ABSTRACT The phytochemical study of Galium tunetanum Lam., Rubiaceae, leaves led to the isolation of 13 compounds from the chloroform–methanol and the methanol extracts, including six iridoid glycosides, one non-glycoside iridoid, two p-coumaroyl iridoid glycosides, two phenolic acids, and two flavonoid glycosides. The structural determination of the isolated compounds was performed by mono- and bidimensional NMR spectroscopic data, as well as ESI-MS experiments. All compounds were isolated from this species for the first time. The anti-angiogenic effects of the isolated iridoids were also reported on new blood vessels formation using the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane as in vivo model. Results showed that among the isolated iridoids tested at the dose of 2 µg/egg, asperuloside (1), geniposidic acid (2), and iridoid V1 (3) reduced microvessel formation of the chorioallantoic membrane on morphological observations using a stereomicroscope. The anti-angiogenic effects of the active compounds, expressed as percentages of inhibition versus control, were 67% (1), 59% (2), and 54% (3), respectively. In addition, the active compounds were able to inhibit angiogenesis in the chorioallantoic membrane assay, in a dose-dependent manner (0.5–2 µg/egg) as compared to the standard retinoic acid.

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of the essential oils of three populations of Daucus aureus from three sites in Eastern Algeria (Setif, Constantine and Oum Elbouaghi) and to test their antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The major components were sabinene (30.6% and 36.2%), n-nonane (8.0% and 7.9%), α-pinene (5.5% and 6.3%) and 4-terpineol (4.4% and 6.0%) in D. aureus from Setif and Constantine populations essential oils, respectively; whereas, α-pinene (19.4%), β-pinene (12.0%) and p-cymene (12.2%) were the major components in Oum Elbouaghi essential oil population. The chemical compositions of D. aureus from Eastern Algeria are markedly different from those from Western Algeria, and likely represent new chemotypes. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was evaluated against four bacteria and one fungus, using the disc-diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), whereas, the antioxidant activity of the essential oils was evaluated using the DPPH test. The results showed that the oils have an antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms tested, with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 0.97 and 3.23 mg/mL and weaker antioxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities were found in comparison to butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT).