An-Najah Staff

It is noteworthy that the medications isolated directly or indirectly from phytogenic products until the recent time play a primary part in the discovery of drugs. The huge utilizations of antimicrobial agents in medicine have caused directly the development of antibiotics resistant pathogens in various infectious diseases areas, urging the detection for new and effective antimicrobial drugs. This study will be the first of its kind which is designed to evaluate antibacterial and antifungal activities and to estimate exhaustive extraction yields of the aqueous and organic extracts of Eryngium campestre L. plant. Extraction yields estimated by using serial exhaustive extraction non thermo-reactive procedures and well diffusion method were used to evaluate antibacterial and antifungal activities of aqueous and organic extracts of the Field Eryngo entire plant (E. campestre) while the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal-fungicidal concentration were determined by the serial dilution method. The aqueous extract showed antimicrobial activity by using well diffusion method against all gram-positive bacteria with the greatest activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. In addition to that the results showed antibacterial activity against one of the gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and against Candida albicans a fungi. The entire Eryngium campestre L. plant has antimicrobial activity, and we recommend exhaustive serial extraction method to get high concentration of the phytochemical yields with potential activity.

Introduction:Viscum album is a semi-parasitic medicinal plant which has been used for many years as a remedy in traditional medicine. The plant is widely used in folk medicine in Palestine; mainly in the treatment of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Since no previous reports on bioactivity of this plant in association with host plant specificity in Palestine, the current study aimed at evaluating bioactivity of almond and olive variants of this plant. Method: Methanolic extract of viscum album cultivated from almond and olive host plants were tested for antioxidant, antimicrobial . Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were also used to assess anticoagulant activities of plant extracts. Result: The result demonstrated that Viscum album have an IC50 of 25.34±3.8μg/ml when hosted by olive while the IC50 was 15.37±2.2μg/ml when hosted by almond. Crude extracts of both Viscum album plants showed strong inhibition effects on the growth of the studied Staphylococcus aureus strains (ATCC 25923 and MRSA) with a pronounced effect when extracts of almond host was used. However, the effects of both host extracts were very limited or absent when tested against Gram-negative reference and clinical strains. Plant extracts of both host showed prolonged PT and PTT compared to phosphate buffered saline control solution. Conclusion: In conclusion, variations in the bioactivity of Viscum album is clearly influenced by host type and further studies required to illustrate such variations using other host plants.

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New mono acid esters have been synthesized from the reaction of benzoic acid and mono-hydroxybenzoic acids with 2-phenoxyethanol separated from Urtica pilulifera, characterized, and screened for possible antioxidant, antifungal, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. 2-phenoxyethyl 4-hydroxy benzoate showed considerable activity against MCF-7 with IC50 is less than 62.5 µg/ml, and complete inhibition at a concentration less than 37.5 µg/ml against M. canis and less than 50 µg/ml against T. rubrum. On the other hand 2-phenoxyethyl 2-hydroxy benzoate reveals 70% of gentamicin against K. pneumoniae.

New mono acid esters have been synthesized from the reaction of benzoic acid and mono-hydroxybenzoic acids with 2-phenoxyethanol separated from Urtica pilulifera, characterized, and screened for possible antioxidant, antifungal, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. 2-phenoxyethyl 4-hydroxy benzoate showed considerable activity against MCF-7 with IC50 is less than 62.5 µg/ml, and complete inhibition at a concentration less than 37.5 µg/ml against M. canis and less than 50 µg/ml against T. rubrum. On the other hand 2-phenoxyethyl 2-hydroxy benzoate reveals 70% of gentamicin against K. pneumoniae.

Rhus coriaria L. (Sumac), belonging to the Anacardiaceae family, is an important and most used species of the genus Rhus in the Mediterranean region since antiquity. Sumac has long been used as a flavoring spice, drink, appetizer, and as acidulant in food recipes; in addition to its use in traditional medicine. The role of plant in leather and textile industry is also significant. R. coriaria is very rich in phenolics mainly, tannins and flavonoids, in addition to its abundance in organic acids. The leaves and fruits of R. coriaria are recognized to have defensive and beneficial effects on a wide set of diseases including, but not limited to, diabetes mellitus, cancer, stroke, oral-diseases, inflammation, diarrhea, and dysentery. On the other hand, Sumac extracts were found to possess a potential antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities. This review updates the current phytochemical, biological and therapeutic knowledge so far exist on R. coriaria. It also aims at highlighting the importance of Sumac extracts as a promising and potential source of functional ingredients and nutriceuticals with desirable bioactivities, prompting the further use of Sumac in food preservation, pharmacology and functional food industries.