In this study, we investigated the chromosome numbers of some endemic species distributed in East and South-East Iran. The mitotic chromosome counts were presented for the first time for six species in three angiosperm families including: Linaria iranica (2n=12), Nanorrhinum campyloceras (2n=18), Chaenorhinum grossecostatum (2n=24) (Plantaginaceae), Gaillonia bruguieri (Rubiaceae) (2n=22), Nepe...

Nepetalactones are iridoid monoterpenes with a broad range of biological activities produced by plants in the Nepeta genus. However, none of the genes for nepetalactone biosynthesis have been discovered. Here we report the transcriptomes of two Nepeta species, each with distinctive profiles of nepetalactone stereoisomers. As a starting point for investigation of nepetalactone biosynthesis in Ne...

Asthma is a chronic lung inflammation which affects many people. As current therapies for asthma mainly rely on administration of glucocorticoids and have many side effects, new therapy is needed. In this study, we investigated Nepeta bracteata Benth., a traditional Uygur Herb, for its therapeutics effect in OVA induced asthmatic mice model. Treatment of OVA sensitized asthma mice with extract ...

The aim of this work was to determine the effects of two geographically different strains of Rhizophagus intraradices (M3 and GA5) on the total biomass and essential oil (EO) yield and composition of Calamintha nepeta, with or without phosphorus (P) fertilization, under greenhouse conditions. The plant biomass was not significantly affected by any of the treatments, showing higher values in con...

Isolation and GC/MS quantitative determination of ursolic acid in the herb of Nepeta cataria var. citriodora have been performed. The content of this compound was in the range 0.95 ñ 1.30%. Daucosterol (βsitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucoside) was also isolated from the plant, in addition to small amounts of β-sitosterol, campesterol, α-amyrin and β-amyrin. The content and composition of essential oil in...

In this study, we aimed to determine chemical composition and antibacterial activities of Satureja hortensis and Calamintha nepeta against to 20 phytopathogenic bacteria causing serious crop loss. The essential oils of S. hortensis and C. nepeta were isolated by the hydrodistillation method and the chemical composition of the essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS. The antibacterial properties o...

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by unprovoked, recurring seizures that disrupts the nervous system and can cause mental and physical dysfunction. Based on the ethno pharmacological information of the plant, the methanolic and aqueous extracts of the flowers of Nepeta bractaeta was evaluated for its antiepileptic activity. The methanolic and aqueous extracts of the flowers of N...

Molecular markers, mainly DNA-based are potential tools for DNA barcoding and phylogenetic study. The plant species belonging to the Nepeta genus have important medicinal value because of the presence of nepetalactones, and they have been used to treat human diseases. We amplified nuclear and chloroplast gene loci to develop a DNA barcode and phylogenetic study of Nepeta deflersiana. Among the ...