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Available evidence suggests that cimetidine is a reproductive toxicant that induces sexual and testicular dysfunction. Ocimum gratissimum (OG) is globally consumed for medicinal and nutritional purposes. To determine the modulating role of aqueous leaf extract of Ocimum gratissimum on cimetidine-induced gonado-toxicity, sexually mature male rats were randomized into four groups of six (n=6) rats each. Group A: control given 2ml distilled water. Group B received 500mg/kg body weight (bwt) of OG extract, Group C received 50mg/kg bwt cimetidine, and group D received 50mg/kg bwt of cimetidine+500mg/kg bwt OG extract once daily for 8 weeks via gastric gavage. Parameters tested include sperm parameters, testosterone (TT), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and prolactin, testicular alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), protein, cholesterol, glycogen, sexual behavioural parameters, and testicular histology.There were depletions in the seminiferous epithelium, decreased sperm quality, TT, LH, and FSH, testicular enzymes, protein, cholesterol, glycogen, and sexual behaviour increase in animals treated with cimetidine only compared to control. OG restored and improved sexual behaviour and libido as evident from increased frequencies of mount, intromission, ejaculation, and ejaculatory latency. Mount latencies, intromission, post-ejaculation, and prolactin were significantly decreased. The significantly decreased testicular activities of ALP, ACP, LDH and protein, cholesterol, glycogen concentrations, TT, LH and FSH were increased by OG administration.Ocimum gratissimum attenuated the deleterious effects of cimetidine on the testis, protected the seminiferous epithelium, restored, and boosted sexual competence, and promoted spermatogenesis.

India is an emerging basil essential oil producer in South-east Asia. Two high essential oil yielding hybrids, namely one inter specific hybrid between of O. basilicum and O. kilimandscharicum Gurke (HYBL-1) and another intraspecific hybrid of O. basilicum × O. basilicum (OBL-1) of basil were analyzed using GC, enantiomeric GC, NMR, enantio-GC–MS and GC–MS methods. Inter specific hybrid HYBL-1 contained high essential oil-rich in linalool (68.5%), camphor (8%), and 1,8-cineole (4.6%) as characteristic constituents among monoterpenoids, whereas β-caryophyllene (1.9%), germacrene D (1.0%), and epi-α-cadinol (1.9%) were the sesquiterpenoids at the Lucknow (North Indian conditions) and linalool (71.8%), camphor (9.4%) and 1,8-cineole (4.3%) at Hyderabad (South Indian conditions) locations. Intraspecific hybrid (OBL-1) possessed linalool (66.1%), 1,8-cineole (5.4%) and geraniol (8.6%) with sesquiterpenoids in low proportions. Inter specific hybrid HYBL-1 showed superiority over OBL-1 in the multi-location trials conducted at Lucknow and Hyderabad. Average mean performance of inter specific hybrid over locations was: herb yield 44.80 t/ha, oil content 0.63%, oil yield 188.50 kg/ha, linalool content 67.65%, camphor content 8.90% v/s OBL-1 herb yield 21.32 t/ha, oil content 0.53%, oil yield 97.50 kg/ha, linalool content 65.55%, camphor content 0.00%, respectively. The essential oil of these two hybrids subjected to enantiomer differentiation revealed a high enantiomeric excess for (3R) -(−)-linalool, whereas (1R)- (+)-camphor was recorded exclusively in inter specific hybrid. The extensive NMR experiments were performed to confirm constituents in these hybrids and found that NMR spectroscopy could also be an ideal tool for the differentiation of essential oils from commercial samples declared as natural.

Plant-derived natural active products have attracted increasing attention for use in flavors and perfumes. These compounds also have applications in insect pest control because of their environment-friendly properties. Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), a famous herb used in Ayurveda in India, is a natural source of medical healing agents and insecticidal repellents. Despite the available genomic sequences and genome-wide bioinformatic analysis of terpene synthase genes, the functionality of the sesquiterpene genes involved in the unique fragrance and insecticidal activities of Holy basil are largely unknown. In this study, we systematically screened the sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis genes in this plant using a precursor-providing yeast system. The enzymes that synthesize β-caryophyllene and its close isomer α-humulene were successfully identified. The enzymatic product of OsaTPS07 was characterized by in vivo mining, in vitro reaction, and NMR detection. This product was revealed as (-)-eremophilene. We created a mutant yeast strain that can achieve a high-yield titer by adjusting the gene copy number and FPP precursor enhancement. An optimized two-stage fed-batch fermentation method achieved high biosynthetic capacity, with a titer of 34.6 g/L cyclic sesquiterpene bioproduction in a 15-L bioreactor. Further insect-repelling assays demonstrated that (-)-eremophilene repelled the insect pest, fall leafworm, suggesting the potential of (-)-eremophilene as an alternative to synthetic chemicals for agricultural pest control. This study highlights the potential of our microbial platform for the bulk mining of plant-derived ingredients and provides an impressive cornerstone for their industrial utilization.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Thirty-five herbal formulations used in this current work are utilized as anti-cariogenic agents in Thai traditional medicine. Acidogenic properties play a crucial role in the initiation of dental caries caused by Streptococcus mutans, and a quorum sensing (QS) system is an associated virulence factor in dental caries. Aim of the study The current work aimed to determine the anti-acidogenic effect of these polyherbal formulas against S. mutans and explore their anti-QS activity using Chromobacterium violaceum as a biosensor. Materials and methods Ethanol and water extracts from the formulas were evaluated for their anti-acidogenic effects using glycolytic pH drop assays. Qualification and quantification of anti-QS activity indicated by the level of violacein production in C. violaceum were performed using paper disc-diffusion and flask incubation assays, respectively. Results Among the extracts tested, THF-DC 02 and THF-DC 04 significantly inhibited the acidogenesis of S. mutans in a dose-dependent manner without affecting the cell viability. THF-DC 20 and THF-DC 29 sharply reduced the violacein production of C. violaceum, indicating the promising anti-QS activity of these extracts. Conclusion The findings of the present study, preliminarily propose that the polyherbal formulas THF-DC 02, THF-DC 04, THF-DC 20, and THF-DC 29 produce promising anti-acidogenic or anti-QS activities. The anti-acidogenic effect of THF-DC 04 may possibly act by interrupting streptococcal membrane enzymes via its herbal components: Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd., Albizia myriophylla Benth., Avicennia marina subsp. eucalyptifolia (Valeton) J.Everett and Ocimum tenuiflorum L. The anti-QS activity of THF-DC 20 and THF-DC 29 could be due to their herbal ingredients, including Piper betle L., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb., Terminalia chebula Retz., and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry.

The stability parameters were quantified through a study in the thirteen economic traits in fourteen genotypes of Ocimum. The essential oil yields of the Ocimum in different environments are influenced by economic traits that are affected by genotype × environment interactions. The genotype × environment interaction analysis in Ocimum is scanty for the essential oil yield. This experiment was planned to judge the consequences of genotype × environment interaction on the key characters in Ocimum to select in diverse environments. The fourteen Ocimum genotypes were assessed in three years: 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 in the Kharif season. Subsequently, the Eberhart and Russell and GGE biplot models were used to carry out genotype × environment interactions for stability. This endeavor's objectives were to predict the Ocimum lines and interspecific hybrids performance across the year's and stable lines selection. The results depicted a significant G × E interaction effect on all traits (p

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L) extracts showed significant antioxidant activity and represent a rich source of antioxidants that could contribute to its disease-fighting potential. Basil contains functional ingredients due to its rich content of phenolic compounds, characterized as main carriers of its antioxidant activity. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the conditions and methods of extraction on chemical composition of basil extracts and also to find similarities or dissimilarities of the extraction procedures in the scope of determined content of functional ingredients. The determination of phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids) of 100 basil extracts was performed using HPLC. The concentration of phenolic acids (chlorogenic, p-hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, ferulic, vanillic, cinnamic and rosmarinic) varied from 0.01 to 79.88 mg/kg of dried extract (DE). Concentration of flavonoid components (quercetin, naringenin, rutin) ranged from 0.06 to 72.24 mg/kg of DE. Extraction with dichloromethane (10 min), chloroform (10 min), n-hexane (30 min) and infusion provided high content of rosmarinic acid and quercetin, but also a significant content of chlorogenic acid, vanillic acid, naringenin, cinnamic and ferulic acid. Chemometric analysis indicated the most effective experimental procedure and provided an overview of their grouping in the space of the extracted ingredients.

The aim of the current study was to isolate, characterize, and assess the plant growth-promoting traits of bacterial isolates inhabiting the rhizosphere of the Ocimum basilicum (basil plant) in the Al-Ahsa region. Five bacterial isolates were isolated from the rhizosphere of the basil, and characterized morphologically, biochemically, and genotypically. Our isolates displayed multiple plant growth-stimulating features, such as nitrogen fixation, solubilization of inorganic phosphate, and production of phytohormones, ammonia, and acetoin. All bacterial isolates were able to grow under elevated NaCl concentrations of up to 3 %. Only FPW14 grew at 10% NaCl. Comparative sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that FPM11 and FPI13 belonged to Pseudomonas alcaliphila and Pseudomonas hunanensis, respectively, to which they showed 98.66% and 97.36% homology, respectively. Strains FCL6, FPK12, and FPW14 showed 16S rRNA gene sequences with 97.21%, 98.08%, and 98.37% identities with those of Streptomyces laurentii, Sinorhizobium sp., and Bacillus safensis, respectively. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree constructed using the 16S rRNA gene sequences clustered the bacterial isolates with their corresponding recognized bacterial species, providing robustness to the taxonomic affiliation of our strains. Bacterial inoculation significantly enhanced the root growth parameters of Phaseolus vulgaris L. In conclusion, all isolates belong to plant growth-promoting bacteria and can be used as biofertilizers to increase soil fertility and plant productivity in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia.

In this study, a novel polysaccharide fraction from Ocimum album seed was extracted and then purified by Cellulose DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-200 anion exchange chromatography. The structural, physicochemical and antioxidant properties of the main polysaccharide fraction (OAP-1A) were evaluated. The purified polysaccharide contained 94.3% carbohydrate, 3.56% moisture and 2.14% ash and result of gel permeation chromatography (GPC) showed average molecular weight of 593 kDa. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that OAP-1A was a neutral hetero-polysaccharide composed of mannose (35.7%), glucose (33.32%), galactose (19.6%) and rhamnose (11.38%). In addition, GC–MS data, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis revealed that the backbone of OAP-1A consists of →3)-β-D-Manp-(1→, →3,4)-β-D-Manp-(1→, →3,6)-β-D-Manp-(1→, →3)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →6)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→ and α-D-Glcp-(1→. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed semi-crystalline structure in OAP-1A. Differential scanning colorimeter (DSC) and thermo-gravimetry analysis (TGA) indicated that OAP-1A had relatively high thermal stability. Moreover, OAP-1A showed strong scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals.

Synthesis of Natural product nanoparticles using different medicinal plants is gaining importance among the young researchers. Green nanotechnology is an eco-friendly process which is an alternative for normal conventional chemical and physical process where the uses of toxic compounds are completely eliminated. In this present paper the leaf extract of Ocimum tenuiflorum Var. Ram tulsi, is used for the synthesis of Natural product nanoparticles. Hexagonal shaped with the size of about 51 nm ZnO-natural product nanoparticles were synthesized and characterization was done using Transmission electron microscopes (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis.

Regarding destructive impacts of salinity on different vital processes of plants, many strategies have been developed to alleviate salinity effects. Amongst, nanoparticles (NPs) application has been achieved great attention. For that point, considering positive effects of graphene oxide NPs (GO) and glycine betaine (GB) on different plant processes, GO-GB NPs were primarily synthesized to use GO as a carrier for GB. Then, GO, GB and GO-GB (each in three concentrations; 0, 50 and 100 mg L−1) were applied on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants under 0, 50 and 100 mM salinity stress conditions. The results demonstrated that GO-GB NPs could lessen negative effects of salinity by enhancing agronomic traits, photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, membrane stability index (MSI), proline, phenols, antioxidant enzymes activities and dominant constituents of essential oils and decreasing MDA and H2O2. These positive effects were more considerable at its lower dose (50 mg L−1) introducing it as the best treatment to ameliorate sweet basil performance especially essential oil compounds under salt stress. GO application at its higher dose (100 mg L−1) demonstrated toxicity by negative impacts on the measured parameters. In conclusion, the positive response of sweet basil to GO-GB NPs under non-stress and salt stress conditions cause to consider the NPs as potential novel plant growth promoting and stress protecting agent with innovative outlooks for its use in agriculture.

Nano emulsions are nano-sized emulsions, which are made for improving the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. These are the thermodynamically steady isotropic systems where two immiscible liquids are mixed to form a single phase by means of an emulsifying agent, i.e., surfactant and co-surfactant. Oil in water emulsions were prepared by high pressure homogenizer using plant essential oils with water as dispersion medium. In this study, stable nanoemulsion was formulated using Ocimum Tenuiflorum (Tulasi) essential oils. It was characterized in terms of Physical, Thermal and Mechanical stability, Particle size distribution and Zeta potential analysis. Then, the antibiofilm and larvicidal activity of Tulsi essential oil and nanoemulsion was investigated. The formulated nanoemulsion exhibited the highest antioxidant activities compared to plant essential oils. In the present study, an attempt has been made to formulate the stable nanoemulsion from the extracts of Ocimum Tenuiflorum with different concentration and is studied for their potential inhibitory action against mosquitoes and biofilm formation. It can be used for the preparation of antimicrobial paint for preventing walls against biofouling.

The present study is based on morphological, biochemical characterization and 16 s rRNA gene sequencing of an endophytic bacterium OS03 isolated from the stem of Ocimum sanctum and identified as Enterobacter cloacae (Accession no. MG00145). The isolate is a short gram –ve rod able to tolerate 9% of NaCl and can grow at 54 °C, under osmotic stress (40–45% PEG 6000) in the medium. The study focused on the characterization of Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) production under in vitro condition. Isolate OS03 showed better production of IAA at pH 7 (17.807 µg/ml) and 37 °C (17.934 µg/ml). The production of IAA increased when the L-tryptophan medium was supplemented with Sucrose (0.5%) and Calcium nitrate (0.1%) as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. IAA production was further confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (Rf 0.75 cm) as well as by FTIR and H1NMR analysis. The selected strain OS03 significantly enhanced the growth of four crop plant viz. Oryza sativa (rice), Arachis hypogaea (groundnut), Vigna mungo (black gram) and Brassica rapa var. Toria (toria) in terms of germination index, shoot and root biomass of seedling and seed vigour index in comparison to control.

