Revealing the Phenolic Composition and the Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activities of Two Euphrasia sp. Extracts.

The species of the genus Euphrasia present important medicinal potential according to their traditional uses. However, few studies aim to sustain this fact by scientific evidence. The present study aimed to explore the phytochemical profile and investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative potential of E. officinalis subsp. pratensis Fr. (EO) and E. stricta J.P.Wolff ex J.F.Lehm (ES). The tested samples consisted of ethanolic extracts. The identification and quantification of phenolic compounds were performed using spectrophotometric and LC-MS/MS methods. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated using the DPPH, FRAP and xanthine oxidase methods. Antimicrobial properties were screened using disk diffusion, broth microdilution and anti-biofilm assays, while antiproliferative potential was assessed on a colorectal adenocarcinoma human cancer cell line (DLD-1). The LC-MS/MS analysis showed chlorogenic acid and rutin as the dominant constituents in the tested extracts. The antioxidant activity assays showed important capacity for both samples; in vitro antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties were exhibited, especially against Gram-positive bacteria, and an important inhibitory potential was observed on the proliferation of the DLD-1 cell line. The findings in the present study contribute to the recommendation of EO and ES for the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress-related pathologies, cancer and microbial infections.

Effects of Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with Cornus mas L. Fruit Extract on the Aorta Wall in Rats with a High-Fat Diet and Experimental-Induced Diabetes Mellitus-An Imaging Study.

Diabetes mellitus and high-fat diets trigger the mechanisms that alter the walls of blood vessels. Gold nanoparticles, as new pharmaceutical drug delivery systems, may be used in the treatment of different diseases. In our study, the aorta was investigated via imaging after the oral administration of gold nanoparticles functionalized with bioactive compounds derived from Cornus mas fruit extract (AuNPsCM) in rats with a high-fat diet and diabetes mellitus. Sprague Dawley female rats that received a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 months were injected with streptozotocin to develop diabetes mellitus (DM). The rats were randomly allocated into five groups and were treated, for one additional month with HFD, with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), insulin, pioglitazone, AuNPsCM solution or with Cornus mas L. extract solution. The aorta imaging investigation consisted of echography, magnetic resonance imaging and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Compared to the rats that received only CMC, the oral administration of AuNPsCM produced significant increases in aorta volume and significant decreases in blood flow velocity, with ultrastructural disorganization of the aorta wall. The oral administration of AuNPsCM altered the aorta wall with effects on the blood flow.

Betula pendula Leaf Extract Targets the Interplay between Brain Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and NFkB Pathways in Amyloid Aß1-42-Treated Rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is known as the primary and most common cause of dementia in the middle-aged and elderly population worldwide. Chemical analyses of B. pendula leaf extract (BPE), performed using spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods (LC/MS), revealed high amounts of polyphenol carboxylic acids (gallic, chlorogenic, caffeic, trans-p-coumaric, ferulic, and salicylic acids), as well as flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, naringenin, hyperoside, quercetin, and quercitrin). Four groups of Wistar rats were used in this experiment (n = 7/group): control (untreated), Aß1-42 (2 µg/rat intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.), Aß1-42 + BPE (200 mg/Kg b.w.), and DMSO (10 µL/rat). On the first day, one dose of Aß1-42 was intracerebroventricularly administered to animals in groups 2 and 3. Subsequently, BPE was orally administered for the next 15 days to group 3. On the 16th day, behavioral tests were performed. Biomarkers of brain oxidative stress Malondialdehyde (MDA), (Peroxidase (PRx), Catalase (CAT), and Superoxid dismutase (SOD) and inflammation (cytokines: tumor necrosis factor -α (TNF-α), Interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX 2)) in plasma and hippocampus homogenates were assessed. Various protein expressions (Phospho-Tau (Ser404) (pTau Ser 404), Phospho-Tau (Ser396) (pTau Ser 396), synaptophysin, and the Nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) signaling pathway) were analyzed using Western blot and immunohistochemistry in the hippocampus. The results show that BPE diminished lipid peroxidation and neuroinflammation, modulated specific protein expression, enhanced the antioxidant capacity, and improved spontaneous alternation behavior, suggesting that it has beneficial effects in AD.