The methanol extract of the aerial parts of the medicinal plant Pedicularis sibthorpii Boiss., Scrophulariaceae, growing in the Azerbaijan province of Iran, was found to be active in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and the antibacterial agar well diffusion assays, but no general toxicity was observed in the brine shrimp lethality assay. A combination of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-RP-HPLC) analyses of the methanolic extract afforded three phenylethanoids (verbascoside, martynoside and isomartynoside), an iridoid (aucubin), a flavonoid (luteolin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside) and mannitol, and the structures of these compounds were elucidated unambiguously by spectroscopic means. The distribution of the isolated compounds within the genus Pedicularis has also been discussed.

From the methanolic extract of the aerial parts of Ajuga chamaepitys (L.) Schreb., Lamiaceae, one of the Iranian medicinal plants, the phenylethanoid glycoside, acteoside, and two flavone glycosides, chrysoeriol 7-O-glucopyranoside (3'-methoxy-luteolin 7-O-glucopyranoside) and apigenin 7-O-rhamnopyranoside, were isolated by a combination of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-RP-HPLC) methods. Structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic means. The free-radical-scavenging properties of the extracts, fractions and isolated compounds were determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. While among the extracts, the MeOH extract showed the highest level of free-radical-scavenging activity (RC50 1.15 × 10-1 mg/mL), chrysoeriol 7-O-glucopyranoside was the most active (RC50 3.00 × 10-3 mg/mL) among the isolated compounds. The GC-MS and the GC-FID analyses revealed α-pinene (23.66%), β-pinene (9.33%), 1-octen-3-ol (9.72%), β-phellandrene (8.70%) and germacrene-D (7.92%) as the major components of the essential oils derived from the aerial parts of this plant. The presence of phenolic glycosides and the α- and β-pinene-rich essential oils in A. chamaepitys may provide some rationale for the traditional medicinal uses of this species in Iran.

Artemisia species (Asteraceae), widespread throughout the world, are a group of important medicinal plants. The extracts of two medicinal plants of this genus, Artemisia scoparia Waldst. & Kit. and A. spicigera C. Koch, were evaluated for potential antimalarial, free-radical-scavenging and insecticidal properties, using the heme biocrystallisation and inhibition assay, the DPPH assay and the contact toxicity bioassay using the pest Tribolium castaneum, respectively. The methanol extracts of both species showed strong free-radical-scavenging activity and the RC50 values were 0.0317 and 0.0458 mg/mL, respectively, for A. scoparia and A. spicigera. The dichloromethane extracts of both species displayed a moderate level of potential antimalarial activity providing IC50 at 0.778 and 0.999 mg/mL for A. scoparia and A. spicigera, respectively. Both species of Artemisia showed insecticidal properties. However, A. spicigera was more effective than A. scoparia.

Grammosciadium platycarpum Boiss. & Hausskn (Apiaceae) é uma das três espécies endémicas no Irã do gênero Grammosciadium DC. Consumo da parte aérea da planta afeta a função renal e causa diurese. No ensaio por DPPH o extrato metanólico apresentou o maior nível de atividade de antioxidante por radicais livres (RC50 = 1,196 x 10-2 mg/mL) entre os extratos. Análises por HPLC preparativa de fase reversa do extrato metanólico resultou no isolamento de nove flavonóides, os quais foram responsáveis pela atividade de antioxidante do extrato metanólico. A análises por CG-EM dos óleos essenciais levou à identificação de 29 terpenóides, principalmente monoterpenos (não-oxigenados 3,97% e oxigenados, 77,49%), os quais representam mais de 96% do total de óleos.

Grammosciadium platycarpum Boiss. & Hausskn (Apiaceae) is one of three endemic Iranian species of the genus Grammosciadium DC. Consumption of the aerial parts of this plant affects renal function and causes diuresis. In the DPPH assay the methanol extract showed the highest level of free radical scavenging activity (RC50 = 1.196 x 10-2 mg/mL) among the extracts. Reversed-phase preparative HPLC analyses of the methanol extract yielded nine flavonoids, which were responsible for the free radical scavenging activity of the MeOH extract. The GC-MS analyses of the essential oils led to the identification of 29 terpenoids, mainly monoterpenes (non-oxygenated 3.97% and oxygenated 77.49%) accounting for over 96% of the total oils.

Os estudos fitoquímicos das partes aéreas de Prangos uloptera, uma espécie do gênero Prangos endêmica do Irã, forneceram cinco cumarinas, xantotoxina (1), prangenina (2), escopoletina (3), deltoína (4) e prangolarina (5). As estruturas destas cumarinas foram elucidas através de métodos espectroscópicos e o potencial antioxidante de 1-5 foi avaliado pelo ensaio de DPPH. O significado quimiotaxonômico de 1-5 também é discutido.

Phytochemical studies on the aerial parts of Prangos uloptera, an endemic Iranian species of the genus Prangos, yielded five coumarins, xanthotoxin (1), prangenin (2), scopoletin (3), deltoin (4) and prangolarin (5). The structures of these coumarins were elucidated by spectroscopic means, and the antioxidant potential of 1-5 was evaluated by the DPPH assay. The chemotaxonomic significance of 1-5 is also discussed.

Hiperlipidemia é um fator de risco bem conhecido para diversas doenças inclusive aterosclerose, doenças cardíacas e derrame cerebral. Na procura de potenciais agentes antihiperlipidêmicos a partir de plantas para prevenir essas doenças, a polpa e as sementes de Citrullus colocynthis foram testadas para verificar seus efeitos no perfil lipídico de coelhos Nova Zelândia hiperlipidêmicos. Nos grupos experimentais que receberam a polpa de C. colocynthis ou 100 mg/kg das sementes, os perfis lipídicos foram significantemente reduzidos quando comparados ao grupo de controle (P<0,05).

Hyperlipidemia is a well-known risk factor for several illnesses including atherosclerosis, heart and vascular diseases and stroke. In the search for potential anti-hyperlipidemic agents from plants to prevent these conditions, the pulp and the seeds of Citrullus colocynthis were assessed for their effects on the lipid profile of hyperlipidemic New Zealand rabbits. In the experimental groups that received the pulp of C. colocynthis or 100 mg/kg of seeds, the lipid profiles were significantly reduced when compared to the control group (P<0.05).