Fungi are heterotrophic organisms possessing cryptic lifestyles and have an individual hierarchy in the evolution of microorganisms on earth. Out of which, Keratinophilic fungi are allied molds that produce keratinase enzymes and diminish the keratin matters in or on the soil. Fifty soil samples were collected from various sites of Jaipur district, India to analyze incidence of keratinophilic fungi. Out of 162 isolates, a total of 24 keratinophilic fungal species of 13 genera were recovered, including Trichophyton sp. (17.90%), Aspergillus sp. (17.90%), Chrysosporium sp. (14.81%). Selective keratinophilic fungi were also discussed about phylogenetic studies. In multiple sequence alignment of sequences, species were reported to have closest relationships between teleomorphic and anamorphic form of keratinophilic fungi which exhibited a reason for phase changes between geophilic and dermatophytic fungi by accident or opportunistic where they may cause infections in both humans and animals on the opportunity. In the anti-fungal activity, Eucalyptus globulus (Inhibition Zone: 23.5 mm; Activity Index: 0.82) and Ocimum tenuiflorum (Inhibition Zone: 20.75 mm; Activity Index: 1.46) were inscribed to dispense a greater potential of antifungal activity against all selected keratinophilic fungi.

Ocimum forskolei (Habak), Lamiaceae, is an endemic species from Yemen and KSA; where our present study was aimed at investigating the Metabolic profiling coupled with LC HR-MS analysis of the dichloromethane fraction from the aerial parts of that plant with a special emphasis on ursolic acid as the major predominating compound from this fraction. Histopathological evaluation of ursolic acid in different doses against indomethacin-induced ulcers in rats revealed a highly significant and dose dependent protection. With the dose level of 50 mg/kg b.w., Ursolic acid gave an ulcer index of 1.33 ± 0.33 and 97.8% inhibition, compared to cimetidine as a standard with 3.0 ± 0.58 and 95.2%. To rationalize this activity, docking on various macromolecular targets was performed, followed by molecular dynamics on the most promising target; the M3 receptor. A high binding energy of -344 kJ/mol is predicted between Ursolic acid and the protein indicating the stability of the predicted pose.

Kidney disease is a worldwide public health problem that affects millions of people worldwide. Globally, many risk factors for kidney disease progression have been identified. The global prevalence of acute and chronic forms of kidney disease is rising continuously. Nephrotoxicity is defined as rapid dysfunction of kidney due to toxic influence of medications and chemicals. Nephroprotective agents are material that has potential to minimize the effects of nephrotoxic agents. Plants have been shown to be potential therapeutic agents to protect against nephrotoxicity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of basil leaves extract against thioacetamide (TAA) in male rats. Experimental male rats were divided into four groups. Rats of the first group were served as controls. Rats of the second group were exposed to TAA. Rats of the third group were treated with basil leaves extract and TAA. Rats of the fourth group were treated with basil leaves extract. After the end of experimental duration (6 Weeks), rats of the second group showed significantly increases of serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and uric acid levels, while the levels of serum superoxide dismutase and glutathione were significantly decreased. Histopathologically, renal sections from rats treated with only TAA showed several alterations in the structure of most renal corpuscles including a degeneration of glomeruli and Bowman's capsules. Treatment with basil leaves extract improved the observed biochemical and histopathological changes induced by TAA intoxication. These new findings indicate that the extract of basil leaves represent protective roles on biochemical and histopathological changes induced by TAA toxicity due to its antioxidant activities.

In this paper, the influence of a variety of salts (NaCl, CaCl2, and KCl) at different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1% w/w) on rheological and functional properties of basil seed gum (BSG) were investigated. BSG produced a high viscosity solution with yield stress, which was a function of salt type and concentration. In all samples, viscosity decreased as the electrostatic interactions between the BSG chains altered by salts. Flow behavior index increased by salt addition, which shows BSG had weaker shear-thinning behavior and worse mouthfeel in the presence of salts. The viscoelasticity of BSG strongly influenced by the addition of salt type as well as concentration. Larger cations (Ca+2) shield the electrostatic interaction between BSG chains more strongly compared to smaller cations as they have larger hydrated radius. As a result divalent salts decreased the viscosity and viscoelasticity more significantly. Emulsion capacity improved by salts addition, especially at high concentrations of salts. The foam capacity increased in the presence of CaCl2 and KCl increased foaming capacity of BSG. The results suggest that the addition of the different types of salt can alter or modify the rheological and functional properties of BSG, depending on the salt concentration.

Moringa oleifera leaves extract (MLE) contains a mixture of essential elements, which promotes the growth and yield of many plant species. In this study, the effects from foliar application of MLE on the plant growth parameters as well as phytochemical composition of Ocimum basilicum plants cultivated under 1000 ppm salt stress were investigated. In addition, the effect of MLE on gene expression was examined by monitoring the expression of a multi-stresses' responsive gene, ObOLP. MLE displayed similar bio-stimulant effects on Ocimum plants growth and yield as for other plant species. Furthermore, our study also indicated that MLE has altered the expression of ObOLP gene and the alteration trend was positively correlated with the plant growth and yield enhancement. Therefore, it is suggested that MLE might directly or indirectly affects gene expression in the Ocimum plants. The phytochemical composition analyses have implicated that MLE is a potential biofertilizer to modify the composition of major bioactive compounds, such as estragole and eucalyptol in the Ocimum plants. Among the three concentrations of MLE tested, the 5 g/L of MLE was the most effective concentration for growth and yield enhancement, as well as induction of the highest estragole and eucalyptol contents (approximately 5 times higher) as compared to non-treated plants.

Drought is a major abiotic stress that limits performance of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), which is an important aromatic plant for flavor foods and traditional medicines. The influence of palm pollen grains extract (PGE) on growth, physio-biochemical attributes, water use efficiency (WUE), anatomical characteristics and antioxidant defense system components in basil plants was investigated under normal and water deficit stress conditions. The PGE was exogenously applied as a foliar spray at a rate of 1.0 g L‒1 to plants under full (70% of soil water-holding capacity; SWHC) or deficit irrigation (DI; 50% of SWHC) in a pot experiment repeated three times. Exposing basil plants to drought stress significantly disorganized their performance including oil yield and anatomical features, but increased their antioxidant defense system components. However, the application of PGE to DI-stressed plants significantly improved growth characteristics and the contents of essential oil, leaf photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, free proline, and ascorbic acid. Antioxidant enzyme activities, relative water content (RWC), WUE, and anatomical characteristics were also improved, while electrolyte leakage was significantly diminished compared to the corresponding control. Therefore, results obtained in this study recommend using PGE at 1.0 g L‒1 as a foliar application strategy for Ocimum basilicum plants grown under DI stress to maintain higher RWC and WUE, and lower EL, and improve plant growth and essential oil productivity by limiting the inhibitory effects of DI.

Arsenic is a toxic substance that causes tissue damage. It is well-known that exposure to this substance induces oxidative stress and causes liver injury. The present study has been conducted to ev...

Apergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus niger are the principal fungi that attack table grapes, and they are responsible for producing and contaminating these fruits with ochratoxin A. Packaging containing essential oils from Ocimum gratissimum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. encapsulated in poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers were produced, the antifungal and antiocratoxigenic activities against A. carbonarius and A. niger were evaluated in vitro and in vivo, and the effect of these packages on the quality of table grapes was determined. The nanofibers were produced by the Solution Blow Spinning technique and characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis. Fungal contamination and ochratoxin A production were significantly controlled by PLA nanofibers containing the essential oils and the physicochemical parameters of the grapes were preserved, preserving the quality and the shelf life of the fruit. Therefore, the active packaging developed herein has potential and may be suitable for application in fruits.

