HPLC–DAD Analysis, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties of Aromatic Herb Melissa officinalis L., Aerial Parts Extracts

 Food Analytical Methods 16, 45–54 (2023)

In order to enhance natural products value, Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) aerial part (leaves) has been studied in this work. Hence, the objective of this study is to determine the chemical composition of the studied plant polyphenols extracts using HPLC/DAD, as well as evaluate their flavonoid extracts’ antioxidant and antimicrobial activities using DPPH• and disk diffusion methods, respectively. The results of phenols chemical composition showed the existence of two phenolic acids, five flavonic aglycones and six heterosides, while the biologic results of the plant flavonoid extracts exhibited the existence of a good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

Phytochemical Profiling, Mineral Elements, and Biological Activities of Artemisia campestris L. Grown in Algeria

 Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 914

Artemisia campestris L. is commonly used in folk medicine due to its antioxidant, antidiabetic, nutritional, and culinary properties. Our study assessed the total phenolics contents, antioxidant, and pharmacological activities of various organic extracts prepared from the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris, and its mineral elements and chemical profile were analyzed. ICP-OES was used to analyze the mineral profile and the LC-MS/MS analysis was used to characterize the phytochemical profiling. A series of antioxidant tests were carried out using DPPH, ABTS, beta-carotene, GOR, RP, CUPRAC, and O-Phenanthroline assays. In vitro potent inhibitory actions of A. campestris extracts were investigated to evaluate their anti-cholinesterase, anti-lipase and anti-diabetic activities. The photoprotective effect of the plant was measured by the sun protection factor. The most powerful inhibitor of α-amylase was AcPEE (IC50 = 11.79 ± 0.14 μg/mL), which also showed a significant butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory effect (IC50 = 93.50 ± 1.60 μg/mL). At IC50 = 23.16 ± 0.19 μg/mL, AcEAE showed the most powerful inhibitory effects on acetylcholinesterase. A. campestris was found to have a strong photoprotective ability, absorbing UV radiations with SPF values ranging from 26.07 ± 0.22 to 40.76 ± 0.11. The results showed that A. campestris extract has strong antioxidant activity in all the test samples except for the carotene bleaching assay. The LC/MS-MS results showed that AcDE, AcEAE, and AcBE identified 11 compounds belonging to Polyphenols Compounds. Our result also showed that A. campestris contains a high concentration of essential minerals, including macro-and micro-elements with their values close to the FAO’s recommended concentration. A. campestris has the capacity to improve pharmaceutical formulations, health, and medical research, due to its compositions and potent biological properties.

Lobularia libyca: Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity Using In Vitro and In Silico Studies

Molecules 2022, 27(12), 3744

Lobularia libyca (L. libyca) is a traditional plant that is popular for its richness in phenolic compounds and flavonoids. The aim of this study was to comprehensively investigate the phytochemical profile by liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS), the mineral contents and the biological properties of L. libyca methanol extract. L. libyca contains significant amounts of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Thirteen compounds classified as flavonoids were identified. L. libyca is rich in nutrients such as Na, Fe and Ca. Moreover, the methanol extract of L. libyca showed significant antioxidant activity without cytotoxic activity on HCT116 cells (human colon cancer cell line) and HepG2 cells (human hepatoma), showing an inhibition zone of 13 mm in diameter. In silico studies showed that decanoic acid ethyl ester exhibited the best fit in β-lactamase and DNA gyrase active sites; meanwhile, oleic acid showed the best fit in reductase binding sites. Thus, it can be concluded that L. libyca can serve as a beneficial nutraceutical agent, owing to its significant antioxidant and antibacterial potential and due to its richness in iron, calcium and potassium, which are essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Recent Development in Antioxidant Peptides of Woody Oil Plant By-Products

 Food Rev. Int. 2022

As a critical and prevalent source of functional edible oils, woody oil plants with by-products that contain numerous accessible nutrients are widely farmed around the world. Researches on the peptide from plants have attracted the scientists’ interest in recent years. Novel antioxidant peptides from woody oil plant by-products were discovered, and the antioxidant properties in vitro, in vivo and in silico have been conducted. The species origin, manufacturing and purification processes, biological function researches of antioxidant peptides of woody oil plant by-products were described and refined in this review, which also demonstrated a potential mechanism combining antioxidant peptide intrinsic characteristics and activity screening. Moreover, this paper revealed their prospective role in the fields of medicinal agents, nutraceuticals and cosmetics.

Thermochemical Characterization of Eight Seaweed Species and Evaluation of Their Potential Use as an Alternative for Biofuel Production and Source of Bioactive Compounds

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(4), 2355

Algae are underexplored resources in Western countries and novel approaches are needed to boost their industrial exploitation. In this work, eight edible seaweeds were subjected to their valorization in terms of nutritional characterization, thermochemical properties, and bioactive profile. Our results suggest that seaweeds present a rich nutritional profile, in which carbohydrates are present in high proportions, followed by a moderate protein composition and a valuable content of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The thermochemical characterization of seaweeds showed that some macroalgae present a low ash content and high volatile matter and carbon fixation rates, being promising sources for alternative biofuel production. The bioactive profile of seaweeds was obtained from their phenolic and carotenoid content, together with the evaluation of their associated bioactivities. Among all the species analyzed, Porphyra purpurea presented a balanced composition in terms of carbohydrates and proteins and the best thermochemical profile. This species also showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, Himanthalia elongata extracts showed the highest contents of total phenolics and a moderate carotenoid content, which led to the highest rates of antioxidant activity. Overall, these results suggest that seaweeds can be used as food or functional ingredient to increase the nutritional quality of food formulations.

A new HPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 36 polyphenols in blueberry, strawberry and their commercial products and determination of antioxidant activity

 Food Chem. 367, 130743, 2022

Berry fruits consumption has increased in recent years because they are rich sources of polyphenols with reported health benefits. The aim of the present work was to develop a new comprehensive and fast HPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of 36 phenolic compounds (7 anthocyanins, 9 flavonols, 4 flavan-3-ols, 2 dihydrochalcones, 2 flavanones and 12 phenolic acids) present in blueberry, strawberry, and their fruit jam. Blueberry fruits showed higher contents of anthocyanins, flavonols and phenolic acids, while strawberry fruits exhibited higher contents of flavan-3-ols, dihydrochalcones and flavanones. Anthocyanins were the main phenolic constituents in both berries. Furthermore, the higher total phenolic content in the blueberry fruit and jam justified their greater antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH free radical assay, compared to strawberry. In conclusion, this new HPLC-MS/MS method is useful and reliable for quality control and authentication analyses of blueberry and strawberry fruits and their commercial food products, such as jams.