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AbstractAngiogenes is therefore appears to be a complex phenomenon, finely regulated by various activators (pro-angiogenic factors) and inhibitors (anti-angiogenic factors). Among the pro-angiogenic factors, VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) seems to be one of the main players in tumor angiogenesis. It exerts its pro-angiogenic activity by attaching to the surface of receptors with tyrosine kinase activity (VEGFR). The aim of this research was the bioinformatical study of VEGFR inhibition by essential oils of the Inula viscosa.Analyses of essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of the plant were performed using GC and GC/MS analysis. We used molecular modeling approaches as molecular mechanics to theoretical investigation VEGF receptors by natural inhibitors.Nineteen compounds were identified, constituting 90.1-98.8% of the total essential oils. The main components of the plants were (E)-nerolidol (15.5–20.2 %), caryophyllene oxide (10.6–18.1%), (E)-Z-farnesyl acetone (13.2–25.1%) and (E)-β-farnesene (1.5–5.6%). Essential oil samples were clustered into two groups according to their chemical compositions. The molecular dynamics study was conducted for the best inhibitors. A few key residues were identified at the binding site of VEGFR. The Pharmacokinetics was justified by means of lipophilicity and high coefficient of skin permeability. The in silicoevaluation of ADME revealed that L19 has high absorption. The essential oil of I. viscosapresents a significant variability. This study revealed that (E)-Z-Farnesylacetone is a functional inhibitor of VEGF activities and subsequently can be the best inhibitors candidate to be scrutinized in vivoand in vitro.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

ABSTRACTChemical composition of the essential oils of three subspecies of Algerian Thymus munbyanus Boiss. & Reut. (subsp. abylaeus, subsp. ciliatus and subsp. coloratus)aerial parts have been investigated. GC and GC/MS analysis allowed the identification of sixty-eight compounds accounting for 99.3%, 99.7% and 98.2% of collective essential oils of three subspecies. The main components of three collective essential oils were: α-terpinyl acetate (51.7%), α-terpineol (9.7%), borneol (6.8%) and bornyl acetate (5.2%) for subsp. abylaeus; carvacrol (65.7%), γ-terpinene (13.6%) and p-cymene (7.9%) for subsp. ciliatus and camphor (25.9%), myrcene (16.9%), 1,8-cineole (6.5%) and camphene (6.2%) for subsp. coloratus. Intra-species variations of chemical compositions of essential oil from thirty-five Algerian samples were also investigated using statistical analysis. Essential oils samples were discriminated in three main clusters confirming relation between the chemical compositions and taxonomical differentiation between the three subspecies. These results confirm chemotaxonomic differentiation of all subspecies of T. munbyanus.

Background: Atractylis gummifera is a cosmopolitan species that is particularly abundant in the Mediterranean regions. It has been used to treat many diseases, including intestinal parasites, ulcers, snakebite poisoning, hydrops and drowsiness. As part of our research program on natural compounds with biological activities, the objective of this study was to determine for the first time the chemical composition and biological activities of essential oils of Atractylis gummifera during beginning of the vegetative cycle (March), beginning of the flowering stage (April) and full bloom (May/June). Methods: The essential oils were obtained by means of hydrodistillation and its components were analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The antioxidant properties were evaluated using two different methods i) Radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and ii) β-carotene bleaching assay. Whereas, the antifungal activity of the essential oils was investigated against five plant fungi. The fumigation toxicity of essential oils was evaluated against adults of Bactrocera oleae better known as the olive fly. Results: The essential oil produced from the plant taken at the beginning of the vegetative cycle (March) had a high level of non-terpenic aliphatic compounds. On the other hand, the essential oil obtained during the period from the beginning of the flowering stage (April) showed that its proportion of non-terpene compounds decreased and that of sesquiterpene compounds increased. Finally, the essential oils obtained during the period from full bloom (May/June) consisted mainly of acetylene compounds such as carlina oxide and 13-methoxy carlina oxide. The results showed that essential oils from plants at full bloom presented interesting antioxidant and antifungal properties, while essential oil produced from plants at the beginning of the vegetative cycle (Mars) and at the beginning of the flowering stage (April) had better insecticidal activity. Conclusion: The data presented here constitutes new findings in the field of the chemical characterization and biological potential of A. gummifera.

ABSTRACTComparative study between the chemical composition of the essential oils of Asteriscus maritimusand Asteriscus spinosusfrom Western Algeria have been investigated. Chemical variability of the essential oils of both species was reported for the first time using gas chromatography/retention indices (GC/RI) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 86 compounds were identified in A. maritimuscollective essential oil and 76 compounds in A. spinosuscollective essential oil. Intra-species variations of the chemical compositions of essential oil from eighteen Algerian samples of various locations of both species were also investigated using statistical analysis. A. maritimusessential oils were characterized by T-cadinol (34.2–16.1%), p-cymene (30–15.1%), α-pinene (13.9–2.8%), bornyl acetate (8.7–5.3%) and Z-phytol (7.8–2.4%), as the major compounds. The main compounds of A. spinosuswere α-cadinol (19.8–7.3%), β-pinene (17.6–12.9%), hexadecanoic acid (13.4–4.1%), T-cadinol (10.3–3.5%) and δ-cadinene (8.2–3.9%).