Analysis of alkannin derivatives from Alkanna species by high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array/mass spectrometry.

Alkannin, shikonin (A/S) and their derivatives are enantiomeric hydroxynaphthoquinone red pigments found in the roots of almost 150 species of the Boraginaceae family. A/S have been shown to exhibit strong wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and recent extensive research has well established their antitumor properties. A/S and their derivatives comprise the active ingredients of several pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations. Although A/S have been efficiently synthesized and have been produced by cell tissue cultures in high yield, most of the pharmaceutical preparations worldwide contain A/S extracted from the roots of Boraginaceous species, found in nature. In the present study, a high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array/mass spectrometry (HPLC/PDA/MS) method was established to identify monomeric hydroxynaphthoquinones of the alkannin series and other metabolites from Boraginaceous root extracts. This method can be applied for the identification of alkannin derivatives and other metabolites from Boraginaceous cell cultures, and also to determine active ingredients in pharmaceutical preparations containing A/S derivatives. A phytochemical investigation of the Alkanna genus grown in Greece was also performed. Fifty-three root samples belonging to 10 species of the genus Alkanna (A. calliensis, A. corcyrensis, A. graeca, A. methanaea, A. orientalis, A. pindicola, A. primuliflora, A. sieberi, A. stribrnyi and A. tinctoria) were collected from several regions of the Greek flora and analyzed for their constituent hydroxynaphthoquinones and other metabolites. In most of the above Alkanna samples tested, the main hydroxynaphthoquinones were determined to be beta,beta-dimethylacrylalkannin, isovalerylalkannin + alpha-methyl-n-butylalkannin and acetylalkannin. The hydroxynaphthoquinone constituents and their proportions were found to vary among Alkanna species. Unknown metabolites (not monomeric hydroxynaphthoquinones) were detected by HPLC-PDA-MS, while in several Alkanna species hydroxynaphthoquinones were detected for the first time.

The herbal market of Thessaloniki (N Greece) and its relation to the ethnobotanical tradition.

The results of a survey of the medicinal plants found in the herbal market of Thessaloniki, which comprises traditional shops, modern shops and open-air market stalls, are presented. A total number of 172 taxa, Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta, were found in 18 selected market spots. Information is provided on the origin, the plant parts used, the ways of drug preparation and the medicinal uses of the herbs found. The majority of them (133 taxa) are of Greek origin and are gathered from the wild (99). A remarkable number of herbs (93) found in the market of Thessaloniki are mentioned by Dioscurides whereas the comparison to the recent ethnobotanical information shows that the utilization of Dioscurides' plants remains uninterrupted. Thus it is suggested that the herb trade is still based on the Greek ethnobotanical tradition, dating from antiquity.

Ethnobotanical survey of Zagori (Epirus, Greece), a renowned centre of folk medicine in the past.

Zagori is a group of villages in and around the National Park of Vikos-Aoos, in Epirus, north-west Greece. It was renowned in previous centuries as a major centre of folk medicine, and its practitioners, called 'vikoyiatri' or 'komboyiannites', were famous beyond the borders of Greece. Given the rich biological and cultural heritage of Zagori, we have tried to evaluate the present status concerning the medicinal flora of the area and its uses in the everyday life of the Zagori inhabitants. About 100 plants and their uses for therapeutic and other purposes are reported. Information included comes from both literature sources and interviewed informants. Traditional healing has not been altogether wiped out of Zagori. However, it no longer reflects the famous past and rich medicinal flora of the area.

Volatile Constituents of Achillea grandifolia.

Volatile constituents of ACHILLEA GRANDIFOLIA Friv. growing wild in Greece were studied by means of GC and GC-EIMS. Sixty constituents were identified. The main components were camphor, alpha- and beta-thujone, and 1,8-cineole. Twenty-six constituents have not been previously reported in the essential oils of the genus Achillea.

Constituents of Essential Oils from Mentha X rotundifolia Growing Wild in Greece.

The essential oils of the hybrid MENTHA X ROTUNDIFOLIA (L.) Huds. growing wild in Greece were investigated by means of GLC and GLC-MS. Two chemotypes have been found, which are characterized by the main components piperitone oxide and menthyl acetate, respectively. The latter is a new chemotype of M. X ROTUNDIFOLIA.

Constituents of Essential Oils from Mentha longifolia Growing Wild in Greece.

The essential oils from 9 populations of MENTHA LONGIFOLIA (L.) L., ssp. LONGIFOLIA and ssp. PETIOLATA (Boiss.) Kokkini, growing wild in Greece, were investigated by means of GLC and GLC-MS. Piperitone oxide has been found as the main component in the essential oils of both subspecies while carvone only in some individuals of ssp. PETIOLATA (chemotype 2).