Due to the pandemics of COVID-19, herbal medicine has recently been explored for possible antiviral treatment and prevention via novel platform of microbial fuel cells. It was revealed that leaves was very appropriate for anti-COVID-19 drug development. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory tests exhibited the most promising activities for ethanol extracts and drying approaches were implemented on the leaf samples prior to ethanol extraction. Ethanol extracts of leaves were applied to bioenergy evaluation via DC-MFCs, clearly revealing that air-dried leaves (CA-A-EtOH) exhibited the highest bioenergy-stimulating capabilities (ca. 2.72 fold of power amplification to the blank). Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was implemented to decipher the potential of leaves metabolites. Chlorogenic acid (-6.5 kcal/mol) owned the highest binding affinity with RdRp of SARS-CoV-2, showing a much lower average RMSF value than an apoprotein. This study suggested leaves as an encouraging medicinal herb against SARS-CoV-2.

plant is a potential target for the industrial production of phytochemicals that display applicability in pharmacy and medicine. The dry roots of contain up to 2 % of essential oil, the main component (up to 99 %) of which is carlina oxide [2-(3-phenylprop-1-ynyl)furan]. This compound shows multidirectional biological activity, including antibacterial and antifungal properties. Here, we evaluated the capacity of carlina oxide to inhibit the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and its human receptor in vitro and . A bioluminescent immunoassay was used to study the interaction between the receptor binding domain (RBD) of viral spike protein and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which serves as a receptor for viral entry. A dose-effect relationship was demonstrated, and a concentration of carlina oxide causing half-maximal inhibition (IC) of the RBD:ACE2 interaction was determined to be equal to 234.2 µg/mL. Molecular docking suggested the presence of carlina oxide binding sites within the RBD and at the interface between RBD and ACE2. Finally, this study expands the list of potential applications of as a crop species.

Tea and coffee contain numerous polyphenolic compounds that exhibit health-promoting properties for humans, including antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, and can also take part in the treatment of covid-19 and improve fertility. This review, presents the activity of polyphenols found in different types of tea and coffee and describes the effects of tea fermentation and coffee roasting on their polyphenol composition and antioxidant properties. Polyphenol oxidase activity is reduced in the fermentation process; therefore black tea contains significantly less polyphenolic compounds compared to green and white tea. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate - a polyphenol from tea - effectively has been shown to inhibit the activity of SARS-CoV-2 as it blocked binding of coronavirus 2 to human angiotensin converting enzyme 2, decreased the expression of inflammatory factors in the blood, including tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, and significantly increased the overall fertilization efficiency in animals. Coffee roasting process influences both the content of polyphenols and the oxidative activity. The lowest levels of active compounds such as caffeine, chlorogenic acid and coffee acids are identified in roasted coffee beans. On the other hand, light coffee and green coffee show the strongest cytotoxic potential and antioxidant properties, and thus the greatest ability to decrease apoptosis by stopping the cell cycle in the S phase. Proteins, such as components of milk, can strongly bind/interact with phenolic compounds (especially, the CGAs) contain in coffee, which may explain the negative influence of milk on its antioxidant properties. Coffee polyphenols have also antiproliferative and antiesterase activities, which may be important in prevention of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, respectively. In this review, biological properties of tea and coffee polyphenols, observed mainly in studies have been described. Based on these findings, future directions of the research works on these compounds have been suggested.

Berries and flowers of L. tree are well known for their ability to mitigate symptoms of upper respiratory disorders related to reported antiviral properties. Industrial application and commercial cultivation of is largely limited to a few widely grown cultivars. Restricted genetic diversity of cultivated can be disadvantageous if new industrial applications are discovered. In this study wild populations located on the north-east edge of the species natural range were explored by assessing genetic origin, berry and flower anti-oxidative potential, and berry rutin content. Best performing wild extracts were selected for an assessment of previously unreported biological activity- inhibitory capacity against SARS-CoV2 S1 protein receptor binding domain (RBD) binding to recombinant human angiotensin -converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor based on competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker-based genetic characterization suggested that explored wild populations result from wild gene pool expanding northwards with admixture of historically introduced cultivated Average values of total phenolic content, anti-radical activity, and total flavonoids content of wild populations did not exceed those of cv. 'Haschberg'. Concentration-dependent inhibition of ACE2-SARS-CoV2 S-protein RBD binding was demonstrated for elderberry fruits and flowers extracts (IC50 of 1.66 mg DW ml and 0.532 mg DW ml, respectively). Wild elderberry fruit extract exhibited higher inhibitory capacity than the extract from berries of cv 'Haschberg'. This study validates the requirement for wild germplasm bioprospecting and opens up directions for further research of new anti-SARS-CoV2 industrial applications of .

Optimizing the processing technology is an effective way to improve the yield of active ingredients for the industrial production of medicinal crops. Baikal Skullcap ( Georgi) is a perennial herb in the family and its dried root is used as a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Modern pharmacological studies have shown that the active ingredients of have important pharmacological effects including anti-oxidation, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammation. Specifically, it is recently found that has significant curative effects on the treatment of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In recent years, the market demand for the medicinal products of is increasing because of its great medicinal values. However, the annual yield of active ingredients originated from the root of is limited due to that little progress has been made on the traditional processing technology used in the extraction process. A pressing issue faced by both herbalists and scientists is how to improve the processing efficiency, thereby obtaining the maximum yield of products for . In this study, a systematic analysis on the effects of growth years and post-harvest processing on the contents of medicinal active ingredients of was conducted. The contents of eight active ingredients (baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin, scutellarin, scutellarein, apigenin, and chrysin) in roots of of different growth years (ranging from 1 year to 15 years) were estimated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and further analyzed to determine the optimal harvest period. In particular, the contents of six active ingredients in different parts (cortex and stele) of the root of were estimated and compared. Meanwhile, the dynamic changes of the contents of active ingredients in fresh-crush and fresh-cut roots of at room temperature were compared and analyzed to reveal the influence of post-harvest treatment on the contents of active ingredients. In addition, the effects of six different post-harvest treatments on the contents of active ingredients were systematically designed and compared to determine the best primary processing technology. The results showed that the best harvesting period for should be determined as 2-3 years based on comprehensive evaluation of active ingredient content, annual yield increment, and land use efficiency. The contents of active ingredients including baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, and wogonin in cortex were significantly higher than those in stele ( ≤  0.05). The contents of baicalin, wogonoside, and scutellarin in fresh roots of significantly reduced as the storage time increased, but the reduction of fresh-cutting was significantly lower than that of fresh-crushing. For the effects of different processing treatments, the contents of four main active ingredients (baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, and wogonin) under drying () and cutting-drying () treatments were significantly higher than those of the other four treatments ( ≤  0.05). Collectively, the above results will not only provide novel processing methods that will improve the yield of active ingredients for , but also shed light on the optimization of processing technology for the industrial production of medicinal crops.

Raddi is a well-known medicinal plant native of South America. This species has demonstrated important biological activities such as antihypertensive and vasodilator, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. However, no studies have been, so far, reported with the fruits of as a protector of the placenta against Zika virus infection and as sunscreen agents. The present study aimed to investigate new uses for the ethanolic fruit extracts of from fruits'peel (STPE) and from the whole fruits (STWFE). Zika virus (ZIKV) has been linked to several fetal malformations, such as microcephaly and other central nervous system abnormalities. Thus, the potential of these natural extracts against ZIKV infection was evaluated, using an method. The photoprotective potential, determined by spectrometry, along with phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and chemical composition of both extracts were also evaluated. The chemical composition of the extracts was evaluated by HPLC-UV / vis. The cytotoxicity of peel and whole fruit extracts in vero E6 cell lines, in placental cell lines and placental explant cultures were evaluated by the MTT assay. The infectivity of placental cells and explants was evaluated by qRT-PCR and the effects of extracts on ZIKV infection were investigated using HTR-8/SVneo cells, pre-treated with 100 μg mL of STWFE for 1 h, and infected with MR766 (AD) or PE243 (EH) ZIKV strains. STFE and STWFE were well-tolerated by both placental-derived trophoblast cell line HTR-8/SVneo as well as by term placental chorionic villi explants, which indicate absence of cytotoxicity in all analysed concentrations. Two strains of ZIKV were tested to access if pre-treatment of trophoblast cells with the STWFE would protect them against infection. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that STWFE extract greatly reduced ZIKV infection. The extracts were also photoprotective with SPF values equivalent to the standard, benzophenone-3. The formulations prepared in different concentrations of the extracts (5-10 %) had shown maximum SPF values of 32.21. STWFE represents a potential natural mixture to be used in pregnancy in order to restrain placental infection by ZIKV and might potentially protect fetus against ZIKV-related malformations. The extracts exhibited photoprotective activity and some of the phenolic compounds, mainly resveratrol, catechin and epicatechin, are active ingredients in all assayed activities. The development of biotechnological/medical products, giving extra value to products from family farming, is expected, with strong prospects for success.

