Vol 23, No 11 (2020)

Field restharrow (Ononis arvensis L.) is a perennial herb from the legume family, represented in Russia by two subspecies: O. arvensis subsp. arvensis and O. arvensis subsp. spinescens. The geographic area in which the plant can be found covers most of the European territory of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, as well as the Baltic States, where it reaches the shores of the Gulf of Finland. This review includes the plants botanical description, secondary metabolite composition, as well as the description of the biological and pharmacological activity of O. arvensis. Polyphenolic compounds can be distinguished as the main secondary metabolites of O. arvensis, among which the representative groups are isoflavones (formononetin, pseudobaptigenin, calicoside, their glycosides and derivatives), dihydroisoflavonoids (sativanone and onogenin, their glycosides and derivatives), pterocarpans (medicarpine and maakiain, their glycosides and derivatives), phenol carboxylic acid (caffeic, chlorogenic, ferulic, etc.). Among other polyphenolic compounds, flavonols, flavones, flavan-3-ols, dihydrochalcones, hydrolyzable tannins, stilbenoids and flavanones have also been found in field restharrow. In folk medicine, Ononis arvensis has found application in the treatment of hemorrhoids, articular rheumatism, diseases of the liver, bladder and kidneys, skin diseases (dermatoses, eczema), as well as a diaphoretic, hemostatic and diuretic agent. There is reliable data on the choleretic, analgesic and antihypoxic effects of O. arvensis aqueous-alcoholic extracts, as well as their effect on the motor function of the gastrointestinal tract. Extracts from the perennial part of fieldrestharrow showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruqinosa and Salmonella typhimurium. Thus, a wide variety of biologically active substances, causing a multidirectional pharmacological effect in this plant, makes O. arvensis a promising plant from which individual compounds can be isolated - that in the future could become potential pharmaceutical substances.

Relevance. Pectins are macromolecules containing fragments of linear and branched polysaccharides. Their immuno-modulating properties, possible mechanisms of immunostimulating and anti-inflammatory action, depending on the structure, have been actively studied recently. Purpose of the study. Determination of the relationship between the composition of pectin substances (PS) isolated from plants of the genus Saussurea (DC.) and the ability to activate antigen-presenting cells. Material and methods. PS was obtained by dialysis against water from a previously purified aerial part of the S. controversa DC. (SC), S. salicifolia L. (SS) and leaves with petiolesof the S. frolovii Ledeb. (SF). Protein was quantified by the Lowry method. The content of uronic acids was determined in the reaction of carbohydrate oxidation products with 3,5-dimethylphenol. Molecular weight characteristics - by high-performance exclusion chromatography. Monosaccharide composition - by gas chromatography after complete acid hydrolysis of PS. NO-stimulating properties of PS were studied in a model of mature murine peritoneal macrophages using the Grace reagent. To determine the endotoxin impurity, the antibiotic polymyxin B was used. Cell proliferation was studied in the MTT test. Results. The isolated PSs are arabinogalactouronans. The content of uronic acids is 94-96%. The major component of PV SS and SF is galactose, PS SC is arabinose. Minor residues are represented by rhamnose, xylose, mannose (except for Sc), and glucose (except for SC and SF). All samples have a protein impurity of 2,5-13%. Pectin substances SF, SC, and SS increase nitrite production by macrophages by 2-10 timesdepending on the concentration of substances and plant species. PS SF and SC at all doses, and PS SS at 2 pg/ml did not affect cell proliferation. Pectin substances SS in high doses reduced it by 1,2 times. The NO-stimulating properties of PS SC and SF are due to the significant endotoxin impurity. PS SS have an insignificant content and have the greatest effect on the functional activity of macrophages. Conclusion. Pectin substances from plants of the genus Saussurea, containing in varying degrees a concomitant admixture of protein and endotoxin, exhibit NO-stimulating activity, which depends on the plant species and the structure of the macromolecule.

The purpose: of the study was to evaluate the Rhaponticum uniflorum L. DC. dry extract on the white rats behavior in positive supported tests. Material and methods: The studies were carried out on white Wistar rats. The R. uniflorum dry extract in the doses 50,100 and 200 mg/kg was administered {per os) to animals experimental groups. The amount of food ingested by the animals was measured in the hyponeophagia test. The food-procuring conditioned reflex was formed in a T-shaped labyrinth. Results. It was found that 63-88% of the animals ate food under unfamiliar conditions in the experimental groups, while in the control group only 38%. The food-procuring conditioned reflex was formed in 29 and 38% of animals treated with R. uniflorum at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg, whereas in the control group, no animal reached the learning criterion. Against the background of the introduction of the R. uniflorum at a dose of 50 mg/kg, food-procuring conditioned reflex developed in 71% of the animals of the first experimental group. Conclusions. The R. uniflorum dry extract has an anxiolytic-like effect, promoting the adaptation of animals to unfamiliar conditions and increasing the amount of food in the hyponeophagia test, as well as faster development of the food-procuring conditioned reflexe in the T-shaped labyrinth.

The growth of ten species of the genus Aloe (A. variegata, A. isaloensis, A. dorotheae, A. striata, A. immaculata, A. congolensis, A. deltoideodonta, A. vera, A. arborescens, and A. pluridens) grown in greenhouses, as well as morphometric parameters and the total content of phenolic compounds in their leaves, were studied. The investigated species are characterized by significant differences in the height of plants and the square of their leaves. A. arborescens and A. vera were the tallest plants, while A.immaculata was the lowest. With the ontogenetic development, the leaf area in all species increased and in the adult state was 1.5 - 3 times higher than that in young ones. A. vera had the highest scores, and the smallest ones are in A. isaloensis. Determination of the total content of phenolic compounds showed a higher level in leaves aged 1.5 year compared to the earlier stages of their ontogenesis (6 months), which is most expressed in A. congolensis. The lowest content of these secondary metabolites was observed in A. variegata, A. immaculata, A. striata. A. arborescens, A. pluridens, A. vera and A. dorotheae it was 2-3 times higher. The highest total content of phenolic compounds is typical for A. deltoideodonta (independently of leaf age), A. isaloensis and A. congolensis. All this indicates significant differences in the accumulation of phenolic compounds in the leaves of various Aloe species and the dependence of this process on the ontogenetic phase of their development.