The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.

Context: Ferulago (Apiaceae) species have been used since ancient times for the treatment of intestinal worms, hemorrhoids, and as a tonic, digestive, aphrodisiac, or sedative, as well as in salads or as a spice due to their special odors. Objectives: This study reports the α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of dichloromethane extract and bioactive compounds isolated from Ferulago bracteata Boiss. & Hausskn. roots. Materials and methods: The isolated compounds obtained from dichloromethane extract of Ferulago bracteata roots through bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation process were evaluated for their in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities at 5000–400 µg/mL concentrations. Compound structures were elucidated by detailed analyses (NMR and MS). Results: A new coumarin, peucedanol-2′-benzoate (1), along with nine known ones, osthole (2), imperatorin (3), bergapten (4), prantschimgin (5), grandivitinol (6), suberosin (7), xanthotoxin (8), felamidin (9), umbelliferone (10), and a sterol mixture consisted of stigmasterol (11), β-sitosterol (12) was isolated from the roots of F. bracteata. Felamidin and suberosin showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 0.42 and 0.89 mg/mL, respectively) when compared to the reference standard acarbose (IC₅₀ 4.95 mg/mL). However, none of the tested extracts were found to be active on α-amylase inhibition. Discussion and conclusions: The present study demonstrated that among the compounds isolated from CH₂Cl₂ fraction of F. bracteata roots, coumarins were determined as the main chemical constituents of this fraction. This is the first report on isolation and characterization of the bioactive compounds from root extracts of F. bracteata and on their α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Investigation of the constituents of the fruits of Morus alba LINNE (Moraceae) afforded five new nortropane alkaloids (1—5) along with nor-ψ-tropine (6) and six new amino acids, morusimic acids A—F (7—12). The structures of the new compounds were determined to be 2α,3β-dihydroxynortropane (1), 2β,3β-dihydroxynortropane (2), 2α,3β,6exo-trihydroxynortropane (3), 2α,3β,4α-trihydroxynortropane (4), 3β,6exo-dihydroxynortropane (5), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-{(1S,4S)-4-[(1S)-1-hydroxyethyl]-pyrrolidin-1-yl}-dodecanoic acid-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-{(1S,4S)-4-[(1S)-1-hydroxyethyl]-pyrrolidin-1-yl}-dodecanoic acid (8), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-piperidin-1-yl]-dodecanoic acid-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-piperidin-1-yl]-dodecanoic acid (10), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl-piperidin-1-yl]-dodecanoic acid-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (11), and (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4S,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-piperidin-1-yl]-dodecanoic acid (12) on the basis of spectral and chemical data.

Ascorbic acid is the most common electroactive biological compound found in some plant species (e.g., Citrus species, Rosa species). The electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid was investigated by cyclic, linear sweep, differential pulse (DPV), and square wave (SWV) voltammetry. For analytical purposes, a very well-resolved diffusion-controlled voltammetric peak was obtained in acetate buffer at pH 3.50 for DPV and SWV. The linear response was obtained in the range of 3.52–176.1 μg/mL with a detection limit of 0.88 μg/mL for DPV and 0.52 µg/mL for SWV. Based on this study, simple, rapid, selective, and sensitive voltammetric methods were developed for the determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical dosage forms and Rosa species (R. dumalis ssp. boissieri var. boissieri, R. canina, R. pulverulenta, R. heckeliana ssp. vanheurckiana, and R. montana subsp. woronowii). The results obtained are compared with the HPLC data. The developed methods enable the extracts to be analyzed without the necessity of any time-consuming separation.

Apium plants belong to the Apiaceae family and are included among plants that have been in use in traditional medicine for thousands of years worldwide, including in the Mediterranean, as well as the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. Some highlighted medical benefits include prevention of coronary and vascular diseases. Their phytochemical constituents consist of bergapten, flavonoids, glycosides, furanocoumarins, furocoumarin, limonene, psoralen, xanthotoxin, and selinene. Some of their pharmacological properties include anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, nematocidal, anti-rheumatism, antiasthma, anti-bronchitis, hepatoprotective, appetizer, anticonvulsant, antispasmodic, breast milk inducer, anti-jaundice, antihypertensive, anti-dysmenorrhea, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, and spermatogenesis induction. The present review summarizes data on ecology, botany, cultivation, habitat, medicinal use, phytochemical composition, preclinical and clinical pharmacological efficacy of Apium plants and provides future direction on how to take full advantage of Apium plants for the optimal benefit to mankind.