Abietane diterpenoids and other constituents from Clerodendrum trichotomum

The genus Clerodendrum Linn., originally belonging to Verbenaceae, was assigned to Lamiaceae by APG (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group) Ⅱ. Seven abietane diterpenoids (1–7) along with three anthraquinones (8–10) and one neolignan (11) were isolated and identified from the stems of Clerodendrum trichotomum Thunb.. Among them, compounds 4, 6 and 8–11 were reported from the genus Clerodendrum Linn. for the first time. Compounds 1, 3 and 7 were obtained from this species for the first time. Isolation of abietane diterpenoids from C. trichotomum could further comfirm that the genus Clerodendrum belongs to Lamiaceae rather than Verbenaceae.     

New records of the genus Micromyzodium (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from Korea

The aphid genus Micromyzodium David, 1958 is newly recognized in the Korean Peninsula. This genus is characterized by very long dorsal abdominal hairs, almost 3 to 4 times as long as the basal diameter of antennal segment III. Colonies of two Micromyzodium species, Micromyzodium kuwakusae Uye, 1924 and Micromyzodium nipponicum Moritsu, 1949, were collected on Fatoua villosa Nakai (Urticales: Moraceae) and Perilla frutescens Britton (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), respectively. In this study, important characteristics are redescribed, illustrated, and measured for the apterous viviparous females of these species.     

Biogeochemical Features of Platinum Accumulation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scutellaria baicalensis</Emphasis> Georgi (Lamiaceae)

For the first time, the platinum accumulation levels and distribution patterns in the soil and in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds of medicinal herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Lamiaceae (Baikal skullcap) have been researched using the stripping voltammetry method. The plants were collected both in their natural habitats (southwestern part of Primorskii krai, Amur oblast, and Chita oblast) and from the S. baicalensis population introduced in the Central Siberian Botanical Garden (CSBG), Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk). In the habitats of S. baicalensis, the content of platinum in soils varies from 0.001 to 0.426 g/t. The content of platinum in various parts of the plants varies from 0.001 to 0.43 g/t. The platinum bioaccumulation factor in S. baicalensis individuals collected in various habitats varies from 0.01 to 6.1 g/t.     

Essential oil of Stachys aleurites from Turkey

The essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of the Turkish endemism Stachys aleurites (Lamiaceae) has been studied. The main constituents were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons: β-caryophyllene (33.7%), bicyclogermacrene (14.5%) and germacrene D (9.6%). The main monoterpene was α-pinene (8.4%). Some chemotaxonomical considerations have been provided.     

Cyanogenic glycosides from the rare Australian endemic rainforest tree Clerodendrum grayi (Lamiaceae)

The cyanogenic diglycoside lucumin ((R)-mandelonitrile-β-d-primeveroside) and monoglucoside prunasin ((R)-mandelonitrile-β-d-glucoside) were isolated from the foliage of the rare Australian rainforest tree species Clerodendrum grayi (Lamiaceae). This is the first reported isolation of the diglycoside lucumin from vegetative tissue (foliage), and the first reported co-occurrence of lucumin and prunasin. Furthermore, unusually, the diglycoside lucumin was the most abundant cyanogen accounting for approximately 60% of total cyanide in a leaf tissue.     

The Roles of a Flavone-6-Hydroxylase and 7-O-Demethylation in the Flavone Biosynthetic Network of Sweet Basil

Lipophilic flavonoids found in the Lamiaceae exhibit unusual 6- and 8-hydroxylations whose enzymatic basis is unknown. We show that crude protein extracts from peltate trichomes of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars readily hydroxylate position 6 of 7-O-methylated apigenin but not apigenin itself. The responsible protein was identified as a P450 monooxygenase from the CYP82 family, a family not previously reported to be involved in flavonoid metabolism. This enzyme prefers flavones but also accepts flavanones in vitro and requires a 5-hydroxyl in addition to a 7-methoxyl residue on the substrate. A peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) homolog displayed identical substrate requirements, suggesting that early 7-O-methylation of flavones might be common in the Lamiaceae. This hypothesis is further substantiated by the pioneering discovery of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent flavone demethylase activity in basil, which explains the accumulation of 7-O-demethylated flavone nevadensin.     

