Biological Activities of Aqueous Extracts from Carob Plant (Ceratonia siliqua L.) by Antioxidant, Analgesic and Proapoptotic Properties Evaluation.

The present work describes the volatile compounds profile and phytochemical content of Ceratonia siliqua L. Fifty different components have been identified. Among them, three constituents are shared i.e., 2-methlybutanoic acid, methyl hexanoate and limonene by different common carob preparations: pulp decoction (PD), seeds decoction (SD) and Rob, a sweet syrup extracted from the pulp of the carob pod. Each extract exhibits different volatile aromatic emission profiles. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using three methods, DPPH, ABTS and FRAP, producing a dose-dependent response. The IC50, when determined by FRAP, gave the lowest values (0.66 ± 0.01, 0.73 ± 0.05 and 0.55 ± 0.00 mg/mL PD, SD and Rob, respectively). The nociception essay, after intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid in mice, demonstrated that Rob, pulp and seeds decoction extracts showed an efficient inhibition of writhes over time, with persistence over 30 min. The SD decoction revealed the highest efficacy in decreasing the writhing reflex (90.3 ± 1.2%; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the proapoptotic activity of SD against three human cell line, THP-1, MCF-7 and LOVO, evaluated by flow cytometry, showed a significantly stronger proapoptotic activity on colon cancer (LOVO) than on the other cell lines, a phenomenon known as phenotypic selectivity.

Effects of the ripening stage on phenolic profile, phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of date palm fruit.

Four cultivars (Gondi, Gasbi, Khalt Dhahbi, and Rtob Ahmar) of Tunisian date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits at 3 maturation stages, besser, rutab and tamr, were analyzed for their antioxidant activities (AA) using 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals cation, and reducing power (RP) methods. The total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC), and condensed tannins (CTC) contents were measured. Results showed that all samples have the highest TPC, TFC, CTC, and AA at besser stage. A significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between TPC, TFC, CTC and AA during ripening. Sixteen phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by HPLC. The major ones were caffeic, ferulic, protocatechuic, and catechin for the majority of cultivars. Our data indicate that common date fruits are rich in natural antioxidants that might be more widely used by both the general population and the food industry as a source of bioactive human health promoter phytochemicals.