The effect of complexation with cyclodextrins on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of ellagic acid.

PURPOSE: The aim of the paper was to develop the simple procedures for preparation of inclusion complexes of ellagic acid (EA) with cyclodextrins (CDs) and to investigate their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. METHODS: The structural characterization was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. The phase solubility technique was used to investigate the interactions between 'host' and 'guest' molecules and to estimate the molar ratio between them. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of EA and inclusion complexes were determined. RESULTS: The apparent stability constants were found to be 117 dm3 mol-1 for the complex with ß-CD and 161 dm3 mol-1 for the complex with (2-hydroxypropyl)-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD). The results of phase-solubility studies showed that EA formed the inclusion complexes with CDs in the molar ratio of 1:1. The calculated half-maximal inhibitory concentration was 41.18 µg cm-3 for butyl hydroxy toluene, 1.96 µg cm-3 for EA, 0.88 µg cm-3 for inclusion complex with HP-ß-CD, and 1.27 µg cm-3 for inclusion complex with ß-CD. CONCLUSION: The stability constants indicated the rapid release of EA from the inclusion complexes in the aqueous medium at 25 °C. The antioxidant activity of EA was increased, while the antimicrobial activity was preserved after complexation with CDs.

Comparative Study of the Biological Activity of Allantoin and Aqueous Extract of the Comfrey Root.

This study investigates the biological activity of pure allantoin (PA) and aqueous extract of the comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) root (AECR) standardized to the allantoin content. Cell viability and proliferation of epithelial (MDCK) and fibroblastic (L929) cell line were studied by using MTT test. Anti-irritant potential was determined by measuring electrical capacitance, erythema index (EI) and transepidermal water loss of artificially irritated skin of young healthy volunteers, 3 and 7 days after application of creams and gels with PA or AECR. Pure allantoin showed mild inhibitory effect on proliferation of both cell lines at concentrations 40 and 100 µg/ml, but more pronounced on MDCK cells. Aqueous extract of the comfrey root effect on cell proliferation in concentrations higher than 40 µg/ml was significantly stimulatory for L929 but inhibitory for MDCK cells. Pharmaceutical preparations that contained AECR showed better anti-irritant potential compared with PA. Creams showed better effect on hydration and EI compared with the gels that contained the same components. Our results indicate that the biological activity of the comfrey root extract cannot be attributed only to allantoin but is also likely the result of the interaction of different compounds present in AECR. Topical preparations that contain comfrey extract may have a great application in the treatment of skin irritation.

Biological evaluation of synthesized allicin and its transformation products obtained by microwaves in methanol: antioxidant activity and effect on cell growth.

Allicin is the most biologically active substance present in garlic. It can be synthesized or obtained by extraction of fresh garlic. Transformation products of allicin are also biologically active. The aim of this study was to examine the antioxidant activity of synthesized allicin and its transformation products obtained using microwaves in methanol at 55 °C as well as their effect on HeLa cells growth. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) test. The effect on HeLa cells growth was determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) test. For MTT test, allicin and its transformation products were dispersed in carmellose sodium solution and examined in concentrations ranging from 0.3 µg/mL to 3 mg/mL. Allicin showed stronger antioxidant activity than the transformation products. A maximum degree of neutralization of DPPH radicals, about 90%, was reached when the concentration of allicin was 2 mg/mL, with an EC50 (concentration of sample which is required for reduction of the initial concentration DPPH radicals to 50%) value of 0.37 mg/mL. In our study, allicin and its transformation products were not cytotoxic to HeLa cells under the examined conditions. The highest concentration of allicin and its transformation products had a slight antiproliferative effect, with a more pronounced effect of allicin, which reflected on the morphology of HeLa cells. The examined substances are safe to use on epithelial cells at concentrations up to 3 mg/mL when applied in carmellose sodium solution. Using carmellose sodium as a dispersing agent could be recommended as a good approach for testing liposoluble substances in liquid cell cultures.

Optimization of technological procedure for amygdalin isolation from plum seeds (Pruni domesticae semen).

The process of amygdalin extraction from plum seeds was optimized using central composite design (CCD) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). The effect of time, ethanol concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio, and temperature on the amygdalin content in the extracts was estimated using both mathematical models. The MLP 4-3-1 with exponential function in hidden layer and linear function in output layer was used for describing the extraction process. MLP model was more superior compared with CCD model due to better prediction ability. According to MLP model, the suggested optimal conditions are: time of 120 min, 100% (v/v) ethanol, solid-to liquid ratio of 1:25 (m/v) and temperature of 34.4°C. The predicted value of amygdalin content in the dried extract (25.42 g per 100 g) at these conditions was experimentally confirmed (25.30 g per 100 g of dried extract). Amygdalin (>90%) was isolated from the complex extraction mixture and structurally characterized by FT-IR, UV, and MS methods.