Search

Background. Studying essential oils in conifers is of great scientific and practical interest due to their high bactericidal properties. Their volatiles play an important role in combating pathogenic microflora and removing harmful microorganisms from the air, thus benefiting human health. Conifers are highly effective as part of parklands and urban landscaping.Materials and methods. Pinus radiata D. Don, P. sabiniana Douglas and P. coulteri D. Don grown on the Southern Coast of Crimea were studied. Essential oil was extracted from pine needles by hydrodistillation on Ginsberg devices, and its component composition was analyzed using gas–liquid chromatography on a 6890N system with a 5973N mass selective detector.Results. Among the studied species, P. radiata manifested high essential oil content in needles: 0.15% on the wet weight basis (0.36%, dry weight). Under the conditions of the southern coast of Crimea, the major essential oil components in P. radiata were β-pinene (29.5% of the total essential oil), α-pinene (21.2%) and limonene (12.4%); in P. sabiniana, phenylethyl butyrate (20.5%), limonene (15.2%) and α-pinene (13.7%); in P. coulteri, β-pinene (11.6%), δ-cadinene (11.0%) and α-pinene (10.6%). In the essential oil of P. radiatamonoterpenes dominated (74.9%); in P. sabiniana, monoterpenes (38.7%) and their derivatives − alcohols (25.3%) and esters (20.5%); in P. coulteri, sesquiterpenes (38.2%) and monoterpenes (28.8%).Conclusion. The essential oils of P. radiata and P. sabiniana under different climate conditions contained mostly monoterpenes (β-pinene in P. radiata, and α-pinene in P. sabiniana) and their derivatives. The component composition of P. coulteri essential oil was the most variable, with a general tendency towards the predominance of sesquiterpenes and diterpenes; the ratio between those groups and the qualitative composition of sesquiterpenes both varied.

Pinene is an active natural monoterpene from plants and has important applications in flavorings, fragrances,and pesticides. Especially, pinene dimers are regarded as renewable fuels with high density. However, the microbial pinene production was limited by the low activity pinene synthase. In this study, the pinene synthase activity was improved by fusion linker optimization and chaperon coexpression. To construct the pinene pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, YPL062W gene was deleted to increase the MVA pathway precursor acetyl-CoA. Truncated 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (tHMG1), isopentenyl-diphosphate isomerase (IDI1), and farnesyl diphosphate synthase mutant (ERG20F96W−N127W) were then integrated to improve the GPP pool. Pinene synthase tPt1 was expressed in the constructed engineered yeast, and the titer of pinene reached 0.166 mg/L. GPP is the direct precursor of pinene, ERG20ww and tPt1 were fused by different linkers and orders to improve the accessibility of GPP. Pinene titer reached 9.94 mg/L by fusion these proteins in the order of ERG20ww and tPt1 and with a flexible linker (G)8. After that, several chaperons were coexpressed and the chaperon Sil1p improved the pinene titer to 10.2 mg/L with a yield of 1.63 mg/L·OD600. The results presented here provide novel information on the applications of protein fusion and protein chaperons in microbial pinene production.

BACKGROUND The rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L., 1763) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a stored grain/seed pest of several crops. Botanicals represent an option to manage this pest, especially those with high toxicity determined by its structure and physicochemical properties and low residue left behind on treated grains/seeds. Enantiomers are bioactive molecules in organic processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal activity of two enantiomeric forms of the monoterpenes citronellal, limonene, linalool, menthone and α-pinene against S. oryzae adults through contact, fumigant and repellent assays. RESULTS All results were compared with absolute acetone as the negative control and those from contact assays also with malathion as the positive control. (S)-(-)-linalool was the most toxic by contact to S. oryzae and (S)-(-)-menthone through fumigation, while the two enantiomeric forms of menthone and α-pinene were the best repellents. CONCLUSIONS The high toxicity of only one of the two monoterpene enantiomers showed the importance of form and percentage of enantiomer in the commercial product, which affect the success of the product to controlling S. oryzae. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of head and neck malignancy. Research on essential oils (EOs) has shown important cytotoxic and anti-tumor properties, among others. Piperaceae species are rich in EOs and here we highlight Piper rivinoides Kunth. We investigated the crude EOs from P. rivinoides, their pure major constituents and an enriched fraction with the main EO compounds (EF) as cytotoxic and selective OSCC agents. EOs presented as main compounds (-)-α-pinene, (-)-β-pinene and limonene. EOs showed an IC50 lower than all isolated compounds, except for (-)-β-pinene in OSCC cells. The (-)-β-pinene induced cell death with apoptotic characteristics. Commercial standards showed greater selectivity than EOs, and (-)-β-pinene was the most selective among them. EF showed higher selectivity compared to crude EOs and carboplatin, turning it into a good candidate as an anticancer fraction. These results are important for the possible development of new treatments for OSCC.

α-Pinene, an important biologically active natural monoterpene, has been widely used in fragrances, medicines, and fine chemicals, especially, in high-density renewable fuels such as jet fuel. The development of an α-pinene production platform in a highly modifiable microbe from renewable substitute feedstocks could lead to a green, economical avenue, and sustainable biotechnological process for the biosynthesis of α-pinene. Here, we report engineering of an orthogonal biosynthetic pathway for efficient production of α-pinene in oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica that resulted in an α-pinene titer of 19.6 mg/L when using glucose as the sole carbon source, a significant 218-fold improvement than the initial titer. In addition, the potential of using waste cooking oil and lignocellulosic hydrolysate as carbon sources for α-pinene production from the engineered Y. lipolytica strains was analyzed. The results indicated that α-pinene titers of 33.8 and 36.1 mg/L were successfully obtained in waste cooking oil and lignocellulosic hydrolysate medium, thereby representing the highest titer reported to date in yeast. To our knowledge, this is also the first report related to microbial production of α-pinene from waste cooking oil and lignocellulosic hydrolysate.

The walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman, and its associated fungal pathogen that causes thousand cankers disease, currently threaten the viability of walnut trees across much of North America. During a 2011 assessment of seasonal flight patterns of P. juglandis with yellow sticky traps baited with the male-produced aggregation pheromone component, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, dramatically reduced catches were recorded when Tree Tanglefoot adhesive was used to coat the traps. In summer 2011, two trap adhesives were tested for potential repellency against P. juglandis in a field trapping bioassay. SuperQ extracts of volatiles from the most repellent adhesive were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and limonene and α-pinene were identified as predominant components. In field-based, trapping experiments both enantiomers of limonene at a release rate of ~700 mg/d conferred 91–99% reduction in trap catches of P. juglandis to pheromone-baited traps. (+)- and (‒)-α-Pinene reduced trap catch by 40 and 53%, respectively, at the highest release rate tested. While a combination of R-(+)-limonene and (+)-α-pinene resulted in a 97% reduction in the number of P. juglandis caught, the combination did not consistently result in greater flight trap catch reduction than individual limonene enantiomers. The repellent effect of limonene may be valuable in the development of a semiochemical-based tool for management of P. juglandis and thousand cankers disease.

