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Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs
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Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 27254

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fico Gelsomina

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan Via Mangiagalli, 25, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: medicinal plants, plant morpho-anatomy, microscopy, plant extracts, ecological role and biological activity of sec-ondary metabolites, chemotaxonomy, ethnobotany
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Claudia Giuliani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan Via Mangiagalli, 25, I-20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: medicinal plants, plant morpho-anatomy, microscopy, plant extracts, ecological role and biological activity of sec-ondary metabolites, chemotaxonomy, ethnobotany
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight the most recent results obtained in plant morphology and phytochemistry during the last several years, encompassing anatomical, micromorphological, ultrastructural, morphometric, chemosystematic, and taxonomic studies at species or lower and higher taxonomic levels.

This Special Issue aims to valorize works that simultaneously contemplate morphological investigations, with special emphasis on secretory structures (epidermal or tissue) in relation to the type of productivity in secondary metabolites. We expect the works to be new, therefore regarding taxa which have never been investigated before as regards the morpho-anatomical or ultrastructural descriptions performed by means of light and electron microscopy, as well as phytochemical characterization or chemosystematic approaches such as comparative HPLC-MS, GC-FID, GC-MS, NMR investigations, and others. The proposal of histochemical investigations is also encouraged. Comparative studies of the distribution of secondary metabolites at species level or within a lower or higher taxon (e.g., subspecies, genus, or family) are welcome. Comparative studies encompassing multiple accessions of each of the taxa within their distribution are particularly encouraged. We also welcome studies including morphometric or anatomical surveys that contribute to elucidating or clarifying the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships, if accompanied by in-depth and rigorous literature research on the secondary metabolite profiles. Studies that combine the above-mentioned morphological and phytochemical analyses aiming at identifying adulterations or confounding between species are welcome.

Toward this purpose, we are glad to invite you to submit original research articles, reviews, and short communications.

Prof. Dr. Fico Gelsomina
Dr. Claudia Giuliani
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. Plants 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 2700 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

  • morpho-anatomy
  • microscopy
  • secretory structures
  • phytochemistry
  • secondary metabolites
  • chemosystematics
  • taxonomy
  • phylogenetic relationships

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3495 KiB  
Article
Terpene Profiles Composition and Micromorphological Analysis on Two Wild Populations of Helichrysum spp. from the Tuscan Archipelago (Central Italy)
by Lorenzo Marini, Enrico Palchetti, Lorenzo Brilli, Gelsomina Fico, Claudia Giuliani, Marco Michelozzi, Gabriele Cencetti, Bruno Foggi and Piero Bruschi
Plants 2022, 11(13), 1719; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11131719 - 29 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1829
Abstract
Two wild populations of Helichrysum (Mill.) located at Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Central Italy) were morphologically and phytochemically analyzed to taxonomically identify H. litoreum (population A) and H. italicum subsp. italicum (population B). Micromorphological and histochemical analyses were performed on the indumentum using [...] Read more.
Two wild populations of Helichrysum (Mill.) located at Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Central Italy) were morphologically and phytochemically analyzed to taxonomically identify H. litoreum (population A) and H. italicum subsp. italicum (population B). Micromorphological and histochemical analyses were performed on the indumentum using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Light Microscope (LM). Morphometric analyses on vegetative and reproductive traits were also conducted. Finally, a chemotaxonomic analysis was carried out on the terpene profile of flowers, leaves and bark tissues using gas chromatography (GC-MS). Results suggested that morphological discriminant traits were mainly in leaves and cypselae glandular tissues. Phytochemical analysis indicated that a high relative content of α-pinene and β-caryophyllene were the main markers for population A, while a high relative content of neryl-acetate, α-curcumene, isoitalicene and italicene, especially in the terpene profile of bark tissue, were the main compounds for discriminating population B. The analysis suggested that the wild population A could be mainly ascribed to H. litoreum, whilst population B is defined by H. italicum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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14 pages, 2979 KiB  
Article
Essential Oil Biodiversity of Achillea ligustica All. Obtained from Mainland and Island Populations
by Ammar Bader, Aljawharah AlQathama, Pier Luigi Cioni, Lucia Ceccarini, Mohamed I. S. Abdelhady, Wajih Al-Shareef, Roberta Ascrizzi and Guido Flamini
Plants 2022, 11(8), 1054; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11081054 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
Background: The genus Achillea is rich in essential oil (EO) with high chemical diversity. In this study, eight EO samples obtained from flowers and leaves of Achillea ligustica All. collected on the Mediterranean mainland and island locations were analyzed to evaluate their possible [...] Read more.
Background: The genus Achillea is rich in essential oil (EO) with high chemical diversity. In this study, eight EO samples obtained from flowers and leaves of Achillea ligustica All. collected on the Mediterranean mainland and island locations were analyzed to evaluate their possible chemical diversity. Methods: Sixteen samples of EO were analyzed by GC-MS, leading to the identification of 95 compounds in the leaves and 86 compounds in the flowers; a statistical analysis was performed to determine the chemical polymorphism. Results: Monoterpenes, such as β-pinene, borneol, ɑ-terpineol and isobornyl acetate, were more abundant in the continental samples, while the insular samples were richer in 1,8-cineole. Fragranyl acetate and fragranol were detected in remarkable concentrations in sample 8. The fruits of sample 8 were then cultivated under controlled agronomic conditions, providing plants rich in these compounds (sample 9). The geographical variability influenced the EO compositions, with unique observed chemotypes and a high degree of diversity among samples collected in various areas (mainland or island). Statistical analyses did not reveal any pattern between the geographical provenience and the compositions. Conclusion: Samples were distributed based on the plant organ, confirming the already reported high degree of chemical polymorphism of this species. Sample 8 could be used as a source of fragranol and fragranyl acetate, with potential applications in the insecticidal and pheromone industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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Graphical abstract

22 pages, 6080 KiB  
Article
Botanic Garden as a Factory of Molecules: Myrtus communis L. subsp. communis as a Case Study
by Claudia Giuliani, Martina Bottoni, Fabrizia Milani, Sefora Todero, Patrizia Berera, Filippo Maggi, Laura Santagostini and Gelsomina Fico
Plants 2022, 11(6), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11060754 - 11 Mar 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3133
Abstract
A novel perception of botanic gardens as complex “factories of molecules” (Lombardy Region Project–Lr. 25/2016, year 2021), that mediate plant–environment interactions, and are the basis of their utility for humans, is presented. The core-topic is the medicinal plant heritage of the Ghirardi Botanic [...] Read more.
A novel perception of botanic gardens as complex “factories of molecules” (Lombardy Region Project–Lr. 25/2016, year 2021), that mediate plant–environment interactions, and are the basis of their utility for humans, is presented. The core-topic is the medicinal plant heritage of the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Toscolano Maderno, Brescia, Italy) of the University of Milan. In this work, we studied Myrtus communis L. subsp. communis (Myrtaceae) at multiple scale levels: macro- and micromorphological, with special emphasis on the secretory structures responsible for the production of secondary metabolites; phytochemical, with the analysis of the essential oil (EO) composition from leaves (fresh, dried, stored at −20 °C and at −80 °C) and fruits over two consecutive years (2018 and 2019); bio-ecological, with a focus, based on literature data, on the ecology and biological activity of the main EO components. The occurrence of secretory cavities producing terpenes, along with flavonoids, was proven. A high level of chemical variability across the obtained EO profiles emerged, especially that concerning quantitative data. However, regardless of the different conservation procedures, the examined plant part, or the phenological stage, we detected the presence of three ubiquitous compounds: α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, and linalool. The overall results will serve to enrich the Ghirardi Botanic Garden with novel labeling showing accurate and updated scientific information in an Open science perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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17 pages, 28167 KiB  
Article
Anatomical Characterization, HPLC Analysis, and Biological Activities of Ilex dipyrena
by Amjad Ali, Mohammad Nisar, Syed Wadood Ali Shah, Atif Ali Khan Khalil, Muhammad Zahoor, Nausheen Nazir, Sayed Afzal Shah, Fahd A. Nasr, Omar M. Noman, Ramzi A. Mothana, Sajjad Ahmad and Hafiz Muhammad Umer Farooqi
Plants 2022, 11(5), 617; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050617 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2093
Abstract
Ilex dipyrena Wall (Aquifoliaceae), is a traditional medicinal plant abundantly found in India and Pakistan. In the current research work, initially, the anatomical characteristics were recorded through microscopic examination of selected plant parts, such as leaf, petiole, and midrib. Then, the [...] Read more.
Ilex dipyrena Wall (Aquifoliaceae), is a traditional medicinal plant abundantly found in India and Pakistan. In the current research work, initially, the anatomical characteristics were recorded through microscopic examination of selected plant parts, such as leaf, petiole, and midrib. Then, the quantitative phytochemical screening was performed using standard tests reported in literature. The whole-plant powdered sample was then soaked in methanol to obtain crude extract, which was then fractionated into solvents of different polarities to obtain ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol, hexane, and aqueous extracts. The phytochemical composition of the crude ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts (being the most active fractions) was then confirmed through HPLC analyses, where the possible phytochemical present were predicted through comparison of retention time of a given compound peak with the available standards. The extracts were also evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant and ani-lipoxygenase potentials using standard methods. The microscopic examination revealed the presence of anomocytic type stomata on the abaxial side of the leaf as well as unicellular trichrome and calcium oxalate druses crystals in the midrib and petiole, with a single, centered U-shaped collateral arterial bundle, which was directed toward the adaxial and the phloem toward the abaxial sides of the selected plant parts, respectively. Almost all tested representative groups of phytochemicals and essential minerals were detected in the selected plant, whereas five possible phytochemicals were confirmed in crude and chloroform extract and seven in ethyl acetate fraction. As antioxidant, chloroform fraction was more potent, which exhibited an IC50 value of 64.99, 69.15, and 268.52 µg/mL, determined through DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. Ethyl acetate extract was also equally potent against the tested free radicals. Chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts were also potent against lipoxygenase, with IC50 value of 75.99 and 106.11 µg/mL, respectively. Based on the results of biological studies, Ilex dipyrena was found to good inhibitor of free radicals and lipoxygenase that could be further investigated to isolate compounds of medicinal importance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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9 pages, 1181 KiB  
Communication
Variability in the Chemical Composition of a New Aromatic Plant Artemisia balchanorum in Southern Russia
by Gennadii V. Khodakov, Lavr A. Kryukov, Einat Shemesh-Mayer and Rina Kamenetsky-Goldstein
Plants 2022, 11(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010006 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2460
Abstract
Lemon wormwood Artemisia balchanorum was recently introduced to southern Russia as a new aromatic plant. Based on biological and chemical characteristics, several populations with dominant citral, linalool, and geraniol production were selected for further development and maintained by seed propagation. Chemical analysis of [...] Read more.
Lemon wormwood Artemisia balchanorum was recently introduced to southern Russia as a new aromatic plant. Based on biological and chemical characteristics, several populations with dominant citral, linalool, and geraniol production were selected for further development and maintained by seed propagation. Chemical analysis of five outstanding populations at three stages of annual development: vegetative, flower buds, and full flowering, confirmed that the seed populations retain the distinct dynamics of the dominant and minor components during the annual cycle and can be used for the commercial production of citral, linalool, and geraniol. Micropropagation in vitro allows for efficient clonal micropropagation and mass reproduction of elite cultivars and promising forms of A. balchanorum on a commercial scale but cannot serve as a source of direct and efficient production of secondary metabolites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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17 pages, 8367 KiB  
Article
Morphology, Anatomy and Secondary Metabolites Investigations of Premna odorata Blanco and Evaluation of Its Anti-Tuberculosis Activity Using In Vitro and In Silico Studies
by Fadia S. Youssef, Elisa Ovidi, Nawal M. Al Musayeib and Mohamed L. Ashour
Plants 2021, 10(9), 1953; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091953 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4390
Abstract
In-depth botanical characterization was performed on Premna odorata Blanco (Lamiaceae) different organs for the first time. The leaves are opposite, hairy and green in color. Flowers possess fragrant aromatic odors and exist in inflorescences of 4–15 cm long corymbose cyme-type. In-depth morphological and [...] Read more.
In-depth botanical characterization was performed on Premna odorata Blanco (Lamiaceae) different organs for the first time. The leaves are opposite, hairy and green in color. Flowers possess fragrant aromatic odors and exist in inflorescences of 4–15 cm long corymbose cyme-type. In-depth morphological and anatomical characterization revealed the great resemblance to plants of the genus Premna and of the family Lamiaceae, such as the presence of glandular peltate trichomes and diacytic stomata. Additionally, most examined organs are characterized by non-glandular multicellular covering trichomes, acicular, and rhombic calcium oxalate crystals. P. odorata leaves n-hexane fraction revealed substantial anti-tuberculous potential versus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, showing a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 100 μg/mL. Metabolic profiling of the n-hexane fraction using gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed 10 major compounds accounting for 93.01%, with trans-phytol constituting the major compound (24.06%). The virtual screening revealed that trans-phytol highly inhibited MTB C171Q receptor as M. tuberculosis KasA (β-ketoacyl synthases) with a high fitting score (∆G = −15.57 kcal/mol) approaching that of isoniazid and exceeding that of thiolactomycin, the co-crystallized ligand. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity predictions (ADME/TOPKAT) revealed that trans-phytol shows lower solubility and absorption levels when compared to thiolactomycin and isoniazid. Still, it is safer, causing no mutagenic or carcinogenic effects with higher lethal dose, which causes the death of 50% (LD50). Thus, it can be concluded that P. odorata can act as a source of lead entities to treat tuberculosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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14 pages, 891 KiB  
Article
Sub-Tissue Localization of Phytochemicals in Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. Growing in Northern Italy
by Martina Bottoni, Fabrizia Milani, Marta Mozzo, Daniele Armando Radice Kolloffel, Alessio Papini, Filippo Fratini, Filippo Maggi and Laura Santagostini
Plants 2021, 10(5), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10051008 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3468
Abstract
In the present paper, we focused our attention on Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. (Lauraceae), studied at three levels: (i) micromorphological, with the analysis of the secretory structures and a novel in-depth histochemical characterization of the secreted compounds; (ii) phytochemical, with the characterization [...] Read more.
In the present paper, we focused our attention on Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl. (Lauraceae), studied at three levels: (i) micromorphological, with the analysis of the secretory structures and a novel in-depth histochemical characterization of the secreted compounds; (ii) phytochemical, with the characterization of the essential oils from young stems, fruits, and leaves, subjected to different conservation procedures (fresh, dried, stored at −20 °C, stored at −80 °C) and collected in two different years; (iii) bioactive, consisting of a study of the potential antibacterial activity of the essential oils. The micromorphological investigation proved the presence of secretory cells characterized by a multi-layered wall in the young stems and leaves. They resulted in two different types: mucilage cells producing muco-polysaccharides and oil cells with an exclusive terpene production. The phytochemical investigations showed a predominance of monoterpenes over sesquiterpene derivatives; among them, the main components retrieved in all samples were 1,8-cineole followed by α-terpineol and sabinene. Conservation procedures seem to only influence the amounts of specific components, i.e., 1,8-cineole and α-terpineol, while analyses on each plant part revealed the presence of some peculiar secondary constituents for each of them. Finally, the evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the essential oil showed a promising activity against various microorganisms, as Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In conclusion, we combined a micromorphological and phytochemical approach of the study on different plant parts of C. camphora, linking the occurrence of secretory cells to the production of essential oils. We compared, for the first time, the composition of essential oils derived from different plant matrices conserved with different procedures, allowing us to highlight a relation between the conservation technique and the main components of the profiles. Moreover, the preliminary antibacterial studies evidenced the potential activity of the essential oils against various microorganisms potentially dangerous for plants and humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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17 pages, 5293 KiB  
Article
Micromorphology, Ultrastructure and Histochemistry of Commelina benghalensis L. Leaves and Stems
by Kareshma Doolabh, Yougasphree Naidoo, Yaser Hassan Dewir and Nasser Al-Suhaibani
Plants 2021, 10(3), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030512 - 9 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4711
Abstract
Commelina benghalensis L. is used as a traditional medicine in treating numerous ailments and diseases such as infertility in women, conjunctivitis, gonorrhea, and jaundice. This study used light and electron microscopy coupled with histochemistry to investigate the micromorphology, ultrastructure and histochemical properties of [...] Read more.
Commelina benghalensis L. is used as a traditional medicine in treating numerous ailments and diseases such as infertility in women, conjunctivitis, gonorrhea, and jaundice. This study used light and electron microscopy coupled with histochemistry to investigate the micromorphology, ultrastructure and histochemical properties of C. benghalensis leaves and stems. Stereo and scanning electron microscopy revealed dense non-glandular trichomes on the leaves and stems and trichome density was greater in emergent leaves than in the young and mature. Three morphologically different non-glandular trichomes were observed including simple multicellular, simple bicellular and simple multicellular hooked. The simple bicellular trichomes were less common than the multicellular and hooked. Transmission electron micrographs showed mitochondria, vesicles and vacuoles in the trichome. The leaf section contained chloroplasts with plastoglobuli and starch grains. Histochemical analysis revealed various pharmacologically important compounds such as phenols, alkaloids, proteins and polysaccharides. The micromorphological and ultrastructural investigations suggest that Commelina benghalensis L. is an economically important medicinal plant due to bioactive compounds present in the leaves and stems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Morphological Features and Phytochemical Properties of Herbs)
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