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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
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Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinals, Herbs, and Specialty Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 18904

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Guillermo Cásedas

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, 50830 Zaragoza, Spain
2. Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: natural products; berries; neuroprotection; anthocyanins; antioxidants; cell culture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina Moliner

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, 50830 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: natural products; C. elegans; edible flowers; aging; neuroprotection; phytotherapy
Prof. Dr. Francisco Les

E-Mail
Guest Editor
1. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Jorge, 50830 Zaragoza, Spain
2. Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2, CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: natural products; phytochemistry; antioxidant activity; herbal medicine; biological activities; adipose tissue; enzyme inhibitors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The open-access journal Horticulturae (IF: 2.331; Q1 in Horticulture) is pleased to announce the launch of a new Special Issue titled “Biological Activities of Medicinal, Food and Aromatic Plants”.

Different parts of aromatic and medicinal plants have traditionally been used as herbal remedies in different forms, such as tisanes, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, syrups or other pharmaceutical products for the prevention or treatment of different health disorders. Additionally, many food plants commonly used in daily human diets exert beneficial properties, such as antioxidant and anti-ageing effects, contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

The interest in plants and their influence on human health and nutrition is mainly due to bioactive phytochemicals of different chemical classes, (e.g., polyphenols, sulfur compounds, terpenes, alkaloids). Phytochemicals can be easily extracted from plants using different technologies, and they have aroused a great deal of interest in recent years as the number of scientific papers in this field has increased. These extracts and natural metabolites from plants have shown a wide range of biological activities, supporting their use in further drug discovery and potential industrial applications in different fields for human or veterinary use.

We look forward to collaborating with researchers in this field to establish a solid background in medicinal and aromatic plants.

Sincerely,

Dr. Guillermo Cásedas
Dr. Cristina Moliner
Dr. Francisco Les
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. Horticulturae 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 2200 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.

Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • bioassays
  • essential oils
  • herbal medicine
  • metabolites
  • natural products
  • phytochemistry

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2401 KiB  
Article
Phytochemical Screening and Biological Activities of Diospyros villosa (L.) De Winter Leaf and Stem-Bark Extracts
by Oluwatosin Temilade Adu, Yougasphree Naidoo, Johnson Lin, Temitope Samson Adu, Venkataramegowda Sivaram, Yaser Hassan Dewir and Antar Nasr El-Banna
Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 945; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8100945 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1366
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical components, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial effects of Diospyros villosa (L.) De Winter leaves and stem bark. The extracts were obtained using different media (methanol, chloroform, and hexane). The DPPH and FRAP methods were used to assess [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical components, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial effects of Diospyros villosa (L.) De Winter leaves and stem bark. The extracts were obtained using different media (methanol, chloroform, and hexane). The DPPH and FRAP methods were used to assess the antioxidant activity and the Folin–Ciocalteu method was used to determine the total phenolic contents of the crude extracts. The antimicrobial effects of the extracts against five pathogenic bacteria were determined using the MIC, MBC, and agar-well diffusion methods. Flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenols were identified in the D. villosa extracts. The mean concentrations of the methanolic leaf and stem-bark extracts against DPPH providing 50% inhibition were 9.53 ± 0.25 μg·mL−1 and 9.52 ± 0.30 μg·mL−1, respectively. In addition, the total phenolic content within the test range of concentrations was found to be 28.45 ± 0.50 mg of gallic acid equivalent per g of sample extract [mg·g−1 (GAE)] (methanolic leaf extract) and 4.88 ± 0.36 mg·g−1 (GAE) (methanolic stem-bark extract). The methanolic leaf extracts further showed promising antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with inhibition zones of 18.0 ± 0.58, 23.5 ± 0.58, 20.0 ± 0.88, and 17.0 ± 2.0 mm, respectively which were comparable to the control (gentamicin and streptomycin). The results suggest that bioactive compounds are abundant in D. villosa leaves and stem bark and could serve as a potential source of natural antioxidants as well as an antibacterial agent for the treatment of pathogenic bacterial infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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14 pages, 1453 KiB  
Article
Phytochemical Screening, and Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Mangifera indica L. Leaves
by Arvish Maharaj, Yougasphree Naidoo, Yaser Hassan Dewir and Hail Rihan
Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 909; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8100909 - 05 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4587
Abstract
The bio-constituents of medicinal plants are greatly influenced by the environmental conditions and growing seasons. This study aimed to uncover the presence of different metabolites and to investigate the biological properties of the leaves of Mangifera indica during summer and winter seasons. The [...] Read more.
The bio-constituents of medicinal plants are greatly influenced by the environmental conditions and growing seasons. This study aimed to uncover the presence of different metabolites and to investigate the biological properties of the leaves of Mangifera indica during summer and winter seasons. The extract of M. indica leaves for summer and winter using different solvent extracts (hexane, chloroform, and methanol) showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, phytosterol, saponins, steroids, and carbohydrates. Antibacterial activity of the methanolic leaf extracts for summer and winter were evaluated against the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922). For S. aureus (ATTC 43300), the summer crude extract displayed lower antibacterial activity than the control streptomycin, with zones of inhibition of 14.17 and 16.67 mm, respectively. Winter extracts had a zone of inhibition of 12 mm, while streptomycin had a 13.67 mm zone of inhibition. For E. coli (ATCC 25922), the summer crude extract displayed higher antibacterial activity than the control gentamycin, with zones of inhibition of 18.05 and 17.5 mm, respectively. The winter extracts had a zone of inhibition of 8.5 mm, while gentamycin had a 14.5 mm zone of inhibition. Antibacterial screening showed positive results for both seasons; however, summer extracts showed a more potent effect. The antioxidant screening was conducted using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay. Potent radical scavenging activity was exhibited for both summer and winter seasons with hexane and methanolic extracts for summer (IC50 of 19.53 μg/mL and 12.71 μg/mL, respectively) and winter (22.32 μg/mL and 14.35 μg/mL, respectively) in comparison to the control ascorbic acid, which produced an IC50 of 3.20 μg/mL. The summer leaf extracts had better radical scavenging IC50 capacity than winter extracts. In conclusion, hexane and methanolic extracts had significant antioxidant activity, while methanolic extracts exhibited antibacterial activity. Further studies are required against more strains of bacteria and cancer cell lines to test for potency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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19 pages, 2128 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition and Cytoprotective Activities of Methanolic Extract of Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. (Aspleniaceae)
by Adrià Farràs, Víctor López, Filippo Maggi, Giovanni Caprioli, María Pilar Vinardell and Montserrat Mitjans
Horticulturae 2022, 8(9), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8090815 - 06 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1729
Abstract
Ferns can be a source of polyphenolic compounds, with the fronds being the main parts described in ethnopharmacological studies. The present study screened polyphenolic phytochemicals and evaluated in vitro activities of a methanolic extract of Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. fronds (AAM), an Aspleniaceae fern [...] Read more.
Ferns can be a source of polyphenolic compounds, with the fronds being the main parts described in ethnopharmacological studies. The present study screened polyphenolic phytochemicals and evaluated in vitro activities of a methanolic extract of Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. fronds (AAM), an Aspleniaceae fern collected from the Prades mountains (Tarragona, Spain). Phytocharacterization by HPLC-MS/MS confirmed that the major flavonoids isolated in AAM are flavanols while the major phytochemicals are phenol acids, with chlorogenic acid being the most representative one. Cytotoxicity, cytoprotection, cellular repair activity, and phototoxicity were determined in vitro in the presence of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/mL of the extract. No cytotoxicity was obtained in any of the cell lines tested: non-tumoral (3T3 and HaCaT) and tumoral (HeLa, HepG2, and A549) cells. Additionally, the polyphenolic extract showed greater protective effect against H2O2 in 3T3 than HaCaT cells. Despite the low total phenolic content of AAM (1405.68 mg phenolic phytochemicals/kg dry extract), the cytoprotective activity of this extract could be associated with the synergistic antioxidant action of their polyphenolic profile. In addition, the extract did not present phototoxicity against the non-cytotoxic 1.8 J/cm2 dose of UVA light in both non-tumoral cell lines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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16 pages, 1498 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition of Combretum erythrophyllum Leaf and Stem Bark Extracts
by Sahejna Bantho, Yougasphree Naidoo, Yaser Hassan Dewir, Ayuvna Bantho and Hosakatte Niranjana Murthy
Horticulturae 2022, 8(8), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8080755 - 20 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2928
Abstract
Combretaceae is a large Angiosperm family that is highly sought after because of its pronounced medicinal value. Combretum is recognized as the largest genus, prevalent in southern Africa due to its extensive use in traditional medicine. This study aimed to provide a comparative [...] Read more.
Combretaceae is a large Angiosperm family that is highly sought after because of its pronounced medicinal value. Combretum is recognized as the largest genus, prevalent in southern Africa due to its extensive use in traditional medicine. This study aimed to provide a comparative analysis of the phytochemical constituents of the leaf and stembark extracts of Combretum erythrophyllum (Burch.) Sond. Leaf and stembark crude extracts were generated using hexane, chloroform, and methanol as the solvents of choice. Qualitative phytochemical tests indicated the presence of phytocompounds, including carbohydrates, alkaloids, sterols, phenols, fixed oils, and fats. Flavonoids were found within the leaf extracts only, while saponins, mucilage, and gums were specifically identified within the stembark extracts. The first reported gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) screening of C. erythrophyllum leaf and stembark extracts was conducted, yielding the identification of 266 phytocompounds. Major phytocompounds such as sitosterol and lupeol, which may have possible anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, were identified. Furthermore, a pharmacogenetic evaluation was conducted. As a result, both the leaf and stem bark material were seen to fluoresce a wide array of colors (brown, red, green, and blue colorations), indicating the presence of beneficial phytometabolites and their use in medicinal applications. Given the wide array of proposed medicinal benefits associated with the presence of phytocompounds identified within C. erythrophyllum, this species should be considered for its medicinal importance. The isolation and extraction of these beneficial compounds open further avenues for their use in the pharmaceutical industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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Review

