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Medicinal Chemistry of Aromatic Plants
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Medicinal Chemistry of Aromatic Plants

A topical collection in Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This collection belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

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Editor

Dr. Noura Dosoky

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Research Scientist IV, doTERRA International, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062, USA
Interests: natural products; medicinal chemistry; drug discovery; biological activities; novel bioactive compounds; structure elucidation; essential oils; pharmaceutical resources; preclinical research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Aromatic plants have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years in many forms, from the fresh plant and its natural secretions to extracts and oils. They are also a rich source of numerous medicinal compounds used in modern medicine. Aromatic plants synthesize a variety of secondary metabolites with remarkably wide ranges of pharmacological properties such as antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, antinociceptive, and antibiotic activities, among others. Even though previous phytochemical studies on medicinal plants led to the isolation of several therapeutic compounds, medicinal and aromatic plants are still valuable sources for the discovery of novel pharmaceuticals. In addition, these compounds can also serve as potential leads for synthetic modification and optimization to produce more effective therapeutics. Recent advances in the extraction and purification of active plant constituents offer exceptional opportunities for drug development.

Contributions to this Topical Collection (original research and review articles) may cover all aspects of medicinal chemistry of aromatic plants, including extraction of essential oils; extraction of bioactive compounds; isolation, purification and structural characterization of new compounds; in vitro and in vivo biological and pharmacological effects of essential oils, extracts, or isolated compounds; clinical studies; novel properties of aromatic plant-derived bioactive compounds; the elucidation of their mechanisms of action; structure–function relationship; synergic interaction with other substances; safety and potential toxicity of natural aromatic compounds; biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, biochemical pathways, and associated enzymes; bioavailability, stability, and innovative delivery systems.

Dr. Noura Dosoky
Collection Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aromatic plants
  • essential oils
  • bioactive compounds
  • pharmacology of volatiles
  • secondary metabolites
  • isolation techniques
  • structure elucidation
  • biological activity

Published Papers (6 papers)

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2022

Jump to: 2021

20 pages, 1665 KiB  
Article
Neutrophil Immunomodulatory Activity of Nerolidol, a Major Component of Essential Oils from Populus balsamifera Buds and Propolis
by Igor A. Schepetkin, Gulmira Özek, Temel Özek, Liliya N. Kirpotina, Polina I. Kokorina, Andrei I. Khlebnikov and Mark T. Quinn
Plants 2022, 11(23), 3399; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233399 - 6 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2058
Abstract
Propolis is a resinous mixture of substances collected and processed from various botanical sources by honeybees. Black poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) buds are one of the primary sources of propolis. Despite their reported therapeutic properties, little is known about the innate immunomodulatory [...] Read more.
Propolis is a resinous mixture of substances collected and processed from various botanical sources by honeybees. Black poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) buds are one of the primary sources of propolis. Despite their reported therapeutic properties, little is known about the innate immunomodulatory activity of essential oils from P. balsamifera and propolis. In the present studies, essential oils were isolated from the buds of P. balsamifera and propolis collected in Montana. The main components of the essential oil from P. balsamifera were E-nerolidol (64.0%), 1,8-cineole (10.8%), benzyl benzoate (3.7%), α-terpinyl acetate (2.7%), α-pinene (1.8%), o-methyl anisol (1.8%), salicylaldehyde (1.8%), and benzyl salicylate (1.6%). Likewise, the essential oil from propolis was enriched with E-nerolidol (14.4%), cabreuva oxide-VI (7.9%), α-bisabolol (7.1%), benzyl benzoate (6.1%), β-eudesmol (3.6%), T-cadinol (3.1%), 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (3.1%), α-eudesmol (3.0%), fokienol (2.2%), nerolidol oxide derivative (1.9%), decanal (1.8%), 3-butenyl benzene (1.5%), 1,4-dihydronaphthalene (1.5%), selina-4,11-diene (1.5%), α-cadinol (1.5%), linalool (1.4%), γ-cadinene (1.4%), 2-phenylethyl-2-methyl butyrate (1.4%), 2-methyl-2-butenol (1.3%), octanal (1.1%), benzylacetone (1.1%), and eremoligenol (1.1%). A comparison between P. balsamifera and propolis essential oils demonstrated that 22 compounds were found in both essential oil samples. Both were enriched in E-nerolidol and its derivatives, including cabreuva oxide VI and nerolidol oxides. P. balsamifera and propolis essential oils and pure nerolidol activated Ca2+ influx in human neutrophils. Since these treatments activated neutrophils, the essential oil samples were also evaluated for their ability to down-regulate the neutrophil responses to subsequent agonist activation. Indeed, treatment with P. balsamifera and propolis essential oils inhibited subsequent activation of these cells by the N-formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) agonist fMLF and the FPR2 agonist WKYMVM. Likewise, nerolidol inhibited human neutrophil activation induced by fMLF (IC50 = 4.0 μM) and WKYMVM (IC50 = 3.7 μM). Pretreatment with the essential oils and nerolidol also inhibited human neutrophil chemotaxis induced by fMLF, again suggesting that these treatments down-regulated human neutrophil responses to inflammatory chemoattractants. Finally, reverse pharmacophore mapping predicted several potential kinase targets for nerolidol. Thus, our studies have identified nerolidol as a potential anti-inflammatory modulator of human neutrophils. Full article
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2021

