Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Molecules Edit a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2023 | Viewed by 5030

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marcello Iriti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: essential oils; bioactive phytochemicals; ethnopharmacology; antimicrobial resistance; one health; food security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Md. Moshfekus Saleh-E-In

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Division of Forest Resources, College of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 200-701, Korea
Interests: essential oils; extraction; isolation; structure elucidation; identification and quantification of secondary metabolites by GC/MS, LC/MS/MS, HPLC and NMR techniques; biological activities; in silico prediction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The biomolecules of medicinal and aromatic plants include essential oils and non-essential oil constituents. Essential oils are a complex natural mixture of terpenoids, phenylpropenes, allyl and isoallyl phenols, phenolic acids, related esters, as well as minor amounts of coumarins, anthraquinones, and alkaloids. Nearly 400 plant species have been identified as commercially important for essential oils. Though these plants are the major source of essential oils, they also contain a pool of bioactive compounds as well as plant products which have served humans for innumerable therapeutic applications. Biomolecules from these plants can be extracted through hydrodistillation, steam distillation, supercritical fluids, as well as ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and solvent extraction methods. The essential oils and byproducts of these plants are used in perfumery, cosmetics, aromatherapy, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries, and as cleaning materials and scenting agents in beverages and foods. The most promising applications of essential oils are in biofuels, natural flavoring, and pesticides. Many studies have been conducted regarding the biological activities of essential oils and biomolecules, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antiparasitic, cytotoxic, anticancer, insecticidal, and synergistic effects. A vigorous resurgence of interest has been observed among researchers regarding essential-oil-bearing plants due to their multidisciplinary industrial applications. Therefore, many industries have connected with research organizations and scientists in order to develop modern medicines to treat acute and chronic diseases, and for the formulation of cosmetics, pesticides, food processing and preservation agents, and biofuels.

This Special Issue focuses on the extraction, isolation, chemical analysis, and identification of essential oils and biomolecules utilizing advanced chromatographic techniques (GC-MS, LC-MS, MS/MS, QTOF); the biological activities (in vivo, vitro, and silico) of extracts and compounds from essential-oil-bearing plants; as well as the assessment of their safety and quality parameters for a wider range of industrial applications. Papers describing biotechnological approaches for the enhancement of essential oil production and quality are also encouraged.

We cordially invite authors to submit their original articles and reviews to this Special Issue with the aim of revealing the importance of naturally occurring products from essential-oil-bearing plants in order to open up new opportunities in pharmaceuticals, fuels, cosmetics, and food industries in the future.

Prof. Dr. Marcello Iriti
Dr. Md. Moshfekus Saleh-E-In
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2300 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

essential oils
biomolecules
chemical composition
extraction and isolation
GC-MS, LC-MS/MS
QTOF
biological activities
in silico
biotechnology
biofuels
pesticides
antimicrobial resistance
plant secondary metabolites
chemical ecology
phytotherapy
traditional herbal medicine

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Open AccessArticle

Phytochemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil from the Leaves of Artemisia vulgaris L.

Nameirakpam Bunindro Singh

Moirangthem Lakshmipriyari Devi

Pulok Kumar Mukherjee

and

Yallappa Rajashekar

Molecules 2023, 28(5), 2279; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052279 - 28 Feb 2023

Viewed by 544

Abstract

Artemisia vulgaris is an enormously useful aromatic plant known for its insecticidal, antifungal, parasiticidal, and medicinal values. The main aim of this study is to investigate phytochemical contents and the potential antimicrobial activities of Artemisia vulgaris essential oil (AVEO) from the fresh leaves of A. vulgaris grown in Manipur. The AVEO isolated by hydro-distillation from A. vulgaris were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and solid-phase microextraction-GC/MS to describe their volatile chemical profile. There were 47 components identified in the AVEO by GC/MS, amounting to 97.66% of the total composition, while 97.35% were identified by SPME-GC/MS. The prominent compounds present in AVEO analyzed by direct injection and SPME methods are found to be eucalyptol (29.91% and 43.70%), sabinene (8.44% and 8.86%), endo-Borneol (8.24% and 4.76%), 2,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadien-4-ol (6.76% and 4.24%), and 10-epi-γ-Eudesmol (6.50% and 3.09%). The consolidated component in the leaf volatiles comes to the terms of monoterpenes. The AVEO exhibits antimicrobial activities against fungal pathogens such as Sclerotium oryzae (ITCC 4107) and Fusarium oxysporum (MTCC 9913) and bacterial cultures such as Bacillus cereus (ATCC 13061) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). The percent inhibition of AVEO against the S. oryzae and F. oxysporum was found up to 50.3% and 33.13%, respectively. The MIC and MBC of the essential oil tested for B. cereus and S. aureus were found to be (0.3%, 0.63%) and (0.63%, 2.5%), respectively. Finally, the results revealed that the AVEO characterized by the hydro-distillation and SPME extraction yielded the same chemical profile and showed potent antimicrobial activities. Further research into A. vulgaris’s antibacterial properties can be performed in order to use it as a source for natural antimicrobial medications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Anti-Trypanosomatidae Activity of Essential Oils and Their Main Components from Selected Medicinal Plants

María Bailén

Cristina Illescas

Mónica Quijada

Rafael Alberto Martínez-Díaz

Eneko Ochoa

María Teresa Gómez-Muñoz

Juliana Navarro-Rocha

and

Azucena González-Coloma

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1467; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031467 - 02 Feb 2023

Viewed by 574

Abstract

Kinetoplastida is a group of flagellated protozoa characterized by the presence of a kinetoplast, a structure which is part of a large mitochondria and contains DNA. Parasites of this group include genera such as Leishmania, that cause disease in humans and animals, and Phytomonas, that are capable of infecting plants. Due to the lack of treatments, the low efficacy, or the high toxicity of the employed therapeutic agents there is a need to seek potential alternative treatments. In the present work, the antiparasitic activity on Leishmania infantum and Phytomonas davidi of 23 essential oils (EOs) from plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families, extracted by hydrodistillation (HD) at laboratory scale and steam distillation (SD) in a pilot plant, were evaluated. The chemical compositions of the EOs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity on mammalian cells of the major components from the most active EOs was evaluated, and their anti-Phytomonas and anti-Leishmania effects analyzed. L. infantum was more sensitive to the EOs than P. davidi. The EOs with the best anti-kinetoplastid activity were S. montana, T. vulgaris, M. suaveolens, and L. luisieri. Steam distillation increased the linalyl acetate, β-caryophyllene, and trans-α-necrodyl acetate contents of the EOs, and decreased the amount of borneol and 1,8 cineol. The major active components of the EOs were tested, with thymol being the strongest anti-Phytomonas compound followed by carvacrol. Our study identified potential treatments against kinetoplastids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Composition, Enantiomeric Distribution, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Origanum majorana L. Essential Oil from Nepal

and

Molecules 2022, 27(18), 6136; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27186136 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1332

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the chemical constituents of Origanum majorana L. essential oils (EOs) that originate in Nepal, as well as their biological activities, antioxidant properties, and enantiomeric compositions. The EOs were extracted by the hydro-distillation method using a Clevenger-type apparatus and their chemical compositions were determined through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Chiral GC-MS was used to evaluate the enantiomeric compositions of EOs. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the essential oils were determined by the micro-broth dilution method, and the antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). GC-MS analysis showed the presence of 50 and 41 compounds in the EO samples, (S₁) and (S₂), respectively, representing the Kathmandu and Bhaktapur districts. The oxygenated monoterpenoids, along with terpinen-4-ol, were predominant constituents in both EO samples. However, the EOs from two locations showed some variations in their major components. The chiral terpenoids for two EO samples of marjoram have also been reported in this study in an elaborative way for the first time in accordance with the literature review. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the compositions of EOs with 50 compositions reported in the literature revealed at least 5 different chemotypes of marjoram oil. The antioxidant activity for the sample (S₂) was found to be relatively moderate, with an IC₅₀ value of 225.61 ± 0.05 μg/mL and an EC₅₀ value of 372.72 ± 0.84 µg/mL, as compared to the standard used. Furthermore, with an MIC value of 78.1 µg/mL, the EO from sample (S₂) demonstrated effective antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Moreover, both samples displayed considerable antimicrobial activity. The results suggest that EOs of Origanum majorana possess some noteworthy antimicrobial properties as well as antioxidant activity, and hence can be used as a natural preservative ingredient in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Essential Oil Compositions of Pinus Species (P. contorta Subsp. contorta, P. ponderosa var. ponderosa, and P. flexilis); Enantiomeric Distribution of Terpenoids in Pinus Species

and

Molecules 2022, 27(17), 5658; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175658 - 02 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 635

Abstract

Pinus species are important in traditional medicine throughout their ranges, and pine essential oils are of interest in aromatherapy and as topical treatments. In this work, the leaf (needle) essential oils of Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa and Pinus contorta subsp. contorta from Oregon and Pinus flexilis growing in Idaho, have been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques. The leaf essential oil of P. ponderosa was dominated by β-pinene (21.5–55.3%), methyl chavicol (8.5–41.5%), α-pinene (3.6–9.6%), δ-3-carene (3.6–6.2%), and α-terpineol (1.4–5.3%). The major components of P. contorta essential oil were β-phellandrene (23.8%), terpinen-4-ol (11.0%). The essential oil of P. flexilis was dominated by α-pinene (37.1%), β-pinene (21.9%), bornyl acetate (12.8%), and camphene (8.5%). Chiral gas chromatography revealed the enantiomeric ratios of α-pinene and limonene to be variable, but (−)-β-pinene predominated in Pinus essential oils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Carvacrol Derivatives as Potential New Anticancer Agent against Lung Cancer

Anu Bansal

Md. Moshfekus Saleh-E-In

Pallab Kar

Ayan Roy

and

Neeta Raj Sharma

Molecules 2022, 27(14), 4597; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27144597 - 19 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1183

Abstract

Lung cancer remains a major public health concern among all cancer diseases due to the toxicity and side-effects of the available commercially synthesized drugs. Natural product-derived synthesized anticancer drugs are now of promising interest to fight against cancer death. Carvacrol is a major component of most essential oil-bearing plants with potential pharmacological activity, especially against various cancer cell lines. Among the other organometallic compounds, copper complexes have been reported to be effective anticancer agents against various cancer cell lines, especially lung and leukemia cancers, due to the nontoxic nature of copper in normal cells since it is an endogenic metal. In this study, we synthesized three carvacrol derivatives, i.e., carvacrol aldehyde, Schiff base, and copper–Schiff base complex, through an established synthesis protocol and characterized the synthesized product using various spectroscopic techniques. The synthesized derivatives were evaluated for in vitro cytotoxic activity against different cancer cell lines, including human lung cancer (A549) and human fibroblast (BALB-3T3). Our findings showed that the copper–Schiff base complex derived from carvacrol inhibited the proliferation and migration of the A549 cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. This activity might be due to the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration at the G₂/M cell-cycle phase, as well as apoptosis, possibly through the activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the activity of the copper–Schiff base complex of carvacrol against A549 cell lines. Our result highlights that a new synthesized copper complex from carvacrol could be a novel potential drug in the treatment of lung cancer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Biomolecules from Essential Oil Bearing Plants: Biological and Industrial Applications II"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI