Relevance. Astilbe chinensis has clinical efficacy against many diseases, making this plant a potential natural source for treating diabetes and obesity with a mild, non-aggressive effect. Overall, the study of the biological properties of A. chinensis leaves is currently in its infancy.Aim. In this study, the anti-amylase and anti-lipase potential of aqueous extract of Astilbe chinensis leaves was investigated as an important source of natural complex substances with therapeutic potential. Methods. The total content of phenolic compounds was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and flavonoids by the colorimetric method according to the complexation reaction with aluminum chloride. The effects of aqueous/tea extracts of A. chinensis leaves on pancreatic amylase and lipase were studied via in vitro models in comparison with acarbose and orlistat, respectively. For these tests, the artificial substrates 1,2-O-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid ester (6-methylresorufin) and 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol oligosaccharide were used.Results. The study of the effect of aqueous extract of A. chinensis leaves on pancreatic amylase and lipase showed a comparable inhibitory effect of 18% on both enzymes.

Relevance. Rhodiola rosea L. is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Crassulaceae family. The roots and rhizomes of R. rosea contain a range of biologically active compounds. This species is included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation. Medicinal preparations derived from them are widely used as adaptogens, general tonic and anti-stress agents. While the roots have been extensively studied, less attention has been given to the biologically active compounds found in the leaves of R. rosea. An introduced population of R. rosea grows on the territory of the botanical garden of medicinal plants of the All-Russian scientific research Institute of medicinal and aromatic plants (VILAR). The possibility of cultivating this species in the conditions of the Moscow region is being studied.Material and Methodology. The objective of this study was to investigate the composition of phenolic compounds in R. rosea leaves from VILAR biocollection using ultra-efficient liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. Extraction was carried out with 80% acetone. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic system with a photodiode array detector and mass spectrometer was used for the analysis of phenolic compounds. Identification was carried out using UV- and mass spectrometry data.Results. As a result of UPLC-DD-MS analysis, peaks of 20 phenolic compounds were detected in R. rosea leaves, of which 19 compounds were tentatively identified. The leaf extract contained eight phenolic compounds from the group of galloyl-glucoses (three isomers of monogalloyl-glucose, trigalloyl-glucose, two isomers of tetragalloyl-glucose, two isomers of pentagalloyl-glucose), two gallotannins (isomers of hexagalloyl-glucose), five flavonoids (four herbacetin derivatives and one gossypetin), phenolic acids (caffeoyl-malic and ferulic acids), arbutin and esculetin. It has been shown that the biologically active substances of R. rosea provide prospects for the use of leaves as raw materials for the development of herbal preparations with anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antitumor effects.

Tanacetum balsamita L. is a perennial rhizomatous plant of the Asteraceae family. T. balsamita is cultivated as medicinal, aromatic plants and food plant. Extract of costmary exhibits hepatoprotective, antiseptic and anthelmintic properties. The herb of T. balsamita contains essential oils and phenolic compounds. This species included in the "Biocollection of medicinal and aromatic plants of open and protected ground", Botanical garden of the VILAR. The main aim was to study the composition of phenolic compounds in the leaves of T. balsamita with application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and mass spectrometry. The object of the study was the leaves of T. balsamita . Samples were extracted with 1 ml of 80% aqueous acetone. An ultra-performance liquid chromatographic system with a photodiode detector and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used for analysis of phenolic compounds. The UV and MS data of phenolic compounds were used for their identification or tentative characterization with application of mass spectrometry databases and data published in the literature. Results. The results obtained showed the presence in the leaves of 17 phenolic compounds. Five compounds were identified as caffeoylquinic, feruloylquinic and three dicaffeolquinic acid isomers, and two compounds as ferulic acid hexoside isomers. The leaves of T. balsamita contained also five luteolin derivatives, two chrysoeriol derivatives, and spinacetin/axillarin. Four compounds were not identified.

