Effect of storage on bioactivity of an Algerian spice "paprika": optimization of phenolic extraction and study of antioxidant and antibacterial activities.

The effect of different storage methods (ambient temperature (A), refrigeration at 4 °C (R) and freezing at - 18 °C (F)), on the phytochemistry of an Algerian spice (paprika powder), was assessed. The optimized extract was obtained under the optimum conditions of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with a Box-Behnken Design (BBD). This extract was evaluated for its total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC) and its antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Under the optimum conditions (5 min for the irradiation time, 40% for the amplitude, 80% for ethanol concentration and 50% for solid-liquid ratio) the TPC was 12.23 ± 1.01 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent/gram of Dried Powder (mg GAE/g DP) which is very close with experimental assay. The TPC are better preserved at A whereas TFC and the antioxidant activity at F, and the antibacterial activity depend on the storage methods and the strains tested.

Exploring the potential of Inula viscosa extracts for antioxidant, antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on human liver cancer cells and a molecular docking study.

In folk medicine, Inula viscosa (Asteraceae) has been traditionally utilized for treating various ailments, including diabetes, bronchitis, diarrhea, rheumatism, and injuries. In this study, we aimed to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant, antiproliferative, and apoptotic properties of I. viscosa leaf extracts. Extraction was performed using solvents of varying polarities. Antioxidant activity was determined using Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. The results revealed that aqueous ethanol (70%) and aqueous ethyl acetate (70%) extracts contained high levels of phenols (645.58 ± 8.77 mg CE/g) and flavonoids (180.69 ± 1.54 mg QE/g), respectively. Aqueous ethanol (70%) extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 of 572.74 µmol TE/g DW (µmol Trolox equivalent in 1g of dry extract) in the ABTS assay and 76862.06 µM TE/g DW in the FRAP test. All extracts showed a considerable dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on cancerous HepG2 cells (P < 0.05). The aqueous ethanol extract demonstrated the highest inhibitory effect (IC50 = 1.67 mg/ml). Treatment with aqueous ethanol (70%) and pure ethyl acetate extracts significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells to 8 and 6%, respectively, in HepG2 cells (P < 0.05). Additionally, the aqueous ethanol extract significantly elevatedreactive oxygen species (ROS) levels (53%) in HepG2 cells. The molecular docking study identified paxanthone and banaxanthone E as the compounds that exhibited the highest binding affinities with BCL-2. This study demonstrated the potent antioxidant, antiproliferation, and intracellular ROS production of I. viscosa leaf extracts. Further studies should be conducted to identify the active compounds involved.

Ready-to-Use Nutraceutical Formulations from Edible and Waste Organs of Algerian Artichokes.

Edible, plant-derived foodstuffs are recognized as precious sources of polyphenol compounds, whose consumption has proven to have multiple beneficial effects on human health. However, the awareness that cooking processes are able to induce quali-quantitatively changes in their native occurrence and that their bioavailability after food ingestion is poor led the research to move toward the preparation of nutraceutical supplements aimed at maximizing their content by effective extractive techniques and protecting them from degradation. The present work fits into this context, proposing a green, ready-to-use formulation of capitula, stems, and leaves of Algerian artichokes, in which natural deep eutectic solvents were exploited as extracting solvents but not removed at the end of the process. MTT test on the Caco-2 cell line highlighted that mitochondrial redox activity inhibition was absent below the 50 µg/mL tested dose. Simulated in vitro digestion was used as a predictive model for formulation bioaccessibility, where the joint approach with UHPLC-HRMS techniques allowed to define the release of each polyphenol from the investigated matrices. The capitula-based sample was the richest one in flavonoids, especially luteolin and apigenin glycosides, which survived in the intestinal digesta. On the contrary, simple phenols characterized the stem sample, whose release was mainly in the gastric chyme.

Polyphenols for Livestock Feed: Sustainable Perspectives for Animal Husbandry?

There is growing interest in specialized metabolites for fortification strategies in feed and/or as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial alternative for the containment of disorders/pathologies that can also badly impact human nutrition. In this context, the improvement of the diet of ruminant species with polyphenols and the influence of these compounds on animal performance, biohydrogenation processes, methanogenesis, and quality and quantity of milk have been extensively investigated through in vitro and in vivo studies. Often conflicting results emerge from a review of the literature of recent years. However, the data suggest pursuing a deepening of the role of phenols and polyphenols in ruminant feeding, paying greater attention to the chemistry of the single compound or to that of the mixture of compounds more commonly used for investigative purposes.

Urtica dioica L. leaf chemical composition: A never-ending disclosure by means of HR-MS/MS techniques.

The metabolite profiling of plant extracts always represents an exciting challenge, as the chemical diversity of natural products is still far beyond the researchers' imagination, even focusing on a plant that is thought to have already been broadly investigated. Herein UHPLC-HRMS/MS techniques were applied to an alcoholic crude extract from nettle leaves and proved to be a precious tool for the disclosure of secondary metabolites never found before. Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives were the most representative constituents, with a 2-caffeoilisocitric acid cyclodimer described for the first time, besides four C-glycosylated flavones, bearing a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl function. This deep investigation paves the way for the isolation and full characterization of these molecules by means of spectroscopic techniques. Moreover, based on preliminary cytotoxicity evaluation, further research on the use of this nettle extract as a valuable nutraceutical product is encouraged.

A nutraceutical extract from Inula viscosa leaves: UHPLC-HR-MS/MS based polyphenol profile, and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.

Nowadays, advanced extraction techniques and highly sensitive metabolic profiling methods are effectively employed to get new information on plant chemical constituents. Among them wild medicinal plants or their parts, with large and ancient use in folk medicine, are investigated for their potential functional use and cultivation. In this context, Inula viscosa leaves engaged our attention. A simple experimental design, based on Soxhlet extraction and chromatographic fractionation, allowed us to obtain the investigated polyphenol fraction (IvE). UHPLC-HRMS analyses revealed shikimoyl depsides of caffeic acid and unusual dihydrobenzofuran lignans as main secondary metabolites. These compounds, together with cinchonain-type phenols, and hydroxycinnamoyl flavonol glycosides, are reported for the first time in inula. Overall, forty-three secondary metabolites were identified. The extract exerted a remarkable antiradical activity towards DPPH• and ABTS+•. Furthermore, it was able to inhibit cell viability and mitochondrial redox activity of neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma and colon carcinoma cells, whereas it did not affect cell density of HaCaT cells immortalized human keratinocytes. As detected by the oxidant-sensing probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, the inhibitory responses seemed to be related to IvE-induced increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The obtained results highlighted that inula leaves, nowadays even undervalued and unexplored, could be considered a renewable source of nutraceutical compounds.