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The topical application of essential oils is considered an effective treatment for skin diseases. Cymbopogon distans (Nees ex Steud.) Wats (Poaceae) is a promising aromatic grass widespread in the Himalayan temperate zone. Therefore, using in-vitro and in-vivo bioassays, we examined the chemical and pharmacological characteristics of essential oil hydro-distilled from C. distans coded as CDA-01, specifically concerning skin inflammation. Characterization using GC-FID and GC-MS provided a chemical fingerprint for CDA-01, enabling the identification of 54 compounds; amongst them, citral (34.3%), geranyl acetate (21.2%), and geraniol (16.4%) were the most abundant. To examine the anti-inflammatory potential, CDA-01 treatment on LPS-stimulated macrophage cells in addition to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) generated cutaneous inflammatory reaction in the mouse ear was assessed through quantification of the inflammatory markers. Consequently, CDA-01 demonstrated protection against inflammation caused by LPS by lowering the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) level in HaCaT cells with negligible cytotoxicity. Consistent with the in-vitro findings, CDA-01 treatment reduced pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-, IL-6, and NO) and lipid peroxidation in an in-vivo investigation. Subcutaneous inflammation in TPA-treated mice ears was similarly decreased, as evidenced by the histological and morphological studies. As a result of our findings, it is possible that CDA-01 could be an effective treatment for skin inflammation disorders., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Ethnobotanical Relevance: Rosa damascena Mill. (Rosaceae), commonly known as damask rose, is an ancient medicinal and perfumery plant used in Traditional Unani Medicine due to various therapeutic effects, including cardiovascular benefits., Aim of the Study: This study aimed to evaluate the vasorelaxant effect of the 2-phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA) isolated from the spent flowers of R. damascena which remain after the extraction of essential oil., Materials and Methods: The freshly collected flowers of R. damascena were hydro-distilled in a Clevenger's type apparatus to extract the rose essential oil (REO). After removing the REO, the spent-flower hydro-distillate was collected and extracted with organic solvents to yield a spent-flower hydro-distillate extract (SFHE), which was further purified by column chromatography. The SFHE and its isolate were characterized by gas chromatography (GC-FID), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. The PEA, isolated from SFHE, was evaluated for vasorelaxation response in conduit blood vessels like rat aorta and resistant vessels like mesenteric artery. The preliminary screening of PEA was done in aortic preparation pre-constricted with phenylephrine/U46619. Further, a concentration-dependent relaxation response to PEA has been elicited in both endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded arterial rings, and the mode of action was explored., Results: The SFHE revealed the presence of PEA as the main constituent (89.36%), which was further purified by column chromatography to a purity of 95.0%. The PEA exhibited potent vasorelaxation response both in conduit vessels like the rat aorta and resistance vessels like the mesenteric artery. The relaxation response is mediated without any involvement of vascular endothelium. Further, TEA sensitive BK C a channel was found to be the major target for PEA-induced relaxation response in these blood vessels., Conclusions: The spent flowers of R. damascena, which remain after the extraction of REO, could be used to extract PEA. The PEA possessed marked vasorelaxation properties in both aorta and mesenteric artery and showed promise for development into an herbal product against hypertension., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ravenia spectabilis Engl. belongs to the family Rutaceae is known to possess several biologically active phytomolecules. This study was planned to investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the leaf essential oil of R. spectabilis . The hydrodistillation of fresh leaves of R. spectabilis gave 0.19 ± 0.02% essential oil. The resulting essential oil was analysed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Altogether, thirty-one constituents forming 97.6 ± 1.72% of the total oil composition were identified. Major components of the oil were sabinene (60.8 ± 0.36%), α -pinene (5.4 ± 0.30%), myrcene (4.8 ± 0.25%), δ -3-carene (4.7 ± 0.62%) and β -pinene (4.3 ± 0.17%). The in-vitro antimicrobial potential of the oil was examined against eight human pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains. The essential oil showed significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis , methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis , Candida albicans , and Candida kefyr . This is the first report on R. spectabilis leaf essential oil composition and its antimicrobial activity. The essential oil could be a promising natural source of sabinene and antimicrobial for developing new phytotherapeutics.

Cymbopogon martini variety sofia, commonly known as ginger-grass, is an important aromatic crop used by the perfumery, medicinal and cosmetic industries worldwide. This study explores the chemical and possible pharmacological profile of hydro-distilled essential oil of C. martini variety sofia against skin inflammation. The essential oil extracted by the hydrodistillation process was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to identify its constituents, and was coded as CMA-01 for further in vitro and in vivo pharmacological study related to skin inflammation. The chemical fingerprint revealed that CMA-01 oil has (E)-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (21.0%), (E)-p-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (18.1%), (Z)-p-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (17.4%), (Z)-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (9.0%), limonene (7.7%), and (E)-carveol (5.7%) as major components. The pre-treatment of CMA-01 showed significant inhibition of pro-inflammatory markers in activated HaCat cells without cytotoxic effect. The in vivo study revealed the ameliorative impact of CMA-01 against skin inflammation induced by TPA in mouse ears as evidenced by a reduction of ear edema, pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-6, TNF-α), oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and nitric-oxide) and histological changes in ear tissues without any skin irritation response on rabbit skin. These findings suggest the suitability of CMA-01 as a valuable therapeutic candidate for the treatment of skin inflammation., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Artemisia pallens Wall. ex DC., popularly known as davana, has gained considerable attention because of its unique fragrance, high economic value, and pharmacological properties. The compositional complexity of davana essential oil (DO) has been a challenge for quality control. In this study, the chemical profile of DO was developed using polarity-based fractionation and a combination of gas chromatographic (GC-FID), hyphenated chromatographic (GC/MS), and spectroscopic (Fourier-Transform Infra-Red, 1D, 2D-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques. The analysis led to the identification of ninety-nine compounds. Major components of the DO were cis-davanone (D3, 53.0 %), bicyclogermacrene (6.9 %), trans-ethyl cinnamate (4.9 %), davana ether isomer (3.4 %), spathulenol (2.8 %), cis-hydroxy davanone (2.4 %), and trans-davanone (2.1 %). The study led to identifying several co-eluting novel minor components, which could help determine the authenticity of DO. The rigorous column-chromatography led to the isolation of five compounds. Among these, bicyclogermacrene, trans-ethyl cinnamate, and spathulenol were isolated and characterized by spectroscopic methods for the first time from DO. Pharmacological profile revealed that the treatment of DO and D3 inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in primary macrophages without any cytotoxic effect after administration of their effective concentrations. The result of this study indicates the suitability of DO and D3 for further investigation for the treatment of chronic skin inflammatory conditions., (© 2021 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

The aim of the study was to investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the senescent leaves of Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae). The hydrodistilled essential oil of the leaves was analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity of the oil was assessed against human and plant pathogenic microorganisms by disc diffusion, microdilution broth and poison food techniques. A total of forty-six constituents, representing 90.9% of the total oil composition were identified. Major constituents of the oil were limonene (29.1%), ( E )-caryophyllene (15.7%), caryophyllene oxide (8.8%), caryophylla-4(12),8(13)-dien-5-ol (6.5%), ( E )-nerolidol (4.0%), α -cadinol (3.4%), and muurola-4,10(14)-dien-1- β -ol (2.5%). The chemical composition of the examined essential oil was quite different from those reported earlier. The essential oil showed significant inhibition of human pathogenic bacteria (MIC: 0.065-0.261 mg/mL) and plant pathogenic fungi, namely Curvularia lunata (86.02%) and Fusarium chlamydosporum (82.80%).

Present study was aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity, bactericidal mechanism of action, killing kinetics and anti-inflammatory activity of Isodon melissoides (Benth.) H. Hara essential oil. The gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of carvacrol (45.4%), p -cymene (11.6%) and thymol (11.3%) as major constituents of the oil. The oil displayed broad spectrum significant antibacterial activity (MIC: 0.13-8.33 ppm; MBC: 0.13->33.34 ppm) against test strains. The oil exhibited a time and dose-dependent bactericidal effect. The oil disrupted the cell membrane by changing the cell membrane permeability. The essential oil significantly decreased the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines in LPS-induced inflammation in HaCaT cells without any cytotoxic effect. I. melissoides essential oil can be a promising alternative antimicrobial agent for the control of methicillin resistant staphylococci and other pathogenic bacteria tested, and also useful for the topical anti-inflammatory properties.

Essential oils derived from six different phenophases, namely early vegetative stage, late vegetative stage, early flowering stage, full flowering stage (FFS), late flowering stage and seed shattering stage of Origanum vulgare L. grown in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India were investigated by GC and GC-MS. A total of 38 constituents, representing 97.4-99.7% of the total oil composition, were identified. Major components of oils were thymol (40.9-63.4%), p-cymene, (5.1-25.9%), γ-terpinene (1.4-20.1%), bicyclogermacrene (0.2-6.1%), terpinen-4-ol (3.5-5.9%), α-pinene (1.6-3.1%), 1-octen-3-ol (1.4-2.7%), α-terpinene (1.0-2.2%), carvacrol (<0.1-2.1%), β-caryophyllene (0.5-2.0%) and β-myrcene (1.2-1.9%). Thymol, terpinen-4-ol, 3-octanol, α-pinene, β-pinene, 1,8-cineole, α-cubebene and (E)-β-ocimene were observed to be higher during FFS. The study showed that plant stage had a significant effect on the essential oil content and composition of O. vulgare grown in the hilly tracks of Northern India.

Rosa damascena Mill. is an important aromatic plant for commercial production of rose oil, water, concrete and absolute. The rose water and rose oil produced under the mountainous conditions of Uttarakhand were investigated for their chemical composition. The major components of rose water volatiles obtained from the bud, half bloom and full bloom stages of cultivar 'Ranisahiba' were phenyl ethyl alcohol (66.2-79.0%), geraniol (3.3-6.6%) and citronellol (1.8-5.5%). The rose water volatiles of cultivar 'Noorjahan' and 'Kannouj' also possessed phenyl ethyl alcohol (80.7% and 76.7%, respectively) as a major component at full bloom stage. The essential oil of cultivar 'Noorjahan' obtained from two different growing sites was also compared. The major components of these oils were citronellol (15.9-35.3%), geraniol (8.3-30.2%), nerol (4.0-9.6%), nonadecane (4.5-16.0%), heneicosane (2.6-7.9%) and linalool (0.7-2.8%). This study clearly showed that the flower ontogeny and growing site affect the composition of rose volatiles. The rose oil produced in this region was comparable with ISO standards. Thus, it was concluded that the climatic conditions of Uttarakhand are suitable for the production of rose oil of international standards.