Chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils of some coniferous plants cultivated in Egypt

Family Cupressaceae is the largest coniferous plant family. Essential oils of many species belonging to family Cupressaceae are known to have several biological activities specially antimicrobial activity. The essential oils from aerial parts of Calocedrus decurrens Torr., Cupressus sempervirens stricta L. and Tetraclinis articulata [Vahl] Mast. were prepared by hydrodistillation. The chemical composition of the essential oils has been elucidated by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis. The prepared essential oils were examined against selected species of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and Candida species. Broth dilution methods were used to detect minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC], minimum bactericidal concentration [MBC] and minimum fungicidal concentration [MFC]. Sixteen compounds were identified in the essential oils of both Calocedrus decurrens and Cupressus sempervirens L. and fifteen compounds were identified in the essential oil of Tetraclinis articulata. delta-3-Carene [43.10%], [+]-Cedrol [74.03%] and Camphor [21.23%] were the major constituents in the essential oils of Calocedrus decurrens, Cupressus sempervirens L. and Tetraclinis articulata, respectively. The essential oils showed strong antimicrobial activities against the selected microorganisms in concentration range 0.02 3- 3.03 micro L/mL. This study could contribute to the chemotaxonomic characterization of family Cupressaceae. In addition, it proved that the essential oils under investigation possess potential antimicrobial properties

Phenolic content of some selected lamiaceous egyptian medicinal plants: antioxidant potential and ecological friend mosquitolarvicidal

Phenol compounds are naturally occurring biologically active compounds existing in all plants had received major medical concern so development in research focused on their extraction, identification and quantification have occurred over the last 25 years; they constitute an important source of antioxidants and were used to help human body to reduce oxidative damage. Mosquitos-borne diseases constitute one of the major health problems worldwide. Control strategies involving pinpointing natural ecological friend, cheap and safe mosquitocides, mainly larvicides to stop their life cycle. Quantitative estimation of total phenol, flavonoids, phenylethanoid and iridoid contents of sixteen selected Lamiaceous Egyptian plants for screening of their antioxidant and mosquito larvicidal effects was carried out. The results showed that the most suitable medicinal plants used as antioxidants were Lavendula dentata L., Thymus capitatus L. and Thymus bovei Benth., which contain adequate mixture of total phenol, flavonoid and phenylethanoid contents, with distinct larvicidal effect in a descending order was T. capitatus L., T. bovei Benth. and L dentata L. by their adequate mixture of total phenol, flavonoid, iridoid and phenylethanoid glycoside content

Phenolic content, antioxidant potential and Aedes aegyptii ecological friend larvicidal activity of some selected Egyptian plants

Polyphenols constitute a distinct group of natural compounds of medicinal importance exhibiting wide range of physiological activities as antioxidant, immune-stimulant, antitumor and antiparasitic. Yellow fever and dengue fever are mosquito-borne infectious diseases transmitted by Aedes aegyptii, the presence of yellow fever in Sudan and dengue fever in Saudi Arabia are threats to Egypt with the re-emerging of Ae. aegyptii in Southern Egypt, larvae control is feasible than flying adults. This work was conducted targeting estimation of the relative levels of total phenolic content, antioxidant potential and larvicidal activity of 110 selected Egyptian plants. The highest total phenolic contents were estimated in aqueous extracts of Coronilla scorpioides L., Forsskaolea tenacissima L, Crataegus sinaica Boiss., Pistacia khinjuk Boiss. and Loranthus acacia Benth.; they were 916.70 +/- 4.80, 813.70 +/- 4.16,'744.90 +/- 4.93, 549.00 +/- 3.93 and 460.80 +/- 4.02 mg% while those of methanol extracts were estimated in Coronilla scorpioides, Forsskaolea tenacissima, Crataegus sinaica, Loranthus acacia and Pistacia khinjuk; they were 915.60 +/- 4.86, 664.60 +/- 4.16, 659.30 +/- 4.80, 590.80 +/- 4.49 and 588.00 +/- 3.85 mg% respectively. Investigation of the antioxidant potentials revealed that the most potent plants were Coronilla scorpioides, Forsskaolea tenacissima, Crataegus sinaica, Pistacia khinjuk and Loranthus acacia with calculated values of 454.80 +/- 4.83, 418.4+/-4.16, 399.10 +/- 4.90, 342.5 +/- 2.72 and 239.7 +/- 2.91% for aqueous extracts and 452.9 +/- 4.94, 389.6 +/- 4.6, 378.48 +/- 3.84, 352.3 +/- 3.06 and 346.5 +/- 2.98% for methanol extracts respectively while screening of larvicidal activity proved that Coronilla scorpioides, Forsskaolea tenacissima, Crataegus sinaica, Pistacia khinjuk and Loranthus acacia exhibited highest potency calculated as 22.53 +/- 2.01, 23.85 +/- 2.07, 28.17 +/- 2.06, 31.60 +/- 2.93 and 39.73 +/- 4.58 mg% aqueous extracts and 18.53 +/- 1.95, 18.8 +/- 1.67, 20.17 +/- 1.85, 23.28 +/- 2.7 and 28.48 +/- 3.9 mg% methanol ones respectively

Interrelation of antioxidant, anticancer and antilieshmania effects of some selected Egyptian plants and their phenolic constituents

Medicinal plants are the most potential resource of new therapeutic agents. They are diverse, largely productive, biologically active and chemically unique; among their constituents [polyphenol compounds group] one of the main determinant factors in evaluating the pharmacological potentials i.e. polyphenols display an array of pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, immunostimulant, antitumor and antiparasitic effects. Cancer is a dreadful human disease, increasing with changing life style, nutrition and global warming while current available anticancer drugs cause serious side effects in most instances. Several reports suggested the relationship between antioxidant, anticancer and antiparasitic effects; they suggested that they act indirectly through promoting host resistance, restabilizing body equilibrium and conditioning body tissues in addition to their direct effect on certain parasites involved in cancer etiology. This work was conducted for estimation of total phenolic, flavonoids, phenylethanoid glycoside and iridoid content of twenty-three selected Egyptian plants as well as screening of their anticancer, antioxidant and antileishmanial effects, the overall gained results for suggest that the most suitable medicinal plant used as anticancer and antioxidant is Petrea volubilis L. which contain adequate mixture of total phenolic compounds 88.7 mg% and flavonoids 50.80 mg% and also suggest that flavonoid compounds are the category of phenolic compounds possess significant antioxidant and anticancer effects while the antilieshamnia screening revealed that Thymus decussatus Benth. extract exhibited the highest effect due to the presence of flavonoids and iridoids in adequate combination where iridoid compounds 201 mg% and flavonoid content was 128 mg%