Belma Konuklugil

Lignans in flowering aerial parts of Linum species - chemodiversity in the light of systematics and phylogeny.

The aerial parts of 54 accessions representing 41 Linum species and four species of related genera were analysed for lignans by means of HPLC-ESI/MS-MS-UV/DAD. In total, 64 different lignans of the aryltetralin-, arylnaphthalene-, aryldihydronaphthalene-, dibenzylbutyrolactone-, and furofuran type were identified. According to their lignan profile, the Linum species can be divided in two groups accumulating as major lignan types either cyclolignans of the aryltetralin-series on one hand, or aryldihydronaphthalenes/arylnaphthalenes, on the other. Five of the investigated Linum species did not contain any detectable amounts of these lignans under the chosen analytical conditions. Furthermore, none of the lignans identified in Linum species was detectable in representatives of three related genera, namely, Reinwardtia (Linaceae, Linoideae), Hugonia and Indorouchera (Linaceae, Hugonioideae). The two species groups differing in the types of the dominating cyclolignans comprise representatives of the major taxonomic sections. Representatives of sections Syllinum, Cathartolinum and Linopsis accumulate mainly aryltetralins while those of sections Linum and Dasylinum were found to contain mainly aryldihydronaphthalenes/-naphthalenes. These phytochemical data correlate very well with a recent study on the molecular phylogeny of Linum/Linaceae, where a subdivision of Linum into two major clades comprising representatives of the two mentioned groups was found. Thus, the distribution of lignans apparently reflecting phylogenetic interrelations at the infrageneric level, a plausible scenario for the evolution of lignan biosynthesis in the genus Linum can now be presented.

Hexa-, hepta- and nonaprenylhydroquinones isolated from marine sponges Sarcotragus muscarum and Ircinia fasciculata inhibit NF-k B signalling in H4IIE cells

Objectives Marine organisms have proven to be a rich source of potent pharmacologically active compounds. Three polyprenyl‐1,4‐hydroquinone derivates (hexaprenyl‐1,4‐hydroquinone, heptaprenyl‐1,4‐hydroquinone and nonaprenyl‐1,4‐hydroquinone) were isolated from the Zoobenthos‐inhabiting sponges Sarcotragus muscarum and Ircinia fasciculata from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (phylum: Porifera; class: Demospongiae).

Essential oil of Cyclotrichium longiflorum leblebici

The Genus Cyclotrichium is represented in Turkey by six species, of which two are endemic [1]. Cyclotrichium longiflorum grows in Eastern Anatolia. No studies on the chemical composition of the essential oil of Cyclotrichium longiflorum has previously been reported. This is the first study of the essential oil of this species. The aim of this work was to examine the chemical composition of the essential oil of Cycl trichium longiflorum collected from Hakkari (Cukurca yol ayrimi) inTurkey during flowering (July 2004). The voucher specimen were identified by Mehmet Firat at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, University of 100 Yil,Van –Turkey and has been deposited at the Herbarium of the Department of Biology, Van-Turkey (VANF 4454).

Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Linum arboreum.

Abstract The methanol and water extracts of Linum arboreum.. aerial parts were screened for free radical scavenging activity. The free radical scavenging activity was determined spectrophotometrically on the basis of inhibition of cytochrome c reduction and the ability to bleach the stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The methanol extracts of Linum arboreum. were shown to have potent antioxidant activity.

Essential oil composition of Achillea teretifolia from Turkey

The genus Achillea (Asteraceae) is represented by 42 species in the flora of Turkey, and 23 of them are endemics [1, 2]. Some Achillea species have ethnopharmacologic importance and are known to be used in folk remedies for various purposes [3]. Dried aerial parts of Achillea teretifolia were found to contain 0.4% (calculated per weight of dried plant material) of essential oil. The chemical composition of the essential oils of Achillea teretifolia is reported in Table 1. Thirty-seven compounds, representing 83.53% of the essential oil of Achillea teretifolia, was identified by GC-MS. The major components of the oil were found to be piperitone (21.37%), linalool (18.99%), 1,8-cineole (6.79%), α-terpineol (5.88%), and borneol (4.29%). The essential oil was found to be significantly rich with oxygenated monoterpenes, with a percentage of 71.39%. Although there are a lot of studies reporting the composition of the essential oils of Achillea species, there is only one report referring to Achillea teretifolia [4]. Compared with this work, the two essential oils show different compositions.

