Phenolic Compound, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and In Silico Studies of Extracts from the Aerial Parts of Lactuca saligna L.

Medicinal plants are considered a major source for discovering novel effective drugs. To our knowledge, no studies have reported the chemical composition and biological activities of Moroccan Lactuca saligna extracts. In this context, this study aims to characterize the polyphenolic compounds distributed in hydro-methanolic extracts of L. saligna and evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activities; in addition, in silico analysis based on molecular docking and ADMET was performed to predict the antibacterial activity of the identified phenolic compounds. Our results showed the identification of 29 among 30 detected phenolic compounds with an abundance of dicaffeoyltartaric acid, luteolin 7-glucoronide, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid with 472.77, 224.30, 196.79, and 171.74 mg/kg of dried extract, respectively. Additionally, antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and ferrous ion-chelating (FIC) assay showed interesting antioxidant activity. Moreover, the results showed remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes with minimum inhibitory concentrations between 1.30 ± 0.31 and 10.41 ± 0.23 mg/mL. Furthermore, in silico analysis identified three compounds, including Apigenin 7-O-glucuronide, Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, and 3-p-Coumaroylquinic acid as potent candidates for developing new antibacterial agents with acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. Hence, L. saligna can be considered a source of phytochemical compounds with remarkable activities, while further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to explore the main biological activities of this plant.

Hypolipidemic activity of phytochemical combinations: A mechanistic review of preclinical and clinical studies.

Hyperlipidemia, a condition characterized by elevated levels of lipids in the blood, poses a significant risk factor for various health disorders, notably cardiovascular diseases. Phytochemical compounds are promising alternatives to the current lipid-lowering drugs, which cause many undesirable effects. Based on in vivo and clinical studies, combining phytochemicals with other phytochemicals, prebiotics, and probiotics and their encapsulation in nanoparticles is more safe and effective for managing hyperlipidemia than monotherapy. To this end, the results obtained and the mechanisms of action of these combinations were examined in detail in this review.

Thymus atlanticus (Ball) Roussine Aqueous Extract Exerts Lipid-lowering and Anti-atherosclerotic Effects in Hyperlipidemic Guinea Pigs.

BACKGROUND: Thymus atlanticus (Ball) Roussine (T. atlanticus) is traditionally used in the Moroccan high Atlas Mountains to treat several disorders, including cardiovascular disease. In the present study, the lipid-lowering and anti-atherosclerotic activities of the traditionally used aqueous extract of T. atlanticus were evaluated on guinea pigs subjected to chronic hyperlipidemia. METHODS: Animals were given a diet containing 2% cholesterol and 20% lard for 12 weeks. Moreover, thyme extract was given daily at 400 mg/kg. At the end of the experiment, lipid levels and paraoxonase arylesterase activity were measured, and aorta histology was studied. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that there was an important elevation of blood lipids in the HFD group along with a significant decrease in paraoxonase arylesterase activity (-40.06%). Moreover, the consumption of fat altered the histology of aorta by thickening the intima media and forming atherosclerotic lesions and foam cells in these tissues. However, the administration of thyme extract attenuated HFD-caused alterations by decreasing blood lipids, elevating paraoxonase activity (+24.04%), and limiting the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the supplementation with the aqueous extract of T. atlanticus could potentially protect against hyperlipidemia and consequently, the development of atherosclerosis.

Thymus atlanticus polyphenol-rich extract regulates cholesterol metabolism by inhibiting its biosynthesis without affecting its excretion in hamsters fed a high-fat diet.

CONTEXT: Thymus atlanticus has been reported to have significant hypolipidaemic effect in animal models. However, the mechanism of this hypolipidaemic action still unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determinate the possible mechanism(s) of hypolipidaemic action of a Thymus atlanticus polyphenol-rich extract (PRE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma, faecal, and liver cholesterol, bile acid content in the faeces, and gene expression level of HMG-CoA reductase, CYP7A1, ABCG5 and ABCG8 were analysed after 9 weeks in hamsters feeding normal diet, high-fat diet (HFD) or HFD supplemented with 400 mg/kg body weight/day of PRE. RESULTS: PRE significantly decreased total cholesterol content (p < .05) and HMG-CoA reductase expression (p < .05), but did not affect the faecal cholesterol, bile acid contents and CYP7A1 and ABCG5/G8 expression (p > .05). CONCLUSION: We can conclude that the T. atlanticus extract is efficient in the alleviation of chronic hyperlipidaemia by acting as cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitor.

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant, Antiperoxidative, and Antihemolytic Properties Investigation of Three Apiaceae Species Grown in the Southeast of Morocco.

For a long time, Apiaceae species have been widely employed in the southeast of Morocco for culinary and folk healing purposes. In the current study, we investigated three Apiaceae herbs known as coriander (Coriandrum sativum), celery (Apium graveolens), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) for their antioxidant, antiperoxidative, and antihemolytic properties. The HPLC-DAD has been used to classify and measure phenolic compounds. The major phenolic compounds studied were p-coumaric, chlorogenic, caffeic acids, luteolin, and quercetin. The polyphenol level was also estimated via Folin-Ciocalteu's method, aluminium chloride, and acidified vanillin. Parsley showed the highest polyphenol level and, thus, showed potential antioxidant activities demonstrated by DPPH, ABTS scavenging tests, and reducing power (FRAP), as well as TBARS assays. Very strong correlations were depicted among phenol levels and antioxidant assays (R 2 ≥ 0.910) and among antihemolytic activity and flavonoids (R 2 ≥ 0.927), indicating the implication of phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids, in the antiradical properties. These finding may prove the traditional use of these Apiaceae species in the management of numerous disorders cited within the Moroccan pharmacopoeia.