Jump to: 2022

30 pages, 7304 KiB  
Review
Pharmacological Efficacy of Tamarix aphylla: A Comprehensive Review
by Saad Ali Alshehri, Shadma Wahab, Shahabe Saquib Abullais, Gotam Das, Umme Hani, Wasim Ahmad, Mohd Amir, Ayaz Ahmad, Geetha Kandasamy and Rajalakshimi Vasudevan
Plants 2022, 11(1), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010118 - 31 Dec 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5624
Abstract
Tamarix aphylla is a well-known species of the genus Tamarix. T. aphylla (Tamaricaceae) is a perennial tree in Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa. It is used as a carminative diuretic in tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis. Various pharmacological properties have been [...] Read more.
Tamarix aphylla is a well-known species of the genus Tamarix. T. aphylla (Tamaricaceae) is a perennial tree in Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa. It is used as a carminative diuretic in tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis. Various pharmacological properties have been shown by T. aphylla, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and wound-healing activity. However, T. aphylla has not received much attention for its secondary metabolites and bioactive constituents. Research has shown that this plant has hidden potential that needs to be explored. This review aims to cover botanical classification, geographical distribution, taxonomy, ethnobotanical uses, and the phytochemical compounds found in T. aphylla. The toxicology and pharmacological effects of T. aphylla are also discussed. We examined various scholarly resources to gather information on T. aphylla, including Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, PubMed, and Web of Science. The finding of this work validates a connection between T. aphylla in conventional medicine and its antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and other biological effects. T. aphylla’s entire plant (such as bark, leaves, fruits) and root extracts have been used to treat hypertension, stomach discomfort, hair loss, cough and asthma, abscesses, wounds, rheumatism, jaundice, fever, tuberculosis, and gum and tooth infection. The phytochemical screening revealed that noticeably all extracts were devoid of alkaloids, followed by the presence of tannins. In addition, different parts have revealed the existence of steroids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and byproducts of gallic acid and ellagic acid. T. aphylla has shown many valuable activities against different diseases and supports its traditional uses. Therefore, high-quality preclinical research and well-designated clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of this plant in humans. Full article
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25 pages, 9427 KiB  
Review
Exploring Pharmacological Mechanisms of Essential Oils on the Central Nervous System
by Giselle A. Borges e Soares, Tanima Bhattacharya, Tulika Chakrabarti, Priti Tagde and Simona Cavalu
Plants 2022, 11(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010021 - 22 Dec 2021
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 12334
Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) have been traditionally used as ancient remedies to treat many health disorders due to their enormous biological activities. As mainstream allopathic medication currently used for CNS disorders is associated with adverse effects, the search to obtain safer alternatives as compared [...] Read more.
