility values were measured from the Syzgium aromaticum application followed by Coriandrum sativum, Thymus vulgaris, Brassica nigra, Lepidium sativum, and Ruta chalepenis. These results indicated that S. aromaticum, C. sativum, T. vulgaris, B. nigra, L. sativum, and R. chalepenis will be a potential candidates as anti-quorum sensing agents in preventing common bacterial disease of beans caused by Xap. Compounds derived from aromatic and medicinal plants have demonstrated successful control of diseases in crops and the use of these substances provides a valuable tool to the growers around the world for diseases management in organic production.

Construction of an Observatory, As a Management Tool Decision, Valorisation and Sustainable Preservation of the Resources of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants

Today, the actors of the aromatic and medicinal plants (MAPs) sector are facing several problems related to the management, exploitation, marketing and valorisation of these resources. The objective of this presentation is to build a MAPs monitoring model based on two very important sources of information: Global Positioning System (GPS) tracks for the plant gatherer Linden (Tilia argentea), and historical inventory data of the year 1988. The results show that the experimental model of the database enables the storage, processing and cross-referencing of historical data with the GPS geographic information provided by gatherers.

Iarba de fier (Sideritis scardica Griseb și S. taurica Stephan.) în colecția de plante aromatice și medicinale a IGFPP

The article contains information on the identification of propagation methods with real possibilities for the cultivation of the species Sideritis scardica and S. taurica, as spice, aromatic and medicinal plants, under the local climatic and soil conditions.

Occurrence of Free and Conjugated Mycotoxins in Aromatic and Medicinal Plants and Dietary Exposure Assessment in the Moroccan Population

Aromatic and medicinal plants (AMPs), as herbal material, are subjected to contamination by various mycotoxin-producing fungi, either free and conjugated. Such a problem is associated with poor storage practices, and lack of adopting good agricultural practices and good harvesting practices. Nevertheless, AMPs are poorly investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the co-occurrence of 15 mycotoxins (four aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), beauvericin (BEA), four enniatins (ENA, ENA1, ENB, and ENB1), zearalenone (ZEN), alternariol (AOH), tentoxin (TENT), T-2, and HT-2 toxins) in 40 samples of AMPs frequently consumed in Morocco by using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Evaluation of conjugated mycotoxins and their identification using liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry with ion mass exact was also carried out. Results showed that 90% of the analyzed samples presented at least one mycotoxin, and 52% presented co-occurrence of them. Mycotoxins detected were: AOH (85%), ZEN (27.5%), β-ZEL (22%), AFG1 (17.5%), TENT (17.5%), ENB (10%), AFG2 (7.5%), α-ZEL (5%), ENA1 (2.5%), and HT-2 (2.5%), while the conjugated mycotoxins were ZEN-14-Glc (11%) and ZEN-14-Sulf (9%). The highest observed level was for AOH, with 309 ng/g. Ten samples exceeded the recommended levels set by the European Pharmacopoeia for AF mycotoxins in plant material (4 ng/g), and three samples exceeded the maximum limits for AFs (10 ng/g) in species established by the European Commission. Although the co-occurrence of several mycotoxins in AMP samples was observed, the dietary exposure assessment showed that the intake of mycotoxins through the consumption of AMP beverages does not represent a risk for the population.

Prevalence of Using Aromatic and Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tract Diseases in Al-Taif City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of herbal drugs to treat Gastrointestinal Tract Diseases (GIT) diseases which widely spread in Saudi Arabia due to their efficacy and minimal side effect. Therefore, it is reasonable and timely to assess the validity of phytotherapeutics products as an adjuvant treatment for GIT problems. Objectives: The current study aims to estimate the frequency of using aromatic and medicinal plants and identify the commonly used plants in the treatment of some GIT diseases in Al-Taif city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA). Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out among 655 citizens and residents of people who live in Al-Taif city from different age groups and educational levels. The data will be collected using the self-questionnaire paper and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The study included 655 participants, (48.7%) of them aged from 20-29, (54.6%) were female and (92.8%) were Saudi. Most of the participants (74.6%) used aromatic and medicinal plants. Plants were effective in treating gastrointestinal diseases (97.3%) of the participants by consulting their friends and family or through social media. Diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, nausea, abdominal bloating and irritable bowel syndrome were the most common gastrointestinal diseases among the population of Al-Taif city. Cinnamon, fennel, senna, and turmeric were the most used plants and had positive results in treatment and minor side effects. Conclusion: This study showed that the use of aromatic and medicinal plants in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases is widespread in Al-Taif city and had a positive effect on the treatment of GIT diseases. The source of information is gained from friends, kindred and social media. Therefore, the media should have a great role in the interest and dissemination of correct and accurate information about medicinal plants.

Phytochemical study, polyphenols determination and evaluation of antioxidant activity of Origanum compactum and Satureja calamintha nepeta from the region of Ouazzane (Morocco)

<p>Among natural remedies, aromatic and medicinal plants constitute an essential source that deserves scientific attention. Thus, our study aims to promote the virtues of two aromatic and medicinal plants found in the wild in the region of Ouazzane (Morocco). The phytochemical tests of these species have shown the presence of flavonoids, gallic and catechic tannins, cyanidin, sterols and triterpenes. However, alkaloids, carotenoids, saponosides and reducing compounds were not detected. Then, extraction of total polyphenols from O<em>riganum compactum</em> and <em>Satureja calamintha nepeta</em> was conducted for 48 hours by maceration with a mixture of methanol/water (80/20) used as a solvent. Extractions yielded 35.2% crude extracts for <em>Origanum</em> <em>compactum</em> and 34.4% for <em>Satureja calamintha</em> <em>nepeta</em>. The fractionation of these crude methanol extracts was performed with three organic solvents of increasing polarity (chloroform, ethyl acetate then, n-butanol). Total phenol content of the extracts and fractions was assessed by the method of Folin-Ciocalteu. This revealed that the phenol-rich fractions were the crude extract for <em>Origanum compactum</em> and the butanol fraction for <em>Satureja calamintha</em> <em>nepeta</em>. Finally, the evaluation of the antioxidant power which was carried out using the method of trapping the free radical DPPH• and the reduction of iron by the method of FRAP. The DPPH• test showed a high antioxidant activity of the samples: 53.1 µg/ml of crude extract of <em>Origanum compactum</em> was needed to reduce 50% of DPPH•. The same IC₅₀ was obtained for ascorbic acid (standard antioxidant). For <em>Satureja calamintha nepeta,</em> the IC₅₀ was 67.5 µg/ml. On the other hand, the FRAP test revealed that the methanolic extract of <em>origanum compactum</em> has higher reducing power than that of n-buthanolic extract of <em>satureja calamintha nepeta. Still,</em> it remains relatively low compared to ascorbic acid. The high antioxidant activity of these two species could justify their use in traditional medicine for the treatment of many diseases.</p>