Yavuz Bülent Köse

Composition of the Essential Oil of Three Endemic Centaurea Species From Turkey

Abstract The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from three endemic Centaurea species (Asteraceae) in Phalolepis (Cass.) DC. Section; C. wagenitzii Hub.-Mor., C. tossiensis Freyn et Sint. and C. luschaniana Heimerl from Turkey were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), simultaneously. Main constituents of the oils were found as hexadecanoic acid (25.6 %, 50.6 % and 40.0 %, respectively). Fatty acids and their esters were identified as the main constituent groups of the three species.

Composition of the essential oil of Centaurea saligna

1) Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Anadolu University, 26470 Eskisehir, Turkey,fax: +90 222 330 68 09, e-mail: aaltinta@anadolu.edu.tr; 2) Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Botany,Anadolu University, 26470 Eskisehir, Turkey; 3) Faculty of Education, Ataturk University, 24030 Erzincan, Turkey. Publishedin Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 232–233, March–April, 2009. Original article submitted August 28, 2007.0009-3130/09/4502-0276

Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Centaurea baseri: New Species from Turkey†

The genus Centaurea L. is one of the largest and important genera of Asteraceae family. Centaurea species have been widely used as herbal remedies in folk medicine for their antidandruff, antidiarrheic, antirheumatic, anti‐inflammatory, choleretic, diuretic, digestive, stomachic, astringent, antipyretic, cytotoxic, and antibacterial properties. Centaurea baseri Kose & Alan is a recently described local endemic species in Turkey and this is the first study on the chemical composition and bioactivity of its hydrodistilled essential oil and the crude extract. According to chromatospectral analysis, hexadecanoic acid (42.3%), nonacosane (8.2%), and heptacosane (8.0%) were the main compounds of the essential oil, while 16 compounds were determined in the MeOH extract using LC/MS. Furthermore, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects of the essential oil and the extract were evaluated in comparison with the standard agents. The extract showed strong antifungal effect against Candida utilis at the concentration of 60 μg/ml (MIC) where the EO showed growth inhibition at the concentration of 47.00 μg/ml (MIC) against pathogen Bacillus cereus. Both the essential oil and the extract did not show any selective antioxidant properties. The extract showed remarkably selective cytotoxic properties against MCF‐7, PANC‐1, A549, and C6 glioma cells.

Pollen morphology of some endemic Turkish Centaurea L. (Asteraceae, section Phaloletis ) and their taxonomic value

In this study, the detailed pollen morphological structures of some endemic Turkish species of Centaurea amaena Boiss., C. antalyense H. Duman & A. Duran, C. aphrodisea Boiss., C. hierapolitana Boiss., C. luschaniana Heimerl, C. lycia Boiss., C. tossiensis Freyn. Et Sint., and C. wagenitzii Hub.-Mor. (Asteraceae, section Phaloletis) were studied under light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the first time. LM and SEM investigations showed that the pollen grains of eight taxa are more or less spheroidal-subprolate, the amb triangular and tricolporate. The exine sculpture is tectate, microechinate-scabrate in the pollen of Centaurea taxa. Spinules are less dense in Centaurea amaena, C. antalyense, C. hierapolitana, and C. lycia, but they are more dense in C. aphrodisea, C. luschaniana, C. tossiensis, and C. wagenitzii. Spinule dimensions are different from each other. The exine has one layer of columellae beneath the spines. We determined all taxa that have the Helianthoid type. Exine sctructure and sculpture as well as spine density and dimensions in Asteraceae are the most reliable characteristics for discriminating taxa.

Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oils Obtained from Flowering Aerial Parts of Centaurea lycopifolia Boiss. et Kotschy and Centaurea cheirolopha (Fenzl) Wagenitz from Turkey

Abstract The genus Centaurea L. (Asteraceae) is widely distributed in Turkey and used as folk remedies for their several biological effects. In the present study hydrodistilled essential oils of Centaurea lycopifolia and Centaurea cheirolopha were analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques, simultaneously. Caryophyllene oxide (13.4 %), spathulenol (12.1 %), phytol (6.3 %), hexadecanoic acid (6.1 %) and nonacosane (6.1 %) as the main constituents of C. lycopifolia oil, while hexadecanoic acid (25.8 %), heptacosane (10.8 %), tetradecanoic acid (8.1 %), nonacosane (7.7 %) and phytol (7.4 %) were the main constituents of C. cheirolopha essential oil. The oils of C. lycopifolia and C. cheirolopha were subjected to a screening for their antibacterial activities by using broth microdilution technique. The oils demonstrated weak to moderate antibacterial effects against the tested pathogenic bacteria strains with the MIC values between 4000 to 125 μg/mL.