The aim of this study is to examine phytochemical composition and evaluation of antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of Anchusa officinalis plant extracts in different solutions: ethanol, chloroform, petroleum, acetone and ethyl acetate. A comparative analysis has shown that ethanol extract had the highest concentration of phenols (104.03 ± 0.63 mgGA/g), and the highest concentration of flavonoids (30.26 ± 0.40 mgRU/g). The highest concentration of the condensed tannins recorded in chloroform extract (74.65 ± 0.57 mg GA/g). The ethanol extract showed the strongest antioxidant and the best antimicrobial activity as compared to all other tested extracts, while the chloroform and the acetone extracts showed the best cytotoxic activity on cell line of mouse fibroblast carcinoma (L2OB). This is the first report of citotoxic activity of extract A. officinalis plant from Balkan region on tumor cell lines. HPLC analysis of A. officinalis plant extracts confirmed that the predominant polyphenol components were: rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, naringenin, lutein-glycoside and rutin.

The present study describes in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the methanol extracts which were obtained from the leaves and twigs of the plant Daphne cneorum L. The antimicrobial activity of these extracts was tested against human pathogenic microorganisms using a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. Total phenolics and flavonoids, as well as the antioxidant activity of the extracts were determined. The two tested extracts showed good antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The results of a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method showed that 7,8-dihydroxycoumarin is one of the most abundant secondary metabolite in the tested extracts. The results of this study clearly indicated that the extracts of D. cneorum could be used as a potential source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents

An examination was made on the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of four medicinal plants Carum carvi, Coriandrum sativum, Hyssopus officinalis, and Eucalyptus globulus, the first three of which are also used as culinary spice herbs.Carum carvi L. and Coriandrum sativum L. belong to the Apiacea family. In traditional medicine, Carum carvi is used in the form of a tea as a digestive and diuretic [1]. Coriandrum sativum has been used since ancient times; it was found in pharaonic tombs where it was used for embalming, and there is mention of it in the Bible. It is used as a medicine against flatulence and as a diuretic [1], and it also has an anticonvulsive effect [2]. The essential oils of these two plants are used as spices in preparing food.Hyssopus officinalis L. and Eucalyptus globulus Lab. belong to the Lamiaceae and Myrtaceae families, respectively, and they are used in folk medicine to treat respiratory diseases [1].The aim of this paper was to determine the chemical composition of the essential oils of the said plants and examine their activity against the growth of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Streptococcus E haemolyticus group A, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Enterecoccus faecalis ATCC 29212, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853), and fungi (Candida albicans ATCC 10231). Eucalyptus globulus was collected at the Montenegrin Coast and all the rest of the plants were grown in the fields of Vojvodina (Northern Serbia).The essential oils were obtained from the fruits of Carum carvi and Coriandrum sativum and the leaves of Hyssopus officinalis and Eucalyptus globulus by the steam distillation method following Procedure III of the Yugoslav Pharmacopoeia [3]. The GC and GC/MS analyses were used for determination of the essential oil composition. Percentages of the main components of the essential oils investigated are given in Table 1. The essential oils of the plants examined are of different chemical compositions, and monoterpenes are distributed the most. By comparison of the composition of the essential oils of the plants mentioned with the literature data [4] and [5], it was concluded that it was dependent on the geographic region and plant growing conditions. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of the plants investigated was determined by the disc-diffusion method [6] and [7]. Tables 2 gives MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values and inhibition zone diameters for three different essential oil concentrations. The inhibition zone diameters were compared with the reference antibiotics, as shown in the tables. As Enterecoccus faecalis ATCC 29212and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 were not inhibited by the essential oils of the plants mentioned, their results are not given in the Tables.The broadest inhibitory activity spectrum was exhibited by the essential oils of Carum carvi and Hyssopus officinalis, and the narrowest one by Eucalyptus globulus. The antimicrobial activity of certain oils (Carum carvi, Hyssopus officinalis, and Eucalyptus globulus) against St...

Flavonols, phenolic acids and other polyphenols possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiproliferative, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antibacterial or antiviral activities to greater or lesser extent (Liu et al. 2002;Ratnam et al. 2006). Cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) has been known to have a high content of phenolic compounds and natural antioxidants (Aaby et al. Evaluation was performed of the effect made by integrated and conventional production systems on phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of cv. Senga Sengana strawberry grown under greenhouse conditions over two consecutive years. The experiment also involved three different types of fertilizer. The integrated production system provides significantly larger quantities of polyphenols as well as a higher antioxidant capacity, compared to values obtained using the conventional system. The investigation into total phenolics content and total antioxidant capacity, as well as individual flavonols and phenolic acids (except gallic acid) content reveals a pronounced effect of the applied biofertilizers (PGPR 1 and PGPR 2). On the other hand, applied chemical fertilizer (Multi KMg) gives the best results in terms of anthocyanins content. These results indicate that there were significant differences in phenols content among integrated and conventional production systems, as well as between biofertilizers and a chemical fertilizer.

Soil fungi, with their pronounced enzymic activity and high osmotic potential, represent a significant indicator of negative effects of different pesticides on the agroecosystem as a whole. In that respect, a trial was set up on the alluvium soil type with the aim to investigate the effect of different herbicides (Simazine, Napropamid, Paraquat), fungicides (Captan and Mancozeb) and insecticides (Fenitrothion and Dimethoate) on a number of soil fungi under apple trees. The number of soil fungi was determined during four growing seasons by an indirect method of dilution addition on the Czapek agar. The study results indicate that the fungi belong to the group of microorganisms that, after an initial sensible response to the presence of pesticides in the soil, very rapidly establish normal metabolism enabling them even to increase their number. The fungicides and insecticides applied were found to be particularly effective in that respect