Diversity and species boundaries in floricolous downy mildews

Floricolous downy mildews are a monophyletic group of members of the genus Peronospora (Oomycota, Peronosporales). These downy mildews can be found on a variety of families of the Asteridae, including Asteraceae, Campanulaceae, Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, and Orobanchaceae. With the exception of Peronospora radii, which can also cause economically relevant losses, sporulation usually takes place only on floral parts of their hosts. However, only very few specimens of these mostly inconspicuous downy mildews have so far been included in molecular phylogenies. Focusing on Lamiaceae, we have investigated multiple specimens of floricolous downy mildews for elucidating species boundaries and host specificity in this group. Based on both mitochondrial and nuclear loci, it became apparent that phylogenetic lineages in the Lamiaceae seem to be host genus specific and significant sequence diversity could be found between lineages. Based on distinctiveness in both phylogenetic reconstructions and morphology, the downy mildew on flowers of Stachys palustris is introduced as a new species, Peronospora jagei sp. nov., which can be morphologically distinguished from Peronospora stigmaticola by broader and shorter conidiospores. The diversity of the floricolous down mildews might be higher than previously assumed, although specimens from a much broader set of samples will be needed to confirm this view.     

New insights into the chemical biodiversity of Minthostachys mollis in Argentina

Variations in the chemical composition of the essential oils of Minthostachys mollis Griseb. (Lamiaceae) collected in their natural habitat in Argentina were determined using GC-FID-MS analysis. Seventy five samples collected out of 40 wild plant populations in the Central and Northwestern Argentina during four years sampling, were analyzed. Principal Component Analysis was made on the chemical data showing that samples from Córdoba and San Luis belonged to the typical menthone – pulegone chemotype in accordance with previous reports; meanwhile samples from Tucumán, Salta and Catamarca showed the presence of different compositions, some previously unreported, mainly those detected in Tucumán province. In addition, cluster analysis was applied using Euclidean distance to measure the dissimilarity in the relative composition of samples from Tucumán, Salta and Catamarca, using Ward's method as the agglomeration technique. Five groups were retained with less than 10% of information loss: i) dihydrocarvone-carvone, ii) pulegone with absence of menthone, iii) carvacryl acetate-carvacrol, iv) limonene and v) linalool.It is worth mentioning that the compositions of the different chemotypes remained constant throughout the four years of collection and despite the highly diverse pattern of compositions revealed in this search, the typical chemotype was not found present northwards Córdoba and San Luis provinces. This is the first report of a deep study on natural populations of peperina throughout the whole distribution area in Argentina with consecutive sampling repetitions of the same populations during several years.     

New data on trophic associations and distribution of the eurytomid genera Eurytoma Illiger and Systole Walker (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Eurytomidae)

New data on the distribution and trophic associations are given for three eurytomid species: Eurytoma infracta Mayr, Eu. salvicola Zerova, and Systole (Trichosystole) cuspidata Zerova. Eurytoma infracta and S. (T.) cuspidata were reared in Portugal, the first species from Cynipid galls on Salvia sclareoides Brot. (Lamiaceae), the second, from seeds of the same plant. Eurytoma salvicola Zerova was found for the first time in France, having being reared there from galls of Oxyacina tibialis R.-D. (Diptera, Tephritidae) on Rosmarinus officinalis L.     

Structure-antioxidant and anti-tumor activity of Teucrium polium phytochemicals

Chemical characterization as well as antioxidant and anti-tumor activity are reported for isolated metabolites from Teucrium polium L. (Lamiaceae). Structures were identified using standard MS and NMR spectroscopic methods. Sesquiterpene absolute stereochemistry was determined based on a modified Mosher’s reaction. Biological activity was evaluated by a cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assay and select compounds screened for anti-tumor activity. (1R,4S,10R) 10,11-dimethyl-dicyclohex-5(6)-en-1,4-diol-7-one and (R)-mandelonitrile-β-laminaribioside, together with ten previously reported compounds were identified. Antioxidant versus tumor-inhibition relationships was examined.     

A new genus and species of Macrosiphini (Hemiptera,Aphididae) from China,living on Isodon eriocalyx

The aphid genus Nigritergaphis gen. n. is described, and N. crassisetosa sp. n. on Isodon eriocalyx (Dunn) Kudô (Lamiaceae) from Yunnan, China is described and illustrated. The new species curls and distorts the leaves of this important traditional Chinese medicinal plant, and is evidently specific to this host. Holotype and paratypes are deposited in the National Zoological Museum of China, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.     

Occurrence of flavonoids in different Lamiaceae taxa for a preliminary study on their evolution based on phytochemistry

In this work, the continuation of the study of the plant evolution based on phytochemistry was presented. Flavonoids were used to draw a Sporne evolution diagram of selected Lamiaceae taxa. From a phytochemical evolution standpoint, results showed similarities and differences with regard to the previous work on iridoids. In addition, analogies and diversities from the phylogenetic tree based on molecular and genetic data were evidenced. Findings suggest again the potentiality to further use phytochemical data for the evaluation of Lamiaceae evolution.     

Pyrrolidinone diterpenoid from Isodon excisus and inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage RAW264.7 cells

A new pyrrolidinone diterpenoid, excisusin F (1), was isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon excisus (Lamiaceae), together with four known compounds, and their structures were determined mainly by NMR (1D and 2D) and mass spectrometry. Excisusin F (1) and inflexarabdonin E (3) showed potent inhibitory effects of LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells with the IC₅₀ value of 10.4 and 3.8 μM, respectively.     

中国长管蚜亚科四新纪录属及四新纪录种(半翅目,蚜科)

记述了中国蚜科Aphididae长管蚜亚科Macrosiphinae 4新纪录属,隐蚜属Cryptaphis Hille Ris Lambers,1947,印度瘤蚜属Indomyzus Ghosh,Ghosh&Raychaudhuri,1971,一点红蚜属Ipuka van Harten&Ilharco,(1975)1976和管蚜属Tubaphis Hille Ris Lambers,1947;及4新纪录种,老鹳草隐蚜Cryptaphis geranicola(Shinji,1935),感觉印度瘤蚜Indomyzus sensoriatus Ghosh,Ghoshand Raychaudhuri,1971,扩散一点红蚜Ipuka dispersum(vander Goot,1917)和铁线莲管蚜Tubaphis clematophila(Takahashi,1965)。记述了各属及种的形态特征,每种提供了检视标本、地理分布、寄主植物等信息,绘制了形态特征图,拍摄了整体照片。研究标本保存在中国科学院动物研究所国家动物博物馆。     

Development and characterization of microsatellites of an important medicinal plant Orthosiphon stamineus (misai kucing)

Orthosiphon stamineus (Lamiaceae) is an important medicinal plant in Malaysia that has great potential in the herbal medicine industry. In this study, we developed and characterized ten microsatellites for O. stamineus. The microsatellite loci were checked for variability using 28 individuals of O. stamineus sampled from 10 nurseries. The number of alleles ranged from two to four, and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.143 to 0.963. Neighbor-joining analysis revealed two main genetic clusters corresponding to the two varieties (white and purple). The application of these microsatellites will facilitate the cultivar/variety identification and germplasm management in the species.     

Relationship among some ecological factors and chemical composition of Ajuga chamaecistus Ging. plant species

Ajuga chamaecistus belongs to Lamiaceae plant family. Plant samples were collected from four habitats during vegetative and flowering periods for comparing the essential oil yield and composition. After drying, the essential oil was extracted by distillation method. Essential oil yields of plants in four habitats were calculated which the analysis and identification of essential oil composition was performed using GC and GC–MS. Ultimately, the PCA was used to determine the relationship between plant major components and environmental factors. The results showed that β-Pinene and Linalool compounds had the highest percentage of essential oil composition. Environmental factors including elevation, annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, annual evaporation, sand and clay content were identified as the most effective factors in the isolation of A. chamaecistus habitats. It appears that the difference between ecological and soil factors of four habitats can have a significant effect on the type and percentage of essential oil components.     

Peculiar properties of the seasonal development of Thymus extremus Klokov (Lamiaceae) in the course of introduction

For three years, the peculiar properties of the seasonal development of Siberia endemic Thymus extremus Klokov (Lamiaceae) during introduction were studied. Special attention was given to the formation of the generative sphere of the species. The presence of the following two types of flowers was found: bisexual and partly androsterile. Partly androsterile flowers for this species are revealed for the first time. The probability of the influence of climatic factors on the formation of flowers of different types in Th. extremus is discussed.     

Labdane diterpenoids from Marrubium vulgare

Phytochemical investigation of the whole plant of Marrubium vulgare L. (Lamiaceae) resulted in isolation and characterization of two new labdane diterpenoids, 12(S)-hydroxymarrubiin and 3-deoxo-15-methoxyvelutine C and 11 known compounds, marrubiin, peregrinin, thessaline D, marrubinone B, deacetylvitexilactone, verbascoside, leucosceptoside A, martynoside, anisofolin A, terniflorin, and apigenin. Structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was determined by using spectroscopic techniques and HRESIMS. 12(S)-Hydroxymarrubiin, marrubiin, peregrinin, and marrubinone B, exhibited no antimicrobial activity up to 20 μg/mL against ten strains.