High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MSn) Analysis and Bioactivity Useful for Prevention of "Diabesity" of Allium commutatum Guss

Edible Halophytes and Halo-Tolerant Species in Apulia Region (Southeastern Italy): Biogeography, Traditional Food Use and Potential Sustainable Crops

The Mediterranean basin is rich in wild edible species which have been used for food and medicinal purposes by humans throughout the centuries. Many of these species can be found near coastal areas and usually grow under saline conditions, while others can adapt in various harsh conditions including high salinity. Many of these species have a long history of gathering from the wild as a source of food. The aim of this contribution is an overview on the most important halophyte species (Salicornia sp. pl., Arthrocaulon macrostachyum (Moric.) Piirainen & G. Kadereit, Soda inermis Fourr., Cakile maritima Scop., Crithmum maritimum L., Reichardia picroides (L.) Roth., Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke subsp. tenoreana (Colla) Soldano & F. Conti, Allium commutatum Guss., Beta vulgaris L. subsp. maritima (L.) Arcang., Capparis spinosa L.) that traditionally have been gathered by rural communities in southern Italy, with special interest on their ecology and distribution, traditional uses, medicinal properties, marketing and early attempts of cultivation. It is worth noting that these species have an attractive new cash crop for marsh marginal lands.

Preparation, characterization, and bioactivity of Zingiber officinale Roscoe powder-based Pickering emulsions

BACKGROUND

Biocompatible Pickering emulsions (PE) stabilized by tailor-made antioxidant-loaded particles have been known for some time now, but antioxidant-rich natural plant particle-based emulsions are much less well known. This study aimed to investigate the physico-chemical properties of commercial Zingiber officinale powders obtained from biological and conventional agricultural practice and ginger powder-based PE.

RESULTS

The physico-chemical and biological properties of Zingiber officinale powders (GDPs) obtained from conventional (GDPC1 and GDPC2) and biological agricultural (GDPBIO) practices, and the properties of derived PE (PE_GDPs) were examined. All GDPs showed weak aggregation in aqueous media and a sufficiently hydrophobic surface to stabilize oil-in-water (O/W) PE against coalescence for at least 1 month. Zingiber officinale powders (2% w/w) derived from biological agricultural practices (GDPBIO) demonstrated the best emulsifying properties. The Zingiber officinale powders and PE_GDPs were also characterized by their phytochemical profiles. All the investigated samples exhibited ferric reducing ability power greater than the positive control, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), with values ranging from 91.21 to 102.63 μmol L-1 Fe (II) g-1 for GDPC2 and 05PE_GDPC1 (O/W=1:1), respectively. In β-carotene bleaching test the following trend GDPC1 > GDPBIO > GDPC2 was observed. A 05PE_GDPBIO sample with the oil volume fraction equal to 50% was stable to oxidation and exhibited a promising α-amylase inhibitory activity.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that ginger powder should be used as a starting point to design biocompatible PEs for different applications in the functional food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. In fact, powder and based PE are characterized by a promising antioxidant activity, carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzyme and lipase inhibitory properties. Further in vivo studies are necessary to confirm these findings. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Biochemical characterization, cytotoxic, antimutagenic, anticancer and molecular docking studies on Tecomella undulata

In this study bioassay-guided screening of Tecomella undulate was performed for its cytotoxic, antimutagenic and anticancer potential. The ariel parts were extracted on a polarity basis (methanol, dichloromethane and hexane). The in vivo toxicity was assessed on Caenorhabditis elegans, and its locomotion was affected by Tecomella undulata hexane (TUAH) the most. Ames test for antimutagenicity showed Tecomella undulata methanol (TUAM) exhibited against mutagen 2AA showed inhibition of 71.03% and 26.32% 2AA in TA98 while in in vitro MTT assay on carcinoma cell lines TUAM showed 68.1% cytotoxicity. Moreover, In resazurin assay on fibroblast cells African green monkey kidney VERO and on the panel of carcinoma cell lines, the most effective extract was TUAM on liver HepG-2 with CC50 value 117.37 ± 4.73 µg/ml followed by on lungs A549 with 142.01 ± 5.3. Furthermore, for the bioassay-guided screening, the selectivity index was calculated for TUAM CC50 ratio on HepG-2 and VERO which showed a decent 2.77 score. After column chromatography, the fraction TU-63 should remarkable cytotoxic effect in dose-response manner assay as (Hep-G2) CC50 value 11. 67 ± 1.37 µg/ml followed by (A549) CC50 value 17.23 ± 0.58 µg/ml. For qualitative analysis of anticancer potential LC-ESI-MS/MS the potential phytochemicals were identified. In silico molecular modelling against selected carcinogenic proteins. The results suggest Tecomella undulate the substantial anticancer potential which supports potential natural anticancer therapeutic drug candidate development for combating cancer.

