Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) represent a threat for millions of people worldwide, since they act as vectors for important pathogens, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue and West Nile. Second to malaria as the world's most widespread parasitic disease, infection by trematodes is a devastating public health problem. In this study, we proposed two essential oils from plants cultivated in Mediterranean regions as effective chemicals against mosquitoes and freshwater snails vectors of Echinostoma trematodes. Chemical composition of essential oils from Achillea millefolium (Asteraceae) and Haplophyllum tuberculatum (Rutaceae) was investigated. Acute toxicity was evaluated against larvae of the West Nile vector Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) and the invasive freshwater snail Physella acuta (Mollusca: Physidae), an important intermediate host of many parasites, including Echinostoma revolutum (Echinostomidae). Acute toxicity of essential oils was assessed also on a non-target aquatic organism, the mayfly Cloeon dipterum (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae). Achillea millefolium and H. tuberculatum essentials oils were mainly composed by oxygenated monoterpenes (59.3 and 71.0 % of the whole oil, respectively). Chrysanthenone and borneol were the two major constituents of Achillea millefolium essential oil (24.1 and 14.2 %, respectively). Major compounds of H. tuberculatum essential oil were cis-p-menth-2-en-1-ol and trans-p-menth-2-en-1-ol (22.9 and 16.1 %, respectively). In acute toxicity assays, C. pipiens LC50 was 154.190 and 175.268 ppm for Achillea millefolium and H. tuberculatum, respectively. P. acuta LC50 was 112.911 and 73.695 ppm for Achillea millefolium and H. tuberculatum, respectively, while the same values were 198.116 and 280.265 ppm for C. dipterum. Relative median potency analysis showed that both tested essential oils were more toxic to P. acuta over C. dipterum. This research adds knowledge on plant-borne chemicals toxic against invertebrates of medical importance, allowing us to propose the tested oils as effective candidates to develop newer and safer vector control tools.

In this study, Salvia aegyptiaca and Salvia verbenaca aerial part decoction and methanol extracts (SAE DE, SAE ME, SVR DE, and SVR ME) were screened for their in vitro antioxidant, anti-Alzheimer, and antidiabetic enzymes inhibition activities. The antioxidant properties of Salvia extracts were determined using DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, Alkaline DMSO superoxide radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching, reducing power, and metal chelating activity assays. All extracts showed high antioxidant capacity and the antioxidant properties with the best performance were detected in the SAE ME and SVR ME. The extracts of S. aegyptiaca and S. verbenaca showed a low inhibitory activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), whereas, the methanol extract of S. aegyptiaca had the highest inhibitory activity on butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) (71.60 ± 4.33% for 100 µg/ml) compared to the other extracts. In vitro inhibitory effect on diabetic enzymes showed that the ME inhibited α-amylase enzyme with an IC 50 86 and 101 µg/ml for SAE and SVR, respectively. Similarly, both extracts inhibited α-glucosidase with (IC 50 97 and 150 µg/ ml, respectively). The decoction extracts exhibited lower activity on both enzymes.

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Phytotherapy has known a great evolution all the world and some medicinal plants are important remedies of some diseases. Ammoides atlantica is one of the medicinal plants used in folk medicine. This study aims to estimate the total phenolics and flavonoids contents then to investigate both in vitro antioxidant activity models of aqueous extract (AqE) from Ammoides atlantica. Total polyphenol contents were determined using Folin Ciocalteu's reagent; flavonoids were quantified employing the AlCl3 Method. The in vitro antioxidant property was assessed by DPPH-scavenging radicals and lipid peroxidation assays. The results revealed that Ammoides atlantica aqueous extract presented a high total phenolic and flavonoid contents with values of 85.56±4.71 µg GAE (gallic acid equivalent)/mg and 40.55±4.09 µg QE (quercitin equivalent)/mg dry extract, respectively. This extract shows a good DPPH radical scavenging and β-carotene bleaching activities with an IC50 of 107.48±5.9 µg/mL and 130.17±5.52 µg/mL, respectively. This study indicates that the aqueous extract from Ammoides atlantica has potent antioxidant effects and may prove to be of latent health benefit as well as supplementary sources for natural antioxidants drugs. Keywords: Ammoides atlantica, aqueous extract, antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds.