Molecular background of the diverse metabolic profiles in leaves and inflorescences of naked catmint ( L.).

L. shares a typical secondary chemistry with other species (fam. ), characterized by the tendency to intensively produce monoterpenoid iridoids, whereas the phenylpropanoid chemistry is steered towards the production of a caffeic acid ester, rosmarinic acid.

Studies on the Bioactivity (Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibitory, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic) and Chemical Composition of Aqueous Extracts of Some Plant Species Collected from Turkmenistan.

Alhagi persarum (AP), Alhagi persarum flowers (APF), Ephedra equisetina (EE) and Glycyrrhiza glabra root (GGR) have been utilized in Central Asian folk medicine for centuries. In the present study, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects the aqueous extracts of these plants were studied. In addition, 23 compounds were identified in the extracts using UHPLC-DAD-QqQ-MS/MS analysis.

Maize Grain Metabolite Profiling by NMR: Effects of Growing Year, Variety, and Cropping System.

Considering that maize ( L.) is a staple food for a large segment of the population worldwide, many attempts have been made to improve the nutritional value of its grain and at the same time to achieve sustainable cropping systems. The present study aimed to characterize the composition and nutritional value of maize grain as influenced by cropping system, genetic background (variety), and growing year using untargeted NMR metabolomics.

Cytokinins enhance the metabolic activity of in vitro-grown catmint (Nepeta nuda L.).

The phytohormones cytokinins are essential mediators of developmental and environmental signaling, primarily during cell division and endophytic interactions, among other processes. Considering the limited understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that affect the growth and bioactivity of the medicinal plant Nepeta nuda (Lamiaceae), our study aimed to explore how cytokinins influence the plant's metabolic status. Exogenous administration of active cytokinin forms on in vitro N.

Patterns of Genetic Variation of L. from the Central Balkans: Understanding Drivers of Chemical Diversity.

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 . However, their potential in investigating intra-species differentiation is here described for the first time.

Functional iridoid synthases from iridoid producing and non-producing species (subfam. Nepetoidae, fam. Lamiaceae).

Iridoids, a class of atypical monoterpenes, exhibit exceptional diversity within the genus (subfam. Nepetoidae, fam. Lamiaceae).

Solvent System-Guided Extraction of (L.) Fritch Provides Optimized Conditions for the Biological and Chemical Characteristics of the Herbal Extracts.

Spiked centaury () is a well-known medicinal plant from the Mediterranean region with various bioactivities, but there are no studies addressing the use of different solvent systems to improve its pharmacological potential. Nine extraction procedures were adapted to study the effects of solvent composition on the content of bioactive compounds in extracts and on corresponding bioactivities. Targeted metabolomics was performed to obtain information on the chemical composition of extracts.

Variation in the chemical profiles of three foxglove species in the central Balkans.

The aim of this study was to determine intra- and interspecies variation in the qualitative and quantitative composition of methanol-soluble metabolites in the leaves of three species (, , and ) from the central Balkans. Despite the steady use of foxglove constituents for human health as valuable medicinal products, populations of the genus () have been poorly investigated to describe their genetic and phenetic variation. Following untargeted profiling using UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS, by which we identified a total of 115 compounds, 16 compounds were quantified using the UHPLC(-)HESI-QqQ-MS/MS approach.

L. Berries: A Convenient Model System to Study Redox Processes in Relation to Fruit Ripening.

The present study provides, for the first time, a physicochemical and biochemical characterization of the redox processes associated with the ripening of L. (bittersweet) berries. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPRS) and Imaging (EPRI) measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were performed in parallel with the tissue-specific metabolic profiling of major antioxidants and assessment of antioxidant enzymes activity.

Functional Characterization of Genes Coding for Novel -D-Glucosidases Involved in the Initial Step of Secoiridoid Glucosides Catabolism in Rafn.

Secoiridoid glucosides (SGs) are monoterpenoids derived from the iridoid cyclopentane-C-pyran skeleton with -D glucose linked at C1 position. Coordinated metabolic processes, such as biosynthesis and catabolism of SGs, ensure constitutive presence of these bitter tasting compounds in plant tissues, which plays a decisive role in the defense against pathogens and herbivores. These compounds are susceptible to hydrolysis mediated by enzymes -glucosidases, and the resulting aglycones are subsequently directed toward different metabolic pathways in plants.

Antimicrobial and Immunomodulating Activities of Two Endemic Species and Their Major Iridoids Isolated from Natural Sources.

Two Balkan Peninsula endemics, and subsp. , both characterized by specialized metabolite profiles predominated by iridoids and phenolics, are differentiated according to the stereochemistry of major iridoid aglycone nepetalactone (NL). For the first time, the present study provides a comparative analysis of antimicrobial and immunomodulating activities of the two species and their major iridoids isolated from natural sources--NL, -NL, and 1,5,9-epideoxyloganic acid (1,5,9-DLA), as well as of phenolic acid rosmarinic acid (RA).

Comparative Metabolite and Gene Expression Analyses in Combination With Gene Characterization Revealed the Patterns of Flavonoid Accumulation During subsp. Fruit Development.

L. subsp. (rockrose) is a shrub widespread in Greece and the Mediterranean basin and has been used in traditional medicine as herb tea for colds, for healing and digestive hitches, for the treatment of maladies, as perfumes, and for other purposes.

Alterations in nepetalactone metabolism during polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced dehydration stress in two Nepeta species.

A number of Nepeta species (fam. Lamiaceae) are interesting medicinal crops for arid and semi-arid areas, due to their ability to maintain essential developmental and physiological processes and to rationalize their specialized metabolism under water deficit growth conditions. The present research is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to investigate the molecular background of the dehydration-induced changes in specialized metabolism of Nepeta species, which will help to understand relations between dehydration stress on one hand and biomass production and yield of nepetalactone (NL) on the other.

Secoiridoids Metabolism Response to Wounding in Common Centaury ( Rafn) Leaves.

Rafn produces and accumulates various biologically active specialized metabolites, including secoiridoid glucosides (SGs), which help plants to cope with unfavorable environmental conditions. Specialized metabolism is commonly modulated in a way to increase the level of protective metabolites, such as SGs. Here, we report the molecular background of the wounding-induced changes in SGs metabolism for the first time.

Organ-specific and genotype-dependent constitutive biosynthesis of secoiridoid glucosides in Centaurium erythraea Rafn, and its elicitation with methyl jasmonate.

While bioactive properties of Centaurium erythraea Rafn secoiridoid glucosides (SG) are widely recognized, many aspects related to their biochemistry, metabolism and relationship to the overall plant physiology are not yet understood. Here we present for the first time an insight into the molecular background of organ-specific and genotype-dependent constitutive biosynthesis of secoiridoids in C. erythraea, by comparing chemical profiles and secoiridoid glucosides-related gene expression.