Overview of the Metabolite Composition and Antioxidant Capacity of Seven Major and Minor Cereal Crops and Their Milling Fractions.

Cereal grains play an important role in human health as a source of macro- and micronutrients, besides phytochemicals. The metabolite diversity was investigated in cereal crops and their milling fractions by untargeted metabolomics ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) of 69 samples: 7 species (barley, oat, pearl millet, rye, sorghum, triticale, and wheat), 23 genotypes, and 4 milling fractions (husk, bran, flour, and wholegrain). Samples were also analyzed by in vitro antioxidant activity. UHPLC-MS/MS signals were processed using XCMS, and metabolite annotation was based on SIRIUS and GNPS libraries. Bran and husk showed the highest antioxidant capacity and phenolic content/diversity. The major metabolite classes were phenolic acids, flavonoids, fatty acyls, and organic acids. Sorghum, millet, barley, and oats showed distinct metabolite profiles, especially related to the bran fraction. Molecular networking and chemometrics provided a comprehensive insight into the metabolic profiling of cereal crops, unveiling the potential of coproducts and super cereals such as sorghum and millet as sources of polyphenols.

Integration of multi-omics analysis reveals metabolic alterations of B lymphocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To link changes in the B-cell transcriptome from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with those in their macroenvironment, including cellular and fluidic components. METHODS: Analysis was performed on 363 patients and 508 controls, encompassing transcriptomics, metabolomics, and clinical data. B-cell and whole-blood transcriptomes were analysed using DESeq and GSEA. Plasma and urine metabolomics peak changes were quantified and annotated using Ceu Mass Mediator database. Common sources of variation were identified using MOFA integration analysis. RESULTS: Cellular macroenvironment was enriched in cytokines, stress responses, lipidic synthesis/mobility pathways and nucleotide degradation. B cells shared these pathways, except nucleotide degradation diverted to nucleotide salvage pathway, and distinct glycosylation, LPA receptors and Schlafen proteins. CONCLUSIONS: B cells showed metabolic changes shared with their macroenvironment and unique changes directly or indirectly induced by IFN-α signalling. This study underscores the importance of understanding the interplay between B cells and their macroenvironment in SLE pathology.

Metabolite Profiling of Colvillea racemosa via UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS Analysis in Correlation to the In Vitro Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Potential against A549 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line.

In this study, flower and leaf extracts of Colvillea racemosa were considered a source of bioactive compounds. In this context, the objective of the study focused on investigating the anticancer potential as well as the phytochemical composition of both extracts. The extracts were analyzed by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS, and the bioactivity was tested using in vitro antioxidant assays (FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS) in addition to cytotoxic assays on non-small cell lung cancer cell line (A549). Our results clearly indicated the potent radical scavenging capacity of both extracts. Importantly, the flower extract exhibited a greater antioxidant capacity than the leaf extract. In terms of cytotoxic activity, leaf and flower extracts significantly inhibited cell viability with IC50 values of 17.0 and 17.2 µg/mL, respectively. The phytochemical characterization enabled the putative annotation of 42 metabolites, such as saccharides, phenolic acids, flavonoids, amino acids, and fatty acids. Among them, the flavonoid C-glycosides stand out due to their high relative abundance and previous reports on their anticancer bioactivity. For a better understanding of the bioactive mechanisms, four flavonoids (vitexin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, luteolin, and isoorientin) were selected for molecular docking on hallmark protein targets in lung cancer as represented by γ-PI3K, EGFR, and CDK2 through in-silico studies. In these models, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and vitexin had the highest binding scores on γ-PI3K and CDK2, followed by isoorientin, so they could be highly responsible for the bioactive properties of C. racemosa extracts.

Bioactive Compounds and Potential Health Benefits through Cosmetic Applications of Cherry Stem Extract.

