Rhus coriaria L. (Anacardiaceae), sumac, is a common condiment, appetizer and souring agent in the Mediterranean region that has a long history in traditional medicine. R. coriaria has been prescribed for the treatment of many ailments including diarrhea, ulcer, hemorrhoids, hemorrhage, wound healing, hematemesis, and eye ailments like ophthalmia and conjunctivitis. The plant is also used as diuresis, antimicrobial, abortifacient and as a stomach tonic. Sumac is known to be rich in different classes of phytochemicals including tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids, organic acids and essential oils and continues to be a hot topic for extensive research work designed for revealing its phytochemical constituents and evaluating its bioactive properties. This review summarizes the recent phytochemical and diverse bioactivity studies on R. coriaria, especially those concerned with antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory studies.

Background Salvia eigii., Salvia hierosolymitana and Salvia viridis are native to the Mediterranean region, and are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many ailments. In the current investigation, the methanolic extracts obtained from the air dried aerial parts of S. eigii, S. hierosolymitana and S. viridis from Jordan were screened for their total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC) and their in vitro antioxidant activity. Additionally, the presence of four bioactive phenolic acids including gallic acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid B and other seven flavonoids including luteolin-7-O-glucoside, apigenin, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, rutin, nariginin, hesperidin and quercetin was determined using Liquid chromatography-Electron Spray Ionization-Tandom Mass Spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Methods Antioxidant activity of the obtained three extracts were examined via the DPPH•, ABTS• + radical scavenging methods in addition to Ferrous Ion Chelating (FIC) effect. TFC and TPC of the extracts were measured using the aluminum chloride colorimetric method and the Folin-Ciocalteau method, respectively. The presence and concentration of the selected 11 compounds was further determined through LC-ESI-MS/MS. Results The results indicated that three Salvia species had high total flavonoids content expressed in mg quercetin/g dry extract (S. heirosolymitana: 770.85 ± 5.26; S. eigii: 520.60 ± 6.24, S. viridis: 311.36 ± 4.41). S. heirosolymitana had the highest DPPH• activity (0.184 ± 1.22 × 10−2 mg/ml) and FIC effect (0.354 ± 0.018 mg/ml). S. heirosolymitana had slightly higher ABTS• + scavenging activity than S. eigii (0.176 ± 1.16 × 10−2 mg/ml; 0.183 ± 0.031 mg/ml, respectively). All 11 compounds were detected in the extracts of the three Salvia species. Luteolin-7-O-glucoside was detected in high concentration levels in the three species (1756.73, 21651.36, and 26125.14 mg/kg dry plant; S. eigii, S. hierosolyimitana and S. viridis, respectively), yet rosmarinic acid had the highest contribution to both S. hierosolymitana (27124.93 mg/kg) and S. eigii (15783.33 mg/kg). Notably, S. hierosolymitana and S. viridis contained salvianolic acid B (896.11; 890.9 mg/kg). Conclusions The three Salvia species exhibited good antioxidant activity, especially S. heirosolymitana due to its high TPC, TFC, and the presence of high concentration levels of romarinic acid and other phenolic acids and flavonoids. This is the first phytochemical and antioxidant evaluation of S. eigii, S. hierosolymitana and S. viridis from Jordan. Prior to this investigation, no phytochemical investigation on S. eigii was reported.

Rhus coriaria L. (Anacardiaceae), sumac, is a common condiment, appetizer and souring agent in the Mediterranean region that has a long history in traditional medicine. R. coriaria has been prescribed for the treatment of many ailments including diarrhea, ulcer, hemorrhoids, hemorrhage, wound healing, hematemesis, and eye ailments like ophthalmia and conjunctivitis. The plant is also used as diuresis, antimicrobial, abortifacient and as a stomach tonic. Sumac is known to be rich in different classes of phytochemicals including tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids, organic acids and essential oils and continues to be a hot topic for extensive research work designed for revealing its phytochemical constituents and evaluating its bioactive properties. This review summarizes the recent phytochemical and diverse bioactivity studies on R. coriaria, especially those concerned with antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and anti‐inflammatory studies.

Essential oils from needles, fruits and bark were extracted from Pinus pinea L. (stone pine) grown wildly in Jordan. The chemical composition, antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity of essential oils were evaluated. The chemical compositions were identified using Gas-Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and retention indices (Van den fool & Kratz). The results show that the essential oil obtained from needles composed mainly of guaiol (12.7%), limonene (11.42%), and beta-caryophyllene (7.61%). while fruit contains limonene (32.56%), and alpha-pinene (6.78%). The essential oils from barks were rich in beta-caryophyllene (16.51%), limonene (14.83%), caryophyllene oxide (11.83%), and longifolene (7.51%). In vitro, the antibacterial activity of the essential oils was evaluated using the agar-well diffusion method against three different strains of bacteria (Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria: Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli). The results indicated that essential oil exhibited appreciable antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The essential oil from fruit exhibited weak antibacterial activity against E. coli and K. pneumoniae. Essential oils of P. pinea showed appreciable antioxidant activity in-vitro.

Quercus infectoria seeds were used in the present study, and fatty acid content in fixed oil was determined using GC-FID. The total amount of the oil present in the seed was 7.2%. The major fatty acid identified were oleic acid (58.13%), linoleic acid (19.84%), palmitic acid (15.99%), stearic acid (2.27%), alpha-linolenic acid (1.31%) and other constituents like heptadecanoic acid, cis-11-eicosenoic acid, cis-10-heptadecenoic acid, behenic, lignoceric and myristic acid with less the 1%. Due to its phenolic compounds and alpha-tocopherol, the oil exhibits its antioxidant activity. Antioxidant properties of the oil were determined via DPPH radical scavenging and beta-carotene bleaching assay. The physical properties and UV and FT-IR spectra were also determined.

Although the effect of nicotine in tissue damage has been demonstrated in many studies; little is known about the protective effects of vitamin-C, vitamin-E and beta-carotene treatment in the tissue damage that is induced by chronic nicotine exposure. Several studies demonstrate that vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene treatment prevents tissue damage in various models of inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C, vitamin-E, and beta-carotene treatment on nicotine-induced oxidative changes in urinary system in rat, and to explore the possible mechanisms of action. Male Wistar albino rats were injected with nicotine 1.25 mg/kg i.p.) or saline for 28 days. Vitamin-C (125mg/kg b.wt. p.o.), vitamin E (50mg/kg b.wt. p.o.), and/ or beta-carotene (40mg/kg b. wt. p.o.) were administered on alternative days. At the end of the treatment period kidney and bladder tissue samples were collected and examined histologically. Vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene supplementation to nicotine treated animals, reversed partially or completely the cytotoxicity of nicotine in both urinary bladder and kidney tissues. These data suggest that various vitamins(antioxidant) supplementation effectively counteracts the deleterious effect of chronic nicotine administration in urinary system and attenuates oxidative damage possibly by its antioxidant effects.

The total oil yield and the fatty acid composition were determined in theAnnona muricataL. fixed oil using organic solvent extraction and GC-FID. The seeds were found to contain about ~21.5% of crude fixed oil on a dry weight basis. The crude oil containing fatty acid was converted into methyl esters and analysed by GC-FID. Fourteen fatty acids were identified using GC-FID. The major monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids were oleic acid (39.2%) and palmitic acid (19.1–19.2%), respectively, whereas theα-linolenic acid (1.2%) and linoleic acid (34.9%) were polyunsaturated fatty acid. The other saturated acids were stearic acid (3.3%), arachidic acid (0.4%), myristic acid (0.1%), heptadecanoic acid (0.1%), behenic acid (0.1%), and lignoceric acid (0.1%). Some of the fatty acids have not been reported earlier from the oil ofAnnona muricataL. Fixed oil exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity which was measured using DPPH and is also known to inhibit the gastrointestinal motility significantly.

Few Schiff bases of 2-amino-5-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4oxadiazoles have been synthesized using aromatic aldehydes. The chemical structures of these compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis, IR and C NMR. These compounds were tested against representatives of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), yeast (Candida albicans) and mould (Aspergillus fumigatus). Ciprofloxacin and clotrimazole were used as standard drug for anti-microbiological and antifungal activities, respectively.

Terminalia chebula, Salvia officinalis L., Calamintha incana, Thymus vulgaris L., Matricaria chamomilla, and Nigella sativa are commonly used spices. In the present study the methanolic extracts of these spices were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. All the methanolic extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. The IC50 of the methanolic extracts ranged between 3.8 ± 0.1 and 168.8 ± 2.1 μg/ml, and that of ascorbic acid was 8.6 ± 0.1 μg/ml. The study revealed that the consumption of these spices could exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity.

The methanolic crude extracts of some commonly used medicinal plants were screened for their free radical scavenging properties using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The overall antioxidant activity of green tea (Camellia sinensis Linn.) was the strongest, followed in descending order by black tea (Camellia sinensis Linn.), Eugenia caryophyllus (Spreng.) Bullock and Harrison, Piper cubeba Linn., Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Piper nigrum Linn. Trigonella foenum graecum Linn. and Elettaria cardamomum (Linn.) Maton showed weak free radical scavenging activity with the DPPH method. All the methanolic extracts exhibited antioxidant activity significantly. The IC50 of the methanolic extracts ranged between 6.7 ± 0.1 and 681.5 ± 8.4 µg/ml and that of ascorbic acid was 8.9 ± 0.1 µg/ml. The study reveals that the consumption of these spices would exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity.

Aus den Indolen (I) und den Benzaldehyden (II) entstehen die Kondensationsprodukte (III), die mit Malodinitril zu Addukten (IV) bzw. den Acetylierungsprodukten (V) ′ führen.

AbstractThe reaction of substituted (Z)‐ and (E)‐2‐arylmethylideneindolin‐3(2H)‐ones with malononitrile gave the Micheal addition products which could be cyclised to the corresponding pyrano[3,2‐b]indole. Larger molecules such as cyanoacetic acid and ethyl cyanoacetate failed to react.

AbstractDurch Knoevenage1‐ Kondensationder Salicylaldehyde (I) mit Cyanessigsä urethioamid (II) gelangt man über die Zimtsäurederivate (III) und die Imine (IV) zu den Cumarinthioamiden (V).

Coumarins possess a wide range of pharmacological and antimicrobial activities2 and in many compounds of medicinal interest, both from natural3 and synthetic sources4, the pyrone ring forms part of a polynuclear system. The amide and thioamide functions5 also play a significant role in several physiological processes. We wish to report a convenient preparative method for hitherto unknown compounds with both these structural features.