Assessment of the antimicrobial activity of Helichrysum arenarium flowers and Lithospermum officinale leaves extracts

Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of extracts of flowers of Helichrysum and Sparrow leaves Natallya Adamtsevich, Postgraduate Student, Department of Biotechnology, Belarusian State Technological University Valery Baltousky, Professor of the Department of Chemical Processing of Wood and the Department of Biotechnology of the Belarusian State Technological University, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor Viktar Lyavontsyev, Head of the Department of Biotechnology, Belarusian State Technological University, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor Uladimir Tsitok, Director of the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Corresponding Member Su mmary. The article provides an assessment of the antimicrobial activity of the extracts of the everlasting flowers and the leaves of the littlewale against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus), gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) pathogenic bacteria and yeast-like fungi (Candida albicans). It has been established that the extract of the flowers of the everlasting has an antimicrobial action only against gram-positive bacteria. All types of the studied microorganisms are not sensitive to the extract of the leaves of the littlewale.

Finds of Lithospermum Nuts at Archaeological Sites in Ukraine

Lithospermum officinale L. and Buglossoides arvensis (L.) I.M. Johnston [syn. Lithospermum arvense L.] nuts were found among the fossil grains and seeds in the materials of various archaeological cultures of the territory of Ukraine. These finds have attracted the researchers’ attention for their large number, which sometimes reaches tens of thousands. Why were our ancestors interested in these small, unattractive plants? They have neither brightly fragrant flowers, nor edible fruits. The oldest and largest find, more than 40,000 nuts of Lithospermum officinale L., was found in two pots from Trypillia settlement Ozhevo-Ostriv (the last phase of ВІ — В / I stages, Cucuteni A4) dated by the last third of the 5th millennium BC. For what purpose was such a number of nuts collected? In the article there is data on the finds of gromwell nuts in Europe and the reasons for their gathering. There are several of them: the usage of nuts for future crops and preparation of plants roots with red coloring; making beads from nuts; the usage of nuts in herbal medicine as diuretics, anesthetics and as an aphrodisiac. For what purpose was a large number of nuts collected by the residents of Trypillia settlement Ozhevo-Ostriv? The ancient population may have used nuts as a folk remedy and as a dye. However, the laying of vessels with nuts under the platform No. 4 at the Ozhevo-Ostriv settlement did not imply such household usage. Probably, these nuts were collected and placed in vessels for ritual purposes and they should be considered as ritual items. The finds in materials from other archaeological cultures are less numerous. It is possible that gromwell nuts were used as herbal medicine or as a dye. The gromwell nuts are also of interest to modern researchers. Thanks to recent studies by K. Pustovoytov and S. Riehl, the possibility of using biogenic carbonate from the shells of nuts for radiocarbon dating has been established. Thus, the biogenic carbonate of the nut shell is a new source of chronological information. The same researchers established the relationship between the isotopic composition of oxygen from the biogenic carbonate of nuts and climatic conditions.

Dynamics of the accumulation of flavonoids, macro- and microelements in the leaves of the littlewale (Lithospermum officinale L.) in different phenological phases

The dynamics of accumulation of flavonoids in the leaves of the littlewale (Lithospermum officinale L.) of the second year of cultivation in various phenological phases was studied. The maximum content of flavonoids was observed during the flowering phase. It was shown that the qualitative composition of the extracts of the leaves of the common sparrow in different phenological phases was changed insignificantly. At each stage of plant development, the flavonoid isoquercitrin was identified, the maximum amount of which was observed in the flowering phase.A comparative assessment of the elemental composition of the leaves of the littlewale is carried out, depending on the phenological phase. The quantitative content of 11 macro- and microelements has been determined. A high content of calcium, potassium and silicon was noted in each phase of plant development.

EXTRACTION OF FLAVONOIDS FROM THE LEAVES OF THE LITTLEWALE LITHOSPERMUM OFFICINALE L. (BORAGINACEAE) USING MICROWAVE ENERGY

One of the possible ways to intensify and increase the efficiency of extraction of biologically active substances from plant materials is the use of microwave radiation. This article presents the results of a study of the influence of parameters of the microwave extraction process on the output of flavonoids from the leaves of the littlewale (Lithospermum officinale L.), belonging to the Boraginaceae family. This plant contains isoquercitrin, which is one of the key flavonoids with the property of tissue regeneration. It was shown that the maximum yield of the target components is achieved with a microwave generator power of 100 W and exposure duration of 2.5 min at a field frequency of 2450 MHz (specific energy consumption is 8.4 kWh/kg). This output is comparable with the output when using conventional convection heating. Microwave radiation provides a 16-fold reduction in the duration of extraction of the sum of flavonoids and an increase in the degree of extraction of isoquercitrin by 23%. The action of microwave energy leads to the destruction of plant tissue, which contributes to a more efficient extraction of flavonoids from plant raw materials.

Neuroprotective effect of Lithospermum officinale callus extract on inflamed primary microglial cells

Background and Objective: Lithospermum officinale is a famous medicinal herb in the traditional medicine of India. However, the medicinal use of its root extract is limited due to the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PzAl). It was recently shown that PzAl are not accumulated in the cell culture of L. officinale while the biosynthetic pathway of phenolic acids remains active so that rosmarinic acid (RsA) is the main product in the proliferated callus. Considering the existing literature on the anti-inflammatory effects of caffeic acid (CfA) and its derivatives, this research was devoted to the evaluation of the anti-inflammatory capacity of methanolic extracts of L. officinale callus (LoE) on the rat microglial cells as the immune cells of the Central Nervous System, which play an essential role in the responses to neuroinflammation. Methods: primary microglia were obtained from Wistar rat, then they were subjected to various amounts of CfA and methanolic extracts of 17 and 31-day L. officinale callus prior to stimulation by LPS. In addition to HPLC analysis of the extracts, viability, nitric oxide production, evaluation of the pro-inflammatory genes and cytokines in the inflamed microglia were investigated. Results: Methanolic extract of the 17-day old callus of L. officinale exhibited anti-inflammatory effects on the LPS- stimulated microglial cells much higher than that was observed for CfA. The data was further supported by the decreased expression of NOS2, TNF-α, and Cox-2 mRNA and the suppression of TNF-α and IL-1β release in the activated microglial cells pretreated with the effective dose of LoE (0.8 mg mL-1). Conclusion: It was assumed that better anti-neuroinflammatory performance of LoE than CfA in LPS-activated primary microglia could be a result of synergism of the components of the extract and the lipophilic nature of RsA as the main phenolic acid of LoE. Considering the fact that LoE shows high antioxidant capacity and lacks PzAl, it is anticipated that LoE is considered as a reliable substitute to the extract of the natural root of L. officinale and plays a key role in the preparation of neuroprotective pharmaceutical formula.