Comprehensive metabolite and biological profile of "Sulmona Red Garlic" ecotype's aerial bulbils.

"Sulmona Red Garlic" is a well-known Italian traditional product. Bulbs, used for culinary purposes, have been largely investigated for their medicinal properties whereas aerial bulbils are usually removed as waste material. Here, for the first time, chemical composition and biological properties of the hydroalcoholic extract from aerial bulbils were investigated. Complementary information on metabolite composition were obtained using both NMR based untargeted and HPLC-DAD targeted methodologies. The NMR analysis revealed the presence of sugars, organic acids, amino acids, organosulphur compounds (methiin, alliin, allicin and cycloalliin), and other secondary metabolites. In particular, methiin and alliin were identified for the first time in the NMR spectra of aerial bulbil garlic extracts. Polyphenol content was determined by HPLC-DAD analysis: catechin, chlorogenic acid, and gallic acid turned out to be the most abundant phenolics. Hydroalcoholic extract blocked cell proliferation of colon cancer cell line HCT116 with an IC50 of 352.07 µg/mL, while it was non-toxic to myoblast cell line C2C12. In addition, it caused seedling germination reduction of two edible and herbaceous dicotyledon species, namely Cichorium intybus and C. endivia. Moreover, the same extract reduced the gene expression of TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor), HIF1-α (hypoxia-inducible factor), VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor), and transient receptor potential (TRP) M8 (TRPM8) indicating the ability to contrast cancer development through the angiogenic pathway. Final, in silico experiments were also carried out supporting the biological effects of organosulphur compounds, particularly alliin, which may directly interact with TRPM8. The results here reported suggest the potential use of garlic aerial bulbils often considered a waste product as a source in phytotherapeutic remedies.

Phytochemical and biological investigations on the pollen from industrial hemp male inflorescences.

Cannabis sativa L. belongs to the Cannabaceae family and includes annual, robust, fast-growing and generally dioecious plants. Industrial hemp, and particularly the inflorescences, has been recently recognized as important source of bioactive extracts with antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. The goal of the present study was to explore botanical, phytochemical, and biological properties of water and hydroalcoholic hemp pollen extracts from male inflorescences. The extracts from hemp pollen were found rich in phenolic compounds, such as hydroxytyrosol, coumaric acid, and hesperitin. The phenolic profile was also consistent with the observed scavenging/reducing, enzyme inhibitory, and antimicrobial properties of the extracts. Regarding the antimicrobial effects, Escherichia coli, Trycophyton rubrum, and T. tonsurans were the most sensitive to growth inhibitory effects (MIC values: 9.92-79.37 µg/mL) of the extracts. Whereas, null effects on prostate PC3 and myocyte C2C12 cell viability, in the range 1-1000 µg/mL, are consistent with MIC values and suggest extracts' biocompatibility. The experimental data obtained, which are not reflected in the literature as the topic of hemp pollen is almost completely unexplored, confirm the innovativeness of a product obtained directly from bees, which in the face of greater variability and complexity can reserve promising applications in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors.