Antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities in commercial and homemade pomegranate molasses in Lebanon

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Activities of Pomegranate Juice Concentrate

Pomegranate juice concentrate (PJC) is a rich source of polyphenols, which exhibit significant antioxidant activity and potential health benefits for disease prevention and therapy. In this study, the polyphenolic profile of PJC was investigated for the first time, and it was found that PJC can inhibit oxidative damage to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), as well as acetylcholinesterase, α-amylase, and tyrosinase activities. The primary polyphenols identified in PJC were 4-Hydroxy-3-Methoxybenzoate, epicatechin, catechin, rutin, ferulic acid, P-coumaric acid, and cinnamic acid. Additionally, PJC demonstrated potent antibacterial effects against human pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans and Aeromonas hydrophila and dose-dependently reduced the proliferation of colorectal, breast, and hepatic cancer cells via apoptosis. Furthermore, PJC blocked B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCl-2) and the expression of a potent cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (P21) and enhanced tumor protein (P53) expression, compared to both untreated cells and cells treated with fluoropyrimidine 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). As a result, PJC may be a beneficial ingredient in the formulation of emerging natural-compound-based chemotherapy and functional foods and could be utilized by the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries.

"Smart Extraction Chain" with Green Solvents: Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Picea abies Bark Waste for Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical and Cosmetic Uses

Secondary metabolites from the sawmill waste Picea abies bark were extracted using an innovative two-step extraction that includes a first step with supercritical CO₂ (SCO₂) and a second step using green solvents, namely ethanol, water, and water ethanol mixture. Maceration (M), ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave assisted extraction (MAE) techniques were applied in the second step. A total of nineteen extract were obtained and yield were compared. Bark extracts were characterized by LC-DAD-MSⁿ and classes of compounds were quantified as abietane derivatives, piceasides, flavonoids, and phenolics to compare different extractions. Obtained extracts were studied by in vitro assay to evaluate potential pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic uses assessing the antioxidant activity as well as the inhibitory activity on target enzymes. Results show that the “smart extraction chain” is advantageous in term of yield of extraction and phytoconstituent concentration. SCO₂ extract, presenting a unique composition with a large amount of abietane derivatives, exerted the best activity for amylase inhibition compared to the other extracts.

Unveiling the Phytochemical Profile and Biological Potential of Five Artemisia Species

The Artemisia L. genus comprises over 500 species with important medicinal and economic attributes. Our study aimed at providing a comprehensive metabolite profiling and bioactivity assessment of five Artemisia species collected from northeastern Romania (A. absinthium L., A. annua L., A. austriaca Jacq., A. pontica L. and A. vulgaris L.). Liquid chromatography–tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) analysis of methanol and chloroform extracts obtained from the roots and aerial parts of the plants led to the identification of 15 phenolic acids (mostly hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives), 26 flavonoids (poly-hydroxylated/poly-methoxylated flavone derivatives, present only in the aerial parts), 14 sesquiterpene lactones, 3 coumarins, 1 lignan and 7 fatty acids. Clustered image map (CIM) analysis of the phytochemical profiles revealed that A. annua was similar to A. absinthium and that A. pontica was similar to A. austriaca, whereas A. vulgaris represented a cluster of its own. Correlated with their total phenolic contents, the methanol extracts from both parts of the plants showed the highest antioxidant effects, as assessed by the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging, CUPRAC, FRAP and total antioxidant capacity methods. Artemisia extracts proved to be promising sources of enzyme inhibitory agents, with the methanol aerial part extracts being the most active samples against acetylcholinesterase and glucosidase. All Artemisia samples displayed good antibacterial effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra, with MIC values of 64–256 mg/L. In conclusion, the investigated Artemisia species proved to be rich sources of bioactives endowed with antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and anti-mycobacterial properties.