Szilvia Czigle

Antiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids.

The antiinflammatory activities of aqueous extracts prepared from the aerial parts of ten Hungarian Stachys species were investigated in vivo in the carrageenan‐induced paw oedema test after intraperitoneal and oral administration to rats. Some of the extracts were found to display significant antiphlogistic effects when administered intraperitoneally and orally; in particular, the extracts of S. alpina, S. germanica, S. officinalis and S. recta demonstrated high activity following intraperitoneal administration. At the same dose of 5.0 mg/kg, these extracts exhibited similar or greater potency than that of the positive control diclofenac‐Na. The main iridoids present in the investigated extracts, ajugoside, aucubin, acetylharpagide, harpagide and harpagoside, were also assayed in the same test, and high dose‐dependent antiphlogistic effects were recorded for aucubin and harpagoside. These results led to the conclusion that most probably iridoids are responsible for the antiinflammatory effect of Stachys species, but other active constituents or their synergism must also be implicated in the antiinflammatory effect. Copyright

Iridoids of Stachys species growing in Hungary

Stachys species contain iridoids, for example harpagide, acetylharpagide, aucubin, harpagoside, and ajugoside. The iridoid composition and content of leaves, stems, and inflorescences of ten Stachys species have been compared by use of a TLC–densitometric method. Harpagoside, harpagide, and acetylharpagide proved to be the main iridoids in Stachys officinalis L., St. sylvatica L., St. grandiflora Host., St. macrantha (C. Koch.) Jalas I., St. alpina L., St. palustris L., St. recta L., St. byzantina Koch., and St. germanica L. No iridoids were detected in St. annua L.

TLC and GC Analysis of the Essential Oils of Stachys Species

Species of the Lamioideae subfamily of the family Lamiaceae, including Stachys species, do not contain much essential oil. The first stage of studying the volatile components of Stachys species was characterization of n-hexane extracts by TLC, with sabinene, limonene, linalool, and β-caryophyllene as test materials. On the basis of these results we then studied the volatile compounds by use of GC-FID and GC-MS. By examination of the TLC plates, use of Kováts retention indices, and MS library search we identified components of essential oil fractions obtained from Stachys officinalis II. (L.) Trev., Stachys alpina L., Stachys macrantha (Koch) Stearn, Stachys palustris L., Stachys recta L. subsp. recta, and Stachys annua L. (from Vácrátót) by vapor distillation in accordance with Hungarian Pharmacopoeia VII.

Ginkgo biloba Food Supplements on the European Market – Adulteration Patterns Revealed by Quality Control of Selected Samples

The aim of this study was to prove whether Ginkgo biloba food supplements on the European market comply with pharmaceutical quality, and whether their composition satisfies the European Pharmacopoeia criteria. Medicinal products containing a standardised Ginkgo leaf extract are used for the improvement of cognitive impairment and quality of life in mild dementia. Further, Ginkgonis folium is used for the treatment of peripheral circulation disorders. Pharmacopoeial Ginkgo dry extract contains 22.0 - 27.0% flavonoids and 5.4 - 6.6% terpene lactones (ginkgolides, bilobalide). In addition to its widespread use as an herbal medicine (herbal medicinal product), the same extract can be an ingredient in food supplements. The content of active secondary metabolites was quantified in a number of European food supplements containing Ginkgo dry extract or Ginkgo leaf. Flavonoids were quantified using a modified pharmacopoeial HPLC-UV method, and terpene lactones (ginkgolides A, B, C, and bilobalide) using LC-MS/MS. Some Ginkgo leaf supplement samples were also analysed by microscopy. The quality of food supplements on the European market is dubious. In this paper, we present selected examples of several methods of adulteration and falsification, including higher/lower doses of Ginkgo dry extract or Ginkgo leaf than declared and the addition of undeclared extraneous materials. These examples reveal several patterns in the manufacturing of adulterated products.

Chromatographic determination of iridoids in Stachys recta , and investigation of inorganic elements by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

We have isolated five iridoids (harpagide, acetylharpagide, harpagoside, ajugoside, and aucubin) from St. recta L. by a combination of chromatographic methods–NP-TLC, RP-HPLC, and TLC–densitometry. The isolated iridoids were identified on the basis of their physical and spectroscopic properties. Basic information about their structures was obtained from their NMR spectra. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy can be used for direct determination of inorganic elements in the leaves, stems, and inflorescences of Stachys recta L. We identified K, Ca, Mo, Fe, Co, Ir, Ga, Tl, and S.

Identification of the components of Philadelphus coronarius L. Essential oil

Abstract The volatile constituents of both dried and fresh leaves, twigs and flowers of Philadelphus coronarius L. (Hydrangeaceae) were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. There were major differences between the various oils. For example, epi-13-manool (47.6 %) was the major component of the fresh flower oil, but was not detected in the dried fower oil, whereas isolongifolol (15.5%), 2-nonanol (11.1%) and 7-hydroxycoumarin (9.7%) were the principal components of the dried flower oil. In the oils of both the fresh and dried leaves the major constituent was (E,E)-farnesol, although the proportion of this compound in the fresh leaf oil was considerably higher (37.3%) than that of the dried leaf oil (3.2%). (E,E)-farnesol was also the major component of the fresh twig oil (16.6%), but was absent from the dried twig oil, the major constituent of which was (E,E)-2,4-decadienal (2.4%); however, this was not detected in the fresh twig oil.

Helianthus tuberosus L. agg. in the Carpathian Basin: a blessing or a curse?

Helianthus tuberosus agg., an herbaceous perennial plant from the Asteraceae family, is native to North America and was introduced as a crop to Europe in the seventeenth century. The status of this plant has been rather controversial in the Carpathian Basin. This paper reviews its taxonomy, chorology, and ethnobotany in this region, using data obtained from herbarium specimens, ethnobotanical surveys performed in Transylvania, and data published earlier, documenting the invasive features of the plant since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Our results suggest that (1) Helianthus tuberosus agg. has been present in the Carpathian Basin from the nineteenth century, (2) its taxonomy is problematic since the first part of the nineteenth century; (3) ethnobotanical surveys confirmed that the plant’s tuber has been locally used mostly as a food in Transylvania, collected from cultivation. Overall, Helianthus tuberosus agg. is both a ‘blessing and a curse’ at the same time, it is a valuable crop with beneficial nutritional value, and also an environmentally dangerous invasive element for the diversity of the flora of the Carpathian Basin.

Ferulaldehyde Improves the Effect of Methotrexate in Experimental Arthritis

Methotrexate (MTX) is still the gold standard for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The therapeutic efficacy of low-dose of MTX can be increased by its combination with a natural substance, ferulaldehyde (FRA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect FRA and MTX administered alone or in combination in adjuvant arthritis. The disease was induced to Lewis male rats by intradermal injection, which contains a suspension of heat-inactivated Mycobacterium butyricum in incomplete Freund’s adjuvant. The experiment of 28 days included: healthy animals, arthritic animals, arthritic animals with administration of FRA at the oral daily dose of 15 mg/kg, arthritic animals with administration of MTX at the oral dose of 0.3 mg/kg twice a week, and arthritic animals administered with FRA and MTX. FRA in monotherapy decreased significantly only the level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in plasma. Combination of FRA and low-dose MTX was more effective than MTX alone when comparing body weight, hind paw volume, arthritic score, plasmatic levels of IL-1β, activity of γ-glutamyl transferase, and relative mRNA expression of IL-1β in the spleen. Therefore, the combination treatment was the most effective. The obtained results are interesting for future possible innovative therapy of patients with RA.