Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Biochem Res Int. 2024 Feb 14;2024:3923479. doi: 10.1155/2024/3923479. 
eCollection 2024.

Chemical Constituents and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential 
Oil from Dried Seeds of Xylopia aethiopica.

Ndoye SF(1)(2), Tine Y(2), Seck I(1)(2), Ba LA(3), Ka S(2), Ciss I(2), Ba A(2), 
Sokhna S(2), Ndao M(2), Gueye RS(2), Gaye N(2), Diop A(4), Costa J(5), Paolini 
J(5), Seck M(2).

Author information:
(1)Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination Organique (LCCO), Département de 
Chimie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de 
Dakar, BP 5005, Dakar-Fann, Senegal.
(2)Laboratoire de Chimie Organique et Thérapeutique, Faculté de Médecine, de 
Pharmacie et d'Odontologie de l'Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP 5005, 
Dakar-Fann, Senegal.
(3)Université Amadou Mahtar MBOW, BP 45927 Dakar Nafa VDN, Dakar-Fann, Senegal.
(4)Laboratoire Bactériologie-Virologie, CHU Aristide Le Dantec, Université 
Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP 5005, Dakar-Fann, Senegal.
(5)Université de Corse, UMR CNRS 6134 SPE, Laboratoire de Chimie des Produits 
Naturels, Campus Grimaldi, BP 52, Corte F-20250, France.

The study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial and 
antioxidant activities of the essential oil from dried seeds of Xylopia 
aethiopica. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by 
GC/FID and GC/MS. The essential oil yield was 1.35%. Forty-nine compounds were 
identified in the essential oil with 1,8-cineole (16.3%), β-pinene (14.8%), 
trans-pinocarveol (9.1%), myrtenol (8.3%), α-pinene (5.9%), and terpinen-4-ol 
(5.6%) as major components. The antimicrobial activity of this essential oil was 
studied using disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods on four bacteria 
(Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas 
aeruginosa) and one fungus (Candida albicans). The essential oil exhibited 
excellent activity against S. aureus, E. faecalis, and C. albicans and moderate 
activity against E. coli. Among all strains tested, C. albicans showed the best 
sensitivity with a MIC of 50 mg/mL. The antioxidant activity was examined using 
a DPPH-free radical scavenging assay. The essential oil of X. aethiopica showed 
low antioxidant activity (IC50 = 784.604 ± 0.320 mg/mL) compared to that of 
ascorbic acid and the reference compound (IC50 = 0.163 ± 0.003 mg/mL). The 
results indicate that consumption of X. aethiopica seeds can reduce the 
virulence of food-borne pathogens and their resistance to antibiotics.

Copyright © 2024 Samba Fama Ndoye et al.

DOI: 10.1155/2024/3923479
PMCID: PMC10881248
PMID: 38384403

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts 
of interest.


2. Nat Prod Res. 2024 Jan 17:1-8. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2023.2300392. Online
ahead  of print.

GC-MS profiling, antifeedant, nematicidal and phytotoxic effects of essential 
oils of two subspecies of Eucalyptus flocktoniae (Maiden) Maiden.

Souda B(1)(2), Andres MF(3), Elfalleh W(1)(4), Gonzalez-Coloma A(3), Saadaoui 
E(2).

Author information:
(1)Energy, Water, Environment and Process Laboratory (LR18ES35), National 
Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia.
(2)National Institute for Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry (INRGREF), 
LGVRF, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia.
(3)Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
(4)Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Gabes (ISSATG), 
University of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia.

This work presents the biocidal effects and chemical compositions of two 
essential oils (EOs) obtained by hydrodistillation of Eucalyptus flocktoniae 
subsp. flocktoniae and E. flocktoniae subsp. hebes. The two subspecies studied 
had different chemical composition, when analysed by gas chromatography coupled 
to mass spectrometry with 1,8-cineole (56.98%), trans-pinocarveol (20.38%) and 
α-pinene (5.86%) being the major components of E. flocktoniae subsp. flocktoniae 
and spathulenol (25.09%), p-cymene (21.20%), 1,8-cineole (10.74%) and α-pinene 
(8.93%) are the major components of E. flocktoniae subsp. hebes. These oils were 
evaluated for their insect antifeedant, nematicidal and phytotoxic activities. 
The biocidal tests showed that E. flocktoniae subsp. hebes was the most active 
against Myzus persicae and Rhopalosiphum padi. While, E. flocktoniae subsp. 
flocktoniae was not antifeedant. None of the investigated EOs were active 
against both Spodoptera littoralis and Meloidogyne javanica root-knot nematode. 
Moreover, the EOs extracted from these two subspecies showed a significant 
phytotoxic effect.

DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2023.2300392
PMID: 38230510


3. Front Pharmacol. 2023 Nov 21;14:1218315. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1218315. 
eCollection 2023.

Eucalyptus-derived essential oils alleviate microbes and modulate inflammation 
by suppressing superoxide and elastase release.

Fayez S(#)(1), Gamal El-Din MI(#)(1), Moghannem SA(2), Azam F(3), El-Shazly 
M(1), Korinek M(4)(5), Chen YL(6)(7), Hwang TL(5)(6)(7)(8)(9), Fahmy NM(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain-Shams University, 
Cairo, Egypt.
(2)Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar 
University, Cairo, Egypt.
(3)Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Unaizah College of 
Pharmacy, Qassim University, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia.
(4)Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung 
Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
(5)Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Medicine, Chang Gung 
University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
(6)Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang 
Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
(7)Graduate Institute of Health Industry Technology, College of Human Ecology, 
Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
(8)Department of Anesthesiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
(9)Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New 
Taipei City, Taiwan.
(#)Contributed equally

The Eucalyptus tree, belonging to the myrtle family, grows all over the world 
for its pharmaceutical and industrial benefits. In this article, we present a 
comparative analysis of the chemical composition of the hydrodistilled oils 
obtained from three different Eucalyptus species growing in Egypt viz. E. 
citriodora, E. camaldulensis, and E. ficifolia. Gas Chromatography-Mass 
Spectrometric guided analysis resulted in the identification of a total of 20 
metabolites in E. citriodora oil with citronellal (54.9%) and citronellol 
(25.4%) being the most dominant components. β-cymene (12.7%) and 1,8-cineole 
(11.7%) were the major volatile constituents identified in E. camaldulensis oil, 
while trans-β-ocimene (22.4%), 1,8-cineole (13.5%), and L-trans-pinocarveol 
(12.5%) were the dominating components in the oil of E. ficifolia. The essential 
oils of the studied species were evaluated for their in vitro anti-inflammatory, 
antiviral including anti-SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome corona 
virus 2), antibacterial, and antifungal activities. E. citriodora oil displayed 
the highest inhibitory activity on the release of the superoxide radical (32%) 
and elastase enzyme (31%) in human neutrophils, while E. ficifolia oil had 
enhancing effects on elastase. The latter showed significant antiviral effects 
against hepatitis A, herpes simplex, and coxsackie viruses with IC50 values at 
2.1, 2.5, and 5.6 μg/mL, respectively. Moderate antibacterial and antifungal 
activities were observed for Eucalyptus oils with Staphylococcus aureus being 
the most susceptible bacterial strain. E. ficifolia oil, similarly, displayed 
the best antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 
value at ca. 25 μg/mL (for S. aureus). On the contrary, E. camaldulensis oil was 
the most active against Candida albicans with an MIC value at 45 μg/mL. In 
silico studies were performed with a number of macromolecular drug targets for 
confirming the biological activities of the identified compounds and for 
interpreting their ADME (absorption-distribution-metabolism-elimination) 
parameters.

Copyright © 2023 Fayez, Gamal El-Din, Moghannem, Azam, El-Shazly, Korinek, Chen, 
Hwang and Fahmy.

DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1218315
PMCID: PMC10703155
PMID: 38074126

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the research was 
conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could 
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


4. Plants (Basel). 2023 Oct 6;12(19):3491. doi: 10.3390/plants12193491.

Artemisia santonicum L. and Artemisia lerchiana Web. Essential Oils and Exudates 
as Sources of Compounds with Pesticidal Action.

Nikolova M(1), Lyubenova A(2), Yankova-Tsvetkova E(1), Georgiev B(1), Berkov 
S(1), Aneva I(1), Trendafilova A(3).

Author information:
(1)Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of 
Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
(2)Department of Agrobiotechnology, AgroBioInstitute, Agricultural Academy, 1164 
Sofia, Bulgaria.
(3)Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian 
Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.

