Special Issue "Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity"

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hazem Salaheldin Elshafie
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences (SAFE), University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza (PZ), Italy
Interests: Natural Products; Microbiology; Plant Pathology; Antimicrobial Activities; Bioactive Secondary Metabolites
Prof. Dr. Laura De Martino
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy
Interests: plant-based pharmaceutical compounds; natural products; bioactive secondary metabolites; plant essential oils
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Adriano Sofo
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of European and Mediterranean Cultures: Architecture, Environment and Cultural Heritage (DiCEM), University of Basilicata, Via Lanera, 20, 75100 Matera, Italy
Interests: agricultural and environmental chemistry; environmental botany; soil ecology
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The journal and MDPI (the pioneer in scholarly open access publishing) will publish a Special Issue on “Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity”. Plant essential oils (PEOs), extracted from many aromatic and medicinal plants, have been used in folk medicine and often represent an important part of the traditional pharmacopoeia: they have a long history of use, in folk medicine, as antimicrobial agents, to control several human and phyto-pathogens. In the last decades, research in this field has gained great momentum, especially from many research/medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies: many PEOs have been registered as effective alternatives to chemical and synthetic antimicrobials as well as have been used effectively in the food industry as antioxidants and anticarcinogens. The current special issue discusses the chemical composition and biological-pharmaceutical activities of some important PEOs and their single constituents. Detailed information regarding the mechanisms, possible mode of actions, and factors affecting these activities, such as geographical origins, environmental conditions, nutritional status, the extraction methods, are of great interest.

Prof. Hazem Salaheldin Elshafie
Prof. Laura De Martino
Dr. Adriano Sofo
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 papers will be 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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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
  • antimicrobial activity
  • cytotoxicity
  • phytotoxicity
  • antioxidant
  • phytopathogens

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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Article
Persicaria lapathifolia Essential Oil: Chemical Constituents, Antioxidant Activity, and Allelopathic Effect on the Weed Echinochloa colona
Plants 2021, 10(9), 1798; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091798 (registering DOI) - 29 Aug 2021
Viewed by 153
Abstract
The exploration of new green, ecofriendly bioactive compounds has attracted the attention of researchers and scientists worldwide to avoid the harmful effects of chemically synthesized compounds. Persicaria lapathifolia has been reported to have various bioactive compounds, while its essential oil (EO) has not [...] Read more.
The exploration of new green, ecofriendly bioactive compounds has attracted the attention of researchers and scientists worldwide to avoid the harmful effects of chemically synthesized compounds. Persicaria lapathifolia has been reported to have various bioactive compounds, while its essential oil (EO) has not been determined yet. The current work dealt with the first description of the chemical composition of the EO from the aerial parts of P. lapathifolia, along with studying its free radical scavenging activity and herbicidal effect on the weed Echinochloa colona. Twenty-one volatile compounds were identified via GC–MS analysis. Nonterpenoids were the main components, with a relative concentration of 58.69%, in addition to terpenoids (37.86%) and carotenoid-derived compounds (1.75%). n-dodecanal (22.61%), α-humulene (11.29%), 2,4-dimethylicosane (8.97%), 2E-hexenoic acid (8.04%), γ-nonalactone (3.51%), and limonene (3.09%) were characterized as main compounds. The extracted EO exhibited substantial allelopathic activity against the germination, seedling root, and shoot growth of the weed E. colona in a dose-dependent manner, showing IC50 values of 77.27, 60.84, and 33.80 mg L−1, respectively. In addition, the P. lapathifolia EO showed substantial antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant. The EO attained IC50 values of 159.69 and 230.43 mg L−1, for DPPH and ABTS, respectively, while ascorbic acid exhibited IC50 values 47.49 and 56.68 mg L−1, respectively. The present results showed that the emergent leafy stems of aquatic plants such as P. lapathifolia have considerably low content of the EO, which exhibited substantial activities such as antioxidant and allelopathic activities. Further study is recommended to evaluate the effects of various environmental and climatic conditions on the production and composition of the EOs of P. lapathifolia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Article
Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Mentha × piperita cv. ‘Kristinka’ Essential Oil
Plants 2021, 10(8), 1567; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10081567 - 30 Jul 2021
Viewed by 419
Abstract
Several economically important crops, fruits and vegetables are susceptible to infection by pathogenic fungi and/or bacteria postharvest or in field. Recently, plant essential oils (EOs) extracted from different medicinal and officinal plants have had promising antimicrobial effects against phytopathogens. In the present study, [...] Read more.
Several economically important crops, fruits and vegetables are susceptible to infection by pathogenic fungi and/or bacteria postharvest or in field. Recently, plant essential oils (EOs) extracted from different medicinal and officinal plants have had promising antimicrobial effects against phytopathogens. In the present study, the potential microbicide activity of Mentha × piperita cv. ‘Kristinka’ (peppermint) EO and its main constituents have been evaluated against some common phytopathogens. In addition, the cell membrane permeability of the tested fungi and the minimum fungicidal concentrations were measured. The antifungal activity was tested against the following postharvest fungi: Botrytis cinerea, Monilinia fructicola, Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus niger, whereas antibacterial activity was evaluated against Clavibacter michiganensis, Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas savastanoi and P. syringae pv. phaseolicola. The chemical analysis has been carried out using GC-MS and the main components were identified as menthol (70.08%) and menthone (14.49%) followed by limonene (4.32%), menthyl acetate (3.76%) and β-caryophyllene (2.96%). The results show that the tested EO has promising antifungal activity against all tested fungi, whereas they demonstrated only a moderate antibacterial effect against some of the tested bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Article
Chemical Composition and Cosmeceutical Potential of the Essential Oil of Oncosiphon suffruticosum (L.) Källersjö
Plants 2021, 10(7), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071315 - 28 Jun 2021
Viewed by 531
Abstract
The South African medicinal plant Oncosiphon suffruticosum (L.) Källersjö is an important remedy used to treat chronic, respiratory, and skin ailments. From the essential oil (EO) extracted by the hydrodistillation, sixteen constituent components were identified with oxygenated monoterpenes: camphor (31.21%), filifolone (13.98%), chrysanthenone [...] Read more.
The South African medicinal plant Oncosiphon suffruticosum (L.) Källersjö is an important remedy used to treat chronic, respiratory, and skin ailments. From the essential oil (EO) extracted by the hydrodistillation, sixteen constituent components were identified with oxygenated monoterpenes: camphor (31.21%), filifolone (13.98%), chrysanthenone (8.72%), 1,8-cineole (7.85%), and terpinen-4-ol (7.39%) as predominant constituents. In the antibacterial activity study, the EO was found most susceptible against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with an MIC of 6.4 mg/mL; however, it showed the same activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with an MIC value of 12.8 mg/mL. The sun protecting factor (SPF) of the EO was found to be 2.299 and thus establishing it as a potentially important cosmeceutical for sunscreen applications. This is the first report investigating the essential oil of O. suffruticosum for its chemical composition and skin-related in vitro biological activities viz antibacterial, antioxidant capacity, antityrosinase, and sun protection factor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Article
Chemical Composition, Allelopathic, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Sesquiterpenes Rich Essential Oil of Cleome amblyocarpa Barratte & Murb.
Plants 2021, 10(7), 1294; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071294 - 25 Jun 2021
Viewed by 597
Abstract
The integration of green natural chemical resources in agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications allures researchers and scientistic worldwide. Cleome amblyocarpa has been reported as an important medicinal plant. However, its essential oil (EO) has not been well studied; therefore, the present study aimed [...] Read more.
The integration of green natural chemical resources in agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications allures researchers and scientistic worldwide. Cleome amblyocarpa has been reported as an important medicinal plant. However, its essential oil (EO) has not been well studied; therefore, the present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of the C. amblyocarpa, collected from Egypt, and assess the allelopathic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of its EO. The EO of C. amblyocarpa was extracted by hydrodistillation and characterized via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The chemometric analysis of the EO composition of the present studied ecospecies and the other reported ecospecies was studied. The allelopathic activity of the EO was evaluated against the weed Dactyloctenium aegyptium. Additionally, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were determined. Forty-eight compounds, with a prespondence of sesquiterpenes, were recorded. The major compounds were caryophyllene oxide (36.01%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (7.92%), alloaromadendrene epoxide (6.17%), myrtenyl acetate (5.73%), isoshyobunone (4.52%), shyobunol (4.19%), and trans-caryophyllene (3.45%). The chemometric analysis revealed inconsistency in the EO composition among various studied ecospecies, where it could be ascribed to the environmental and climatic conditions. The EO showed substantial allelopathic inhibitory activity against the germination, seedling root, and shoot growth of D. aegyptium, with IC50 values of 54.78, 57.10, and 74.07 mg L−1. Additionally, the EO showed strong antioxidant potentiality based on the IC50 values of 4.52 mg mL−1 compared to 2.11 mg mL−1 of the ascorbic acid as standard. Moreover, this oil showed significant anti-inflammation via the suppression of lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenases (COX1, and COX2), along with membrane stabilization. Further study is recommended for analysis of the activity of pure authentic materials of the major compounds either singularly or in combination, as well as for evaluation of their mechanism(s) and modes of action as antioxidants or allelochemicals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Article
Quality Attributes and Storage of Tomato Fruits as Affected by an Eco-Friendly, Essential Oil-Based Product
Plants 2021, 10(6), 1125; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061125 - 01 Jun 2021
Viewed by 704
Abstract
The preservation of fresh produce quality is a major aim in the food industry since consumers demand safe and of high nutritional value products. In recent decades there has been a turn towards the use of eco-friendly, natural products (i.e., essential oils-EOs) in [...] Read more.