Managers of detection programs for bark and wood-boring beetles require cost-effective trap lure combinations that maximize species detections. A trapping study was conducted in 2012 to determine the effects of ethanol and α-pinene lures on beetle catches in traps baited with ipsenol and ipsdienol lures in a stand of Pinus taeda L. in north-central Georgia. Traps with all four compounds worked well for 20 of 25 species of bark and wood-boring beetles, and associated predators. Catches of Acanthocinus obsoletus (LeConte) and Monochamus titillator (F.) (Cerambycidae), Hylastes porculus Erichson, Hylastes salebrosus Eichhoff, Hylobius pales (Herbst), Orthotomicus caelatus (Eichhoff) (Curculionidae), Thanasimus dubius (F.) (Cleridae), and Temnoscheila virescens (F.) (Trogossitidae) in baited traps increased with the addition of ethanol and α-pinene with maximum catches in traps baited with all four compounds. Catches of Ips avulsus (Eichhoff) (Curculionidae) decreased with the addition of both compounds; the lowest numbers of I. avulsus and Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) were caught in traps baited with all four compounds. α-Pinene increased catches of Buprestis lineata F. (Buprestidae), Ips calligraphus (Germar), Pachylobius picivorus (Germar) (Curculionidae), Corticeus spp. (Tenebrionidae), Lasconotus spp., and Pycnomerus sulcicollis LeConte (Zopheridae); ethanol had no effect on these species. Ethanol increased trap catches of Curius dentatus Newman (Cerambycidae), Dryoxylon onoharaense (Murayama) (Curculionidae) and Platysoma spp. (Histeridae); α-pinene reduced catches. The data suggest that ethanol and α-pinene should be retained with ipsenol and ipsdienol as a generic trap lure blend for pine bark and wood-boring beetles in southeastern United States.

Lippia gracilis Schauer, Verbenaceae, is a plant popularly known as "Alecrim-da-Chapada" or “Alecrim-de-Serrote", characteristic of the savanna areas in North and Northeast Brazil. Its essential oil has been tested for pest control due to its bioactive potential. In this work, the chemical composition was analyzed and the insecticidal effect of the pinene/cineol/limonene chemotype leaf oil of L. gracilis, from Chapada das Mesas, Maranhao State, was tested against the armyworms Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). GC and GC-MS analysis identified α-pinene (24.5%), 1,8-cineole (16.2%), β-pinene (11.9%) and limonene (9.6%) as the main constituents of the oil, which presented a yield of 4.3%. For the insecticidal activity, the topical and surface contact tests were carried out with ten-days armyworm’s larvae (third instar), in different concentrations of oil and α-pinene, its main constituent. For the oil, the acute topical toxicity (LD50) was 0.09 μL/insect, and the contact surface toxicity (LC50) was 1.55 μL/cm2, while for α-pinene these values were (LD50) 0.28 μL/insect and (LC50) 2.50 μL/cm2, respectively. Thus, the oil was more active than α-pinene showing that the insecticide effect is due to the synergistic action of the mixture of its constituents. The results lead to the conclusion that the essential oil is promising as a sustainable tool in the management of S. frugiperda.

Isothermal vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for expensive and thermosensitive Litsea cubeba oil systems, citral + linalool, citral + α-pinene, and linalool + α-pinene, were measured at 333.15, 3...

Background: As mentioned in the first part of this study, sage leaves and their essential oils are very important and most commonly used in the food, drug and perfumery indus-tries. The volatile oil of dried leaves of "Sage" Salvia Offic-inalis was obtained by hydrodistillation method (1.2% v/w). Aim of Study: The present study was a continuation of the previous one where four new constituents Kuwaitine 1, 2, 3, 4 were unveiled further analysis was carried out along the same procedure to determine and evaluate the essential components of the volatile oil of sage by (GC-MS) provided further data exposing further constituents. Material and Methods: Crushed dried Leaves (100g), were subjected to hydrodistillation E.P. (1984) GC-MS analysis was performed on Hewlett Packard 5850GC CONNECTED TO AN HP 5970 quadruple nano spectrometer (70cw) and an HP 9000 work station with helium as the carrier gas. Results: As mentioned in part one of the study 26 com-ponents representing 95% of the total oil were identified. Four of these components were not reported before. Thujone, Camphor Camphene, Pinene, Myrecene, Eucalyptol, Terpinlen, Linolool, Borneol, a-Terpinol and most abundant constituents of the oil about (51%). In addition significant amounts of unreported constituents were found to be present such as Peak No. 19, 20, 23, 40 whose Mwt and suggested stu preliminary chemical structure were elucidated and called Kuwaitene 5, 6, 7, 8 by the Author. Conclusion: GC-MS analysis of the volatile oil revealed at least 35 components, most of which could be identified, four of which were not reported in the literature before (peak no. 19, 20, 23 and 40. M. Wts 136 (Bicyclo 4. 1.0 HEPTANE, 7 (I-methylethylidene) 196 (2-Nor bornanol), 196 Isomer (Terpinyl acetate), 332 (Sandaracopimar-15, en-8, beta-yl acetate) respectively) named by the author as "Kuwaitene 5, 6, 7, 8".

The Prangos platychlaena Boiss belonged to the family of Apiaceae is a native medicinal plant of Kurdistan-Iraq. The stem, leaves and flowers of the plant were collected in the mountain of Halgurd of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and hydrodistilated to obtain the volatile compounds, using both Gas Chromatography ( GC ) and Gas chromatography/ Mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The results showed that the P. platychlaena Boiss essential oils containing several compounds such as Sylvestrene, α-Pinene oxide, (Z)-Epoxy-ocimene, Borneol, epi-Longipinanol, Germacrene D-4-ol, epi-α-Cadinol, 3-Thujanol acetate and Acorenone with different amount which were not found in any other Prangos species, and all showed antibacterial activity. This experiment was concducted to reveal the toxicity of flowers essentail oils of the P.platychlaena Boiss on skin burns of the rat. The results revealed that the base cream which contains 1% of the essentail oils showd less time in healing wounds in comparing with the other groups. Histological examination of the treated ones showed significantly the formation of new epiderm in those rats which were receiving the base cream containg 1% essentail oils. These finding sugested that the essentail oils of this plant can be used as a surface treatment agent for the human burns.

Gulcin, ilhami/0000-0001-5993-1668; KARAKAYA, Songul/0000-0002-3268-721X, WOS: 000524099800001, The oxidant, cholinesterase, and carbonic anhydrase inhibitions of essential oils and their major compounds of Leiotulus dasyanthus and molecular docking studies of alpha-pinene and (TM)-3-carene were evaluated in this study. Phenolic constituents and antioxidant activity of samples were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu's, DPPH, and TBA processes. Cholinesterase inhibition effect was evaluated through Ellman's method. GC-FID and GC/MS were used for analysing of essential oils. the root oil got the highest total phenolic content (898.87 mg/g). the utmost activity was shown flower oil (29.31 mu g/mL) in the DPPH test. the root oil indicated considerable inhibition towards acetylcholinesterase (21.92%) and butyrylcholinesterase (91.33%) enzymes, respectively. alpha-pinene and delta-3-carene indicated high acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (66.44 and 48.71%, respectively). Cytosolic hCA I and II isoenzymes were influentially inhibited by flower and aerial part oils with 1.694 and 1.677 mu M IC50 values, respectively. 1-Dodecanol (7.8%); beta-pinene (63.3%), alpha-pinene (20.5%); octyl acetate (14.7%); hexyl octanoate (55.1%) were characterized as principle compounds of aerial parts, roots, flowers, and fruits respectively., Ataturk UniversityAtaturk University [TAB-2018-6432], This work was assisted by the Scientific Research Projects of Ataturk University (TAB-2018-6432).Scientific Research Projects of Ataturk University (TAB-2018-6432).

The Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an internal primary pest of stored grains of great economic importance. Few insecticides registered for fumigation control for S. zeamais exist, which makes it necessary to search for more control alternatives. Thus, the objective of this work was to assess acute toxicity, sublethal effect, survival and behavioral response of the major components of essential oils, Thymol, Camphora, Terpineol, Canpheno, Eucalyptol, Limonene, β Pinene and Eugenol; and the mixtures of these components on S. zeamais. The results showed that the mixtures of the major components caused acute toxicity, reduced survival time and offspring production, in addition to altering the behavioral activity of S. zeamais. The mixture Camphor + Canphene presented a synergistic effect, with LC50 and LC90 of 2.77 and 20.34 µl/ml, respectively. The mixtures of the major components proved to be promising products for the control of S. zeamais.

Headspace volatiles (HS) and hydrodistilled essential oils (EO) of fresh aerial parts of Artemisia annua L. and A. scoparia Waldst. et Kit., were analyzed by GC-MS/FID. Artemisia ketone was found to be the most abundant component among the EO volatiles (55.8 %), as well as among HS (52.1 %) of A. annua . Additionally, in both A. annua samples, EO and HS, α -pinene (12.7 and 24.2 %, respectively) was found in high percentage. On the other hand, it has been determined that the dominant components of A. scoparia EO and HS were different; in the essential oil capillene (63.8 %) was found as the main constituent, while β -pinene (26.1 %), ( Z )- β -ocimene (23.8 %) and limonene (10.7 %) were the major components among the HS. This is the first report on the composition of HS volatiles of the A. annua and A. scoparia obtained by direct static headspace.

Paper description: Lamium purpureum L. (Lamiaceae) glandular trichomes and the composition of essential oil were analyzed. Two types of trichomes, non-glandular and glandular (peltate and capitate) were identified. The main compounds of essential oil were trans -anethole (59.61%), fenchone (6.54%), α -pinene (6.14%) and β -pinene (4.98%). The antioxidant activities of the ethanolic plant extracts were determined using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and TRP assays. Antifungal activity of the ethanolic extract was observed, While the extracts did not exhibit fungicidal activity, morphophysiological changes (sporulation loss, depigmentation of conidial heads) were observed in all tested isolates. L. purpureum could be a new potential source of natural antioxidants. Abstract : The aim of this study was to investigate the structure of glandular trichomes and essential oil composition of Lamium purpureum L. (Lamiaceae) and to determine potential biological activities of its different extracts. The micromorphology and distribution of trichomes on vegetative plant parts were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two types of trichomes were identified: non-glandular (simple, uniseriate, multicellular) and glandular (both peltate and capitate). The essential oil of L. purpureum was isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The main compounds were trans -anethole (59.61%), fenchone (6.54%), α -pinene (6.14%) and β -pinene (4.98%). The total phenol and flavonoid contents of 10%, 30% and 50% ethanol extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. The free radical scavenging and reducing power activity of extracts were analyzed using the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods, and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total reducing power (TRP) assays. The 50% ethanolic extract exhibited the strongest antioxidative activity while the lowest was determined for the 10% ethanolic extract. Antifungal activity of L. purpureum hydroalcoholic extracts was evaluated against eight Aspergillus species by the microdilution method. Light microscopy (LM) demonstrated structural abnormalities of the tested Aspergilli . While the plant extracts did not exhibit fungicidal activity, morphophysiological changes (sporulation loss and depigmentation of conidial heads) were observed in all tested isolates. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS200117019G Received: January 17, 2020; Revised: February 25; Accepted: April 7, 2020; Published online: April 23, 2020 How to cite this article: Grujic SM, Savkovic ŽD, Ristic MS, Džamic AM, Ljaljevic Grbic MV, Vukojevic JB, MarinPD. Glandular trichomes, essential oil composition, anti- Aspergillus and antioxidative activities of Lamium purpureum L. ethanolic extracts. Arch Biol Sci. 2020;72(2):253-63.

Aim and Objective: Several plants from Lamiaceae family are used in the Saudi Arabia as a condiment and food preparation, and are generally used in the traditional preparation to treat various diseases, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and microbial infections. Some of Lamiaceae species such as Mentha longifolia, Rosemarinus officinalis and Salvia officinalis having pharmacological active compounds such as α-pinene and eucalyptol. The aim of present study was to develop an accurate and precise chromatographic technique for quantification of α-pinene and eucalyptol in the Lamiaceae plants. Methods: The high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed as per International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guideline. Results: Simultaneous determination of α-pinene and eucalyptol was achieved by developing a densitometric analysis of high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Silica gel 60 F254 glass-backed plates (E-Merck, Germany, 0.2 mm layers) as stationary phase and mixture n-hexane: ethyl acetate 8 : 2 (%, v/v) as mobile phase were used to produce a sharp, symmetrical and well-resolved peak at an Rf value of 0.19 ± 0.02 and 0.52 ± 0.04 for α-pinene and eucalyptol, respectively. Linearly range for α-pinene was 100–700 ng/spot (r2 = 0.9988), whereas that for eucalyptol was 1000–7000 ng/spot (r2 = 0.9987). Conclusion: The developed method was found to be a simple, accurate, and precise, and it may be used to simultaneously analyses of many medicinal plants samples containing α-pinene and eucalyptol.

Chemical control using synthetic products against pests of stored foods converted with restrictions such as the toxicity of living things and ecological risks. Today the world opinion is oriented towards a new fight against pests, among the alternative strategy, the use of natural insecticides of plant origin. This work aims to evaluate the insecticide effect of essential oils of Rosmarinus eriocalyx leaves against a wheat pest stored Sitophilus granarius and the evaluation of their antioxidant activity in vitro. The insecticide activity of essential oils of this plant was assessed by the filter paper contact test method and the repulsion test by the method of preference and determination of lethal doses DL50 and DL90, and the percentage of repulsion, measurement of anti-radical activity by trapping free radical DPPH and determining EC50. With regard to the chemical composition of the volatile oils of R. eriocalyx, 1.8-cineol (48.47%), camphor (17.04%), 'pinene' (7.58%), 'pinene' (6.99%) were the main compounds, the results showed that the essential oil of the R.eriocalyx leaves has a very high rate of repulsion PR= 96.25% at the dose of 20 µl/ml after 120 minutes of exposure, the mortality rates of the wheat weevil in the toxicity tests have increased with increased doses and over time. lethal doses for the dose 20 µl/ml has 50% DL50 = 0.306 µl/cm2 and 90% DL90 = 2.513 µl/cm2 for 72 hours of exposure, , in the test system DPPH one determines the trapping activity of radical free of essential oil 23.794% ± 2.908% EC50 = 8.585 ± 2,608 mg/ml. The activity of synthetic antioxidants of gallic acid, quercetin and ascorbic acid were also determined in parallel experiments as positive control. The essential oils of R.eriocalyx leaves can be used as a natural alternative to synthetic insecticides to control pests of stored foodstuffs.

Introduction Phytochemicals are one wide class of nutraceuticals found in plants which act as antioxidants. In this research, the essential oil (EO) of Teucrium polium L., Lamiaceae, collected from Mascara province, situated in the Algerian northwestern, where their chemical composition varies according to geographical origin, season variation, and climatic conditions were studied. Materials and Methods The extraction of EO was performed by hydrodistillation. Then, the chemical compounds were identified by gaz chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC–MS). In parallel, the antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH test. Results The yield of the EO of T. polium L. varied during different seasons with the highest in winter season, at vegetative stage (S1), while the same EO (S1) was significantly more efficient as an antioxidant than the EO harvasted at the flowering stage (S2) with IC50 values 3.90±0.05, 16.14±0.15 mg/mL, respectively (P < 0.001). These extracts are predominantly constituted by limonene (29.87%-26.39%), spathulenol (17.24%-13.29%), camphor (0.0%-8.20%), pinocarvone (7.76%-5.60%), tau-cadinol (5.41%-3.67%), pinene oxide (0.0%-4.78%), α-terpineol (0.0%-4.6%), 1-adamantanemethylamine (0.0%-9.80%) and β- myrcene (0.0%-4.02%). Conclusions The results show that both EOs can be considered as potential sources of natural antioxidants. However, the vegetative stage was the best stage for harvesting the EO of T. polium L. which can be used as an alternative source of synthetic compounds.

Chenopodium murale L. it is an essential annual herbaceous weed belongs to the genus Chenopodium and family Chenopodiaceae. Chenopodium murale L. commonly called as nettle leaf goosefoot. Aim of this study is the gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis of chemical constituents of Chenopodium murale leaves in two different extracts; n-hexane and chloroform. These extracts contain 37 chemical components which are Monoterpenes, steroids precursor and fatty acids. Furthermore the n- hexane extract revealed about 35.22% of cyclic and acyclic monoterpenoids, fatty acid about 2.07%, also 2.31% of nitrogenous compounds and sterol precursor about 0.41%. However the chloroform extract revealed the presence of linolenic acid representing 13.54% and neo menthol representing 18.87%, also the other minor components are carvone oxide (0.27%), alpha- pinene epoxide (1.71%), Trans- Squalene (0.77%) and other minor bioactive components. Retraction Notice: This paper has been retracted from the journal after receipt of written complains. This journal is determined to promote integrity in research publication. This retraction is in spirit of the same. After formal procedures editor(s) and publisher have retracted this paper on 05th November-2020. Related policy is available here: http://goo.gl/lI77Nn

The effect of light intensity (LI) and water availability (WA) on rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) plant growth, essential oil (EO) production and composition was investigated by a two-factorial field experiment, where the first factor was LI (100%, 50% or 25% of natural sunlight) and the second factor was WA (irrigation set at 85%, 70% or 55% of field capacity during plant growing). The EO obtained by steam distillation of the dried aerial part of the plant was analysed by GC/MS. Reduction of LI from 100 to 25% of natural sunlight markedly lowered plant biomass production, whereas reduction of WA from 85 to 55% had a smaller lowering effect on plant growth. High shading (25% of LI) markedly reduced EO yield on a plant basis (− 43%), whereas intermediate shading (50% of LI) increased EO yield as % content of the fresh biomass (+ 29%) when compared to full solar radiation. WA markedly influenced EO yield, as expressed on a plant basis, but only in plants exposed to 100% LI. Moreover, changes in LI and WA seemed to have an opposite effect on the relative abundance of EO constituents that are formed through the activity of two groups of enzymes, pinene synthases (α- and β-pinene, camphene and myrcene) and, respectively, bornyl diphosphate synthases (borneol, camphor and bornyl acetate). Accurate management of light conditions and water availability, in greenhouse as well as open field conditions, may allow to optimize rosemary EO yield and modulate EO profile in view of different potential uses.

The chemical compositions of essential oils (EOs) prepared from six spices including cinnamon, amomum tsao-ko, cardamom, amomum, black pepper and white pepper were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which led to identify almost 200 volatile compounds. All EOs of spices showed cholinesterase inhibitory activity. Among them, pepper EO showed most potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 8.54 μg/mL (black pepper EO) and 5.02 µg/mL (white pepper EO). Molecular docking and in vitro validation suggested that 3-carene, α -pinene and β -pinene with IC 50 value of 1.73, 2.66, and 14.75 μg/mL, respectively, might be active constituents of spices oil in inhibiting AChE. Furthermore, amomum tsao-ko EO and amomum EO can improve behavioral disorder in dementia zebrafish induced by aluminum trichloride (AlCl 3 ).

The chemical composition and in vitro biological activities of the essential oil (EO) of Micromeria macrosiphon Coss. and M. arganietorum (J. Emb.) R. Morales, two Lamiaceae endemic to south Morocco, were investigated. GC/MS analysis resulted in the identification of 36 metabolites from the EO of M. macrosiphon, 45 from M. arganietorum. Borneol was the major metabolite in both oils and together with related derivatives such as camphor, accounted for 2/3 of the EO of M. macrosiphon, 1/3 of those of M. arganietorum. Pinene and terpinene derivatives were also present in high proportions. From a chemotaxonomic point of view, the composition of the examined samples may be related to those of other species endemic to Macaronesia. Both EOs showed significant toxicity towards liver HepG2 and melanoma B16 4A5 tumor cell lines at 100 mu g/mL; however, they were also cytotoxic towards S17 normal cell lines, with a selectivity index

Helichrysum decorum DC, Helichrysum lepidissimum S. Moore, and Helichrysum umbraculigerum are three species traditionally used in the South African medicine. The present work deals with the investigation of the spontaneous emission and the essential oils obtained from these plants cultivated in open field under uniform conditions. Fractions of the volatile organic compounds of the three species were rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons, representing more than 70% of the total composition. Pinene isomers were the most representative compounds: β-pinene in H. decorum (53.0%), and α-pinene in H. lepidissimum (67.9%) and H. umbraculigerum (54.8%). These latter two species evidenced an important amount of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (SH) especially represented by γ-curcumene (H. lepidissimum) and α- and β-selinene (H. umbraculigerum). On the contrary, in the EOs, sesquiterpenes compounds prevailed, representing more than 64% of the identified fraction to reach more than 82 and 87% in H. umbraculigerum and H. lepidissimum, respectively. Although the chemical classes and their relative abundances were comparable among the three species, the individual compounds of EOs showed large differences. In fact, caryophyllene oxide (26.7%) and γ-curcumene (17.4%) were the main constituents in H. decorum, and H. lepidissimum respectively, while neo-intermedeol (11.2%) and viridiflorol (10.6%) characterized H. umbraculigerum.

