A study was conducted to establish in vitro culture conditions for maximum production of biomass and flavonoid content for Ficus deltoidea var. kunstleri, locally named as Mas Cotek, known to have a wide variety of potential beneficial attributes for human health. Size of initial inoculum, cell aggregate and initial pH value have been suggested to influent content of biomass and flavonoid for cell suspension culture in several plant species. In the present study, leaf explants were cultured by cell suspension culture procedures in MSB5 basal medium supplemented with predetermined supplements of 30 g/L sucrose, 2.75 g/L gelrite, 2 mg/L picloram and 1 mg/L kinetin with continuous agitation of 120 rpm in a standard laboratory environment. Establishment of cell suspension culture was accomplished by culturing resulting callus in different initial fresh weight of cells (0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, and 2.0 g/25 mL of media) using similar basal medium. The results showed that the highest production of biomass (0.65 g/25 mL of media) was recorded from an initial inoculum size of 2.0 g/25 mL media, whereas the highest flavonoid (3.3 mg RE/g DW) was found in 0.5 g/25 mL of media. Cell suspension fractions classified according to their sizes (500-750 µm, 250-500 µm, and <250 µm). Large cell aggregate size (500-750 µm) cultured at pH 5.75 produced the highest cell biomass (0.28 g/25 mL media) and flavonoid content (3.3 mg RE/g DW). The study had established the optimum conditions for the production of total antioxidant and flavonoid content using DPPH and FRAP assays in cell suspension culture of F. deltoidea var. kunstleri.
In this study the antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity of the Adonidia merrillii fruits were investigated using different solvent polarities (methanol, ethyl acetate and water). The results showed that the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanolic extract was higher compare with other extract with respective values of 17.80 ± 0.45 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight (DW) and 5.43 ± 0.33 mg rutin equivalents/g DW. Beside that The RP-HPLC analyses indicated the presence of gallic acid, pyrogallol, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, naringin and rutin. In the DPPH, NO2 and ABTS scavenging assays, the methanolic extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity as compared to the ethyl acetate and water extracts. The extracts exhibited moderate to weak cytotoxic activity in the assays using human hepatocytes (Chang liver cells) and NIH/3T3 (fibroblasts cell) cell lines. The findings showed the Adonidia merrillii fruit extracts to possess considerable antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties. The fruit, therefore, is a potential candidate for further work to discover antioxidant and cytotoxic drugs from natural sources.
The term "superfruit" has gained increasing usage and attention recently with the marketing strategy to promote the extraordinary health benefits of some exotic fruits, which may not have worldwide popularity. This has led to many studies with the identification and quantification of various groups of phytochemicals. This contribution discusses phytochemical compositions, antioxidant efficacies, and potential health benefits of the main superfruits such as açai, acerola, camu-camu, goji berry, jaboticaba, jambolão, maqui, noni, and pitanga. Novel product formulations, safety aspects, and future perspectives of these superfruits have also been covered. Research findings from the existing literature published within the last 10 years have been compiled and summarized. These superfruits having numerous phytochemicals (phenolic acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, iridoids, coumarins, hydrolysable tannins, carotenoids, and anthocyanins) together with their corresponding antioxidant activities, have increasingly been utilized. Hence, these superfruits can be considered as a valuable source of functional foods due to the phytochemical compositions and their corresponding antioxidant activities. The phytochemicals from superfruits are bioaccessible and bioavailable in humans with promising health benefits. More well-designed human explorative studies are needed to validate the health benefits of these superfruits.
Allium ampeloprasum L., commonly known as wild leek, is an edible vegetable that has been cultivated for centuries. However, no detailed studies have been undertaken to valorize A. ampeloprasum seed oil. This study aims to evaluate the physicochemical properties, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity of A. ampeloprasum seed oil. The seed oil content was found to be 18.20%. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed that linoleic acid (71.65%) was the dominant acid, followed by oleic acid (14.11%) and palmitic acid (7.11%). A. ampeloprasum seed oil exhibited an oxidative stability of 5.22 h. Moreover, γ- and δ-tocotrienols were the major tocols present (79.56 and 52.08 mg/100 g oil, respectively). The total flavonoid content (16.64 µg CE /g oil) and total phenolic content (62.96 µg GAE /g oil) of the seed oil were also determined. The antioxidant capacity of the oil, as evaluated using the ABTS assay (136.30 µM TEAC/g oil), was found to be significant. These findings indicate that A. ampeloprasum seeds can be regarded as a new source of edible oil having health benefits and nutritional properties.
The Crocus and Cyclamen genus have been reported to possess diverse biological properties. In the present investigation, two geophytes from these genus, namely Crocus pallasi and Cyclamen cilicium have been studied. The in vitro antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and cytotoxic effects of the methanol extracts of Crocus pallasii and Cyclamen cilicium aerial and underground parts were investigated. Antioxidant abilities of the extracts were investigated via different antioxidant assays (metal chelating, radical quenching (ABTS and DPPH), reducing power (CUPRAC and FRAP) and phosphomolybdenum). Cholinesterases, amylase, tyrosinase, and glucosidase were used as target enzymes for detecting enzyme inhibitory abilities of the samples. Regarding the cytotoxic abilities, breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7) and prostate cancer cell lines (DU-145) were used. The flowers extracts of Crocus pallasii and C. cilicium possessed the highest flavonoid content. The highest phenolic content was recorded from C. cilicium root extract (47.62 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract). Cyclamen cilicium root extract showed significantly (p
The objective of this study was to compare the antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of Durio zibethinus M. (Durian) leaf extract from two extraction methods. Ultrasound-assisted extraction and Accelerated-solvent extraction were used to produce crude extract. The results revealed that UAE achieved 3× higher in total phenolic content in the leaf extract compared to ASE. DPPH radical scavenging activity was 4.6× higher in leaf extract from ASE. No significant differences reported in ferric reducing power, and total flavonoid content of the leaf extract between the two methods. Cytotoxicity via MTT assay demonstrated no significant differences in cell viability upon exposure to the leaf extract from both methods. This suggested that they were appropriate in producing Durio zibethinus M. leaf extract for end use application in food related product. Both ensured similar level of safety in Durio zibethinus M. leaf extract as a new potential ingredient for the food industry.
Plants and plant-based products have been used for a long time for medicinal purposes. This study aimed to determine the antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase activities of eight selected underutilized plants in Malaysia: Leucaena leucocephala, Muntingia calabura, Spondias dulcis, Annona squamosa, Ardisia elliptica, Cynometra cauliflora, Ficus auriculata, and Averrhoa bilimbi. This study showed that the 70% ethanolic extract of all plants exhibited total phenolic content (TPC) ranging from 51 to 344 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight. A. elliptica showed strong 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activities, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 2.17 and 49.43 μg/mL, respectively. Most of the tested plant extracts showed higher inhibition of α-glucosidase enzyme activity than the standard, quercetin, particularly A. elliptica, F. auriculata, and M. calabura extracts with IC50 values of 0.29, 0.36, and 0.51 μg/mL, respectively. A total of 62 metabolites including flavonoids, triterpenoids, benzoquinones, and fatty acids were tentatively identified in the most active plant, i.e., A. elliptica leaf extract, by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-electrospray ionization (ESI) Orbitrap MS. This study suggests a potential natural source of antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitors from A. elliptica.
In this study, phytochemical composition, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition and cytotoxic activities of methanol and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts of Bougainvillea glabra (B. glabra) flowers were investigated. Methanol extract was found to have higher total bioactive contents and UHPLC-MS analysis of methanol extract revealed the presence of well-known phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Antioxidant activities were performed by radical scavenging (DPPH and ABTS), reducing power (FRAP and CUPRAC), phosphomolybdenum (TAC) and metal chelating assays. From our result, we observed that methanol extract had many antioxidant compounds. The DCM extract exhibited higher cholinesterases and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition, while methanol extract showed significant urease inhibition. Both extracts exhibited strong to moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, CaSki, DU-145 and SW-480 cancer cells with IC50 values ranging from 88.49 to 304.7 µg/mL. The findings showed the B. glabra to possess considerable antioxidant, enzyme inhibition and cytotoxic potentials and therefore has potential to discover novel bioactive molecules.
Obesity remains a major public health problem due to its increasing prevalence. Natural products have become common as adjunct therapeutic agents for treating obesity and preventing metabolic diseases. Cocoa and its products are commonly consumed worldwide. Dark chocolate, a rich source of polyphenols, has received attention lately for its beneficial role in the management of obesity; however, conflicting results are still being reported. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing literature on the relationship and effects of cocoa and dark chocolate intake among obese adults. We searched multiple databases for research investigating the consumption of cocoa and/or dark chocolate in managing obesity among adults. This review includes epidemiological and human studies that were published in English over the last 10 years. Our review of the current literature indicates that epidemiological and human trials with obese adults have shown inconsistent results, which may be due to the different populations of subjects, and different types of cocoa products and doses used for intervention. Studies among obese adults are mainly focusing on obese individuals with comorbidities, as such more studies are needed to elucidate the role of cocoa polyphenols in weight control and preventing the risk of chronic diseases among obese individuals without comorbidities as well as healthy individuals. Careful adjustment of confounding factors would be required. The effects of cocoa and dark chocolate intake on obese adults were discussed, and further research is warranted to identify the gaps.
The present study focused on the phytochemical profiling along with evaluation of in vitro antioxidant, α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities of various crudes and fractions obtained from Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb) Leenh fruit. Ethanolic seed crude extract exhibited the strongest radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching activity, α-glucosidase inhibition and the highest total phenolic content (TPC). Column chromatography afforded various fractions with fraction M4 being the most potent due to the strongest radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching, α-glucosidase inhibition and greatest amount of TPC. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of ethanolic seed crude extract and fraction M4 showed the presence of various phytochemicals with antioxidant and antidiabetic properties, which include mostly flavonoids and tannins. The results may suggest that the ethanolic crude seed extract and its fraction could be an excellent source of bioactive phytochemicals with antioxidant and antidiabetic potential.
Liver damage is a common liver disorder, which could induce liver cancer. Oral antioxidant is one of the effective treatments to prevent and alleviate liver damage. In this study, three flavonoids namely myricetin, isoquercitrin, and isorhamnetin were isolated and identified from Laba garlic. The isolated compounds were investigated on the protective effects against H2 O2 -induced oxidative damages in hepatic L02 cells and apoptosis inducing mechanism in hepatic cancer cells HepG2 by using MTT assay, flow cytometry and western blotting analysis. Myricetin, isoquercitrin, and isorhamnetin showed proliferation inhibition on HepG2 cells with IC50 value of 44.32 ± 0.213 µM, 49.68 ± 0.192 µM, and 54.32 ± 0.176 µM, respectively. While they showed low toxicity on normal cell lines L02. They could significantly alleviate the oxidative damage towards L02 cells (P < 0.05), via inhibiting the morphological changes in mitochondria and upholding the integrity of mitochondrial structure and function. The fluorescence intensity of L02 cells pre-treated with myricetin, isoquercitrin, and isorhamnetin (100 µM) was 89.23 ± 1.26%, 89.35 ± 1.43% and 88.97 ± 0.79%, respectively. Moreover, the flavonoids could induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells via Bcl-2/Caspase pathways, where it could up-regulate the expression of Bax and down-regulate the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, pro-Caspase-3, and pro-Caspase-9 proteins in a dose dependent manner. Overall, the results suggested that the flavonoids from Laba garlic might be a promising candidate for the treatment of various liver disorders. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Flavonoids from Laba garlic showed selective toxicity towards HepG2 cells in comparison to L02 cells via regulating Bcl-2/caspase pathway. Additionally, the isolated flavonoids expressively barred the oxidative damage induced by H2 O2 in L02 cells. These results suggested that the flavonoids from laba garlic could be a promising agent towards the development of functional foods.
This study sets out to probe into total bioactive contents, UHPLC-MS secondary metabolites profiling, antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating) and enzyme inhibitory (acetylcholinesterase- AChE, butyrylcholinesterase- BChE, α-amylase, α glucosidase, and tyrosinase) activities of methanol extract of Aerva javanica, also known as desert cotton or Kapok bush. Aerva javanica contains considerable phenolic (44.79 ± 3.12 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (28.86 ± 0.12 mg QE/g) contents which tends to correlate with its significant antioxidant potential for ABTS, FRAP and CUPRAC assays with values of 101.41 ± 1.18, 124.10 ± 1.71 and 190.22 ± 5.70 mg TE/g, respectively. The UHPLC-MS analysis identified the presence of 45 phytochemicals belonging to six major groups: phenolic, flavonoids, lignin, terpenes, glycoside and alkaloid. Moreover, the plant extract also showed potent inhibitory action against AChE (3.73 ± 0.22 mg GALAE/g), BChE (3.31 ± 0.19 mg GALAE/g) and tyrosinase (126.05 ± 1.77 mg KAE/g). The observed results suggest A. javanica could be further explored as a natural source of bioactive compounds.
This study aimed to compare the effect of fermentation and drying on the organoleptic characteristic, total phenolic content, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth tea with commercial Camellia sinensis tea. The phenolic content, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in P. pellucida were significantly (p
Honey is a well-known natural sweetener and is rich in natural antioxidants that prevent the occurrence of oxidative stress, which is responsible for many human diseases. Some of the biochemical compounds in honey that contribute to this property are vitamins and phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. However, the extent to which these molecules contribute towards the antioxidant capacity in vitro is inconsistently reported, especially with the different analytical methods used, as well as other extrinsic factors that influence these molecules' availability. Therefore, by reviewing recently published works correlating the vitamin, total phenolic, and flavonoid content in honey with its antioxidant activities in vitro, this paper will establish a relationship between these parameters. Based on the literature, vitamins do not contribute to honey's antioxidant capacity; however, the content of phenolic acids and flavonoids has an impact on honey's antioxidant activity.
Ajuga bracteosa Wall. ex Benth. is an endangered medicinal herb traditionally used against different ailments. The present study aimed to create new insight into the fundamental mechanisms of genetic transformation and the biological activities of this plant. We transformed the A. bracteosa plant with rol genes of Agrobacterium rhizogenes and raised the regenerants from the hairy roots. These transgenic regenerants were screened for in vitro antioxidant activities, a range of in vivo assays, elemental analysis, polyphenol content, and different phytochemicals found through HPLC. Among 18 polyphenolic standards, kaempferol was most abundant in all transgenic lines. Furthermore, transgenic line 3 (ABRL3) showed maximum phenolics and flavonoids content among all tested plant extracts. ABRL3 also demonstrated the highest total antioxidant capacity (8.16 ± 1 μg AAE/mg), total reducing power, (6.60 ± 1.17 μg AAE/mg), DPPH activity (IC50 = 59.5 ± 0.8 μg/mL), hydroxyl ion scavenging (IC50 = 122.5 ± 0.90 μg/mL), and iron-chelating power (IC50 = 154.8 ± 2 μg/mL). Moreover, transformed plant extracts produced significant analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and antidepressant activities in BALB/c mice models. In conclusion, transgenic regenerants of A. bracteosa pose better antioxidant and pharmacological properties under the effect of rol genes as compared to wild-type plants.
Passiflora quadrangularis L. belongs to the family Passifloraceae which bears larger fruit with edible juicy mesocarp and pulp known as a good source of phytochemicals. Cultivation and plant management practices are known to influence the phytochemical compositions of agricultural produce. This study aimed to examine the influence of the cultivation practices on the antioxidant activities and secondary metabolites of the organically and conventionally grown P. quadrangularis. Findings revealed organically treated P. quadrangularis plants showed enhancement in their antioxidant properties and secondary metabolites profiles. Among the plant parts, leaves of P. quadrangularis grown organically possessed higher antioxidant activities compared to the conventional in all assays evaluated. The antioxidant activities in the edible parts of the P. quadrangularis fruit have also been enhanced through organic cultivation with significantly higher total phenolic content and DPPH in mesocarp, and the pulp showed higher total flavonoid content, DPPH and FRAP. This observation is supported by a higher level of vitamins and secondary metabolites in the samples. The secondary metabolites profile showed mesocarps were phenolic rich, the pulps were flavonoids rich while leaves showed good composition of phenolics, flavonoids and terpenoids with outstanding antioxidant activities. The common secondary metabolites for organically produced P. quadrangularis in different plant parts include 2-isopropyl-3-methoxycinnamic acid (mesocarp and pulp), myricetin isomers (pulp and leaves), and malvidin-3-O-arabinoside isomers (pulp and leaves). This study confirmed that organic cultivated P. quadrangularis possessed higher antioxidant activities contributed by its vitamins and secondary metabolites.
