From plants to particles: herbal solutions and nanotechnology combating resistant vulvovaginal candidiasis

Despite having current advanced therapy, vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) remains a common yet debated healthcare-associated topic worldwide due to multi-drug resistance Candida species. In our review, we outlined and highlighted upcoming values with scope of existing and emerging information regarding the possibility of using various natural molecules combined with modern technology that shows promising anti-candida activity in VVC. Furthermore, in this review, we compiled herbal drug molecules and their nanocarriers approach for enhancing the efficacy and stability of herbal molecules. We have also summarized the patent literature available on herbal drug molecules and their nanoformulation techniques that could alternatively become a new innovative era to combat resistance VVC.

Variations in Essential Oils from the Leaves of Cinnamomum bodinieri in China

Cinnamomum plants are rich in natural essential oils, which are widely used as materials in the fragrance, insecticidal, antibacterial agent, pharmaceutical, and food industries; however, few studies have investigated the essential oil components of Cinnamomum bodinieri. Therefore, this study investigated the diversity of essential oils from the leaves of 885 individual C. bodinieri plants across 32 populations in five provinces. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation, and then qualitative and quantitative analyses of the compounds were performed by GC-MS and GC-FID. A total of 87 chemical constituents were identified in the essential oils, including 33 monoterpenes, 48 sesquiterpenes, and six other compounds. The average oil yield was 0.75%, and individual oil yields ranged from 0.01% to 4.28%. A total of 16 chemotypes were classified according to variations in the essential oil chemical constituents of C. bodinieri, among which the camphor-type, citral-type, and eucalyptol-type were dominant. Moreover, the borneol-type, cymol-type, elemol-type, methylisoeugenol-type, and selina-6-en-4-ol-type were reported in C. bodinieri for the first time. The yield and principal components of the essential oils were mainly affected by altitude, temperature, and sunshine duration, among which altitude had the most significant effect; thus, low-altitude areas are more suitable for the synthesis and accumulation of essential oils. Based on the different characteristics of the essential oils in the leaves of C. bodinieri, several excellent populations and individuals were identified in this study. Moreover, the findings provide a foundation for breeding superior varieties and studying essential oil biosynthesis mechanisms in the future.

Successive harvests affect the aromatic and polyphenol profiles of novel catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) cultivars in a genotype-dependent manner

INTRODUCTION

Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) produces volatile iridoid terpenes, mainly nepetalactones, with strong repellent activity against species of arthropods with commercial and medical importance. Recently, new catnip cultivars CR3 and CR9 have been developed, both characterized by producing copious amounts of nepetalactones. Due to its perennial nature, multiple harvests can be obtained from this specialty crop and the effects of such practice on the phytochemical profile of the plants are not extensively studied.

METHODS

In this study we assessed the productivity of biomass, chemical composition of the essential oil and polyphenol accumulation of new catnip cultivars CR3 and CR9 and their hybrid, CR9×CR3, across four successive harvests. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and the chemical composition was obtained via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Individual polyphenols were quantified by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography- diode-array detection (UHPLC-DAD).

RESULTS

Although the effects on biomass accumulation were independent of genotypes, the aromatic profile and the accumulation of polyphenols had a genotype-dependent response to successive harvests. While cultivar CR3 had its essential oil dominated by E,Z-nepetalactone in all four harvests, cultivar CR9 showed Z,E-nepetalactone as the main component of its aromatic profile during the 1^st, 3^rd and 4^th harvests. At the second harvest, the essential oil of CR9 was mainly composed of caryophyllene oxide and (E)-β-caryophyllene. The same sesquiterpenes represented the majority of the essential oil of the hybrid CR9×CR3 at the 1^st and 2^nd successive harvests, while Z,E-nepetalactone was the main component at the 3^rd and 4^th harvests. For CR9 and CR9×CR3, rosmarinic acid and luteolin diglucuronide were at the highest contents at the 1^st and 2^nd harvest, while for CR3 the peak occurred at the 3^rd successive harvest.

DISCUSSION

The results emphasize that agronomic practices can significantly affect the accumulation of specialized metabolites in N. cataria and the genotype-specific interactions may indicate differential ecological adaptations of each cultivar. This is the first report on the effects of successive harvest on these novel catnip genotypes and highlights their potential for the supply of natural products for the pest control and other industries.

Essential Oil Variability of Superior Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Accessions Grown under the Same Conditions

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L., Myrtaceae) has numerous applications in pharmacology, food technology, and cosmetic industry. The current research aimed at measuring variations in the leaf essential oil (EO) compositions of 14 superior myrtle accessions originating in natural habitats of south Iran. The plants were grown under greenhouse conditions. Fresh leaf samples were harvested in June 2021. Based on dry matter, the extractable amount of EO in the accessions ranged from 0.42% (BN2) to 2.6% (BN5). According to GC/MS analysis, the major compounds in the EO were α-pinene (2.35-53.09%), linalyl acetate (0-45.3%), caryophyllene oxide (0.97-21.8%), germacrene D (0-19.19%), α-humulene (0-18.97%), 1,8-cineole (0-18.0%), limonene (0-17.4%), and p-cymene (0-13.2%). These myrtle accessions were classified into four groups, including I: caryophyllene oxide/germacrene D/α-humulene/methyl eugenol chemotype; II: α-pinene/p-cymene/α-humulene and (E)-β-caryophyllene; III: α-pinene/1,8-cineole, and linalool; IV: linalyl acetate/γ-terpinene/1,8, cineole/limonene. These classifications were established by considering the main EO components using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). In summary, this study provided new insights into available opportunities of selecting suitable genotypes for commercial cultivation purposes and planning breeding programs in the future.

Cannabidiol and Terpene Formulation Reducing SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity Tackling a Therapeutic Strategy

In late 2019, COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China. Currently, it is an ongoing global health threat stressing the need for therapeutic compounds. Linking the virus life cycle and its interaction with cell receptors and internal cellular machinery is key to developing therapies based on the control of infectivity and inflammation. In this framework, we evaluate the combination of cannabidiol (CBD), as an anti-inflammatory molecule, and terpenes, by their anti-microbiological properties, in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Our group settled six formulations combining CBD and terpenes purified from Cannabis sativa L, Origanum vulgare, and Thymus mastichina. The formulations were analyzed by HPLC and GC-MS and evaluated for virucide and antiviral potential by in vitro studies in alveolar basal epithelial, colon, kidney, and keratinocyte human cell lines.

Conclusions and Impact

We demonstrate the virucide effectiveness of CBD and terpene-based formulations. F2TC reduces the infectivity by 17%, 24%, and 99% for CaCo-2, HaCat, and A549, respectively, and F1TC by 43%, 37%, and 29% for Hek293T, HaCaT, and Caco-2, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first approach that tackles the combination of CBD with a specific group of terpenes against SARS-CoV-2 in different cell lines. The differential effectiveness of formulations according to the cell line can be relevant to understanding the pattern of virus infectivity and the host inflammation response, and lead to new therapeutic strategies.

Essential Oil Chemical Variability in Oliveria decumbens (Apiaceae) from Different Regions of Iran and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors

Oliveria decumbens Vent. (Apiaceae) is an annual herb resistant to harsh environmental conditions, which has got numerous pharmacological, food and feed, and cosmetic applications. In the present study, the variation in the essential oil (EO) content and composition of twelve O. decumbens populations growing wild in several habitats of Iran was studied. The EO contents varied from 2.71% (Darab) to 8.52% (Behbahan) on a dry matter basis, where the latter population revealed to be the highest source of essential oil reported so far in this species. Gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed that carvacrol (18.8-51.8%), thymol (20.3-38.7%), γ-terpinene (0.9-28.8%), p-cymene (1.6-21.3%) and myristicin (0.8-9.9%) were the major volatile compounds in all the investigated populations. The EO content had a strong and significant positive correlation with temperature (r = 0.62) and sand content (r = 0.73), but a strong and significant negative correlation with altitude (r = -0.61). On the other hand, the rising altitude led to an increase in thymol content. Cluster and principal component analyses placed the samples from different regions into two main groups based on the main EO components, including thymol/carvacrol type and γ-terpinene/thymol/carvacrol/p-cymene type. This study provides valuable information for identifying chemotypes in O. decumbens as well as insight into planning a domestication and cultivation program.