The aim of this study was to characterize the essential oil (EO) of red aroeira seeds and to evaluate their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The EO was extracted by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type device with a yield of 9.83% ± 0.31%; it was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine its physical-chemical characteristics. The EO showed acidity of 0.2814 mg KOH g-1, a 1.4763 ± 0.0014 refraction index and density of 0.9365 ± 0.01656 g cm-3. Through the FTIR, the absorption bands of the EO indicated the presence of the following components: limonene, delta -3-carene, a pinene and myrcene. By GC-MS the major compounds found were 4(10)-thujene (44.97%) α-Pinene (20.42%), o-Cymene (12.76%) and p-Menth-1-en-4-ol, (R)-(-)-(6.74%). Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In the microdilution method, no inhibiting activity was found in the tested concentrations (serial dilutions from 25.6 to 0.05 μL mL-1) and in the disk diffusion method, inhibition halos were observed only when pure EO was added. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH (oxidation-reduction reaction) and FRAP (iron ion reduction). In the DPPH, the obtained result was 0.01119 ± 0.0001 μmol g-1 and in FRAP, 13.813 ± 0.02187 μmol g-1, which demonstrates antioxidant activity in the two evaluated methods, indicating the possible application of the essential oil of red aroeira seeds as a natural antioxidant agent. El estudio tuvo como objetivo caracterizar el aceite esencial (AE) de semillas de aroeira roja y evaluar sus actividades antimicrobianas y antioxidantes. El OE se extrajo por hidrodestilación en un aparato tipo Clevenger con un rendimiento de 9,83% ± 0,31% y se caracterizó por espectroscopia infrarroja por transformada de Fourier (FTIR-ATR), cromatografía de gases y espectrometría de masas (CG-MS) y se determinaron las características fisicoquímicas. El EO presentó una acidez de 0.2814 mg KOH g-1, un índice de refracción de 1.4763 ± 0.0014 y una densidad de 0.9365 ± 0.01656 g cm3. Por FTIR-ATR, las bandas de absorción de EO indicaron la presencia de los siguientes componentes principales: limoneno, delta-3-careno, α-pineno y mirceno. Por GC-MS los principales compuestos encontrados fueron: 4 (10) -thujene (44,97%) α-Pineno (20,42%), o-Cymene (12,76%) y p-Menth-1-en-4-ol, (R) - (-) - (6,74%). Se evaluó la actividad antimicrobiana frente a bacterias Gram positivas y Gram negativas. En el método de microdilución, no se encontró actividad inhibitoria a las concentraciones probadas (diluciones seriadas de 25.6 a 0.05 μL mL-1) y en el método de difusión en disco, se observaron halos de inhibición solo cuando se agregó EO puro. La actividad antioxidante se evaluó mediante los métodos DPPH (reacción de oxi-reducción) y FRAP (reducción de iones de hierro). Para DPPH el resultado obtenido fue 0.01119 ± 0.0001 μmol g-1 y para FRAP 13.813 ± 0.02187 μmol g-1, demostrando así actividad antioxidante en los dos métodos evaluados, indicando la posible aplicación de EO en semillas de aroeira roja como agente antioxidante natural. O estudo teve o objetivo de caracterizar o óleo essencial (OE) de sementes de aroeira vermelha e avaliar suas atividades antimicrobiana e antioxidante. O OE foi extraído por hidrodestilação em aparelho tipo Clevenger com rendimento de 9,83% ± 0,31% e foi caracterizado por espectroscopia do infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR-ATR), cromatografia gasosa e espectrometria de massas (CG-EM) e determinada as características físico-químicas. O OE apresentou acidez de 0.2814 mg KOH g-1, índice de refração de 1.4763 ± 0.0014 e densidade de 0.9365 ± 0.01656 g cm3. Pelo FTIR-ATR as bandas de absorção do OE indicaram a presença dos seguintes componentes majoritários: limoneno, delta -3-careno, α- pineno e mirceno. Por CG-EM os compostos majoritários encontrados foram: 4(10)-thujene (44.97 %) α-Pinene (20.42 %), o-Cymene (12.76 %) e p-Menth-1-em-4-ol, (R)-(-)- (6.74 %). A atividade antimicrobiana foi avaliada contra bactérias Gram positivas e Gram negativas. No método de microdiluição não foi encontrada atividade inibitória nas concentrações testadas (diluições seriadas de 25.6 a 0.05 μL mL-1) e no método de difusão em disco foram observados os halos de inibição somente quando adicionado o OE puro. A atividade antioxidante foi avaliada pelos métodos de DPPH (reação de oxirredução) e FRAP (redução do íon de ferro). Para o DPPH o resultado obtido foi de 0,01119 ± 0,0001 μmol g-1 e o para o FRAP 13.813 ± 0.02187 μmol g-1, demonstrando assim atividade antioxidante nos dois métodos avaliados, indicando a possível aplicação do OE de sementes de aroeira vermelha como agente antioxidante natural.

Background The objective of this work was to engineer Deinococcus radiodurans R1 as a microbial cell factory for the production of pinene, a monoterpene molecule prominently used for the production of fragrances, pharmaceutical products, and jet engine biofuels. Our objective was to produce pinene from glycerol, an abundant by-product of various industries. Results To enable pinene production in D. radiodurans, we expressed the pinene synthase from Abies grandis, the geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) synthase from Escherichia coli, and overexpressed the native 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase. Further, we disrupted the deinoxanthin pathway competing for the substrate GPP by either inactivating the gene dr0862, encoding phytoene synthase, or substituting the native GPP synthase with that of E. coli. These manipulations resulted in a D. radiodurans strain capable of producing 3.2 ± 0.2 mg/L pinene in a minimal medium supplemented with glycerol, with a yield of 0.13 ± 0.04 mg/g glycerol in shake flask cultures. Additionally, our results indicated a higher tolerance of D. radiodurans towards pinene as compared to E. coli. Conclusions In this study, we successfully engineered the extremophile bacterium D. radiodurans to produce pinene. This is the first study demonstrating the use of D. radiodurans as a cell factory for the production of terpenoid molecules. Besides, its high resistance to pinene makes D. radiodurans a suitable host for further engineering efforts to increase pinene titer as well as a candidate for the production of the other terpenoid molecules.

The majority of insects rely on a highly complex and precise olfactory system to detect various volatile organic compounds released by host and non-host plants in environments. The odorant receptors (ORs) are considered to play an important role in odor recognition and the molecular basis of ORs, particularly in coleopterans they are relatively poorly understood. The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most destructive pests of the global palm industry. Although feeding and egg oviposition behaviors of RPW can be repelled by some non-palm plant volatiles, such as α-pinene, geraniol, or 1-octen-3-ol, there is limited understanding of how RPW recognizes the non-host plant volatiles. In this study, three candidate RferOrs were identified from the Rfer-specific clade, and the tissue expression analysis used was mainly expressed in the antennae of both sexes. Functional characterization of RferOr6, RferOr40, and RferOr87 was analyzed by using the Xenopus oocyte expression system, and the results indicated that RferOr6/RferOrco was narrowly tuned to α-pinene. The behavioral experiment showed that α-pinene at the concentrations of 10 and 100 μg/μl can cause a significantly repelled behavioral response of RPW. In conclusion, this study reveals that RferOr6 is an antenna-biased expressed OR used by RPW to detect the volatile compound α-pinene in non-palm plants, and our results provide a foundation for further in vivo functional studies of Or6 in RPW, including in vivo knockout/knockdown and feeding/ovipositing behavioral studies of RPW and further pest control.

