Search Results (5)

The essential oil of Achillea setacea was isolated by hydrodistillation and characterized by GC-MS. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Achillea setacea essential oil was evaluated, as well as its biocompatibility (LDH and MTT methods). DPPH, FRAP, and CUPRAC methods were applied for antioxidant activity evaluation, while qualitative and quantitative assays (inhibition zone diameter, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration), NO release (by nitrite concentration determination), and microbial adhesion capacity to the inert substrate (the biofilm microtiter method) were used to investigate the antimicrobial potential. A total of 52 compounds were identified by GC-MS in A. setacea essential oil, representing 97.43% of the total area. The major constituents were borneol (32.97%), 1,8-cineole (14.94%), camphor (10.13%), artemisia ketone (4.70%), α-terpineol (3.23%), and γ-eudesmol (3.23%). With MICs ranging from 0.78 to 30 μg/mL, the A. setacea essential oil proved to inhibit the microbial adhesion and induce the NO release. To the best of our knowledge, the present study reports for the first time the antimicrobial activity of A. setacea EO against clinically and biotechnologically important microbial strains, such as Shigella flexneri, Listeria ivanovii, L. innocua, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida glabrata, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus nigricans, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Alternaria alternata, demonstrating its antimicrobial applications beyond the clinical field. Full article

Evaluation of phytochemical composition of underutilized Achillea species provides the primary selection of germplasms with the desired quality of raw material for their further applications. The aim of the study was to evaluate the comprehensive distribution patterns of phenolic compounds in seven wild Achillea spp. and their plant parts, and to assess their antioxidant activity. Plant material was collected from different sites in Turkey. A complex of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols and flavones was identified and quantified in methanolic extracts using HPLC-PDA method. Antioxidant activity was assessed by radical scavenging assay. The results showed that qualitative and qualitative profiles of caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids were species-specific, explaining the characteristic patterns of their variation in the corresponding species and plant parts. The highest total amount of caffeoylquinic acids was detected in A. setacea. A. arabica exposed the highest accumulation of mono-caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids with the greatest levels of quercetin and luteolin derivatives and the flavonol santin. Santin was detected in all plant parts of A. cappadocica, A. setacea, A. santolinoides subsp. wilhelmsii, and A. arabica. A notable antiradical capacity was confirmed in A. arabica, A. setacea and A. cappadocica plant extracts. The leaves of all studied species were found to have priority over inflorescences and stems in terms of radical scavenging activity. The new data complemented the information that may be relevant for the continuation of chemophenetic studies in the heterogeneous genus Achillea. Full article

Screening of plants plays a considerable role in the discovery of new biologically active compounds. In the past few decades, numerous useful antineoplastic drugs were discovered in higher plants by following up ethnomedicinal uses or as a result of antitumor screening. Many plants in the Asteraceae family are used in folk medicine for a variety indications all over the world, but only limited data are available concerning the anticancer effects. Asteraceae is the richest family not an only number of the species but also rate of endemism in the flora of Turkey. In the current study, the methanol extracts of Asteraceae species from Turkey [Achillea setacea, Achillea sieheana, Achillea cucullata, Inula fragilis, Inula oculus-christi, Centaurea foliosa, Centaurea ertugriliana, Calendula suffruticosa, Erigeron acer] were tested against HeLa cell line in different concentrations (200 µg/mL, 100 µg/mL, 50 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL, 12.5 µg/mL, 6.25 µg/mL). Cell viability assessed with colorimetric MTT assay after 48 h treatment. According to the results; all tested extracts decreased cell viability in a dose dependent manner. The methanol extract of Centaurea ertugriliana is the most active extract and it has a significant cytotoxic activity with 32.35 µg/mL IC₅₀ value on HeLa cell line. Full article

Det-Morph is a new approach for a detailed morphological analysis of primary segments of leafs and ray florets from some species of the Achillea millefolium group (Asteraceae). 56 features of primary segments and 21 features of ray florets both in two different transformation types are yielded by the new software. The usefulness of these features is shown on data of 616 specimens of Achillea setacea, A. collina, A.ceretanica, Adistans s.l., A. millefolium s.l. and A.pannonica. Full article

A survey of morphological and phytochemical data characteristic for several taxa of the Achillea millefoliurn group (A. aspleniifolia VENT., A. roseoalba EHREND., A. collina J. BECKER ex REICHENB., A. ceretanica SENNEN, A. setacea W. ET K., A. pratensis SAUKEL & LANGER, A. styriaca SAUKEL ined., A. pannonica SC H E ELE, A. distans W. ET K., A. millefolium s. I., A. millefolium ssp. sudetica OPIZ) and A. crithmifolia W. ET K. is presented. For each taxon a short morphological description and a guide for microscopic analysis is given as well as its sesquiterpene composition including the TLC characteristics. Based on GLC analyses of 1523 single plants collected in Central Europe the sums of sabinene + β-pinene + β-caryophyllene (SUM I), a-pinene + 1,8-cineole (SUM 2), camphene + camphor + borneol (SUM 3), camphene + camphor (SUM 4) and 1,8-cineole + borneol (SUM 5) were found to be highly significant for distinct taxa or groups of taxa. Full article