The application of natural products for pest control is important in modern 
farming. In the present study, Artemisia santonicum L. and Artemisia lerchiana 
Weber essential oil and exudate profiles were determined, and their potential as 
inhibitors of seed germination, acetylcholinesterase, and phytopathogenic 
mycelium growth were evaluated. Essential oils (EO) were obtained via 
hydrodistillation and exudates (AE) by washing aerial parts of the species with 
acetone. EO and AE's composition was identified using GC/MS. Eucalyptol 
(1,8-cineole) and camphor were found to be the main components of A. lerchiana 
EO, while β-pinene, trans-pinocarveol, α-pinene, α-terpineol, and spathulenol 
were established as major compounds of A. santonicum EO. Strong inhibition on 
Lolium perenne seed germination was found at 2 µL/mL and 5 mg/mL using aqueous 
solutions of EO and AE, respectively. An inhibitory effect on 
acetylcholinesterase was established, with an IC50 value of 64.42 and 14.60 
μg/mL for EO and 0.961, >1 mg/mL for the AE of A. lerchiana and A. santonicum, 
respectively. The low inhibition on the mycelium growth of studied 
phytopathogenic fungi was established by applying 2 µL of EO and 15 µL of 100 
mg/mL of AE, with the exception of A. lerchiana AE against Botrytis cinerea. 
These results show that the studied EO and AE exhibited strong phytotoxic and 
AChE inhibitory activities, providing new data for these species.

DOI: 10.3390/plants12193491
PMCID: PMC10574841
PMID: 37836231

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.


5. Plants (Basel). 2023 Aug 26;12(17):3068. doi: 10.3390/plants12173068.

Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Eight Tunisian Eucalyptus Species 
and Their Antifungal and Herbicidal Activities.

Ayed A(1)(2), Polito F(3), Mighri H(4), Souihi M(1), Caputo L(3), Hamrouni L(5), 
Amri I(1)(5), Nazzaro F(6), De Feo V(3)(6), Hirsch AM(7), Mabrouk Y(1).

Author information:
(1)Laboratory of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technology, National Center for 
Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (CNSTN), Sidi Thabet Technopark, Sidi Thabet 
2020, Tunisia.
(2)Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet (ISBST), University of 
Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia.
(3)Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via San Giovanni Paolo II, 
132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy.
(4)Range Ecology Laboratory, Arid Region Institute, University of Gabes, El-Jorf 
Road Km 22.5, Medenine 4119, Tunisia.
(5)Laboratory of Management and Valorization of Forest Resources, National 
Institute of Researches on Rural Engineering, Water and Forests, P.B. 10, Ariana 
2080, Tunisia.
(6)Institute of Food Science, National Research Council of Italy, Via Roma, 64, 
83100 Avellino, Italy.
(7)Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology 
Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Eucalyptus species are known to produce metabolites such as essential oils (EOs) 
that play an important role in the control of weeds, pests and phytopathogenic 
fungi. The aims of this study were as follows: (i) to determine the chemical 
composition of the EOs derived from eight Eucalyptus species growing in Tunisia, 
and (ii) to study their possible antifungal and herbicidal activities. EOs were 
obtained by hydrodistillation from the dried leaves of eight Eucalyptus species, 
namely, E. angulosa, E. cladocalyx, E. diversicolor, E. microcoryx, E. ovata, E. 
resinifera, E. saligna and E. sargentii, and the determination of their 
composition was achieved by GC and GC-MS. The EOs' antifungal activities were 
tested against four Fusarium strains, and the EOs' herbicidal properties were 
evaluated on the germination and seedling growth of three annual weeds 
(Trifolium campestre, Lolium rigidum and Sinapis arvensis) and three cultivated 
crop species (Lepidium sativum, Raphanus sativus and Triticum durum). The EO 
yields ranged between 0.12 and 1.32%. The most abundant components found were 
eucalyptol, α-pinene, p-cymene, trans-pinocarveol, α-terpineol and globulol. All 
EOs showed significant antifungal activity against the four phytopathogenic 
Fusarium strains. E. cladocalyx EO exhibited the highest level of antifungal 
activity, and the greatest inhibition of seed germination was obtained even at 
lowest concentrations used. These findings suggested that E. resinifera, E. 
ovata and E. cladocalyx EOs could have applications in agriculture as possible 
biopesticides, as Fusarium antagonists and as bioherbicides.

DOI: 10.3390/plants12173068
PMCID: PMC10490176
PMID: 37687315

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the research was 
conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could 
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.