Main phenolic compound of petals of Echium Amoenum fisch. and C. A. mey., a famous medicinal plant of Iran

Echium amoenum Fisch. and C.A. Mey. [Boraginaceae] is an indigenous Iranian plant, that its dry violet-blue petals [Gol-e-Gavzaban] have long been used in traditional medicine of Iran. In this study concentrated metanolic extract of the grounded dried petals of E. amoenum was fractionated by column chromatography and the fractions were purified by preparative HPLC. The structure of main pure component which was characterized by UV, IR, one and two dimensional 1H and 13C-NMR and Mass spectroscopy was found to be rosmarinic acid which is widespread in the plants of the Lamiaceae and Boraginaceae families in insignificant quantities and has antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects

Production of rosmarinic acid in echium amoenum fisch. and C.A. Mey. cell cultures

Echium amoenum Fisch. and C.A. Mey. [Boraginaceae] is a very popular medicinal plant which is used as a tonic, tranquillizer, diaphoretic, cough remedy, sore throat and pneumonia in Iran's traditional medicine. Callus culture of medicinal plants is one of the ways for production of secondary metabolites. In this study, callus culture of E. amoenum and its major secondary metabolite were investigated. The callus culture of E. amoenum was initiated and established from seeds in MS media with three different ratios of plant growth regulatories: kinetin, 2, 4-D and NAA. Methanolic extracts of freeze-dried calluses were compared by TLC and HPLC. The major secondary metabolite was separated by preparative HPLC and the structure of this pure compound was elucidated by UV, IR, one and two dimensional 1H and [13]C-NMR and Mass spectroscopy. Rosmarinic acid was identified by various spectroscopic methods from callus culture of E. amoenum. Rosmarinic acid is widespread within the plant cell tissue culture of the Lamiaceae and Boraginaceae families, although in insignificant quantities. Rosmarinic acid has an antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effect, which makes it a valuable product for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries

Volatile constituents of a medicinal plant of Iran, echium amoenum Fisch. and C. A. Mey.

Echium amoenum Fisch. and C.A. Mey. [Boraginaceae] is an endemic Iranian plant, that its dry violet-blue petals has long been used in traditional medicine of Iran. The chemical composition of the volatile fraction of the dried petals of this plant which was isolated by steam distillation extraction with pentane [in yield of 0.05%] was examined by GC-MS. The constituents were identified by their mass spectra and Kovats' indices. The major components except aliphatic alkanes which belong to sesquiterpenes were: sigma -cadinene [24.25%], viridiflorol [4.9%], alpha -muurolene [4.52%], ledene [3.8%], alpha -calacorene [3.04%], and