The preservation of fresh produce quality is a major aim in the food industry since consumers demand safe and of high nutritional value products. In recent decades there has been a turn towards the use of eco-friendly, natural products (i.e., essential oils-EOs) in an attempt to reduce chemical-based sanitizing agents (i.e., chlorine and chlorine-based agents). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an eco-friendly product (EP—based on rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils) and two different application methods (vapor and dipping) on the quality attributes of tomato fruits throughout storage at 11 °C and 90% relative humidity for 14 days. The results indicated that overall, the EP was able to maintain the quality of tomato fruits. Dipping application was found to affect less the quality attributes of tomato, such as titratable acidity, ripening index and antioxidant activity compared to the vapor application method. Vapor application of 0.4% EP increased fruit’s antioxidant activity, whereas tomatoes dipped in EP solution presented decreased damage index (hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation levels), activating enzymes antioxidant capacity (catalases and peroxidases). Moreover, higher EP concentration (up to 0.8%) resulted in a less acceptable product compared to lower concentration (0.4%). Overall, the results from the present study suggest that the investigated EP can be used for the preservation of fresh produce instead of the current commercial sanitizing agent (chlorine); however, the method of application and conditions of application must be further assessed for every commodity tested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Article
Chemical Profiles, Anticancer, and Anti-Aging Activities of Essential Oils of Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC. and Erigeron bonariensis L.
Plants 2021, 10(4), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040667 - 31 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 774
Abstract
Plants belonging to the Asteraceae family are widely used as traditional medicinal herbs around the world for the treatment of numerous diseases. In this work, the chemical profiles of essential oils (EOs) of the above-ground parts of Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC. and Erigeron [...] Read more.
Plants belonging to the Asteraceae family are widely used as traditional medicinal herbs around the world for the treatment of numerous diseases. In this work, the chemical profiles of essential oils (EOs) of the above-ground parts of Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC. and Erigeron bonariensis (L.) were studied in addition to their cytotoxic and anti-aging activities. The extracted EOs from the two plants via hydrodistillation were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). GC-MS of EO of P. dioscoridis revealed the identification of 29 compounds representing 96.91% of the total oil. While 35 compounds were characterized from EO of E. bonariensis representing 98.21%. The terpenoids were found the main constituents of both plants with a relative concentration of 93.59% and 97.66%, respectively, including mainly sesquiterpenes (93.40% and 81.06%). α-Maaliene (18.84%), berkheyaradulen (13.99%), dehydro-cyclolongifolene oxide (10.35%), aromadendrene oxide-2 (8.81%), β-muurolene (8.09%), and α-eudesmol (6.79%), represented the preponderance compounds of EO of P. dioscoridis. While, trans-α-farnesene (25.03%), O-ocimene (12.58%), isolongifolene-5-ol (5.53%), α-maaliene (6.64%), berkheyaradulen (4.82%), and α-muurolene (3.99%), represented the major compounds EO of E. bonariensis. A comparative study of our results with the previously described data was constructed based upon principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC), where the results revealed a substantial variation of the present studied species than other reported ecospecies. EO of P. dioscoridis exhibited significant cytotoxicity against the two cancer cells, MCF-7 and A-549 with IC50 of 37.3 and 22.3 μM, respectively. While the EO of the E. bonariensis showed strong cytotoxicity against HepG2 with IC50 of 25.6 μM. The EOs of P. dioscoridis, E. bonariensis, and their mixture (1:1) exhibited significant inhibitory activity of the collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase comparing with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as a reference. The results of anti-aging showed that the activity of mixture (1:1) > P. dioscoridis > E. bonariensis against the four enzymes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Review

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Review
Curcuma longa L. Rhizome Essential Oil from Extraction to Its Agri-Food Applications. A Review
Plants 2021, 10(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010044 - 28 Dec 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1465
Abstract
Curcuma longa L. rhizome essential oil is a valuable product in pharmaceutical industry due to its wide beneficial health effects. Novel applications in the agri-food industry where more sustainable extraction processes are required currently and safer substances are claimed for the consumer are [...] Read more.