Experiments during 2018 and 2019 seasons, were carried out to investigate the allelopathic potentiality of Ocimum basilicum extract as a biodegradable herbicide against broad-leaved and grassy weeds. Leaves and flowers of Ocimum into flower were used to prepare extracts by three solvents (methanol, acetone and distilled water) to assay their effects on maize and soybean seedlings and dominant weeds in pots at Giza and fields Sids Stations. The inhibitor of 50% reduction (ID50) values on germination percentage for Amaranthus was about 0.2 to 0.9 mg, whereas for maize and soybean were 10 to 30 and 17 to 23 mg fresh weight of Ocimum equivalent extracts ml−1 respectively. Pots experiments showed that Amaranthus and Portulaca weeds were affected by extracts when applied post emergence which gave 33-68% reduction in fresh weight of Amaranthus/Portulaca mixture by the three studied extracts. Field experiment at Sids Station showed that the effect of different formulations, crude extract by acetone alone and extract plus camphor oil were more effective against broadleaved and grassy weeds than using its formulation with adjuvant where about 40.48 kg fresh weight of Ocimum equivalent extracts ml−1/ha when applied post emergence gave 97 to 99% control of weed biomass, which equal the recommended herbicide (glufosinate ammonium) effect. The chemical compositions of extracts were analyzed by GC–MS to determine chemical compositions of the developing new bio-herbicide. Thus, the present results suggest clearly that farmers can use easily extract 40.48 kg/ha of Ocimum to control weeds in horticulture orchard fields during summer season. Keywords: Allelopathic, Bio-herbicide, Anatomical studies, ID50 studies, Ocimum basilicum L., Amaranthus spp., Portulaca oleraceae, Xanthium sp., Sida alba, GC–MS analysis

Fleas and ticks are among the main ectoparasites that affect pets. The indiscriminate and incorrect use of chemical antiparasitics may be related to increased insect resistance and environmental contamination, requiring prospection for active ingredients that are less harmful to animals, humans and the environment. The use of essential oils and their isolated compounds has been reported as a potential alternative to synthetic antiparasitics, but there is a lack of studies involving the design and development of stable and safe natural products-based formulations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish LC

In this study, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil (EO) in response to different Fe sources (Fe-arginine, Fe-glycine, and Fe-histidine nano-complexes and Fe-EDDHA) were examined. EO samples were predominantly constituted by the phenylpropanoid methyl chavicol (53–89.5%). Application of Fe nano-complexes significantly increased the occurrence and concentration of sesquiterpenes, while decreased the content of oxygenated monoterpenes. Antioxidant activity of basil EOs was evaluated using free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, Nitric oxide, H2O2 and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances scavenging assays, and in all assays the highest and the lowest activities were recorded in basils supplied with Fe-histidine nano-complex (1.02, 1.62, 2.21, 3.22 mg mL-1) and control (3.89, 4.89, 5.52, 6.79 mg mL-1), respectively. Fe-histidine nano-complex was the most effective treatment to inhibit fungal (C. albicans: 0.058 mg mL-1; A. niger: 0.066 mg mL-1), Gram-negative (E. coli: 0.181 mg mL-1; S. typhimurium: 0.163 mg mL-1) and Gram-positive (B. subtilis: 0.033 mg mL-1; S. aureus: 0.002 mg mL-1) growth. In conclusion, application of iron nano-complexes significantly altered biological and pharmacological characteristics of basil EOs. Our results are quite encouraging since EOs exhibited potent antioxidant effect and antimicrobial activities.

The antioxidant potential of the essential oils (EO) of 24 basil genotypes was assessed by 4 distinct in vitro evaluation methods. Different combinations of the major compounds found in the EO were also tested to identify those combinations responsible for the antioxidant activity of the volatile oils and verify the occurrence of synergism or antagonism between them. Results indicate that 9 EO exhibited promising antioxidant potential, with at least 52.68% of inhibition of the linoleic acid peroxidation at 10 µL/mL and 76.34% of inhibition of the DPPH radical at 1 µL/mL. The major compound eugenol had the highest antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of these EO cannot be explained solely by the presence of the major compounds. Despite the influence of eugenol, the antioxidant activity is also related to the synergism between other minor compounds found in the EO. This fact confers a potent antioxidant activity to some basil EO.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in the characteristics of basil (Ocimum bacilicum L.) seed gum (BSG) films after modification with octenyl succinate anhydride (OSA) at different OSA:BSG weight ratios (WRs) of 0, 0.01 and 0.03. HPLC analysis revealed that the amount of added OS groups was 0%, 0.28%, and 1.01%, respectively. The introduction of OS groups along the BSG backbone was also confirmed by FT-IR and NMR analysis. XRD results revealed no significant change of physical state after modification. The contact angle (i.e., hydrophobicity) of modified BSG films was higher than that of control film. A decrease in the film solubility in water (29%) and water vapor permeability (50%), but an increase in density (14.28%) and opacity (21.37%) was observed after modification at the WR of 0.03. Also, the results showed that modification with OSA had no significant influence on the film thickness, moisture content and color properties. BSG modification with OSA at the WR of 0.03 significantly increased the flexibility and ultimate strength of respective films. The results of this study showed that OSA-modified BSG is a good candidate for developing edible films and coating with relatively high resistance to water.

Ursolic acid (pentacyclic triterpene acid) and eugenol (phenolic compound), the major secondary metabolites of Ocimum tenuiflorum L., exhibit many pharmacological activities. Due to low quantities of these metabolites in the plant, it was imperative to apply biotechnological approaches for enhancing accumulation of these compounds. Effects of three elicitors namely yeast extract, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid were studied on the hairy root cultures induced by infecting leaves of O. tenuiflorum with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain. The transgenic nature of hairy roots was validated by PCR of rolB gene. The yield of ursolic acid and eugenol responded to the age of the culture, the concentration of the elicitor and the incubation time. The 17-day-old hairy root cultures when treated with yeast extract (50 mg/L) produced the highest amount of ursolic acid of 1.56 mg/g dry weight (5.6-fold higher than control culture) and eugenol content of 0.41 mg/g dry weight (~ 6.0-fold higher than the control) after 8 days of exposure. Methyl jasmonate at 60 mg/L concentration also enhanced the accumulation of ursolic acid up to 1.43 mg/g dry weight (5.0-fold higher than the control) and eugenol up to 0.1 mg/g dry weight (1.55-fold higher than the control) after 8 days of elicitor treatment. Increased elicitor concentration and extended exposure time as well as age of the culture resulted in reduced accumulation of ursolic acid and eugenol in hairy root cultures. Our results demonstrate the importance of age of the culture, different exposure time, and concentration of elicitors in the hairy root culture of O. tenuiflorum for increased production of pharmaceutically important metabolites.

We investigated the roles of different shading strategies on plant growth, antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), a widely used herb with culinary and medicinal properties. Sweet basil plants were cultivated in a commercial multi-span tunnel-greenhouse covered with an EVAC plastic film, shaded from solar radiation in five different ways: n. 1, by calcium hydroxide whitening; n. 2, installing up - or n. 3, under - the greenhouse roof, a PE-HD white reflective net with 36% shading factor; n. 4, installing up - or n. 5, under - the greenhouse roof, a PE-HD white reflective net with 58% shading factor. The remaining part of the greenhouse (n. 6 - control) was unshaded. In each trial, yield traits, antioxidant activity and contents of phenolics of sweet basil plants were assessed to evaluate the influence of the shading strategy on these parameters. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by using three different in vitro assays: DPPH scavenging activity, reducing power (FRAP) and lipid peroxidation inhibition (BCB). To compare the data obtained by the different chemical methods, the relative antioxidant capacity index (RACI) was calculated. The yield was highest in unshaded plants. The control trial, in which the incoming solar radiation was filtered only by the film which covers the greenhouse, showed the highest RACI value (0.98), indicating that the antioxidant capacity was probably influenced by higher light and temperature conditions. Phenolic quantification, determined by HPLC-DAD, enabled to observe a correlation between the antioxidant power and the identified metabolites.

