Effect of common horsetail extract on growth characteristics, essential oil yield and chemical compositions of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.).

To investigate the effect of horsetail extract containing high silicon on morphological traits, growth, content, and compositions of essential oil of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) an experiment turned into carried out in the shape of a randomized complete block design with three replications. Foliar treatment of horsetail extract with zero, 0.5, 1, and 2% concentrations was applied on 6-8 leaf plants. The assessed traits include plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of sub-branches, leaf area index, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, total anthocyanin, the content of total phenol and total flavonoid, antioxidant activity, essential oil content, and compounds were measured. The findings demonstrated that the increase of silicon-containing horsetail extract enhanced the improved increase in growth and phytochemical trait values. The use of horsetail extract in the 2% treatment increased plant height, the number of leaves per plant, the number of sub-branches, leaf area index, fresh weight, and dry weight of the plant by 49.79, 45.61, 91.09, 99.78, 52.78 and 109.25%, respectively, compared to the control. The highest content of total phenol (2.12 mg GAE/g DW), total flavonoid (1.73 mg RE/g DW), total anthocyanin (0.83 mg C3G/g DW), and antioxidant activity (184.3 µg/ml) was observed in the 2% extract treatment. The content of essential oil increased with increasing the concentration of horsetail extract, so the highest amount of essential oil was obtained at the concentration of 2%, which increased by 134.78% compared to the control. By using GC-MS, the essential oil was analyzed. The main components of the essential oil include methyl eugenol (12.93-25.93%), eugenol (17.63-27.51%), 1,8-cineole (15.63-20.84%), linalool (8.31-19.63%) and (Z)-caryophyllene (6.02-14.93%). Increasing the concentration of horsetail extract increased the compounds of eugenol, 1,8-cineole, and linalool in essential oil compared to the control, but decreased the compounds of methyl eugenol and (Z)-caryophyllene. Foliar spraying of horsetail extract, which contains high amounts of silicon, as a stimulant and biological fertilizer, can be a beneficial ingredient in increasing the yield and production of medicinal plants, especially in organic essential oil production.

Quantification of fatty acids in seed oil and important bioactive compounds in Iranian Rosa canina L. ecotypes for potential cosmetic and medicinal uses.

Rosa canina L. (Rosaceae), commonly known as the rose hip, is originated from Europe, Africa, and Asia with a long history in medicinal applications. This study aimed to analyze the morphological traits, fatty acids profile, and content of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, vitamin C, total carotenoid, total phenol, total flavonoid, and antioxidant activity of the fruits of eleven Iranian R. canina ecotypes (RCEs). The highest coefficient of variation was obtained in 1000 seed weight (46.57%). The seed oil varied from 8.08 ± 0.17% to 16.91 ± 0.35%. Linoleic (35.41 ± 0.78% to 49.59 ± 0.96%) and eicosanoic (17.67 ± 0.06% to 25.36 ± 0.54%) acids were the predominant fatty acids in the studied samples. The anthocyanin content in the fruits was ranged from 0.98 ± 0.03 to 4.41 ± 0.04 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside/100 g of dry weight (mg C3G/100 g DW). The high content of vitamin C (103.51 ± 1.24-419.70 ± 3.12 mg/100 g DW), total carotenoid (111.22 ± 0.78-206.98 ± 1.25 mg ß-carotene equivalents per g of dry weight (mg ß-CARE/g DW)), total phenol (52.87 ± 0.82-104.52 ± 0.23 mg GAE/g DW), and total flavonoid (14.20 ± 0.12-25.18 ± 0.47 mg RE/g DW) were observed in the studied samples. Catechin (20.42 ± 0.47-19.22 ± 0.13 µg/g DW) was the major phenolic compound. The high antioxidant activity in the fruits of the plant was recorded in the studied RCEs (IC50 = 12.54 ± 0.18-26.33 ± 0.13 µg/ml). A significant correlation between some phytochemical compounds (dependent variable) and morphological features (independent variable) was found. Based on our findings, the fruit of the studied ecotypes can be used for future breeding programs and drug development.

Anti-Plasmodial Effects of Different Ecotypes of Glycyrrhiza glabra Traditionally Used for Malaria in Iran.

Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Fabaceae, or licorice has shown potential therapeutic effects on fever, gastric ulcers, hepatic disorders, and malaria. This study aimed to assess the antimalarial activity of different fractions of root extract from twelve ecotypes from Iran. In this regard, mice were then randomly divided into 8 groups of 5 mice. Four hours after mice were infected by Plasmodium berghei, they received methanolic plant extract by intraperitoneal injection. The treatment was continued for 4 consecutive days (every 24 h), then on the fifth and seventh days, blood samples were taken from the tails of the mice and the parasitic percentages were calculated by microscopy technique. In comparison to control, every analyzed ecotype has a remarkable parasite inhibitory effect, whereas the source of the root also has a drastic difference in its antimalarial effects. The highest percentage of inhibition on days 5 and 7 was subjected to the extract of Semirom ecotype with suppression of 86.37 and 83%, respectively. On the other hand, 13.21 and 9.19% parasite growth inhibition was shown in the extracts of Shahrbabak and Haji Abad, respectively. The significant difference between these 12 ecotypes was shown with Mann-Whitney U pairwise comparison to variable parasitemia day 5 and parasitemia day 7 (p < 0.001). Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43450-022-00353-8.