“Medicinal cannabis” is defined as the use of cannabis-based products for the treatment of an illness. Investigations of cannabis compounds in psychiatric and neurological illnesses primarily focus on the major cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), which are hypothesised to benefit multiple illnesses manifesting cognitive impairment, neurodegeneration and neuro-inflammation, as well as chronic pain, epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder, respectively. The cannabis plant contains >500 compounds, including terpenes responsible for the flavour and fragrance profiles of plants. Recently, research has begun providing evidence on the potential use of certain plant-derived terpenes in modern medicine, demonstrating anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects of these compounds. This review examined the effects of two key terpenes, pinene and linalool, on parameters relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders, highlighting gaps in the literature and recommendations for future research into terpene therapeutics. Overall, evidence is mostly limited to preclinical studies and well-designed clinical trials are lacking. Nevertheless, existing data suggests that pinene and linalool are relevant candidates for further investigation as novel medicines for illnesses, including stroke, ischemia, inflammatory and neuropathic pain (including migraine), cognitive impairment (relevant to Alzheimer's disease and ageing), insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Linalool and pinene influence multiple neurotransmitter, inflammatory and neurotrophic signals as well as behaviour, demonstrating psycho-activity (albeit non-intoxicating). Optimising the phytochemical profile of cannabis chemovars to yield therapeutic levels of beneficial terpenes and cannabinoids, such as linalool, pinene and CBD, could present a unique opportunity to discover novel medicines to treat psychiatric and neurological illnesses; however, further research is needed.

The number of aroma compounds obtained by biotechnological process has increased tremendously in recent years and, as a result, are now being extensively employed in order to make products more attractive for consumers. In the present review, we inten to assess the wide range of reactions are catalyzed by fungal strains in regards to biotransformation of limonene and pinene for the aroma compounds production, their production rates/maximum concentrations and their biological potential. We comprehensively summarized in this review available data (2000–2021) regarding fungal biotransformation of limonene and pinene as biotechnological processes. Over the past years, has been paid to the biotransformation processes due to mild and environmentally friendly conditions applied. This review has shown that reports on the application of the fungi as a promising source of biocatalysts, mainly for stereoselective reactions such as hydroxylation and epoxidation. Studies have demonstrated the existence of promising monoterpenes used as substrates, which could be important from an industrial standpoint since this increases their importance as starting materials for obtaining aromatic molecules new. Moreover, biological (e.g.,antioxidant, anticancer) activities attributed to some monoterpene biotransformation products are increasingly being reported, indicating that their applications may transcend food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

Background Pinene is a monoterpene, that is used in the manufacture of fragrances, insecticide, fine chemicals, and renewable fuels. Production of pinene by metabolic-engineered microorganisms is a sustainable method. Purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria belong to photosynthetic chassis that are widely used to synthesize natural chemicals. To date, researches on the synthesis of pinene by purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria has not been reported, leaving the potential of purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria synthesizing pinene unexplored. Results Rhodobacter sphaeroides strain was applied as a model and engineered to express the fusion protein of heterologous geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS) and pinene synthase (PS), hence achieving pinene production. The reaction condition of pinene production was optimized and 97.51 μg/L of pinene was yielded. Then, genes of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase and isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase were overexpressed, and the ribosome binding site of GPPS-PS mRNA was optimized, improving pinene titer to 539.84 μg/L. Conclusions In this paper, through heterologous expression of GPPS-PS, pinene was successfully produced in R. sphaeroides, and pinene production was greatly improved by optimizing the expression of key enzymes. This is the first report on pinene produce by purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, which expands the availability of photosynthetic chassis for pinene production.

Zingiber chrysanthum Roscoe is a traditional medicinal plant species sparsely occurring in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Seeds of this species were collected from wild populations an...

α-Pinene is an important monoterpene, which is widely used as a flavoring agent and in fragrances, pharmaceuticals and biofuels. Although an evolved strain Escherichia coli YZFP, which had higher tolerance to pinene and titer, has been successfully used to produce high levels of pinene, the pinene titer is much lower than that of hemiterpene (isoprene) and sesquiterpenes (farnesene) to date. Moreover, the overall cellular physiological and metabolic changes caused by higher tolerance to pinene and overproduction of pinene remains unclear. To reveal the mechanism of Escherichia coli YZFP with the higher tolerance to pinene and titer, a comparative genomics and transcriptional level analyses combining with CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) and interference (CRISPRi) were carried out. The results show that the tolerance to pinene and the overproduction of pinene in E. coli may be associated with: 1) the mutations of the DXP pathway genes, the rpoA and some membrane protein genes, and their upregulations of transcription levels; and 2) the mutations of some genes and their downregulation of transcriptional levels. These comparative omics analyses provided some genetic modification strategies to further improve pinene production. Overexpression of the mutated cbpA, tabA, pitA, rpoA, sufBCDS, mutS, ispH, oppF, dusB, dnaK, dxs, dxr and flgFGH genes further improved pinene production. This study also demonstrated that combining comparative omics analysis with CRISPRa and CRISPRi is an efficient technology to quickly find a new metabolic engineering strategy., Highlights • A genomics and transcriptional level analyses combining with CRISPRa and CRISPRi was carried out. • The mechanism of the tolerance to pinene and overproduction of pinene was obtained. • Some target genes difficultly found by rational analysis were identified. • Combining comparative omics analysis with CRISPRa/i is an efficient technology for metabolic engineering.

This study investigated the effect of Teucrium polium L. essential oil (Tp EO) and α-pinene as its major component on the detoxifying- and intermediary-engaged enzymes of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller. Fourth instar larvae were separately fed on the treated artificial diets incorporated with LC50 concentration of Tp EO (4.91 μl ml-1) and α-pinene (10.66 μl ml-1). After three time intervals (24, 48, 72 hours), larval hemolymph was extracted to determine enzymatic activities. Activity of esterase, alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, aldolase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase were decreased in the treatments compared with the control. No significant differences were observed between some enzymes in the treated larvae highlighting their ineffectively role to detoxify and to metabolize Tp EO and α-pinene in the hemolyph of E. kuehniella larvae.

The composition of the leaf essential oils of ten populations of Juniperus excelsa complex in Iran are reported and compared. Hydrodistillation yielded in 0.08%–3.78% dry weight (v/w) clear oils among populations studied. The oils are mostly dominated by α- Pinene, Limonene and β-Myrcene. The simplest oil was found in Qushchi (J. polycarpos var. polycarpos) with 25 components and the most complex oil was found in Lushan1 (J. polycarpos var. polycarpos) with 92 components. Quantitative data is presented for 164 components were found. The southern populations, Fasa and Khabr, show differences in composition of essential oils compared with other populations so that Borneol and isopinocamphone are diagnostic for them. These populations have been identified as Juniperus seravschanica in southeast of Iran and hybrid samples between J. polycarpos and J. seravschanica in southwest of Iran whereas other populations, as is confirmed in this study, are J. polycarpos. It is confirmed by essential oils data that there is no J. excelsa in Iran.

Jane EM GibbsSchool of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, AustraliaPurpose: Prevailing opinion is that wind-pollinated plants affect asthma negatively and that insect- pollinated ones do not. “Thunderstorm” asthma, too, is attributed to bursting grass pollens. Additional biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are identified here. Essential oils’ BVOCs are inhaled from plants, oil diffusers, candles, room “fresheners”, perfumes, and hygiene products. Claims of BVOC “safety” for sensitive respiratory systems are questioned.Methods: Fourteen volunteers, of mixed-age and gender, with seasonal asthma recorded peak expiratory flow (PEF) and 11 symptom scores. BVOCs were collected on Tenax tubes from ambient air in autumn and spring, as were live flower emissions, before and after a thunderstorm. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified frequently occurring BVOCs. Air spora, meteorological, outdoor air pollution variables, and BVOCs predict respiratory symptoms in univariate linear regression models, seasonally.Results: Increased pinene, camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and benzoic acid predict respiratory symptoms, including reduced PEF, and increased nasal congestion; day length, atmospheric pressure and temperature predict symptoms in both seasons, differently; other variables predict a range of symptoms (0.0001≤p≤0.05). Thunder predicts different BVOC emissions in spring, compared to autumn (p≤0.05). An uncut Grevillea flower emitted linalool and hexenal before a storm; the latter is also emitted from cut grass. Increased nitrogen oxides and pinene in autumn may combine to form harmful oxidation products.Conclusion: This research supports BVOCs as contributors to seasonal asthma and allergic rhinitis, and “thunderstorm” asthma. Pinene emissions from Myrtaceae species (Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Leptospermum, Callistemon), Brassicaceae (canola), and conifers, worldwide, may induce respiratory inflammation and maintain it, by inhibiting eosinophilic apoptosis. Widely used essential oil products containing BVOCs, like linalool, are associated here with respiratory symptoms. Lagged responses suggest that users’ cognitive associations between exposure and response are unlikely, increasing potential for impaired health for vulnerable children.Keywords: asthma, allergic rhinitis, BVOC, terpenes, Eucalyptus, essential oils

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. is a medicinally important deciduous shrub belonging to the family Rutaceae, which is widely distributed in Eastern and South Eastern Asia. The aim of the present st...

The side effects of skin disease antibiotics and lengthy periods of therapy are major shortcomings of both old and newly developed ranges of antifungals. Hence, there is a need to develop an effective, cheap and readily available antifungal of a natural origin to combat skin diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Agathosma betulina and Coleonema album essential oil (EO) on the growth and morphology of two fungal strains (Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes) responsible for ringworm, and analyse the components of the EO of both plants. There was inhibition/reduction of fungal growth in all plates exposed to EO volatiles. However, the rates of inhibition varied among the fungal species, EO and different volumes tested. The volatiles from A. betulina EO showed a remarkable inhibitory effect with the highest inhibition recorded at 40 μl. The best inhibition was recorded in T. rubrum exposed to volatiles at 40 μl of A. betulina EO with a fungal growth index of 2.3%, indicating its ability of strong fungicidal effects. The mode of action of the EO volatiles was elucidated using electron microscopy. The volatiles inhibited fungal growth by inhibiting the production of spores. Agathosma betulina EO (40 μl) resulted in the destruction of hyphae and spores of T. rubrum. The major components of the EO of A. betulina were limonene (29.8%), menthone (21.6%), and isomenthone (14.7%), while of C. album were pinene (27.4%), and myrcene (14.5%).

Continuous use of synthetic insecticides increases environmental contamination and resistance in many species. Botanical insecticides, such as essential oil, were considered to be suitable alternatives due to multiple modes of action and low mammalian toxicity. Haplophyllum dauricum is a overlooked plant for the control of stored-product insects. Five essential oils (EOs) from Haplophyllum dauricum collected in October and November, rich in pinene, were extracted and evaluated on anti-insect activity against two stored-product insects, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae). The lethal doses (LD50 and LD90), lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90) and percentage repellency (PR) were evaluated. The GC-MS analysis showed that pinene (α-pinene and β-pinene) were major constituent of the EOs (54.61% and 57.33% in fruits, 46.80% in stems + leaves, and 30.57% in leaves), followed by β-phellandrene (14.49% and 21.34% in fruits and leaves), 3-carene (26.84% in leaves) and limonene (15.77%, 11.09%, 12.40%, 7.59%, and 6.24% in five EOs, respectively). Five EOs and selected major compounds provided promising fumigant, contact and repellent activity against T. castaneum and L. serricorne. The EO of stems + leaves collected in October showed the strongest contact toxicity on T. castaneum (LD50 = 20.21μg/adult), as well as fumigant and contact toxicity on L. serricorne (LC50 = 17.17 mg/L air, LD50 = 25.46 μg/adult). All the five EOs exhibited effective repellent activity (PR>80%) against T. castaneum. The results highlight that the EOs from H. dauricum have a promising potential as eco-friendly botanical insecticides.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the structure, chemical composition and biological activity of nanoparticles composed of chitosan (CNPs) and chitosan with Byrsonima crassifolia extract (CENPs), with which two EC, edible nanochitosan coatings (ENC) and edible nanochitosan extract coatings (ENEC) were elaborated, respectively. These coatings were sprayed on bell pepper during the pre-harvest stage and microbiological activity was determined. After harvesting the quality of bell pepper was evaluated for the following variables: weight loss, firmness, color change, respiration, ethylene production, total carotenoids, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and microbiological activity. The result indicated that the volatile fraction of Byrsonima crassifolia extract is 94% composed of α pinene, camphene, and eucalyptol. The CNPs had a higher size distribution 420 nm than the CENPs 312 nm and a potential Zeta of −40 mV. The CNPs and CENPs decreased the in vitro growth of Alternaria alternata up to 100%. During the cultivation of the fruit, both EC reduced the microbiological activity by 80%. In the postharvest stage some changes were observed in the fruit treated with the EC, for instance: 1) the fruit showed a 30% the weight loss and 15% the change of color after 21 d of storage, 2) the phenolic content, carotenoids and reducing capacity were increased by 18% and 3) the microbiological activity was reduced by 85%. In conclusion, the application of ENC and ENEC during the cultivation and postharvest storage of bell pepper preserved the physicochemical quality, improved microbiological quality and increased their antioxidant content.

