The present study outlines a chemical characterization and further effects beneficial to health of edible Rumex scutatus and Pseudosempervivum sempervivum, in addition to presenting the antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory effects and antimicrobial properties of different extracts. The phenolic compounds composition of the extracts was assessed by RP-HPLC-DAD, outlining benzoic acid and rutin as major constituents in P. sempervivum and rutin and hesperidin in R. scutatus. Moreover, further biological effects were tested on key enzymes involved in diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease and skin melanogenesis revealing an important tyrosinase inhibitory effect of Pseudosempervivum water extract. Moreover, both species possessed antimicrobial properties towards bacteria and fungi relevant to public health. Accordingly, we find that R. scutatus and P. sempervivum can be considered as novel functional foods because they are rich sources of biologically active compounds that provide health benefits.

No abstract

The composition of the essential oils of ten Centaurea species from Turkey, Centaurea aladaghensis, C. antiochia var. prealta, C. antitauri, C. babylonica, C. balsamita, C. cheirolepidoides, C. deflexa, C. iconiensis, C. lanigera, C. ptosimopappoides have been studied. Multivariate statistical analyses (Principal Component Analysis, Multidimensional Scaling, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) applied to GC-MS data, seem to be very useful to investigate and establish the natural taxonomic delimitation of this very difficult genus. The groupings resulted independent from the ecological similarities (i.e. plants that live in the same habitats or share similar morphological characteristics), so it seems that the environment has no influence on the biosynthesis of the volatiles of these plant

No abstract

No abstract