Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and Wounds: evidence and sources

Artemisia vulgaris is one of the important medicinal plant species of the genus Artemisia, which is usually known for its volatile oils. The genus Artemisia has become the subject of great interest due to its chemical and biological diversity as well as the discovery and isolation of promising anti-malarial drug artemisinin. A. vulgaris has a long history in treatment of human ailments by medicinal plants in various parts of the world. This medicinal plant possesses a broad spectrum of therapeutic properties including: anti-malarial, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-oxidant, anti-tumoral, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, anti-spasmodic and anti-septic. These activities are mainly attributed to the presence of various classes of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins, acetylenes, phenolic acids, organic acids, mono- and sesquiterpenes. Studies related to A. vulgaris morphology, anatomy and phytochemistry has gained a significant interest for better understanding of production and accumulation of therapeutic compounds in this species. Recently, phytochemical and pharmacological investigations have corroborated the therapeutic potential of bioactive compounds of A. vulgaris. These findings provided further evidence for gaining deeper insight into the identification and isolation of novel compounds, which act as alternative sources of anti-malarial drugs in a cost-effective manner. Considering the rising demand and various medical applications of A. vulgaris, this review highlights the recent reports on the chemistry, biological activities and biotechnological interventions for controlled and continuous production of bioactive compounds from this plant species.

Artemisia vulgaris is an enormously useful aromatic plant known for its insecticidal, antifungal, parasiticidal, and medicinal values. The main aim of this study is to investigate phytochemical contents and the potential antimicrobial activities of Artemisia vulgaris essential oil (AVEO) from the fresh leaves of A. vulgaris grown in Manipur. The AVEO isolated by hydro-distillation from A. vulgaris were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and solid-phase microextraction-GC/MS to describe their volatile chemical profile. There were 47 components identified in the AVEO by GC/MS, amounting to 97.66% of the total composition, while 97.35% were identified by SPME-GC/MS. The prominent compounds present in AVEO analyzed by direct injection and SPME methods are found to be eucalyptol (29.91% and 43.70%), sabinene (8.44% and 8.86%), endo-Borneol (8.24% and 4.76%), 2,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadien-4-ol (6.76% and 4.24%), and 10-epi-γ-Eudesmol (6.50% and 3.09%). The consolidated component in the leaf volatiles comes to the terms of monoterpenes. The AVEO exhibits antimicrobial activities against fungal pathogens such as Sclerotium oryzae (ITCC 4107) and Fusarium oxysporum (MTCC 9913) and bacterial cultures such as Bacillus cereus (ATCC 13061) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). The percent inhibition of AVEO against the S. oryzae and F. oxysporum was found up to 50.3% and 33.13%, respectively. The MIC and MBC of the essential oil tested for B. cereus and S. aureus were found to be (0.3%, 0.63%) and (0.63%, 2.5%), respectively. Finally, the results revealed that the AVEO characterized by the hydro-distillation and SPME extraction yielded the same chemical profile and showed potent antimicrobial activities. Further research into A. vulgaris's antibacterial properties can be performed in order to use it as a source for natural antimicrobial medications.