Liudmyla Svydenko’s research while affiliated with National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and other places

Ocimum canum Sims is an aromatic, essential oil, and medicinal plant. Although this species is not as well studied as other members of the genus, such as Ocimum basilicum, there is evidence of high biological activity of extracts and use for certain diseases. The essential oil composition, according to previous data, is valuable but depends on numerous factors. This study aimed to evaluate economically valuable features of O. canum f. 17-35 in the flowering stage grown in the South of Ukraine (Kherson Oblast). Plants were investigated for morphometric features such as plant height (cm), plant diameter (cm), length and width of leaves (in cm), inflorescence length (cm), the number of shoots (first and second order), inflorescences (per plant), and described the colour of shoots, lamina, and flowers. The essential oil was obtained by the hydrodistillation method (Ginsberg's method) on the Clevenger apparatus. The study of the component composition of the essential oil was carried out by the high-performance gas-liquid chromatography method. It was found the average values of plant height (55.17 cm), plant diameter (44.6 cm), leaf length (6.98 cm), leaf width (4.1 cm), inflorescence length (26.55 cm), inflorescence number (82.43), shoot number of first order (9.88), and shoot number of second order (5.73). The 43 compounds were determined in the essential oil, and 41 were identified. The main components of the O. canum f. 17-35 essential oil of this sample are linalool (58.99%), methyl chavicol (10.66%), epi-α-cadinol (5.14%), eugenol (4.71%), and geraniol (4.35%) Thus, the obtained data concerning the O. canum showed differences in essential oil content and selected morphometrical parameters of plants. Also, the essential oil of O. canum f. 17-35 contains the principal chemicals that can be used in further pharmacological investigations, cosmetic, and food industries.

Nepeta grandiflora M. Bieb. known as aromatic, medicinal, and ornamental plants, whose extracts contain biologically active compounds. The essential oil of this species is a rich source of valuable components. This study aimed to evaluate plants' biological features and the biochemical content of the essential oil of N. grandiflora genotypes grown in the South of Ukraine. Genotypes G1-21, G2-20, G3-22, G4-20, and G5-21 were investigated for morphometric and some biological features in the flowering stage. In the genotype, plants were measured the length and width of inflorescences (in cm), the number of whorls in the inflorescences, the number of flowers in the semi-whorls. The essential oil was obtained from the herb in the flowering stage; the mass fraction of the essential oil was determined by the hydrodistillation method (Ginsberg’s method) on the Clevenger apparatus. The study of the component composition of the essential oil (on the sample G1-21) was carried out by high-performance gas-liquid chromatography method. As a result, the length of the inflorescences was from 10.55 (G5-21) to 33.27 (G4-20) cm, the width of inflorescences from 3.52 (G3-22) to 6.51 (G4-20) cm, the number of whorls in inflorescences from 8.09 (G5-21) to 12.97 (G3-22) cm, number of flowers in semi-whorls from 10.58 (G4-20) to 39.38 (G1-21) depends on genotype. The essential oil content on dry weight was from 0.16 (G4-20) to 0.37 (G1-21) %. The prevailing components of the investigated essential oil of G1-21 were caryophyllene (17.46%) and germacrene D (17.80%); 1,8-cineol (8.83 %), caryophyllene oxide (7.62 %), germacrene D–epoxide (6.73 %), etc. found in less quantitative. Thus, the obtained data concerning the N. grandiflora plants showed differences in essential oil content and selected morphometrical parameters of plants depending on genotype. Also, the essential oil of N. grandiflora (G1-21) contains the principal chemicals that can be used in further pharmacological investigations, cosmetic, and food industries.

