Chemical Profiling, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Hyoseris radiata L., a Plant Used in the Phytoalimurgic Tradition.

Hyoseris radiata L. (Asteraceae), known as "wild chicory", is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and West Asia. Collected from the wild, the plant is largely used in Italy for culinary purposes and in popular medicine, so that it can be included in the list of phytoalimurgic plants. The present study aimed to investigate for the first time the plant's chemical profile, through a combined UHPLC-HR-ESI-Orbitrap/MS and NMR approach, and its potential healthy properties, focusing on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The LC-MS/MS analysis and the isolation through chromatographic techniques of the plant's hydroalcoholic extract allowed the authors to identify 48 compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, megastigmane glucosides, coumarins, and lignans, together with several unsaturated fatty acids. The quantitative analysis highlighted a relevant amount of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids, with a total of 12.9 ± 0.4 mg/g DW. NMR-based chemical profiling revealed the presence of a good amount of amino acids and monosaccharides, and chicoric and chlorogenic acids as the most representative polyphenols. Finally, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of H. radiata were investigated through cell-free and cell-based assays, showing a good antioxidant potential for the plant extract and a significant reduction in COX-2 expression.

Comparative chemical analysis of six ancient italian sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) varieties showing antiangiogenic activity.

In this study, cherry fruits and petioles from six ancient Italian Prunus avium L. varieties (Ferrovia, Capellina, Morellina, Ciambellana, Napoletana, and Bianca), were compared by chemical and bioinformatic analyses and evaluated for their antiangiogenic activity. The highest levels of total phenols and flavonoids were found in Napoletana petioles, and Morellina and Capellina fruits. HPLC-PDA-MS analyses showed similar phenolic profiles for all fruit extracts, with cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, flavonols glycosides, and quinic acid derivatives as major components. Flavonoid glycosides were found in all petiole extracts, while proanthocyanidins B type were predominant in Capellina, Napoletana and Bianca. Accordingly to their higher polyphenolic content, petiole extracts exhibited stronger radical scavenging activity compared to the fruits. The best antiangiogenic response was exhibited by Morellina, Ferrovia, and Ciambellana petiole extracts, and by Ferrovia, Morellina, and Capellina fruit extracts; by bioinformatic studies rutin and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside were recognised as the best candidate bioactive compounds. In conclusion, sweet cherry varietes were confirmed as valuable sources of phenols, showing also potential angiomodulator properties.