Backround: The Pycnocycla bashgardiana Mozaffarian is one of the endemic medicinal species in Hormozgan province. Because of the valuable compound myristicin in the organs of this plant, it is used intravenously in the treatment of some diseases. Objective: Evaluation of essential oil content and constituents of aerial parts during different phenological stages including before flowering, flower initiation, full flowering and seed maturity stsgegs. Methods: the essential oil was isolated using Clevenger-type apparatus, and their constituents were identified using GC and GC/MS devices. Results: The highest essential oil content (2. 22%) was related to flower initiation stage. The essential oil content at pre-flowering, full flowering and seed maturity stages were 0. 64%, 1. 54% and 0. 74%, respectively. In general, 39 compounds were identified in the isolated essential oil, some of which were found only in one stage of growth and some others were observed in all of the four examined stages. Comparison of essential oil constituents showed that in all stages, p-cymene, E-beta-ocimene, myristecine, sabinene, (Z)-beta-ocimene and isomyristicin were the major compounds. The myristecine level in all stages was one of the three high compounds that reached to 52. 71, 12. 8%, 8. 6% and 17% at before flowering, flower initiation, full flowering and seed maturity stages, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results, the maximum amount of myristecine was obtained at the vegetative stage before the plant reaches flowering. Also, the maximum content of Z-beta-ocimine and E-beta-ocimine compounds were found during flowering, however, maximum iso-myristicin, subabinen, and parasimine were observed at seed maturity stage.

Pycnocycla bashgardiana is used in Iranian traditional medicine for the relief and treatment of pain and inflammatory disorder. This study investigates the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of P.bashgardiana essential oil (PBEO).The anti-inflammatory effect of PBEO (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) were determined using carrageenan test in rat. The analgesic activity of PBEO (20, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) was studied by formalin test in mice. PBEO (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the carrageenan-induced paw edema which was observed at the 3rd hour of the experiment by 43, 64 and 58%, respectively. PBEO showed significant anti-nociceptive effects in the first phase (200 mg/kg, 40% pain inhibition) and the second phase (100 mg/kg, 37% pain inhibition) of formalin test. According to the GC-Mass spectrometry findings, myristicin (21.1%), cis-isomyristicin (17.2%), E-β-ocimene (11.1%), and Z-β-ocimene (6.2%) were characterized as the main components. The results suggest that PBEO could be a potential candidate as an anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive agent in the management of inflammation-based disorders. These effects might be partially due to possible inhibition of or interference with the production of some inflammatory mediators.

Background: Pycnocycla spinosa (P. spinosa) a member of the Umbelliferae family is traditionally used for treatment of different ailments.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid content of P. spinosa extracts (methanol, ethanol and aqueous) and their antioxidant and antimicrobial effects.Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial activity of different extracts of P. spinosa was evaluated using micro broth dilution. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were measured. Their antioxidant effect was evaluated using DPPH assay and b-carotene linoleic acid test.Results: P. spinosa ethanol extract with higher-level phenolic and flavonoid contents showed the highest antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, in comparison with the other extracts. Bacillus sp. and Streptococcus sp. showed higher sensitivity to P. spinosa ethanol extract.Conclusions: P. spinosa ethanol extract can be used as a mouthwash for treatment of the oral infections. More clinical and toxicological studies are required for providing its efficacy.

Background and purpose: Infectious diseases account for approximately one-half of all deaths in tropical country. In developed country, despite the progress made on the control of disease, incidence of epidemics due to drug resistant microorganisms and unknown diseases spreading microbes pose enormous public health concerns. On the other hand, in spite of improvements in food production hygiene, food safety is increasingly an important health issue. There is, therefore, still a need for new antimicrobial agent to reduce or eliminate foodborne pathogen as well as food spoilage microorganisms. Historically, plants play a major role in primary health-care as therapeutic remedies in developing countries. The screening of plant extracts has been of great interest to scientists for the discovery of new drugs effective in the treatment of infectious disease. Umbelleferea is known to be a potential source for the antimicrobial agents. The present study attempts to investigate the antimicrobial activity of Pycnocycla spinosa as a member of Umbelleferea against selected microorganisms.Materials and Methods: The plants were collected from Isfahan and different solvent extracts of plants were prepared. Then, the antimicrobial activity of extract was determined, using disk diffusion method. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by tube dilution method.Results: Results demonstrated that different extracts of plants indicate antimicrobial activity against bucillu subtilis, aspergiluse niger and candida albicans. Generally, the antimicrobial activity of the plant’s fruit extracts is considered medium.Conclusion: Pycnocycla spinosa fruit's extract showed medium antimicrobial activity. Hydroalcoholic extract of the fruit demonstrated higher antimicrobial activity. This may reflect a low concentration of active components in extracts. Further studies are needed to investigate antimicrobial activity of the plant's essential oil and other parts of the plant.

‫ Pycnocyla spinosa (Umbellifereae) is a wild growing plant in Isfahan, Fars, and Yazd provinces, Iran. The roots of the plant contain substantial amount of sucrose. Seasonal variation of sucrose in the plant was evaluated in order to find out the best collection time for the plant. The root of the plant was collected weekly. The sucrose content of the roots was determined using polarimetr. The results indicate that the best time of collection of P. spinosa is in July. It seems P. spinosa can be considered as a source of sucrose for further agrochemical studies.

The hydrodistilled aerial parts oil of Pycnocycla spinosa var. spinosa was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Thirty three components were identified. Geranyl isovalerate (14.9%), caryophyllene oxide (10.6%), a-eudesmol (9.2%) b-citronellol (7.2%), elemicin (6.8%), r-cymene (4.7%), citronellyl acetate (4.3%), and a-cadinol (3.3%) were found as major components.