Cherry stems, prized in traditional medicine for their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, derive their efficacy from abundant polyphenols and anthocyanins. This makes them an ideal option for addressing skin aging and diseases. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of cherry stem extract for potential skincare use. To this end, the extract was first comprehensively characterized by HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS. The extract's total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity, radical scavenging efficiency, and its ability to inhibit enzymes related to skin aging were determined. A total of 146 compounds were annotated in the cherry stem extract. The extract effectively fought against NO· and HOCl radicals with IC50 values of 2.32 and 5.4 mg/L. Additionally, it inhibited HYALase, collagenase, and XOD enzymes with IC50 values of 7.39, 111.92, and 10 mg/L, respectively. Based on the promising results that were obtained, the extract was subsequently gently integrated into a cosmetic gel at different concentrations and subjected to further stability evaluations. The accelerated stability was assessed through temperature ramping, heating-cooling cycles, and centrifugation, while the long-term stability was evaluated by storing the formulations under light and dark conditions for three months. The gel formulation enriched with cherry stem extract exhibited good stability and compatibility for topical application. Cherry stem extract may be a valuable ingredient for creating beneficial skincare cosmeceuticals.

UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS metabolite profiles of different extracts from Pelargonium endlicherianum parts and their biological properties based on network pharmacological approaches.

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the chemical profiles and biological activities of different extracts (ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, ethanol, and water) of Pelargonium endlicherianum parts (aerial parts and roots). Free radical scavenging, reducing power, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelating were assayed for antioxidant properties. To detect enzyme inhibitory properties, cholinesterase, amylase, glucosidase, and tyrosinase were chosen as target enzymes. The ethanol extract of the aerial parts contained higher amounts of total bioactive compounds (120.53 mg GAE/g-24.46 mg RE/g). The ethanol and water extracts of these parts were tentatively characterized by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and 95 compounds were annotated. In addition, the highest acetylcholiesterase (3.74 mg GALAE/g) and butyrylcholinesterase (3.92 mg GALAE/g) abilities were observed by the ethanol extract of roots. The water extract from aerial parts exhibited the most pronounced inhibitory effects on multiple cancer cell lines, especially A549 (IC50: 23.2 µg/mL) and HT-29 (IC50: 27.43 µg/mL) cells. Using network pharmacology, P. endlicherianum compounds were studied against cancer, revealing well-connected targets such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-2, and growth factor receptor bound protein 2 (GRB2) with significant impact on cancer-related pathways. The results could open a new path from natural treasure to functional applications with P. endlicherianum and highlight a new study on other uninvestigated Pelargonium species.

Evaluation of Bioactive Effects of Five Plant Extracts with Different Phenolic Compositions against Different Therapeutic Targets.

Plant extracts rich in phenolic compounds have been reported to exert different bioactive properties. Despite the fact that there are plant extracts with completely different phenolic compositions, many of them have been reported to have similar beneficial properties. Thus, the structure-bioactivity relationship mechanisms are not yet known in detail for specific classes of phenolic compounds. In this context, this work aims to demonstrate the relationship of extracts with different phenolic compositions versus different bioactive targets. For this purpose, five plant matrices (Theobroma cacao, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Silybum marianum, Lippia citriodora, and Olea europaea) were selected to cover different phenolic compositions, which were confirmed by the phytochemical characterization analysis performed by HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS. The bioactive targets evaluated were the antioxidant potential, the free radical scavenging potential, and the inhibitory capacity of different enzymes involved in inflammatory processes, skin aging, and neuroprotection. The results showed that despite the different phenolic compositions of the five matrices, they all showed a bioactive positive effect in most of the evaluated assays. In particular, matrices with very different phenolic contents, such as T. cacao and S. marianum, exerted a similar inhibitory power in enzymes involved in inflammatory processes and skin aging. It should also be noted that H. sabdariffa and T. cacao extracts had a low phenolic content but nevertheless stood out for their bioactive antioxidant and anti-radical capacity. Hence, this research highlights the shared bioactive properties among phenolic compounds found in diverse matrices. The abundance of different phenolic compound families highlights their elevated bioactivity against diverse biological targets.

Current Practices in LC-MS Untargeted Metabolomics: A Scoping Review on the Use of Pooled Quality Control Samples.

Untargeted metabolomics is an analytical approach with numerous applications serving as an effective metabolic phenotyping platform to characterize small molecules within a biological system. Data quality can be challenging to evaluate and demonstrate in metabolomics experiments. This has driven the use of pooled quality control (QC) samples for monitoring and, if necessary, correcting for analytical variance introduced during sample preparation and data acquisition stages. Described herein is a scoping literature review detailing the use of pooled QC samples in published untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based metabolomics studies. A literature query was performed, the list of papers was filtered, and suitable articles were randomly sampled. In total, 109 papers were each reviewed by at least five reviewers, answering predefined questions surrounding the use of pooled quality control samples. The results of the review indicate that use of pooled QC samples has been relatively widely adopted by the metabolomics community and that it is used at a similar frequency across biological taxa and sample types in both small- and large-scale studies. However, while many studies generated and analyzed pooled QC samples, relatively few reported the use of pooled QC samples to improve data quality. This demonstrates a clear opportunity for the field to more frequently utilize pooled QC samples for quality reporting, feature filtering, analytical drift correction, and metabolite annotation. Additionally, our survey approach enabled us to assess the ambiguity in the reporting of the methods used to describe the generation and use of pooled QC samples. This analysis indicates that many details of the QC framework are missing or unclear, limiting the reader's ability to determine which QC steps have been taken. Collectively, these results capture the current state of pooled QC sample usage and highlight existing strengths and deficiencies as they are applied in untargeted LC-MS metabolomics.

The Potential of Mangifera indica L. Peel Extract to Be Revalued in Cosmetic Applications.

The constant growth of the cosmetic industry, together with the scientific evidence of the beneficial properties of phytochemicals, has generated great interest in the incorporation of bioactive extracts in cosmetic formulations. This study aims to evaluate the bioactive potential of a mango peel extract for its incorporation into cosmetic formulations. For this purpose, several assays were conducted: phytochemical characterization; total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant potential; free-radical scavenging capacity; and skin aging-related enzyme inhibition. In addition, the extract was incorporated into a gel formulation, and a preliminary stability study was conducted where the accelerated (temperature ramp, centrifugation, and heating/cooling cycles) and long-term (storage in light and dark for three months) stability of the mango peel formulations were evaluated. The characterization results showed the annotation of 71 compounds, gallotannins being the most representative group. In addition, the mango peel extract was shown to be effective against the •NO radical with an IC50 of 7.5 mg/L and against the hyaluronidase and xanthine oxidase enzymes with IC50 of 27 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively. The formulations incorporating the extract were stable during the stability study. The results demonstrate that mango peel extract can be a by-product to be revalorized as a promising cosmetic ingredient.

Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities of Different Extracts of Three Parts of Paliurus spina-christi: A Linkage between Structure and Ability.

Paliurus spina-christi Mill., a member of the Rhamnaceae family, is a traditionally used medicinal plant in the management of a panoply of human ailments. The current research focused on its phytochemical profile and biological properties evaluated by its antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties. The methanol extract was found to be the most effective antioxidant as evidenced by its DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities, cupric and ferric reducing power (CUPRAC and FRAP), and high activity in phosphomolybdenum (PBD) assay, and also displayed the highest anti-tyrosinase activity. The n-hexane extract was the most effective AChE inhibitor (8.89 ± 0.08 mg GALAE/g) followed by the methanol (8.64 ± 0.01 mg GALAE/g) while the latter showed the highest BChE inhibition (2.50 ± 0.05 mg GALAE/g). Among the different solvent extracts of the stem, the methanolic extract showed highest antioxidant activity in the following assays: DPPH (909.88 ± 4.25 mg TE/g), ABTS (3358.33 ± 51.14 mg TE/g), CUPRAC (781.88 ± 16.37 mg TE/g), FRAP (996.70 ± 47.28 mg TE/g), and PBD (4.96 ± 0.26 mmol TE/g), while the dichloromethane extract showed the highest MCA (28.80 ± 0.32 mg EDTAE/g). The methanol extracts revealed the highest TPC and TFC among the different solvents used, and as for plant part, the stem extracts had the highest TPC ranging from 22.36 ± 0.26 to 121.78 ± 1.41 (mg GAE/g), while the leaf extracts showed the highest TFC ranging from 8.43 ± 0.03 to 75.36 ± 0.92 (mg RE/g). Our findings tend to provide additional scientific evidence on the biological and chemical activities of P. spina-christi, which may serve as a source of naturally occurring bioactive chemicals with potential biomedical applications.

Neuroprotective Effects of Agri-Food By-Products Rich in Phenolic Compounds.

