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The anti-inflammatory activity of two extracts from the aerial parts of Ledum palustre has been reported. The volatile oil was obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and the essential oil by hydrodistillation (HD). The oils were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to monitor their composition. Both extracts shared as main compound (41.0-43.4%) ledol (23.3-26.7%) and ascaridole (15.1-4.5%). The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by the subcutaneous carrageenan injection-induced hind paw oedema. The treated animals received essential oil (SFE and HD), the reference group received ketoprofen or piroxicam and the control group received NaCl 0.9%. A statistical analysis was performed by the Student t-test. The results show that L. palustre essential oil enhanced a significant inhibition of oedema (50-73%) for HD oil and (52-80%) for SFE oil. These results were similar to those obtained with piroxicam (70%) and ketoprofen (55%).

An increasing demand for Hyperici herba has caused the evaluation of this genus in all Europe. Hypericum perforatum L. and H. maculatum Cranz are common species in Lithuania. The aim of the investigations was to examine indigenous populations and field accessions of these species in respect to morphological characters and chemical constituents. The results of evaluation revealed high morphological diversity in both species. The t-test comparison showed the difference of characters from wild and field. The content of flavonoids and hypericin varied highly in species, different accessions, and parts of the plant. Significant differences were detected in the mean concentrations of quercetin, hypericin, rutin and hyperoside+isoquercetrin in flowers and leaves of both species. The flavonoid content appeared to be more constant character in both species. The poorer growth and lower mean concentrations of secondary metabolites were discovered in H. maculatum. The germplasm of Hypericum may be a potential source of genetic variation to allow selecting the valuable material for breeding.

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This article reports the results concerning the qualitative and quantitative composition of the volatile oil obtained from the aerial parts of Tanacetum vulgare, collected in Lithuania, by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO2 at 90 bar and 40 °C and by hydrodistillation (HD). GC-MS and GC-FID analysis revealed that the oils mainly consisted of 1,8-cineole, trans-thujone, cis-chrysanthenol, borneol and myrtenol. Oils obtained by HD displayed, with respect to the SFE volatile oil, a higher amount of hydrocarbon monoterpenes. The hydrodistilled oil was particularly active against dermatophyte strains and Cryptococcus neoformans, with MIC values in the range of 0.16-0.64 μL/mL. The oil revealed a significant inhibitory effect on germ tube formation in Candida albicans at sub-inhibitory concentrations. At the concentration of 1/16 MIC, the inhibition of filamentation was more than 80% in comparison to untreated control cells.