This study is aimed at the extraction and chemical analysis of the essential oils of the leaves and flowers of Lavandula stoechas L growing in northeastern Algeria. The hydrodistilled oils isolated from leaves (0.75%) and flowers (0.6%) were characterized by fifty-two and sixtyfour compounds, respectively. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis demonstrated that both organs revealed the presence of fenchone and camphor as the major compounds. However, the highest percentage of fenchone (52.7%) was observed in the flowers oil; whereas, the percentage of camphor (25.94%) was significantly higher in the leaves oil in comparison with its content in flowers oil (15.52%). Other predominant compounds in leaves and flowers oils were, respectively, as follows: 1.8-cineole (4.84% and 4.02%), camphene (4.55% and 3.23%), bornyl acetate (3.06% and 4.43%), α-terpinolene (1.09% and 1.45%), viridiflorol (1.51% and 1.39%), and α- pinene (0.5% and 1.5%). The quantitative and qualitative data proved that the chemical profile of both organs of Lavandula stoechas native to Algeria was approximately close. The oil chemical composition is susceptible to the influence of environmental factors (soil, climate). The biological activity (antimicrobial and antioxidant) of the two oils from Lavandula stoechas L., native to this Algerian region is under study.

Graphical abstract Haematological (right) and biochemical (left) parameter., Highlights • The black caraway essential oil was considered as practically low-toxic. • Sub-acute study the results demonstrate histological damages and no biochemical and hematological changes. • The black caraway essential oil exhibited no acute toxicity. • The black caraway essential oil as an alternative to synthetic drug can be used., The aim of the present study was to evaluate the acute toxicity as lethal dose 50% (LD50) and sub-acute toxicity of the black caraway Bunium persicum (Bioss) seed essential oil in male Wistar rats. The compounds of B. persicum were identified by GC/MS and amount of each compound was evaluated. 21 different compounds were determined in the essential oil and the main components were: carvone, p-cymene, gamma-terpinene, p-cymene-8-ol, limonene, isoterpinolene, and 2-beta pinene. For acute toxicity evaluation, the animals were randomly divided into nine group (n = 6) and received 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500 and 4000 mg/kg seed essential oil, respectively and the LD50 value for black caraway seed essential oil was obtained above 4000 mg/kg body weight. According to data, treatment with the black caraway seed essential oil sub-acute toxicity study attenuated histopathological changes in lung, liver, kidney, testes and spleen tissues and the results of this study show that the black caraway essential oil can not affect the immune and blood system, important enzymes and vital organs of the body..

Paper description: There are no studies on the influence of environmental factors and their correlation with pine oleoresin composition from the leaves of several Balkan pines. Oleoresins were isolated from Bosnian and Macedonian pine collected from nine localities, including two sympatric. The obtained composition was analyzed statistically to assess the correlation with bioclimatic, geological and geographical parameters. Three chemotypes were present in Bosnian pine leaf oleoresins, while only one was found in Macedonian pine. While the oleoresin profiles showed strong species-dependent composition and variability, environmental factors, including geological substrate type and exposition must also be taken into account. Abstract: Many studies show the influence of the environment on terpene composition, but not many of them deal with the terpene composition variability in correlation with environmental factors in Pinus. We chose two endemic species – P. heldreichii Christ. (Bosnian pine) and P. peuce Griseb. (Macedonian pine) – two relict and (sub)endemic species of the Balkan peninsula. They mainly form pure stands but can appear in mixed populations, most commonly with each other. These species belong to different subgenera and thus differ greatly, especially in needle anatomy. α -pinene, limonene and germacrene D predominated in Bosnian pine leaf oleoresins, while Macedonian pine oleoresin contained high amounts of α -pinene. Furthermore, there were three chemotypes present in Bosnian, and only one in Macedonian pine. Oleoresins of Bosnian pine did not show correlation with climate, however, its composition changed in response to geological substrate type. Macedonian pine oleoresin showed a high correlation with the climate but changed only a little in response to geological substrate type. The oleoresin profiles showed strong species-dependent composition and variability. However, since each species expressed different responses to tested environmental conditions, it is important to take into consideration these variables when analyzing natural populations of the species. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS190705045R Received: July 5, 2019; Revised: July 18, 2019; Accepted: July 24, 2019; Published online: August 1, 2019 How to cite this article: Rajcevic N, Nikolic B, Marin PD. Different responses to environmental factors in terpene composition of Pinus heldreichii and P. peuce : Ecological and chemotaxonomic considerations. Arch Biol Sci. 2019;71(4):629-37.

The tuber of cyperus rotundus are used to tradisional medicine. C. rotundus known to contain compounds of secondary metabolites such as alkoloids, sineol, pinene, siperon, rotunal, siperenon, siperol, tannins, flavonoids and scientifically it has been believed to have antimicrobial activity. Empirically this plant are used as an antibacterial, antitumor, anticancer, and antiallergic. The purpose of this study were determining the inhibition of extract of Cyperus rotundus against tubers of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes. In this study C. rotundus extracted by maceration using 70% ethanol. The extracts tested against S. epidermidis and P. acnes using disc blank method. The results obtained from the mean diameter of the inhibition zones of exstract at concentrations of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% on S. Epidermidis 8.03 mm, 11.43 mm, 15.04 mm, 15.83 mm and 19.98 mm respectively and P. acnes 11.59 mm, 13.35 mm, 17.17 mm, 20.44 mm, and 30.08 mm respectively Aquades used as negative control and erythromycin used as positive control. Testing were continued by determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The result of MIC for S. epidermidis was 15% and P. acnes was 11%. The analysis showed that the antibacterial activity of the tubers extract is bacteriostatic for S. epdermidis and bacterisid for P. acnes.

The bioactivity of Callistemon citrinus leaves essential oil against green stink bug, Nezara viridula was evaluated as alternative eco-friendly pesticide. The tested essential oil have high insecticidal activity toN. viridula adult where, the lethal concentrations of LC10, LC25 and LC50 were recorded (105.22, 536.80 and 3274.72 ppm), respectively. The repellent effects on N. viridula adult of the three tested concentrations were 48.01, 56.35 and 81.33 % after one hour of exposure time, respectively. The chemical composition analysis of bottle brush essential oil by GC/MS revealed 24 compounds represented 99.47% of the whole amount oil. The major constituent 1,8- cineole represented (73.81%) followed by α pinene (13.13%), D-limonene (5.50%), β-pinene (2.49%) and α-Terpineol (1.10%) assumed 96.03% of the total oil composition, while the minor components were 3.97%. Treatment with all concentrations of C. citrinus essential oil exhibited some physiological defects that cleared in the reduction in total soluble protein levels and elevation in carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes, nonspecific estrases and acid & alkaline phosphatases activities. Moreover, the LC50 inhibited acetyl cholinesterase activity in treated adults. Therefore the oil proved high potency in controlling the N. viridula.

Pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a serious pathogen of pines throughout the world. Previous work indicated that different concentrations of α-pinene could affect nematode reproduction, however the mechanism of that influence is not clear. In order to examine the reproductive strategies of PWN in response to the stress of the volatile material α-pinene, we investigated different aspects of population changes of B. xylophilus under two concentrations of α-pinene. The results show that a high concentration (214.5 mg ml−1) promoted population growth while a low concentration (56.33 mg ml−1) decreased the population. Population structure was analyzed and it was found that a high concentration of α-pinene decreased the percentage of adults but increased the percentages of larvae and eggs. Furthermore, from the results of an evaluation of sex ratios (female/male), it was determined that a high concentration could elevate sex ratios but a low concentration decreased ratios sharply. These results suggest that the PWN could regulate its population by changing sex ratios under stress of α-pinene. This study has provided a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of pine wilt disease caused by the pine wood nematode.