Changes in chemical composition of Zilla spinosa Forssk. medicinal plants grown in Saudi Arabia in response to spatial and seasonal variations

Abstract

Extracts of different medicinal plants had been used to control several diseases in both traditional medicine and modern drugs. In the current study, we aimed to examine the changes in chemical composition of Zilla spinosa Forssk. plants collected from different habitats in Saudi Arabia in response to spatial and seasonal variations. Z . spinosa samples were collected from two different sites in Riyadh and Eastern regions in Saudi Arabia to examine the spatial variations effects on the studied parameters. Samples were collected from both sites at two different times (3:00 PM and 3:00 AM) to examine the effect of light on the chemical content and composition of these plants. Samples was, also, collected from the same sites at two different seasons (on start of January 2018 “winter season” and end of May 2018 “summer season”) to examine the effect of temperature changes (seasonal variations) on the chemical content and composition of the different studied plants. In Z . spinosa plants collected from Riyadh region, squalene was found to be the major constitute of 3 samples; however, surprisingly, the sample collected in Winter at 3:00 AM showed the presence of mome inositol and ( Z )-5-(formylmethylene)-4-methoxy-2(5 h)-furanone as the dominant components. Similarly, chemical compositions of essential oils extracted from Z . spinosa samples collected from Eastern region in the Summer season was dominated by squalene. Z . spinosa plants showed that all collected samples had high carbohydrate and protein contents with very low content of fats.

Seasonal Changes of Some Metabolites in Hyoscyamus boveanus (Dunal) Asch. & Schweinf – Saint Katherine, South Sinai, Egypt

“…3). Significant differences trends among seasons in the minerals concentrations were in accordance with the results of Kamel and El-Absy [21], Glavac et al [69] and Al-Qahtani et al [70], but an opposite tendency was found by Williams and Chadwick [71]. During the two seasons, Ca concentrations in the summer season were higher than in the winter season of H. boveanus plants.…”

“…4). Similarly, results were reported by Gonzalez-Hernandez et al [77] for crude protein, by Pouris et al [78] for proline and by Al-Qahtani et al [70] for total carbohydrates.…”

“…The contents of proline and total carbohydrates in H. boveanus plant in the summer season were higher than in the winter season, but crude protein % was lower in the summer season than in the winter season. Other studies have also the highest contents for total carbohydrates [70] and proline [79] in the summer season and for the crude protein in the winter season [50]. Increased proline content can be used as an indicator of disturbed physiological conditions as drought and salinity stresses in most plant species [79,80].…”

Phytochemical Screening of Some Medicinal Plants in Al Jouf, KSA

“…Due to the extreme climatic conditions, plants are forced to maintain increased levels of compounds with defensive activities as a survival mechanism against excessive oxidative stress Khalaf Allah et al) [2], bacterial infection, and animal grazing invasion. Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) are compounds like these (Al-Qahtani et al) [3], Youssef et al) [4]. For millennia, the knowledge of how to use plants medicinally has been passed down from generation to generation, and it has evolved based on observations, experience, and trial and error tests (Karunamoorthi et al) [5],…”

Comparative Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of Four Major Medicinal Halophytes from Qassim Flora

“…The entire plant has been used to treat hypertension [ 26 ]. Zilla spinosa has a long history of treating urinary and gallbladder stones [ 27 ] in this area of the region and has a purgative action [ 26 ].…”