has become one of the world's most widely planted genera and (The River Red Gum) is a plantation species in many parts of the world. The plant traditional medical application indicates great antimicrobial properties, so essential oils and plant extracts have been widely examined. Essential oil of is active against many Gram positive (0.07-1.1%) and Gram negative bacteria (0.01-3.2%). The antibacterial effect is confirmed for bark and leaf extracts (conc. from 0.08 μg/mL to 200 mg/mL), with significant variations depending on extraction procedure. essential oil and extracts are among the most active against bacteria when compared with those from other species of genus . The most fungal model organisms are sensitive to 0.125-1.0% of essential oil. The extracts are active against (0.2-200 mg/mL leaf extracts and 0.5 mg/mL bark extracts), and against various dermatophytes. Of particular importance is considerable the extracts' antiviral activity against animal and human viruses (0.1-50 μg/mL). Although the antiprotozoal activity of essential oil and extracts is in the order of magnitude of concentration several hundred mg/mL, it is considerable when taking into account current therapy cost, toxicity, and protozoal growing resistance. Some studies show that essential oils' and extracts' antimicrobial activity can be further potentiated in combinations with antibiotics (beta-lactams, fluorochinolones, aminoglycosides, polymyxins), antivirals (acyclovir), and extracts of other plants (; ). The present data confirm the river red gum considerable antimicrobial properties, which should be further examined with particular attention to the mechanisms of antimicrobial activity.

is a crop of wide economic value of worldwide distribution, and a rich source of quinone components. Recently, antiviral aloe anthraquinones had been reported against human influenza virus. In the present work two anthraquinones, aloesaponarin-I () and aloesaponarin-II () were isolated from roots, and six derivatives were obtained by methylation (), acetylation () and -glycosyl () reactions starting from (). Additionally, a new Tetra--acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl derivative from was also prepared. All compounds were evaluated against two strains of influenza virus AH1N1 by cytopathic effect reduction assay (CPE). The antiviral activity was determined by the ability of compounds to inhibit virus replication on Madin Darby Canine Kidney cells (MDCK). New derivatives 3-(2´,3´,4´,6´-Tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-aloesaponarin-I () and -(2´,3´,4´,6´-Tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl- aloesaponarin-II () showed a cytopathic reduction effect against influenza strain A/Yucatán/2370/09 with IC of 30.77 and 13.70 μM, and against the virus A/Mexico/InDRE797/10 with IC of 62.28 and 19.47 μM, respectively. To assess the effect of derivatives and during one cycle of replication (0-10 h), a time-of-addition experiment was performed. As a result it was found that both compounds were most effective when added 6-10 h post-infection and significantly inhibited viral titre (> 70%) at the concentrations of 50 and 100 μM. Based on the structural analysis of the compounds, it was suggested that the Tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl substituent at the C3 position of the anthraquinone might have an effect against the influenza AH1N1 virus.

Elicitation for phytochemical enhancement cost-effective elicitors can overcome the limitation of commercial application faced by plant cell and organ culture technology. Chitosan is a natural, low-cost, and nontoxic elicitor that can trigger plant defense responses with the concomitant enhancement in phytochemical biosynthesis. In this work, the elicitation of L. hairy root cultures by chitosan was conducted to enhance the production of pharmacologically active flavonoids. In comparison with control (2.31 ± 0.29 mg/g DW), a 7.08-fold enhancement of total flavonoids (16.35 ± 0.88 mg/g DW) was achieved in 24 day-old hairy root cultures elicited by 150 mg/L chitosan for 36 h. Interestingly, the multiple hydroxyl-substituted flavonoids (rutin, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and isoliquiritigenin) were noticed to increase significantly in chitosan-elicited hairy root cultures. Moreover, the transcription of associated genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly up-regulated underlying chitosan elicitation, among which and might play an important role in flavonoid enhancement. Additionally, extracts from chitosan-elicited hairy root cultures exhibited higher antioxidant activities with lower IC values as compared with control. Overall, a cost-effective strategy the simple chitosan elicitation is provided here to enhance the production of high-added value flavonoids in hairy root cultures, which paves the way toward the successful commercialization of this culture system in the future.

Search of cost-effective strategies that can enhance the accumulation of phytochemicals of pharmaceutical interest in plant cultures is an essential task. For the first time, L. hairy root cultures were exposed to ultraviolet radiation (ultraviolet-A, ultraviolet-B, and ultraviolet-C) in an attempt to promote the production of pharmacologically active flavonoids. Results showed that the maximum flavonoid accumulation (7259.12 ± 198.19 μg/g DW) in hairy root cultures treated by 108 kJ/m dose of UV-B radiation increased 16.51-fold as compared with that in control (439.68 ± 8.27 μg/g DW). Additionally, antioxidant activity enhancement and cell wall reinforcement were found in the treated hairy root cultures, indicating the positive-feedback responses to oxidative stress mediated by ultraviolet-B radiation. Moreover, the expression of gene was tremendously up-regulated (up to 405.84-fold) in hairy root cultures following ultraviolet-B radiation, which suggested gene might play a crucial role in flavonoid augmentation. Overall, the present work provides a feasible approach for the enhanced production of biologically active flavonoids in hairy root cultures the simple supplementation of ultraviolet-B radiation, which is useful for the biotechnological production of these high-added value compounds to fulfil the ever-increasing demand in pharmaceutical fields.

The dried roots of L. are highly traded in the pharmaceutical industry due to their notable anti-influenza efficacy. For the first time, hairy root cultures (ITHRCs) were co-cultured with two immobilized live GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) fungi, and , for the elevated production of pharmacologically active flavonoids. Immobilized (IAN) was exhibited as the superior elicitor in the plant-fungus co-cultivation system. The highest flavonoid production (3018.31 ± 48.66 μg/g DW) were achieved in IAN-treated ITHRCs under the optimal conditions of IAN spore concentration 10 spores/mL, temperature 30 °C, initial pH value of media 7.0 and time 72 h, which remarkably increased 6.83-fold relative to non-treated control (441.91 ± 7.35 μg/g DW). Also, this study revealed that IAN elicitation could trigger the sequentially transient accumulation of signal molecules and intensify the oxidative stress in ITHRCs, which both contributed to the up-regulated expression of associated genes involved in flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Moreover, IAN could be reused at least five cycles with satisfactory performance. Overall, the coupled culture of IAN and ITHRCs is a promising and effective approach for the enhanced production of flavonoids, which allows for the improved applicability of these valuable compounds in pharmaceutical fields.

Thunberg () has long been used as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious agent in East Asia. The subspecies Thunb. var. Hayata () is a variant that mainly grows in Taiwan. This study examined the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts from the flower buds of these two species. The extracts were obtained by three extraction methods: water extraction, ethanol extraction, and supercritical-CO fluid extraction (SFE). The antioxidant activities of dry (dLJ) extracts were superior to those of extracts. Water extracts possessed higher activities than that prepared by ethanol or SFE. The total polyphenols content, total flavonoids content, and the amount of chlorogenic acid and luteolin-7--glucoside were all higher in the water extracts compared to the other two. The SFE extracts of these two species all exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activities. Although the water and ethanol extracts of dLJ extracts had higher anti-inflammatory activity than that of extracts, the SFE extracts prepared from fresh flower buds (fLJv) exhibited the highest activity among all extracts. The SFE effectively isolates the bioactive components of and can obtain the extracts with high anti-inflammatory activity.

