The aerial parts were air-dried at ambient temperature in the shade and hydrodistilled using a Clevenger-type apparatus for 5 h, giving yellow oil in 0.6% yield for the wild plant and 1.2% for the cultivated plant. The oils were dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate and stored at 4-6°C. Identification of the Oil ComponentAnalytical gas chromatography (GLC) was carried out using a Hewlett-Packard HP 6890 chromatograph with a DB5 column (methyl phenyl siloxane 30 m × 0.25 mm i.d.); with a flame ionization detector; carrier gas, helium, with a split ratio of 1:10. Oven temperature programme was 60°C to 240°C at a rate of 4°C/min; injector temperature, 220°C; detector temperature, 240°C. GC-MS was performed (quadrupole mass spectrometer, HewlettPackard 6890) on a cross-linked 5% phenyl methyl siloxane column (HP-5, 30 m × 0.25 mm i.d.) with a helium as the carrier gas and a split ratio of 1:10,

To find new herbal compounds with an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory effect, this study focused on herbal drugs and resins which have been used in Iranian traditional medicine for the treatment of cognitive disorders. Forty drugs were selected from authoritative written documents of Iranian traditional medicine. Each drug was extracted by accelerated solvent extraction using dichloromethane followed by methanol. The 80 extracts were screened for AChE inhibitory activity by a TLC bioautography method. The inhibiting effect of the 32 most active extracts was measured by a microplate colorimetric assay. Due to the best activity, the seeds of Peganum harmala L. were investigated in detail. From the TLC bioautography assay the alkaloids harmaline and harmine were identified as active compounds. This result was confirmed by means of HPLC-DAD. The IC(50) values were 41.2 μg/mL for the methanol extract, 95.5 μg/mL for the dichloromethane extract, 8.4 μg/mL for harmaline and 10.9 μg/mL for harmine. The concentrations of active compounds in the extracts were determined by a fast and precise HPLC method. As the amounts of harmaline and harmine in the extracts were correlated with the IC(50) values of the extracts, it can be concluded that these two alkaloids are responsible for the AChE inhibitory activity of P. harmala.

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Antioxidants are important substances that possess the ability to protect the body from damage caused by free radical-induced oxidative stress. A variety of free-radical scavenging antioxidants exist within the body, many of which are derived from dietry sources such as fruits, vegetables, and teas. This paper describes a search for bioactive components in fruits of Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisher, which led to isolation of four furanocoumarins that exhibit antioxidant activity. The structure of the constituents were identified by ultraviolet, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometry analyses in comparison with literature data. The isolated constituents were tested by linoleic acid peroxidation for their antioxidant activities and were found to be moderately active. Antioxidant activity of crude ethyl acetate extract was stronger than single isolated constituents.