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17 pages, 749 KiB  
Review
Mentha arvensis and Mentha × piperita-Vital Herbs with Myriads of Pharmaceutical Benefits
by Hao Wei, Shuai Kong, Vanitha Jayaraman, Dhivya Selvaraj, Prabhakaran Soundararajan and Abinaya Manivannan
Horticulturae 2023, 9(2), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9020224 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7262
Abstract
Mentha arvensis L. and Mentha × piperita L. are herbal plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family and are widely cultivated for their essential oils and culinary uses. These herbs are commercially valuable mints used in the preparation of herbal formulations, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and [...] Read more.
Mentha arvensis L. and Mentha × piperita L. are herbal plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family and are widely cultivated for their essential oils and culinary uses. These herbs are commercially valuable mints used in the preparation of herbal formulations, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and in food industries. Due to the presence of potential secondary metabolites, mints were employed to treat various disorders since ancient times in traditional medicines. The extracts of M. arvensis and M. × piperita can improve the function of digestive system, central nervous system and respiratory system of the human body. Majority of the health benefits of these herbs are attributed by the essential oil components. In addition, the administration of M. arvensis and M. × piperita under various pathological conditions studied in vitro and in vivo facilitated the recovery of detrimental ailments. Due to the increasing demand for natural product-based medicines, research is focused on the utilization of phytochemicals to treat various ailments. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of health benefits of M. arvensis and M. × piperita, the present endeavor deals with the antioxidant property, anti-inflammatory property, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer activities of both species. However, a deeper knowledge on the specific metabolites of M. arvensis and M. × piperita and their mode of action against different disease targets will accelerate the discovery of novel natural drugs with less side effects and higher efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants)
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