One previously undescribed abietane diterpene alkaloid containing an oxazole ring (1), one unreported abietane diterpene (2), and nine known abietane diterpenes (3-11) were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Salvia castanea Diels. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by a combination of HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and ECD. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against several human cancer cell lines (HepG2, A549, H460, MCF7, PC3, and Hela). The results showed that 1 exhibited a moderate cytotoxic effect on HepG2 cells (IC50: 14.22 ± 1.05 μM) and was able to inhibit the cell growth of MCF7 and Hela cells by 35.08% and 47.26% respectively, at a concentration of 20 μM, while other compounds showed low cytotoxic activity.

The Lamiaceae family, which includes several well-known aromatic plants, is scientifically relevant due to its essential oils (EOs). In this work, four EOs from Mediterranean species, namely Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L., and Thymus vulgaris L., were evaluated for their volatile profiles and the biological activity in vitro to assess their potential use in the food and cosmetic sector. GC/MS analysis revealed dominant compounds, such as carvacrol, thymol, and eucalyptol. Regarding biological action, the samples exhibited antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antifungal activities, with O. vulgare and T. officinalis standing out. T. vulgaris showed the lowest EC50 in the reducing power assay, and O. vulgare had the lowest EC50 in the DPPH assay. Most EOs also displayed excellent anti-inflammatory responses and antifungal properties, with O. vulgare and T. vulgaris also demonstrating antibacterial activity. All EOs from Mediterranean species showed cytotoxicity against tumoral cell lines. Overall, the selected EOs stood out for their interesting bioactivities, with the obtained results underscoring their potential as natural preservatives and bioactive agents in various industrial applications, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

Nepeta nuda L., a notable medicinal species in the tradition of the Balkan region, is a rich source of bioactive iridoids and phenolics previously described as high-resolution taxonomical classifiers for the genus Nepeta. However, their potential in investigating intra-species differentiation is here described for the first time. The aim was to recognize the sources of natural chemical diversity and their association with the genetic variability both within and among N. nuda populations in the Central Balkans. Chemical diversity was assessed from methanol extracts and essential oils through untargeted and targeted metabolomics using state-of-the-art analytical tools, covering a broad spectrum of compounds that represent the N. nuda metabolome. We found that chemodiversity primarily resides within populations of N. nuda, and similar results were obtained at the DNA level using microsatellite markers. The low genetic and chemical differentiation of the studied N. nuda populations implies that their metabolomic profiles may be less influenced by geographic distance and variable environmental conditions within the Central Balkans, as they are under the pivotal control of their genetic backgrounds. Screening the distribution of the major bioactive compounds belonging to phenolics (phenolic acids and flavonoids) and iridoids (both aglycones and glycosylated forms), within and among N. nuda populations, is able to guarantee mass spectrometry-based tools for the selection of elite representative genotypes with practical importance. The knowledge acquired will allow us to delve deeper into the molecular background of N. nuda chemical diversity, which is the course of our further work.

The abietane-type diterpenoids are among the most significant diterpene subsets found in hundreds of plant species belonging to various families. Among which, the members of the genus Salvia and Euphorbia are rich in abietane diterpenoids. Because of the chemical diversity and notable bioactivities, such as anticancer, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities, abietane-type diterpenoids are attractive. Herein, recent advances in the isolation and characterization of abietane-type diterpenoids from natural sources, as well as their biological activities, from 2015 up to 2024 are reviewed. During this time, over 300 abietane diterpenoids with diverse structures have been discovered.

This study aimed to develop a relatively natural and safe botanical insecticide for controlling the storage pest Tribolium castaneum in the egg and pupal stages. It examined how Elsholtzia densa Benth. essential oil (EO) and its primary components, β-caryophyllene and limonene, affected T. castaneum eggs and pupae through contact and fumigation. Among th, the contact activities of β-caryophyllene against T. castaneum eggs and pupae are LD50 (median lethal dose, 50%) = 0.156 mg/cm2 and ED50 (median effective dose, 50%) = 16.35 mg/pupa respectively. The study also investigated the effect of β-caryophyllene and limonene on T. castaneum eggs and pupae through synergistic contact and fumigation. When the mixing ratio of β-caryophyllene and limonene was 7:1, the LD50 value of contact activity against T. castaneum eggs was reduced to 0.100 mg/cm2, displaying an obvious synergistic effect. Experiments were conducted to investigate the antitoxic effect of β-caryophyllene on T. castaneum eggs and pupae, as well as its effects on the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase, succinate dehydrogenase, glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase in T. castaneum pupae. Finally, the molecular docking techniques were employed to confirm the aforementioned effects on enzyme function. The findings of this study might help improve storage pest control with T. castaneum and create eco-friendly insecticides using E. densa EO, β-caryophyllene, and limonene.

Five undescribed leucosesterterpane sesterterpenoids, leucosceptrines A-E, two undescribed penta-nor-leucosesterterpane (C20) sesterterpenoids, nor-leucosceptrines A and B, and three known analogues, were obtained from the aerial parts of Leucosceptrum canum of Chinese origin. Leucosceptrines A-C are the first examples of leucosesterterpane-type sesterterpenoids with unclosed dihydropyran rings and reverse configurations at chiral centers C-4 and/or C-12. Nor-leucosceptrines A and B possesses an unusual penta-nor-leucosesterterpane skeleton. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A plausible biogenetic pathway for these sesterterpenoids was proposed. The immunosuppressive effects of these isolates on the secretion of the cytokine IFN-γ by T cells stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 monoclonal antibodies were observed with different potencies.

BACKGROUND: The Salvia rosmarinus spenn. (rosemary) is considered an economically important ornamental and medicinal plant and is widely utilized in culinary and for treating several diseases. However, the procedure behind synthesizing secondary metabolites-based bioactive compounds at the molecular level in S. rosmarinus is not explored completely.
RESULTS: We performed transcriptomic sequencing of the pooled sample from leaf and stem tissues on the Illumina HiSeqTM X10 platform. The transcriptomics analysis led to the generation of 29,523,608 raw reads, followed by data pre-processing which generated 23,208,592 clean reads, and de novo assembly of S. rosmarinus obtained 166,849 unigenes. Among them, nearly 75.1% of unigenes i.e., 28,757 were interpreted against a non-redundant protein database. The gene ontology-based annotation classified them into 3 main categories and 55 sub-categories, and clusters of orthologous genes annotation categorized them into 23 functional categories. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database-based pathway analysis confirmed the involvement of 13,402 unigenes in 183 biochemical pathways, among these unigenes, 1,186 are involved in the 17 secondary metabolite production pathways. Several key enzymes involved in producing aromatic amino acids and phenylpropanoids were identified from the transcriptome database. Among the identified 48 families of transcription factors from coding unigenes, bHLH, MYB, WRKYs, NAC, C2H2, C3H, and ERF are involved in flavonoids and other secondary metabolites biosynthesis.
CONCLUSIONS: The phylogenetic analysis revealed the evolutionary relationship between the phenylpropanoid pathway genes of rosemary with other members of Lamiaceae. Our work reveals a new molecular mechanism behind the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and their regulation in rosemary plants.

Seven undescribed abietane diterpenoids [abietamethinols A-G (1-7)] were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Isodon amethystoides. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR, and they were further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic data. Lophanic acid was considered as the precursor of 1-7 in the biosynthesis pathway hypothesis. These compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic, anti-bacterial and anti-AIV (avian influenza virus) activities. Compound 5 showed 42.9% inhibitory activity against the cancer cell line SMMC-7721 at the concentration of 40 μM, 3 and 4 could inhibit the bacterial growth of Streptococcus sobrinus by 55.3% and 63.2% at the concentrations of 148.6 and 141.9 μM, respectively, and 4 was demonstrated with antiviral activity against AIV with the inhibitory effect of 68.4% at 25 μM.

The distinctive characteristics of nanoparticles and their potential applications have been given considerable attention by scientists across different fields, particularly agriculture. However, there has been limited effort to assess the impact of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in modulating physiological and biochemical processes in response to salt-induced stress. This study aimed to synthesize CuNPs biologically using Solenostemma argel extract and determine their effects on morphophysiological parameters and antioxidant defense system of barley (Hordeum vulgare) under salt stress. The biosynthesized CuNPs were characterized by (UV-vis spectroscopy with Surface Plasmon Resonance at 320 nm, the crystalline nature of the formed NPs was verified via XRD, the FTIR recorded the presence of the functional groups, while TEM was confirmed the shape (spherical) and the sizes (9 to 18 nm) of biosynthesized CuNPs. Seeds of barley plants were grown in plastic pots and exposed to different levels of salt (0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl). Our findings revealed that the supplementation of CuNPs (0, 25 and 50 mg/L) to salinized barley significantly mitigate the negative impacts of salt stress and enhanced the plant growth-related parameters. High salinity level enhanced the oxidative damage by raising the concentrations of osmolytes (soluble protein, soluble sugar, and proline), malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In addition, increasing the activities of enzymatic antioxidants, total phenol, and flavonoids. Interestingly, exposing CuNPs on salt-stressed plants enhanced the plant-growth characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, and gas exchange parameters. Furthermore, CuNPs counteracted oxidative damage by lowering the accumulation of osmolytes, H2O2, MDA, total phenol, and flavonoids, while simultaneously enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. In conclusion, the application of biosynthesized CuNPs presents a promising approach and sustainable strategy to enhance plant resistance to salinity stress, surpassing conventional methods in terms of environmental balance.

This work aimed to rectify Cunila galioides essential oil and evaluate the raw oil and the fractions\' antifungal, allelopathic, and antioxidant activities. The results showed that the raw essential oil and the bottom fraction were primarily composed of linalyl propionate (42.9 wt.% and 60.2 wt.%). The top fraction was composed mainly of limonene (45.7 wt.%). The antioxidant activity changed with the radical and the fraction. The bottom had a weaker antifungal effect than the raw oil and the top. Nevertheless, the essential oil and the fractions had a similar antifungal activity at 0.50 % v/v and higher. Similar behavior was observed for the allelopathic tests. No difference occurred between the raw oil and the fractions, with reduced germination percentages and speed at 0.25 % v/v and complete inhibition at 0.50 % v/v. The oil can be rectified, and the fractions may be used without harming their biological activity.