Inhibitory Activities of Butanol Fraction from Butea monosperma (Lam .) Taub . Bark Against Free Radicals, Genotoxins and Cancer Cells

Antioxidant and anticancer potentials of edible flowers: where do we stand?

Edible flowers are attracting special therapeutic attention and their administration is on the rise. Edible flowers play pivotal modulatory roles on oxidative stress and related interconnected apoptotic/inflammatory pathways toward the treatment of cancer. In this review, we highlighted the phytochemical content and therapeutic applications of edible flowers, as well as their modulatory potential on the oxidative stress pathways and apoptotic/inflammatory mediators, resulting in anticancer effects. Edible flowers are promising sources of phytochemicals (e.g., phenolic compounds, carotenoids, terpenoids) with several therapeutic effects. They possess anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-depressant, anxiolytic, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Edible flowers potentially modulate oxidative stress by targeting erythroid nuclear transcription factor-2/extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (Nrf2/ERK/MAPK), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant response elements (AREs). As the interconnected pathways to oxidative stress, inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), interleukins (ILs) as well as apoptotic pathways such as Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), Bcl-2, caspase and cytochrome C are critical targets of edible flowers in combating cancer. In this regard, edible flowers could play promising anticancer effects by targeting oxidative stress and downstream dysregulated pathways.

Extraction, optical properties, and aging studies of natural pigments of various flower plants

In this paper, we reported the extraction process of five different flowering plants utilizing different dye extraction methods and solvents (ethanol and water) to choose the best dye removal process. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of several clear functional groups for all five natural dyes. The analytical studies such as UV spectroscopy, column chromatography, and vacuum evaporation were performed to isolate the dyes from their solutions. The UV-Vis studies on the pigments of flower extracts indicated broad absorption peaks in the visible region including clear bandgaps. Among the studied pigments, Alternanthera ficoidea showed the lowest direct bandgap of 1.69 eV and an Urbach energy value of 6.33 meV. The dye extraction yield rate improvement was extended from 11.7 to 24.7% (water solvent) and 11.3-32.4% (ethanol solvent). Throughout the studies, it was observed that ethanol produced a better extraction for organic dyes than water as a solvent. Aging studies revealed that all the dyes at the room temperature showed better stability with minor changes in the observed optical parameters in oxygen-rich conditions; however, these parameters have shown significant variations at a 60 °C temperature.