Phenolic composition and biological activities of geographically different type of propolis and black cottonwood resins against oral streptococci, vaginal microbiota and phytopathogenic Fusarium species.

AIMS: A multidisciplinary approach was used to compare phenolic composition, radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity of propolis samples from different geographical localities, and plant resin against various microorganisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using UHPLC-qqqMS quantitative analysis, 28 phenolic compounds were determined. Caffeic and p-coumaric acids were identified as main phenolic acids in poplar propolis samples, except samples from Russia (P6) and China (P7). Radical scavenging activity (applying DPPH spectrophotometric assay) showed the highest activity of Serbian (40·51%) and Chinese (53·21%) propolis samples. Broth microdilution method was used for the oral cavity, fungal phytopathogenic and human vaginal isolates which have been identified at a molecular level. The most sensitive bacterial isolates were Lactobacillus acidophilus (MIC of 0·03-0·13 mg ml-1 ) and the oral streptococci isolates (MIC values of 0·19-0·13 mg ml-1 ). The most sensitive fungal phytopathogenic isolate was Fusarium oxysporum (MIC 0·003 mg ml-1 ). All samples, except propolis from Serbia (P4) and Turkey (P5), showed a strong antifungal activity against Fusarium sporotrichioides, Fusarium subglutinans and Fusarium proliferatum. CONCLUSION: The results of various tests indicate good radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity against important human and plant pathogens. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A detailed propolis analysis is important when proposing a preparation of new biological antimicrobial products which have a positive impact on human health and reduce antibacterial resistance.

Fatty acid composition and tocopherol profiles of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seed oils.

The oil contents of safflower seeds ranged from 23.08% to 36.51%. The major fatty acid of safflower oil is linoleic acid, which accounted for 55.1-77.0% in oils, with a mean value of 70.66%. Three types of tocopherols were found in safflower oil in various amount α-tocopherol, ß-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol, ranged from 46.05 to 70.93 mg/100 g, 0.85 to 2.16 mg/100 g and trace amount to 0.45 mg/100 g oils, respectively. This research shows that both fatty acid and tocopherol contents differ significantly among the safflowers.

Fatty acid and tocopherol contents of several soybean oils.

The oleic acid content of seed oils varied between 21.4% (ATAEM7) and 26.6% (Türksoy). The proportion of linoleic acid of soybean oil ranged from 49.0% (Türksoy) to 53.5% (ATAEM7), while the palmitic acid of oils varied between 9.2% (Adasoy) and 11.2% (Noya). The major tocopherols were ¥-tocopherol, α-tocopherol and δ-tocopherol in all the varieties of soybean oil. As a result, this study showed that the seeds are to be a potential source of valuable oil which might be used for edible and other industrial applications.

Composition of the essential oil of Helichrysum chasmolycicum growing wild in Turkey.

The chemical compositions of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Helichrysum chasmolycicum were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. From the 57 identified constituents, representing 66.55% of the oil, the main constituents of the oil were beta-caryophyllene (27.6%), beta-selinene (8.9%), alpha-selinene (8.4%), caryophyllene oxide (7.3%), and carvacrol (2.4%). The essential oil was almost totally characterized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as beta-caryophyllene and alpha- and beta-selinene.