Biological Aspects and Phytochemistry of Three Desert Plants Growing in Western Desert, Egypt.

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate morphology, and anatomy of Astragalus vogelii, Bassia muricata and Morettia philaeana growing in Abu Tartur region, that lies between Kharga and Dakhla Oases in Western Desert of Egypt. Polyphenols, flavonoids, fatty acids, protein-amino acids as well as antioxidant activity of these plants were detected. The stems, leaves and roots have the general anatomical features of dicotyledons and the aerial surface of the epidermal cells covered by thick protective cuticle. Multicellular trichomes could be distinguished. The root of A. vogelii exhibited anomalous secondary thickening with rough surface periderm while those of Bassia and Morettia possess normal secondary thickening and have well-defined periderm. The highest values of polyphenols and flavonoids content were recorded in Bassia and Astragalus, respectively. Six essential and seven non-essential amino acids were identified in Astragalus shoot. GLC analysis of fatty acids revealed the presence of ten fatty acids in Bassia and twelve in Morettia shoots. The methanolic extracts of the plants showed antioxidant activity.

Current knowledge on genus Bassia All.: a comprehensive review on traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and nonmedical applications

“…Due to the fact that seeds are abundant in lipids, most of the studies focused on the identification and quantification of FA in various Bassia seed oils (Kleiman et al 1972;Escudero et al 1999;Weber et al 2001). Data on the analysis of other morphotic parts are scarce and limited to the aerial parts of B. prostrata, B. indica, and B. muricata (Seitimova et al 2016;Imran et al 2017;Bibi et al 2021;Abu Ziada et al 2015). The reports indicate that Bassia species are the source of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, especially FA with chain lengths of 16 to 18 carbons.…”