0000000000116964
AUTHOR
Giuseppe Ruberto
Content variability of bioactive secondary metabolites in Hypericum perforatum L
Abstract St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.; Hypericaceae) is a perennial medicinal herb widespread and largely used in folk medicine inside the Mediterranean basin. Many bioactive compounds have been identified within its extracts. Under a pharmacological point of view, the most important of them belong to the chemical classes of naphthodianthrones, phloroglucinols and polyphenols. Many factors have been claimed responsible for the phytochemical variability in Hypericum perforatum, such as genotype, geographical origin, harvesting stage and age of the plants. Yet, when harvested plant material is addressed to the industry, the standardization of the active ingredients over cultivation…
Study of quantitative and qualitative variations in essential oils of Sicilian Rosmarinus officinalis L.
In this study the chemical characterisation of 10 Sicilian Rosmarinus officinalis L. biotypes essential oils is reported. The main goal of this work was to analyse the relationship between the essential oils yield and the geographical distribution of the species plants. The essential oils were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis statistical methods were used to cluster biotypes according to the essential oils chemical composition. The essential oil yield ranged from 0.8 to 2.3 (v/w). In total 82 compounds have been identified, these represent 96.7–99.9% of the essential oil. The most represented compounds in the essential oils were 1.…
Phytochemical profiles, phototoxic and antioxidant properties of eleven Hypericum species - A comparative study
Hypericum is one out of the nine genera belonging to the botanical family Clusiaceae Lindl (syn. Hypericaceae Juss.; APG III, 2009). The genus contains 484 species spread worldwide, one of which, Hypericum perforatum, is largely used in folk medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition, along with the antioxidant and phototoxic activity, of 11 Hypericum species grown in Sicily (H. perforatum L., H. aegypticum L., H. androsaemum L., H. calycinum L., H. hircinum L., H. hirsutum L., H. montanum L., H. patulum Thunb., H. perfoliatum L., H. pubescens Boiss., H. tetrapterum Fr.). Samples of flowering tops collected from these Hypericum species were extracted and analys…
Study of quantitative and qualitative variations in essential oils of Sicilian Rosmarinus officials L.
In this study the chemical characterizations of 10 sicilian biotypes of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oils are reported. The main goal was to analyze the relationship between the essential oils yield and the geographical distribution of the species plants. The essential oils were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The statistical methods Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis were used to cluster biotypes according to the chemical composition of the essential oils. The essential oil yield ranged from 0.8 - 2.3 (v/w). 82 compounds have been identified, these represent 96.7-99.9% of the essential oil. The compounds mostly represented in the essential oils were: 1.8- C…
Phenolic Profiles, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Hydrodistillation Wastewaters from Five Lamiaceae Species
Distillation is the most widely used method to obtain an essential oil from plant material. The biomass used in the process is returned as a solid residue together with variable amounts of water rich in water-soluble compounds, which currently are not addressed to any further application. The scope of this work was to evaluate the phytochemical composition of wastewaters coming from hydrodistillation (DWWs) of five aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, and to assess their in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The phenolic profiles of the DWWs were determined by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI/MS. Free radical scavenging ability, oxygen radical antioxidant capacity and su…
Essential oil characteristics of wild Sicilian oregano populations in relation to environmental conditions
A study was carried out on the essential oil of Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart taken from thirteen wild populations found in different parts of Sicily, Italy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship that exists between essentials oil extracted from Sicilian wild populations of O. vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart and various weather/climate and topographic factors in order to provide more information on aspects that influence the production potential of this species. The essential oils from the samples were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by a combination of gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); se…
Variations of essential oil constituents in oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. viridulum (= o. heracleoticum) over cultivation cycles
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Biomolecular characterization of wild sicilian oregano: phytochemical screening of essential oils and extracts, and evaluation of their antioxidant activities.
An extensive survey of wild Sicilian oregano was made. A total of 57 samples were collected from various sites, followed by taxonomic characterization from an agronomic perspective. Based on morphological and production characteristics obtained from the 57 samples, cluster analysis was used to divide the samples into homogeneous groups, to identify the best biotypes. All samples were analyzed for their phytochemical content, applying a cascade-extraction protocol and hydrodistillation, to obtain the non volatile components and the essential oils, respectively. The extracts contained thirteen polyphenol derivatives, i.e., four flavanones, seven flavones, and two organic acids. Their qualitat…
Composition and variability of the essential oil of the flowers of Lavandula stoechas from various geographical sources
Samples of flowers of wild Lavandula stoechas L. spp. stoechas populations were collected in three areas of Sicily (Italy) and were characterized in agronomic and chemical terms. Essential oil (EO) was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. GC-FID and GC-MS analyses permitted identification of 89 compounds from the EO. The samples were separated into 3 groups using PCA (Principal Component Analysis) statistical method, with reference to the chemical composition of the EO. All three Sicilian populations of lavender were identified as the fenchone chemotype with percentage content ranged between 52.8–71.1%. The population of Partinico showed the highest dry weight o…
Wild Sicilian Rosemary: Phytochemical and Morphological Screening and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation of Extracts and Essential Oils
To identify the best biotypes, an extensive survey of Sicilian wild rosemary was carried out by collecting 57 samples from various sites, followed by taxonomic characterization from an agronomic perspective. All the biotypes collected were classified as Rosmarinus officinalis L. A cluster analysis based on the morphological characteristics of the plants allowed the division of the biotypes into seven main groups, although the characteristics examined were found to be highly similar and not area-dependent. Moreover, all samples were analyzed for their phytochemical content, applying an extraction protocol to obtain the nonvolatile components and hydrodistillation to collect the essential oil…
Study of quantitative and qualitative variations in essential oils of Sicilian oregano biotypes
Essential oil (EO) was extracted using hydrodistillation from samples of Origanum vulgare subspecies hirtum (Link) Ietswaart, gathered from the wild in various parts of Sicily, Italy; GC-FID and GC-MS analyses were subsequently performed. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between essential oil yields and the geographical distribution of oregano wild populations based on variations in environmental factors as collection sites. Moreover, the purpose was to group Origanum vulgare subspecies hirtum biotypes according to the chemical composition of the EO. The seven principal components in the EO was thymol (24.0–54.4%), γ-terpinene (9.8–30.5%), ρ-cymene (5.2–18.7%), α-terpine…
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DIFFERENT POPULATIONS OF OREGANO (ORIGANUM VULGARE SSP. HIRTUM) FOUND IN SICILY
Oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum) is one of the most popular aromatic species used in Mediterranean cuisine. In addition to its use for culinary and ornamental purposes, it is also known as a medicinal plant for its antispasmodic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and expectorant properties. A number of wild oregano populations were found in various areas of Sicily. Representative samples of the different populations at flowering stage were collected at varying altitudes between 60 and 1000 m a.s.l. in 2004 an 2005. The samples were processed to evaluate the quantity and quality of the production, as well as the essential oil composition. Significant differences were found between…
Volatile flavour components of ocimum basilicum var. hispidum (lam.) Chiov.
The volatile components obtained by steam-distillation ofOcimum basilicum var. hispidum (Lam.) Chiov. (Labiatae) were analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 21 compounds, representing ca 90% of the total oil, were identified. The identity of the main component (82%), dihydrotagetone, was confirmed by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. This is the first report of this compound in the genus Ocimum.
Agronomical evaluation of Sicilian biotypes of Lavandula stoechas L. spp. stoechas and analysis of the essential oils
The aim of this study was to characterize wild lavender, which was collected in three different areas of Sicily (Italy),according to agronomic and chemical evaluation. The collection sites were located in Pantelleria island, Partinico (a warm sub-area of Lauretum) and Castelbuono (a middle sub-area of Lauretum). All the populations were identified as Lavandula stoechas L. ssp. stoechas. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography– flame ionization detector (GC–FID) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). GC–FID and GC–MS analyses permitted the identification of 101 components from the essential oils. We analyzed only the flowers and leaves of L. stoechas …
Phytochemical, ecological and antioxidant evaluation of wild Sicilian thyme: Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav.
In a broad survey conducted throughout the Sicily region, 45 different sites were identified where thyme grows wild. All the biotypes collected were classified as Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav. (syn. Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns. & Link). Cluster analysis based on the main morphological characteristics of the plant led to the division of the biotypes into 3 major groups. All samples were analyzed for their secondary phytochemical metabolites identified in the extracts and the essential oils. LC-UV-DAD/ESI-MS and GC-FID/GC-MS have been applied to characterize the extracts and the essential oils, respectively. In the extracts, 15 flavonoid derivatives with taxifolin-di-O-glucoside and thymusin…
Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum Essential Oil Prevented Biofilm formation and showed antibacterial activity against planktonic and sessile bacterial cells
Essential oils from six different populations of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum were compared for their antibiofilm properties. The six essential oils (A to F) were characterized by a combination of gas chromatography with flame ionization detector and gas chromatography with mass spectrometer detector analyses. All oils showed weak activity against the planktonic form of a group of Staphylococcus aureus strains and against a Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 reference strain. The ability to inhibit biofilm formation was investigated at sub-MIC levels of 200, 100, and 50 m g/ml by staining sessile cells with safranin. Sample E showed the highest average effectiveness against all tested stra…
A Two-Year Bio-Agronomic and Chemotaxonomic Evaluation of Wild Sicilian Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Berries and Leaves.
A collection of nine Myrtus communis samples from different localities of Sicily was evaluated. Morphological traits and production characteristics have been chosen as parameters to arrange the samples into homogeneous groups and to identify the best biotypes for possible future agro-industrial exploitation. The plant material has been subjected to taxonomic characterization from biometric and phytochemical perspectives. Myrtle berries and leaves have been analyzed for their content in metabolites, applying a cascade extraction protocol for M. communis leaves and a single hydroalcoholic extraction for berries, whereas hydrodistillation procedures have been applied to obtain the essential oi…