Introduction: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Syria. Potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella is the main damaging pest of this crop. Many approaches were tried to control it. Objectives: This study evaluates the insecticidal activity of Juniperus foetidissima essential oil and two monoterpenes against potato tuber moth using fumigation bioassays. Methods: Essential oil was extracted from new plant branches of Juniperus foetidissima using Clevengertype apparatus. Potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella, (adults, eggs, larvae, and pupae) were exposed to different concentrations of the essential oil of Juniperus foetidissima for various periods. The significance of differences between treatments at p<0.05 were evaluated by one-way analysis of variance using the mortality percentages data. The LC50 and LC90 were calculated by Probit analysis. Results: Essential oil vapor with LC50: 0.3 μl/l air was very effective against potato tuber moth at the adult stage. However; adults sensitivity to monoterpenes varied: Nerol caused a 100% mortality at 0.025 μl/l air after 6 h, while the same concentration of citronellol caused 98% mortality. The 0.125 μl/l air concentration of the two compounds caused 100% mortality after 6 h. Conclusion: Results suggest the possibility of using Juniperus foetidissima essential oil as a fumigant to control potato tuber moth infestation in stores
The present study was aimed to assess the antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive and antioxidant effect of D-carvone, a monoterpene against Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) induced hypertension. Hypertension was prompted in adult male albino rats of the Wistar strain by oral administration of the L-NAME (40 mg/kg body weight) in drinking water for 4 weeks. Rats were treated with D-carvone (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight) for four weeks. L-NAME treated rats exhibited significant increase in water intake, heart rate, aortic lipids level such as triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acids (FFA) and significant decrease in the level of phospholipids (PL), plasma nitric oxide (NO). The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were decreased in erythrocytes of L-NAME induced hypertensive rats. Treatment with D-carvone restored all the above parameters to near normal level. These results suggest that D-carvone acts as an antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive and antioxidant agent against L-NAME induced hypertensive rats.
Investigations were undertaken in the north-west part of the Tucholski Landscape Park (northern Poland). Samples were collected from soil adjacent to the banks of Lakes Suszek, Śpierewnik, Grochowskie, Raciąż and Stobno. The compounds were adsorbed by the solid-phase extraction method on octadecyl (C 18) layers, separated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography (GC) methods and analysed by the densitometry and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques respectively. In samples, phenol, 4-methylphenol, 4-nitrophenol, chlorophenols, chlorocatechols, chloroguaiacols, chlorosyringols, 3,4,5-trichloroveratrole, 5,6-dichlorovaniline and several monoterpenes were determined. The increase of the number and concentrations of the compounds investigated in summer and spring was stated.
Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) is used as a quick and easy alternative to standard distillation in essential oils composition assays. Due to the absence of the distillation step a considerable reduction of sample volume and of the time of sample preparation is possible. This method was used in experiments with essential oils obtained from Crithmum maritimum L. and Centella asiatica Urban (= Hydrocotyle asiatica L.). In this work the overground parts of Crithmum maritimum were analysed. The material was collected in 2003 from places of natural occurrence in Greece and Croatia, from a garden cultivation in Gdańsk, during the whole vegetation period, from plants from a control group and plants fertilised with Tytanit formula. Centella asiatica material was collected directly from an in vitro culture and from plants cultivated for six months in flowerpots, where they were transferred after five passages of in vitro culture. The analysis of components of monoterpene fraction was performed by gas chromatography. The percentage and composition of essential oils were different in all the tested samples. Crithmum maritimum material (from places of natural occurrence and from garden cultivation) shows the biggest differences in the content of a-pinene, 7-terpinene and sabinene. Plants treated with a Tytanit solution responded by increase of total percentage of essential oil with higher contents of 7-terpinene and sabinene. In Centella asiatica a higher percentage of essential oil (mainly a-pinene) was observed in roots than in leaves. Leaves treated with Ti ions had a higher amount of a-pinene than the control ones. Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) method enables fast estimation of interference of each tested factor on the biosynthesis and composition of the essential oil. SPME was also useful in selection of the proper material for next experiments.
Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (amur cork tree, Rutaceae), a strong tree, native to Eastern Asia, it is cultivated in Europe and America as a decorative plant. Phellodendri cortex contains alkaloids, limonoids, phenolic compounds and polysaccharides. It is used as antiinflammatory, antineuralgic and antidiabetic agent in stomach diseases in Far East Medicine. Air-dried fruits contain 1.9% of essential oil. Monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were investigated. Hydrocarbon fractions were isolated by vacuum distillation and flash chromatography. Components of fractions were identified by GC, GC/MS, and 'H-NMR spectroscopy. Fifteen monoterpene hydrocarbons representing 72% of the oil with myrcene (67,3%) and nineteen sesquiterpene hydrocarbons representing 1 1% of the oil with ß-caryophyllene (7.0%) and germacrene D (1.6%), were identified.
The molluscicidal activity of six monoterpenes and two phenylpropenes against Theba pisana adults was evaluated using fumigation and direct contact methods. In the fumigant toxicity assay, (-)-citronellal showed the highest toxicity with LC50 value of 7.79 µl · l−1 air after 24 h of treatment, followed by (-)-terpinen-4-ol (LC50 = 12.06 µl · l−1), (-)-menthone (LC50 = 12.28 µl · l−1 air) and p-cymene (LC50 = 16.07 µl · l−1 air). Eugenol and trans-cinnamaldehyde were the most potent contact toxicants against T. pisana. Their LD50 values were 0.18 and 0.29 mg · snail−1 after 24 h of treatment, respectively. These two compounds were more toxic than a reference molluscicide, methomyl. In contrast, α-terpinene and (-)-citronellal were the least toxic compounds. In another experiment, the synergistic effect of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) on tested monoterpenes and phenylpropenes by topical application was examined. The results showed that the toxicity of the tested compounds was increased when mixed with PBO at a ratio [compound/PBO (1 : 2)] except for α-pinene and (-)-terpinen-4-ol in which the toxicity of binary mixtures was less than for single compounds. The synergistic effect of PBO improved with increased exposure time. The highest synergistic effect was observed with (-)-menthone and α-terpinene with synergistic ratios of 9.25 and 4.37, respectively. Monoterpenes and phenylpropenes and their mixtures with PBO described herein merit further studies as potential T. pisana control agents.