The essential oil (EO) composition of Vetiveria zizanioides and Ocimum basilicum were analysed and its post-harvest protective properties of jack fruits (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) against the spoilage bacteria and fungi were investigated. Hydrodistillation and GC–MS analysis documented the presence of various components, including, hexamethyl-cycloocta-1,3,6-triene, d -Cadinene, Cedren-8-en-15-ol, 2-Isopropenyl-1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, metylchavico and trans-sabinene in V. zizanioides and O. basilicum, respectively. V. zizanioides EO showed potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis and the zone of inhibition was 32 ± 2, 26 ± 0 mm, respectively. Whereas, O. basilicum oil showed potential activity against Streptococcus mutans (28 ± 3 mm) and Rhizopus microsporus (28 ± 3 mm). EO of V. zizanioides exhibited high activity against S. aureus (MIC = 50 ± 0 μg/ml), followed by P. mirabilis (MIC = 75 ± 5 μg/ml). The EO from O. basilicum displayed high activity against S. mutans (MIC = 50 ± 0 μg/ml). The EOs from these two sources showed synergistic effect on S. mutans (29 ± 2 mm), P. mirabilis (27 ± 2 mm), Enterobacter aerogenes (13 ± 3 mm), S. aureus (34 ± 3 mm), Penicillium notatum (22 ± 3 mm) and R. microsporus (33 ± 3 mm). In addition, the EO at 100 μg/ml concentration V. zizanioides (79 %) and O. basilicum (83 %) documented significant antioxidant activity. The mixture of Vetiver roots and Ocimum oil suppressed the growth of P. notatum. The colony area was 32 ± 3.5 cm2 after incorporation of 5 μl EO concentration. However, at 25 μl concentration, colony area decreased as 4.2 ± 1 cm2 after 7 days of incubation and spore germination was completely suppressed. R. microsporus growth was decreased at 100 μl concentration. EO significantly reduced the spreading of rot causing P. notatum on the surface of jack fruit is an additional advantage. Overall, the results concluded that the obtained EO counter the severity of P. notatum and R. microsporus on the surface of jack fruit and protect from spoilage and deterioration.

O. basilicum is medicinally important herb having inevitable role in human health. However, the mechanism of action is largely unknown. Present study aims to understand the mechanism of regulation of key human target genes that could plausibly modulated by O. basilicum miRNAs in cross kingdom manner using computational and system biology approach. O. basilicum miRNA sequences were retrieved and their corresponding human target genes were identified using psRNA target and interaction analysis of hub nodes. Six O. basilicum derived miRNAs were found to modulate 26 human target genes which were associated `with PI3K-AKTand MAPK signaling pathways with PTPN11, EIF2S2, NOS1, IRS1 and USO1 as top 5 Hub nodes. O. basilicum miRNAs not only regulate key human target genes having a significance in various diseases but also paves the path for future studies that might explore potential of miRNA mediated cross-kingdom regulation, prevention and treatment of various human diseases including cancer.

The study reports industrial significance of chemically characterized nanoencapuslated Ocimum sanctum essential oil (OSEO) against fungi contaminating herbal raw materials and aflatoxin B1 secretion. The chitosan encapsulated OSEO exhibited enhanced antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic potential as compared to unencapsulated OSEO. The nanoencapsulated OSEO reduced the ergosterol content and enhanced the leakage of vital cellular ions along with the loss of 260 and 280 nm absorbing material suggesting fungal plasma membrane as action site. The nanoencapsulated OSEO also reduced the methylglyoxal content, the aflatoxin inducing substrate. In addition, the OSEO nanoemulsion possessed promising antioxidant potential. The nanoemulsion was characterized through SEM, FTIR and XRD analysis. This is the first report on assessment of OSEO loaded novel chitosan nanoemulsion against aflatoxin B1 contamination. The study recommends application of the encapsulated OSEO to extend the shelf life of stored herbal raw materials and the findings also lead towards the development of aflatoxin and methylglyoxal resistant medicinal plants through green transgenics.

Disintegrant is an essential agent added to solid dosage forms to facilitate the breakup and to promote a faster release of the active drug. This study aimed to extract water-swellable polymer from O. canum seeds and study on its disintegration properties. The Design of Experiment (DoE) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) were used to optimize the extraction conditions. The optimum conditions were found at 53.47 °C with water:seed ratio of 34.82 mL/g and led to a maximum yield of 27.95%, viscosity of 320 cP, and swelling of 453%. The powder was further used in the optimization of tablet preparation. The optimum conditions were found at a compression force of 27.07 kN with 9.74% of O. canum powder (OC). These conditions led to a maximum hardness of 84.78 N with the shortest disintegration time of 27 s. Corn starch (CS) and sodium starch glycolate (SSG) were used to compare the effectiveness of disintegration properties and the results showed that OC had significant shorter disintegration time than CS, while there was no significant different between tablets using OC and SSG as disintegrants. Thus, OC could be a great potential disintegrant for solid dosage forms.

Increasing of frozen foods consumption has consequently led to an increased demand for hydrocolloids with special properties. In this study, the effect of freezing treatments (−18 °C and −30 °C for 24 h) on rheological, emulsifying, foaming and textural characteristics of basil seed gum (BSG) at different concentrations (0.50, 0.75 and 1.00% (w/w)) were investigated. BSG viscosity did not change after freezing treatments in all BSG concentrations (p 0.05). Freezing promotes higher intermolecular interactions and entanglements, which result in increment of elastic modulus (p 0.05). The high tendency of BSG chains to association caused its emulsifying and foaming stability against freezing treatment to increase. According to the result of this investigation, it can be concluded that BSG can improve quality of frozen foods.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the most important culinary and aromatic plants in Iran. Surprisingly, no commercial cultivar is available across the country and farmers are cultivating landraces. The main purpose of the present study was to describe the diversity among and within landraces of sweet basil as well as developing new genotypes for cultivar development. Twenty two genotypes of basil including Iranian landraces and international cultivars were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications in 2017. Three Iranian landraces, ‘Isfahan3’, ‘Birjand’ and ‘Malayer’ were recognized as superior landraces. Dry herb for them was recorded as 3309, 3191 and 3175 kg ha−1, respectively. Also, the content of essential oil in ‘Isfahan3’, ‘Birjand’ and ‘Malayer’ was obtained as 1.43, 1.85, and 1.79% (w/w on dry weight basis), respectively. Due to existence of high diversity among landraces, broad-sense heritability estimates were over 98% for all of the evaluated traits. Among these landraces, 14 full-sib families were produced via controlled pollination. In another experiment the full-sib families were compared. For all measured traits, there were highly significant differences among full-sib families. The best family in each landrace was selected for cultivar development in future breeding programs.

Cobalt ferrite and silver doped cobalt ferrite, AgxCo1−xFe2O4, (x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02) nanoparticles were synthesized through sol-gel auto-combustion technique via chemical and green synthesis (using the extract of tulsi seeds(Ocimum sanctum) and garlic cloves(Allium sativum)). Systematic characterization by XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM and EDX has been performed to study structural, morphological and magnetic behavior of the prepared samples. XRD confirms that the prepared samples are crystalline and have a cubic (inverse spinel) structure. Absorption bands have been studied using FTIR that further confirms the formation of single phase spinel crystal structure having two sub-lattices (Td and Oh). FE-SEM micrographs reveal the formation of cubic and encapsulated type structure in case of chemical and green synthesis respectively. EDX confirms the presence of all the required elements in the respective stoichoimetric ratios. Magnetic measurements through VSM at room temperature show that the magnetic saturation values for samples obtained using tulsi seed extract mediated synthesis and chemical synthesis are much higher than those obtained using garlic extract. The antibacterial activity of all the prepared samples against gram positive and gram negative strains were investigated and a modified mechanism of action for the antibacterial activity is proposed.

Radiofrequency room temperature plasma method is a newly emerging physical seed treatment method for enhanced germination of various crops. The stimulatory effect of plasma exposure on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) has been investigated. It is an oil-bearing aromatic crop cultivated in Indonesia, Egypt, Morocco, France, India, Greece, USA, and Hungary. Cold plasma seed exposure with different RF power such as T2 (30 W), T3 (90 W), T4 (150 W), T5 (210 W) and T6 (270 W) was applied to work out its effect on seed. The T4 (150 W) cold plasma treatment had the highest stimulatory effect on germination and vigor among all the studied doses of treatments. Increase in the germination and seedling vigor of sweet basil might be a consequence of the increases in water uptake, seed reserve mobilization and depletion rate at T4 treatment.

In this study, the efficacy of household sanitizers application on reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging and overall acceptability of inoculated fresh basil leaves (Ocimum basilicum), at temperature of 40 °C was investigated. Sanitizers containing lactic acid (LA), acetic acid (AA) and citric acid (CA) were used at concentration of 2%, individually or in combination with H2O2 (1% or 2%), and NaCl (7%). Control a and b were unwashed and washed leaves with distilled, deionized and sterilized water, respectively. All sanitizing treatments, in comparison to the control a, reduced the numbers of E. coli O157:H7 (0.24 ± 0.12–3.37 ± 0.48 log CFU/g) at day 1 (1 h after sanitizing). The lowest number of E. coli O157:H7 population (2.35 ± 0.26 log CFU/g) was observed by applying the LA + H2O2 (%2) treatment at first day of chilled storage. The highest amount of ascorbic acid (27.77 ± 0.06 mg/100 g), total phenolic (112.2 ± 0.5 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (95.2 ± 0.5%) was observed in control a at first day (P

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is sensitive to drought stress and, therefore, finding ways to improve plant tolerance to this stress is very useful for sweet basil production. In this study, the role of foliar spray of salicylic acid (SA) at 200 ppm in sweet basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.) growth under water deficit was studied. Water shortage conditions provoked lower shoot fresh weight, dry weight, and plant height in stressed plants by 48.3%, 50.6%, and 40.1%, respectively compared with non-stressed plants. However, plants treated with SA showed higher fresh and dry weight values in shoots and greater plant height under water shortage compared with non-treated plants. Foliar application of SA showed higher values of the Mean Productivity index (from 10.71 to 13.48) and higher values of the Harmonic Mean index (from 9.60 to 13.23) than non-treated plants. Water deficit significantly diminished the level of Chl-a by 23.9% and the level of Chl-b by 15.8% compared with non-stressed plants, whereas SA alleviated those effects. Elevated values of proline content were observed under water shortage both in non-treated and SA-treated plants. The value of RWC was decreased by 29.2% under water deficit. However, plants treated with SA showed a significant raise in leaf RWC compared with non-treated plants. Sweet basil growth severely suffered by water deficit, but application of SA promoted plant growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and RWC under water deficit conditions. Foliar application of SA could be considered as an economical practice for increasing sweet basil performance under water deficit conditions.

Sacred basil / Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn) is a sacred plant widely used in pharmaceutical / cosmetic industries and is known for its varied medicinal properties. In order to study the influence of organic sources of nutrients on growth, yield and quality of sacred basil (Purple type), a field experiment was conducted at the ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research, Boriavi, Anand, Gujarat for two consecutive seasons during 2015-2016. The experiment was devised in split plot design with three main plots (no organic/fallow, green manuring with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) and crop residue of cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L. Taub) and seven sub plots (Control / no FYM (Farm yard manure), 50% N equivalent through FYM, 75% N equivalent through FYM, 100% N equivalent through FYM, 50% N equivalent through FYM + Arka Microbial consortia (AMC), 75% N equivalent through FYM + AMC and 100% N equivalent through FYM + AMC) in three replications. Results revealed that different plant growth parameters with respect to plant height, plant spread and number of branches and yield parameters such as dry herb yield, and essential oil content of pooled mean of two harvests (5.03 t ha−1, 1.35% and 6.79 kg ha−1, respectively) were recorded maximum in the treatment which received cluster bean crop residue. Among sub plot treatments, application of 100% N equivalent through FYM + AMC (N fixing, P & Zn solubilising and plant growth promoting microbes) recorded maximum dry herb yield (6.30 t ha−1), essential oil content (1.71%) and essential oil yield (10.79 kg ha−1) for the pooled mean of two harvests. Application of different crop residues significantly improved organic carbon (SOC) and available nutrient contents in soil, improved available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents, soil microbial biomass (MBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) compared with control. With these results, it can be concluded that incorporation of cluster bean crop residue prior to transplanting and application of 100% N equivalent through FYM + Arka microbial consortia could be recommended as organic production technology in sacred basil to obtain higher herbage yield and quality.

Water stress is of the most influential factors limiting plant growth and impairing plant metabolism and the stress conditions have been considered as an advantageous phenomenon and many studies regarding with water stress-induced essential oil changes have been performed. In most of the studies, essential oil and its compositional changes have been reported. However, quantitative data are lacking on the profile of published researches in water stress x essential oil interactions. The objective of the current study was to examine the profile of original and review articles under the topic of water stress and essential oil using bibliometric analysis. We identified 129 relevant and available peer-reviewed publications from 1992 to 2017 from the Scopus database. The retrieved documents were analyzed using VOSviewer. Based on the number of publications, Iran was the predominant country in publishing those documents, followed by India, Egypt and United States. The distribution of the frequency of authors and the number of their publications were fitted with the Lotka’s Law. Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit test results showed that there was no difference between theoretical (expected) and observed authors numbers. Furthermore, the Lamiaceae and Apiaceae families are the most studied plant groups. Of those plant families, basil (Ocimum spp.) and sage (Salvia spp.) species were more pronounced in the studies. According to the cluster results, three groups including terms associated with “stress conditions”, “studied plant group”, and “secondary metabolites” were determined. For the exogenous chemicals applied to improve stress-induced perturbations, salicylic acid was found to be most preferred and used as a growth regulator. Most articles were concentrated in several journals. In fact, almost a quarter of the document was published in only three journals namely, Industrial Crops and Products, Journal of Essential Oil-Bearing Plants and Scientia Horticulturae. These journals can be considered as the core journals for knowledge dissemination of essential oil content and its compositional alteration induced with water stress applications.