Chemical variation of growing in the north, middle, and south of Egypt was investigated. Variation was assessed according to the content of the individual silymarin components in the fruits of the plant. The fruits were distinguished according to location, plant variety, and fruit color (maturity). Accelerated solvent extraction was used to standardize the silymarin extraction. Quantitative analysis of the content of silymarin components was carried out using HPLC with qNMR-controlled reference standards of taxifolin and seven major flavonolignans including silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, isosilybin B, silychristin, isosilychristin, and silydianin. The quantification method was validated in accordance with ICH guidelines. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering were carried out to create homogeneous clusters of samples based on the content of the silymarin components. Taxifolin had the lowest correlation relative to other silymarin components, whereas silybin A was positively correlated with silybin B. The samples clustered into three classes: silydianin-rich samples, samples with an average silymarin content of <18.8 mg/g, and one class enriched in silymarin (>18.8 mg/g). growing in the Nile delta showed the highest silymarin content. No correlation was found between fruit color and silymarin content, indicating that the fruit maturity stage has no significance.

Dried leaves of show promise as an inexpensive and sustainable antimalarial therapeutic, especially for use in developing countries. Along with the potent terpene, artemisinin, many other small molecules produced by the plant seem to aid in the therapeutic response. However, little is known about the ontogenic and phenological production of artemisinin in the plant, and its plethora of other important secondary metabolites. From a consistently high artemisinin-producing clone (SAM) we extracted and analyzed by GC/MS 22 different metabolites including terpenes, flavonoids, a coumarin, and two phenolic acids as they varied during leaf development and growth of the plant from the vegetative stage through the reproductive, full flower stage. As leaves developed, the maximum amount of most metabolites was in the shoot apical meristem. Artemisinin, on the other hand, maximized once leaves matured. Leaf and apical tissues (e.g. buds, flowers) varied in their metabolite content with growth stage with maximum artemisinin and other important secondary metabolites determined to be at floral bud emergence. These results indicated that plants at the floral bud stage have the highest level of artemisinin and other therapeutic compounds for the treatment of malaria.

L., long used as a tea infusion in traditional Chinese medicine, produces artemisinin. Although artemisinin is currently used as artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) against malaria, oral consumption of dried leaves from the plant showed efficacy and will be less costly than ACT. Many compounds in the plant have some antimalarial activity. Unknown, however, is how these plant components change as leaves are processed into tablets for oral consumption. Here we compared extracts from fresh and dried leaf biomass with compressed leaf tablets of . Using GC-MS, nineteen endogenous compounds, including artemisinin and several of its pathway metabolites, nine flavonoids, three monoterpenes, a coumarin, and two phenolic acids, were identified and quantified from solvent extracts to determine how levels of these compounds changed during processing. Results showed that compared to dried leaves, artemisinin, arteannuin B, artemisinic acid, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, chrysoplenetin, and quercetin increased or remained stable with powdering and compression into tablets. Dihydroartemisinic acid, monoterpenes, and chrysoplenol-D decreased with tablet formation. Five target compounds were not detectable in any of the extracts of this cultivar. In contrast to the individually measured aglycone flavonoids, using the AlCl method, total flavonoids increased nearly fivefold during the tablet formation. To our knowledge this is the first study documenting changes that occurred in processing dried leaves of into tablets. These results will improve our understanding of the potential use of not only this medicinal herb, but also others to afford better quality control of intact plant material for therapeutic use.

Strong seed dormancy has been an obstacle for field production of Echinacea species. Previous research on overcoming Echinacea seed dormancy has been extensive and focused on treatment methods, which involve time and expense, and are incompatible with organic production if synthetic chemicals are used. We have attempted to genetically reduce seed dormancy through selection and breeding in Echinacea, by using E. pallida as a model species. Three accessions were used in this study. Nine parent plants of each accession selected from early, in-dark germinated seeds (in-dark plants) or from late, in-light seeds (in-light plants) were planted and grouped by accession and germination treatment method for seed production through a polycross method. Germination tests indicated that these in-dark plants produced seed (in-dark seed) with significantly reduced seed dormancy when tested under light or dark conditions in comparison to the seed of the in-light plants (in-light seed). Among the three accessions, the in-dark seed germinated at much higher rates than did the in-light seed, more than 2× at 25°C under light and up to an 83× increase in darkness, and up to an 8× increase over the corresponding parental seed lots under comparable germination conditions. In addition to these increases in germination, the in-dark seed showed early and synchronized germination as compared to the in-light seed. Since these results were achieved through only one cycle of selection and breeding, they strongly suggest that we have developed a very effective method for modifying seed dormancy in Echinacea.