We measured the gas exchange and foliar terpene concentrations and terpene emission rates of Cistus albidus throughout the seasons of two annual periods (2003 and 2005) of contrasting precipitations (900 vs. 500 mm) and in response to experimental drought in a Mediterranean forest of southern Catalonia. C. albidus showed a typical seasonal oscillation of photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance. Maximum photosynthetic activity appeared in the spring of the first year of the study and minimum ones in both summers. Net photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance tended to decrease with drought treatment. In the first year, Cistus albidus presented maximum values of stored terpenes in autumn and winter and minimum values in spring and summer. Average concentrations in the first year were 154 and 96 µg g⁻¹ dry matter (d.m.) for control and drought, respectively. Average concentrations in the second year were higher, 339 and 263 µg g⁻¹ (d.m.) for control and drought, respectively. The most abundant terpene was zingiberene, followed by aromadendrene, germacrene, (-)-α-cedrene, and sesquiphellandrene. The drought treatment tended to decrease terpene content, but not significantly. Considering all the treatments together, total terpene emissions ranged between practically 0 (spring 2003) to 9 µg g⁻¹ (d.m.) h⁻¹ (winter 2003). In the second year, total terpene emission rates decreased 39% in control plants, and 29% in drought plants. Significant seasonal differences in emission rates were found. Total emission rates tended to be higher in the drought treatment, especially in spring and autumn. These results help for a better understanding of the behavior of plant volatiles in Mediterranean conditions interannualy and seasonally, an issue of great interest for forest flammability and atmospheric chemistry.
Multiple shoots of Telekia speciosa were cultivated on MS medium containing 4.44 µM BAP and 0.54 µM NAA, solidified with agar. After eight weeks of culture the shoots were harvested and extracted with methanol. From the methanol extract one pseudoguaianolide – 2,3-dihydroaromaticin and three thymol derivatives: 8-hydroxy-9,10-diisobutyryloxythymol, 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxythymyl isobutyrate and 10-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-8,9-epoxythymyl isobutyrate were isolated as major secondary metabolites. Moreover, the shoots produced megastigmane and monoterpene glucosides, which were isolated for the first time from the species. The content of 2,3-dihydroaromaticin in the shoot culture was similar to that found in the intact plant, whereas yields of the three thymol derivatives were higher from multiple shoots than from the plants grown in the open field.
Introduction: The potato tuber moth (PTM) is the major economic pest of potato. Different approaches were tried to prevent and control this pest including natural pesticides and synthetic fumigants. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the insecticidal activity of the essential oils of thyme and myrtle. In addition to evaluating the insecticidal activity of carvacrol and eucalyptol against the different life stages of potato tuber moth using a fumigation bioassays. Methods: Thyme and myrtle oils were extracted from wild Thymus syriacus Boiss. and wild Myrtus communis L. by hydrodistillation. Fumigation experiments were conducted on potato tuber moth of different stages of development (eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults), using standard methods. The potato tuber moth was treated for different periods using different concentrations of the essential oils. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied on the mortality percentages data to estimate the significance of differences between treatments at p<0.05. Probit analysis was used to estimate the LC50, LC90 and LT50. Results: Adult stage was the most sensitive to essential oils vapours with LC50 value of 0.5 μl/l air. Whereas, pupal stages were the most tolerant. The essential oil of thyme possessed the strongest fumigant toxicity against eggs with a LC50 value of 6.1 μl/l air. The two monoterpens showed varied fumigant toxicity against adult stage. Carvacrol achieved 100% mortality at 0.125 μl/l air after 6 h, and 0.025 μl/l air after 48h exposure with LT50 period of 0.5 h. Conclusion: The present work demonstrated that T. syriacus essential oil is a promising natural fumigant against the different developmental stages of PTM.
Introduction: Molecular markers are the examples of the contribution of genome technology to medicinal plant breeding through marker-assisted selection (MAS) for pharmaceutical quality. Objective: Forty-two accessions of Origanum vulgare L. originating from Europe were evaluated to detect genomic and chemotypic polymorphisms and to discover possible associations between them. Methods: A total of 477 molecular polymorphisms including 214 AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) and 263 SAMPL (Selectively Amplified Microsatellite Polymorphic Loci) were used for genotyping. Components in the essential oils were identified and quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and two major compounds (two economically important monoterpenes: carvacrol and thymol) were investigated. Results: Based on results, a relatively high correlation between chemotypic patterns and genetic markers was identified. Associations between traits of interest for essential oils (carvacrol and thymol content) and genetic markers were tested using five statistical methods including three General Linear Model (GLM) and two unified Mixed Linear Model (MLM) approaches. Significant associations were found for 3 AFLP and 20 SAMPL with three key traits including essential oil yield, carvacrol and thymol content. Conclusion: These associations can constitute a useful starting point for marker-assisted selection. Therefore, the results provide the basis for molecular breeding of O. vulgare for pharmaceutical purposes.
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