Neurodegenerative diseases are known for their wide range of harmful conditions related to progressive cell damage, nervous system connections and neuronal death. These pathologies promote the loss of essential motor and cognitive functions, such as mobility, learning and sensation. Neurodegeneration affects millions of people worldwide, and no integral cure has been created yet. Here, bioactive compounds have been proven to exert numerous beneficial effects due to their remarkable bioactivity, so they could be considered as great options for the development of new neuroprotective strategies. Phenolic bioactives have been reported to be found in edible part of plants; however, over the last years, a large amount of research has focused on the phenolic richness that plant by-products possess, which sometimes even exceeds the content in the pulp. Thus, their possible application as an emergent neuroprotective technique could also be considered as an optimal strategy to revalorize these agricultural residues (those originated from plant processing). This review aims to summarize main triggers of neurodegeneration, revise the state of the art in plant extracts and their role in avoiding neurodegeneration and discuss how their main phenolic compounds could exert their neuroprotective effects. For this purpose, a diverse search of studies has been conducted, gathering a large number of papers where by-products were used as strong sources of phenolic compounds for their neuroprotective properties. Finally, although a lack of investigation is quite remarkable and greatly limits the use of these compounds, phenolics remain attractive for research into new multifactorial anti-neurodegenerative nutraceuticals.

The Potential Neuroprotective Effect of Cyperus esculentus L. Extract in Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Impairment in Rats: Extensive Biological and Metabolomics Approaches.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the phytochemical composition of tiger nut (TN) (Cyperus esculentus L.) and its neuroprotective potential in scopolamine (Scop)-induced cognitive impairment in rats. The UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis enabled the putative annotation of 88 metabolites, such as saccharides, amino acids, organic acids, fatty acids, phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Treatment with TN extract restored Scop-induced learning and memory impairments. In parallel, TN extract succeeded in lowering amyloid beta, ß-secretase protein expression and acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity in the hippocampus of rats. TN extract decreased malondialdehyde levels, restored antioxidant levels and reduced proinflammatory cytokines as well as the Bax/Bcl2 ratio. Histopathological analysis demonstrated marked neuroprotection in TN-treated groups. In conclusion, the present study reveals that TN extract attenuates Scop-induced memory impairments by diminishing amyloid beta aggregates, as well as its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-AChE activities.

Selectivity Tuning by Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) for Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Cytinus hypocistis-Studies of Antioxidative, Enzyme-Inhibitive Properties and LC-MS Profiles.

In the present study, the extracts of Cytinus hypocistis (L.) L using both traditional solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, ethanol, ethanol/water, and water) and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were investigated in terms of their total polyphenolic contents and antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitive properties. The extracts were found to possess total phenolic and total flavonoid contents in the ranges of 26.47-186.13 mg GAE/g and 0.68-12.55 mg RE/g, respectively. Higher total phenolic contents were obtained for NADES extracts. Compositional differences were reported in relation to antioxidant potential studied by several assays (DPPH: 70.19-939.35 mg TE/g, ABTS: 172.56-4026.50 mg TE/g; CUPRAC: 97.41-1730.38 mg TE/g, FRAP: 84.11-1534.85 mg TE/g). Application of NADESs (choline chloride-urea 1:2, a so-called Reline) allowed one to obtain the highest number of extracts having antioxidant potential in the radical scavenging and reducing assays. NADES-B (protonated by HCl L-proline-xylitol 5:1) was the only extractant from the studied solvents that isolated a specific fraction without chelating activity. Reline extract exhibited the highest acetylcholinesterase inhibition compared to NADES-B and NADES-C (protonated by H2SO4 L-proline-xylitol 5:1) extracts, which showed no inhibition. The NADES extracts were observed to have higher tyrosinase inhibitory properties compared to extracts obtained by traditional organic solvents. Furthermore, the NADES extracts were relatively better inhibitors of the diabetic enzymes. These findings provided an interesting comparison in terms of total polyphenolic content yields, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties (cholinesterase, amylase, glucosidase, and tyrosinase) between traditional solvent extracts and NADES extracts, used as an alternative. While the organic solvents showed better antioxidant activity, the NADES extracts were found to have some other improved properties, such as higher total phenolic content and enzyme-inhibiting properties, suggesting functional prospects for their use in phytonutrient extraction and fractionation. The obtained results could also be used to give a broad overview of the different biological potentials of C. hypocistis.

Application of Response Surface Methodologies to Optimize High-Added Value Products Developments: Cosmetic Formulations as an Example.

