Prunella vulgaris L. (PV) is a well-known renewable drug resource full of different groups of biologically active substances with a wide range of pharmacological actions and applications in medicine. In this review, we present an updated comprehensive overview of the botany, extracting methods, chemical composition, and pharmacological activity of different parts of PV extracts. As a result of this review, it was found that chemical composition of PV depends on various factors ranging from the part of the plant to the method of extraction. We also highlight extraction methods that have not been previously used for obtaining PV extracts and may have high scientific interest. With this review, we hope to guide present and future professionals and provide possible previously unexplored areas to find new solutions associated with PV plant.

Salvia dumetorum Andrz. ex Besser is a promising non-pharmacopoeial plant species with traditional medicinal potential. This study aimed to determine the optimal microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) conditions for obtaining a polyphenol-rich ethanolic extract from the S. dumetorum leaves. Dried and powdered leaves were extracted using 40% ethanol with different power of microwaves varying from 200 to 800 W and time of extraction 2–8 min. The extract was filtered, concentrated, and evaluated for yield, identification of phenolic compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). Extraction yields ranged from 2.20% to 25.80% based on dry weight. TPC and TFC were determined using Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric assays, respectively, and are expressed as mg GAE/g and mg RUE/g of dry extract. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) assay. According to HPLC analysis, the main phenolic components of the extracts were rosmarinic acid (1.78–2.95 mg/mL), chlorogenic acid (0.31–0.54 mg/mL), caffeic acid (0.11–0.20 mg/mL), rutin (up to 0.47 mg/mL) and ferulic acid (0.13–0.33 mg/mL); traces of myricetin were found only in isolated samples. The optimum extraction conditions were found to be 400 W microwave power, 8 min extraction time, one MAE cycle, and a 1:30 g/mL solvent-to-material loading ratio; TPC and TFC were evaluated as 35.23 ± 0.50 mg GAE/g DW and 19.94 ± 0.14 mg RuE/g DW, respectively, indicating the highest yield of polyphenolic compounds, antioxidant potential inhibiting 96.68% ± 0.27 of DPPH radicals, and IC₅₀ = 10.24 µg/mL. These findings highlight the efficiency of MAE in producing a bioactive ethanolic extract of S. dumetorum, which can be further explored for potential applications as a natural antioxidant in pharmaceutical or cosmetic formulations.

Prunus ulmifolia Franch. (Rosaceae) was investigated for its phytochemical composition from South-Eastern Kazakhstan for the first time. HPLC analysis confirmed rutin (0.88%) in ethanol extract, and the extract also exhibited antioxidant activity. The GC/MS analysis identified total 44 components from main groups e.g. oxygenated monoterpenes (51.06%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (20.33%), non-terpene derivatives (18.71%), and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (7.89%), and the maximum content was of acyclic alcoholic monoterpenoid citronellol (36.58%). The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) from previous reports and present study was used to demonstrate the variations between essential oil compositions in different Prunus species. It formed three main clusters, cluster I consisted of species with benzaldehyde as dominant component. Cluster II included plants with benzaldehyde as secondary component, and cluster III was of P. ulmifolia in which benzaldehyde was not detected. Further, the essential oil was assessed for cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities too, and it showed better cytotoxic but poor antimicrobial activities. Graphical Abstract

The effect of reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization on the structure, morphology, and thermal degradation behavior of polypropylene glycol maleate–acrylic acid copolymers (p-PGM:AA) was investigated using 2-cyano-2-propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate (CPDT) as the RAFT agent. Copolymers synthesized at different CPDT concentrations were characterized by ¹H/¹³C NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (TG–MS), isoconversional kinetic methods, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. ¹H NMR spectroscopy revealed a progressive decrease in the relative intensity of vinyl proton signals with increasing CPDT concentration, indicating enhanced conversion of unsaturated fragments during copolymerization. Alkaline hydrolysis followed by ¹H NMR and GPC analysis of the degradation products confirmed cleavage of polyester segments and yielded low-molecular-weight fragments with M_n = 1370 g mol⁻¹ and narrow dispersity (Đ = 1.035), providing additional information on the architecture of the vinyl-polymerized segments. Increasing CPDT concentration resulted in lower molecular weights and narrower molecular weight distributions of the soluble copolymer fractions. TEM analysis demonstrated broader domain size distributions and increased morphological heterogeneity in RAFT-modified samples, accompanied by an increase in swelling degree. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that RAFT-modified systems undergo multi-stage thermal degradation with the appearance of an additional low-temperature stage associated with thermolabile fragments. TG–MS revealed earlier evolution of CO₂ and oxygen-containing species and changes in the distribution of volatile products. DFT calculations indicated a decrease in the HOMO–LUMO energy gap and suggested the participation of RAFT-derived fragments in the energetic characteristics of decarboxylation processes. Isoconversional and nonlinear kinetic analyses demonstrated increased kinetic heterogeneity for branched copolymer s synthesized at elevated CPDT concentrations, whereas cross-linked systems exhibited more uniform degradation behavior. The combined experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that RAFT polymerization provides an effective route for tuning the macromolecular architecture, morphology, and thermal degradation pathways of p-PGM:AA copolymers.

Background/Objectives: Salvia dumetorum Andrz. ex Besser is a relatively understudied medicinal plant with promising biological potential, but its phytochemical characteristics and the safety of preparations developed from its extract remain insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to characterize the phytochemical composition and biological properties of S. dumetorum extract and to evaluate the preclinical safety of tablets developed on its basis. Methods: The hydroethanolic extract was obtained by microwave-assisted extraction and characterized by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, while total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), antioxidant, α-amylase inhibitory, and antimicrobial activities were determined using spectrophotometric and microbiological assays. Results: The extract TPC and TFC were 40.15 ± 2.25 mg GAE/g_extrt and 40.55 ± 5.56 mg QE/g_extr, respectively. HPLC-QTOF-ESI-MS/MS profiling revealed a diverse spectrum of phenolic, flavonoid, diterpenoid, and organic acid constituents. The extract demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, with trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values of 1.88 ± 0.07 mM, 250.43 ± 12.08 mg AsAE/g_extr, and 427.91 ± 9.74 mg TE/g_extr, respectively, and a DPPH IC₅₀ of 0.03 ± 0.00 mg/mL. α-Amylase inhibitory activity was 5.63 ± 0.51 mg AcrE/g_extr, while antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms was observed at MICs of 1.25–10 mg/mL. The resulting tablets retained measurable antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activities, although their activity profiles differed from those of the original extract. Comprehensive in vivo evaluation demonstrated no treatment-related adverse effects following repeated administration, including no significant effects on immune parameters, female reproductive function, embryofetal development, skeletal ossification, or sensitization. Conclusions: S. dumetorum extract demonstrated diverse biological activities, while the tablet formulation showed a favorable preclinical safety profile. These findings extend the available acute toxicity data and support the further pharmaceutical development of this tablet formulation.

Background/Objectives: This study compared five ultrasound-assisted extracts of Prunella vulgaris L. prepared with water or aqueous ethanol (30%, 50%, 70%, and 96%) and evaluated their phytochemical composition and preliminary antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, brine-shrimp lethality, and antioxidant properties. Methods: Gallic acid and rosmarinic acid were quantified in all five extracts by a validated HPLC-UV method, with LC-ESI-MS used to support compound identification. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by broth serial dilution and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed in a carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. General toxicity screening was performed using the Artemia salina lethality assay. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by a ferricyanide reducing-power assay and the DPPH radical-scavenging assay. Results: Rosmarinic acid was detected in all extracts and was most abundant in PV70 (7.6%). PV70 showed MIC values of 12.5 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. In the carrageenan model, PV70 produced 76.8% inhibition of paw-weight gain at 25 mg/kg, whereas diclofenac produced 66.6% inhibition at 10 mg/kg; this numerical comparison was descriptive and was not interpreted as evidence of superiority. The tested extracts caused low mortality of Artemia salina under the experimental conditions. Conclusions: The findings identify PV70 as a chemically distinct extract with notable activity in the screening models used. Because the extracts are multicomponent mixtures and mechanistic biomarkers were not measured, the observed biological effects cannot be attributed to rosmarinic acid alone. Further work is required to confirm mechanisms, safety, standardization, and efficacy.