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The genus Hertia , which belongs to the Asteraceae family, is a flowering genus with 12 species found in Africa, North and South. Among the species present in Algeria, Hertia cheirifolia L. is distributed in the eastern regions of Algeria. The aim of this study is to evaluate its phytochemical composition with following pharmacological assessments: the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities of Hertia cheirifolia L. essential oil (EO). GC-MS analysis was used to analyze the chemical constituents of H. cheirifolia essential oil. The antioxidant capacity was assessed using DPPH, FRAP, and H 2 O 2 tests. The EO was also tested for its ability to inhibit six strains of microorganisms, including two Gram (+) and four Gram (-) strains. The antifungal activity was tested by analyzing the effect of the EO on the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici (FOL) fungi. Results showed that primary volatile components were α-pinene (32.59%), 2-(1-cyclopent-1-enyl-1-methylethyl) cyclopentanone (14.62%), (-)-germacrene D (11.37%), and bakkenolide A (9.57%). H. cheirifolia EO showed inhibitory effects against DPPH, H 2 O 2 , and FRAP (IC 50 = 0.34 ± 0.1, 0.053 ± 0.1, and 0.047 ± 0.01 mg mL -1 , respectively). The EO also exhibited moderate antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 ( S. aureus ), Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC 49619 ( S. pneumoniae ), and Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 13048 ( E. aerogenes ), as well as significant antioxidant potential and varied antifungal activity based on dosage and fungal strain. To our knowledge, no previous research has examined the antifungal capacity of H. cheirifolia oil and oil-mycelial development of the FOL relationship. To fully explore the benefits of H. cheirifolia EO, more in vivo research is necessary, along with more testing on other bacterial and fungal strains., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities with chemical composition and molecular docking of essential oil and nonpolar extracts of Mentha piperita were evaluated using enzymatic and chemical methods. Molecular docking tools were used to explain the interaction of the major chemical constituents with the enzymes. GC/MS analyses revealed that the main compounds in M. piperita essential oil were l-menthone (43.601%) followed by pulegone (21.610%), linolenic acid (25.628%), and l-menthone (10.957%), representing the major compounds of the petroleum ether extract. Imidazoquinoline (7.767%) and 17-N-acetyl-oroidine (5.363%) were the major constituents of the chloroform extract. Linolenic acid (19.397%) and l-menthone (6.336%) were the most abundant compounds in the hexane extract. The M. piperita essential oil and nonpolar extracts showed moderate antioxidant activity. The essential oil showed the most promising anticholinesterase activity with IC 50 = 10.66 ± 0.12 µg/mL and IC 50 = 16.33 ± 0.03 µg/mL against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), respectively, close to galantamine in AChE and more active in BChE, followed by the interesting activity in the petroleum ether extract with IC 50 = 23.42 ± 3.06 µg/mL in AChE and IC 50 = 62.00 ± 3.22 µg/mL in BChE. The docking experiments showed that among the seven major identified compounds, N-acetyl-17-oroidine showed the highest binding score (63.01 in AChE and 63.68 in BChE). This compound was found to bind the catalytic and peripheral sites, resulting in more potent inhibitory activity than galantamine, which only binds to the catalytic site. These findings suggested the possible use of M. piperita essential oil and nonpolar extracts as a potential source of alternative natural anti-Alzheimer compounds.

This work aimed to investigate, for the first time, the chemical composition, antioxidant, antiparasitic, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial activities of the aromatic plant Limonium oleifolium Mill. essential oil (EO) and organic extracts. L. oleifolium aerial parts essential oil was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS, and 46 constituents representing 98.25±1.12 % of the oil were identified. γ-Muurolene (10.81±0.07 %), cis-caryophyllene (7.71±0.06 %), o-cymene (7.07±0.01 %) and α-copaene (5.02±0.05 %) were the essential oil main compounds. The antioxidant activity of L. oleifolium EO and organic extracts (MeOH, CHCl 3 , AcOEt, BuOH) was explored using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ABTS, β-carotene/linoleic acid, cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), and ferric reducing power assays. The results showed that L. oleifolium EO exhibit antioxidant capacity (IC 50 =17.40±1.32 μg/mL for DPPH assay, IC 50 =29.82±1.08 μg/mL for β-carotene assay, IC 50 =25.23±1.01 μg/mL for ABTS assay, IC 50 =9.11±0.08 μg/mL for CUPRAC assay and IC 50 =19.41±2.06 mg/mL for reducing power assay). Additionally, the EO showed significant activity against trophozoite form of Acanthamoeba castellanii (IC 50 =7.48±0.41 μg/mL) and promastigote form of Leishmania amazonensis (IC 50 =19.36±1.06 μg/mL) and low cytotoxicity on murine macrophages (LC 50  90.23±1.09 μg/mL), as well as good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results suggest that L. oleifolium essential oil is a valuable source of bioactive compounds presenting antioxidant, antiparasitic, and antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, it is considered nontoxic., (© 2021 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Protozoan pathogens that cause neglected tropical diseases are a major public health concern in tropical and developing countries. In the course of our ongoing search for new lead compounds as potential antiprotozoal agents, this study aims to perform a bio-guided fractionation of Pituranthos battandieri, using an in vitro assay against Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi. Two known polyacetylenes, (-)-panaxydiol (1) and (-)-falcarindiol (2) were identified from the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of P. battandieri as the main bioactive constituents. Compounds 1 and 2 showed similar potency (IC 50 values of 5.76 and 5.68 μM, respectively) against L. amazonensis to miltefosine (IC 50 value of 6.48 μM), the reference drug, and low toxicity on macrophage cell lines J774. Moreover, compound 1 exhibited moderate activity (IC 50 23.24 μM) against T. cruzi. In addition, three known furanocoumarins, 8-geranyloxypsoralen (3), 8-geranyloxy-5-methoxypsoralen (4), and phellopterin (5) were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by NMR and MS analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 are described for the first time in the Pituranthos genus, and this is the first report on their antiprotozoal activity. These results highlight this type of polyacetylenes as an interesting scaffold for the development of novel antiparasitic drugs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study was performed on the derived fractions [chloroform (FT-C), ethyl acetate (FT-E) and n -butanol (FT-B)] of the 70% ethanol extract prepared from Frankenia thymifolia , endemic to North Africa. The fractions showed high total phenolic and flavonoid contents particularly FT-E. These results agreed with their antioxidant effects. Indeed, all the fractions were able to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, with a better power of FT-E. These results were supported by the inhibition of β-carotene oxidation assay. The fractions showed moderate activity against Acanthamoeba castellanii and Leishmania amazonensis with a better activity of FT-E against A. castellanii. Moreover, FT-B exhibited an interesting antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria. The phytochemical investigation of the most active fractions (FT-E and FT-B) led to the isolation and structural determination of six compounds. The observed biological activities may be associated with the presence of quercetin and its derivatives found in the chemical composition of these fractions.