Essential oils (EOs) have been traditionally used as ancient remedies to treat many health disorders due to their enormous biological activities. As mainstream allopathic medication currently used for CNS disorders is associated with adverse effects, the search to obtain safer alternatives as compared to the currently marketed therapies is of tremendous significance. Research conducted suggests that concurrent utilization of allopathic medicines and EOs is synergistically beneficial. Due to their inability to show untoward effects, various scientists have tried to elucidate the pharmacological mechanisms by which these oils exert beneficial effects on the CNS. In this regard, our review aims to improve the understanding of EOs’ biological activity on the CNS and to highlight the significance of the utilization of EOs in neuronal disorders, thereby improving patient acceptability of EOs as therapeutic agents. Through data compilation from library searches and electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, etc., recent preclinical and clinical data, routes of administration, and the required or maximal dosage for the observation of beneficial effects are addressed. We have also highlighted the challenges that require attention for further improving patient compliance, research gaps, and the development of EO-based nanomedicine for targeted therapy and pharmacotherapy. Full article
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13 pages, 1567 KiB  
Article
Aegle marmelos Leaf Extract Phytochemical Analysis, Cytotoxicity, In Vitro Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities
by Wasim Ahmad, Mohd Amir, Adil Ahmad, Abuzer Ali, Amena Ali, Shadma Wahab, Harshita Abul Barkat, Mohammad Azam Ansari, Mohammad Sarafroz, Ayaz Ahmad, Md. Abul Barkat and Prawez Alam
Plants 2021, 10(12), 2573; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122573 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6064
Abstract
For many years, Aegle marmelos (A. marmelos) has been used medicinally and as a dietary supplement. Despite this, there are minimal research data on A. marmelos phytochemical properties and pharmacological effects. This study aimed to explore the phytoconstituents, cytotoxicity, glucose uptake, [...] Read more.
For many years, Aegle marmelos (A. marmelos) has been used medicinally and as a dietary supplement. Despite this, there are minimal research data on A. marmelos phytochemical properties and pharmacological effects. This study aimed to explore the phytoconstituents, cytotoxicity, glucose uptake, and antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of an alcoholic extract of A. marmelos leaf. The cytotoxicity of A. marmelos in HepG2 cells was tested in vitro, and the results revealed that it has strong cytocompatibility and cytoprotective properties. The extract’s antioxidant activities were investigated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. Antioxidant potential was shown to be quite impressive. The enzymes α-amylase and α-glycosidase were found to be substantially inhibited by A. marmelos, with IC50 values of 46.21 and 42.07 mg/mL, respectively. In HepG2 cells, A. marmelos significantly reduced ROS levels that were elevated due to high glucose and enhanced glucose consumption (p < 0.05). These activities might be due to the enrichment of bioactive phytoconstituents analyzed chromatographically using GC/MS and HPLC. The findings of this study show that A. marmelos could be an effective restorative therapy for diabetes and related diseases. Full article
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11 pages, 902 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Activities of Sesquiterpene-Rich Essential Oils of Two Medicinal Plants, Lannea egregia and Emilia sonchifolia, from Nigeria
by Akintayo L. Ogundajo, Tolulope Ewekeye, Olubunmi J. Sharaibi, Moses S. Owolabi, Noura S. Dosoky and William N. Setzer
Plants 2021, 10(3), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030488 - 5 Mar 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3558
Abstract
Lannea egregia (Anacardiaceae) and Emilia sonchifolia (Asteraceae) are plants used in traditional medicine in southwestern Nigeria. The essential oils from the leaves of L. egregia and E. sonchifolia were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Both essential oils were dominated [...] Read more.
