Oksana Yezerska

Representatives of five genera of the Lamiaceae family, such as Thymus, Satureja, Monarda, Ocimum, and Hyssopus, are especially appreciated for their valuable decorative features and the beneficial biological properties of their essential oils and extracts. In this study, the key morphological features of eight new cultivars (Monarda didyma L., Monarda bradburiana L. C. Beck, Satureja hortensis L., Satureja coerulea L., Thymus vulgaris L., Ocimum basilicum var. citriodorum L., and Hyssopus officinalis L.), cultivated firstly under the conditions of the central forest-steppe of Ukraine, as well as the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of their essential oils, were studied. The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the fresh aerial parts of the studied plants via hydrodistillation was evaluated by GC-MS. In addition, the screening tests of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Klebsiella pneumoniae (clinical isolate), and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) were performed using the disk diffusion method. Two essential oils, T. vulgaris and M. didyma, were rich in thymol (49.9% and 58.5%, respectively), and four essential oils (M. didyma, M. bradburiana, S. hortensis, and S. coerulea) were rich in carvacrol (49.4–69.9%). The essential oil of O. basilicum contained linalool, citral, and neral (38.7%, 12.6%, and 9.4%), whereas the essential oil of H. officinalis contained pinanone (51.3%) and pinocarvone (18.5%). All the tested essential oils exhibited strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus and S. epidermidis. The essential oils of M. didyma, M. bradburiana, S. hortensis, S. coerulea, T. vulgaris, and O. basilicum had strong antibacterial activity against E. coli as well. Our findings demonstrated that the studied essential oils are rich in characteristic terpenes and terpenoids, which are likely to induce their antimicrobial activity. The revealed morphological features, chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oils highlight the need for further studies to assess the repeatability of results for these cultivars bred across other years on the same plots. Additionally, the studied plants have great potential for further research on the development of medicinal and cosmetic products with various biological properties.

Introduction. Wounds, including traumatic and burn injuries, are a significant global health problem as they can lead to severe complications, prolonged healing, and even limb amputation. Microbial contamination of wounds is also one of the main factors that complicates the healing process and increases the risk of infections. For military personnel, the problem of wound treatment is particularly relevant due to the high probability of injuries, the limited availability of immediate medical care, and longtime healing. Therefore, the development of effective topical preparations with antimicrobial and wound-healing properties is an important task of modern pharmaceutical science. The purpose of our studies was to develop the wound healing cream with the extract of Salvia officinalis for the treatment of wounds in the second and third phases of wound healing for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Materials and methods. We used a technological method for the development of the technology of creams, method of the calculations of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance, microbiological method for measuring antimicrobial activity, and microbiological quality of the developed cream. Results. The concentrations of the active components and excipients were determined based on experimental data and literature sources regarding acceptable concentration ranges, and manufacturers’ recommendations. Natural biologically active substances are increasingly used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations due to their safety and multifunctional therapeutic and biological properties, respectively. Extracts of Salvia officinalis are known for their pronounced antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. The presence of biologically active compounds in sage, including components of essential oil, flavonoids, and other phenolic compounds, contributes to the inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms' growth and promotes wound healing. Considering the needs for effective, safe, inexpensive, and easy-to-use topical preparations for military personnel, the development of creams with wound healing and antimicrobial activity based on plant-derived components is a topical issue for pharmaceutical technology. Such preparations may contribute to preventing microbial contamination of wounds, accelerating tissue regeneration, and improving overall skin condition during the healing process. Conclusions. The composition and laboratory technology of a hydrophilic cream with antimicrobial activity have been developed. This formulation can serve as a basic cream for further modifications to enhance antimicrobial properties. Microbiological studies show that the examined cream and its variations could be promising for use in military medicine as topical agents for preventing and treating superficial skin and wound infections. Its effectiveness against Staphylococcus spp., which are common causes of wound infections in field conditions, along with compliance with microbiological purity standards, indicates its potential usefulness in wound healing during the second and third phases.

Satureja montana L. is widely used in traditional medicine and culinary. New varieties of this species are created and grown with different purposes. The essential oil (EsO) samples were obtained from the fresh flowering shoots of four new Ukrainian cultivars of S. montana: 'Krymski smaragd', 'Lunata', '697-1', and 'N3-18'. The EsO of cultivars ''Lunata' and 'Krymski smaragd' were studied in two following harvest years (2019 and 2020). The EsO samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). More than 60 components were identified in the studied EsO. Carvacrol was the principal component of all the samples (58.3-87.0% (as GC-MS relative abundances). p-Cymene was the second predominant component (5.0–8.8%) in the EsO of all the cultivars collected in the 2020 year, while cultivars ''Lunata' and 'Krymski smaragd' gathered in 2019 contained it in much fewer amounts (1.7% and 0.5%, respectively). γ-Terpinene was the third main component of EsO of the most studied varieties (0.9% to 6.6%). Only cultivar 'N697-1' contained carvacrol methyl ether at a significant level (11.7%). All the tested samples met the requirements of International Standard Organization (ISO) 79284:1991(E), supposing that the qualitative composition of the S. montana EsO should comprise the following main constituents: γ-terpinene, p-cymene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, and carvacrol. It can be concluded that we dealt with the carvacrol chemotypes of S. montana. It was also revealed that growth year influenced the EsO composition of 'Krymski smaragd' and 'Lunata' cultivars. Our results afforded to compare the EsO of the S. montana new cultivars

Aim. The aim of the study was to develop the methodical approach to determine the antioxidant activity of the tinctures of Monarda fistulosa herb and flowers and roots of Echinacea purpurea, as well as to develop their technology in laboratory conditions. Materials and Methods. The following methods were used: analysis, synthesis, systematization, and comparison for processing of published scientific data on antioxidant activity; method for measuring the particle size of raw herbal materials; maceration and remaceration methods for obtaining the tested tinctures; DPPH test for the valuation of the antioxidant activity of the developed tinctures. Results and Discussion. The methodical approach to determining the antioxidant activity of the tinctures of Monarda fistulosa herb and flowers and roots of Echinacea purpurea was elaborated, the essence of which consisted in the selection of the appropriate dilution of the tinctures. Tinctures were prepared with the help of maceration or/and remaceration in laboratory conditions. The ratios of herbal raw materials (HRM) to the final tincture were close to ratios that are widely employed in the pharmaceutical industry, namely 1 to 5 and 1 to 10. The coefficients of alcohol absorption for the roots of Echinacea purpurea (size 2-5 mm), flowers of Echinacea purpurea (size 1-3 mm), herb of Monarda fistulosa (size 0.5-3 mm) were measured. They were measured as 1.2, 2.25, and 5.0 ml/g, respectively, for 70% ethanol. The studies revealed that Echinacea purpurea tinctures are a valuable source of antioxidant compounds. The antioxidant activity of these tinctures was 254.8-815.8 mg rutin-equivalents in 1 L of the tinctures or 1.12-4.43 mg rutin-equivalents in 1 g of the HRM depending on the part of the plant, particle size and extraction type. The antioxidant activity of the tinctures of the Monarda fistulosa herb was equal to 2203.6 mg eq-rutin/L and 20.3 mg eq-rutin/g for the tincture and HRM at a ratio of 1 to 9.5 and 2119.4 mg eq-rutin/L and 9.7 mg eq-rutin/g for the tincture at a ratio of 1 to 4.5. Conclusions. The approach to the determination of the antioxidant activity of the tested tinctures was elaborated, namely the dilutions of the tinctures were established for the analytical procedure of the determination of the antioxidant activity. Our studies demonstrated that tinctures of Echinacea purpurea contained compounds with antioxidant activity. The tinctures of Monarda fistulosa herb are very rich in compounds with antioxidant properties. The laboratory technology of six tinctures was elaborated. Further studies will be directed at laboratory studies on microorganisms and animals.

This review aims to analyze propolis as a potential raw material for the development and manufacture of new health-promoting products. Many scientific publications were retrieved from the Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases via searching the word "propolis". The different extraction procedures, key biologically active compounds, biological properties, and therapeutic potential of propolis were analyzed. It was concluded that propolis possesses a variety of biological properties because of a very complex chemical composition that mainly depends on the plant species visited by bees and species of bees. Numerous studies found versatile pharmacological activities of propolis: antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, etc. In this review, the composition and biological activities of propolis are presented from a point of view of the origin and standardization of propolis for the purpose of the development of new pharmaceutical products on its base. It was revealed that some types of propolis, especially European propolis, contain flavonoids and phenolic acids, which could be markers for the standardization and quality evaluation of propolis and its preparations. One more focus of this paper was the overview of microorganisms’ sensitivity to propolis for further development of antimicrobial and antioxidant products for the treatment of various infectious diseases with an emphasis on the illnesses of the oral cavity. It was established that the antimicrobial activity of different types of propolis is quite significant, especially to Gram-negative bacteria and lipophilic viruses. The present study could be also of interest to the pharmaceutical industry as a review for the appropriate design of standardized propolis preparations such as mouthwashes, toothpastes, oral drops, sprays, creams, ointments, suppositories, tablets, and capsules, etc. Moreover, propolis could be regarded as a source for the isolation of biologically active substances. Furthermore, this review can facilitate partially overcoming the problem of the standardization of propolis preparations, which is a principal obstacle to the broader use of propolis in the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, this study could be of interest in the area of the food industry for the development of nutritionally well-balanced products. The results of this review indicate that propolis deserves to be better studied for its promising therapeutic effects from the point of view of the connection of its chemical composition with the locality of its collection, vegetation, appropriate extraction methods, and standardization.

Winter Savory (Satureja montana L.) has been used in traditional medicine and as a spice or natural food preservative in the Mediterranean region for centuries. In this paper, some technological and analytical aspects of the S. montana tinctures development and an evaluation of the essential oil composition are provided. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents and phenolic compounds profile analyzed spectrophotometrically and by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), respectively, were evaluated in the developed tinctures. The results showed that the tinctures prepared from the S. montana herb by maceration or remaceration are rich in polyphenols, and there is an influence of the technological factors (particle size and extraction mode) on the total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Caffeic, rosmarinic, and chlorogenic acids, (–)-catechin and rutin were identified in the tinctures using the HPTLC method. p-Thymol (81.79%) revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was the predominant compound of the essential oil of this plant. Thus, the high contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in the developed tinctures and p-thymol among the volatile components of the S. montana essential oil could indicate the promising antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of these herbal preparations. The obtained results are a ground for the organization of the manufacture of the S. montana tincture and essential oil with the purpose of performing preclinical studies.

Polyphenols are valuable group of phytoconstituents due to their high antioxidant activity and healing properties. Antioxidant properties of sages are attributed mainly to a high level of phenolic compounds. The aim of the present study was to elaborate an analytical procedure for the evaluation of the content of secondary metabolites of the polyphenol nature in the herb of Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea L.). Four crude extracts of Salvia sclarea herb obtained with different technologies were used to develop an analytical procedure for the total phenolic content (TPC) assay by spectrophotometric method. The optimum conditions for the analysis (time of the reaction, wavelength, and reference substances) were chosen and experimentally justified (60–80 min, 760 nm, gallic acid and rutin, respectively). Under these conditions, the developed analytical procedure is robust in the indicated time and easy for performing in phytochemical or technological laboratories. The yield of TPC from the herb of Salvia sclarea was the highest in the extracts prepared by heating at a temperature of 36–46 °C and with using the ultrasonic bath. TPC was the highest in the extract in which solvent-to-herb ratio was the least (10:1) and particle size was in the range of 2–5 mm. As a result of the studies, the analytical procedure of the determination of TPC was developed and its parameters were justified. This methodology complies with the requirements for pharmaceutical analysis to ensure the reliability of results during pharmaceutical development and routine control of Salvia sclarea extracts.

The aim of the research was to substantiate the technological parameters of cream production with the sapropel extract and work out the technological scheme for its production. In this study, extract of sapropel from the Prybych deposit, emulsion base, containing corn oil, emulsifier No.1, cetylstearyl alcohol, nisin, euxyl K 100 and purified water were employed. To carry out the research, a set of methods to analyse colloidal and thermal stability was used. Rheological properties of the samples were determined. The method of microscopic analysis was carried out to analyse the stability of the emulsion system. It was proved experimentally that, when producing the cream, it is appropriate to use the phase inversion method, and the emulsification needs to be carried out at 5000 r/m for 20 min. Size and shape of the sample drops, obtained at 5000 r/m, were monodisperse and more uniform, most of which range from 2 to 3 microns that indicates the system stability. The following parameters of technological process were determined: mixing temperature conditions, speed of homogenisation and mixing time.