Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
MYRIOPHYLLUM SPICATUM
LINNAEUS
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Haloragales
Family: Haloragaceae
Common name: Eurasian water milfoil
Distribution: Europe, Asia, North Africa
Habitat: Still or slow-moving waters
Description: This submersed species has slender stems of 3 m long. The leaves
are also submersed (15-40 mm long) and are borne in whorls of 4. They are
also pinnate with many lealets, which are thread-like. The lowers (5-6 mm
long), which are borne in leaf axils, are orange-red and monoecious.
Compounds and activities: A total of six quercetin glycosides, two kaemp-
ferol glycosides, a polyphenol, ellagic acid, gallic acid, pyrogallol, and
(+)-catechin were isolated from this species. Of them, four quercetin glyco-
sides, viz., quercetin 3-O-glucosyl-(1->2) xyloside, quercetin 3-O-glucosyl-
(1->4)-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside (quercetin), and quercetin
3-O-xyloside, were found to show antioxidant properties. They also exhib-
ited signiicant antimicrobial activities against certain Gram-negative and
Gram-positive bacterial strains as well as fungi. Moreover, they exhibited
signiicant cytotoxic activity against colon, gastric leukemia, and lung car-
cinoma cell lines (Aii et al.,
2009).
