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In this work, biosynthesis potentials of Dracocephalum kotschyi leaf extract for the production of gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) were studied, and the biological (catalytic, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer) activities of studied AuNPs were evaluated. Different analytical techniques including UV–visible spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used for the characterization of AuNPs. Moreover, Different testing methods were used for evaluating biological activities of biosynthesized AuNPs. The formation of AuNPs was confirmed by color change and UV–visible spectroscopic analysis. Field emission (FE)‐SEM and TEM images were used to characterize phytosynthesized AuNPs which were predominantly spherical in shape with size in the range of 5–21 nm. These spherical NPs were found to be 39.79 ± 5 nm in size as determined by dynamic light scattering particle size analyzer. XRD pattern confirms the crystalline nature of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. The phytoconstituents involved in the reduction and stabilization of nanoparticles have been identified using FTIR spectra. The phytosynthesized AuNPs showed effective antioxidant, antibacterial and catalytic reduction activities. Furthermore, they have inhibited H1229 and MCF‐7 cancer cell lines proliferation in a dose‐dependent manner. These results have supported that D. kotschyi leaf extract was very efficient for the synthesis of AuNPs, and synthesized NPs showed enhanced biological activities which make them suitable for biomedical applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 621–630, 2019.

Essential oils are aromatic compounds widely used in the perfumery, pharmaceutical and food industries. There are several methods to extract essential oils and extracts. These methods include distillation, pressure or scraping, pressing and razor technique, headspace solid-phase micro extraction (HS-SPME), solvent extraction, extraction by bioactive hydrolyzing enzymes, and CO2 extraction. The aim of this study was to investigate the amounts of active ingredients of essential oils of medicinal plants Ziziphus nummularia and Ziziphus spina-christi by HS-SPME so that it can more easily move towards production of effective herbal remedies by identifying the main and active ingredients of the plants. The main chemical compound of Z. spina-christi essential oil was found to be trans-caryophyllene (17.31%), followed by alpha-pinene (15.50%), beta-caryophyllene (10.86%), and beta-pinene (7.32%). The main compound of Z. nummularia essential oil was tetradecane (16.76%), followed by hexadecane (9.35%), dl-limonene (5.75%), cyclohexan-1-ol, 3 meth (5.54%), trans-caryophyllene (5.47%), and beta-myrcene (5.28%). Chemical compounds of Ziziphus spina-christi included carbobicyclic or bicycleheptane, sesquiterpenes derived from germacrene, bicyclic monoterpenes, and monoterpenes, while the main compounds of Z. nummularia included monoterpenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, alkane hydrocarbons, primary terpene compounds, and decarbonated alcohol. Identification of chemical and biological constituents of essential oils of medicinal plants is a valuable way to identify medicinal compounds that can be used to treat diseases by combining the traditional effects and the main compounds in the experimental pharmacy studies.

BackgroundSalvia, known as Maryam Goli in the Persian language, is an important genus that includes approximately 900 species in the Lamiaceae family. There are 58 Salvia species growing naturally in Iran, including Salvia chloroleuca Rech. f. and Allen., which grows wild in the northeastern and central parts of the country.ObjectivesThis study was designed to determine the chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant activity, and total phenol content of various extracts of S. chloroleuca.Materials and MethodsDried aerial parts of the plant were crushed, then sequentially extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The fractions of S. chloroleuca were subjected to silica gel column chromatography and Sephedex LH-20. The antioxidant activities of these extracts were measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and the total phenolic contents of the extracts were evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent.ResultsThe separation and purification processes were carried out using different chromatographic methods. Structural elucidation was on the basis 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectral data, in comparison with that reported in the literature. The isolated compounds were salvigenin (1), luteolin (2), cirsiliol (3), β-sitosterol (4), and daucosterol (5). Ethyl acetate extract displayed the highest level of total antioxidants and total polyphenols compared to the other analyzed extracts (n-hexane and methanol). In the FRAP assay, ethyl acetate extract had the highest (230.4±10.5) FRAP value, followed by methanol (211.4 ± 8.3) and n-hexane (143.4 ± 12.04). Total phenol contents were calculated to be 13.8 ± 0.3, 58.25 ± 0.05, and 43.48 ± 0.38 mg of gallic acid/100 g in the n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts, respectively.ConclusionsThe above-mentioned compounds were isolated for the first time from S. chloroleuca. The antioxidant activity of this plant could be in part related to isolated flavonoids and sterols. The results of this study indicated that S. chloroleuca could be an important dietary source of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant capacity.

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