Salvia L. is a large genus of the Lamiaceae family with high medicinal value. Pharmaceutical properties of Salvia species are mainly due to their secondary metabolites, especially phenolic compounds. This study was focused on identification and determination of five bioactive phenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, caffeic acid, salvianolic acids A and B) in the 41 populations from 27 wild Salvia species of Iran using a simple and reliable HPLC-UV method. The principal component analysis (PCA) technique was used to study differentiation among species according to their phenolic compound profiles. Significant intra-and interspecific variations were observed in the distribution patterns and contents of phenolic compounds in the studied Salvia species. As a result of this study, it was found that leaves had greater amounts of phenolic compounds as compared to the roots. The highest content of rosmarinic acid (41.53±0.88 mg/g DW) and salvianolic acid A (8.10±0.35 mg/g DW) were found in the leaves of S. verticillata. The leaves of S. syriaca and S. sharifii were rich in salvianolic acid B (54.47±2.00 mg/g DW) and carnosic acid (34.05±1.18 mg/g DW), respectively. The PCA results revealed chemical variations in the Salvia species collected from different regions and could fully distinguish between them based on the phenolic compounds concentrations. The present study demonstrated that apart from S. officinalis, some wild species such as S. verticillata, S. hypoleuca, S. leriifolia and S. virgata can be introduced as potent natural sources for medicinal and industrial purposes.

Background: Immune cells perform unique functions against infections and imbalances in immunity associated with various diseases. Applying natural products may control immune responses. Among herbals, much attention has been paid to the immunoregulatory functions of Allium sativum. However, the effects of other Allium species on the immune system have remained undiscovered. Therefore, the current study investigated the effects of A. sativum, A. Iranicum, A. elburzense, and A. asarense bulb extracts on macrophage and lymphocyte viability. Materials and Methods: The different concentrations of aqueous extracts of the aged bulb samples were prepared and used for the incubation of examined immune cells. Macrophages and lymphocytes were isolated and cultured in the presence of different concentrations of bulb extracts of Allium species. Macrophages and lymphocytes viability was followed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results: The applied Allium species had stimulatory or inhibitory effects on the examined immune cells at different concentrations. Allium sativum demonstrated the highest effects on macrophage viability indices at 1 mg/mL. The similar effects were found for A. Iranicum extract on macrophage viability indices at 0.01 mg/mL. The bulb extract of A. sativum at the most used concentrations stimulated lymphocyte viability indices. The bulb extracts of all 4 Allium species inhibited viability indices of lymphocytes at 1 mg/mL. The bulb extracts of A. elburzense, at all of the applied concentrations, slightly affected viability indices of the macrophage and lymphocyte. Conclusion: Besides A. sativum, wild growing Allium species could be introduced to study their immunomodulatory effects on various diseases.

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