Comprehensive Metabolite Profiling of Chemlali Olive Tree Root Extracts Using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, Their Cytotoxicity, and Antiviral Assessment.

The large quantity of olive roots resulting from a large number of old and unfruitful trees encouraged us to look for ways of adding value to these roots. For this reason, the current research work is devoted to the valorization of olive roots by identifying active phytochemicals and assessing their biological activities, including the cytotoxicity and antiviral potential of different extracts from the Olea europaea Chemlali cultivar. The extract, obtained by ultrasonic extraction, was analyzed using the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique (LC-MS). The cytotoxicity was evaluated through the use of the microculture tetrazolium assay (MTT) against VERO cells. Subsequently, the antiviral activity was determined for HHV-1 (Human Herpesvirus type 1) and CVB3 (Coxsackievirus B3) replication in the infected VERO cells. LC-MS analysis allowed the identification of 40 compounds, classified as secoiridoids (53%), organic acids (13%), iridoids (10%), lignans (8%), caffeoylphenylethanoid (5%), phenylethanoids (5%),sugars and derivatives (2%), phenolic acids (2%), and flavonoids (2%). It was found that extracts were not toxic to the VERO cells. Moreover, the extracts did not influence the appearance of HHV-1 or CVB3 cytopathic effects in the infected VERO cells and failed to decrease the viral infectious titer.

Herb Robert's Gift against Human Diseases: Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activity of Geranium robertianum L.

Geranium robertianum L. is a widely distributed plant used as a traditional herbal medicine, but the knowledge of its biological properties still needs to be improved. Thus, the purpose of this presented research was to assess the phytochemical profile of extracts from aerial parts of G. robertianum, commercially available in Poland and to study their anticancer potential and antimicrobial properties, including the antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects. Additionally, the bioactivity of fractions obtained from the hexane and ethyl acetate extract was analyzed. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of organic and phenolic acids, hydrolysable tannins (gallo- and ellagitannins), and flavonoids. Significant anticancer activity was found for G. robertianum hexane extract (GrH) and ethyl acetate extract (GrEA) with an SI (selectivity index) between 2.02 and 4.39. GrH and GrEA inhibited the development of HHV-1-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) in virus-infected cells and decreased the viral load by 0.52 log and 1.42 log, respectively. Among the analyzed fractions, only those obtained from GrEA showed the ability to decrease the CPE and reduce the viral load. The extracts and fractions from G. robertianum showed a versatile effect on the panel of bacteria and fungi. The highest activity was observed for fraction GrEA4 against Gram-positive bacteria, including Micrococcus luteus ATCC 10240 (MIC 8 µg/mL), Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228 (MIC 16 µg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 (MIC 125 µg/mL), Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 (MIC 125 µg/mL), and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 (MIC 125 µg/mL). The observed antibacterial effect may justify the traditional use of G. robertianum to treat hard-to-heal wounds.

Chemical Characterization of Different Extracts of Justicia secunda Vahl and Determination of Their Anti-Oxidant, Anti-Enzymatic, Anti-Viral, and Cytotoxic Properties.

Justicia secunda Vahl. is a traditional medicinal plant in tropical regions, including West Africa. The present study examined the chemical profiles and biological properties of J. secunda extracts obtained with different solvents (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanolic and aqueous: macerated and infused). Chemical components were characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and over 50 compounds were identified, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and alkaloids. Antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, cytotoxic, and antiviral properties were selected as biological properties. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in methanol (58.07 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 13.07 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g) and water (infused) (36.34 mg GAE/g and 8.52 mg RE/g) were higher than in other extracts. Consistent with the levels of total bioactive components, the methanol and water extracts exhibited stronger antioxidant abilities. However, the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts were more active on α-amylase and α-glucosidase than other extracts. Aqueous extracts exerted selective anticancer properties toward human pharyngeal cancer cell lines, whereas the methanolic extract decreased the human herpesvirus type-1 (HHV-1) infectious titer by 2.16 log and the viral load by 1.21 log. Overall, J. secunda could be considered a multifunctional bioactive raw material in the preparation of potent applications to manage diseases related to oxidative stress, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

Metabolic profiling of Ochradenus baccatus Delile. utilizing UHPLC-HRESIMS in relation to the in vitro biological investigations.

Ochradenus baccatus Delile (Resedaceae) is a desert plant with edible fruits native to the Middle East. Few investigators have reported antibacterial, antiparasitic and anti-cancer activities of the plant. Herein we evaluated the cytotoxic activity of O. baccatus using four cell lines and a zebrafish embryo model. Additionally, liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy was performed to characterize the extract's main constituents. The highest cytotoxicity was observed against human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa), with CC50 of 39.1 µg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) of 7.23 (p < 0.01). Metabolic analysis of the extract resulted in the annotation of 57 metabolites, including fatty acids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, nitrile glycosides, in addition to organic acids. The extract showed an abundance of hydroxylated fatty acids (16 peaks). Further, 3 nitrile glycosides have been identified for the first time in Ochradenus sp., in addition to 2 glucosinolates. These identified phytochemicals may partially explain the cytotoxic activity of the extract. We propose O. baccatus as a possible safe food source for further utilization to partially contribute to the increasing food demand specially in Saharan countries.

Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of the Ethanolic Extract from the Aerial Part of Crocus alatavicus Regel & Semen Growing Wildly in Southern Kazakhstan.

The composition of the ethanolic extract from the aerial parts of Crocus alatavicus Regel & Semen from southern Kazakhstan spontaneous flora was analyzed together with the determination of its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer activity. The phytochemical profile analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS) revealed the presence of multiple kaempferol derivatives. High-performance reverse-phase liquid chromatography combined with a photodiode-array detection (RP-HPLC/PDA) found that kaempferol 3-O-dihexoside and kaempferol 3-O-acyltetrahexoside accounted for 70.5% of the kaempferol derivatives. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the extract for all the tested reference microorganisms were high, reaching 10 mg/mL for yeasts and 20 mg/mL for bacteria. In contrast, antiviral activity was observed at 2 mg/mL, resulting in the inhibition of the HSV-1-induced cytopathic effect and the reduction in virus infectious titer by 1.96 log, as well as the viral load by 0.85 log. Among the tested prostate cancer cell lines, significant cytotoxic activity of the extract was noted only on the LNCaP cell line, with an IC50 value of 1.95 mg/mL. The LNCaP cell line treated with 2 mg/mL of the extract showed a noticeably reduced number of spindle-shaped cells with longer cellular projections, a significant increase in the peak corresponding to the population of apoptotic cells in the sub-G1 phase and a decreased intracellular glutathione (GSH) level, suggesting the prooxidative properties of the extract. The obtained data provide novel information about the flavonoids present in the aerial part of C. alatavicus and suggest its potential application as a source of the compounds active against HSV-1 and metastatic, androgen-sensitive prostate cancer.

Phytochemical Insights into Ficus sur Extracts and Their Biological Activity.

This study focused on the biological evaluation and chemical characterisation of Ficus sur Forssk. (F. sur) (Family: Moraceae). The methanolic and aqueous extracts' phytochemical profile, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory properties were investigated. The aqueous stem bark extract yielded the highest phenolic content (115.51 ± 1.60 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract), while the methanolic leaves extract possessed the highest flavonoid content (27.47 ± 0.28 mg Rutin equivalent/g extract). In total, 118 compounds were identified in the tested extracts. The methanolic stem bark extract exhibited the most potent radical scavenging potential against 2,2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (475.79 ± 6.83 and 804.31 ± 4.52 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, respectively) and the highest reducing Cu2+ capacity (937.86 ± 14.44 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract). The methanolic stem bark extract substantially depressed tyrosinase (69.84 ± 0.35 mg kojic acid equivalent/g extract), α-amylase (0.77 ± 0.01 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract), acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (2.91 ± 0.07 and 6.56 ± 0.34 mg galantamine equivalent/g extract, respectively) enzymes. F. sur extracts were tested for anticancer properties and antiviral activity towards human herpes virus type 1 (HHV-1). Stem bark infusion and methanolic extract showed antineoplastic activity against cervical adenocarcinoma and colon cancer cell lines, whereas leaf methanolic extract exerted moderate antiviral activity towards HHV-1. This investigation yielded important scientific data on F. sur which might be used to generate innovative phytopharmaceuticals.

LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS Analysis, Cytotoxic, Antiviral, Antioxidant, and Enzyme Inhibitory Properties of Four Extracts of Geranium pyrenaicum Burm. f.: A Good Gift from the Natural Treasure.

This study focused on the biological evaluation and chemical characterization of Geranium pyrenaicum Burm. f. Different solvent extracts (hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extracts) were prepared. The phytochemical profile, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activity were investigated. Cytotoxicity was assessed using VERO, FaDu, HeLa and RKO cells. The antiviral activity was carried out against HSV-1 (Herpes simplex virus 1) propagated in VERO cell line. The aqueous extract, possessing high phenolic content (170.50 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract), showed the highest reducing capacity (613.27 and 364.10 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, for cupric reducing antioxidant capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power, respectively), radical scavenging potential (469.82 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, against 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), metal chelating ability (52.39 mg ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid equivalent/g extract) and total antioxidant capacity (3.15 mmol Trolox equivalent/g extract). Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) alloved to tentatively identify a total of 56 compounds in the extracts, including ellagitannins, gallic acid and galloyl derivatives amongst others. The ethyl acetate extracts substantially depressed cholinesterase enzymes (4.49 and 12.26 mg galantamine equivalent/g extract against AChE and BChE, respectively) and α-amylase enzyme (1.04 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract). On the other hand, the methanolic extract inhibited tyrosinase (121.42 mg kojic acid equivalent/g extract) and α-glucosidase (2.39 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract) activities. The highest selectivity towards all cancer cell lines (SI 4.5-10.8) was observed with aqueous extract with the FaDu cells being the most sensitive (CC50 40.22 µg/mL). It can be concluded that the presence of certain bioactive antiviral molecules may be related to the high anti HSV-1 activity of the methanolic extract. This work has generated vital scientific data on this medicinal plant, which is a prospective candidate for the creation of innovative phyto-pharmaceuticals.

Antiviral effect of compounds derived from Angelica archangelica L. on Herpes simplex virus-1 and Coxsackievirus B3 infections.

The dichloromethane extract from fruits of Angelica archangelica L. was separated by the modern high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC). The extract and five pure compounds: xanthotoxin, bergapten, imperatorin, phellopterin and isoimperatorin, and the mixture of imperatorin and phellopterin, have been studied as the potential antiviral agents against Herpes simplex virus type l and Coxsackievirus B3. The cytotoxicity was measured using the MTT method. Compounds were tested for the in vitro antiviral activity using the cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibitory assay and by the virus titre reduction assay. Real-time PCR was used to quantify the relative inhibition of the HSV-1 replication. The results indicate that the highest activity was demonstrated by the extract, imperatorin, phellopterin and the mixture of imperatorin and phellopterin, reducing the HSV-1 replication by 5.61 log, 4.7 log, 3.01 log and 3.73 log, respectively. The influence of isolated compounds on the CVB3 replication was not significant. Only the extract caused the decrease in the titre of virus in relation to the virus control. Our results show that coumarins of A. archangelica L. might be a potential candidate for the development of the alternative natural anti- HSV-1 compound. Moreover, the presence of isopentenyloxy moiety at C-8 position significantly improves their activity.