Changes in anticholinesterase, antioxidant activities and related bioactive compounds of carob pulp (Ceratonia siliqua L.) during ripening stages

Exploring Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.): A Comprehensive Assessment of Its Characteristics, Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemical Aspects, and Pharmacological Activities

The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is currently considered one of the most valuable fruit and forest trees in various fields and sectors of activity. It is a versatile plant, belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is widely used in traditional medicine to treat many diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disorders, given that all its parts (leaves, flowers, pods, seeds, wood, bark, and roots) are useful and hold value in many areas. Its importance has increased significantly in recent years. Originating from the Middle East, it is recognized for its ecological and industrial significance. Previous studies conducted on Ceratonia siliqua L. have revealed the presence of several compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, minerals, and proteins. The carob tree demonstrates antihypertensive, antidepressant, anti-obesity, and antihyperglycemic activities. This plant is known for its medicinal and therapeutic virtues. Moreover, it is particularly interesting to consider the pharmacological activities of the major phytochemical compounds present in the different extracts of this plant, such as phenolic acids, for example, coumaric and gallic acids, as well as flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin. Therefore, this review aims to analyze some aspects of this plant, especially the taxonomy, cytogeography, traditional uses, phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of Ceratonia siliqua L., in addition to its biological properties.

Assessing the potential of rosary pea (Abrus precatorius L.) derived aqueous seed extracts as anticancer agents and their phytoconstituents as COX-2 inhibitor: an in-vitro and in-silico approach

Abrus precatorius L. is a traditional remedy with a long history of use in medicine around the globe due to its diverse phytochemical composition and bioactivities which are of utmost significance to the scientific community. With the aim to provide new insights into the antioxidant, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties of A. precatorius aqueous seed extracts, different extraction methods were employed. Aqueous extract prepared by Soxhlet method APW (Sox) had higher total phenolics, flavonoids and tannin content. In DPPH assay, APW (Sox) had the maximum free radical scavenging activity. The maximum FRAP value was displayed by APW (Mac). The maximum inhibition was shown by APW (Sox) against HPV18 (Hep2C) cells and APW (Mac) against HPV18 (KB) cells. In cervical cancer (Hep2C) cells, catalase (CAT), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) activity, and glutathione (GSH) content were all highest in APW (Sox) extract, whereas APW (Mac) extract demonstrated the highest superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the lowest malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Similarly, in oral cancer (KB) cells, APW (Mac) extract showed the highest SOD, CAT, GST activity and GSH content whereas APW (Sox) extract showed the least MDA content. Docking studies showed that tannic acid and rutin had the highest binding affinity, while MD simulations showed that they were stable in complex with COX-2 for at least 90 ns. Promising antiangiogenic activities were observed in both APW (Sox) and APW (Mac) in a dose dependent manner. Therefore, aqueous seed extracts of A. precatorius could be considered promising candidates for anticancer and antiangiogenic drugs.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Novel biogenic silver nanoconjugates of Abrus precatorius seed extracts and their antiproliferative and antiangiogenic efficacies

Biogenic silver nanoconjugates (AgNCs), derived from medicinal plants, have been widely explored in the field of biomedicines. AgNCs for the first-time were synthesized using ethyl acetate seed extracts of Abrus precatorius and their antiproliferative and antiangiogenic efficacies were evaluated against cervical and oral carcinoma. Ultraviolet-Visible spectrophotometry, dynamic light Scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for characterization of AgNCs. Antiproliferative activity was investigated using MTT, DNA fragmentation and in-vitro antioxidant enzyme activity assays. In-vivo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model was used to evaluate antiangiogenic activity. A total of 11 compounds were identified in both the extracts in GCMS analysis. The synthesized AgNCs were spherical shaped with an average size of 97.4 nm for AgAPE (Sox) and 64.3 nm for AgAPE (Mac). AgNCs possessed effective inhibition against Hep2C and KB cells. In Hep2C cells, AgAPE (Mac) revealed the highest SOD, catalase, GST activity and lower MDA content, whereas AgAPE (Sox) showed the highest GSH content. On the other hand, in KB cells, AgAPE (Sox) exhibited the higher SOD, GST activity, GSH content, and least MDA content, while AgAPE (Mac) displayed the highest levels of catalase activity. Docking analysis revealed maximum binding affinity of safrole and linoleic acid with selected targets. AgAPE (Sox), AgAPE (Mac) treatment profoundly reduced the thickness, branching, and sprouting of blood vessels in the chick embryos. This study indicates that A. precatorius-derived AgNCs have enhanced efficacies against cervical and oral carcinoma as well as against angiogenesis, potentially limiting tumour growth.

Pharmacological bioactivity of Ceratonia siliqua pulp extract: in vitro screening and molecular docking analysis, implication of Keap-1/Nrf2/NF-ĸB pathway

Inflammation is interfaced with various metabolic disorders. Ceratonia siliqua (CS) has a higher pharmaceutical purpose. The research aimed to investigate the biofunction of CS pulp aqueous extract (CS-PAE) with an emphasis on its integrated computational approaches as opposed to different specific receptors contributing to inflammation. The extract was assessed for its chemical and phenolic components via GC-MS, LC-MS, HPLC, and total phenolic and flavonoid content. In vitro, bioactivities and molecular docking were analyzed. Findings indicate that CS-PAE demonstrated higher scavenging activities of nitric oxide, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and anti-lipid peroxidation (IC₅₀ values were 5.29, 3.04, 0.63, 7.35 and 9.6 mg/dl, respectively). The extract revealed potent inhibition of RBCs hemolysis, acetylcholine esterase, monoamine oxidase-B, and α-glucosidase enzymes (IC₅₀ was 13.44, 9.31, 2.45, and 1.5 mg/dl, respectively). The extract exhibited a cytotoxic effect against prostate cancer Pc3, liver cancer HepG2, colon cancer Caco2, and lung cancer A549 cell lines. Moreover, CS-PAE owned higher antiviral activity against virus A and some bacteria. When contrasting data from molecular docking, it was reported that both apigenin-7-glucoside and rutin in CS-PAE have a good affinity toward the Keap-1/Nrf2/ NF-ĸB pathway. In conclusion, CS-PAE showed promise in therapeutic activity in metabolic conditions.

Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant Activity, and Chemometric Classification of Carob Pulp and Products

In recent years, carob and its derived products have gained wide attention due to their health-promoting effects, which are mainly attributed to their phenolic compounds. Carob samples (carob pulps, powders, and syrups) were analyzed to investigate their phenolic profile using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with gallic acid and rutin being the most abundant compounds. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of the samples were estimated through DPPH (IC₅₀ 98.83-488.47 mg extract/mL), FRAP (48.58-144.32 μmol TE/g product), and Folin-Ciocalteu (7.20-23.18 mg GAE/g product) spectrophotometric assays. The effect of thermal treatment and geographical origin of carobs and carob-derived products on their phenolic composition was assessed. Both factors significantly affect the concentrations of secondary metabolites and, therefore, samples' antioxidant activity (p-value < 10^-7). The obtained results (antioxidant activity and phenolic profile) were evaluated via chemometrics, through a preliminary principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The OPLS-DA model performed satisfactorily, differentiating all samples according to their matrix. Our results indicate that polyphenols and antioxidant capacity can be chemical markers for the classification of carob and its derived products.

In-vitro antiproliferative efficacy of Abrus precatorius seed extracts on cervical carcinoma

Abrus precatorius is a tropical medicinal plant with multiple medicinal benefits whose seeds have not yet been studied against cervical cancer. Herein, we have assessed the antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of seed extracts (ethyl acetate and 70% ethanol) prepared from Soxhlet and Maceration extraction methods against Hep2C and HeLa Cells. We observed that the APE (Sox) extract had a significantly higher total flavonoid content, APA (Mac) extract had a high total phenolic content, and APA (Sox) extract had a high total tannin content. Further, HPLC analysis of extracts revealed the presence of tannic acid and rutin. Moreover, APA (Sox) exhibited the highest free radical scavenging activity. APE (Mac) had the best antiproliferative activity against Hep2C cells, while APA (Sox) had the best antiproliferative activity against HeLa cells. In Hep2C cells, APE (Mac) extract revealed the highest SOD, catalase activity, GSH content, and the lowest MDA content, whereas APA (Mac) extract demonstrated the highest GST activity. In HeLa cells, APA (Sox) extract showed the highest SOD, GST activity, GSH content, and the least MDA content, whereas APA (Mac) extract showed the highest catalase activity. Lastly, docking results suggested maximum binding affinity of tannic acid with HER2 and GCR receptors. This study provides evidence that A. precatorius seed extracts possess promising bioactive compounds with probable anticancer and antioxidant properties against cervical cancer for restricting tumor growth.

Investigation of Photoprotective, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant Capacities and LC-ESI-MS Phenolic Profile of Astragalus gombiformis Pomel

Plant-derived compounds have recently been gaining popularity as skincare factors due to their ability to absorb ultraviolet radiations and their anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. In this light, this work aimed to evaluate in vitro the pharmacological activities of the butanolic extract prepared from the aerial parts of Astragalus gombiformis Pomel, an endemic species to southern Algeria. The sun protection factor was used to assess the photoprotective effect (SPF), the protein denaturation method to determine the anti-inflammatory activity, and brine shrimp nauplii and OxHLIA assay, respectively, to assess the cytotoxicity and antioxidant capacity of A. gombiformis. In addition, LC–ESI–MS analysis was employed for the characterization of the phenolic constituents of A. gombiformis. The results showed that A. gombiformis had high capacity for absorbing UV radiations with an SPF of 37.78 ± 0.85 and significant anti-inflammatory activity with a percentage inhibition of 75.38% which is close to that of diclofenac and ketoprofen. In addition, A. gombiformis was found to have effective cytotoxicity against Artemia nauplii with a DC50 value of about 44.7 µg/mL, but a weak hemolytic effect against human erythrocytes. LC–ESI–MS results detected the presence of 17 phenolic compounds with a predominance of cirsiliol, silymarin, quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside), and kaempferol. Taken together, these results suggest that A. gombiformis extract could be used as a skincare agent in cosmetic formulations, providing excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection, allowing the treatment of skin conditions, as well as a pharmaceutical agent with multidimensional applications.

Continuous and pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction of carob's antioxidants: Processing parameters optimization and identification of polyphenolic composition

Polyphenols in carobs have recently attracted great attention due to their wide range of biological and health promoting effects. A comprehensive study was conducted to find an optimum method for the extraction, purification and characterization of these valuable bioactive substances. Under this framework, the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols from carob pulp was optimized by the maximization of the yield in total phenolics using response surface methodology. In particular, the effects of solid-solvent ratio, solvent concentration, extraction time, sonication amplitude, and sonication mode were investigated and optimized using a complete experimental design. In comparison to conventional extraction techniques, UAE offered a higher yield of antioxidants and a shorter processing time. Solid-phase extraction was evaluated as a clean-up strategy prior to the electrophoretic analysis of extracts. The results from the analysis of real samples revealed the predominance of gallic acid and highlighted the great influence of the ripening stage on carobs composition.