Identification and Quantification of Thujone in a Case of Poisoning Due to Repeated Ingestion of an Infusion of Artemisia Vulgaris L.[Pubmed: 30044501]

Plants of the Artemisia genus are used worldwide as ingredients of botanical preparations. This paper describes the case of a 49-year-old man admitted to the emergency room at a Zurich hospital in a manic state after the ingestion of 1 L of an infusion of Artemisia vulgaris. Two monoterpenic ketones, α- and β-thujone, are present in various concentrations in Artemisia spp., but adverse effects have previously been associated only with essential oil from Artemisia absinthium and attributed to the inhibition of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors, with consequent excitation and convulsions. The aim of this work was to examine and quantify the possible presence of thujone in the patient's serum and urine. A High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method with isocratic separation and fluorescence detection (FLD) was set up and validated. Serum thujone concentrations were found to be 27.7 ± 3.48 μg/mL at day 0 and 24.1 ± 0.15 μg/mL on day 1. Results were confirmed by a gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (FID). Poisoning due to thujone was thus confirmed, suggesting four possible scenarios: (1) an unusually high concentration of thujone in the A. vulgaris ingested; (2) chronic exposure as the cause of the poisoning; (3) low metabolic efficiency of the patient; (4) contamination or adulteration of the plant material with other Artemisia spp., for example, A. absinthium.

Phytochemical screening and antibacterial potential of Artemisia absinthium L., Swertia chirayita and Sphaeranthus indicus.[Pubmed: 29618441]

Utilization of herbs for medicinal purpose started in the early history of mankind several thousand years ago. In this study, some plants that are used for lowering cholesterol level in local areas of Pakistan, such as Artemisia absinthium L., Swertia chirayita and Sphaeranthus indicus were screened for their phytochemical and antibacterial properties. For this purpose, these plants were extracted in different solvents i.e. ethanol, hexane and ethyl acetate. Phytochemcial analysis unveiled the existence of different bioactive compounds in these extracts. Presence of sugars was further confirmed by performing TLC. Antibacterial activity was determined against indicated bacterial strains, among all extracts Gul-e-mundi had maximum inhibition zone (23mm). DPPH free radical assay revealed the significant antioxidative potential of all the extracts where Gul-e-mundi showed maximum potential i.e., 83%. Plant extracts were also showing anti-proliferative activity on root tips of Allium cepa and Gul-e-mundi was observed to have maximum antimitotic activity i.e. 5%. GC-MS analysis revealed that oleic acid and linoleic acid were the compounds responsible for imparting antibacterial potential to Gul-e-mundi. In conclusion, among all the tested extracts Gul-e-mundi had maximum antibacterial, antioxidative and antimitotic potential. For future studies, phytochemcials responsible for these activities can be isolated and modified for pharmacological purpose.

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of plant extracts traditionally used in organic and biodynamic farming.[Pubmed: 29516419]

Five plant extracts traditionally used in organic and biodynamic farming for pest control and antifungal (downy mildew) disease management were selected after a farmer survey and analyzed for their chemical composition in LC-PDA-MS-MS and using adapted analytical method from food chemistry for determination of class of component (e.g., protein, sugar, lipids…). Their antifungal activity against Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea, Botrytis allii, brown rot causing agents (Monilinia laxa and Monilinia fructigena), and grape downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) was examined in vitro. White willow (Salix alba) and absinthe (Artemisia absinthium) ethanolic extracts were found to be the most effective in particular against Plasmopara viticola, with a total inhibition of spores germination when applied at 1000 mg/L. These extracts also showed a relatively low toxicity during preliminary ecotoxicological assays on Daphnia pulex. Extract from the bark of white willow contained some flavonoids, especially flavanones (eriodyctiol and derivates) and flavanols (catechins and derivates), as major compounds, whereas absinthe extract was rich in O-methylated flavanols and hydroxycinnamic acids. Thujone content in this extract was also determined by external calibration in GC-MS analysis, and its value was 0.004% dry extract.

Evaluation of anticancer, antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of Artemisia absinthium  L. Extract.[Pubmed: 29506627]

In the treatment of cancer, which remains a fatal disease, increasingly successful treatment rates of alternative therapies using the power of plants have directed the scientific world towards natural plant resources. This study aimed to examine the anti-cancer and antioxidant properties and identify the phenolic content of the methanolic extract obtained from Artemisia absinthium L. (AR) species, which is used as folk-medicine. The antioxidant activity of the extract was investigated using total phenolics, flavonoids, ABTS and CUPRAC methods. Phenolic component analysis of the plant extract was performed by LC-MS/MS. The anti-cancer property of AR extract was investigated on human colon (DLD-1), endometrium (ECC-1) cancer cells and embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells. Cytotoxic effects were defined with MTT, apoptotic activity with DNA fragmentation ELISA and AO/EB fluorescent staining, the genotoxic effect with the comet assay and the intracellular oxidative status with TAS and TOS methods. As a result of the study, it was determined that AR extract showed an antioxidant effect, and as a result of the content analysis made with LC-MS/MS, phenolic components were determined, the most abundant being chlorogenic acid, followed by quinic acid, cinnamic acid, rhoifolin and malic acide. AR extract showed cytotoxic activity on DLD-1 and ECC-1 cancer cells, while the cytotoxic effect on HEK-293 cells was determined to be low.  It was determined that by increasing the intracellular amount of free radicals on cancer cells, this led to DNA damage, which consequently led to apoptosis of the cancer cells.

Comparative Antitussive Effects of Medicinal Plants and Their Constituents.[Pubmed: 29332022]

Context • The cough is a protective reflex, with 2 types, one being more sensitive to mechanical stimulation and the other to chemical stimulation, such as sulfur dioxide, ammonia, citric acid, and capsaicin. Some evidence is available that suppressant therapy is most effective when used for the short-term reduction of coughing. Today, use of herbal drugs is increasing all over the world for various ailments, including to provide antitussive activity. Objective • The study intended to review the antitussive effects of various extracts, some fractions, and some constituents of the studied medicinal plants. Design • Various databases, including the Medline, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched for studies published between 1978 and 2015, using the keywords antitussive and cough and the names of various medicinal plants and their constituents. Setting • The study took place in the districts related to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Mashhad, Iran). Outcome Measures • The antitussive effects of medicinal plants and their constituents were normalized to 50 mg/kg and 1 mg/mL against various cough stimulants and compared. Results • The most potent antitussive effect was observed for Nigella sativa and Linum usitatissimum on coughs induced by sulfur dioxide. Artemisia absinthium showed a higher antitussive effect on cough induced by ammonia compared with the other studied medicinal plants. The antitussive effects of Cuminum cyminum and Glycyrrhiza glabra were more potent on cough induced by citric acid than other medicinal plants. Conclusions • These results suggest the therapeutic potential of the studied medicinal plants as antitussive therapies. However, only a few clinical studies have examined the antitussive effects of medicinal plants, and more clinical studies are needed. The underlying mechanisms of the antitussive effects of medicinal plants should be also examined in further studies.