Curcuma longa L. rhizome essential oil is a valuable product in pharmaceutical industry due to its wide beneficial health effects. Novel applications in the agri-food industry where more sustainable extraction processes are required currently and safer substances are claimed for the consumer are being investigated. This review provides information regarding the conventional and recent extraction methods of C. longa rhizome oil, their characteristics and suitability to be applied at the industrial scale. In addition, variations in the chemical composition of C. longa rhizome and leaf essential oils regarding intrinsic and extrinsic factors and extraction methods are also analysed in order to select the most proper to obtain the most efficient activity. Finally, the potential applications of C. longa rhizome oil in the agri-food industry, such as antimicrobial, weedicide and a food preservative agent, are included. Regarding the data, C. longa rhizome essential oil may play a special role in the agri-food industry; however, further research to determine the application threshold so as not to damage crops or affect the organoleptic properties of food products, as well as efficient encapsulation techniques, are necessary for its implementation in global agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Review
Phytotoxic Effects of Plant Essential Oils: A Systematic Review and Structure-Activity Relationship Based on Chemometric Analyses
Plants 2021, 10(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010036 - 25 Dec 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1185
Abstract
Herbicides are natural or synthetic chemicals used to control unwanted plants (weeds). To avoid the harmful effects of synthetic herbicides, considerable effort has been devoted to finding alternative products derived from natural sources. Essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants are auspicious source of [...] Read more.
Herbicides are natural or synthetic chemicals used to control unwanted plants (weeds). To avoid the harmful effects of synthetic herbicides, considerable effort has been devoted to finding alternative products derived from natural sources. Essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants are auspicious source of bioherbicides. This review discusses phytotoxic EOs and their chemical compositions as reported from 1972 to 2020. Using chemometric analysis, we attempt to build a structure-activity relationship between phytotoxicity and EO chemical composition. Data analysis reveals that oxygenated terpenes, and mono- and sesquiterpenes, in particular, play principal roles in the phytotoxicity of EOs. Pinene, 1,8 cineole, linalool, and carvacrol are the most effective monoterpenes, with significant phytotoxicity evident in the EOs of many plants. Caryophyllene and its derivatives, including germacrene, spathulenol, and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone, are the most effective sesquiterpenes. EOs rich in iridoids (non-terpene compounds) also exhibit allelopathic activity. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the phytotoxic activity of these compounds in pure forms, determine their activity in the field, evaluate their safety, and assess their modes of action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Essential Oil with Biological Activity)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Quality attributes and storage of tomato fruits as affected by an eco-friendly, essential oil-based product
Authors: Panayiota Xylia; Irene Ioannou; Antonios Chrysargyris; Menelaos Stavrinides; Nikolaos Tzortzakis
Affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036, Limassol, Cyprus
Abstract: The preservation of fresh produce quality is a major aim in the food industry since consumers demand safe and of high nutritional value products. The last decades there is a turn towards the use of eco-friendly, natural products (i.e. essential oils-EOs) in an attempt to reduce chemical-based sanitizing agents (i.e. chlorine and chlorine-based agents). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an eco-friendly product (EP - based on rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils) and two different application methods (vapor and dipping) on the quality attributes of tomato fruits throughout storage at 11 oC for 14 days. The results indicated that overall, the EP was able to maintain the quality of tomato fruits. Dipping application was found to affect less the quality attributes of tomato, such as titratable acidity, ripening index and antioxidant activity compared to the vapor application method. Vapor application of 0.4% EP increased fruit’s antioxidant activity, whereas tomatoes dipped in EP solution presented decreased damage index (hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation levels), activating enzymes antioxidant capacity (catalases and peroxidases). Moreover, higher EP concentration (up to 0.8%) resulted to a less acceptable product compared to lower concentration (0.4%). Overall, the results from the present study suggest that the investigated EP can be used for the preservation of fresh produce instead of the current commercial sanitizing agent (chlorine), however, the method of application and conditions of application must be further assessed for every commodity tested.

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