Search

The chemical composition and antimicrobial and antiradical activities of the essential oils isolated from unripe and ripe fruits of S. globiferum Vis. (Apiaceae) have been determined. The most abundant constituent in the essential oils of unripe and ripe fruits was sabinene (53.1% and 65.3%), followed by gamma-terpinene (7.7% and 6.6%), alpha-pinene (7.2% and 4.4%), and beta-phellandrene (5.0% and 4.9%). Antibacterial and antifungal properties of these oils were evaluated using a modified microdilution technique. Scavenging activity was determined by the DPPH radical assay. The essential oils exhibited significant antimicrobial, but low antiradical activity.

Hairy roots of Rhamnus fallax Boiss. were induced using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4M70GUS. The culture established on Woody plant media (WPM) showed a typical hairy root phenotype: rapid growth, reduced apical dominance and root plagiotropism. Seven clones of R. fallax were selected on the basis of their differences in colour and the root branching. The growth of hairy root culture, measured through gain in fresh mass, was done under 16-h photoperiod or in the dark. An increase in anthraquinone (AQ) content was obtained in clones with yellow and less branched roots, like clone 1 [16.43 mg g(-1)(d.m.)] and clone 7 [14.21 mg g(-1)(d.m.)], compared with other analysed transformed and non-transformed tissue. This study presents the first report of successful transformation of any species from family Rhamnaceae by A. rhizogenes and analysis of AQ production in transformed tissue.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of physical and chemical features on metabolic production in plant cell culture. The best multiplication of Frangula alnus Mill. shoots (8.84 +/- 1.11) was obtained on woody plant medium ( WPM) medium with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (0.1 mg l(-1)) and 6-benzylaminapurine (BAP) (1.0 mg l(-1)), but the highest metabolite production (1731 mg/100 g of total anthraquinone (AQ) aglycones) was in the shoots grown on the MS medium with addition of 1-naphthilaceneacetic (NAA) (0.1 mg l(-1)) and thidiazuron (TDZ) (0.1 mg l(-1)). The best multiplication of Frangula rupestris (Scop.) Schur. shoots (6.20 +/- 0.53) was obtained on MS medium supplemented with BAP (0.5 mg l(-1)). The highest metabolite production (451 mg/100 g of total anthraquinone aglycones) was in the shoots grown on medium with 2,4-D (0.1 mg l(-1)) and BAP (0.5 mg l(-1)). For the multiplication of Rhamnus catharticus L. shoots, the best results (2.8 +/- 0.7) were obtained on the medium with combination of 2,4-D (0.1 mg l(-1)) and kinetine (Kin) (1.0 mg l(-1)). The best synthesis of anthraquinones (AQs) (1205 mg/100 g of total AQ aglycones) was in the shoots, which were grown on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (0.1 mg l(-1)).

The essential oil of Achillea atrata L. and its major component, 1,8-cineole, were evaluated for their antifungal activity by the mycelial growth method against 18 micromycetes (Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, A. ochraceus, A. versicolor, A. flavus, A. terreus, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Fusarium tricinctum, Penicillium ochrochloron, P. funiculosum, Phomopsis helianthi, Trichoderma viride, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T tonsurans, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum). The oil exhibited strong inhibitory action against all tested micromycetes with MIC values of 2.0-8.0 muL/mL.

Achillea chrysocoma Friv. (Asteraceae) is an endemic plant of the Balkan peninsula. Herb of this yarrow contained up to 0.2% of essential oil. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC/MS and 48 of the 79 detected peaks were identified. The major constituent was 1,8-cineole (17.0%).

Two flavonoid aglycones were isolated from the resin obtained by washing dry herb of Achillea atrata subspec. multifida with chloroform. The spectral characteristics (UV, MS, 1 H NMR) of these aglycones indicated that they belong to the highly methylated group of 6,8-dihydroxy flavone derivatives, not so frequent in the genus of Achillea. According to their spectral characteristics and literature data, the one was indentified as 5,8-dihydroxy-6,7,4′-trimethoxy flavone (pedunculin), while the structure of the second compound was not finally clarified. Based on its spectral data it could be 5,7,3′-trihydroxy-6,8,4′-trimethoxy flavone or 5,7,8-trihydroxy-6,3′,4′-trimethoxy flavone.

The production of anthraquinones by Frangula alnus Mill. plant cells was used as a model system to evaluate the performance of a liquid-liquid extractive product-recovery process. The shake flask experiments have shown higher production of anthraquinones in cell suspension and flask cultures of calcium-alginate-immobilized cells when silicone oil was incorporated into the medium, compared to a control without silicone oil. An external-loop air-lift bioreactor, developed and designed for the production and simultaneous extraction of extracellular plant cell products, was regarded as a four-phase system, with dispersed gas, non-aqueous solvent and calcium-alginate-immobilized plant cells in Murashige and Skoog medium. Continuous extraction of anthraquinones by silicone oil and n-hexadecane inside the bioreactor resulted in 10–30 times higher cell productivity, compared to that of immobilized cells in a flask. Based on the mixing pattern, immobilized biocatalyst extraparticle and intraparticle diffusional constraints and the kinetics of growth, substrate consumption and product formation, a mathematical model was developed to describe the time course of a batch plant cell culture.