Manzoor A. Rather

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of the essential oil of Artemisia indica Willd.

Essential oil from the aerial parts of Artemisia indica was analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. A total of 43 compounds representing 96.8% of the oil were identified and the major components were found to be artemisia ketone (42.1%), germacrene B (8.6%), borneol (6.1%) and cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (4.8%). Antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated against seven clinically significant bacterial and two fungal strains. The essential oil and its major constituents exhibited moderate to potent, broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities targeting both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation against four human cancer cell lines THP-1 (leukemia), A-549 (lung), HEP-2 (liver) and Caco-2 (colon) showed that the essential oil exhibited concentration dependant growth inhibition in the 10-100 μg/ml dilution range, with IC(50) values of 10 μg/ml (THP-1), 25 μg/ml (A-549), 15.5 μg/ml (HEP-2) and 19.5 μg/ml (Caco-2). It was interesting to note that the essential oil also exhibited potent antioxidant activity.

Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the leaf essential oil of Juglans regia L. and its constituents

The essential oil from the leaves of Juglans regia L. (Juglandaceae) growing wild in Kashmir (India) was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by a combination of capillary GC-FID and GC-MS. A total of 38 compounds, representing 92.7% of the oil, were identified and the major components were found to be α-pinene (15.1%), β-pinene (30.5%), β-caryophyllene (15.5%) germacrene D (14.4%) and limonene (3.6%). The essential oil and the main individual constituents were screened for antibacterial activity and the essential oil evaluated for antioxidant activity. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using the disc diffusion and microdilution methods against a group of clinically significant Gram-positive (Staphylococcus epidermidis MTCC-435, Bacillus subtilis MTCC-441, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Proteus vulgaris MTCC-321, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC-1688, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dyssenteriae, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli). The essential oil and its major components exhibited broad spectrum inhibition against all the bacterial strains with Gram-positive being more susceptible to the oil than Gram-negative bacteria. Antioxidant activity of the oil was evaluated by the scavenging effect on DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and hydroxyl radicals. In general, the essential oil exhibited high antioxidant activity which was comparable to the reference standards at the same dose (ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxyl toluene, BHT) with IC(50) values of 34.5 and 56.4μg/ml calculated by DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays respectively.

Chromatographic analysis, anti-proliferative and radical scavenging activity of Pinus wallichina essential oil growing in high altitude areas of Kashmir, India.

PURPOSE To evaluate the in vitro anti-proliferative and radical scavenging properties of the essential oil and its fractions and to determine the chemo-type of P. wallichiana essential oil. METHOD Pinus wallichiana oil was extracted by hydro-distillation and fractionated by silica gel column chromatography method. The oil and its fractions were analyzed by Gas chromatography, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and (13)C NMR. Different concentrations of oil 12.5, 25, 50 and 100μg/ml and single concentration 50μg/ml of its fractions B(1), B(2), A(2), G(2), Uk(13) and I(2) were evaluated for its anti-proliferative activity by in vitro {3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide} assay against human monocyte, lung carcinoma, liver adenocarcinoma, prostate and ovarian carcinoma, while as the radical scavenging activity was evaluated by different in vitro DPPH assays. RESULTS The analyses indicated the presence of 17 constituents with β-pinene (46.8%) and α-pinene (25.2%) as major constituents. The oil and its fractions showed significant anti-proliferative activity. The radical scavenging activity also showed good results. CONCLUSION The oil could be used as a drug to control the diseases like cancer, cirrhosis and arteriosclerosis, caused by reactive oxygen species.

Comparative GC–FID and GC–MS analysis of the mono and sesquiterpene secondary metabolites produced by the field grown and micropropagated plants of Artemisia amygdalina Decne

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the leaves of micropropagated plants of Artemisia amygdalina was analyzed by capillary GC–FID and GC–MS and compared with that obtained from the leaves of field growing parent plants. The oil yield from the micropropagated plants was lower (0.05% v/w) than the oil yield obtained from field-grown plants (0.2% v/w). The major constituents of the field-grown plants were p-cymene (21.0%), 1,8-cineole (24.9%), α-terpineol (5.9%), β-caryophyllene (4.7%), germacrene D (4.0%), while as the major constituents from the micropropagated plants were p-cymene (11.3%),1,8-cineole (10.2%), borneol (7.9%), α-longipinene (5.5%), α-copaene (5.5%) and β-caryophyllene (17%). The essential oil from field-grown plant was dominated by the presence of oxygenated monoterpenes (41.5%), monoterpene hydrocarbons (35.9%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (16.3%) while as the essential oil of micropropagated plants was characterized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (40.0%), oxygenated monoterpenes (25.2%) and monoterpene hydrocarbons (21.6%).

Chemical composition of the essential oils of Nepeta laevigata and Nepeta elliptica from India

The genus Nepeta (Lamiaceae), also called Glechoma and Cataria, is a multiregional genus and consists of about 250 species of perennial herbs distributed in central and southern parts of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East [1–3]. These plants are commonly known as catmint [4], and about 30 species occur in India. Many Nepeta species have been reported to be biologically active and are used in folk medicine because of their spasmodic, diuretic, antiseptic, antitussive, antiasthmatic, and febrifuge activities [5–9]. Several Nepeta species are also reported to reduce serum lipids and to possess anti-inflammatory effects [10, 11]. Most Nepeta species are rich in essential oils, and various biologically active iridoids/monoterpene nepetalactones have been reported in several Nepeta species possessing diverse biological activities, viz., feline attractant, canine attractant, insect repellant, arthropod defense [12, 13], antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities [14]. N. laevigata and N. elliptica are distributed through Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. In India, the two plant species are largely confined to Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh. Nepeta laevigata, also known as Betonica laevigata, is a perennial aromatic herb that grows to a height of 80 cm, is white pubescent, and has petiole 2–12 mm and leaf blade ovate to triangular, while N. elliptica is a small ascending or flexuous herb, 30–60 cm high. Both N. laevigata and N. elliptica are used in traditional medicine. Nepeta laevigata, is reported to be used locally in fevers and for sore throat, while, as an infusion of the seeds, N. elliptica is used in dysentery. According to our finding, there is no report on the chemical compostion of the essential oil of N. laevigata and N. elliptica growing in J & K, India, so the aim of the present work was to compare the chemical composition of these two Nepeta species. The chemical constituents of the volatile oils were analyzed by capillary GC-FID and GC-MS. The components of the oils of the air-dried aerial parts of N. laevigata and N. elliptica are listed in Table 1 with their percentages and relative retention indices (RRI). The different chemical constituents of the essential oils are listed in order of their elution from an RTX-5 column. As shown, 24 components belonging to different class of compounds were identified in the oil of N. laevigata, making up 86.7% of the total oil. -Citronellol (16.5%), germacrene D (19.4%), -caryophyllene (10.8%), -bisabolol oxide B (12.4%), -bourbonene (4.5%), -humulene (3.5%), spathulenol (3.9%), and -bisabolol (5.3%) were the major ones. Other constituents such as 4a,7,7a-nepetalactone (2.0%), allo-aromadendrene (1.1%), and caryophyllene oxide (3.2%) were present in small amounts. In addition, some other constituents such as -pinene, 1,8-cineole, linalool, geraniol, citronellyl acetate, etc. were present in trace amounts. The essential oil composition is dominated by the presence of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated sesquiterpenes, and oxygenated monoterpenes constituting 40.9%, 25.1%, and 20.7%, respectively, of the total oil composition. Of the various nepetalactone isomers, viz., 4a,7,7a-nepetalactone, 4a,7,7a-nepetalactone, and 4a,7,7a-nepetalactone, which have been labeled as the biochemical markers of the Nepeta essential oils and are very useful in chemotaxonomic studies, only one nepetalactone isomer viz., 4a, 7, 7a-nepetalactone, as a minor constituent, was present in the essential oil of Nepeta laevigata. -Caryophyllene, which is one of the major constituents of the essential oil, has been reported in some Nepeta species such as N. depauperata [15], N. flavida [16], and N. nuda [17] as the major component. Likewise, germacrene-D, the other major constituent of the oil sample, has also been reported in various other Nepeta species such as Nepeta macrosiphon [18] and Nepeta sintensii [19]. In addition, the other major components such as -bourbonene and spathulenol have been reported in N.depauperata [15], N. macrosiphon [18], and N. sintensii [19].

Comparison of Terpene Composition of Skimmia laureola Using Hydrodistillation and HS-SPME Techniques

Abstract Head space-Solid phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) technique has been used to examine terpene composition of Skimmia laureola. The chemical composition of SPME extract obtained from leaves of S. laureola was compared with composition of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the same plant. Both qualitative and quantitative differences have been found in the terpene composition estimated by analyzing essential oil and HS-SPME extract of S. laureola. Gas chromatography (GC) and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the essential oil revealed sixteen constituents, representing 99.2 % of the oil, while as HS-SPME analysis of same plant material revealed twenty six constituents, representing 98.3 % of the extract. The principal components of the essential oil were linalyl acetate (51.6 %), linalool (16.8 %), β-phellandrene (11.7 %) and α-terpineol (4.7 %), while as in the HS-SPME extract; the major constituents were linalyl acetate (49.2 %), linalool (7.5 %), α-pinene (7.3 %) and geyrene (4.9 %). The percentage yield of oil was 0.4 % ( v/w) according to their fresh weight.

Mono-sesquiterpenoid Composition in the Leaves and Flowers of Salvia moorcroftiana Wall ex Benth. Growing Wild in Kashmir, India

Abstract In this study, the mono-sesquiterpenoid composition in the leaves and flowers of Salvia moorcroftiana Wall ex Benth is tracked by probing the contents of individual mono- and sesquiterpenoids in the leaf and flower essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation using a combination of GC and GC/MS techniques. Twenty-seven components belonging to different classes of terpenoids and accounting for 94.8% of the total oil were identified in the floral part. Monoterpene hydrocarbons represented the dominant class (68%). (Z)-β-ocimene (54.5%) was the principal component along with sabinene (10.3%), and β-caryophyllene (9.9%). In the leaves only eleven components accounting for 94.4% of the total oil were identified. The leaf essential oil was almost exclusively composed of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons accounting for 87.7% of the total oil. The principal components present were β-caryophyllene (51.6%) followed by germacrene D (18.5%), bicyclogermacrene (7.1%), α-humulene (4.8%) and α-copaene (3.1%)

Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil of Rhododendron lepidotum Wall. ex D. Don Growing in Kashmir Himalayas

Abstract The essential oil obtained by the hydrodistillation of the leaves of Rhododendron lepidotum L growing wild in the high Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir was analyzed by a combination of capillary GC-FID and GC/MS analytical techniques. The study led to the identification and quantification of 34 chemical constituents belonging to different classes of compounds and accounting for 94.2% of the total oil composition. The oil composition is dominated by the presence of monoterpene hydrocarbons (78.9%). The principal components were α-pinene and β-pinene (54.4% and 12.5% respectively) along with limonene (6.5%), γ-terpinene (2.2%), bornyl acetate (2.8%) and α-humulene (4.2%).