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Flora of Turkey is rich and diverse with well over 11 000 flowering taxa recorded in the 9-volume set of Prof. Davis's monumental work and its two supplements. Chemical diversity among the flowering plants of Turkey is well documented in the recently published volume 11 of the Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands. Among the aromatic taxa, remarkable examples can be found in families such as Labiatae, Compositae, Umbelliferae, etc. The occurrence of volatile chemicals in aromatic plants is not only an indication of chemical diversity but may also help solve taxonomical problems is comprehensively studied genera. Aromatic diversity is illustrated with examples from genera such as Sideritis, Salvia, Thymus, Origanum, Satureja, Thymbra, Mentha, Micromeria, Ziziphora, Calamintha, Cyclotrichium, Acinos, Echinophora, Ferulago, Heracleum, Pimpinella, Tanacetum, and Betula. The economic implications of aromatic biodiversity and the importance of bioprospecting are highlighted.

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The genus Satureja is represented by fifteen species of which five are endemic and Satureja pilosa and S. icarica have recently been found as new records for Turkey. Aerial parts of the Satureja pilosa, S. icarica, S. boissieri and S. coerulea collected from different localities in Turkey were subjected to hydrodistillation to yield essential oils which were subsequently analysed by GC and GC/MS. The main constituents of the oils were identified, and both antibacterial and antifungal bioassays were applied. Carvacrol (59.2%, 44.8%, 42.1%) was the main component in the oils of S. icarica, S. boissieri and S. pilosa, respectively. The oil of S. coerulea contained β-caryophyllene (10.6%) and caryophyllene oxide (8.0%) as main constituents.

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Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of the umbels+seeds and stems of Ferula akitschkensis (FAEOu/s and FAEOstm, respectively) and analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Fifty two compounds were identified in FAEOu/s. The primary components were sabinene, α-pinene, β-pinene, terpinen-4-ol, eremophilene, and 2-himachalen-7-ol, while the primary components of FAEOstm were myristicin and geranylacetone. FAEOu/s, β-pinene, sabinene, γ-terpinene, geranylacetone, isobornyl acetate, and (E)-2-nonenal stimulated [Ca2]i mobilization in human neutrophils, with the most potent being geranylacetone (EC50 = 7.6 ± 1.9 µM) and isobornyl acetate 6.4 ± 1.7 (EC50 = 7.6 ± 1.9 µM). In addition, treatment of neutrophils with β-pinene, sabinene, γ-terpinene, geranylacetone, and isobornyl acetate desensitized the cells to N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF)- and interleukin-8 (IL-8)-induced [Ca2]i flux and inhibited fMLF-induced chemotaxis. The effects of β-pinene, sabinene, γ-terpinene, geranylacetone, and isobornyl acetate on neutrophil [Ca2+]i flux were inhibited by transient receptor potential (TRP) channel blockers. Furthermore, the most potent compound, geranylacetone, activated Ca2+ influx in TRPV1-transfected HEK293 cells. In contrast, myristicin inhibited neutrophil [Ca2+]i flux stimulated by fMLF and IL-8 and inhibited capsaicin-induced Ca2+ influx in TRPV1-transfected HEK293 cells. These findings, as well as pharmacophore modeling of TRP agonists, suggest that geranylacetone is a TRPV1 agonist, whereas myristicin is a TRPV1 antagonist. Thus, at least part of the medicinal properties of Ferula essential oils may be due to modulatory effects on TRP channels.

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