Artemisia verlotiorum Lamotte is recognized medicinally given its long-standing ethnopharmacological uses in different parts of the world. Nonetheless, the pharmacological properties of the leaves of the plant have been poorly studied by the scientific community. Hence, this study aimed to decipher the phytochemicals; quantify through HPLC-ESI-MS analysis the plant’s biosynthesis; and evaluate the antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase, amylase, glucosidase, cholinesterase, and cytotoxicity potential on normal (NIH 3T3) and human liver and human colon cancer (HepG2 and HT 29) cell lines of this plant species. The aqueous extract contained the highest content of phenolics and phenolic acid, methanol extracted the most flavonoid, and the most flavonol was extracted by ethyl acetate. The one-way ANOVA results demonstrated that all results obtained were statistically significant at p < 0.05. A total of 25 phytoconstituents were identified from the different extracts, with phenolic acids and flavonoids being the main metabolites. The highest antioxidant potential was recorded for the aqueous extract. The best anti-tyrosinase extract was the methanolic extract. The ethyl acetate extract of A. verlotiorum had the highest flavonol content and hence was most active against the cholinesterase enzymes. The ethyl acetate extract was the best α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor. The samples of Artemisia verlotiorum Lamotte in both aqueous and methanolic extracts were found to be non-toxic after 48 h against NIH 3T3 cells. In HepG2 cells, the methanolic extract was nontoxic up to 125 µg/mL, and an IC50 value of 722.39 µg/mL was recorded. The IC50 value exhibited in methanolic extraction of A. verlotiorum was 792.91 µg/mL in HT29 cells. Methanolic extraction is capable of inducing cell cytotoxicity in human hepatocellular carcinoma without damaging normal cells. Hence, A. verlotiorum can be recommended for further evaluation of its phytochemical and medicinal properties.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an S. aureus strain that has developed resistance against ß-lactam antibiotics, resulting in a scarcity of a potent cure for treating Staphylococcus infections. In this study, the anti-MRSA and antioxidant activity of the Indonesian mangrove species Sonneratia caseolaris, Avicennia marina, Rhizophora mucronata, and Rhizophora apiculata were studied. Disk diffusion, DPPH, a brine shrimp lethality test, and total phenolic and flavonoid assays were conducted. Results showed that among the tested mangroves, ethanol solvent-based S. caseolaris leaves extract had the highest antioxidant and anti-MRSA activities. An antioxidant activity assay showed comparable activity when compared to ascorbic acid, with an IC50 value of 4.2499 ± 3.0506 ppm and 5.2456 ± 0.5937 ppm, respectively, classifying the extract as a super-antioxidant. Moreover, S. caseolaris leaves extract showed the highest content of strongly associated antioxidative and antibacterial polyphenols, with 12.4% consisting of nontoxic flavonoids with the minimum inhibitory concentration of the ethanol-based S. caseolaris leaves extract being approximately 5000 ppm. LC-MS/MS results showed that phenolic compounds such as azelaic acid and aspirin were found, as well as flavonoid glucosides such as isovitexin and quercitrin. This strongly suggested that these compounds greatly contributed to antibacterial and antioxidant activity. Further research is needed to elucidate the interaction of the main compounds in S. caseolaris leaves extract in order to confirm their potential either as single or two or more compounds that synergistically function as a nontoxic antioxidant and antibacterial against MRSA.
This study aimed to fractionate Alternanthera sessilis Red (ASR) crude extracts and determine their antioxidant activities as well as the related active components in the whole plant. ASR was extracted with water and ethanol, and further separated using a Sephadex LH-20 column. Following the assessments of the polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities of crude extracts (H2 OASR and EtOHASR ) and fractions, a HPLC-QToF analysis was performed on the crude extracts and selected fractions (H2 OASR FII and EtOHASR FII). Three water fractions (H2 OASR FI, FII and FIII) and four ethanolic fractions (EtOHASR FI, FII, FIII and FIV) were derived from their crude extracts, respectively. EtOHASR FII exhibited the greatest total phenolic content (120.41 mg GAE/g fraction), total flavonoid content (223.07 mg RE/g fraction), and antioxidant activities (DPPH IC50 =159.43 μg/mL; FRAP=1.93 mmol Fe2+ /g fraction; TEAC=0.90 mmol TE/g fraction). Correlation analysis showed significant (p<0.01) positive correlations between both TPC (r=0.748-0.970) and TFC (r=0.686-0.949) with antioxidant activities in the crude extracts and fractions. Flavonoids were the major compounds in the four selected samples tentatively identified using HPLC-QToF-MS/MS, with the highest number of 30 polyphenol compounds detected in the most active fraction, EtOHASR FII.
Trillium govanianum is a high-value medicinal herb, having multifunctional traditional and culinary uses. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the phytochemical, biological and toxicological parameters of the T. govanianum Wall. ex D. Don (Family: Trilliaceae) roots collected from Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Phytochemical profiling was achieved by determining total bioactive contents (total phenolic and flavonoid contents) and UHPLC-MS analysis. For biological evaluation, antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelation assays) and enzyme inhibition activities (against AChE, BChE, glucosidase, amylase, and tyrosinase) were performed. Moreover, cytotoxicity was assessed against three human carcinoma cell lines (MDA-MB-231, CaSki, and DU-145). The tested extract was found to contain higher total phenolics (7.56 mg GAE/g dry extract) as compared to flavonoid contents (0.45 mg RE/g dry extract). Likewise, for the antioxidant activity, higher CUPRAC activity was noted with 39.84 mg TE/g dry extract values. In the case of enzyme assays, higher activity was pointed out against the cholinesterase, glucosidase and tyrosinase enzymes. The plant extract displayed significant cytotoxicity against the cell lines examined. Moreover, the in-silico studies highlighted the interaction between the important phytochemicals and tested enzymes. To conclude, the assessed biological activity and the existence of bioactive phytochemicals in the studied plant extract may pave the way for the development of novel pharmaceuticals.