Simultaneous determination of selected phenolic acids in Turkish Salvia species by HPLC-DAD

0009-3130/10/4605-0805 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 1) Ankara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, 06100, Ankara, Turkey, fax: (+90312) 2131081, e-mail: gokbulut@pharmacy.ankara.edu.tr; 2) 100. Yil University, Faculty of Education, Department of Biology, Van, Turkey. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 679–680, September–October, 2010. Original article submitted March 16, 2009. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, Vol. 46, No. 5, 2010

COMPOSITION OF ESSENTIAL OIL FROM Bunium incrassatum FROM ALGERIA

The flora of Algeria includes seven species of the plant genus Bunium, four of which are endemic [1]. Essential oils from Bunium species were studied several times [2–6]. The root extract of B. incrassatum afforded two coumarins, -sitosterol, sucrose, and oleic acid. The antimicrobial activity of the primary extract was assessed using agar diffusion. The results showed that the primary extract had highly promising antimicrobial activity against all test microorganisms, especially against fungal strains [7]. Table 1 presents the chemical composition of oils obtained from other Bunium species. B. persicum (Siyah zira, black cumin) is used in Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as a caraway substitute [4–6]. However, information about the essential-oil composition of B. incrassatum has not been published. Essential oils from steam distillation of B. incrassatum collected in Souk Naamane district (eastern Algeria) were analyzed using GC and GC/MS. Table 1 presents the essential-oil composition. Oil from ground fruit (A) of B. incrassatum afforded 28 components (81.4%) including caryophyllene oxide (31.0%), (Z)-farnesene (8.7), -caryophyllene (7.2), and germacrene B (5.8) as the principal constituents of sample A. Oil from fruit-bearing branches (B) of B. incrassatum held 40 constituents (85.2%) including caryophyllene oxide (26.8%), nonacosane (11.6), germacrene B (7.7), -caryophyllene (5.8), (Z)-farnesene (5.1), caryophyllenol II (4.8), and spathulenol (2.5) as the principal constituents in sample B. Thickened branches (C) of B. incrassatum yielded 24 constituents (75.4%) including nonacosane (44.7%), spathulenol (5.3), eudesm-4(15),7-dien-1 -ol (4.4), caryophyllenol II (4.1), (Z)-farnesene (2.3), germacrene B (1.2), and -caryophyllene (1.0) as the principal constituents of sample C. Plant Material. Ground fruit, fruit-bearing branches, and thickened branches of B. incrassatum Batt. (Apiaceae) were collected in Souk Naamane district in Oum-El-Buoaghi province (eastern Algeria) in May 2012. The plant was defined by Dr. Amar Zellagui, instructor of the Department of Biology, University of Oum-El-Bouaghi. A control specimen is preserved in the herbarium of the Department of Biology at the university (Constantine city) under code number ZA 103. Essential Oil Production. Ground fruit and fruit-bearing and thickened branches were steam distilled for 3 h using a Clevenger apparatus in order to determine the percent contents and traces. GC and GC/MS Conditions. GC used an Agilent 6890N chromatograph. The FID temperature was 300°C. A duplicate auto-injection onto an identical column using identical working conditions was made in order to obtain the identical elution sequence for GC/MS analysis. GC/MS used an Agilent 5975 GC-MSD, an Innowax FSC column (60 m 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 mm), and He carrier gas (0.8 mL/min). The GC furnace temperature was maintained at 60°C for 10 min, programmed to 220°C at 4°C/min, held at 220°C for 10 min, and then programmed to 240°C at 1°C/min. The flow division was set at 40:1. The injector temperature was 250°C. The ionizing-electron energy was 70 eV. The m/z range was 35–450. Essential oil constituents were identified by comparing their relative retention times with those of authentic samples or by comparing their relative retention indices (RRI) with a series of n-alkanes. The identification used computerized matching with commercial (Wiley GC/MS Library, Adams Library, MassFinder 3 Library) and local (Bayer Library of Essential Oil Constituents) databases that were created using information for authentic compositions and known oil constituents in addition to MS data from the literature.

Isolation of the lignan 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin from Linum boissieri and Biosynthesis of Lignans in this Species

Abstract We were able to establish a suspension culture of Linum boissieri. that produces 6-methoxypodophyllotoxin (6MPT). As a first step to gain insight into the lignan biosynthesis in L. boissieri. cell cultures, we were able to measure phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity in raw protein extracts. PAL is a key enzyme in the early part of the general phenylpropanoid pathway, leading (beside others) to the precursors for lignan biosynthesis.