In recent years, green and advanced extraction technologies have gained great interest to revalue several food by-products. This by-product revaluation is currently allowing the development of high value-added products, such as functional foods, nutraceuticals, or cosmeceuticals. Among the high valued-added products, cosmeceuticals are innovative cosmetic formulations which have incorporated bioactive natural ingredients providing multiple benefits on skin health. In this context, the extraction techniques are an important step during the elaboration of cosmetic ingredients since they represent the beginning of the formulation process and have a great influence on the quality of the final product. Indeed, these technologies are claimed as efficient methods to retrieve bioactive compounds from natural sources in terms of resource utilization, environmental impact, and costs. This review offers a summary of the most-used green and advanced methodologies to obtain cosmetic ingredients with the maximum performance of these extraction techniques. Response surface methodologies may be applied to enhance the optimization processes, providing a simple way to understand the extraction process as well as to reach the optimum conditions to increase the extraction efficiency. The combination of both assumes an economic improvement to attain high value products that may be applied to develop functional ingredients for cosmetics purposes.

A Review on Tradescantia: Phytochemical Constituents, Biological Activities and Health-Promoting Effects.

Tradescantia is a genus of herbaceous and perennial plants belonging to the Commelinaceae family and organized into three infrageneric classifications and 12 sections. More than 80 species within the genus have been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Phytochemical compounds (from various species of the genus) such as coumarins, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, steroids and terpenoids have recently been characterized and described with antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer or antimicrobial properties. The objective of this review is to describe the different aspects of the genus Tradescantia, including its botanical characteristics, traditional uses, phytochemical composition, biological activities, and safety aspects.

Cosmeceutical Potential of Major Tropical and Subtropical Fruit By-Products for a Sustainable Revalorization.

The increasing production of tropical fruits followed by their processing results in tons of waste, such as skins or seeds. However, these by-products have been reported to be rich in bioactive compounds (BACs) with excellent properties of interest in the cosmeceutical industry: antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and photoprotective properties. This review summarizes the tropical fruits most produced worldwide, their bioactive composition and the most important and studied therapeutic properties that their by-products can contribute to skin health, as well as the different approaches for obtaining these compounds using techniques by conventional (Soxhlet, liquid-liquid extraction or maceration) and non-conventional extractions (supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and two-phase aqueous system), followed by their identification by HPLC-MS or GC-MS analysis. Moreover, this work encompasses several studies that may prove the effects of seeds and skins from tropical fruits against oxidative stress, hyperpigmentation, acne, aging or UV radiation. Therefore, the investigation of functional components present in tropical fruit by-products under a circular bioeconomy model could be of great interest for the cosmeceutical industry and a very promising option for obtaining new cosmeceutical formulations.

Identification and validation of small molecule analytes in mouse plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: A case study of misidentification of a short-chain fatty acid with a ketone body.

Recently, there has been growing interest in short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and ketone bodies (KB) due to their potential use as biomarkers of health and disease. For instance, these diet-related metabolites can be used to monitor and reduce the risk of immune response, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases. Given the interest in these metabolites, different targeted metabolomic methods based on UPLC-MS/MS have been developed in recent years to detect and quantify SCFA and KB. In this case study, we discovered that applying an existing validated, targeted UPLC-MS/MS method to mouse plasma, resulted in a fragment ion (194 m/z) being originally misidentified as acetic acid (a SCFA), when its original source was 3-hydroxybutyric acid (a KB). Therefore, we report a modified, optimized LC method that can separate both signals. In addition, the metabolite coverage was expanded in this method to detect up to eight SCFA: acetic, propanoic, butyric, isobutyric, 2-methylbutyric, valeric, isovaleric, and hexanoic acids, two KB: 3-hydroxybutyric, and acetoacetic acids, and one related metabolite: 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid. The optimization of this method increased the selectivity of the UPLC-MS/MS method towards the misidentified compound. These findings encourage the scientific community to increase efforts in validating the original precursor of small molecule fragments in targeted methods.

Recent Analytical Approaches for the Study of Bioavailability and Metabolism of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds.

