Phytochemical and biological studies on the different organs of Tanacetum parthenium L.cultivated in Egypt

Phytochemical investigation of Tanacetum parthenium L. family Asteraceae cultivated in Egypt resulted in isolation and identification of four flavonoids. One surface flavonoid was isolated from the fresh leaves and three other flavonoids were isolated from the flower heads. Four sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the leaves. Two sterols were isolated from the roots. A comparative study of the essential oil content of the leaves and the flower heads was performed using GC/MS. The results revealed the presence of 42 and 30 components in the leaves and the flower heads oil samples, respectively. The major components of both oil samples were camphor [constituted 37.7% and 48.4%] and chrysanthenyl acetate [constituted 33.8% and 26.3%] in the leaves and the flower heads, respectively. Different extracts of T. parthenium L. showed significant biological activities. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antispasmodic and uterine-stimulant activities were studied in addition to the in vitro cytotoxic effect

Analysis of pilocarpine, quinine and cantharidin in cosmetic hair lotions

Pilocarpine, quinine and cantharidin were qualitatively and quantitatively determined in three cosmetic hair lotions. The pharmacopeal tests, microcrystalization and TLC investigation revealed the presence of pilocarpine and cantharidin in all lotions, and quinine in Tonoscalpine and Healthy Hair lotions, only. Tonoscalpin contained 0.01% w/w of pilocarpine, 0.1% w/w of quinine and 0.056% w/w of cantharidin, while Dorin contained 0.97% w/w of pilocarpine, 0.048% w/w of cantharidin and was devoid of quinine, as determined by HPLC and acid-base titration methods. The Healthy Hair preparation tested contained 0.0042% w/w of pilocarpine, 0.002% w/w of quinine and 0.0344% of cantharidin. The HPLC method was proved more sensitive, rapid and reliable. The recovery percentage for the titrimetric and HPLC methods ranged from 95 to 98% and 98 to 100.7%, respectively