The functional potential of nine Allium species related to their untargeted phytochemical characterization, antioxidant capacity and enzyme inhibitory ability

In this study, the aerial parts and bulbs of nine Allium species were investigated for their functional phytochemical profile, in vitro antioxidant activities, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and tyrosinase inhibitory properties. Phenolics, alkaloids, glucosinolates and other sulfur-containing compounds were distinctively profiled in the different species. Maceration in methanol allowed recovering the highest cumulative phenolic content in A. scabrifolium (42.31 mg/g), followed by A. goekyigiti (33.15 mg/g) and A. atroviolaceum (28.35 mg/g). The aerial parts of all Allium species showed high in vitro antioxidant activity whereas methanolic extract of A. cappadocicum bulb showed the highest inhibition against AChE (2.44 mg galantamine equivalent/g) and the water extracts of A. isauricum aerial part were the best BChE inhibitors (4.31 mg galantamine equivalent/g). Bulbs were the richer source of oligosaccharides, and in vitro digestion determined an increase of oligosaccharides bioaccessibility. A promising nutraceutical potential could be highlighted in our understudied Allium species.

The Effect of Blanching on Phytochemical Content and Bioactivity of Hypochaeris and Hyoseris Species (Asteraceae), Vegetables Traditionally Used in Southern Italy

The impact of blanching on the phytochemical content and bioactivity of Hypochaeris laevigata (HL), Hypochaeris radicata (HR), Hyoseris radiata (HRA), and Hyoseris lucida subsp. taurina (HT) leaves was studied and compared to fresh plant materials and residual blanching water. For this purpose, total phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and chlorophyll contents were quantified. The antioxidant effect was investigated by using different in vitro tests (β-carotene, ferric reducing ability power (FRAP), 2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), whereas the potential inhibitory activity of key enzymes linked to obesity was screened against lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. Generally, the phytochemical content followed the trend: fresh > blanching water > blanched samples. The same trend was observed in the antioxidant activity independently of the applied test as well as in the inhibition of lipase and carbohydrates-hydrolysing enzymes. In particular, fresh Hypochaeris laevigata (HL1) showed the lowest inhibitory concentration 50% (IC₅₀) values of 31.3 and 42.7 μg/mL, against α-glucosidase and α-amylase, respectively, whereas fresh Hyoseris radiata (HRA1) showed the most promising hypolipidemic activity (IC₅₀ value of 39.8 μg/mL). Collectively, these results support the health effect of these wild plants and demonstrated that blanching water should be reused in food preparation since it is a good source of bioactive compounds and its consumption should be recommended in order to increase the uptake of micronutrients.

Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.) Seeds Oil: Fatty Acids Profiling by GC-MS and NMR and Bioactivity

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyses, the antioxidant activities evaluated by different in vitro assays namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), Ferric Reducing Ability Power (FRAP), and β-carotene bleaching tests, and the inhibitory effects of enzymes linked to obesity (lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase) of fixed seed oil of Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.). Fourteen compounds were identified. Linoleic acid (28.22%) was the most abundant followed by palmitic acid (19.56%). Malvalic acid (16.15%), sterculic acid (11.11%), and dihydrosterculic acid (2.74%) were also detected. C. speciosa fixed oil exerted a promising ABTS radicals scavenging activity with an IC₅₀ value of 10.21 µg/mL, whereas an IC₅₀ of 77.44 µg/mL against DPPH⁺ radicals was found. C. speciosa fixed oil inhibited lipase with an IC₅₀ value of 127.57 µg/mL. The present investigation confirmed the functional properties of C. speciosa fixed oil, and proposes its use as valuable source of bioactive constituents.