Echinacea Moench species (Asteraceae Bercht. & J. Presl) are one of the most known medicinal and ornamental plants with numerous pharmacological activities. The objects of this study were plant raw materials of Echinacea angustifolia DC. (Kherson Oblast, Ukraine) and E. purpurea (L.) Moench (Kherson and Poltava Oblast, Ukraine) was collected at the start of the vegetation, budding, flowering, and seed ripening period in 2021-2022. It was determined The total polyphenol content (TPC) by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, the total flavonoid content (TFC) by the aluminum chloride method, and the total phenolic acid content (TPAC) with Arnova reagent. The antioxidant activity of investigated plant extracts was conducted by the phosphomolybdenum method (molybdenum-reducing power, MRP) and DPPH method (free radical scavenging activity with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical). The TPC was determined in the amount of 21.15-78.34 mg GAE·g-1 , TFC in the amount of 8.23-47.98 mg QE·g-1 , and TPAC in the amount of 7.34-29.21 mg CAE·g-1 depending on species, stage, and region of growth. The MRP of investigated extracts was in the range of 54.32-161.34 mg TE·g-1 and FRSA in the range of 6.12-9.69 mg TE·g-1 depending on species, stage, and region of growth. The lowest content of TPC, TFC, and TPAC was determined in the extracts of E. angustifolia in all investigated periods. The highest content of the TPC, TFC, and TPAC was detected in the extracts of E. purpurea from the Kherson region of Ukraine. A positive strong correlation was found between investigated parameters in spring growth, budding, and flowering (r = 0.675-0.998). The negative weak correlation was found in the seed ripening period between TFC and MRP (r =-0.079). The obtained results showed that the accumulation of the total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of Echinacea plants depended on species, period, and region of growth. It can be useful for further pharmacological and biochemical investigations.

This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant potential of ethanol extracts of Nigella L. species from the Kherson Oblast of Ukraine. The extracts of seeds and above-ground parts of N. damascena L., N. hispanica L., N. orientalis L., and N. sativa L. cv. Diana were used to determine the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic acid content (TPAC), free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), and molybdenum reducing power (MRP). The plant raw material taken for the experiment in sprouting, budding, flowering, and ripening. The TPC of seed extracts was from 8.11 to 35.12 mg GAE.g-1, TFC from 3.21 to 12.65 mg QE.g-1, TPAC from 2.1 to 8.21 mg CAE.g-1, FRSA from 3.56 to 7.32 mg TE.g-1, and MRP from 23.47 to 68.34 mg TE.g-1. The study of TPC investigated Nigella spp. during vegetation showed accumulation of them from 33.65 to 54.11 mg GAE.g-1 in the sprouting, from 54.89 to 65.76 mg GAE.g-1 in the budding, from 43.18 to 88.43 mg GAE.g-1 in the flowering, and from 49.21 to 71.45 mg GAE.g-1 in the ripening depending on species. The TFC was from 17.87 to 27.18 mg QE.g-1 at the sprouting, from 31.87 to 43.54 mg QE.g-1 in the budding, from 29.11 to 57.34 mg QE.g-1 in the flowering, and from 23.98 to 50.32 mg QE.g-1 in the ripening, depending on species. The TPAC was 12.11–17.32 mg CAE.g-1 in the sprouting, 11.17–18.43 mg CAE.g-1 in the budding, 10.09–28.45 mg CAE.g-1 in the flowering, and 17.86–22.43 mg CAE.g-1 in the ripening. FRSA was in the sprouting 4.56–7.77 mg TE.g-1, in the budding 6.38–8.11 mg TE.g-1, in the flowering 7.12–9.67 mg TE.g-1, and in the ripening 5.12–9.54 tmg TE.g-1 depending on species. The MRP in the sprouting was 27.14–65.29 mg TE.g-1, in the budding 45.48–77.5 mg TE.g-1, in the flowering 77.89–94.32 mg TE.g-1, and in the ripening 96.11–110.87 mg TE.g-1. A strong correlation found between MRP and TPC, TFC, TPAC (r = 0.824–0.965) in the seed extracts. The results obtained in this study can be used for further biochemical and farmaceutical research.

The results of seasonal variation of total polyphenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC) and phenolic acid (TPAC) accumulation and antioxidant activity of Artemisia balchanorum Krasch. × Artemisia taurica Willd. genotypes from the Kherson Oblast of Ukraine represented in this study. The total polyphenol content was identified by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and ranged from 20.51 to 132.52 mg GAE/g (gallic acid equivalent). The flavonoid content conducted with aluminum chloride reagent ranged from 8.16 to 70.77 mg QE/g (quercetin equivalent) and phenolic acid content determined with Arnova reagent ranged from 6.26 to 38.67 mg CAE/g (caffeic acid equivalent) depending on genotype and stage of growth. The antioxidant activity of investigated genotypes determined by the DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method (FRSA) varied from 4.68 to 10.38 mg TE/g (Trolox equivalent), molybdenum-reducing power of extracts detected by the phosphomolybdenum method (MRP) and was from 41.43 to 209.93 mg TE/g depending on genotype. The total polyphenol content, flavonoids and antioxidant activity by the phosphomolybdenum method increased from spring vegetation to flowering. The accumulation of phenolic acids and antioxidant activity by the DPPH method was uneven and depended on genotype and stage of growth. It was found a weak correlation between FRSA and TPC ( r = 0.189), TFC ( r = 0.211), and TPAC ( r = 0.111) for genotypes. A strong correlation was found between MRP and TPC ( r = 0.703), and TFC ( r = 0.657). A moderate correlation was detected between MRP and TPAC ( r = 0.481) for genotypes. The obtained data can be used for further breeding work to get genotypes with high antioxidant activity.

Satureja montana L. is widely used in traditional medicine and cooking. New varieties of this species are created and grown for different purposes. 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 year 2020, while cultivars 'Lunata' and 'Krymski smaragd' gathered in 2019 contained it in much fewer amounts (1.7% and 0.5%, respectively). The third main component in the EsO of the most studied varieties was γ-terpinene (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 allowed to compare the EsO of the S. montana new cultivars.

The plants from Salvia L. (sage) genus are well-known as culinary, ornamental, aromatic, and medicine plants widely distributed in the world. The plant raw of these plants contains numerous biologically active compounds that determine the different biological activities. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of ethanol extracts of Salvia officinalis L. and S. sclarea L. during vegetation. Plant raw material was collected from an experimental collection of aromatic and medicinal plants of the Institute of Climate Smart Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (Kherson region, v. Plodove) in 2020–2021. It investigated polyphenol, phenolic acid, flavonoid content, molybdenum-reducing power of extracts, and radical scavenging activity by the DPPH method. The total polyphenol compound content was 24.52–95.62 mg GAE.g-1 (mg gallic acid equivalent per gram) for S. officinalis and 29.39–91.02 mg GAE.g-1 for S. sclarea. The total phenolic acid content of S. officinalis and S. sclarea extracts was 10.18–40.23 and 10.13–36.01 mg CAE.g-1 (mg caffeic acid equivalent per gram), respectively. The total flavonoid content was from 13.73 to 55.38 mg QE.g-1 (quercetin equivalen per gram) for S. officinalis and from 25.91 to 53.82 mg QE.g-1for S. sclarea. The free radical scavenging activity of ethanol extracts of S. officinalis and S. sclarea was 6.05–8.59 mg TE.g-1 (mg Trolox equivalent per gram) and 6.56–8.03 mg TE.g-1, respectively. The extracts of S. officinalis showed molybdenum-reducing power from 56.25 to 218.67 mg TE.g-1 and S. sclarea extracts from 35.42 to 162.65 mg TE.g-1. A strong correlation was found between free radical scavenging activity and polyphenol compound groups (r = 0.723–0.868), and between molybdenum-reducing power and polyphenol compound groups (r = 0.759–0.927) for S. officinalis. Strong relations were found in extracts of S. sclarea between molybdenum-reducing power and investigated polyphenol compounds (r = 0.802–0.909), whereas, free radical scavenging activity weak correlated with investigated compounds. Thus, this study showed that S. officinalis and S. sclarea extracts are a source of antioxidant compounds that can be used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Most content of antioxidant compounds is found in the leaf and inflorescence extracts.

In this study gives the characteristic of Salvia officinalis L. genotypes (Lamiaceae)grown in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. S. officinalis one of the most well-known plants from Salvia L. genus that is used as an aromatic, medicinal, and culinary herb. The plant raw material of this plant is characterized by numerous biological activities that allow use in the pharmacological industry. This plant is characterized by morphological polymorphism and the selection of new genotypes within S. officinalis has a polyfunctional meaning. The plant material of this study was the genotypes of S. officinalis (108-14, 109-14, 108-14-1, 108-14-2, and 113-16). It investigated 3d years of living plants at the flowering stage from the experimental collections of aromatic and medicinal plants in the Kherson region, v. Plodove (Institute of Climate Smart Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine). The height of plants of investigated genotypes was 65.02–86.37 cm, the diameter of the plant was 89.37–117.03 cm, the leaf length was 8.20–11.06 cm, the leaf width was 2.95–3.79 cm, the inflorescence length was 14.52–26.01 cm, the inflorescence diameter was 4.07–5.57 cm, the number of whorls in inflorescences was 8.12–10.55, and the number of flowers in the whorl was 10.02–12.14. The color of the leaf surface, the character of the leaf surface (wrinkles), and colour of the flowers depended on genotype. The mass of raw from the shrub was determined from 350.11 to 560.27 g and the average mass of essential oil of one plant was from 1.37 to 2.01 g depending on genotype. The essential oil content in the herb, leaves, and inflorescences on dry mass was 1.0–1.5%, 1.09–1.79%, and 0.98–1.28%, respectively. In the herbs and leaves, minimal and maximal content of oil were found in genotypes 113–16 and 109–14, respectively. These results can be useful for further selective work within S. officinalis species and including other species of this genus.

New cultivars of lavender adapted to arid steppe conditions were developed by the Institute of Rice of Ukrainian National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS). This work is a part of the characterization process of the new cultivars. The chemical composition of the essential oil of the seven new Lavandula angustifolia and eight new Lavandula x intermedia cultivars was investigated and compared. In total, 71 different compounds were identified. Linalool and linalool acetate were the main components in both species in ranges of 26.14–57.07% and 9.08–24.45%, respectively. They were followed by terpinen-4-ol (2.16–22.44%), lavandulyl acetate (2.12–10.23%), and lavandulol (1.30–3.14) in the case of L. angustifolia and camphor (10.11–12.55%), borneol (5.49–8.71%), and eucalyptol (0.47–7.41%) in the case of L. x intermedia. The oils had a valuable terpene profile—a high linalool content and the substantial presence of lavandulol and its ester. Nevertheless, they did not comply with the industry standards, mostly due to high levels of terpinene-4-ol. Evidently, a high content of terpinen-4-ol is a characteristic feature of L. angustifolia oils bred in Ukraine. Additionally, the LA3 cultivar yielded an oil with some of the highest linalool contents reported in the literature. Statistical analysis and literature data allowed for the comparative analysis of the gathered data. MANOVA, PCA, and HCA marked caryophyllene oxide as another potential differentiating compound between studied species.

This scientific work was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant potential of aromatic plants of Thymus spp. in the East of Ukraine. These plants are known as medicinal and food around the world. All antioxidant parameters were investigated spectrophotometrically: total content of polyphenols (TPC), the total content of phenolic acids (TPAC), the total content of flavonoids (TFC), molybdenum reducing power of extracts (MRP), and antioxidant activity by DPPH method (DPPH). Investigation of ethanolic extracts demonstrated that TPC varied from 57.89 to 123.67 mg/g gallic acid equivalent (GAE) DW for Th. pulegioides, from 61.43 to 168.18 mg GAE/g for Th. serpyllum, and from 47.36 to 115.67 mg GAE/g for Th. vulgaris. TPAC ranged from 27.36 to 50.22 mg/g caffeic acid equivalent (CAE) DW for Th. pulegioides, from 28.58 to 59.62 mg CAE/g for Th. serpyllum, and from 22.95 to 53.82 mg CAE/g for Th. vulgaris. TFC was determined in a range from 29.88 to 61.23 mg/g quercetin equivalent (QE) DW for Th. pulegioides, from 36.0 to 82.43 mg QE/g for Th. serpyllum, and from 24.59 to 55.41 mg QE/g for Th. vulgaris. MRP was detected in the range of 94.65-204.76 mg/g Trolox equivalent (TE) DW for Th. pulegioides, 96.06-219.0 mg TE/g for Th. serpyllum, and 87.56-215.43 mg TE/g for Th. vulgaris. The antioxidant activity of extracts by the DPPH method was 6.34-9.23 mg TE/g for Th. pulegioides, 8.11-9.21 mg TE/g for Th. serpyllum, and 4.97-9.53 mg TE/g for Th. vulgaris. It was established that polyphenol accumulation depended on the growth stage and species. For all species was found a strong correlation between TPC and TFC (r=0.938, 0.908, and 0.854). Investigated Thymus spp. are a valuable source of antioxidants that can be used in pharmacological studies and the food industry.