Chemical Analysis and Biological Activity of Tagetes Species
Summary
Species of the genus Tagetes, commonly known as marigolds, are prized for their rich array of secondary metabolites and multifaceted biological activities. Phytochemical investigations have revealed essential oils dominated by monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes—such as tagetones, ocimenes and thiophenes—alongside significant quantities of flavonoids, phenolic acids and sterols. Advanced analytical techniques, including gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, high-performance liquid chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, have been applied to characterise these complex mixtures. Across diverse Tagetes taxa, extracts and isolated compounds exhibit robust antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial and insecticidal effects, enzyme‐inhibitory actions and cytotoxic or antiproliferative properties. These findings underpin practical applications in food preservation, botanical pesticides, pharmaceutical development and complementary therapies for metabolic disorders and cancer. Ongoing research emphasises the influence of cultivation conditions, extraction methods and chemotype variation on the yield and efficacy of bioactive constituents, pointing to optimised use of Tagetes species on a global scale.
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Chemical Analysis and Biological Activity of Tagetes Species publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in chemical analysis and biological activity of tagetes species across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Essential oil: A concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds extracted from plant material.
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS): An analytical technique that separates and identifies volatile organic compounds by retention time and mass spectra.
IC50: The concentration of a substance required to inhibit a biological process or enzyme activity by 50% in vitro.
Flavonoids: A class of polyphenolic plant metabolites with diverse structures and bioactivities, including antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitory effects.
DPPH assay: A colourimetric method for evaluating free-radical scavenging ability based on the reduction of a stable radical.
Alpha-amylase inhibition: The suppression of the enzyme that catalyses starch breakdown, a strategy for moderating postprandial blood glucose.
Xenograft model: An in vivo experimental system in which human or rodent tumour cells are implanted into immunodeficient mice to study anticancer treatments.
References
- Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oil Obtained from Chincho (Tagetes elliptica Sm) Leaves Grown in the Peruvian Andes. Foods (2023).
- Assessments of Alpha-Amylase Inhibitory Potential of Tagetes Flavonoids through In Vitro, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Cytotoxic and Antitumor Effects of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Tagetes erecta in Lung Cancer Cells. Molecules (2023).
- Tagetes spp. Essential Oils and Other Extracts: Chemical Characterization and Biological Activity. Molecules (2018).
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