The current study aimed to investigate the essential oil yields, chemical compositions, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seeds collected from India (Mehsana province and Banaskantha district of Gujarat), Morocco (Tinghir province), Iran (Khorasan province), Syria (Homs province), Turkey (Ankara province), Pakistan (Kalat province), Iraq (Basra province) and Afghanistan (Helmand and Balkh provinces). No previous studies were found for cumin seed essential oils from Afghanistan and Iraq so this could be considered as the first report. The essential oil yields were ranging between 1.16 % and 1.98 %. According to the chemical compositions, two chemotypes were identified as p-mentha-1,4,-dien- 7-al, and cumin aldehyde. Cumin aldehyde was dominant in Indian-originated seeds (39.3-46.5 %) and p-mentha-1,4,-dien-7-al was the major component (42.1-58.8 %) of the rest. All essential oils performed moderate antioxidant properties (IC₅₀ values of 23.3-32.4 μg/mL for DPPH and 65-73 % inhibition for β-carotene/ linoleic acid tests) and high antimicrobial activities. Correlation analysis demonstrated that amount of cumin aldehyde had a strong negative relation with DPPH activity and had a positive relationship with β-carotene/linoleic acid assay inhibitions. The amount of cumin aldehyde also correlated positively with disk diffusion- based antimicrobial susceptibilities and had variable correlations with broth microdilution tests. The sum of two other major aldehydes (p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al and p-mentha-1,3-dien-7-al) were found to have no statistically significant correlation with biological activities.

Diabetes mellitus is a multisystemic metabolic disorder that may affect the eyes, kidneys, vessels, and heart. Chronic hyperglycemia causes non-enzymatic glycation of proteins and elevation of the polyol pathway resulting in oxidative stress that damages organs. The current study aimed to investigate the dose-dependent effects of orally consumed Rosa damascena Mill. hydrosol on hematology, clinical biochemistry, lens enzymatic activity, and lens pathology in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced into male Sprague–Dawley rats by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (40 mg/kg body weight). Rose hydrosols containing 1515 mg/L and 500 mg/L total volatiles (expressed as citronellol) were introduced to rats orally for 45 days. Consumption of 1515 mg/L volatile containing rose hydrosol successfully ameliorated hematologic, hepatic, and renal functions. Hydrosols also attenuated hyperglycemia and decreased the advanced glycation end-product formation in a dose-dependent manner. Rose hydrosol components significantly increased the lens enzymatic activities of glutathione peroxidase and decreased the activity of aldose reductase to prevent cataractogenesis. Histopathological examinations of rat lenses also indicated that increasing the dose of rose hydrosol had a protective effect on lenses in diabetic conditions. Additionally, in silico modeling of aldose reductase inhibition with rose hydrosol volatiles was carried out for extrapolating the current study to humans. The present results suggest that rose hydrosol exerts significant protective properties in diabetes mellitus and has no toxic effect on all studied systems in healthy test groups.

Laurus nobilis L. is a dioecious species that have separate female and male plants. The Aegean region of Turkey is a common place for laurel where it is cultivated for industrial purposes and wildly grown. In this study, we aimed to determine the gender-specific properties of laurel leaf and flower essential oils by means of chemical compositions and biological activities. In both genders -whether it is cultivated or notlaurel leaves presented the same yield of essential oils having almost the same compositions. According to the results, we found that the differences in yields and compositions of flower essential oils were only affiliated with gender. All essential oils performed mild antioxidant activities and significant antimicrobial effects yet essential oils of leaves were much more superior in every aspect. The alterations in the chemical composition of flower essential oils from different genders did not affect the overall biological activities so we presumed that trans-ocimene and α-terpinyl acetate were not effectual in antioxidant and antimicrobial capabilities.

Essential oil was obtained from Pimpinella enguezekensis, a novel species found in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The samples were collected in Agilbasi (Engüzek), Malatya, Turkey, where the new species was first discovered. The essential oil was isolated through hydro distillation and analyzed through GC/FID- MS. The average essential oil obtained was 3.7 %, and 21 compounds, accounting for 99.2 % of the essential oil, were identified. The major components of P. enguezekensis essential oil were trans-anethole (86.8 %), methyl chavicol (4.8 %), and pseudoisoeugenol 2-methylbutyrate (3.5 %). DPPH and β-carotene/linoleic acid assays revealed that this essential oil had significant antioxidant activities. It also showed moderate antimicrobial activities against six bacterial and two yeast species. Its composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were studied for the first time.

The current study is aimed to investigate the essential oil (EO) yields, chemical compositions, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Artemisia vulgaris L. EOs were isolated before flowering, initial flowering and post-flowering growth stages. Before the flowering stage, major constituents of the EO were α-thujone (30.68%) and β-caryophyllene (22.05%). Parallel to plant development, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (mainly β-caryophyllene) decreased and an increase was recorded in oxygenated monoterpenes, especially in α-thujone. These significant changes in the EO compositions caused various alterations in antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Antioxidant activities of EOs were drastically decreased as the amount of β-caryophyllene dropped off from 22.05 to 7.92% and α-thujone increased from 30.68 to 47.41%. Spearman's correlation coefficients exhibited that α-thujone was quite weak against oxidative stress. In contrast to antioxidant activities, correlation analysis revealed that antimicrobial activities of EOs were enhanced with the increase of α-thujone.

Detoxification enzymes involved in human metabolism works to minimize the potential xenobiotic-induced damage constantly. Studies have revealed that toxin accumulation plays an important role in the etiology of cardiovascular disease. This study has been designed to provide evidence of medicinal use of bentonite, turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), grape (Vitis vinifera L.) seed, flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), and psyllium (Plantago ovata L.) as detoxification and cholesterol-lowering agents using a hypercholesterolemic model in mice. The potential hypocholesterolemic effects and detoxification ability of these ingredients were evaluated at the same time: Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, malondialdehyde, plasma total antioxidant activity, nitric acid, leptin levels and glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase and catalase values were measured. It was determined that GBTF group (grape seed extract, bentonite, turmeric, and flaxseed), GBTP group (grape seed extract, bentonite, turmeric, and psyllium), and GBT group (grape seed extract, bentonite, and turmeric) of the tested materials decreased the serum total cholesterol concentration by 64.8, 57.5, and 48.9%, respectively, in mice fed a high cholesterol diet. In addition, it was determined that some detoxification parameters such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase were statistically significantly reversed in GBTF, GBTP, and GBT groups. Flaxseed, psyllium, and bentonite clay did not show significant effects in reducing total cholesterol; however, GBTF, GBTP, and GBT groups interventions had a significant effect in reducing total cholesterol levels. Moreover, it was observed that adding flaxseed or psyllium to the GBT group increased the cholesterol-lowering effect. Therefore, it can be thought that this significant effect is due to the synergistic effect of the raw materials. When the results obtained were evaluated, it was seen that the cholesterol-lowering and detoxification effects of the combinations were higher than from the effect of natural material used alone. As a result, combinations of some of these ingredients have a positive effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.