This paper analyzes the literature data on the practical use of plants of the genus Filipendula as a nutritional component and a promising source of biologically active substances. For immunomodulatory action, the flowers and leaves of the meadowsweet are mainly used, which have demonstrated a significant effect in numerous in vitro and in vivo models. Among the diseases in which the immunomodulatory properties of plants of the genus Filipendula are found the most application are inflammatory processes of the upper respiratory tract, a number of inflammatory disorders of the skin, as well as a diaphoretic and antispasmodic, in bronchial asthma, etc. An analysis of the literature data allows us to conclude that these plants have a beneficial effect on human health, both individually and as a component of food, due to their unique phytochemical profiles.

Introduction. Acca sellowiana , or feijoa belongs to the Myrtaceae family and it is an evergreen shrub or small tree 4–6 meters high. The phytochemical composition has been most thoroughly studied in the fruits of A. sellowiana . It has been shown that feijoa is rich in phenolic acids, hydrolysable and condensed tannins, steroidal saponins, and flavonoids. Hydrolysable tannins are known to have high biological activity. Aim. To study the composition and content of hydrolysable tannins in the leaves of A. sellowiana . Materials and methods. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and mass spectrometry. Results and discussion. The results obtained showed the presence of 22 phenolic compounds in the extract of the A. sellowiana leaves. They have been classified as flavan-3-ols, flavonoids and hydrolysable tannins. Two compounds could not be identified. The total content of hydrolysable tannins was 44,28 mg/g (90 % of the total phenolic content). At the same time, ellagitannins were the main phenolic compounds of the extract (40,47 mg/g), while the amount of galloyl-glucose was only 3,81 mg/g. Conclusions. Composition and content of hydrolysable tannins in the leaves of A. sellowiana introduced in the greenhouse of VILAR have been studied. The leaves accumulate mainly monomeric ellagitannins represented 92 % of the total content of hydrolysable tannins. The data obtained indicate that the leaves of A. sellowiana can be used as a raw material for obtaining extracts with a high content of ellagitannins and developing drugs based on them.

Tanacetum balsamita L. is a perennial rhizomatous plant of the Asteraceae family. T. balsamita is cultivated as medicinal, aromatic plants and food plant. Extract of costmary exhibits hepatoprotective, antiseptic and anthelmintic properties. The herb of T. balsamita contains essential oils and phenolic compounds. This species included in the "Biocollection of medicinal and aromatic plants of open and protected ground", Botanical garden of the VILAR. The main aim was to study the composition of phenolic compounds in the leaves of T. balsamita with application of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and mass spectrometry. The object of the study was the leaves of T. balsamita. Samples were extracted with 1 ml of 80% aqueous acetone. An ultra-performance liquid chromatographic system with a photodiode detector and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used for analysis of phenolic compounds. The UV and MS data of phenolic compounds were used for their identification or tentative characterization with application of mass spectrometry databases and data published in the literature.Results. The results obtained showed the presence in the leaves of 17 phenolic compounds. Five compounds were identified as caffeoylquinic, feruloylquinic and three dicaffeolquinic acid isomers, and two compounds as ferulic acid hexoside isomers. The leaves of T. balsamita contained also five luteolin derivatives, two chrysoeriol derivatives, and spinacetin/axillarin. Four compounds were not identified.

Изучено действие высокотемпературного фактора на рост зародыша и прорастание семян укропа, полученных с разных порядков ветвления. Получены новые данные о ключевых процессах прорастания гетероморфных семян и действии высокотемпературного стрессора на них. Показано, что для наклевывания семени зародышу необходимо развиться еще минимум на 40-50% от своей первоначальной длины. В этот момент он особенно чувствителен к воздействию внешних факторов, которые могут тормозить его рост, а впоследствии оказать влияние на количество проросших семян. При этом темпы роста зародыша в условиях оптимальной и стрессовой температуры при проращивании существенно различаются в зависимости от места формирования. Действие экстремальной температуры негативно отразилось на темпах роста зародышей как первого, так и второго порядка ветвления. Однако зародыши второго порядка ветвления оказались более чувствительны к действию пониженной и повышенной температуры в процессе прорастания. При отклонении температуры проращивания от оптимальной (20°C) происходило уменьшение скорости прорастания и процента проросших семян. Семена второго порядка более резко реагировали на температурный стресс. Это подтверждает положение о том, что морфологическое недоразвитие зародыша является ключевым фактором, влияющим на качество семян зонтичных культур и развитие зародыша в процессе проращивания, особенно в экстремальных температурных условиях. Исследования кинетики роста зародыша и прорастания гетероморфных семян укропа в условиях широкого диапазона температур могут быть использованы в селекции на холодостойкость и жаростойкость. Температурный фактор, в значительной степени определяющий доразвитие зародыша в период, предшествующий наклёвыванию семян, может быть эффективным методом предпосевной доработки семян.

The costmary (Tanacetum vulgare L., syn.: Chrysanthemumvulgare (L). Bernh) is a perennial medicinal plant with a Euro-Asian type of a habitat. The costmary extracts have a wide spectrum of a biological and pharmacological activity. A drug with high choleretic and anti-inflammatory activity was created on the basis of the butanol fraction of the extract from the T. vulgare flowers in the All-Russian Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. The goal of this investigation was a determination of the qualitative composition and the quantitative content of phenolic compounds of the butanol fraction which are considered to be probably responsible for the biological activity of the extract. High performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection in a combination with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-HRMS) was used for the analysis. We demonstrated that seven phenolic compounds were present in the butanol fraction of T. vulgare, including the first-isolated myricetin-3-glucoside. The content of the phenolic compounds achieved 90%, and neochlorogenic, 3,5-, and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids were the main compounds (their content was 69%). Thus, the high content of caffeoylquinic acids could be responsible for the pharmacological activity of the drug based on the butanol fraction of the extract from the costmary flowers.

New data on the process of germination of dill seeds of the first and second orders after short-term heat stress (40 ° C) have been obtained. Seed germination was carried out in a thermostat. Swollen seeds (four repetitions of 100 seeds) were exposed to a temperature of 40 ° C in accordance with the scheme of the experiment: 0 (control); 1; 2; 3; 4 and 5 days. After incubation, the seeds were transferred to standard (t = 20 ° C) conditions and germinated in Petri dishes on filter paper with-out access to light for 21 days. Methods of analysis of seed germination in dynamics are used. Log-logistic regression with three parameters was used to construct the seed germination curve: b, d, e. All statistical analyses were performed in R version 3.4.3. The duration of the action of high temperature, which has an inhibitory effect on the germination rate and the number of germinated seeds, was revealed. Seeds of the first order in the control and after incubation for 1-3 days germi-nated in a similar way, and with an increase in the incubation period to 4-5 days, the rate of ger-mination decreased sharply. The seeds of the second order were even less resistant to the action of a short high-temperature stressor, and when the seeds were incubated for 3 days and then trans-ferred to standard temperature conditions, germination did not occur. The germination time of 50% of seeds (T50) of the first order as a result of a sequential increase in the incubation period at 40 ° C increased from 0.92 ± 0.11 to 6.4 ± 0.49 (p<0.001) days, respectively. Seeds of the second order during incubation for 1-2 days also germinated significantly slower compared to the control, and in the future germination did not occur. The curves of changes in the index of maximum seed germination, especially for the second order of branching, had a sharp bend when the critical dose of the temperature factor was exceeded. After that, there was a sharp decrease in the speed of seed germination up to a complete stop. The maximum incubation time (at 40 ° C), after which germi-nation is possible under standard temperature conditions, was 3.69 ± 0.06 days for the first order, and 2.00 ± 0.19 days for the second order. The difference was significant at the significance level of p<0.001.

Tanacetum vulgare L. (syn.: Chrysanthemum vulgare (L). Bernh) is a perennial medicinal plant with a Euro-Asian type of habitat. Tansy extracts have a wide biological and pharmacological activity. At the All-Russian Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, on the basis of the butanol fraction of the T. vulgare flowers extract was developed a drug with high choleretic and anti-inflammatory activity. In this regard, the aim of this work was to study the qualitative composition and quantitative content of phenolic compounds of the butanol fraction, which are supposed to determine its biological activity. For this was obtained a phenolic compounds fraction, isolated from the extract of inflorescences of T. vulgare plants grown on the VILAR experimental plot. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection in combination with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-HRMS) was used for the analysis. Our studies have shown that the butanol fraction of T. vulgare contains 7 phenolic compounds, among which myricetin-3-glucoside was detected for the first time. The content of phenolic compounds reaches 90%, while the main compounds are neochlorogenic, 3,5- and 4,5-dicofeylquinic acids, the proportion of which is 69%. Thus, the obtained data indicate that the pharmacological activity of the drug based on the butanol fraction of the extract from tansy flowers is due to the high content of caffeoylquinic acids.

NNew data on germ growth processes of dill seeds formed at the first and second branching orders after exposure to short-term heat stress (40 °C) are presented. Morphometric method and analysis of dill seed embryo growth in dynamics were used. The studies were carried out in 20152017 at the All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Growing, a branch of FSBSI FSCVG. Seeds of dill (Anethum graveolens L.) of the variety Centaurus from the first and second branching orders were the object of research. First, seeds were germinated in a thermostat. Then, swollen roots were exposed to a temperature of 40 °C according to the experiment scheme: 0 (control); 1; 2; 3; 4 and 5 days. After incubation, the seeds were transferred to standard conditions (temperature 20 °C) and germinated in Petri dishes on filter paper without light for 21 days. Germ size was measured using image analysis software. Critical embryo length and degree of underdevelopment were determined, and the ratio of embryo length to endosperm length (I Z/E) was calculated. Logistic regression with four parameters: b, c, d, e., was used to construct a germ growth curve. The relationship between the parameters was assessed using Pearson correlation analysis. The differences were considered statistically significant at P≤0.05. The duration of temperature action, which has an inhibitory effect on embryo growth, germination rate, the number of germinated seeds, were revealed. It was found that the embryos of seeds obtained from different branching orders have different sizes and have different intensity of growth under stress and standard conditions. It was shown that the effect of brief temperature (40 °C) on embryo growth depends on branching order and that embryos of seeds of the second branching order are more sensitive to high temperature. Morphometric parameters of the source were shown to play a critical role in the ability of dill seeds to resist the effect of temperature stressor during germination.

The authors obtained new data on the germination of dill seeds, which were gathered from the first-order and second-order branches, after short-term thermal stress (40 °C). The seeds were germinated in a thermostat. The swollen seeds (4 replications with 100 seeds each) were incubated at 40 °C for 1 to 5 days. The seeds in the control group were not incubated. After the incubation, the seeds were transferred to the standard (t = 20 °C) conditions and germinated on filter paper in Petri dishes without light for 21 days. In this study, the authors employed the dynamic method of seed germination analysis. To plot the seed germination curve, the authors used a log-logistic regression with three parameters: b, d, and e. The statistical analysis was conducted in R 3.4.3. The authors determined the duration of heat stress that inhibits the germination speed and germination rate of seeds. Seeds gathered from the first-order branches (“first-order seeds” from now onward) after 1-day to 3-day incubation germinated similarly to the control group. Increasing the incubation period to 4–5 days sharply reduced the germination speed. Seeds gathered from the second-order branches (“second-order seeds” from now onward) were less resistant to high-temperature stress. Three-day incubation completely precluded germination. The germination time of 50% (T50) of the first-order seeds slowed by 0.92±0.11–6.4±0.49 days because of the gradual increase in incubation time. The second-order seeds that incubated for 1–2 days germinated significantly slower than the control group seeds. After this point, further incubation precluded germination. Upon reaching the incubation threshold, the germination rate curves steepened and then continued falling up to the full germination stop. The maximum incubation time (at 40 °C), after which germination was possible in standard temperature conditions, was 3.69±0.06 days for the first-order seeds, and 2.00±0.19 days for the second-order roots. The differences in data were statistically significant at p-value < 0.001

Temperature is one of the most important abiotic factor, the critical values of which can have a negative impact at different stages of plant growth and development. The work shows the effect of this factor on corcule growth of different quality dill seeds obtained from different tillering parts. Experimental data indicate that the initial sizes of a corcule of the first tillering part are 34.6% higher than the second. A significant variation in morphometric parameters of dill seeds was noted including those characterizing the correlation of the corcule, endosperm and seed, both within individual parts and the plant as a whole. New data on the influence of high and low temperature factors on corcule growth of dill seeds from different tillering parts were obtained. First and second part corcules showed significant sensitivity to prolonged continuous exposure to increased temperatures during the upswelling period. Second-part seed corcules appeared to be more sensitive to temperature stress and reacted to it more explicitly. The corcule growth and germination of seeds slowed down in case of increase of the upswelling temperature to 30-35 ° C for the first part and 25-30 ° C for the second one. The physiological response to continuous increased temperatures (30-40 ° C) is a progressive inhibition of the corcule growth. The maximum temperature which allows corcule growth differs significantly for different tillering parts. When approaching the critical temperature (40 ° C), the differences are leveled. Significant (p <0.001) differences in dynamics of corcule growth in comparison with the control (20 ° C) were observed only at temperatures below 10 ° C for seeds of the first part and 15 ° C for seeds of the second part.

This review discusses the main methods of breeding material development, the current state, problems and prospects for medicinal and essential oil plants breeding. The relevance of this area has especially increased due to the sanctions, the resulting shortage of medicinal plants and their low quality, which does not meet the requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. To produce a stable plant raw material base, it is necessary to actively develop a breeding process to create new highly productive varieties of medicinal plants resistant to biotic and abiotic environments. In breeding with the use of modern molecular biological methods, related species and generic complexes of the All-Russian Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (VILAR) collection can be involved, where there is extensive original genetic material of medicinal, essential oil, rare and endangered species. In the breeding of medicinal and essential oil crops, traditional methods of individual and individual-family selection, polyploidy, chemical mutagenesis and a combination of methods to obtain original breeding material are still promising. VILAR has created more than 90 varieties of medicinal and essential oil crops, most of which have been approved for use throughout the Russian Federation.

The authors of this study sampled the seeds of the “Centaur” dill variety, grown in the open field in the Moscow Region (Russia). The main morphometric parameters of dill seeds, i.e., the length of seed, endosperm, and embryo, varied significantly. Samples No. 3, 8, 17, and 30 consistently exceeded the average values in all three parameters. The authors note the high variability of all morphological elements of seeds. The embryo demonstrated the maximum index of variability (V=22.8%). The authors established the Iemb/end, denoting the embryo-to-endosperm ratio, and demonstrated its importance. Samples No. 8, 14, 17, and 27 had the maximum index values in the sample (1.5 times higher than the average). The reasons for the observed seed variability, especially the influence of hereditary and non-hereditary factors, constitute further research agenda.

This review discusses the main methods of breeding material development, the current state, problems and prospects for medicinal and essential oil plants breeding. The relevance of this area has especially increased due to the sanctions, the resulting shortage of medicinal plants and their low quality, which does not meet the requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. To produce a stable plant raw material base, it is necessary to actively develop a breeding process to create new highly productive varieties of medicinal plants resistant to biotic and abiotic environments. In breeding with the use of modern molecular biological methods, related species and generic complexes of the All-Russian Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (VILAR) collection can be involved, where there is extensive original genetic material of medicinal, essential oil, rare and endangered species. In the breeding of medicinal and essential oil crops, traditional methods of individual and individual-family selection, polyploidy, chemical mutagenesis and a combination of methods to obtain original breeding material are still promising. VILAR has created more than 90 varieties of medicinal and essential oil crops, most of which have been approved for use throughout the Russian Federation.

Among representatives of the genus Arnica L., the Arnica montana L. species is the most studied and widely used for medical purposes. However, due to the fact that the A. montana species is endangered in most European countries, the possibility to use Arnica foliosa Nutt. as an alternative source of phytochemicals is being investigated. A deeper study of the chemical composition of A. foliosa extract may give the opportunity to expand the spectrum of its possible application. The purpose of the research was to perform a detailed study of the composition and content of biologically active compounds the aerial part of A. foliosa by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection in combination with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Sixteen phenolic compounds were detected in ethylacetate and butanol fractions of A. foliosa. There were identified thirteen derivatives of caffeoylquinic acid and three flavonoids. In the chloroform and diethyl ester fractions, phenolic compounds were absent. It was established that the ethylacetate fraction contains big amounts of two phenolic compounds – 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids, and eight compounds were presented in trace or very small quantities. All sixteen phenolic compounds were found in the butanol fraction, but their total content was almost 2-fold less than in the ethylacetate fraction.