The polymer composite was prepared from the wastes of natural rubber glove (NRG) and polystyrene foam (PSF) blended with cellulose from sugar cane leaves the laminate method. The NRG and PSF were firstly dispersed in toluene under continuous stirring. Then, maleic anhydride (MA) was added into the mixture. Effects of blend ratio and of MA content (0.5-15%, w/w) on physical properties of the polymer composite were investigated. The toluene resistance of the polymer blend was improved after adding MA and cellulose. The highest toluene resistance was achieved when using 12% cellulose. The chemical reactions of MA with polymer blend and with composite were confirmed by ATR-FTIR. The hardness of the polymer blend and composite increased as a function of PSF. In addition, their impact strength increased with increasing NRG and cellulose contents.

Hexaploid seeds are produced by predominantly tetraploid populations of Hypericum perforatum, but the fate of hexaploid seedlings and their reproductive behavior have not been closely examined. We used flow cytometry to analyze single seeds and individual plant samples of three accessions of H. perforatum to determine ploidy levels and reproductive pathways. Seed samples of all three accessions were facultative apomicts, with tetraploid cytotype predominant (85-91%) and a lower frequency of hexaploids (9-14%), with diploids (5%) detected in only one population. Seedling populations consisted of tetraploids (87-97%) and hexaploids (3-13%). Hexaploid embryos are most likely generated by a 2n gamete of the tetraploid and fertilized by a normal, reduced tetraploid male gamete. These hexaploids are expected to produce unbalanced gametes because they possess chromosome complements that include two triploid sets originally derived from two different species. The observation that some tetraploid seeds had endosperm with high cellular DNA content indicates that some unbalanced male gametes produced by hexaploids were evidently viable and could effect fertilization. Whether this mechanism is also true for egg cells or whether the hexaploids are capable of producing unreduced embryo sacs is uncertain. Because of severe reproductive difficulties, hexaploid seedlings may play a very minor role in gene flow and the further evolution of H. perforatum. The likelihood that hexaploids will evolve to types with an increased frequency of bivalent paring in meiosis is relatively low. However, hexaploids may include novel chemotypes, which could be vegetatively propagated if valuable, medicinal types can be identified among them.

We evaluated the anti-insectan activity of extracts from different vegetative parts of ten plant species native to Uruguay. The selected plants belong to five families: Bignoniaceae: Clytostoma callistegioides, Dolichandra cynanchoides, Macfadyena unguis-cati; Sapindaceae: Dodonaea viscosa, Allophylus edulis, Serjania meridionalis; Lamiaceae: Salvia procurrens, Salvia guaranitica; Solanaceae: Lycium cestroides; and Phytolaccaceae: Phytolacca dioica. The extracts were evaluated in independent bioassays against four insect pests and one beneficial insect. Aphid settling inhibition was evaluated with a grass specialist, Rhopalosiphum padi, and a feeding generalist, Myzus persicae (both Hemiptera: Aphididae). Antifeedant activity was tested with adults of the specialist Epilachna paenulata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and larvae of the generalist Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Finally, contact toxicity was assessed with honey bees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Strong settling inhibition (SI) activity (expressed as %SI, where 100% means complete inhibition by the extract) was found only for the twig extracts of A. edulis (Sapindaceae) against M. persicae (% SI = 77 +/- 4). Antifeedant activity (expressed as % of feeding reduction (FR), where 100% means no consumption on extract-treated diet) against E. paenulata was significant for the leaf extracts of L. cestroides (Solanaceae) (% FR = 100 +/- 0) as well as of all Bignoniaceae and Sapindaceae species. No extracts were active against S. littoralis larvae, and most of them were innocuous to honey bees, with the exception of L. cestroides and S. meridionalis leaf extracts.