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Background: New scolicidal agents and novel therapeutic drugs are essential for better management of the zoonotic infection, hydatid disease. This study evaluated the effect of a nanoemulsion (NE) of Satureja hortensis essential oil (SHEO) on protoscoleces and germinal layer of hydatid cysts. Methods: This study was conducted from July to October 2016 in Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were performed to identify the main components of SHEO. To determine the scolicidal power of the NE of SHEO, live protoscoleces of hydatid cysts were exposed to two concentrations (1 and, 2 mg/mL) of the NE and incubated at 37 °C for 10 and 20 min. To evaluate the anti-hydatid effect of the NE of SHEO, the collected hydatid cysts from the abdominal cavities of the experimentally infected mice were immersed in the NE (0.5 mg/ml) and incubated at 22 °C for 24 h. Results: Carvacrol and γ-terpinene were the major components of the SHEO. NE of SHEO at the concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/mL showed 100% scolicidal power after 20 and 10 min respectively. Exposure of the hydatid cysts to the NE of SHEO resulted in crumpling of their germinal layer and detachment of this layer from the laminated layer. Conclusion: NE of SHEO showed a strong scolicidal activity as well as a profound lethal effect on the germinal layer of hydatid cysts. Accordingly, this product may be used as a natural scolicidal agent in hydatid cyst surgery. Furthermore, it may be used as a therapeutic tool for treatment of hydatid disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical compositions of floral scent from two distinct genotypes (G1 and G2) of Iranian Rosa damascena flowers were isolated at six stages of flower development using headspace extraction. The main floral headspace components were phenyl ethyl alcohol, β-citronellol, α-pinene, benzyl alcohol and geranyl acetate. In both genotypes, the relative percentage of phenyl ethyl alcohol increased as flowers were developed. However, the concentration of β-citronellol was highest in stage 4 (47%) and stage 3 (45.1%) in two genotypes under study. The first flower development stage of both genotypes had the lowest amount of this compound. Benzyl alcohol was highest and a major component in the G2 and increased with floral development while G1 had a trace amount of this compound. Geranyl acetate, an important contributors to the aroma, was highest in stage 4 (11.6%) and stage 3 (22.7%) in the G1 and G2, respectively. This compound was not found in early stages of flowers development (stages 1 and 2) of both genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Antifungal activity of the essential oil (EO) of Zataria multiflora Boiss. against Aspergillus niger fruit rot of key lime was studied. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of the volatile fraction against mycelial growth and spore germination were 0.8 and 4.0 µL per 8 cm Petri dish. The EO median effective concentration was estimated as 819.3 ppm. The EO inhibited sporulation of A. niger with no sporulation at EO ≥1,500 ppm. In comparison with control, lower fruit rot at 200, 400 and 600 ppm of the EO was recorded for fruits stored outdoors; however, no significant difference was found between these treatments. The EO concentrations ≥400 ppm reduced the fruit rot in the cold room. At 600 ppm EO, only 15% of the fruits decayed in the cold room 50 days postinoculation. No change in taste, total soluble solid percent, titratable acidity and vitamin C content of the fruits was observed due to application of the EO. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Food safety is one of the major issues related to fresh fruits and vegetables. More degradable natural compounds that can be regarded as safe to human health and environment are alternatives of choice for synthetic chemicals used to control postharvest fruit rots. Results of recent studies on control of fungal rots using natural substances indicate that demands for research and development of natural fungicides are just gaining momentum globally. Despite the extensive in vitro studies on the antimicrobial effects of essential oils (EOs), in vivo experiments examining the EOs activity on a host-pathogen system are quite few. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of the EO of Z. multiflora on growth and sporulation of Aspergillus niger under both in vitro and in vivo (on lime fruit) conditions to achieve its potential use for controlling A. niger fruit rot of key lime. Lime is a fruit used fresh and as lime juice in many cuisines in Iran. The demand for lime is very high, and due to inappropriate transport and storage, it is decayed by many postharvest pathogens including A. niger. The authors have repeatedly isolated A. niger from limes with and without apparent symptoms of rot collected from local market and storages and picked from various lime-producing regions. Although study of mycotoxins in lime was not an objective of this study, it is conceivable that a high incidence of lime infection to A. niger in southern parts of Iran can result in contamination of lime to its hazardous mycotoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Iranian mints showed a great diversity in essential oil yield and components. • First essential oil yield report in M. villosa , M. suaveolens , M. rutoundifolia. • Mentha suaveolens had the highest amount of essential oil yield 1.3 % (w/w). • Menthol (53.1 %) was the maximum constituent found in M. piperita. • For the first time carvone (27.12 %) was identified in M. rutoundifolia. Mentha is an important aromatic plant in the Lamiaceae family with a great industrial potential which has a very complex classification. Mint genotypes (Mentha × piperita 'Black', M. × piperita 'White', M. × aquatica , M. × villosa , M. longifolia , M. rutoundifolia , M. suaveolens) were gathered from different regions of Iran to investigate their essential oil (EO) yield and components. Mints were cultivated in the greenhouse and their essential oils were obtained by hydro distillation. EO yield varied from 0.51 to 1.3% (w / w). Gas chromatography analysis revealed that each species consisted of 46–64 constituents which make up about 98.2 %–99.85 % of their essential oils. A total 111 types of chemicals were identified, of which only ten were common between species, which together constitute 0.5 %–3.5 % of the total essential oils. The other 101 components showed a great diversity, of which 29 were major constituents of these genotypes. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that the type and amount of the constituents are important to determine their groups. Diversity classification based on quantity and quality of EOs, put them into four groups. The highest detected components in the respective mints were: carvone (55.08 %), M. suaveolens ; menthol (53.1 %), M. ×piperita 'Black'; pulegone (44.55 %), M. longifolia ; menthofuran (38.67 %), M.×aquatica ; menthol (32.36 %), M. × piperita L. 'White'; carvone (27.12 %), M. rutoundifolia ; and neo-menthol (22.79 %), M.× villosa. For the first time new constituents were identified: α-terpinyl acetate (5.03 %) and geranyl tiglate (10.81 %) were found in M. longifolia ; carvone (27.12 %) was identified in M. rutoundifolia ; and neo-menthol (22.79 %) and pulegone (10.90 %) were detected in M. villosa. The phytochemicals demonstrate a great diversity among the studied Iranian mint species. These results merit further investigations at the gene expression and proteomics levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persian poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl) is a precious medicinal plant found in limited regions of Iran. This plant possesses a significant amount of thebaine alkaloid, which can be easily converted into codeine. It can also be converted into Bentley compounds and several narcotic antagonists. This research aimed to investigate the morphological differences among nine Iranian populations of P. bracteatum in their natural habitats and compare them based on biochemical characteristics, such as thebaine content, amino acids, and fatty acids. The morphological variations were assessed using 30 quantitative traits. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in 18 morphological characteristics among populations. The evaluation of thebaine content indicated that capsules consistently had higher thebaine content (3.7–9.3%) compared to roots (1.3–4.8%), stems (0.6–2.5%), and leaves (0.7–1%) in all populations, and the Rangeh-Rizhan population displayed the highest thebaine content (9.3 ± 0.12%) in capsules. Furthermore, 25 amino acids and four fatty acids were identified in leaves and were used as chemotaxonomic markers to distinguish between populations. Based on morphological and biochemical characteristics as well as combined datasets, five distinct clusters were created, each of which included two main groups and a few subgroups. However, populations inside the groups differed slightly in various clusters; Mahabad, Rangeh-Rizhan, and Janevareh populations were distinctly separated from others in clusters formed using morphological, fatty acids, and combined datasets. On the other hand, a clear-cut separation of the Polur population from the rest was evidenced in clusters created from thebaine and amino acids data. The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) results were largely aligned with those of cluster analysis. This research revealed a high degree of morphological and phytochemical variations among P. bracteatum populations, which could provide new insights into the conservation and breeding of the Persian poppy populations. • Morphological diversity among Papaver bracteatum populations was investigated. • Amino and fatty acids may be effective tools for infra-species delimitation. • Capsules had higher thebaine content than roots, stems, and leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Variation on the phytochemical content was observed in the cork and fleshy texture of root of Glycyrrhiza glabra populations. • Total sugar, total phenol and antioxidant activity of licorice populations were investigated. • The dendrogram acquired from the all traits placed populations into four main groups. • Frequency ratio (FR) model was run to mapping the habitat suitability of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Glycyrrhiza glabra (Fabaceae) is a perennial herb including valuable and commercial constituents such as glycyrrhizic acid and glabridin which has attracted the attention of food and pharmaceutical industries. In the present study, a variation on the phytochemical and antioxidant activity of 22 populations of valuable and profitable medicinal plant Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) was investigated. We expanded our approach by using geographic information system (GIS) to predict the potential areas for licorice cultivation in Iran. Outstanding quantitative variability of glycyrrizic acid, glabridin, liquiritin and liquiritigenin content were observed in the cork and fleshy texture of root of licorice populations from different regions of Iran. The maximum and minimum amount of glycyrrhizic acid was observed in Bajgah (74.00 mg/g dry weight) and Taft (13.43 mg/g dry weight) populations, respectively. The greatest amount of glabridin content was recorded in Kashmar population (12.88 mg/g dry weight). Also, the greatest antioxidant activity (the lowest IC 50) for licorice root was associated to Kashmar, Meshkin shahr and Eghlid populations with IC 50 equal to 44.4, 56.5 and 59.5 μg/ml, respectively. Moreover, Kazerun, Taft and Ahar populations had remarkable antioxidant activity in a methanolic extract of aerial part. Consequently, frequency ratio (FR) model was run to mapping the habitat suitability of Glycyrrhiza glabra based on annual average temperature, average yearly precipitation and altitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is an industrial medicinal plant that is potentially threatened by extinction. In this study, the effects of salinity (0 and 200 mM sodium chloride (NaCl)) and Azotobacter inoculation were evaluated on 16 licorice accessions. The results showed that salinity significantly reduced the fresh and dry biomass (FW and DW, respectively) of roots, compared to plants of the control group (a decrease of 15.92% and 17.26%, respectively). As a result of bacterial inoculation, the total sugar content of roots increased by 21.56% when salinity was applied, but increased by 14.01% without salinity. Salinity stress increased the content of glycyrrhizic acid (GA), phenols, and flavonoids in licorice roots by 104.6%, 117.2%, and 56.3%, respectively. Integrated bacterial inoculation and salt stress significantly increased the GA content in the accessions. Bajgah and Sepidan accessions had the highest GA contents (96.26 and 83.17 mg/g DW, respectively), while Eghlid accession had the lowest (41.98 mg/g DW). With the bacterial application, the maximum amounts of glabridin were obtained in Kashmar and Kermanshah accessions (2.04 and 1.98 mg/g DW, respectively). Bajgah and Kashmar accessions had higher amounts of rutin in their aerial parts (6.11 and 9.48 mg/g DW, respectively) when their roots were uninoculated. In conclusion, these results can assist in selecting promising licorice accessions for cultivation in harsh environments., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is a medicinal and industrial plant that has gone extinct due to different abiotic stress caused by climate change. To understand how the plant-associated microorganism can support this plant under salinity, we collected sixteen Iranian accessions of G. glabra L., inoculated their rhizomes with Azotobacter sp. (two levels, bacterial treatments, and no-bacterial treatments, and grown them under salinity stress (NaCl levels; 0, and 200 mM)., Results: Two accessions of Bardsir and Bajgah significantly showed higher resistant to salinity, for example by increasing crown diameter (11.05 and 11 cm, respectively) compared to an average diameter of 9.5 in other accessions. Azotobacter inoculation caused a significant increase in plant height and crown diameter. Among studied accessions, Kashmar (46.21%) and Ilam (44.95%) had the highest rate of membrane stability index (MSI). Evaluation of enzyme activity represented that bacterial application under salinity, increased polyphenol oxidase (PPO) (0.21 U mg -1 protein), peroxidase (POD) (3.09 U mg -1 protein U mg -1 protein), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) (17.85 U mg -1 protein) activity. Darab accession showed the highest increase (6.45%) in antioxidant potential compared with all studied accessions under Azotobacter inoculation. According to principal component analysis (PCA), it was found that the accession of Meshkinshahr showed a more remarkable ability to activate its enzymatic defense system under salt stress. Also, three accessions of Meshkinshahr, Eghlid, and Ilam were categorized in separated clusters than other accessions regarding various studied treatments., Conclusion: Analysis indicated that five accessions of Meshkinshahr, Rabt, Piranshahr, Bardsir, and Kermanshah from the perspective of induced systematic resistance are the accessions that showed a greater morphophysiological and biochemical outcome under salinity. This study suggested that, inoculation of with Azotobacter on selected accession can relieve salt stress and support industrial mass production under abiotic condition., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This study was conducted to assess the allelopathic effect of essential oils (EOs) obtained from the aerial parts of two different ecotypes (ECTPs A and B) of Zataria multiflora Boiss. with the aim of evaluating their in vitro germination and growth inhibition potential. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the oils revealed that carvacrol and linalool (77.4% and 90.6%) were the two major oil components in ECTPs A and B, respectively, which were regarded as two different chemotypes. Other important volatile compounds found in ECTP A were α-pinene (2.7%), p-cymene (7.9%) and γ-terpinene (3.5%). However, in ECTP B these compounds were in lesser amounts and γ-terpinene was not detected. The inhibitory effects of both EOs of ECTPs at concentrations of 0, 80, 160, 320 and 640 µL L⁻¹ on the seed germination and seedling growth of four noxious weeds were evaluated. A significant reduction (p ≤ 0.05) in germination rate, seedling length, root and stem fresh and dry weights were observed by ECTPs; the highest suppressing effect was observed at 320 and 640 µL L⁻¹. The results reported in this study suggest that herbicidal properties of the two ECTP oils could be attributed to their major components.