International audience; Ocimum basilicum is a medicinal plant with multiple health benefits including cardiovascular, cancer and diabetics. In the present study, the influences of light emitting diodes (LEDs) were investigated on the accumulation of biologically active ingredients in callus cultures of Ocimum basilicum. Among the various tested treatments optimum levels of Total phenolic content (TPC) was noted in callus culture grown under blue lights as compared to control, while maximum accumulation of Total flavonoid content (TFC) was noted in callus culture grown under red light as compared to control. HPLC analyses showed that highest concentrations of Rosmarinic acid (96.0 mg/g DW) and Eugenol (0.273 mg/g DW) were accumulated in blue light which was 2.46 and 2.25 times greater than control (39.0 mg/g DW, 0.171 mg/g DW), respectively. Chicoric acid (81.40 mg/g DW) optimum accumulation was noted in callus grown under the continuous white light, which was almost 4.52 times greater than control. Anthocyanins content were also analyzed, the highest amount of Peonidin (0.127 mg/g DW) and cyanidin (0.1216 mg/g DW) were found in callus culture grown under red light. These findings suggest that application of LED's is a promising strategy for enhancing production of biologically active ingredients in callus cultures Ocimum basilicum.

Decreasing availability and rising costs of high quality water for irrigation, results in more frequent use of saline water sources in many crop production systems. The effect of salinity on biomass yield has been the focus of most salinity studies with basil, and a few studies have reported how salinity influences basil polyphenolic composition. Two basil cultivars [Ocimum basilicum L. ‘Sweet Broadleaf’ (SB) and ‘Siam Queen’ (SQ)] were grown hydroponically for 71 d with four different concentrations of NaCl (no NaCl, Low, Moderate, and High) to determine whether the phenolic and elemental composition of leaves is altered by salinity. Salinity in the hydroponic solution reached as high as 20 dS m-1 at the highest NaCl level. Salinity had no influence on leaf color or plant mortality and minimal leaf necrosis occurred during the experiment. Compared with controls, NaCl decreased leaf biomass only at the highest salinity level. Salinity increased K concentrations in leaves, and plants generally excluded Na from leaves except at the highest NaCl level. Levels of salinity that altered basil leaf polyphenolic and nutrient composition were lower than those that influenced yield (leaf biomass). In both cultivars, salinity increased leaf concentrations of certain caffeic acid derivatives, caftaric acid, cinnamyl malic acid, and feruloyl tartaric acid and decreased concentrations of chicoric acid. In SB, salinity increased leaf concentrations of the two of the major polyphenolics in basil leaves, quercetin-rutinoside and rosmarinic acid. In contrast, salinity decreased concentrations of rosmarinic acid in SQ leaves. Effects of salinity on leaf concentrations of elements other than Na, Cl, K, and Mg, were not directly related to effects of salinity on polyphenolics. Salinity levels that do not influence biomass yield in basil may negatively impact yield of certain polyphenolics important to quality.

Ocimum sanctum Linn., widely used in food preparation, has been reported for several biological beneficial activities and thus potential for treatment of various health conditions. However, the biological activities related to skin anti-ageing, including anti-collagenase, anti-elastase, and anti-hyaluronidase activities, have not been reported so far. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the skin anti-ageing activity of O. sanctum extracts. The aerial part of O. sanctum was extracted by fractionated extraction using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol, respectively. Rosmarinic acid and total phenolic content was investigated. Antioxidant activity was determined by in vitro methods. Anti-inflammatory activity was investigated according to the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) expression and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion. The anti-ageing activity was investigated by in vitro inhibition of collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase activities. The ethanolic extract of O. sanctum, which had the highest yield (6.5%), contained the highest rosmarinic acid (19.3% w/w) and the highest total phenolic content (50.2 ± 0.6 mg gallic acid/g sample). Additionally, it possessed the most potent antioxidant activity with the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of 270.1 ± 15.1 μM/mg, equivalent concentration of 459.3 ± 91.4 μM/mg, and inhibition against 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical of 34.0 ± 0.7%. The ethanolic extract also showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity with the inhibition against IL-6 secretion and NF-κB expression of 54.7 ± 3.1% and 79.3 ± 9.6%, respectively. Moreover, it also exerted the highest inhibition against matrix metallopeptidase-1 and hyaluronidase with the inhibition of 77.7 ± 9.0% and 98.1 ± 0.1%, respectively. Rosmarinic acid was found as the major compound responsible for those anti-ageing activities. Therefore, the ethanolic extract of O. sanctum is an attractive natural source of anti-skin ageing ingredient for further applications in cosmetic and/or cosmeceutical industry.

The effect of reversible permeabilization as pre-treatment before air drying at 40 °C, vacuum drying and freeze drying was investigated. The parameters of the electric treatment provoked reversible permeabilization of the tissue causing the guard cells to open stomata (65 pulses of 650 V/cm, 150 μs pulse width, 760 μs between pulses). The drying times of each of the tested drying methods were adjusted to obtain products with a moisture content of 75 g/kg. Dried samples were compared according to drying time, structural changes, rehydration capacity, colour and sensorial perception. Results showed that the PEF pre-treatment shortened the drying times 57% for air drying, 33% for vacuum drying and 25% for freeze drying. The stronger influence of the PEF treatment on air drying was also evident on tissue structure where the most noticeable differences between the untreated and PEF-treated leaves were detected. Glandular trichomes on the surface of the leaves were better preserved when PEF was applied in combination with air drying and vacuum drying whereas freeze drying, with or without PEF, damaged the trichomes. PEF-treated, vacuum dried samples were found to be the closest to fresh leaves regarding colour and smell according to the sensory panel.

Increasing use of man-made products containing TiO2 nano-particles (TNPs) has resulted in accumulation of TNPs in the environment. Harmful effects of TNPs on aquatic life are well-documented, but little is known about their activity as photocatalyst under sunlight in natural water bodies. The present study investigates photocatalytic activity of TNPs in the presence of some natural organic matters (NOMs) having antioxidant properties (Sapindus mukorossi and Ocimum tenuiflorum, Indian names: Aritha and Tulsi), and aqueous pollutants (azo dyes and Cu(II)) under sunlight, simulating conditions prevailing in a natural water body. Both the NOMs acted as hole-scavengers and promoted photocatalytic reduction (PCR) of pollutants manifested by formation of aromatic amines from azo dyes and disappearance of Cu(II). 81.5 and 85.2% decolourization of initial 50 mgL−1 RB5, and 78.81 and 83.32% decolourization of initial 50 mgL−1 MO were obtained in the presence of 2%(v/v) extracts of Tulsi and Aritha, respectively, at TNP dose of 1 gL−1 and pH 3. Similarly, 53 and 73% of 10 mgL−1 Cu(II) (chelated with EDTA) were removed respectively, at pH 8. Under similar conditions, >90% of unchelated Cu(II) was removed in the presence of both NOMs. PCR of RB5 occurred even at high concentrations of the two most common anions in natural water bodies; chloride and sulphate, but the extent of decolourization and formation of aromatic amines reduced with increasing concentrations of anions. The present study suggests that TNPs in contaminated natural water bodies receiving NOM (e.g. through domestic/industrial discharges) can aid to natural purification process by causing reductive transformation of pollutants over a wide range of pH and anion concentrations.

Essential oils are complex secondary metabolites, rich in volatiles, possessing a wide range of biological activities. In recent years, its application as bio-pesticide is receiving renewed attention due to its effective and safe application. In the present study, holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) essential oil was tested for its insecticidal activity against Sitophilus orzyae (L.), using direct contact application and fumigation procedures. The GC–MS analysis of the O. tenuiflorum essential oil was also performed to characterize the essential oil. The GC–MS results showed that the major components present in O. tenuiflorum oil were eugenol and caryophyllene constituting about 70.5% of the total essential oil composition. Fumigant toxicity of essential oil and eugenol standard was assessed at different rates (100-1000 μL/L air) in space fumigation study. Toxicity results revealed that fumigant and contact toxicity of the oils was significantly (p

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) contains valuable monoterpene and sesquiterpene compounds used for medical purposes. Environmental stresses are suggested to change the essential oil composition in medicinal plants. In the current investigation, an experiment was arranged in greenhouse to study the effect of cold stress on genes expression patterns of linalool synthase (LIS), β-myrcene synthase (MYS), γ-cadinene synthase (CDS), germacrene D synthase (GDS) and geraniol synthase (GES) which is involved in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes biosynthesis in O. basilicum. The monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes composition and content were also investigated. Plants were exposed to temperatures 22 (control), 4 and 10 °C at 6 to 8 leaf stage for 12, 24 and 48 h. The genes expression levels were determined by real time PCR in plant leaves. Essential oil was extracted at flowering stage by distillation using Clevenger apparatus and its compounds were identified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results revealed that the LIS expression increasingly occurred to 4.86 fold at 10 °C after 12 h while that of GES reached to 5.7 fold at 10 °C after 48 h. Temperature 4 °C for 12 h increased the expression levels of MYS and GDS genes to 41.5 and 14.2 fold, respectively, while the expression level of CDS increased to 25.5 fold at 4 °C for 48 h. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were observed among treatments with respect to all compounds except α-pinene and camphene. The maximum proportion of geraniol and γ-cadinene were observed at 4 °C for 24 h, while the maximum proportion of germacrene D and α-bergamotene obtained at 10 °C for 12 h. The highest proportion of 1, 8-cineole was achieved at 4 °C for 48 h. Positive associations between germacrene D content and GDS expression (r = 0.8, P ≤ 0.05) and γ-cadinene and CDS expression (r = 0.78, P ≤ 0.05) proposed that the content of terpenoid compounds in basil can be enhanced through increasing the expression levels of genes involved in their biosynthesis.

The inducement of plant leaf extracts for the synthesis of various nanostructures has intrigued researchers across the earth to explore the mechanisms of biologically active compounds present in the plants. Herein, a green modified hydrolysis route has been employed for the synthesis of bismuth oxychloride i.e. BiOCl-N, BiOCl-T and BiOCl-A using plant extracts of Azadirachta indica (Neem), Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), and Saraca indica (Ashoka), and; simultaneously, without plant extract (BiOCl-C), respectively. The as-prepared samples were examined by several microscopic and spectroscopic techniques which revealed that the biosynthesized BiOCl attained certain favorable features such as hierarchical nano-flower morphology, higher porosity, higher specific surface area and narrower band gap compared to BiOCl-C. The degradation of methyl orange (MO) and bisphenol A (BPA) using biosynthesized BiOCl were improved by 21.5% within 90 min and 18.2% within 600 min under visible light irradiation, respectively. The photocurrent response, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and photoluminescence (PL) studies indicated the effective inhibition of the electron-hole pair recombination and enhanced photocatalytic activity of the biosynthesized BiOCl.

Okra holds major share of domestic and export vegetable market, but has a short shelf life owing to desiccation and fungal spoilage. Alginate coating containing nanoemulsified basil (Ocimum basilicum. L) oil was attempted for maintaining its postharvest quality and preventing spoilage. O/W nanoemulsion was prepared by using basil oil with synthetic surfactant and a naturally sourced surfactant: Tween 20 and aqueous extract of Sapindus mukorossi using ultrasonication respectively. Alginate coatings with basil oil nano-emulsified with Tween 20 (ATNE) and Sapindus extract (ASNE) were compared for their effect on PLW (Physiological loss in weight), colour, texture and acceptability of okra pods stored at 5 ± 1 °C and 24 ± 2 °C. Coatings were able to retard loss of moisture, colour and firmness during storage. Compared to 10.05% weight loss in uncoated pods (control), PLW in ASNE and ATNE was recorded as 7.38% and 8.32% respectively after 4 days of cold storage. Increase in L* value during storage was 26.39% for control pods compared to 14.98% in coated pods. a* value and browning index revealed better effectiveness of ASNE coating for colour retention during storage. Developed formulations were found effective against spoilage fungi Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus flavus. Effective concentration for 50% inhibition of pathogens was determined using probit analysis. EC50 values were lower for sapindus emulsified basil oil over Tween 20 based nano-emulsion. In vivo trials on okra inoculated with Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus flavus yielded promising results. Thus alginate coating with basil oil nano-emulsified with Sapindus extract can emerge as a promising non-chemical approach towards extending postharvest quality and shelf life of okra.

Due to the utilization of municipal and industrial wastewater, as well as the uncontrolled use of chemical and livestock fertilizers leafy vegetables have a high content of heavy metals (HMs). Soils and eight vegetable samples extensively used in Iran were collected from numerous vegetable farms to investigate the risk of HMs pollution and human health risk in Hamadan province, western Iran. Based on the results, it was found that the tested species differed in the content of HMs. Most of the HMs studied were found to be inside the maximum permissible limits (MPL) except for Cd (1.46-2.40 mg kg-1 DW, for Coriandrum sativum (coriander) and Ocimum basilicum (basil), respectively and Pb (13.5-21.8 mg kg-1 DW, for Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and basil, respectively) which were higher than the MPL. The MPL of Pb and Cd in basil grown in these areas were 1.80 and 10.9 times higher, respectively. The transfer factor (TF) of HMs in eight vegetables was estimated, and HMs varied greatly between vegetables. The TF values of the studied HMs were ordered based on the mean values of TF in all vegetables: Cd (1.48) > Zn (0.60) > Pb (0.39) > Cu (0.32) > Mn (0.14) > Ni (0.12) > Fe (0.03). The health risk index (HRI) values for the studied HMs for adults were less than 1 except for Cd and Pb. Basil, Mentha piperita L. (peppermint), and Anethum graveolens L. (dill) were chosen as high accumulators of Cd and Pb based on TF and HRI. The health risks connected with the Cd and Pb content of vegetables cultivated in western Iran are highlighted in this study, which implies that required steps should be done to reduce Cd and Pb accumulation in western Iran's vegetables.

SARS-CoV-2 infection associated respiratory disease- COVID-19 has evolved into a pandemic but, being a new form of virus, pathogenesis of disease causation is not fully understood and drugs and vaccines against this virus are still being tested so that no effective drugs or vaccines have been advised by regulatory authority. In this context, the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India has recommended ‘Ayush Kwath’ to improve the immunity and combat the infection. Our objective of this literature review is to review the role of immunity in pathogenesis of COVID-19 and role of Ayush Kwath against the virus and regulation of immunity. Current review was conducted using a search of available literature on COVID-19 and immunity, Vyadhikshamatwa, Ayurveda and COVID-19, Rasayana, Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, immunomodulatory effects of medicinal plants; Tulsi/Holy Basil/Ocimum sanctum, Dalchini/Cinnamon/Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Sunthi/Ginger/Zingiber officinale and Marich/Black Pepper/Piper nigrum. Ayurveda, being an ancient science have both medicinal and cultural values and had stimulated our kitchen and influenced what we ate in different seasons and the remedies we used for common ailments. Herbs such as Tulsi, Marich, Sunthi, Dalchini are the most commonly used and easily available drugs in home. Thus, Ayush Kwath due to its immune-modulatory, antiviral, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet, anti-atherosclerotic, hepato-protective, reno-protective properties; seems to be effective in immuno-regulation for controlling viral infections like COVID-19. Further pre-clinical and clinical trials need to be done for the evaluation of safety and efficacy of this polyherbal formulation.