Antagonistic activity of Thymus vulgaris extracts against Vibrio species isolated from seafoods

Growth enhancement, metabolic profile improvement, and DXR and TPS2 gene expression changes in Thymus vulgaris L. by cyanobacterial inoculation

BACKGROUND

In recent decades cyanobacterial species have attracted research attention as potential sources of new biostimulants. In this study, the biostimulant effects of five cyanobacterial suspensions on the growth and essential oil composition of Thymus vulgaris L. were evaluated. The expression of key genes involved in the biosynthesis of thymol and carvacrol, such as DXR and TPS2, were investigated.

RESULTS

A pot culture experiment revealed that cyanobacterial application significantly improved T. vulgaris L. growth indices, including plant height, dry and fresh weight, leaf and flower number, leaf area, and photosynthetic pigment content. Total phenol and flavonoid content in inoculated plants also showed a significant increase compared with the control. Anabaena torulosa ISB213 inoculation significantly increased root and shoot biomass by about 65.38% and 92.98% compared with the control, respectively. Nostoc calcicola ISB215 inoculation resulted in the highest amount of essential oil accumulation (18.08 ± 0.62) in T. vulgaris leaves, by about 72.19% compared with the control (10.5 ± 0.50%). Interestingly, the amount of limonene in the Nostoc ellipsosporum ISB217 treatment (1.67%) increased significantly compared with the control and other treatments. The highest expression rates of DXR and TPS2 genes were observed in the treatment of N. ellipsosporum ISB217, with 5.92-fold and 5.22-fold increases over the control, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This research revealed the potential of the cyanobacteria that were studied as promising biostimulants to increase the production of biomass and secondary metabolites of T. vulgaris L., which could be a suitable alternative to chemical fertilizers. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Exploring the Biochemical and Nutra-Pharmaceutical Prospects of Some Thymus Species - A Review

The Thymus genus includes various medicinal and aromatic species, cultivated worldwide for their unique medicinal and economic value. Besides, their conventional use as a culinary flavoring agent, Thymus species are well-known for their diverse biological effects, such as antioxidant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-hypertensive properties. Hence, they are used in the treatment of fever, colds, and digestive and cardiovascular diseases. The pharmaceutical significance of Thymus plants is due to their high levels of bioactive components such as natural terpenoid phenol derivatives (p-cymene, carvacrol, thymol, geraniol), flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenolic acids. This review examines the phytochemicals, biological properties, functional food, and nutraceutical attributes of some important Thymus species, with a specific focus on their potential uses in the nutra-pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, the review provides an insight into the mechanisms of biological activities of key phytochemicals of Thymus species exploring their potential for the development of novel natural drugs.

Effect of polyphenol, flavonoid, and saponin fractions from Thymus atlanticus on acute and chronic hyperlipidemia in mice

Background

Thymus atlanticus is an endemic plant of the Mediterranean region, which has been used in the Moroccan mountain area to treat several diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of polyphenol, flavonoid, and saponin fractions derived from this plant on acute and chronic hyperlipidemia in male albino mice.

Results

The results indicated that the injection of Triton WR-1339 (20 mg/100 g body weight (B.wt.)) and 6-week administration of a high-fat diet (which is an 81.8% standard diet supplemented with 2% cholesterol, 16% lard, and 0.2% cholic acid) significantly increased plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), but did not affect high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in mice. Administration of a single dose (2 mg/kg B.wt.) of polyphenol, flavonoid, or saponin fractions significantly suppressed the effect of Triton injection on plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-C. In addition, the supplementation of the high-fat diet with polyphenol fraction (2 mg/kg B.wt./day) prevented the increase of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-C, and effectively increased HDL-C level when compared to mice feeding only the high-fat diet.

Conclusion

In conclusion, phenolic compounds from Thymus atlanticus possess a significant hypocholesterolemic and hypotriglyceridemic effects and, therefore, could have an important role in the management of dyslipidemia.

Antimicrobial Importance of Medicinal Plants in Nigeria

Despite the success of antibiotic discovery, infectious diseases remain the second leading source of death worldwide, while the resistance to antibiotics is among the significant problems in the twenty-first century. Medicinal plants are very rich in phytochemicals which can be structurally optimized and processed into new drugs. Nigeria enjoys a diverse collection of medicinal plants, and joint research has ascertained the efficacy of these plants. Plants such as guava (Psidium guajava), ginger (Zingiber officinale), neem (Azadirachta indica), and moringa (Moringa oleifera) have been found to exhibit broad range of antimicrobial activities. Studies on Nigerian plants have shown that they contain alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenes, glycosides, and others with possible therapeutic potentials. The antimicrobial activities of some new compounds such as alloeudesmenol, hanocokinoside, orosunol, and 8-demethylorosunol, identified from medicinal plants in Nigeria, are not yet explored. Further investigation and optimization of these compounds will facilitate the development of new sets of pharmacologically acceptable antimicrobial agents. This review study revealed the efficacy of medicinal plants as an alternative therapy in combating and curtailing the development and survival of multidrug-resistant pathogens coupled with the toxic effects of some antibiotics. Due to enormous therapeutic possibilities buried in medicinal plants, there is a need for more research into unique fingerprints and novel compounds that can provide cure to the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of humans and animals facing Africa, especially Nigeria.