Chemical composition of the essential oils ofStachys pubescens Ten

Antifungal activities and chemical composition of some medicinal plants

The use of and search for drugs and dietary supplements derived from plants have accelerated in recent years. Ethnopharmacologists, botanists, microbiologists and natural-products scientists are combing the earth for phytochemicals and leads, which could be developed for treatment of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activities of the essential oils of some medicinal plants such as Stachys pubescens, Thymus kotschyanus, Thymus daenensis and Bupleurum falcatum against Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus and Alternaria alternata. The essential oils were used to evaluate their MICs and MFCs compared to the amphotricin B as a standard drug. The essential oils were also analyzed by GC/MS. Essential oils isolated from the S. pubescens, T. kotschyanus and B. falcatum showed strong antifungal activities. The essential oil of T. daenensis exhibited a moderate activity against the selected fungi in comparison with the other plants' essential oils. In addition, the results showed that 26, 23, 22 and 15 components were identified from the essential oils of T. kotschyanus, S. pubescens, T. daenensis and B. falcatum, respectively. These oils exhibited a noticeable antifungal activity against the selected fungi. Regarding obtained results and that natural antimicrobial substances are inexpensive and have fewer side effects, they convey potential for implementation in fungal pathogenic systems.

Composition of the Essential Oils and Antibacterial Activities of Hymenocrater yazdianus, Stachys obtusicrena and Nepeta asterotricha Three Labiatae Herbs Growing Wild in Iran

Water-distilled essential oils from leaves of Hymenocrater yazdianus Rech.f., flowers of Stachys obtusicrena Boiss., and stems and flowers of Nepeta asterotricha Rech.f, which are endemic to Iran, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Fifty-five components of the leaf oil of H. yazdianus were characterized, representing 95.1% of the total components detected. The major constituents were identified as 1,8-cineole (17.6%), β-caryophyllene (13.9%), α-pinene (10.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (10.4%). Germacrene-D (37.5%) and α-bisabolol (23.5%) were the main components among the twenty constituents characterized in the flower oil of S. obtusicrena, representing 90.8% of the total components detected. Thirty-five compounds representing 93.0% of the stem oil of N. asterotrica were identified among which terpinen-4-ol (22.8%) and γ-terpinene (14.1%) were the major ones. The flower oil of the species was characterized by higher amounts of terpinen-4-ol (24.8%), 4aα, 7aβ-nepetalactone (18.2%) and 1,8-cineole (11.6%) among the thirty-three components comprising 98.5% of the total oil detected.

The antibacterial activity of the stem, leaf and flower oils of Hymenocrater yazdianus, Stachys obtusicrena and Nepeta asterotricha against seven Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were determined using the MIC method. The growth inhibitory zone (mm) was also measured.