Ursolic acid (UA) is a major bioactive component in many traditional medicinal plants including pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) flower. In vitro and in vivo studies have both revealed that UA has many important biological functions.In this study, a rapid and efficient procedure for preparation of UA from an Iranian pomegranate flower cultivar using ultrasound-assisted extraction followed by normal-phase flash chromatography (NP-FC) was developed. After one flash chromatography run, the purity of UA reached more than 97% with a total yield of 0.1% of dried pomegranate flower powder. The chemical structure of isolated UA was identified by IR, MS and NMR spectra. This is the first report on isolation of UA from pomegranate flowers. The NP-FC method was shown to be a good method for the purification of UA from pomegranate flowers, and it can be an excellent basis for large-scale preparation of UA from pomegranate flowers or other plant extracts. Manuscript profile

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a valuable plant for the treatment of several diseases. Negative effects of aluminum stress on plants have been reported and silicon may alleviate these negative effects through promoting antioxidant system. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of silicon on glycine-betaine, phytochelatin, and antioxidant parameters in licorice plant under aluminum stress. The plants were treated with silicon (0, 0.5, and 1.50 mM) and submitted to aluminum stress (100, 250, and 400 µM). Glycine-betaine contents of roots and shoots were investigated. Also, guaiacol peroxidase (GPx), peroxidase (POX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and root phytochelatin were assessed after treatment with aluminum. Results showed that aluminum stress increased the contents of glycine-betaine and root phytochelatin, activities of GPx, POX, SOD, PAL, DPPH radical scavenging, and H2O2 content (p <0.05). Application of silicon application also increased the contents of glycine-betaine, activities of GPx, POX, PAL, DPPH radical scavenging, and root phytochelatin (p <0.05) while it decreased H2O2 and SOD contents (p <0.05). Based on the findings, application of silicon is recommended for protection of licorice under aluminum stress. Manuscript profile