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Diversity
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Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
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Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Diversity and Chemical Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 11605

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kalina Danova

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Guest Editor
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: plant cell tissue and organ culture; medicinal and aromatic plants; conservation; secondary metabolites production; pharmacognosy; plant physiology; plant growth regulators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Trendafilova

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Guest Editor
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Str., bl.9, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: phytochemistry; secondary metabolites; terpenoids; flavonoids; essential oils; isolation; structure elucidation; chemotaxonomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to present the forthcoming MDPI’s Diversity journal Special Issue entitled “Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants”.

Medicinal and aromatic plants are vital in sustaining human health, starting from their application as teas, infusions, ointments and many other preparations in traditional practices up to their use as therapeutic molecules either in the indigenous form or as models for the total and semisynthesis of drugs. Plant-derived secondary metabolites are an important adjuvant or, in many cases, even the sole approach in the treatment of numerous health disorders. In addition, knowing the chemical diversity of a plant is inseparable from the knowledge and understanding of plant biodiversity on our planet.

The production of secondary metabolites is a fine-tuned biochemical adaptation of a plant organism for survival in its fluctuating environment throughout its sedentary life cycle. Secondary plant metabolite accumulation is a complex process, involving the integrity of the structure, function and end product. Hence, understanding the complex biochemical processes underlying secondary metabolite production also requires an integrated understanding of the biological role of secondary metabolites for plant survival.

In collaboration with Diversity’s team, we kindly invite contributors to share their relevant research dedicated to the “Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants”. This Special Issue is an opportunity for researchers from many areas of plant sciences to present their works dedicated to secondary metabolite production in medicinal and aromatic plants—from the rich metabolite spectrum defined by the taxonomical plant diversity to the complexity of factors that can affect the metabolic profile in even one and the same plant taxon due to the complexity of the genetic, climatic, geographical, etc., aspects of its environment. Contributions regarding novel biological plant activity aspects underlined by their chemical constituents are also welcomed in this Special Issue.