Lannea egregia (Anacardiaceae) and Emilia sonchifolia (Asteraceae) are plants used in traditional medicine in southwestern Nigeria. The essential oils from the leaves of L. egregia and E. sonchifolia were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Both essential oils were dominated by sesquiterpenoids. The major components in L. egregia leaf essential oil were α-panasinsen (34.90%), (E)-caryophyllene (12.25%), α-copaene (11.39%), and selina-4,11-diene (9.29%), while E. sonchifolia essential oil was rich in γ-himachalene (25.16%), (E)-caryophyllene (15.72%), and γ-gurjunene (8.58%). The essential oils were screened for antimicrobial activity against a panel of bacteria and fungi and displayed minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 156 μg/mL to 625 μg/mL. Based on these results, either L. egregia or E. sonchifolia essential oil may be recommended for exploration as complementary antibacterial or antifungal agents. Full article
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12 pages, 2139 KiB  
Article
GC-MS Based Identification of the Volatile Components of Six Astragalus Species from Uzbekistan and Their Biological Activity
by Haidy A. Gad, Nilufar Z. Mamadalieva, Stefan Böhmdorfer, Thomas Rosenau, Gokhan Zengin, Rano Z. Mamadalieva, Nawal M. Al Musayeib and Mohamed L. Ashour
Plants 2021, 10(1), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010124 - 8 Jan 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3516
Abstract
The compositions of volatile components in the aerial parts of six Astragalus species, namely A. campylotrichus (Aca), A. chiwensis (Ach), A. lehmannianus (Ale), A. macronyx (Ama), A. mucidus (Amu) and A. sieversianus ( [...] Read more.
The compositions of volatile components in the aerial parts of six Astragalus species, namely A. campylotrichus (Aca), A. chiwensis (Ach), A. lehmannianus (Ale), A. macronyx (Ama), A. mucidus (Amu) and A. sieversianus (Asi), were investigated using gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Ninety-seven metabolites were identified, accounting for 73.28, 87.03, 74.38, 87.93, 85.83, and 91.39% of Aca, Ach, Ale, Ama, Amu and Asi whole oils, respectively. Sylvestrene was the most predominant component in Asi, Amu and Ama, with highest concentration in Asi (64.64%). In addition, (E)-2-hexenal was present in a high percentage in both Ale and Ach (9.97 and 10.1%, respectively). GC-MS based metabolites were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchal cluster analysis (HCA) to explore the correlations between the six species. The PCA score plot displayed clear differentiation of all Astragalus species and a high correlation between the Amu and Ama species. The antioxidant activity was evaluated in vitro using various assays, phosphomolybdenum (PM), 2,2 diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH), 2,2-azino bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric reducing power (FRAP) and ferrous ion chelation (FIC) assays. In addition, the potential for the volatile samples to inhibit both acetyl/butyrylcholinesterases (AChE, BChE), α- amylase, α-glucosidase and tyrosinase was assessed. Most of the species showed considerable antioxidant potential in the performed assays. In the DPPH assay, Ama exhibited the maximum activity (24.12 ± 2.24 mg TE/g sample), and the volatiles from Amu exhibited the highest activity (91.54 mgTE/g oil) in the ABTS radical scavenging assay. The effect was more evident in both CUPRAC and FRAP assays, where both Ale and Ama showed the strongest activity in comparison with the other tested species (84.06, 80.28 mgTE/g oil for CUPRAC and 49.47, 49.02 mgTE/g oil for FRAP, respectively). Asi demonstrated the strongest AChE (4.55 mg GALAE/g oil) and BChE (3.61 mg GALAE/g oil) inhibitory effect. Furthermore, the best tyrosinase inhibitory potential was observed for Ale (138.42 mg KAE/g). Accordingly, Astragalus species can be utilized as promising natural sources for many medicinally important components that could be tested as drug candidates for treating illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes mellitus and oxidative stress-related diseases. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Phenolic Profile, Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antipyretic Effects of Zingiber roseum Leaf Extract: In Vivo and In Silico Approaches
Authors: A.F.M. Shahid-Ud-Daula
Affiliation: Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh

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