Pier Luigi Cioni

Use of solid-phase micro-extraction as a sampling technique in the determination of volatiles emitted by flowers, isolated flower parts and pollen☆

The volatiles emitted by fresh whole flowers or isolated flower parts of mandarin, Citrus deliciosa Ten. (Rutaceae), were sampled using solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME). This technique offers several advantages over dynamic headspace sampling techniques used in previous investigations. In particular, SPME requires smaller sample sizes and very short sampling times, which can minimize the formation of artifacts due to damage to the plant, and contaminations or loss of compounds. This was especially applicable to the collection of volatiles from pollen.

Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Calamintha nepeta and its constituent pulegone against bacteria and fungi.

The chemical composition of the essential oil of Calamintha nepeta and its antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella veneziana, S. paratyphi B, S. typhimurium, Fusarium moniliforme, Botrytis cinerea, Aspergillus niger and Pyricularia oryzae have been studied. Moreover the main constituents of the oil (limonene, menthone, pulegone, menthol) have been tested against the same microorganisms. Only pulegone showed antimicrobial activity, particularly against all the Salmonella species. Copyright

Mass Propagation and Essential Oil Analysis of Artemisia vulgaris

Artemisia vulgaris L. (Mugwort) is a threatened and valuable medicinal plant. Attempts have been made in this research to mass propagate its plantlets through in vitro liquid culture technology using Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 6-benzyl adenine (BA) (0.44-8.88 microM). Initially, 22.6 shoots (99.9% shooting frequency) developed from shoot tip explants cultured in MS with 4.44 microM BA at 100 ml flask capacity. This was further subcultured at increasing flask capacity (150, 250, and 500 ml) for shoot proliferation. Of the different concentrations of BA and flask capacities tested, 4.44 microM BA and 500 ml flask capacity were found to produce a maximum of 85.5 shoots after 30 d of culture. Shoot proliferation was found to increase with increasing flask capacity whereas shoot number decreased with increasing BA concentration (>4.44 microM). Individual shoots were isolated and rooted on MS medium containing 8.56 microM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Then the plantlets were acclimatized under standard laboratory conditions and later under greenhouse conditions. Fresh leaves were collected from greenhouse-grown plants and subjected to essential oil analysis by the simultaneous distillation and extraction method. GC-MS results revealed the presence of 88 components and the extracted oil was rich in camphor (16.8%), alpha-thujone (11.3%), germacrene D (7.2%), camphene (6.5%), 1,8-cineole (5.8%) and beta-caryophyllene (5.4%). This in vitro strategy can be a reliable method for the steady production of a large number of plants for essential oil production, which is reported for the first time for A. vulgaris.

ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION OF TWO ENDEMIC CENTAUREA SPECIES FROM TURKEY CENTAUREA MUCRONIFERA AND CENTAUREA CHRYSANTHA COLLECTED IN THE SAME HABITAT

The essential oils of two endemic Centaurea species from Turkey, C. mucronifera and C. chrysantha, collected in the same habitat, have been studied. The main compounds of the former were germacrene D (29.3%), β-eudesmol (17.4%) and β-caryophyllene (7.3%), while in the latter germacrene D (27.4%), caryophyllene oxide (9.5%) and bicyclogermacrene (5.4%) were detected among its major constituents. The two species produced many similar compounds in their essential oils that could be justified by the similar ecological conditions of their habitat, but also many differences were found that could confirm their taxonomic separation.

Preservative properties of Calamintha officinalis essential oil with and without EDTA.

Aims: This study was focused on the preserving properties of Calamintha officinalis essential oil, a plant known for its diaphoretic, expectorant and aromatic properties.

Ingestion toxicity of three Lamiaceae essential oils incorporated in protein baits against the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera Tephritidae).

The ingestion toxicity of three Lamiaceae essential oils (EOs) – Hyptis suaveolens, Rosmarinus officinalis and Lavandula angustifolia – incorporated in protein baits was evaluated against Bactrocera oleae, a worldwide pest of olive fruits. In laboratory conditions, all the tested EOs showed dose-dependent toxicity on B. oleae, with mortality rates ranging from 12% (EO concentration: 0.01% w:v) to 100% (EO concentration: 1.75% w:v). Semi-field results highlighted the toxicity of L. angustifolia and H. suaveolens EOs, which exerted more than 60% of flies mortality at a concentration of 1.75% (w:v). Gas Chromatography-Electron Impact Mass Spectrometry analyses of the three EOs showed that H. suaveolens EO was dominated by monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Oxygenated monoterpenes were the main chemical class in R. officinalis and L. angustifolia EOs. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of these EOs plus food bait against the olive fruit fly in the open field.

Achillea ligustica: composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from the leaves, flowers and some pure constituents ∗

The composition of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and the flowers of Achillea ligustica (Asteraceae) growing in Sicily has been studied. The main constituents of the leaves were 4-terpineol (19.3%), carvone (8.9%), γ-terpinene (7.2%) and β-phellandrene (6.8%). 4-terpineol (12.0%), carvone (10.0%), and β-phellandrene (5.4%), along with linalool (20.4%) and cedrol (4.3%) were detected in the flower’s oil. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of the essential oils and of some of the main constituents were assayed on bacteria and fungi.

The Composition of the Root Oil of Salvadora persica L.

Abstract The composition of the essential oil from the roots of Salvadora persica L. (Salvadoraceae), collected in Jordan, was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Seventeen compounds were detected, the main constituents being benzyl isothiocyanate (70%), limonene (9.4%) and α-pinene (8.7%).

A xanthone from Senecio mikanioides leaves

Abstract A new p -hydroxybenzoylated xanthone, [ 2-(2′-O-p- hydroxybenzoyl) -C-β- d -glucopyranosyl-1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxyxanthone ], muraxanthone, and four known xanthones have been isolated from the leaves of Senecio mikanioides . The structure of the new compound has been defined by means of FAB-mass spectrometry and a combination of homo- and hetero-nuclear one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques.

Effect of Selected Essential Oils and Pure Compounds on Saprolegnia parasitica

Saprolegnia parasitica Coker is the main agent of saprolegniosis, one of the most important causes of economic losses in the fish farming industry, affecting all developmental stages. In this work the activity of some essential oils are compared with the activity of their isolated chemical constituents (alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, and hydrocarbons) to evaluate molecular classes active against S. parasitica. This suggests potential new products to use against saprolegniosis. Sixteen commercial essential oils and 37 pure constituents were tested against a strain of Saprolegnia parasitica from cutaneous lesions of Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, using a continuously agitated broth technique that allows both the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimum Lethal Concentration (MLC) to be evaluated. It was possible to evaluate the efficacy of each essential oil against S. parasitica in relation to its specific composition and the efficacy of its main constituents. Carvacrol (MIC of 50 ppm and a MLC of 100 ppm) and p-cymene (MIC and MLC = 200 ppm) are the main constituents of Origanum vulgare L. and Thymus vulgaris L. (MIC = 100 ppm, MLC = 200 ppm) and are the primarly responsible for the efficacy of these two essential oils against S. parasitica. The structure of the constituents was also evaluated in relation to their activities against S. parasitica. Besides monoterpenic aromatic compounds, the acyclic mono- and sesquiterpenic primary alcohols and aldehydes seem to be the most active compounds. The open chain alcohol 1-decanol [CH3-(CH2)8-CH2-OH] proved to be the most active agent with a MLC = 50 ppm.