Dr. Kalina Danova
Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Trendafilova
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. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2100 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.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1303 KiB  
Article
Essential Oil Composition of Ten Species from Sect. Serpyllum of Genus Thymus Growing in Bulgaria
by Antoaneta Trendafilova, Milka Todorova, Viktoria Ivanova, Petar Zhelev and Ina Aneva
Diversity 2023, 15(6), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15060759 - 8 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1397
Abstract
GC-MS/FID analysis of the essential oils of 10 Thymus species, belonging to Sect. Serpyllum, led to identification of 118 compounds accounting for 97.79–99.69% of the total oil. Thymus moesiacus, T. jankae, T. vandasii, T. longicaulis and T. sibthorpii were [...] Read more.
GC-MS/FID analysis of the essential oils of 10 Thymus species, belonging to Sect. Serpyllum, led to identification of 118 compounds accounting for 97.79–99.69% of the total oil. Thymus moesiacus, T. jankae, T. vandasii, T. longicaulis and T. sibthorpii were characterized by the presence of linalool (19.37–35.21%) as the major or dominant component, but differed significantly in the content of the other prominent components: linalyl acetate, geraniol, geranyl acetate, α-terpinyl acetate, myrcen-8-yl acetate, myrcen-8-ol, etc. α-Terpinyl acetate (66.79%), thymol (63.96%), carvacrol (42.65%) and germacrene D (42.15%) were the principal components of T. pulegioides, T. glabrescens, T. callieri and T. pannonicus, respectively. β-Myrcene (16.53%), cis-sabinene hydrate (13.58%), τ-cadinol (13.24%) and elemol (11.29%) determined the oil from T. thracicus as a mixed mono-/sesquiterpene chemotype. The obtained results revealed the existence of new chemotypes of T. moesiacus, T. thracicus, T. sibthorpii and T. longicaulis. The essential oil content of T. callieri and endemic T. vandasii is reported for the first time. The variations in the essential oils of different Thymus species from Sect. Serpyllum were examined by principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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18 pages, 2098 KiB  
Article
Chemical Diversity and Redox Values Change as a Function of Temporal Variations of the Essential Oil of a Tropical Forest Shrub
by Claudete da Costa-Oliveira, João Gabriel Gouvêa-Silva, Daniel de Brito Machado, Jéssica Regina Sales Felisberto, George Azevedo de Queiroz, Elsie Franklin Guimarães, Ygor Jessé Ramos and Davyson de Lima Moreira
Diversity 2023, 15(6), 715; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15060715 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
This study investigated the chemical phenotypical variability of Piper lhotzkyanum Kunth (Piperaceae), a shrub found in Brazilian tropical forests, over time (different periods of the day and seasons) and under natural conditions. For this, essential oils (EOs) from the leaves were collected in [...] Read more.
This study investigated the chemical phenotypical variability of Piper lhotzkyanum Kunth (Piperaceae), a shrub found in Brazilian tropical forests, over time (different periods of the day and seasons) and under natural conditions. For this, essential oils (EOs) from the leaves were collected in different seasons and times of the day and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector. The indices were applied to evaluate the chemical diversity as well as the dynamics of redox of the mixtures. The results showed that the EOs were dominated by non-oxygenated sesquiterpenes, with β-elemene, E-caryophyllene, and α-zingiberene being the main compounds identified in all collections. Temporal and seasonal analyses revealed important fluctuations in the chemical composition, redox, and chemical diversity indices of the species. A correlation between climatic factors and the variation in redox and chemical diversity was observed, highlighting the chemical phenotypic plasticity P. lhotzkyanum. This study resolves a previously unanswered question by confirming that natural light does not produce interconversion of major compounds. The adaptation capacity of this species to the environmental changes suggests new cultivation strategies to maximize the quality of EO and promote a more sustainable future in partnership with nature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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9 pages, 904 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Seed Oil from Six In Situ Collected Wild Amaranthus Species
by Amara Noor Hussain, Jeroen Geuens, Ann Vermoesen, Mamoona Munir, Duilio Iamonico, Piera Di Marzio and Paola Fortini
Diversity 2023, 15(2), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020237 - 8 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
Six Amaranthus species (A. cruentus, A. hybridus, A. hypochondriacus, A. muricatus, A. tuberculatus, and A. viridis) were collected in Italy (wild habitats) from crops and roadsides. Amaranth seed oil was extracted to obtain fractions rich in squalene. [...] Read more.
Six Amaranthus species (A. cruentus, A. hybridus, A. hypochondriacus, A. muricatus, A. tuberculatus, and A. viridis) were collected in Italy (wild habitats) from crops and roadsides. Amaranth seed oil was extracted to obtain fractions rich in squalene. Squalene, free fatty acid, tocopherol, and sterol composition and content were investigated in detail. An analysis of variance and principal components was performed. The oil content in the seed ranged from 5.17% (A. muricatus) to 12.20% (A. tuberculatus). The quantity of squalene in the oil varied from 3.43% (A. muricatus) to 6.09% (A. hypochondriacus). The primary sterols were beta-sitosterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. The main tocopherols in all the samples were alfa-tocopherol, beta-tocopherol, and delta-tocopherol. Our results exhibited that the smallest seeds (A. tuberculatus) have the highest percentages of oil and squalene, whereas the largest seeds size (A. muricatus) show the lowest percentages. There is also evidence that the samples growing at lower altitudes show the highest concentration of fatty acids. According to our results, the six wild Amaranthus species exhibited similar characteristics to commercial species. This study confirms that the site of the collection has an impact on the oil and squalene content of the Amaranthus species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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16 pages, 1140 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Volatile Compounds in the Inula candida / I. verbascifolia Group (Asteraceae-Inuleae) and Its Impact on Species Delimitation
by Aikaterini Koutsaviti, Maria Eleftheria Zografaki, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, Olga Tzakou and Theophanis Constantinidis
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121140 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1756
Abstract
The members of the Inula candida / I. verbascifolia group are perennial and chasmophytic plants attributed to four species and eleven entities at subspecific or varietal level. They are mostly confined to Greece. Volatile compounds of above-ground flowering parts of twenty-three populations covering [...] Read more.
The members of the Inula candida / I. verbascifolia group are perennial and chasmophytic plants attributed to four species and eleven entities at subspecific or varietal level. They are mostly confined to Greece. Volatile compounds of above-ground flowering parts of twenty-three populations covering ten taxonomic entities were obtained after hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In most cases, the total percentage of identified constituents reached 89% or above. Seventy-two components were identified. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes prevailed in the I. candida subgroup (47.3–71.5%), with epi-α-cadinol present in all members (13.4–42.7%) but rarely found in the I. verbascifolia subgroup. Considerable amounts of the hydrocarbon aldehydes decanal, undecanal and particularly tridecanal (0.5–35.0%, rarely absent) were predominately found in the I. verbascifolia members but were mostly absent in the I. candida subgroup. Isoalantolactone (12.4–49.5%), identified only in I. subfloccosa, and γ-(Z)-curcumen-12-ol, found only in I. candida subsp. limonella (22.6–42.1%), may serve as chemotaxonomic markers. Two different chemotypes can be distinguished within I. verbascifolia subsp. aschersoniana: a trans-muurola-4(14),5-diene-, γ-cadinene-rich chemotype from north-eastern Greece and a 1-epi-cubenol-, tridecanal-rich chemotype from central Greece. Different statistical algorithms were used to interpret the chemical diversity and identify the most appropriate number of clusters for the taxa. Cluster analyses indicated that the optimum number of clusters that best explain the metabolomic variability of the taxa is two. The degree of membership for each population based on the fuzzy k-means algorithm supported the I. verbascifolia subsp. aschersoniana samples within the I. candida subgroup, whereas I. subfloccosa may belong to any of the two clusters formed, although it also appears to have some unique characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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Review

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39 pages, 3555 KiB  
Review
Naturally Occurring Simple Oxygenated Benzophenones: Structural Diversity, Distribution, and Biological Properties
by Teodor Marinov, Zlatina Kokanova-Nedialkova and Paraskev T. Nedialkov
Diversity 2023, 15(10), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15101030 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3039
Abstract
Naturally occurring benzophenones represent a relatively small group of plant metabolites with narrow distribution, mainly in members of Clusiaceae, Gentianaceae, Hypericaceae, Polygalaceae, Myrtaceae, etc.; however, there were reports of several compounds derived from microorganisms belonging to the Aspergillaceae and Valsaceae families and propolis. [...] Read more.
Naturally occurring benzophenones represent a relatively small group of plant metabolites with narrow distribution, mainly in members of Clusiaceae, Gentianaceae, Hypericaceae, Polygalaceae, Myrtaceae, etc.; however, there were reports of several compounds derived from microorganisms belonging to the Aspergillaceae and Valsaceae families and propolis. Benzophenones exhibit many biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, etc. Few reviews on benzophenones that have appeared in the literature were focused on their prenylated derivatives. Summarized information on structural diversity, distribution, and biological activities of simple oxygenated naturally occurring benzophenones and their glycosides has not been found in the literature. Until 2000, only benzophenone C-glycosides were known to occur in nature. Since then, many O-glycosides have been isolated, structurally, and biologically characterized. This review covers the years from 1850 to 2023 and was compiled using databases such as Chemical Abstracts, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ResearchGate. Based on their degree of oxidation, 210 chemical structures of benzophenone derivatives and glycosides were grouped into six categories. In addition, in one group of 40 miscellaneous benzophenones, where one or several protons are replaced by a methyl, alcohol, carboxyl, or acyl group, glycosidic forms with such an aglycone and dimeric compounds with xanthone was included. Simple oxygenated benzophenones and their glycosides were found in 77 plant genera belonging to 44 families. The allergy-associated bezophenone-1, benzophenone-2 and benzophenone-3 have limited distribution across natural sources. A wide range of biological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antitumor, cytoprotective, antimicrobial, MAO-A, antiarthritic, anticholinesterase, anti-atherosclerotic, laxative, etc.) of simple oxygenated benzophenones and their glycosides that appeared in the literature were discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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26 pages, 25677 KiB  
Review
Hypecoum spp.—Chemistry and Biological Activity of Alkaloids
by Nadezhda Kostova and Tsvetelina Doncheva
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 1023; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15091023 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1286
Abstract
Genus Hypecoum Tourn. ex L. belongs to the poppy family Papaveraceae and comprises about 19 species occurring in Europe, Northern Africa and Asia. Hypecoum species have been widely used in traditional medicine as antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory remedies. Their effects are associated with [...] Read more.
Genus Hypecoum Tourn. ex L. belongs to the poppy family Papaveraceae and comprises about 19 species occurring in Europe, Northern Africa and Asia. Hypecoum species have been widely used in traditional medicine as antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory remedies. Their effects are associated with the biologically and pharmacologically active isoquinoline alkaloids in them, such as protopines, protoberberines, benzophenanthridines, aporphines, simple isoquinolines, secoberbines, spirobenzylisoquinolines and others. In this study, we aimed to review and organize information on ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, chemotaxonomical and pharmacological studies of alkaloids and extracts obtained from Hypecoum plants, and to suggest opportunities for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry and Biology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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