The study of the bioavailability of bioactive compounds is a fundamental step for the development of applications based on them, such as nutraceuticals, functional foods or cosmeceuticals. It is well-known that these compounds can undergo metabolic reactions before reaching therapeutic targets, which may also affect their bioactivity and possible applications. All recent studies that have focused on bioavailability and metabolism of phenolic and terpenoid compounds have been developed because of the advances in analytical chemistry and metabolomics approaches. The purpose of this review is to show the role of analytical chemistry and metabolomics in this field of knowledge. In this context, the different steps of the analytical chemistry workflow (design study, sample treatment, analytical techniques and data processing) applied in bioavailability and metabolism in vivo studies are detailed, as well as the most relevant results obtained from them.

Therapeutic Targets for Phenolic Compounds from Agro-industrial By-products against Obesity.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is considered a global epidemic. This disorder is associated with several health effects, such as metabolic disturbances that need both prevention and treatment actions. In this sense, bioactive secondary metabolites can be obtained from cheap sources such as agro-industrial waste, providing a sustainable alternative against obesity. Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds present a common chemical structure core with different substitutions that provide them with biological properties such as antioxidant, inflammatory, and anti-aging capacities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to compile anti-obesity therapeutic targets for phenolic compounds from agro-industrial by-products. METHOD: Scientific information has been obtained from different databases, such as Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar, in order to select the available full-text studies conducted in the last few years. RESULTS: This review shows that peel, seed, pomace and other by-products from agro-industry have different effects inhibiting enzymes related to lipid or glucose metabolism and modulating biomarkers, genes and gut microbiota in animal models. CONCLUSION: Revalorizing actions of agro-industrial byproducts in the prevention or treatment of obesity or associated disorders can be considered to develop new high value products that act on lipid, glucose and energy metabolisms, oxidative stress, inflammation, adipose tissue or gut microbiota. However, further human studies are needed in order to establish the optimal administration parameters.

A Prospective of Multiple Biopharmaceutical Activities of Procyanidins-Rich Uapaca togoensis Pax Extracts: HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS Coupled with Bioinformatics Analysis.

The article reports the chemical composition, antioxidant, six key enzymes inhibitory and antimicrobial activities of two solvent extracts (water and methanol) of leaves and stem bark of Uapaca togoensis. For chemical composition, methanol extract of stem bark exhibited significant higher total phenolic (129.86 mg GAE/g) and flavanol (10.44 mg CE/g) contents. Methanol extract of leaves and water extract of stem bark showed high flavonoids (20.94 mg RE/g) and phenolic acid (90.40 mg CAE/g) content, respectively. In addition, HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS analysis revealed that U. togoensis was rich in procyanidins. The methanol and water extracts of stem bark had overall superior antioxidant activity; however, only methanol extract of stem bark showed higher inhibition of cholinesterase (AChE: 2.57 mg GALAE/g; BChE: 4.69 mg GALAE/g), tyrosinase (69.53 mg KAE/g) and elastase (2.73 mmol CE/g). Potent metal chelating ability was showed by water extract of leaves (18.94 mg EDTAE/g), higher inhibition of amylase was detected for water extracts of leaves (0.94 mmol ACAE/g) and stem bark (0.92 mmol ACAE/g). The tested extracts have shown wide-spectrum antibacterial properties and these effects have shown to be more effective against Aspergillus ochraceus, Penicillium funiculosum, Trichoderma viride, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results revealed that the antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and antimicrobial activities depended on the extraction solvents and the parts of plant. Bioinformatics analysis on the 17 major compounds showed modulation of pathway associated with cancer. In brief, U. togoensis might be valuable as potential source of natural agents for therapeutic application.

The Role of High-Resolution Analytical Techniques in the Development of Functional Foods.

The approaches based on high-resolution analytical techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance or mass spectrometry coupled to chromatographic techniques, have a determining role in several of the stages necessary for the development of functional foods. The analyses of botanical extracts rich in bioactive compounds is one of the fundamental steps in order to identify and quantify their phytochemical composition. However, the compounds characterized in the extracts are not always responsible for the bioactive properties because they generally undergo metabolic reactions before reaching the therapeutic targets. For this reason, analytical techniques are also applied to analyze biological samples to know the bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and/or metabolism of the compounds ingested by animal or human models in nutritional intervention studies. In addition, these studies have also been applied to determine changes of endogenous metabolites caused by prolonged intake of compounds with bioactive potential. This review aims to describe the main types and modes of application of high-resolution analytical techniques in all these steps for functional food development.