Background: Hyssopus officinalis L. (hyssop), a species native to the Caspian Sea region, has been cultivated in the Republic of Moldova as aromatic plant and has been used in folk medicine as antitussive, expectorant, carminative, digestive and sedative remedy. Material and methods: The aerial parts of H. officinalis L., with pink, white and blue flowers, were collected from the collection of the Scientific Practical Center in the Field of Medicinal Plants during flowering phase. The extracts were obtained with 70% ethanol by maceration with stirring. The concetration of the extracts was done with the rotative evaporator Laborota 4011. Identification of phenolic compounds in dried extracts from hyssop herb was carried out by thin-layer chromatography. The total content of hydrocyanamic acids was measured in plant products and dried ethanolic extracts, by spectrophotometric method, with Arnow’s reagent. Quantitative analysis of total phenolic content was carried out by UV-spectrophotometry analysis, using a Metertech UV/VIS SP 8001 spectrophotometer. Results: The chlorogenic (Rf 0.47) and caffeic (Rf 0.93) acids were identified in the three genotypes of Hyssop herba, with pink, white and blue flowers. The total of hydroxycinnamic acids, expressed in caffeic acid, for both, aerial parts and dry extract, was the highest in H. officinalis L. with white flowers (1.484 mg/g; 3.014 mg/g respectively), followed by H. officinalis L. with pink flowers (1.190 mg/g; 2.915 mg/g) and H. officinalis L. with blue flowers (1.015 mg/g; 2.851 mg/g). The highest polyphenol content, expressed in gallic acid equivalent (GAE), was found in the dry extract of H. officinalis L. with blue flowers (39.056 mgGAE/g dry extract). Conclusions: This study showed that the extract of the Hyssopus officinalis L. containing phenolic compounds, can be used as a natural antioxidant in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Background: Artichoke, a medicinal plant with various therapeutic uses, is widely cultivated in many of the world’s geographical areas. The aim of this study was to establish the antimicrobial profile by means of comparative evaluation of the phytochemical constituents, antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation, and antimicrobial activities of the basal and cauline leaves, as well as the following by-products: stems, bracts, and inflorescences, from Cynara scolymus L. cultivated in the Republic of Moldova. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative characterization of the main phenolic compounds from ethanolic extracts was carried out by the HPLC-UV-MS method. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH˙, ABTS˙⁺, FRAP, and NO˙ scavenging methods. The lipid-lowering effect was established with a malonic dialdehyde complex and thiobarbituric acid. Antimicrobial properties were screened using the diffusion method. Results: The HPLC UV-MS analysis highlighted that the green aerial parts of C. scolymus are characterized by the presence of five phenolic acids (kaempferol, gentisic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, ferulic, and caffeic) and four flavonoid heterosides and aglycones (isoquercitrin, quercitrin, luteolin, and apigenin). Correlation between total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.01). The extracts of C. scolymus’s aerial parts exhibited significant antibacterial and antifungal activities (p < 0.05) against all tested microorganisms, while no inhibitory effect for inflorescences was observed. Conclusions: Artichoke leaves and by-products may be considered important and promising sources of bioactive compounds for herbal medicinal products, functional foods, and nutraceuticals, due to their antimicrobial properties. This study makes an original contribution to the specialized literature by the detailed characterization of the antimicrobial profile of the extracts obtained from artichoke cultivated in the Republic of Moldova, a species introduced for the first time on the territory of this country. The obtained results highlight the medicinal potential and economic value of the Moldovan artichoke, with particular emphasis on its by-products: stems, bracts, and inflorescences, which less explored so far, as sources of bioactive compounds. Our analyses indicate that the leaves and by-products of the plant represent promising resources for the development of phytopharmaceutical preparations, functional foods, and nutraceuticals, offering new directions for the integral and sustainable valorization of this species acclimatized in Moldova.

Introduction. Global consumption of plant protein is increasing and high-fiber plants have health benefits through valuable phytochemicals. Plant proteins serve as an alternative to animal proteins to meet consumer demand on the one hand and reduce the risk of disease on the other. Material and Methods. We performed qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins in extracts by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and total content of proteins by Bradford assay. Results. Applied methods for the qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins in dry extracts of medicinal plants: Agrimonia eupatoria L., Cichorium intybus L., Galium verum L., and Solidago virgaurea L. confirm that proteins were detected in all dry extracts and were determined the total content of them. Conclusion. For all extracts obtained from aerial parts of: Agrimonia eupatoria, Cichorium intybus, Galium verum and Solidago virgaurea we find a low protein concentration, which implies minimizing allergic reactions and intolerance to the extracts studied.

Background: Urinary tract infections are the most common urogenital diseases, with an increased incidence in men and older people. Urogenital infections are caused by Gram-negative bacteria, in which Escherichia coli predominates with a share of 80%. The evolution of microbial resistance to preparations used in curative-prophylactic institutions, induces the need of the reintroduction of nitrofurans, noteworthy for their wide spectrum of antibacterial activity. Material and methods: For the study, suppositories with furazidine were prepared by hand rolling and by melting and molding methods. Quantitative analysis was performed spectrophotometrically on a UV-VIS Perkin Elmer Lambda 40 spectrophotometer. All solvents and reagents had the degree of purity ”pure for analysis” and ”chemically pure”. Results: Duble cast method was applied to identify the exact mass of hydrophobic (cocoa butter, suppocire) and hydrophylic (polyethylene glycol mixtures) excipients. All the formulated suppositories were subjected to quality tests and showed acceptable physical characteristics and uniformity of drug contents. The UV-VIS spectrophotometric method for quantitiative determination of furazidine was developed and validated. The validation results showed that the developed method is simple, fast, accurate and robust. Conclusions: Suppositories with furazidine were prepared by classic technological methods. Preparation of the suppositories with furazidine on cocoa butter excipient is a suitable alternative for individual medicinal prescriptions. The UV-VIS spectrophotometric dosing method for furazidine in suppositories was developed and validated

The development of efficient, high-quality, harmless and affordable pharmaceutical forms for drug treatment in pediatrics is a current task of contemporary pharmacy. Currently, psychiatrists and neurologists from various curative-prophylactic institutions prescribe for children and adolescents nootropic preparations in the form of tablets, powders and syrups, in various neurological diseases, the share of which, according to national and international statistics, is constantly increasing. Currently, the prescription of hopanthenic acid is gaining popularity, thanks to its neuroprotective, neurotrophic, neurometabolic, antidepressant, anxiolytic and analgesic effects. The presented paper has as starting point the analysis of the structural-molecular properties of hopanthenic acid, exposed by biopharmaceutical study, pharmacokinetic parameters and strategies for optimizing pharmaceutical formulations with gastric release.

BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CYNARA SCOLYMUS L. CULTIVATED IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA