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AbstractTragopogon dubiusand Tussilago farfaraare consumed as vegetables and used in folk medicine to manage common diseases. Herein, the chemical compositions and biological activities of different leaf extracts (ethyl acetate, methanol, and water) of T. dubiusand T. farfarawere evaluated. The antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant abilities of the extracts were tested using different assays including free radical scavenging, reducing power, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelating assays. Enzyme inhibitory potentials were evaluated against cholinesterases, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Complexes of bioactive compounds (chlorogenic and rosmarinic acid) were docked into the enzymatic cavity of α-glucosidase and subjected to molecular dynamic calculation, enzyme conformational stability, and flexibility analysis. T. dubiusand T. farfaraextracts showed remarkable antioxidant potentials. Ethyl acetate extracts of T. dubiusand T. farfarawere the most potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. T. dubiusethyl acetate extract and T. farfaramethanolic extract showed noteworthy activity against α-glucosidase. High performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed the abundance of some phenolic compounds including chlorogenic and rosmarinic acids. Ethyl acetate extract of T. dubiusshowed notable antifungal activity against all strains. Docking studies showed best pose for chlorogenic acid was stabilized by a network of hydrogen bonds with residues Asp1157, Asp1279, whereas rosmarinic acid showed several hydrogen bonds with Asp1157, Asp1420, Asp1526, Lys1460 and Trp1369. This study further validates the use of T. dubiusand T. farfarain traditional medicine, as well as act as a stimulus for further studies for future biomedicine development.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Abstract:Essential oil composition of Centaurea stenolepisKerner flowers and stems were investigated with GC, GC-MS. Flowers and stems of C. stenolepishad very low essential oil yield <0.01 % (v/w). Twenty eight compounds were identified in the flower oil which represent 53.5 % of the oil. Main components of the flower oil include caryophyllene oxide 12.6 %, hexadecanoic acid 10.6 % and β-Eudesmol 7.2 %. Forty compounds were identified in the stem oils which represent 74.2 % of the oil. Main components of the stem oils include hexadecanoic acid 38.4 % and phytol 12.9 %. Both flower and stem oils were rich on oxygenated sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and fatty acids.